Chapter Text
Finn was the next to speak up. “So…” he said slowly, and slightly confused, as if trying to figure out his emotions. “You’ve been attacked by two guys so far –A mummy thing you mentioned, and a Tear, whatever that is- and you never told us?”
“So this was as far back as HALLOWEEN?!” Felix muttered, incredulous. “That’s only your SECOND day at Darkley’s!”
Caila whistled. “You DO have a busy life. I just never imagined…”
T seemed confused. “Why didn’t you tell the others?”
I shrugged, sighing. “I don’t know! I guess I was freaked out, and maybe I thought the teachers wouldn’t want me to tell you guys… and the first time, I thought I was hallucinating.”
Okay, that was a lie. But I decided to use it anyway, just in case I needed to justify myself any further.
So far, Caila just seemed surprised but a bit impressed, T didn’t seem impressed nor affected at all, Felix seemed a bit confused, Gene had an intense expression, as if trying to figure out how this was relevant or whatnot, and Finn gave me a cold stare, and quite frankly I couldn’t blame him.
“So how come you never told us about the Tear guy?” he demanded. I shrugged. “Well, I guess I thought you might think I was insane, or wanted attention.”
“No kid at Darkley is THAT stupid to do that…” Felix pointed out. “But as for being insane… well…”
He scratched his chin thoughtfully.
“Anyway,” I continued on. “And when you guys finally DID realize I wasn’t the kind of person to do that, it more or less slipped my mind, and I kind of wanted to bury the whole thing altogether.”
“How come you never told us about this when we began searching up the Tower of Tears?!” Finn snarled. Before I could answer (and trust me, I had a lot of backup retorts, just in case) Gene spoke up.
“Most likely because we found out everything we needed –or could- to know about the Tower, in which case telling us about his encounter would be irrelevant. And as for the first case, obviously he either believed he was hallucinating from the school macaroni, or because we already knew about the escapees, thus making this information irrelevant!”
“Wait, the school macaroni makes you hallucinate?!” I muttered. Still, I decided Gene must’ve been figuring out why I never told the others on his own. Of course, if he knew the real reasons…
Still, it startled me how a teacher’s pet like him managed to deduce this much, even if it was wrong (and granted, he didn’t have ALL of the clues, or the actual information, so…). I had always imagined him as the ‘Booksmart’ type, and not the ‘Streetsmart’. But still, the fact that he was both kind of rattled me- maybe because I had judged him incorrectly, or because he could be an even better villain than me…
Hold on, I reminded myself. Don’t let your pride get to you- there’s always a bigger fish, someone better. If you let your ego deny the obvious, that’s just begging for the worst.
Anyway, I nodded to Gene’s suggestion. “Yeah, you’re right,” I lied. “Also, by the time of the Tower of Tears incident, I was kind of afraid you guys might, you know… but when the snake attacked, I decided you guys could understand.”
Blegh. As corny as what I said sounded, it was more or less true. Of course, I wish I could’ve reworded it all…
Gene just shrugged, and so did Felix. “I suppose you only reacted like any other human, Garmy,” Felix admitted.
“Don’t call me that!”
Finn still seemed a little skeptical, and T didn’t really care at all, just continuing to eat her lunch. Caila, on the other hand…
She didn’t meet my eyes. I thought it was because she was mad at me, personally (which made absolutely no sense, as I had zero reason to tell her, unlike with the others), but then I realized she looked guilty…
Then I wondered if Caila had a secret herself- and now that I was confessing, she might’ve been…
Then Finn broke the silence.
“Wait, you mentioned the Tear told you about a Dark Lord and Samukai!”
Crud.
The other stared at me, surprised.
My reaction?
Well, it was only a matter of time before I let loose a slip of tongue, I thought. I AM only human, after all, and a child as well…
Still, for a moment I stopped, trying to look really guilty so it would seem like I had another reason for not telling. I sighed, just to buy myself a second or two, and I finally came up with an excuse.
“He told me to ‘Beware a Dark Lord and Samukai’,” I explained, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t lying when I said that. “So I assumed they were some Tower of Tear escapees who were just dangerous in particular, but their existence didn’t matter in the investigation.”
