Morning Rounds

Draw Woman stepped out onto the observation deck of the Crayon Tower, her blue boots clicking against the metallic floor. The morning sun cast long shadows across Creative Metropolis below, where colorful buildings stretched toward the horizon like a giant artist's palette.

"Another peaceful day," she said, adjusting her blue mask as she scanned the city streets.

Her communicator buzzed with static. "Draw Woman, this is Officer Martinez from the Art District," came a worried voice. "We have a situation."

She pressed the response button. "What kind of situation?"

"The supply store on Canvas Street was completely cleaned out overnight. Every single art material is gone—paints, brushes, pencils, everything. The owner swears the doors were locked tight."

Draw Woman frowned, her green eyes narrowing behind her mask. "Any signs of forced entry?"

"That's the weird part," Officer Martinez replied. "Nothing. It's like the supplies just vanished into thin air."

She launched herself into the sky, wind whipping through her brown hair as she soared toward the Art District.

Empty Shelves and Secret Messages

Draw Woman landed on the sidewalk outside Brushstrokes Art Supply, her boots touching down silently. The store's windows were completely bare, with only dust outlines showing where displays once stood.

Officer Martinez jogged up to her, his uniform wrinkled from a long night. "Draw Woman! Thanks for coming so fast."

"Show me everything," she said, pushing open the front door.

Inside, the shelves were completely empty. Not a single crayon, paintbrush, or sketch pad remained. Even the cash register was untouched, coins still glinting in the open drawer.

"The owner, Mrs. Chen, swears she locked up at six yesterday," Martinez explained, wiping sweat from his forehead. "When she arrived this morning, every art supply was gone."

Draw Woman knelt beside a shelf, running her gloved fingers along the wood. "Look at this—no dust where the supplies were sitting. Someone moved everything very recently."

Martinez's radio crackled. "Officer Martinez, we have another report. The art supplies at Creative Elementary School are missing too."

Draw Woman's green eyes widened behind her mask. "That's across town. How could someone steal from two places at once?"

Her phone buzzed with a text message from an unknown number: "Stop looking for me. You'll never find what you can't see."