I had stopped at the water fountain. I took a drink, which sent me a little off schedule. When I got to the art room the door was opened and I heard
"You know I think we should tell her." Miss Connolly said.
"Tell her what?" Miss Ball was looking at a paintbrush and didn't seem to into everything today. "Oh, never mind, I'm not sure we should tell her just yet."
"Yes she is still not a full witch after all." Mrs. Pipitone agreed.
"So what she is still very responsible and can do the freezing spell better than MaryBeth." Miss Towle pointed out.
"Hey." Miss Ball protested, "I'll get it one of these times."
"Yes and, she's very good about things and passed all the tests we've given her with flying colors." Miss Jackman put in.
"Well Dee what about you? We haven't heard from you yet." Miss Towle said, or in other words wanted her opinion too.
"Susan the only thing that is stopping her from becoming a full witch is that we don't give her every opportunity to do these things, After all none of us were full teachers until after we had been taught everything we needed to know, and that's what's stopping Colleen."
"Well I still say we should wait." Mrs. Pipitone commented.
"Well I think she should be given a fair chance after all we are a whole group and it's not polite to keep things from one person, and she could even be listening to us right, now, where is she?" Miss Jackman stated.
"Probably right outside the doorway." Miss Towle said in a rather matter-of-factly kind of voice. "Jennifer, could you go find her?"
I heard Miss Connolly move her stool back and stand up, I rushed down the other hall (The one I had come from before). Then I slowly walked down the hall towards the art room.
"Oh hi Miss Connolly, have you been waiting for me?" I asked, she looked confused, "Sorry I'm late, well lets go in then."
I walked in and Miss Towle stood up, "Colleen could you hand me my wand please?" she requested.
"Oh my wand! I forgot my wand in my locker." I exclaimed.
"Don't get up," Miss Towle told me, "What's your locker number"
"D2A why?" but she didn't answer me she put her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. Then there was a whizzing noise and through the open door my wand flew in and landed in my outstretched hand. I smiled.
"Back to the subject, it's unanimous we've decided to show you the cellar�"
But before she finished Mrs. Pipitone cut in, "Kristine we didn't agree who are you referring to as we?"
"Me myself and I, now let me get through a sentence please, and for the record I asked your opinion I didn't say we'd vote on it, Miss Jackman is going to show it to you later, after the meeting."
Later that day� "Turn on that lantern I can't see." I demanded.
"Excuse me." Miss Jackman retorted and turned it up more. "Better?"
"Much thank you." We were in the boiler room now.
"The secret entrance is back toward that wall over there." She pointed. "Take the lantern I'll open it." I saluted and I think she rolled her eyes, it was hard to tell in this dim light.
It opened with a creak and dust flew out at us. I waved a hand and coughed. Then Miss Jackman crooked her finger for me to follow and I followed down a large oak staircase.
I gasped and the lantern dropped down stairs and landed with a clash to the floor. There was a corridor that I went down I passed two room and came to a turn that had two different ways to go. I took the one to the left, and there was a big auditorium.
"What is this, is this the cellar, why don't we use this?" I questioned.
"First floor no and because." She said and believe it or not she got a sensible answer to each question.
"Why, huh huh why don't we use it?" she rolled her eyes again.
"First of all let me explain, we did use this at one point, but it didn't have a very good foundation and in time it sunk into the ground."
"How come no one remembers it?" I asked.
"Because we erased their memories, Colleen."
"Oh well is this what you wanted to show me?" this wasn't that cool.
"No this is just the way to get there." She took the lantern back and walked down the hallway I didn't choose to investigate. "It's down here, in the pool room."
"We have a pool?" I stopped and then rushed to catch up with Miss Jackman. She flipped a few keys on a key ring and opened the door.
"Whoa." I exclaimed glancing around, it was huge and had a pool that was big. Then Miss Jackman called to me.
"Colleen, stop fooling around come on." She was halfway into a whole at the end of the pool. Then she disappeared. I climbed in too and dropped down into a cavern with cobblestones.
"This is the original basement." She stated, "That's the old entrance (she pointed to a rickety broken spiral staircase in a corner) it caved in during the sink. It used to come out in the hallway."
"Oh I see." I declared as Miss Jackman picked up a bottle, "Ooh pretty!"
"Not really it's a spirit that's trapped in this bottle it's a naughty spirit, condemned to immortality and he's safely in this bottle." She held it out I blew the dust away. It was an empty milk bottle, well not really empty there was a little man inside and he was writing on a piece of paper. Then he held it up. I squinted and (aloud) read
"Oonsawt boomtaster wakameer." I squinted and then the bottle shook violently. Miss Jackman dropped the bottle and it shattered into a million pieces.
Then as if by magic the figure inside grew to enormous proportions. "Thank you, my friend I am forever in your debt." He began with a soft voice then became meaner and gruff. "And you, you're the one who locked me in this bottle and left me down here." And with that he stretched out his hands, and made a dense fog. I coughed and tried to see through the midst.
