Chapter 15 - The Shadowy Figure

The whole table was quiet as the words Karalee had just spoken set in in. They all looked at each other.

"Uh, how can we solve a mystery?" Ja asked. "We all have busy school schedules. When would we have time to do it?"

"And," Swirl added, "we could get in trouble."

"How can we get in trouble for just listening?" Karalee asked.

"What do you mean?" Lost said.

"I mean, right now, we can't do anything. We just have to keep our ears open. Listen for clues. Then we can try to piece it together," Karalee declared.

"Well, as long as we do something, I'm good with that," Lost replied. "I hate feeling like I did something but I don't even know what."

"Hmm, let's start by going over all the details," Karalee said.

"What exactly did Headmaster Clark and Mr. Greely say?" Swirl asked, looking at Lost.

"Well," Lost said, thinking back, "they said that there was a serious problem. And that if they told anyone, the school could look bad. Headmaster Clark sounded really upset."

"Anything else?" Sarah asked.

"They also said they had to be calm. But they also said a sister might notice whatever they were talking about. And then they mentioned that because this sister was new, it might be a huge misunderstanding," Lost said. "Does that help?"

"Well, whatever it is, it sounds big and bad," Ja said, chewing on fry, thoughtfully.

"And it sounds like the school might be in trouble if more people found out about it," Swirl said.

"We don't have enough information. So for now, let's just make sure to listen to people around us," Karalee said.

Lost nodded and finished the last of her poutine. Just then, the overhead speakers crackled to life.

"Good evening, Jamaasian High! I hope your day was wonderful and full of education," Headmaster Clark said. "Right now, you have a couple hours of free time so feel free to go to the games room, library, or your dorms. Also, the art room is open, so you can go over and paint some masterpieces! Be sure to be back at your dorms at lights out. Jam on!"

The speakers fell silent and the room filled with chatter again. Lost stood up and looked at her friends.

"What do you guys want to do now?" Lost asked.

"I was going to go meet up with Gfox and hang out in the games room again," Karalee said. "Do any of you want to come with me?"

"I'll come!" Ja said, quickly moving over to Karalee.

"Well, I guess we'll see you later," Swirl said as nobody else went over next to Karalee. "Bye, guys!"

After Karalee and Ja left, Swirl turned to look at Sarah and Lost. "Now what?"

"The art room sounds good to me," Lost said with a shrug.

"I'm good with that! Let's go!" Sarah said, leading the way.

Just as Lost was about to follow, she bumped right into someone who let out an "OOF!"

"Oh, I am so sorry!" Lost cried. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks," the girl said, wiping her large glasses with her sleeve. "It happens all the time."

"I'm glad you're okay!" Lost said, relieved. "Well, see you later!"

"Bye," the girl called as Lost started to run after Swirl and Sarah.

Lost hurried out of the cafeteria after her two friends. Together, they wandered down a couple of halls to the art room.

As soon as they stepped inside the empty room, the smell of old paint became overpowering. Lost wrinkled her nose a bit and sat down at a large easel. Swirl and Sarah went to two other easels a little further.

"What are you guys going to paint?" Lost asked, getting comfortable on her stool.

"I'm not sure yet. Probably a cat," Swirl grinned, looking over her paints and brushes. "What are you guys going to paint?"

"A horse!" Sarah said, as she got a dreamy look in her eyes. "A nice, big, brown, beautiful horse. She's going to have a star between her eyes and a brown, gorgeous mane."

"Wow, that's a great description!" Lost laughed. "I don't know what I'm going to paint yet."

"I want her to look like the horse I ride sometimes. Her name is Jazz," Sarah explained.

"Oh, cool!" Lost said.

As Swirl and Sarah began painting, Lost looked around the art room, trying to get inspiration. The room was full of trinkets, paints, and all sorts of random things. She noticed a blue glob of paint on the floor was still wet.

Suddenly, the lights flickered a few times before going out completely. The whole school went pitch black.

"Um, guys? What happened?" Sarah asked cautiously.

"I have no idea," Lost replied back, trying to see her friends in the darkness. Her eyes weren't used to the sudden change of lighting.