Then, remembering what I said about Samukai on November 2nd, I went on. “When I searched up Samukai, I was trying to find out about him. Supposedly, he’s-”
“A Warlord that perished in combat,” Gene finished, smiling viciously. But at who, I wasn’t sure.
“And then later on I searched up the Dark Lord,” I lied. I was planning to say that I found nothing, but then Gene interrupted me.
“And he turned out to be part of a prophecy,” Gene interrupted. For a moment, I almost stared in surprise, but then I nodded.
“One ninja shall rise above the others and become the one destined to defeat the Dark Lord; the Green Ninja.” Gene recited confidently. Even though I had never heard of that, and this revelation brought all sorts of thoughts to my head, I nodded in fake familiarity.
“Again, I thought this Green Ninja and Dark Lord had nothing to do with us at all, so I didn’t bother,” I explained, looking at Gene with fake gratitude.
For the most part, everyone seemed impressed and apparently had forgiven me. Finn, on the other hand, glared at me skeptically. Still, I wasn’t too afraid of him- I felt like the only one who was a credible threat was Gene, although I probably should keep an eye on Finn anyway, just in case…
“Well, although this prophecy of the Green Ninja and Samukai have no impact whatsoever on our investigation-” Felix began, but of course Finn spoke up once more.
“Wait, doesn’t anyone find it weird that the Tear told Lloyd to beware Samukai, even though he’s supposed to be dead?” he demanded, and to tell the truth I myself had thought the exact same thing.
“I honestly don’t know,” I admitted. “Listen, I had a lot on my mind during those days, and it gave me headaches, and I just wanted to toss it out of the window. Even my mind can get tired, you know.”
Still, while the others bought my explanation, they were still intrigued by what Finn said.
“…Maybe Samukai never died?” T suggested, stating the obvious. “I don’t think Metallicus was there when it happened, anyway.”
I had to admit, that was what I initially thought at first, until I remembered how he looked like a skeleton- but the others didn’t know about my dream, so that didn’t matter.
“But from what you said, the Tear has implied that Samukai has still lived on to this day, even if it wasn’t the spells that took him out,” Felix pointed out.
Well, time to throw in a little fun…
“Maybe…” I said slowly. “Maybe he had Garmadon blood?”
The six of us stopped for a moment, mulling it over.
“Impossible,” Finn muttered. “He’d have to be related to a Garmadon-”
“-Or somehow infuse their blood into him,” Caila added. We all stared, surprised with her gruesome suggestion. When she noticed us staring, she cleared her throat.
“Well… it IS the only way Samukai could get Garmadon blood. I can imagine a few ways how…”
“Not quite,” Gene sneered, tut-tutting smugly. “The reason why Lloyd’s blood-” He pinched me.
“Ow!”
“-Gives him an indefinite lifespan is because, as stated in Metallicus’ works, of the presence of a special hot pot of chemicals, enyzymes, elements, compounds, and overall a list of ingredients you might see in an alchemist’s shopping list. Perhaps Samukai somehow acquired knowledge of these necessary items and implanted them into his bloodstream?”
“And how do we know it’s the Samukai Metallicus mentioned?” Felix pointed out, and I started- he might actually have a point.
“Just think about it,” he pointed out. “Is it not uncommon for royal or descendants of powerful beings to be named after them? Such as ‘Elizabeth III’ or even –for peasants- ‘Tom Jr’. Perhaps this is a descendant named after his or her famous ancestor, and the Tear was too lazy to specify on a number. After all, I’d just call someone Elizabeth, without the roman numerals if you please.”
I had to admit… what Felix said made a lot more sense than with what I came up with. Come to think of it, the article on Samukai never DID specify what he looked like, and given the Tear’s situation (being sucked into a toilet and all) it makes sense he wouldn’t waste breath on saying a few irrelevant numbers.
Of course, most of Felix’s theory was based on what living people looked like… still…
“That actually makes a lot of sense, Felix,” Caila praised. T nodded. I realized she had been quite the entire time- did she not care, was she too confused to follow, or was she secretly thinking, just like I was?