When the smoke cleared, I saw� nothing! Well I mean I saw the shattered bottle on the cobblestones and what not. But the spirit, not to mention Miss Jackman was gone.
I whined and whimpered a little before scampering up the stairs. I darted through the pool room. Down the forked hallway, Up the oak stairs, and out through the boiler room.
I rushed down the seventh and eighth grade hallway then I saw no one and rushed back in the direction of the art room. Where unfortunately the teachers were walking to. I turned the corner and before I could stop collided with Miss Towle Mrs. Pipitone and Miss Ball.
"Are you playing hide and seek with Miss Jackman?" Miss Towle asked exasperatedly standing up.
Still very much out of breath choked out, "I'm not but the spirit in the bottle is."
"The one in the basement?" Mrs. Pipitone demanded, I nodded. Then she turned to Miss Towle. "Kristine, I told you it wasn't a good idea to show Colleen the cellar, now look what she's done."
"This is no situation to be pointing blame." Miss Towle told her.
"This is a perfect time for pointing blame!" Miss Ball argued. "It wasn't a good idea in the first place." Then everyone started fighting, yelling, and yelling.
I screamed a scream that echoed down every hallway in the entire school. "Stop fighting we need to find Miss Jackman and you are acting like the children you teach." The teachers avoided my eyes and some scuffed their feet.
I started walking down the hall wondering if anyone would follow. And lo and behold I heard footsteps. Just one set, but I heard foot steps. I turned and it was Miss Connolly. Apparently, according to Miss Connolly the rest would stay and one would go look. Then I'd call for reinforcements if needed.
Once down the oak steps we walked into a classroom, "you search in here and the next one over I'll take the other side." Miss Connolly instructed me and walked off. The room was full of dust covered desks. I blew some dust off of a desk in the front row, there was a workbook page open. With half the answers filled in. Then in the very back of the room there was a coat rack,, and on it there still hung three back-packs and coats.
I walked over and looked inside the first back pack and was hit in the face from the stench of a very old lunch, I closed it quickly. I opened the other one it was empty. Then the last one I opened and I picked up the backpack.
I pulled out the lunchbox and inside was two empty containers and a spoon. There's a tag on the inside I turn it around to read it and it says 'Colleen Kivley'. I was astonished, then I heard Miss Connolly shriek in the hallway.
I rushed out of the room in time to see the spirit drag Miss Connolly kicking and screaming into a classroom. I rushed to the door and pounded on it and kicked, but it was locked. I ran for the oak stair case I jumped a step and tripped and banged my chin on a step.
I ran to the art room where the teachers were waiting for us. Gasping for air and drops of blood dripping off my chin. "Miss Connolly gone, too"
"Your chin," Mrs. Pipitone sounded concerned. "Let's put some peroxide on it." The teachers nodded their heads.
"But.." I protested.
"No buts about it that's a nasty scrape." Mrs. Whall turned my head to look at my wound. We were in the nurses office and Mrs. Pipitone was searching through the cabinet. She pulled out cotton balls peroxide and a large bandage.
Then Miss Ball commented, "You should get two."
"Why they're big enough for the cut" Mrs. Pipitone looked puzzled.
"One for her cut and one for her mouth."
"Ha ha very funny!" I said sarcastically, "But Miss Jackman and Miss Connolly�"
"Relax this time you'll go down with Miss Ball." Miss Towle said.
"Why me?" Miss Ball protested
"I'm the head there fore most experienced witch, Mrs. Whall is going to look through her books and Mrs. Pipitone will look though her records, which leaves you." Miss Towle explained.
She just started walking she was a little steamed, she didn't say anything at all until we got to the door where miss Connolly was dragged into.
"I can't open it." I said to her.
"Let me try." She said and it opened right away. "That wasn't hard." Then an invisible force sucked Mi9ss Ball in and pushed me over.
I ran away fast as I could, I ran to the library to find Mrs. Whall reading (what a surprise). I was gasping for air and pointing and making gestures with my hands.
"Not Miss Ball too?" asked Mrs. Pipitone, standing up from behind the other bookcase.
"Yes, sucked her right in." I told her
"Go tell Miss Towle�" she was interrupted by Mrs. Whall
"There's no need to worry Kristine come on we'll get them and come back, she'll never miss us." I hate it when they do that, they talk to eachother and not me even when I'm there.
So we tip-toed down into the hallway. Down the oak steps and right up to the door where supposedly Miss Connolly Miss Jackman and Miss Ball were being held.
Mrs. Whall was slowly opening it, "No!" I cried but she had already open the door and, nothing happened. I think Mrs. Pipitone rolled her eyes at me.
We walked in and it was a math room. There was something written on the board. I went over and blew away the dust. I saw
Agenda:
1. Board Problems
2. Prep grade
3. Notes: Proportions
4. Classwork
5. Homework
Hey, this must have been Miss Towle's old room that's how she sets up her board. Then I turned and saw that the teachers were in the back tied up.