"I think the power went out. It sounds like a thunderstorm is going on outside," Swirl said.

Lost listened hard. She could hear the crash of thunder and the wind roaring. "That's probably it. Let me see if I can find a flashlight somewhere around here. Do you guys remember seeing any closet or something? Maybe a flashlight is in there."

"I think I saw one on one of the shelves by the door. Be careful though, I don't want you to walk into anything," Sarah said.

Lost got up and walked slowly over to where she thought the door was. Instead, she crashed into an easel, knocking it to the ground.

"Lost?! Are you okay?" Swirl asked.

"I'm fine," Lost said. "I don't know if the easel is though."

Lost moved to the left to avoid walking into the fallen easel and moved her hands out in front of her as she walked, trying to find the door. Her hand slightly brushed the cold doorknob.

As Lost's eyes got more adjusted to the dark, she looked up and saw a few shelves close to the door. Lost moved her hand around the shelves, feeling the objects on it. She pushed past some of the trinkets and felt around the back corner.

"Aha!" Lost said, grasping a flashlight. "I found it!"

Lost fumbled to turn the flashlight on. All of a sudden, Lost heard a noise coming from the other side of the door. Like someone accidently knocked something against the door.

Lost whirled around, shining the light at the window of the door. Nothing was by the door. The hall was strangely dark and Lost couldn't see very much because of the dimness.

"Did you guys hear that?" Lost asked, glancing at her friends.

"Hear what?" Sarah asked, squinting as Lost shone the light over to her friends.

Lost flew the door open and stepped a little into the hallway. She looked down the hall and saw no one.

"What's going on?" Swirl said, walking over to Lost, paintbrush in hand.

"I thought I heard someone out in the hall but no one's here," Lost said. "It sounded like someone was watching us."

"Uh, that's spooky," Sarah said. "What if you heard wrong? Maybe it was just the wind?"

"It sure sounded like someone hitting something on the door," Lost answered, walking back inside.

"Well, no one is out there so there's no way we can find out who it was," Swirl said, closing the door behind her. "Maybe it was just some student who likes playing tricks on others."

"Maybe," Lost replied doubtfully.

"Let's just keep painting and try to forget about it," Swirl declared.

Lost nodded and walked back to her empty easel. All possible inspiration was gone.

"I think I'm going to go back to my dorm," Lost said, standing up again.

"Wait, we can come with," Sarah said as she started to get up.

"No, no, it's fine. You guys keep painting. I'll catch you later, alright?" Lost said, handing the flashlight to Swirl. "You can keep the flashlight."

"If you're sure about going alone," Swirl said, sounding unsure. "You aren't going to try to find who hit the door, right?"

"Oh, no. I'm just tired and figured I could use some extra rest," Lost replied. "See you guys later!"

Lost hurried out of the room and down the dark hall. She glanced up at the overhead lights.

I wish these were working tonight! It's creepy walking in a dark hallway when someone may or may not be spying on you.

Lost picked up her pace, trying not to let her overactive imagination get the best of her. As she turned the corner, she heard a noise.

Lost stopped and held her breath.

A footstep.

Someone was nearby.

Lost hurried further down the hall, fear gripping at her.

Don't look behind. Pretend you heard nothing. DO NOT LOOK BEHIND YOU.

Just as she was about to go up the staircase, her curiosity got the better of her. She turned around and looked back down the hall.

A dark shadow moved down the hall.

Lost bolted up the stairs, taking two at a time. Lost tore down the hall and hurriedly unlocked the door of her dorm. She whipped open the door and slammed it shut. After locking it, Lost sunk down onto the floor, breathing hard.

Lost had no idea who that was or why they had followed her.

Why were all these mysterious things happening in Jamaasian High? And why did it include her?

Chapter 14 - The Game's Afoot

Lost hurried out of the bathroom just as the bell rang. Keeping her head down, she rushed through the crowds of students, all going to their next classes.

Lost knew she should have gone back to her English class but after what had happened, there was no way she was going back to face all those people who had just seen her run out of class. So, she had stayed in the girls bathroom, hiding.

