"Red."
She stepped without hesitation, feeling a slight cushioning effect as she hovered above the floor.
"Blue."
She moved right.
"Blue."
She moved straight.
"Red."
Carole stepped left.
"Blue, red, red, blue."
She stepped four times in quick succession.
"Please turn around and follow this pattern back. Blue, red, blue, blue red, blue, red, red."
Carole zigzagged across the floor, hopped onto the bench and pulled off her blindfold.
Jo-jo swished a palm through the air. "Cool, Carole. You slide."
Jo-jo's buddies imitated him, repeating his words.
"You see, there's more to this exercise than just skimming over the ground. One need not tear across terrain totally blind and unknowing. So tell me, aside from color, were the squares all the same?"
"No. The second last tile, the red one, was rougher...not as polished as the others."
"Excellent. See class, much can be gained from our subtle senses, even if, let's say you've leapt totally unprepared into a realm and are forced to flee without a proper look around."
Carole peered hard at her teacher, but Professor Startling was already focused on Lilly and Zack.
"Now for our two off-world celebrities."
"He's no celbritty. That's just Zacky," Jo-jo said.
"Be that as it may. We've reached a cross-roads in their education, but I have the fullest confidence."
"You can't be serious?" Zack said.
"Maybe not about Soft-Walking, but about extending your senses, I have no doubt. Lilly?"
Exhaling loudly, Lilly accepted a blindfold.
"Try to Soft-Walk, but more importantly, find and keep to your color. For you Lilly, I'd like you to follow the blue path. Zack will take the red."
Lilly tightened the blindfold around her eyes, felt her way to the bench and sat down.
"Set your roots into the ground and extend them across the grid. Differentiate the cool blue from the hot red."
Lilly cocked her head to one side, as if she were listening, then deliberately stretched out her right foot and placed it into the middle of a blue square. Standing, she took a second step, landing in the center of another blue square. The thick paint squelched noisily between her toes.
"Ewww!" The preschoolers grimaced appreciatively.
Lilly continued slowly but unerringly across the floor. She came to the wall, reached out with her hands and touched it. Ripping off the blindfold she looked back at her footprints. "I did it!" She beamed.
The children cheered.
"Way-to-go Lil." Zack congratulated his sister with a thumbs-up.
Lilly tossed the blindfold his way. "Your turn."
"Hmmm," Zack looked around him at the expectant faces. "Tough crowd to follow, but I guess you wanted to save the best for last, eh?" The children giggled. "Okay, let's see what I can do." Zack sat on the bench and deliberately looking away from the squares, covered his eyes.
"Just like you sister," professor Startling encouraged. "Sense your way across."
There was a buzz of whispering between Jo-jo and some of the boys, and they squeezed in close to Zack.
"Children," the professor warned.
Zack stepped onto a red square, paused a moment, stepped hesitantly onto a second red square, paused again and stepped onto a third and then a fourth red square. As he lifted his foot for another step, Jo-jo's group exploded into a chorus of belching bullfrogs, startling Zack and causing him to slip and fall spread-eagled onto the floor. The class howled with delight, and even Carole and Lilly couldn't hold back.
"Children!" Professor Startling said. "You boys come here."
The guilty party shuffled forward, studying their toes. Zack regained his feet, looking like a red and blue patchwork.
"I'm surprised and very disappointed in you. Mr. Deville had given you his total attention while it was your turn, and you do this to him. How do you think that makes him feel?"
"Probably wishes he'd thought of it first," Lilly whispered to Carole.
"Sorry Zacky," Jo-jo mumbled, pulling on his ears and tying them together under his chin.
"Sorry," the rest of the boys followed.
"That's okay," Zack said. "Nothing hurt other than my pride. But how'd I do before going down?"
"You did great," Gerald said.
"Yup," Jo-jo agreed. "Red, red, red and red."
The bell sounded, and the children ran for their lunches.
"Not so fast," their teacher said. "All the bullfrogs front and center. You get to wash up the floor."
