Officer Bennett says, “Yes, it is extraordinary. Anyway, back to the Sextet. Do you have further thoughts on how we should handle the Sextet as it concerns their safety?” He laughs. “Other than terminating the investigation?”
Missus Davenhill laughs as well. “Sextet. Leave it to teenagers to come up with that word as the title of their investigative team,” her brow wrinkles, “and with those evocative connotations.”
With a broad smile, Officer Bennett says, “In my opinion, the name is innocent enough. I have heard that the Scottish teenager, Miss Campbell, gave the rest of the team the idea to use sextet as their team name. She was a member of a string sextet back in her home country.”
“I didn’t know that, Bartholomew. Thank you for telling me. Now I feel a bit better about their decision to call their team the Sextet. Colette Campbell is a super-talented musician. Did you know the other kids refer to her as Colette the Minstrel?”
A strange look suddenly appears on Missus Bell’s face. She exclaims, “Wait a minute here! Think about it, Marie. The soft-spoken teen, Colette Campbell, is the Minstrel. The amazingly lovely and talented model and actress, Diana Jane Bower, is referred to by everyone in the school as the Actress. That spunky but gorgeously charming teenager, Brenae Woodbine, is referred to as the Ventriloquist. Everyone in the school refers to James Lightlighter as the Skater. The Woodbine girl and her fellow investigative teammates refer to Sophia Paige as the Accountant. What’s more, I do not know if you noticed, but Sophia Paige referred to Miss Chloe Brown as the Champ during today’s meeting.”
Missus Davenhill nods her head. “She certainly did, and yes, I did notice.” She looks at Officer Bennett. “Miss Chloe Brown is referred to as the Champ by every member of our staff. The students do not know this. If they did, it could cause unfair competition and snobbery within the volleyball team. Regardless, and I swear I will never say this to anyone ever again except to the two of you. Miss Brown’s volleyball skills are unparalleled. She is more talented than everyone else on her team, and that includes the seniors. She performs at the college level even though she is a first-year high schooler. I cannot wait to witness her athleticism during the next three years. I wouldn’t be surprised if she attends a university with a sports scholarship. She is that talented.”
Officer Bennett says in an annoyed tone, “Kimberly, where are you going with all of this nickname nonsense? Who cares if the kids have nicknames? Everyone has a nickname.”
Missus Bell looks Officer Bennett squarely in the eye. She says fixedly, “No, they don’t.” She grins. “Do you have a nickname, Bartholomew, for either Marie or me?” Officer Bennett shakes his head. “Do others call you by a nickname, Bartholomew?” Officer Bennett shakes his head once more.
Missus Bells says with a hint of sarcasm in her tone, “Well, it would appear I have made my point, doesn’t it?” She looks away from Officer Bennett and addresses Missus Davenhill.
“Something tells me the Sextet’s nicknames are important.” She pulls a sheet of paper out of her notepad and begins to write. She mumbles to herself, “What do the six members of the Sextet have in common? There has to be a link here somewhere.”
Missus Davenhill and Officer Bennett share curious looks.
Missus Bell suddenly shouts enthusiastically, “I think I know what the six of them have in common other than being members of the Sextet! Think, Marie, think. What other important, upcoming event outside of their Sextet efforts finds these six students working together as a team?”
Missus Davenhill stares at her secretary for the longest time as she ponders her question. Her eyes suddenly widen, and then she cries passionately, “My goodness, Kim, you are a genius! I hope you know that! All six of them are involved in one way or another with the upcoming play, Peter Pan! Miss Diana Jane Bower is Peter Pan and the others are either supporting actors or part of the backstage crew!”
Missus Bell says, “That is right, Marie. Diana Jane Bower is the star in the play. She is Peter Pan, and as you said, the others are intimately involved in the play as well!”
Missus Davenhill says to Officer Bennett, “Miss Bower is a terrific Peter Pan at that. She is the consummate actress. She also is keeping the tradition alive, the tradition that was started by Mary Martin by having a female act like Peter Pan. It has been that way for over fifty years. Half of our Lost Boys are females as well. You may not know this, Bartholomew, having been here for only three months, but our school is completely integrated when it comes to the sexes. This fact is especially true when it comes to team sports and stage performances.” She looks at Missus Bell.