Reaching the door to her Art class, Lost scurried into the room and sat down at her desk. She slouched slowly as more students came rushing in. What if one of them was in her English? If they noticed her, would they tell everyone what had happened? Will the whole school know that the new kid ran out of class, crying?

She was going to stay low. Not talk to anyone. Get through the day and then stay in her dorm. For the whole evening. Maybe the whole next day too.

I'm being dramatic. Calm down, Lost, I can do this.

Lost's mind drifted back to what had happened in the hallway.

I wish I knew why Headmaster Clark and Mr. Greely were talking about me. And probably Koolest too. Its not fair that I don't even know what we did!

"Hey!" Snowyclaw said as she sat down a few desks away from Lost.

 

Lost gave a quick smile before going lower into her seat.

It was going to be a long class.
 

***
 

"Lost? Helloooo? Lost, you alive?" Swirl asked loudly, waving a hand in front of Lost's face.

 

"Hm?" Lost blinked, trying to push away her bothering thoughts out of her head. Like how Ms. Liza had come to her earlier and talked to her about not running out of the classroom again. Lost was lucky it was just a warning.

The girls were sitting in a corner at Drama class, practicing their lines. All the students had separated into groups, getting ready for the audition which was apparently coming up soon. Ms. Tavie hadn't given a date since she thought it'd be best if it was a surprise. She claimed that it was better that way.

 

"This is the third time you've left me and gone deep into thought," Swirl replied, frowning worriedly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," Lost said.

Swirl quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

 

"Fine. No," Lost sighed. "In English, I was supposed to read my report out loud in front of the whole class. But I chickened out and ran out of class."

"Aw, I'm so sorry!" Swirl said gently. "I know public speaking can be really hard."

"But that's not all! When I ran out, I bumped into Mr. Greely and Headmaster Clark. They were some deep, secretive discussion," Lost said.

 

"Really? Did you hear what it was about?" Swirl asked.

"It sounded like it was about me," Lost whispered.

 

"What?! Why would they be talking about you?" Swirl cried. "What did they say that makes you think it was about you?"

"Well," Lost thought back. "They mentioned a sister and that... they were new? And something about a misunderstanding? That's all I got, really. It didn't make any sense."

 

"I'm sure they weren't talking about you. Maybe their talking about Headmaster Clark's new-new... cat! And the cat has a sister but it was a misunderstanding when he bought both!" Swirl declared.

Lost laughed. "That's crazy! Did you just randomly think of that?"

"Yup," Swirl admitted, grinning.

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't about a cat but good guess," Lost said, teasingly.

"Hey, a girl can try," Swirl joked. "Well, in all seriousness, maybe we should talk to our other friends and bounce off ideas about this."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. Maybe at supper?" Lost said.

 

"Sure! We should probably keep practicing our lines otherwise we're going to get in trouble," Swirl said, holding up her many papers that were full of lines.

Lost nodded and looked down at her own sheet of papers. "Now where were we?"

***

Lost hurried over to her table, trying to keep her tray of poutine steady. She dodged a chair getting pushed out quickly by a boy and kept on going.

This is like an obstacle course.

Quickly, Lost scooted into her chair next to Swirl and Ja. Sarah and Karalee came over, balancing their trays and sat down.

"Where's Gracie and Fang?" Lost asked through a mouthful of fries and gravy.

"Mm!" Karalee swallowed. "They said they had to go study for some paper in history or something."

Swirl pounded her fist on the table, making Sarah jump. "Lost has something to tell us. Right, Lost?"

Lost slowly nodded and swallowed her fries before saying anything. "Alright, so, Swirl thinks that you guys can help with a problem... thing."

"A problem thing? What's wrong?" Ja asked.

After Lost finished explaining what she overheard Headmaster Clark and Mr. Greely talking about, all her friends looked confused.

"That's... weird," Sarah said.

"Really weird," Ja agreed.

"How do you know they were talking about you?" Karalee asked, leaning back in her chair.

Lost thought for a moment. "Well, I'm new and my sister, Koolestkat, is new too. I guess two other sisters might also be new this year but still. Doesn't it sound like it's about me? Like the way they acted around me?"