"But it's lunch time, Professor Startling," Jo-jo whined.
"Since Mr. Deville will be spending his lunch time washing up, through no fault of his own, I think it only fair that you bunch get to do the same."
--23--
"See you in a bit." Zack stopped in front of a washroom door.
"You're not changing at home?" Lilly said.
"Want to wash my hands first. This stuff really itches."
Zack headed to a sink and immediately realized his mistake. He'd chosen the washroom favored by the upper years. Leaning against the wall, watching him with great interest, was none other than Ferdinand Dalimar.
A cruel smile cut across the senior's face. "Well now, look what the pigs dragged in." Next to him stood Reginald Squim, Dalimar's beefy sidekick.
When Squim nodded his head, Zack heard feet shuffle behind him.
"Smells as bad as a pig," Squim drawled, "and don't look much better."
"Maybe we should we help clean him up," Dalimar suggested.
"It would only be proper," Squim agreed, matching Dalimar's smile.
"Course there's no shower handy. What to do? What to do?" Dalimar tapped his chin, as if deep in thought.
Zack turned on the tap and washed his hands. At the same time, he quickly studied the seniors. Squim was the greater threat, stocky and muscular. Dalimar had a long reach but his arms looked spindly. Zack bent to splash water onto his face and surreptitiously glanced at the exit. His heart dropped. Three more of Dalimar's gang had planted themselves in front of the door.
Five against one. He'd never taken on that many at once. Still, it didn't look like he was going to have much of a choice. He stole another look at the three by the door. At least they were more his size. He turned down the cold, pressed his hands over the drain and tried not to wince as the sink filled with near scalding water. Adrenaline surged through his body.
Ferdinand snapped his fingers. "The toilets. What do you think, Reg?"
"Perfect. Time for your bath, pig boy. Got to smell pretty for your girlfriend, Sylphwood."
As Squim and Dalimar closed in, the washroom door swung open and a middle grader tried to enter.
"We're busy," Dalimar snarled, looking to his three friends. The student was shoved from the room.
At that moment Zack attacked. He scooped out a wave of water, hitting Squim squarely in the face. While the stocky boy sputtered with shock, Zack stepped in with a flurry of blows. Squim crumpled without a sound.
Pivoting quickly, Zack ducked a wild punch thrown by Dalimar and landed an upper cut, solidly against the youth's jaw. Dalimar stumbled backwards with a howl, blood spurting from his mouth. Wasting no further effort on him, Zack spun to face the three remaining gang members, who were still rooted to the ground. He drove the middle boy back with two quick jabs to the nose, while himself taking a solid punch to his eye from the boy on his right. Barely flinching, Zack turned on that boy and with pummeling fury, dropped him to his knees.
"You want some of me, too?" he growled at the last boy standing.
Hands up, eyes wide, this boy bolted from the room. Zack followed, pushing past the crowd that had gathered outside the washroom door.
--24--
"Get ready," Carole said. She gave one final heave and the rock clattered down the rock pile and onto the grass.
Runt poked around the hole she'd just created, and shook his head.
"Well this has been a big waste of time." She looked up the cliff face of the Celestial Nexus. "And where's Zack? Wasn't he supposed to be helping us?"
Shielding her eyes from the noon sun, Lilly caught sight of her approaching brother. "There he is, now."
"Took you long enough," Lilly razzed. "We were about to-- What've you done to your face?"
"Nothing." Zack shifted the ice pack he was pressing against his eye.
Lilly pulled the pack away and jabbed a finger at his swollen cheek. "That's nothing?"
"Did you fall?" Carole said as she and Runt climbed down the rocks.
"Onto a fist." Lilly accused. "Of all the stupid... You were just going home to clean up. How'd you manage to get into a fight between here and there?"
"It was Dalimar. I told you he was trouble. Been itching to get at me all term." Zack gingerly pressed his fingers around his eye. "He jumped me the washroom."
Carole was incredulous. "He jumped you?"