“So…” she muttered quietly. “All our evidence is that the Tear told us to beware this version of Samukai and the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord will be beaten by the Green Ninja, but Samukai’s still there…”
It was then I wondered- what if I came up with the (true) theory that the Dark Lord and Samukai had destroyed the Tower? I could back it up by saying that it fitted with my theory about the Tower’s destruction, and that the Tear –who used to be there- warned me especially of them…
But before I could speak, T surprised me by saying exactly what I said.
“I wonder if the Dark Lord and Samukai destroyed the Tower of Tears?” she muttered nonchalantly.
We all stared as we let that sink in. I had to admit, at this time I was finding a lot of respect for the others- all of them, even Finn (who was rightfully suspicious of me) had just shown they had the cunning, street smarts, and deductive skills to be a worthy warlord, villain, conquerer. Just like me.
In fact, a thought struck me- what if the only reason none of the others (or Felix, Gene, and Finn, since T and Caila couldn’t have been there) were doing exactly what I was right now was because I just happened to be there when it all happened?
That thought really depressed me- that meant I might not be any more special than Francis of all people.
Hold on, I reminded myself. No villain got anywhere by thinking he didn’t have what it takes to rule or threaten society. And anyways, the six of us could easily be the six smartest students –okay, five, since Caila doesn’t count- in this entire school. I might not be the best, but I’m still pretty special- no, not special. Pretty good in my own way. No one’s special.
And of course, there was also a question of morality and motive, since Gene, Felix, and Finn were already ridiculously popular when it all happened. Still, even as I thought about it, did I REALLY need to do all of this? I could’ve just told the others what I knew and either get popular for it, or just get popular the old-fashioned way. I hated the idea that I cheated, but I had a good feeling that was more or less the gist.
I wondered if I should just give it up, all of it, right here and now. Finn, Felix, and Gene became popular with nothing. While I never got the chance to see if I could, it’s still not very reassuring to me not knowing if I could make it. On the other hand, even with motive aside, could they have also been as smart as me to do all that I did…?
Well, either way, I was determined to start figuring things out and doing stuff on my own. Maybe (partly) because of honor and morality, but definitely because I wanted to be able to do things on my own and succeed, without cheating or dumb luck, because no idiot would rely on either of those.
Besides, I remembered. Trexdis told me I was cunning, more so than the others. Even if she was lying, or simply wrong, the fact that she acknowledged me counts for something.
Finally, Felix spoke.
“That… that actually makes perfect sense, T,” he admitted, and I remembered about T’s –correct- theory.
“After all, why else would the Tear have warned me about them in particular?” I noted.
“On the other hand,” Caila pointed out. “He might’ve not known who had done it, but told you about the most dangerous escapees just because.”
“That certainly gives some food for thought…” Gene admitted. Finn nodded. “And of course it may also matter how the culprits did it- after all, if they could destroy a place even Draik couldn’t break into while trying to free my dad, who’s to say they can’t just destroy the school?”
It was an unpleasant thought. But then I came up with a solution.
“Do we really want to stay at this school?”
We all chuckled darkly.
“Of course, they could be after us in particular,” Caila reasoned. “The serpent from earlier COULD have been an escapee, and it went after us, not the school or staff.”
“Unless we were bait so the serpent could attack Draik,” Felix added.
“No, that wouldn’t make sense,” I pointed out. “If it could find us, finding the teachers should’ve been easy.”
“So then how come they haven’t destroyed this place any earlier, if we were the targets?” Gene muttered.
“Maybe it doesn’t involve any huge blast or special power when they destroy places,” I said. “After all, it’s possible they need to find special weak points, form plans, sneak in their own, convert a few to their side…”
“Then they could be doing this right now…” T said quietly. Even as she said this, I suddenly thought about the Crystal-Eyed Mummy and Nikon- what if what I just suggested was also their mission- to destroy this place? And what if Mangel was involved? He was Kirchonn’s master, and what if that six-armed creep was using his meeting with Draik to scout things out a bit? And of course, the idea of a traitor made sense, considering what Metallicus said that night during Halloween…
Still, I decided to throw out another theory. At this rate, I might run out of any secretideas, which could be a good thing, I thought.
