I set one of my hands on my hips and wagged my finger at him like I was disagreeing. I felt like such an idiot.
Pacing back and forth next to the field, I watched Brayden’s team get owned by Jake’s. Every time Jake’s team scored a touchdown, I made the mascot look like he was disappointed. Every time Brayden’s team scored, I decided I’d jump up and down, doing a happy dance – too bad Brayden’s team never scored.
As the game went on, I listened to the sound of my own breathing inside the mask. Since I wasn’t doing anything and had nobody to talk to, I thought about the kid in the hockey mask. I took advantage of the fact that I had the whole period to sit and think inside the moose costume.
The penguin was set free before school on Monday, during the time that Zoe and her team began setting things up for the talent show. The penguin was part of an act in the show and was there on Monday morning because Zoe wanted all the acts to run through a rehearsal five days before the actual show.
While the penguin was running around, someone broke one of the corners of the stage that Gavin was building. Then they took off on a scooter stolen from the drama club, which was when I saw them. The kid was wearing a hockey mask, which turned out to be another prop from the drama club taken from one of their boxes backstage.
Zoe told us to speak to Sophia first, since it was her penguin. Sophia name-dropped Eli, but the only thing he was good for was telling us that he was working with the paint cans backstage. Sophia and Eli both mentioned someone named Calvin, who we haven’t spoken to yet. Gavin and I have never even heard of the kid, so we’re still trying to figure out who exactly he is.
After that, the penguin dropped the note from its little beak – the note that was addressed to ‘A’. Zoe then told us someone named Adam works backstage for the talent show. I guess he’s next on the list for us to question.
I blinked, returning to gym, surprised to see everyone staring at me. Jake’s wolf pack was running at full speed in my direction. It was just like the day before except I wasn’t holding…
I looked down and saw the football in my hands. I must’ve caught it when I was zoned out!
My ninja skills kicked in again without warning. If I had thought about it, I probably would’ve just dropped the ball because I didn’t want to make a fool of myself again, but my legs were already running.
Jake’s teammates dove at me again. The first few were easy to dodge. All I had to do was dig my foot into the grass to switch directions and they sailed right past me.
Three other kids stood between the end zone and me. I made sure to take a mental note about where the sun was just in case I got mixed up again. It was shining directly in front of me as I ran toward Jake and his team. I just had to keep running for the sun and I’d be fine.
The first kid threw her arms out, trying to tackle me. I arched my back and sped up as my moose helmet bobbed on my shoulders. I felt her fingers scrape against my side, but she couldn’t grab hold of my shirt. She grunted as she hit the ground.
The second kid dipped his head down and barrelled toward me like a train, which if you had any ninja training, you’d know that was a huge mistake. All I had to do was step to the side as he ran by, rolling against his train motion. And that’s exactly what I did. He ploughed into the field.
But I didn’t stop. There was one last kid standing in my way – Jake, the leader of the wolf pack, and a member of Wyatt’s red ninja clan.
I clenched my jaw and ran at full speed towards the end zone. Jake sprinted for me as I curved around him. I glanced at the sun one last time to make sure it was still in front of me. The blinding light reassured me that I was okay.
With huge strides, I ran into the end zone, scoring the only touchdown Brayden’s team had scored all week. Applause erupted behind me as I lifted both hands in victory.
Suddenly, Jake slammed into me, tackling me to the ground. The grass and dirt burned my elbows as I slid against earth. My head bounced like a golf ball inside the moose helmet. Finally, I stopped, lying in the open grass and in the worst searing pain imaginable.
I squinted at the sun, but a shadow loomed over me, blocking out the light. It was Jake, staring at me through the eyes of the mask.
‘So that’s where you’ve been all week,’ he said.
I tried to say something smart, but it came out as a painful groan.
Coach Cooper’s air horn went off again, signalling the end of gym.
Jake glanced away, and then back to me. ‘This isn’t over, Chase. You embarrassed me out here today, and you’ll get what’s coming to you. Tomorrow. Tomorrow.’