“You know, Kim, I think you may have something here as it concerns the Sextet members and their involvement in the play. James Lightlighter is working behind the scenes on the lights. Colette Campbell is starring as Tinker Bell. Chloe Brown is acting as Wendy, and Brenae Woodbine and Sophia Paige are two of a dozen or so Lost Boys. And yes, Diana Jane Bower is Peter Pan, the finest Peter Pan this side of Neverland!”
Missus Davenhill leans back in her chair. She folds her arms across her chest. She stares at Missus Bell for a few seconds, and then she playfully scolds her secretary in a made-up, annoyed tone of voice.
“My dear secretary, Kimberly Marie Bell, are you even listening to me? I just gave you the entire rundown of the Sextet’s contributions to the upcoming play.”
Missus Bell replies in a whisper, “Yes, I heard every word that you said, Marie. I apologize if I appeared as if I wasn’t listening. I was thinking about the Sextet team members’ nicknames.” She glances at what she has been writing, and then she shakes her head a few times. She looks at Missus Davenhill and Officer Bennett one after the other.
“You are not going to believe this! Besides, it is too farfetched and outright weird to be true. I cannot believe it myself. Then again, perhaps I have something here. I think the Sextet’s nicknames are more than a coincidence, at least as it relates to the first letter of each of their nicknames.”
Missus Bell looks once more at what she has written. She looks up and grins.
“The six coils of twine also have something to do with what I am about to say. I am certain of it. Each of the coils of twine was labeled with a letter, undoubtedly the first letter of each of the student’s nicknames just as Miss Paige had said.” She briefly stares at Officer Bennett, and then she stares at Missus Davenhill for at least ten seconds. “Please allow me to explain.
“The first letter of their nicknames spells AASMCV. That stands for the Actress, Diana Jane Bower; the Accountant, Sophia Paige; the Skater, James Lightlighter; the Minstrel, Colette Campbell; the Champ, Chloe Brown; and, finally, the Ventriloquist, Brenae Woodbine. As I said, the first letter of their nicknames spells AASMCV.”
“My goodness, Kim,” Missus Davenhill says. “What in the world are you talking about with all that junk?” She glances at Officer Bennett suspiciously. He is typing something on his smartphone. The look on his face seems too troubled.” She smiles at Missus Bell. “Kim, what is the significance of those random letters? AASMCV does not make a lick of sense to me.”
Missus Bell grins mischievously. “I agree, Marie. In that order, they do not make a lick of sense. You do not know this, but I have a fun hobby. It is something that I do while watching the news. It involves unscrambling letters and creating words. My kids share in my hobby. We play a game called Unscramble It. We play the game at the dinner table just about every day. It serves to enhance the kids’ vocabulary, and it improves their spelling.” She tilts her head as she looks at Missus Davenhill and Officer Bennett in turn. Officer Bennett continues to type on his phone.
Missus Bell says enthusiastically, “What do you say we take those six letters that represent our Sextet team and unscramble them? Let us have them read AASM in that order. Then let us insert the letters VC and a comma before the letters AASM. The unscrambled letters are now VC comma AASM.” She looks Missus Davenhill squarely in the eye. “What do you make of the letters now?”
>
Missus Davenhill shakes her head as she ponders what her secretary just said. Meanwhile, Officer Bennett is staring at Missus Bell. She cannot help but notice that his expression is odd.
Missus Davenhill suddenly slaps the table with the palm of her hand. She cries, “My goodness, Kim, no! Please tell me it is not true, that it is nothing more than a coincidence. I cannot handle this if it is true. I swear to God I cannot handle it!”
“Yes,” Missus Bell says in a serious tone. “It is farfetched, and I mean totally, out of this world farfetched. In spite of this, if my hypothesis is correct, then we have a definite problem, Marie. If it is true, we may have ourselves a serious crime here, a felony with multiple charges.”
Officer Bennett looks at his wristwatch. He says in a gruff tone, “You two are not making any sense. If you will excuse me, I have an appointment.”