"There you are." I said as I began to untie Miss Connolly because she was the closest. "Hey over here I found them."
I pulled off Miss Connolly's mouth thing. "It's a trap." She proclaimed as soon as I pulled it off.
Then I turned as Mrs. Pipitone and Mrs. Whall were tripped by a thin rope. Then wind blew through the whole room and it forced me out the door.
"Errrr!" I stomped around then went up the staircase. I hurried to the math room.
I walked up to Miss Towle, who was at her desk sorting through some papers. "What's up?" she asked me when I stood there.
I scowled at her, "How do you think?" she then had a look on her face like, 'oh I see.'
"Well what about Mrs. Whall and Mrs. Pipitone? Ask one of them to go down with you.
"That's who just got captured."
"Both of them?" I nodded in response to her question. "Oh dear, well I suppose we should go down." She stood up and grabbed her wand from her desk.
"They're in there." I pointed to the room.
"That used to be my old math room, did you know that?" she looked over at me fiddling with the lock.
"Yes I found that out when I came in because you still have an agenda on the board."
"Here I have a key for that door." She fiddled around with the keys on a key ring she pulled out of her pocket. She opened the door and walked in.
"Hmm I rather miss this old room it was gorgeous really it was when the light from an open window hit it just right." She said.
"But where are the teachers?" I asked when I didn't see them behind the desk in the corner like before.
"Looking for me Witch!" boomed the spirit's voice.
"I am a witch to talk to me!" I hate it when they talk to eachother and not me while I'm standing there. He pushed me into a broom closet. He slammed the door shut then opened it again, turned the light on and closed it again.
About five minutes later the door opened again. He shut the light off. I saw two desks in the middle of the floor all the rest were pushed away. He sat in one of them and the other one was for me. It was facing him and I sat in the chair.
"Well," I said. "I see you have my friends."
"Yup." He looked at me.
"Can I have them back?" I implied.
"I'll tell you what," he started and he looked at my teachers suspended from the ceiling squirming around, "There are six, you can have three and I'll take three."
"That might work, "I pondered, the teachers screeched and wiggled even more, "I was just kidding chill out."
"No no I see where you're coming from, go with it." Miss Towle had shook loose her mouth thing it was done most recently and probably didn't have much time spent on it.
The spirit didn't put it back on though. "Just keep quiet you, "he turned back to me. "How about you can have the one with the constantly moving mouth and I can have the one with Black hair."
I looked at Miss Towle she nodded "Yes, and Miss Ball does not have a big mouth!"
"Thank you Colleen." She said when I pulled off her mouth thing.
"O.K. now I'll give you� that one for�" he pointed to Miss Connolly, "That one!" he pointed to Mrs. Pipitone. I saw Miss Towle nod out of the corner of my eye so I nodded too.
"Now you can have the head witch and I'll take the other one." I nodded, the other witches looked exceptionally skeptical.
He turned away, "Wait, I have a trade to propose."
"Yes?" he looked at me with wide eyes.
"You give me all your witches, and my head witch can turn you human." I grinned and crossed my arms.
She grabbed my arm and turned me to her, "I can't do that I don't know how and even if I did I couldn't because he's condemned I'd be hung!"
"Well your lucky you have me around to think," I began, "Because instead of turning him human you put him back in a bottle, DUH!"
"Oh." Was all she said to me after that.
"Is it a deal?" I asked him.
"It's a deal." He replied. Miss Jackman, Mrs. Pipitone and Mrs. Whall scurried over behind Miss Towle who was pulling her wand out of her pocket. I stood next to her and waited.
"Oonsot boomtaster unit." She screamed and pointed the wand at him.
"Stupid double-crossing witch, if I go back I'm taking you with me." He grabbed my arm and pulled me I screamed. I felt my insides shrinking along with the rest of me. I felt so dizzy I closed my eyes. I opened them and I saw Miss Towle's face up close. Then Miss Connolly grabbed the bottle and was looking at me.
I saw her lips move and she sat the bottle down on a stack of old math books. I saw more moving lips and then Miss Ball pushed Miss Jackman.
Miss Jackman got mad and sicked her wand on her. Then Miss Ball was a penguin flapping its beak. Miss Towle looked exasperated and took her wand and made Miss Jackman's wand fly away.
I pounded on the glass and yelled "Stop that!"
The spirit just laughed, "They can't here you little witch, and that's really what you are now just a little witch."
Before I thought about what I was doing I whipped out my wand and turned him into a gerbil. I read somewhere that spirits can be turned into animals too.
I held the gerbil's tail and yelled "Oonsawt boomtaster wakameer" I kept a hold on the tail and closed my eyes. I was fully re-grown and when I opened my eyes I saw the teacher's were still fighting.
I overcome with anger and rage hit them with a blast of light that knocked them all over.
"Err what is wrong with you people." I stomped away and the teacher's just sat there exchanging confused looks.