I see someone! Zoe typed, peering at the screen, Callista's locker right at the center. She'd ditched elvin history to monitor it (such a huge sacrifice) and was sitting in the hallway just outside Magnate Leto's office.
Ooh, me too! Torrin agreed. Zoe's message had triggered the other two screens so Torrin and Jaye knew to pay attention.
Who is it? Jaye asked. Is it Evil-y Person?
She's coming towards the locker, Zoe said. A figure in a red Level Five uniform skulked along the edge of the hall, walking closer and closer to Callista's locker.
I think it's Evil Person, Torrin added as the elf pulled out a can of red paint.
Jaye started sending Wait... over and over again, until the elf had painted a full sentence. Now! he ordered.
Zoe watched five elixirs launch straight at the elf. The elf shouted, stepping back quickly, and her face turned towards the camera.
Larrina? Zoe asked.
Looks like it, Jaye said. We're in for a lot of trouble, but she is, too.
I don't think all of the elixirs got her, Torrin complained.
She's still running for a change of clothes. I think it worked out okay, Zoe argued.
Yay! Jaye said. Mission complete!
Zoe spammed Yay!s for a while before saying, I'm going to show the video to Magnate Leto. Get ready to be called to the principal's office. She got to her feet and knocked on his door.
"Who is it?" Magnate Leto called.
"Zoe," she answered, opening the door and walking in. Magnate Leto was sitting at his desk filing some sort of paperwork.
"Why aren't you in your session?" he asked, looking up.
"I had a project of utmost importance," Zoe said, tapping on the screen.
"What?"
Zoe took a deep breath before explaining everything. She didn't exactly like telling the principal about the prank they'd set up, but Larrina deserved it.
Magnate Leto reached for his Imparter. "Send a message to these four Mentors," he ordered, listing four names. "Please send Callista Redek, Jaye Redek, Torrin Dizznee, and Larrina Vacker to my office."
"Larrina's a Vacker?" Zoe asked. "Wouldn't that mean she's torturing her cousin?"
Magnate Leto didn't ask, glancing at the door multiple times before four prodigies, one by one, walked in. He waited until all of them were in his office before speaking.
"You kids have a lot to explain," Magnate Leto said.
"I didn't put any elixirs in your mallowmelt!" Jaye shouted.
Magnate Leto looked at the slice of mallowmelt at the edge of his desk, sniffed it, and dropped it into the trash can. "I'm talking about something else." He began to explain the situation. As he talked, Larrina's already pale face slowly got paler and paler until she looked like she was carved from marble, fidgeting with a strand of pink hair.
"Zoe even has a recording," Magnate Leto added.
"And I stopped by Callie's locker on the way here to take a picture of what Larrina wrote," Jaye added.
Callista flicked sparks in his face. "Don't call me Callie."
"But they flung prank elixirs at me!" Larrina complained, gesturing at her PE uniform, probably trying to show that she'd had to change.
"These three will be punished, no doubt about it, but so will you," Magnate Leto answered. "I think two weeks of detention will be sufficient for all of you."
"Can I make her punch herself? Can I make her punch herself? Can I make her punch herself?" Jaye asked eagerly. His smile made Zoe feel...weird. That was the best way to describe it.
"That would not be appropriate," Magnate Leto answered.
"What about Callista?" Larrina asked.
"I do not believe that she was aware of their plot until today," Magnate Leto said, and Callista, Zoe, Jaye, and Torrin nodded. "Therefore Callista does not deserve detention."
"She should've—"
"You may go, Miss Vacker," Magnate Leto ordered. "It's time for lunch now, I believe. Your detention will start tomorrow."
Larrina's expression was poisonous, but she didn't argue. The Level Five stalked out of Magnate Leto's office, only stopping to shoot a haughty look at Callista.
"Why didn't you kids tell me about this before?" Magnate Leto demanded.
"We wanted to figure out who it was," Jaye said. Torrin and Zoe nodded vigorously.
"I wasn't involved in this plot," Callista promised.
"I could have helped," Magnate Leto said.
"You're a grown-up. The only grown-up we got involved was Torrin's dad and that was because we needed a Technopath," Zoe explained.
"Mr. Dizznee knew about this?" Magnate Leto asked.
"He didn't know the details. We only told him we needed pranking supplies and explained what we wanted. That's all," Jaye said.
"I understand. If anything like this happens again, I want you to tell me immediately," Magnate Leto ordered.
"Got it," Jaye said.
"And tell your parents," Magnate Leto added.
"I didn't want to worry them," Callista said.
"Trust me, your parents have had to deal with a lot worse than this," Magnate Leto promised.