Jake picked himself off the ground and jogged back to the locker rooms. Brayden helped me to my feet. I brushed the grass off myself and took the mask off. The cold air felt good against my smashed up face. Brayden and I made our way back to the locker rooms, joking about how much we hated gym class.
The second I stepped out of the gym, Sophia cornered me. She was hugging her textbooks close to her body. ‘Chase! Have you found Hotcakes yet?’
I shook my head sadly. ‘No, not yet, but we’re still trying.’
Sophia frowned. ‘It’s been two days. Hotcakes has been on his own for two days!’
I could see the tears forming in her eyes. I wasn’t sure what to say. ‘Uh, yeah. It’s cool though. I’m sure he’s fine.’
Shaking her head, Sophia spoke softly. ‘He’s on his own and probably starving. I feel terrible for letting him out of my sight for even a second. It wasn’t supposed to be like that!’
‘No,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘You’re right. We should’ve found him right after he escaped. I’m sorry that we haven’t yet.’
Sophia looked up at me. Her eyes sparkled with tears. Biting her lower lip, she turned around and sped off. If this were a television show, I’d probably go after her, but since this was real life, I had no idea what to do.
She looked so sad and I felt awful.
After a few minutes, I met Gavin outside the cafeteria. He was standing with Zoe and Faith. They were cupping their hands on the tinted windows.
‘Is he in there?’ I asked as I approached them.
Zoe didn’t move. Her breath was fogging up the glass in front of her face. ‘Yeah, he’s sitting with a bunch of his friends.’
Faith didn’t look away from the glass either. ‘He’s kinda cute, isn’t he?’
I cupped my hands on the glass and squinted through the window. Adam was toward the back of the room. He was dressed like a prepster, wearing a buttoned-up shirt, khaki pants, and brown loafers. His brown hair was slicked back, styled like one of those 1960s actors.
‘Whatever, he’s not that good looking,’ I said, a little upset at Faith’s comment.
Faith laughed. ‘Jealous much?’
‘Whatever,’ I said, stepping away from the window. I pushed the door to the lunchroom wide open and marched inside.
Gavin hustled to keep up with me. ‘Easy, tiger,’ he said jokingly. ‘I’m sure Faith didn’t mean anything by that.’
I stopped in the middle of the aisle, standing in the way of a bunch of kids, making them walk around us. ‘Just tell me what the plan is,’ I said, unsure exactly why I was unhappy.
Gavin scratched his chin, carefully considering our options.
Adam was at one of the tables on the east side of the cafeteria, closest to the stage. He was sitting with members of the drama club. I recognised a few of the kids from one of the plays they had performed recently. Adam wasn’t in the play, but even stagehands were considered part of the club.
The lunchroom felt empty again. It was weird to see half-filled tables as students were sprinkled across the cafeteria. Was there some sort of week-long field trip I wasn’t aware of? Where’d everyone go?
Gavin took the lead as usual and approached the table. ‘Play along, alright?’
‘What’s the plan, boss?’ I asked.
‘Good cop, bad cop,’ Gavin replied.
‘What’s that?’
I nodded. Perfect. Gavin was going to be the cool nice guy while I had to figure out how to act bad. I’m not a mean kid at heart, but for some reason I actually felt angry with Adam. I don’t know why because I’ve never talked to the kid in my life! And don’t say it was because Faith said he was cute. I was already over that…I think.
As we approached the table, I overheard Adam saying, ‘So yeah, that bike’s gonna cost three hundred bucks, so I’ll definitely get it. That’ll leave me with a little extra for comic books.’
Gavin stopped at Adam’s table and waited patiently for them to notice. When they did, he slapped the table with his open palm. The crack echoed across the noisy cafeteria, silencing half the students in the room.
‘Where were you on Monday morning?’ he shouted, pointing at Adam’s face.
Adam flinched, scooting his chair away from the table. His friends looked at each other, confused about the angry kid standing at their table.
‘What the— What’s your deal, man?’ Adam growled.
‘Where were you?’ Gavin shouted again.