Missus Davenhill says, “Okay, thank you for your time, Bartholomew. I appreciate your input.”
After Officer Bennett leaves the room, Missus Davenhill says, “Gosh, Kim, in a way I hope it is not true. Then again, I hope it is true because it may explain everything that has been going on around here and with the poor kids’ strange experiences.” She stares with her misty eyes into the likewise misty eyes of her faithful secretary and close friend.
“All this time I thought he was our friend, Kim,” Missus Davenhill says. “I thought he was our friend! Yes, I thought he was our colleague, a trusted servant of our wonderful students. VCAASM. Could it be true? Could those six letters denote the “Vice Chairman of the Western American Academy of Sleep Methodology” with, naturally, the letter W inserted into the acronym for the locational word Western?”
“I do not know for certain,” Missus Bell says. “As far as the letter W is concerned, sometimes it was left out of the acronym since the academy was the only one in the country. There was to be one on the East Coast. It was to be called the Eastern Academy – the Eastern American Academy of Sleep Methodology. The academy’s founders never built the facility on the East Coast, thankfully I might add.
“Honestly, I do not know if there is a connection, Marie. It could be nothing more than a stupid coincidence. There is one thing I do know, and you know it too. We both know who the original Vice Chairman of the Western American Academy of Sleep Methodology was.”
“Sadly, we do,” Missus Davenhill says somberly. “The original vice chairman of the academy was none other than Neville Sorrie, the Vice Principal of Claymore High School!”
“Exactly,” Missus Bell says. “The vice chairman was Neville Sorrie. While the academy is non-operational after it declared bankruptcy, Neville would have had inside knowledge of every sleep-related experiment conducted at the academy. Am I correct?”
Missus Davenhill replies, “You are correct. Neville told me on more than one occasion about some of the techniques they used at the academy. They experimented with monkeys to manipulate the primates’ thought processes. I considered that to be cold-hearted. They focused on treating human patients with sleep ailments like insomnia, apnea, advanced sleep phase disorder, jet lag, and narcolepsy. They experimented with hypnosis. Those are but a handful of projects that I can recall from the top of my head.”
“If memory serves me correctly,” Missus Bell offers, “the academy experimented with subliminal messaging, mind-altering drugs, questionable therapy techniques, and other practices considered both morally wrong and potentially dangerous. Those are a few of the many reasons they lost state and federal sponsorship.”
Missus Davenhill says, “Exactly. On one occasion Neville almost had me convinced that we should start a program to combat our teenagers’ sleep deficits. He had mentioned it would begin innocently enough by experimenting with the length of homework assignments. I kept that idea on hold, although I must admit, I had considered trying it. Too many of our students walk into school looking like zombies. Too many of them fall asleep in classes due to the lack of decent, quality sleep.
“Then Neville suggested we start broadcasting subliminal messages over the speaker system. That is when I said no to both of his suggestions. I nixed his ideas for three reasons. One, I genuinely believe that homework assignments of less than a half-hour per subject are valuable teaching tools. And two, I sincerely do not think that homework assignments cause teenagers’ lack of sleep. Although, I have to admit some teachers assign too much homework each night. More accurately, as it concerns students’ lack of sleep, I firmly believe poor time management skills at home negatively affect their sleep habits.
“In my opinion, the average student spends too much time glued to the television, chatting and texting on his or her phones, and cruising the internet for non-academic purposes. Nonetheless, it is what it is, and until parents learn to regulate their children’s time, nothing we do here at school will make a difference.”
Missus Bell notices that the principal is staring at her coffee cup. She says, “What was the third reason, Marie?”
“The third reason was a no-brainer, Kim. Once Neville started talking about broadcasting subliminal messages over the speaker system, I had no doubts in my mind. I would never consent to his idea. I honestly thought it was immoral.” She looks up at her secretary. Her expression is anxious.
“Not to mention it probably would have been illegal as well. Mind manipulation is something that scares me royally. I mean, look at all those innocent missing kids’ faces on milk cartons and the post office bulletin board. While some of the unfortunate kids may be runaways, others were probably manipulated in one fashion or another by evil grownups to run away.” With a sad tone, she says, “Or the unfortunate victims of trafficking.”