“What if…” I muttered. “David Cross was the Dark Lord?”
The others all went pale and stiff (well, except for T and Caila). We all thought about it, and just seeing the others’ reactions made me secretly terrified, too. This guy could oppose Draik, something the six of us couldn’t come close to in a long time… heck, the stuff he did scared him.
And speaking of scaring Draik, didn’t that serpent scare him, too? So that would be even more proof it was Cross!
Finally, Finn mustered his courage. “Well, it’s clear that the ‘rumor’ is truth…” he admitted.
“Yes, yes,” Felix admitted. “In fact, I wonder why the teachers haven’t admitted this, due to how obvious this fact has become. And anyway, I think it’s clear ‘Dark Lord’ is not this person’s name, so…”
“And from what the story said, Cross did stuff that scared Draik,” I added. “What else has scared him recently? The snake.”
“So, if all of our theories are correct, then…” Gene said, thinking intensely. “David Cross and either a descendant of Samukai or the man –or beast- himself has destroyed the Tower of Tears and is most likely seeking out the destruction of this place, most likely to get revenge on Draik.”
“Do you think he wants to save us?” Felix wondered aloud. T and Caila just looked on, confused.
“No, if Lloyd is right, Cross sent a snake to attack us,” Finn pointed out.
“Unless he’s trying to hurt the teachers where it hurts- their precious students, the whole point of this place, which they spent so much time, effort, and money to train,” Caila suggested. Even as she said it, I thought about the times when Scors griped about how hard it was to take care of us and how he didn’t want his effort to go to waste.
“In fact…” Gene said thoughtfully. “If Lloyd is right and the destruction of the Tower was due to carefully constructed plans and agents, then the Bug-Eyed Mummy he mentioned could in fact be one of these people!”
“Maybe even an escapee from the Tower!” Finn suggested.
“With that in mind, maybe the reason Cross blew up the Tower was for practice, and so that the escapees there would be so grateful they might as well work with him!” I muttered. I had to admit, I doubted I could’ve figured this out on my own. I guess admitting my faults had its pros after all.
“Wait a minute…” Felix muttered. “Lloyd, you mentioned that Finn’s father, the Insect Master, was most likely a prisoner at the Tower.”
I frowned. “Yeah?”
“So… if what you said is correct, and the gratitude of the escapees wins them over to Cross and Samukai –or his descendant- then that means…”
All six of us put two and two together, and for the first time, even more so than during the incident with the snake, Finn looked outright horrified, paling beyond all human possibility.
“Oh, no…” I muttered. So then daddy Insect Master was willing to hurt his own son, even if it was all because he just owed one to Cross.
Before any of us could say anything else, Finn bolted off.
For a moment, we just stood there in silence, feeling sorry for him. For a moment, I wondered if he had it worse than me- Finn was a mutant, which would certainly lead to a bunch of jerks singling him out. His mom was clearly dead, and his dad wanted him dead, all because some stranger did a favor and said ‘Pretty please?’
In that case, he deserves all the good things he can get, I thought with a twinge of pity.
Then T spoke up.
“I wonder- why are we doing all of this?”
“What?”
We all stared at her. T shrugged. “Why are we trying to figure out about this Tower of Tears? About Cross’ plan to get rid of Draik? About Samukai? Why would it matter to us?”
We all thought for a moment, and I had to admit she made a pretty good point- I mean, it’s not like any of this would affects us at all. Cross wanted revenge on Draik, and Draik wanted him gone. Really, all that would happen to us was getting caught in the crossfire.
“Well, part of Cross’ plan is to exterminate us,” Felix muttered.
“Unless the whole attack was just a message,” Caila added.
T nodded, smiling at us. “Okay. Thanks.”
For a moment, I wondered if T already knew the real reason why- and I really can’t explain it to anyone, because only us kids from Darkley, or those just like us, could really understand. In fact, I had a feeling she was just seeing what they’d say.