I stood silently behind Gavin, balling my fists, nervously waiting my turn.
Slapping the table again, Gavin spoke through clenched teeth. ‘Monday morning! You’d better tell me before—’
I took that as my cue. Stepping in front of Gavin, I raised my hands and made them look like claws. Darting my eyes back and forth, I growled like a dinosaur as I tried to talk, but since I wasn’t sure what to say, I just said, ‘I’m crazy! ’
Everyone at the table laughed.
Gavin stepped backwards and looked at me, puzzled. ‘Dude, what are you doing?’
I turned my head the way I thought a dinosaur would. ‘I’m doing the bad cop thing,’ I hissed.
‘No, I’m the bad cop,’ Gavin snipped. ‘You’re the good cop!’
Adam sat forward and laughed heartily. ‘You guys are trying to do good cop, bad cop? Looks more like bad actor cop, pterodactyl cop.’
I dropped my arms down to my side and stood straight. I know it was an insult, but I was too distracted by how awesome a pterodactyl cop would be.
Gavin sighed. ‘Look, man. We just want to know where you were on Monday morning.’
‘In here,’ Adam said, looking around the cafeteria.
‘What are you doing for the talent show?’ Gavin asked.
‘Nothing,’ Adam replied. ‘I’m just one of the stagehands. I’m backstage the entire time.’
‘What do you know about Hotcakes?’ I asked.
Adam shrugged his shoulder. ‘I like ’em? Pancakes are my favourite thing for breakfast.’
‘Hotcakes the penguin,’ I said.
‘Oh, that,’ Adam replied nervously. He tapped at the table with his fingers. ‘No clue.’
I took the note the penguin had dropped and set it on the table in front of him.
Adam’s face remained unchanged as if he were a statue. ‘Where’d you find that?’
‘A friend gave it to me,’ I said, smiling. ‘You recognise it, don’t you?’
Adam paused. His chest rose slowly as he took a breath. At last, he spoke. ‘Whatever. You guys are pullin’ my leg, aren’t you? I wasn’t anywhere near that penguin on Monday. Is that what you need to hear? I was backstage the entire time! I had nothing to do with the penguin or the busted stage or that kid that burst into the hallway in a hockey mask on a scooter.’
‘He got the mask and scooter from the drama club boxes backstage,’ I said. ‘Did you see anyone poking around back there before Hotcakes was set free?’
Adam smirked. ‘I saw a lot of kids poking around backstage before that penguin got loose. It was rehearsal, so everyone was busy doing something.’
Adam had a point. Everyone helping with the talent show was probably busy, so someone could’ve easily set Hotcakes free without any witnesses.
I shut my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. When I looked at Gavin, I could tell he was frustrated too. The entire investigation had been one dead-end after another. The talent show was only two days away, and we were basically still at the starting line as far as figuring out who the kid in the hockey mask was.
The only real lead we had was a note addressed to someone named A. With as many ‘A’ names as there were at Buchanan, the odds were against us that Adam was even the right kid.
Adam pointed at me. ‘You know who you need to ask? That Calvin kid. I’m pretty sure he was jostling that bird’s cage on Monday.’ Adam lifted his finger and tapped towards us as if he were pushing an imaginary button. ‘And y’know what? Now that I think of it, I saw him messing with the drama club’s stuff back there too! Yeah, he was playing with a hockey mask!’
Finally! A connection that meant something. If Adam had seen Calvin take the hockey mask from the back room, then that might’ve been enough to lead to the full truth. The only problem was that we still didn’t know who Calvin was. My stomach turned, realizing that this new kid was definitely going to be a problem for us. He was going to be another bully in the sea of bullies at Buchanan School.
Gavin looked at me then back at Adam. ‘Who’s Calvin? Is he in the cafeteria right now?’
Adam paused, blinking rapidly as he looked around the cafeteria. ‘Calvin? He’s about medium height, sorta gangly. Um…he’s got short brown hair, brown eyes, wears a lot of T-shirt-and-jeans outfits.’