“Missus Bells says, “Should we tell the Sextet, and please allow me to state it carefully in this manner, about our unproven, hypothetical, and farfetched assumptions regarding the former vice chairman of WAASM?”
Missus Davenhill replies, “No, I think we should let them stay within their investigative charter. I do not want my students fooling around with potentially criminal activity. I will leave that to Officer Bennett and the detectives at the precinct.” She rubs her temples, closes her eyes, and then she sighs.
“No, we do not tell them anything about what we suspect as it relates to the academy and its former vice chairman. Also, I hope and pray that whatever is going on in their minds and the minds of the other students will stop.” She opens her eyes and looks at her secretary.
“Because it is about to drive me crazy, Kim. The kids’ weird experiences frighten me. If I had children, I would be going crazy with what I know. All the same, and I know this for a fact, I will talk to my granddaughter, Lindsey. She and I get along very well, and she trusts me when I tell her things that are in her best interests, to keep her safe from harm.” She chuckles. “Although, she doesn’t like it.
“Anyway, the irony of the first letter of the Sextet’s nicknames spelling out the Vice Chairman of the Western American Academy of Sleep Methodology, without the W for Western inserted into the acronym, is scary. Additionally, David Cheaply’s threat to pull his extracurricular sponsorships ticks me off. Likewise, David’s terrible threats to Miss Brown makes me even angrier.
“Also, there were more than twenty accidents and five fatalities, one of which was a beloved senior of Claymore High. Those incidents also break my heart. To think all of it occurred on one street. In conclusion, there is a possible connection of Puppet to Cheaply to Sorrie. It is a mess, Kim, an unbelievable, confusing mess. It is about to drive me insane.”
Missus Bell reaches across the table for her friend’s hand. She says in a worrisome tone, “Me too, Marie. Me too.” She smiles. “Be that as it may, both of us know the Sextet will do their utmost to solve this strange problem.”
*****
Part II: Manipulation
“Marie, this has been one interesting, very enlightening afternoon,” Missus Bell says. She is standing in the doorway of the principal’s office.
“That was sweet of yo
u to buy lunch for the kids, Bartholomew, and me. Thank you very much.” She laughs. “I must tell you the Brenae Woodbine girl is a riot. She kept nudging Sophia Paige and Diana Jane Bower during lunch saying funny stuff like, ‘Who says the principal is strict? I mean look at this spread! She is very cool. She even got us our favorite flavors of milkshakes! I would hug her, but you know – everyone would gossip!’”
Missus Davenhill replies, “Yes, she is something else. All of them are special. They are intelligent, well-behaved, talented, and natural leaders. As far as lunch goes, you are welcome, Kim. It was the least I could do to thank the Sextet and you for helping me solve this dilemma. I wish it were nothing more than investigating a food fight that ended in fisticuffs. I have been down that road a few times in my career. A simple food fight that resulted in punches I could quickly solve. On the other hand, it is much more than that.”
“Unfortunately it is,” Missus Bell replies. “I am afraid things are going to get worse before they improve. I hope that the Sextet team members do not experience any new visions. It hurt me to watch them as they related their visions to us. If Neville, David, and Puppet are somehow involved in manipulating these six kids, I hope they receive swift justice. And to think that all six members of the Sextet are willing volunteers of the upcoming play Peter Pan, the soon-to-be pride of the town! The play will bring visitors young and old from the entire state! Everyone who loves one of the finest stories in the land also can watch the play on Channel 6.”
Missus Davenhill suddenly collapses into her chair. She slowly shakes her head back and forth. The expression on her face is chilling. The color in her usually rosy cheeks disappears in a flash. As she stares straight ahead, her lips are trembling slightly. Her secretary cannot tell if she is angry, sad, hurting, or worried about something.
Missus Bell sits down in the chair in front of the principal’s desk. She whispers, “Are you okay, Marie? Goodness, you look like you have seen a ghost. What is wrong? You are scaring me.”
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