"Well, he would've, if I'd given him the chance."
Lilly examined his face more thoroughly. "I guess it's not too bad. It'll barely bruise."
"That's something." Zack sat down in the long grass and reached for a sandwich.
"Not so fast." Lilly crossed her arms. "Let's see your hands."
Zack stuck out his hands, palms up. "They're clean. I had a shower."
"Nice try," Carole said. "Turn 'em over."
He did so reluctantly, showing red and swollen knuckles.
Lilly gasped. "How many times did you hit him?"
"Just once. He wasn't alone. There were five of them but I only hit four, and two of them I only hit once each. Just enough so I could get away. Honest. It was minimal damage, Lil. Hardly any blood."
"Hardly any?" Carole said.
"Dalimar might have bit his tongue. Serves him right. He started it all."
Lilly shook her head. "Don't you realize, Zack? Hotspot's been waiting for something like this?"
"What was I supposed to do? They were trying to stuff me down a toilet."
"Maybe they'll keep quiet," Carole said, but she didn't really believe it. She'd have to let Professor Philamount know as soon as possible.
Zack sighed. "Too many witnesses."
"But that's good. They can back you up."
"Not eyewitnesses. Just after-the-fact witnesses."
"Still, they'll confirm it was five against one."
"Maybe." He leaned back against a rock and bit into the sandwich.
"Hey," Amanda Cleroux waved her arm as she came walking into view.
Lilly scowled. "What does she want?" she muttered under her breath.
Zack covered his eye with the icepack, and took another quick bite of his sandwich.
Amanda didn't bother with pleasantries. "Is it true? You took on Ferdinand Dalimar's gang, all by yourself?"
Zack's face went crimson.
"How do you know about that?" Carole said.
Amanda plopped onto the grass beside Zack and tried to see past his icepack. "The whole school's talking about it. They say Squim's eyes are practically swollen shut."
Zack smirked.
Carole wanted to smack him. Didn't he realize how serious this could be?
"It's not funny, Zack." Lilly said. "They'll probably send us packing."
"Doubt it," Amanda countered. She sounded disgustingly cheerful.
"Why do you say that?" Carole said.
"Some junior saw Dalimar and Squim going for Zack."
Zack beamed. "Oh yeah, I forgot about him."
"Everyone knows it was five against one. They're the ones who'll be expelled." Amanda apparently gave up trying to see how badly bruised Zack's eye was and looked up at the cliff face. "Hey, isn't this where The Hall of Records was supposed to be?"
"Yes," Carole admitted.
"So you found some ruins after all." Amanda ran her hand over a smooth stone. "Anything interesting?"
"Just what you see." Carole made her tone deliberately bland, and waved a hand at the tumbled stones.
"Oh. Not much to it."
"A waste of time, really," Lilly said, a little too quickly.
"I wouldn't say that. It was fun exploring the archives. Anyway, got to leap." Amanda sprang to her feet. "See you in Travel Troubles class, Carole," she said, and skipped away.
--25--
After lunch, Carole, Lilly and Zack returned to the school. They entered the building to even more stares and whispers than was usual, though it was uncertain whether this was a good or bad sign. Vice-principal Ramage, who was standing near the entrance, made directly for Zack.
"Here it comes," Lilly whispered.
"Mr. Deville," Professor Ramage said, as she studied Zack's swollen cheek, "might I have a word?"
"I'll see you later," Zack said, as he quickly followed on the Vice-principal's heels.
Inside the reception area, he saw Dalimar, Squim and the three other gang members squished together on a small bench. He noted with some satisfaction that four of them looked pretty rough.
Vice-principal Ramage closed her door and indicated the chair in front of her desk. "Please take a seat."
Zack inhaled deeply. He was ready. Self-defense. It was purely an act of self-preservation.
"First of all Mr. Deville, on behalf of the faculty, the school and the rest of the community, I wish to apologize."
He obviously hadn't heard that right. "Sorry?"