I rubbed my eyebrows, feeling a headache coming on. ‘So he looks like every boy at this school,’ I said.
Shrugging, Adam smiled tightly. ‘What can I tell ya? He looks like you. Oh, he’s new here. Maybe that’s why you haven’t heard of him.’
I folded my arms, scanning the room for anyone who looked like the person Adam had described, but a lot of the students looked about the same height and body shape. This wasn’t going to be easy.
‘Actually, I think he had a white patch of hair on his head,’ Adam added. ‘Yeah, I remember seeing that and thinking it was weird.’
‘It could be some kind of birthmark,’ Gavin said, writing in his notepad. When he was finished, he flipped it shut and smiled gently at Adam. ‘Thank you for your time.’
Adam tilted his head like he was wearing a hat to bid us farewell. ‘Not a problem.’
The bell rang as Gavin and I walked towards the lunchroom doors. Zoe and Faith were waiting for us there.
‘What’d you find out?’ Zoe asked. ‘Was he the one that did it?’
Gavin shook his head. ‘No, but we we’ve got a solid lead.’
‘Calvin came up again,’ I said. ‘But this time there was more. Adam said he saw Calvin messing around with the hockey masks backstage.’
Zoe clenched her fist. ‘Got him!’
‘So where is he?’ Faith asked. ‘What’s he look like?’
Gavin jerked his thumb at me and laughed. ‘Like him.’
‘Har har,’ I said. ‘Calvin is supposedly the same height and weight as me. Brown hair, brown eyes, y’know, all that super handsome stuff.’
This time, Zoe faked a laugh. ‘Har har.’
‘He’s got a birthmark in his hair though,’ I continued. ‘Adam said he saw a white patch of hair on the back of Calvin’s head, so all we gotta do is find someone with a patch of white hair!’
‘Great,’ Faith sighed. ‘In a school with a thousand students, finding one will be a piece of cake.’
Zoe laughed, looked at me and said, ‘What if this was like one of your weird science-fiction movies? And you were Calvin, but you didn’t know it!’
Faith’s eyes grew wide as she wiggled her fingers in the air. ‘Ooooh!’ she sang.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
Gavin clapped his hands. ‘Alright then,�
� he said joyfully. ‘We’ll all meet here again before lunch tomorrow and search for Calvin. I have a feeling we’re getting closer to the truth.’
Zoe and Gavin left the lunchroom holding hands again. Faith jogged down the hall ahead of me so she could get to her locker and make it on time to science before the bell rang.
I stood in the lobby, staring at the spot on the carpet where the kid in the hockey mask knocked me over. My vision blurred as I thought about all the problems I was having to deal with that week, which for a sixth grader, was a lot.
I hadn’t forgotten about Wyatt stealing my ninja clan’s training room. It was a bold move on his part, but an unsurprising one. He’d do anything to flip my life upside down, and he was getting really good at it. Hopefully once this talent show drama was over with, I could get to the bottom of his evil scheme.
First, Wyatt teams up with President Sebastian. Then he starts going out with Olivia Jones! There should be red flags all over the school, but nobody seemed to care. I could feel it in my bones – there was something going on behind the scenes, I just didn’t know what it was.
My eyes followed the black skid marks from the scooters on the carpet as they curved and disappeared down the hallway. I got goosebumps. Calvin was a new kid at school, but he’d already caused enough trouble to disrupt the entire talent show.
I entered the cafeteria expecting to see kids still setting up, but instead there was a crowd in front of where the stage was. I couldn’t see Zoe anywhere, or any of my friends for that matter, so I gripped my book bag straps, kept my head down and pushed my way forward.
I couldn’t see the stage, but I could see the kids who were standing on the stage. Red, blue and yellow lights danced on the walls, flashing on and off. Someone was messing with the strobe light at the back of the room, giving me a tiny migraine as the bright light blinked rapidly.
The speaker system had been hooked up too. A loud squeal came from the huge black boxes at the front of the room. Everyone cupped their hands over their ears, shielding themselves from the piercing sound.
Terror at the Talent Show Page 7