“Well, we should go after Finn,” Felix muttered. “As Brad said, you can always count on a fellow Darkley’s kid for a shoulder to cry on!”
“No. Just… no,” I muttered as we ran off in Finn’s direction.
It took us a while, but we found Finn hiding at the playground, where I had my first snow-ball fight with the others just a few weeks ago.
The poor guy was just sitting inside one of those giant plastic tubes that kids can crawl through for no reason at all, other than because they can. He wasn’t crying, but it was clear he had been- I could hear a few sniffles and some red eyes.
We stopped a couple of feet away, not sure what to do. Then Caila sighed and walked over, sitting on top of the tube and swinging her legs back and forth.
“Hey, Ayabbers.”
There was a pause, and Finn replied.
“Hey.”
“So, how’s it going?”
“Just sitting in here.”
“…You know, back before I didn’t meet you guys, I mostly hung out with my family. But sometimes I’d go out into town.”
“Well, it took about two seconds before I was targeted. The others mocked and ostracized me, called me a freak. Boys and Girls would just throw rocks at me, or else gossip and taunt me.”
“For a while, I stayed alone, hiding in the corners. Most of the adults acted more or less the same, but some of them, including all of the old people, they’d be nice to me. Even though they were the exact same people as those from this town, it was only externally. They were people who would actually look for what counts before judging.”
“Still, that didn’t stop the other kids. Sometimes they’d go and try to outright hurt me. For a while, I ran, and I hated it. During those days I dreamed of revenge. Then I grew up, and I fought back, biting as hard and fast as a snake.”
Caila smiled. “You could say I floated like a butterfly, then stung like a bee. Anyway, the other kids still hated me. But I didn’t care. I knew it would always be like that, no matter what. Eventually, I made a bit of a reputation for myself. Still, while it was lonely, I no longer had to run. I could finally build some pride for myself.”
“Soon enough, I also began developing other hobbies. I liked to paint and draw, skateboard, and I really did like history. I also liked to read about boxers, like that one who was said by others to always be small, then fought back and won all of those championships. One day I decided to buy one of these books, but then another kid wanted it, too.”
I whistled inconspicuously, averting my eyes and scratched the back of my neck. Felix and Gene snickered, and T smiled.
“I didn’t like him at first, and he didn’t like me. So we fought, but it turned out he wasn’t from here- he was from a place nearby, and he had the same story like I did. So we hung out together, and I met his friends. Eventually, I made a bond with them, and we did all sorts of great things. We talked and put our heads together, and we were inseparable- and still are.”
Caila sighed contentedly. “In case you’re wondering, the kid was Lloyd. And the friends were Gene, Felix, T, Terrence, Diablo, Brad, Lupus, Buzz, Seamus, Francis, Richie, and, well… you.”
Caila got off of the tube and crouched in front of the opening, facing Finn. “Come on- let’s get out and enjoy Christmas, eh?” She held out her hand, genuinely smiling.
Finn stayed still for a moment, and took her hand.
The two of them got out, standing up, and walked over to us. Felix clapped his hands.
“Wonderful story, Forrester!” he praised. “You know, you REALLY should be a children’s writer or something!”
“Yeah, it’s really something heartwarming,” I admitted, 100% telling the truth.
“Can you tell us more?” T asked. I wasn’t sure if she was joking or being sincere, but I didn’t really care.
“Hey, by the way…” I muttered to Finn. “What Felix and I said about your dad- just because he is an escapee doesn’t mean he’s teamed up with Cross. And if so, he might not know you’re being targeted. Heck, he might not even know where you are!”
“Or, quite frankly, he might not even know he has a son… or a child in general, for that matter!” Felix added.
“Really, even I can’t deduce any possibilities or percentages,” Gene admitted.
“It’s a wild card,” T added.
Finn smiled weakly. “Thanks, guys…”
“So, what now?” Caila asked as the six of us walked off to who knows where.
“Maybe we can have a snowball fight with the others?” Felix suggested.