"Hm, this is very interesting," Karalee mused.

"Kind of like a mystery," Ja said.

Karalee's eyes brightened. "Yes! A mystery! A mystery that needs to get solved!"

"What are you saying?" Lost asked, although she had a good idea what Karalee was going to say next.

"I'm saying, we have a mystery to solve," Karalee announced.

Chapter 9 - The HQ Appears

Lost marched into the cafeteria and took a deep breath. Halfway done school for today!

She wandered over to the lunch line and stared into space, daydreaming. Lost moved up in line without thinking.

"Hey! Lost!" a voice broke through Lost's daydream.

Lost turned around and saw Karalee standing behind her, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, hey," Lost said. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. What was the last class you went to?" Karalee asked.

"History. With grumpy ol' Mr. Greely," Lost said, rolling her eyes. "We learnt about this ancient tribe of warriors that were called Phantoms. They apparently attacked the explorers, Mira and Zios." Lost then grabbed a orange lunch tray from the counter.

"Ah. Sounds interesting at least!" Karalee said as she also picked up a tray.

Lost shrugged. "It was okay."

Lost grabbed an apple and piece of pizza from the lunch counter. After some contemplating, she grabbed another piece of pizza.

Grabbing a juice box, Lost turned around to look at Karalee. "Wanna sit together?"

Karalee nodded and Lost lead the way over to an empty table near the middle of the room. Sighing, Lost plopped down on her chair and closed her eyes.

"You tired still?" Karalee teased as she bit into a gooey piece of pizza.

"I guess so! It's been busy. Go go go, you know?" Lost said, opening her eyes and sticking her straw into her juice box. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a girl walk over to their table.

"Mind if I sit here?" the girl said, standing close to the table.

"Sure!" Karalee said.

The girl smiled and sat down next across from Lost.

"I'm Karalee! And this is Lostfairy," Karalee said, gesturing to herself and to Lost.

"Cool. I'm Pinpun. Call me Pin for short," Pin said, biting into a sandwich. Pin had her hair dyed purple and styled into a Mohawk. She wore a dark purple jacket and a bunch of lilac colored bracelets. A spiked necklace was around her neck.

The girls chattered and ate their lunches. After a little while, Lost looked at the big clock on the wall.

"I should go," Lost said, standing to her feet.

"Why? The bell hasn't rung," Pin said.

"I know. I like getting to classes early though. I get better seats that way," Lost joked. "Well, bye guys!"

"Bye!" Karalee called.

Lost wandered out into the hallway and headed towards her math class. She sighed happily. The hallways were so much more peaceful when they weren't filled with yelling students. Lost enjoyed herself as she strolled along through the halls.

All of a sudden, a loud sharp yell shattered the silence. Lost picked up her pace and turned around the corner when she saw a group of kids all huddled around something. A few kids wandering the halls stopped and joined the huddle.

Curious, Lost kept on walking towards them. As she came closer, she listened to some of the yells.

"Hit him! C'mon, do it!"

"Punch him!"

Is this a fight?

Lost turned to a girl who was silently watching. She was leaning against the wall, twirling her black hair with her finger. Her dark eyes stared intently at the herd of kids.

"Hey, do you know what this is all about?" Lost asked as she stood next to the girl.

"No. I wasn't here when it started," she said before looking up.

Lost nodded and wondered what to do. As she looked around, she noticed that a younger looking boy was bolting down the hall, away from the fight. Lost cocked her head and stared down the hall.

What was that kid doing?!

 "I'm Lostfairy, by the way," Lost said.

"I'm Purple. Purplestarclub," Purple replied.

All of a sudden, Lost saw an adult walking down the hall. He seemed to walk with such authority. The boy Lost had noticed before trailed after him.

The man pushed past the huddle and grabbed each of the boys who were fighting each other. Both of them had blood on their face and a scowl on their lips.

"What do you two think you were doing?" the man demanded.

"He started it!" one of the boys yelled, pointing at the other one.

"I don't care who started it," the man said sternly. "Now tell me. What were you fighting about?"