"The behavior of those boys was appalling. Multitaskers are supposed to lead by example, not..." She shook her head. "I just don't know what to say. Something like this has never happened before. "
"Oh." Not knowing what else to say, Zack studied the scratches on his knuckles.
"Of course it goes without saying that they will all be expelled."
"Oh, no. I don't want you to do that."
The Vice-principal looked confused. "Why not?"
"It'd just make... I mean it was all just a big misunderstanding."
"There is no misunderstanding five against one."
"Well the floor was wet, and everyone was... slipping, so maybe things looked worse than they actually were. Anyway, no real harm done."
"There was a witness to the incident. A Mr. Austin Nexel."
"Did he actually see anyone fighting?"
"No, but he and others--"
"Well there you have it. That must have been when we all slipped and I... must've collided with Squim who must've fallen against Dalimar. A total fluke. You know how these things go."
"And your eye?"
Zack automatically raised his hand to his face, saw the Vice-principal staring at his knuckles and quickly dropped his hand to his lap. "It's not that bad."
"What about the three who were preventing you from leaving the washroom?"
Not knowing how to answer that one, Zack remained silent.
"You do not wish me to expel those boys for attacking you?"
"No." Zack studied the soggy cloth he was still holding, looking for remaining traces of ice.
"As to their punishment, then--"
"Don't you think they've been punished enough?"
Vice-principal Ramage eyed Zack with an unreadable expression. "Very well Mr. Deville," she said after an extended silence. "Come with me please." She opened her door and stepped into the reception area. Zack remained a few paces behind. The paper shuffling behind the counter stopped, and the room became noticeably quiet.
"Mr. Deville suggests that it was all a big misunderstanding and does not wish to see any of you punished on his account."
Dalimar and the others looked from Ramage to Zack. A range of expressions contorted their swollen faces.
"I would not have been so charitable. Letters will be drafted to each of your parents outlining events in full. Let me assure you that if anything like this ever happens again, your time at Hub Central will be at an end. Do not, Mr. Dalimar, Mr. Squim, or the re
st of you, extend even one toenail out of line for the remainder of this term. Have I made myself clear?"
The boys mumbled unintelligibly.
"Pardon?"
"Perfectly clear," Dalimar said, with a glare in Zack's direction.
"Good. Return to your classes."
"Is there anything else professor?" Zack said, once the five had shuffled out.
"No, Mr. Deville. Inform Professor Startling that you were detained on my account."
Zack walked out of the office, only to find Ferdinand Dalimar still standing in the hall.
"Don't think this links it with us, Deville," he said, before storming off.
"You mean we're not buddy-buddy now?" Zack chuckled, before realizing that for the first time, Dalimar had actually called him by his real name.
He walked through the now empty halls back to his preschool class and opened the door. All the children turned to look at him.
"Zacky's back!"
"Ooh, look at his eye!"
"Does it hurt?"
"Better give Zacky a lollypop, Professor Startling."
--26--
Though he might have sworn off transdimensional travel, Professor Tiberius Rizzo's classroom still resembled the habitat of the cave crabs of the Morlpene dimension. Wide sandstone columns arched to the curved ceiling, giving the room the appearance of the inside of a gigantic sand dollar. Desks were clustered between small sand dunes and shells large enough for a preschooler to crawl into for a nap, which actually happened from time to time.
The desks themselves were made of flotsam harvested from a seashore. Some were large fragments of shells, some were of driftwood, and a few were the bleached bones of gigantic sea creatures. The room even reeked of a beach at low tide.
Professor Rizzo scuttled about, handing back the latest assignments. Carole didn't even bother to look at her mark, knowing it would be a borderline pass. He had taken exception to everything she'd written or said all year, though apparently he didn't have the courage to actually fail her.
More surprising was his reaction to Amanda Cleroux's assignment. Amanda's papers usually evoked praise from him, but on this afternoon he slammed her assignment onto her desk, kicking up a shower of sand in the process.
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