“Nah. I’m sick of snowball fights at this point, Dweeb.” Finn grumbled.
“Hmm… perhaps we could determine which of us could make snowballs the fastest…”
“Well, we know I can, during that practice with T!” I declared proudly.
“But I never got to try!”
“Yeah, Dweeb… besides, the rest of us probably weren’t trying!”
“Yeah, well neither was I!”
“All right, let’s do this!”
“Ha-ha! A fierce competition between similar rivals that heats up this bitter cold of winter… the amount of viciousness will hold no bounds!”
“Yay!”
And just so you know, T won.
Later on that day, after saying goodbye to Caila at least a million times, the five of us boarded the bus with the others.
“Man, I actually think ours was bigger this time!” Terrence bragged.
“Was your snowman bigger than the Spirius Drones’?” Richie sneered.
“Uh… well… no.”
“The cold’s making my nose run! Does anyone have a tissue?”
“You’re not prepared this time?!”
“I was, but I ended up using all of them…”
“I’ve got a nosebleed!” T declared happily. Two lines of red were going down her nose after she had tripped during her victory run.
“Poor thing. Let me help.” Metallicus randomly seemed to appear out of nowhere and handed her a tissue. And then, without looking, gave one to Francis.
“He must be in a Christmas mood,” I whispered to Diablo as Metallicus walked off.
“Too bad it’ll end,” he noted.
“I’m glad it will, personally,” Seamus admitted. “Seeing Metallicus act so off creeps me out!”
Diablo and I laughed at this.
Still, looking at T (who hadn’t bothered to wipe up her nosebleed) I was frankly glad –and impressed- at how quickly she had adapted to the school. It was only several hours (so not even a full day!) and she was practically one of us.
Now, I wonder about that initiation ceremony Brad and I talked about…
Still, at this point I figured it only happened to those who were clearly too wimpy at first. Even though T was acting pretty happily, I still remembered how creepy she was initially…
Still, that just proved first impressions didn’t prove everything.
Eventually, the buses arrived back at the school, and even as we left the buses Finn, Gene, Felix, and T went over to me.
“Say, Garmy, we’ve been thinking,” Felix said slowly.
“Stop calling me that!”
“We’ve managed to deduce and figure out so much information thanks to the things you told us,” Gene explained. “And we only think it’s fair to let the others –or at the very least, the other members of the Search Gang- know about what we’ve figured out. And that means telling them what you did.”
“Huh…” I said slowly. I thought about it- as Felix and Gene said, what I did was perfectly justifiable, and two of the most popular kids were on my side, and Brad was also my best friend. Plus, it’d help us more, and we might even get more kids to join the Search Gang and help…
“Well, Dweeb?” Finn snarled impatiently.
“Sure, why not?” I decided, sighing. “Feels good to let more know, and you acted pretty well during that incident where I told Metallicus about the Search Gang and whatnot.”
“Speaking of which, I’m going to be a member of the Search Gang!” T cheered. I noticed her nose was still bleeding.
“Well, not yet, and we need the others’ vote,” Felix added.
“And if it’s somehow a tie, despite having an odd number, you can always count on my honorary vote!” Gene reassured her, patting T on the head. T stared at his hand uncertainly, and I grinned.
“Well, let’s tell the others once we get back to the dorm,” Felix decided. I took a deep breath. “Well, might as well try to figure out how to begin!”
We all chuckled at my joke, until Metallicus and Trexdis approached.
“Hi Metallicus! Hi Trexdis!” T said cheerfully to the two of them.
“Hey Trexdis! ...Hi Metallicus.” The rest of us muttered.
“So, had a good time, eh?” Trexdis asked, crouching next to T. She silently acknowledged us by giving a silent thank you in the form of a nod.
Metallicus grabbed the end of his cape and wiped T’s nose on it. “There. That’s better.” He muttered nonchalantly. He glanced at us. “Well, imagine my surprise that at least four of you meddlesome twits can actually do something right,” he sneered, patting us on the head. “Except for Mr. Technos. I had a feeling he could do it.”
Gene beamed, while Felix, Finn, and I gave him death glares.
“Oh, and by the way Garmadon, I still haven’t forgotten that homework assignment you owe me starting the end of Winter Break!” he added as he left.
“I told him to shut up,” I muttered to T when she stared.
“Still, I really have to thank you guys for welcoming T, and so quickly, too…” Trexdis admitted. “Listen- she’s special, just like the four of you, so it’s best you hang out with her.”
Special? I thought. Like the four of us?
Even as I contemplated the meaning of her words, Trexdis left. “Oh, and by the way, we’re having an event in the auditorium after dinner!”
“Event?” Felix muttered. Gene chuckled. “Aha! I guess I AM the only one who knows! Metallicus, of course, told me.”
“I know.” T said, smiling. Gene grumbled.
The five of us made our way to the dorm, where everyone was busy chatting and buzzing, playing games, watching games, creating more graffiti, etc. I even noticed Seamus give Brad the ‘Missing Alien Suspect card’ for Cluedo.
“I’M NOT USING THIS IN THE GAME!!!” he screamed.
Still, the five of us made our way to the center of the room, and Finn cleared his throat.
“HEY, DWEEBS!” he roared. Everyone stopped and looked at us.
Already, I was reminded of my first day, when Draik introduced me. Man, that felt like centuries ago…
“Today, Garmy has quite the news to tell,” Felix explained.
“Garmy?” Richie asked, and the others snickered. I sighed, glaring at Felix, who grinned.
Well, here goes nothing, I thought.
The five of us explained to the class about what happened to me during Halloween, and they also made sure to justify what I did and all of my actions. Even Brad spoke up and admitted they had a point.
Then we got to the complicated stuff, and revealed everything we had figured out. When we were done, everyone had forgotten how I had withheld this information for quite some time.
“NICE!” Francis praised. Lupus hi-fived a reluctant Gene, and the others continued congratulating us, so impressed with what we did that they admitted this should be more or less expected of the Search Gang by now. Hearing those words made me feel great.
After a round of applause, several cheers, and so on, the five of us went over to Lupus, Seamus, Terrence, and Buzz while everyone else chattered about what they learned.
“Hello, my fellow Search Gang members!” Felix declared.
“What’s he doing here?” Semus pointed at Gene. Gene scowled.
“I’m an honorary member!” he snapped.
“Anyhow, recently our newest student –and first female one, as well- T has requested to join the Search Gang, and I, the unofficial leader, deeming her deductive skills worthy, has decided she meets the requirements. Now, we vote on whether or not T shall join!”
It was a landslide. We all raised our hands- after all, we liked T, and quite frankly we’d let anyone in- Gene was only barred out due to his relationship with Metallicus, and Finn’s torment had made a few of us reluctant.
“All right!” Felix cried happily. “T, welcome to the Search Gang!”
Lupus, Buzz, Terrence, and Seamus congratulated her.
“Aha! Welcome to the club!” Terrence cheered, patting her on the back.
“You know what they say- more is better!” Buzz chuckled.
“Unless its zits,” Lupus chuckled.
“Or armored history teachers!” Terrence added. “Oh, wait… sorry, T, heh-heh…” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.
“I don’t mind,” T reassured him. Seamus, however, seemed thoughtful.
“Hmm…” he muttered, staring at T intently. “We’ll need to go through her and check to see if she’s an alien spy or not.”
“Right, and if she is, we’ll just go all, SPY!” Buzz laughed.
“Luckily, I have the special steps to deduce our neophyte’s true identity,” Seamus added, leaning towards T and inspecting her suspiciously, like some detective.
“You know, Seamus, even though you claim to be terrified of aliens and take measures against them, I wonder if you really just want one to try and take over the world,” Lupus chuckled.
“How DARE you accuse me of being an alien spy!?! And they already ARE, just ask Area 57, the ADU, Atlantis Crew Team, Power Miners, Jake Raines, DINO, and the Mars Mission 'nauts!”
Eventually, the nine of us grabbed one of the laptops Spirius-5 let us borrow and we watched the Nightmare before Christmas and Death Note.