Lost turned to Purple. "Who is that guy?"

"He's part of the security team. Us students nicknamed them the HQ. Headquarters," Purple said. "They always stop fights and stuff."

Lost turned back to the HQ who was still talking to the boys.

"If neither of you will tell me why you were fighting, I'm going to have to take you to the Headmaster," the HQ said.

The HQ then started walking back down the hall, pushing the boys with his arms.

All the kids who had watched the fight were silent until the trio went around the corner. Then they all turned to the boy Lost had seen before.

"Why'd you have to report them?" a girl yelled at the boy.

"Yeah! Now they're in trouble and it's all your fault!" another student shouted.

"Now, now! He didn't do anything wrong!" Lost said, without thinking.

Everyone stared at her. Lost shifted her feet. The bell rung and Lost sighed with relief. Finally, the crowd went their separate ways to their classrooms.

Lost rushed down the hall towards her math class, shaking her head. That was enough excitement for her.

* * *

Lost hurried into English just as the final bell rang. She quickly scooted into her seat and let out a sigh. Math had gone late because she had to ask Mr. Graham some questions about a problem she had in her math quiz.

Ms. Liza stood in front of the class room, with hands folded in front of her as she watched the students with her bright curious eyes.

"Alright!" Ms. Liza announced. The whole room's buzz of chatter instantly stopped.

 "Today, you will use this whole class time to work on your report on something that needs changing in Jamaasian High. Remember, this is your last time to work on it before it is due!" Ms. Liza said. "Now! Let your imagination run wild!"

Lost got her notebook out of her backpack and started writing her report. She stopped suddenly and quickly reread what she already had written. Was it good enough?

"Don't doubt yourself," Ms. Liza said gently, standing next to Lost's desk. "I'm sure it's wonderful."

Lost nodded and watched Ms. Liza move back to her desk.

I wonder how she knew I was doubting my report...

Lost shook her head slightly and began writing again.

* * *

The bell rang throughout the whole school. Lost quickly snapped her notebook shut, shoved it into her backpack, and stood up.

All the students in the class dashed through the door and into the halls. Lost walked slowly up to Ms. Liza's desk where her teacher was scrawling something down. Lost cleared her throat.

"Yes, Lostfairy?" Ms. Liza said, smiling.

"Um, I just wanted to thank you for helping me get past my doubt," Lost said shyly.

"Ah, you're welcome," Ms. Liza said. "Now you better run along! The last class for today should be starting soon!"

Lost nodded and ran out into the hall. The halls were not nearly empty and everyone was laughing and talking.

Pulling her backpack open, Lost reached past the books and grabbed her beat up schedule.

Lost beamed when she saw what her last class was. Art! Glorious art!

Lost dashed up the stairs, taking two at a time. She bolted down the hall and threw open the door at the end of the corridor.

Taking a deep breath, Lost stepped into the room. A couple of students glanced up at her and then went back to chatting.

"Lost! Hi!" a girl yelled from behind Lost.

Lost whirled around and saw Snowyclaw, the cheerleader who greeted her yesterday.

"How are you doing? Don't you totally love this place?" Snowy said cheerfully.

"Yeah, it's awesome," Lost smiled.

"And art is literally the best class!" Snowy said.

"Hey, I love art too!" Lost exclaimed.

"Yay! I have another friend who loves to draw as well," Snowy said, looking around the room and then peering out into the hallway. "Oh! There she is! Artymis, c'mon!"

A girl, who's name was supposedly Artymis, rushed down the hall and ran over to Lost and Snowy. She wore a white headband with little mini antlers. She also wore a light blue jacket and a blue necklace with spikes. White bracelets finished the look.

"I can't wait to start painting!" Artymis said to Snowy, ignoring Lost.

"Me too! Let's go get seats," Snowy said. They both walked over to two empty desks and sat down.

Lost followed and sat down behind them. As she put her backpack down, Lost looked around the room.

There were paint brushes everywhere. There all sorts of paints, brushes, and canvases all scattered around in the room on shelves and on tables. There were huge splotches of paint on the floors in bright colors. The air smelled like paint.

The door closed and a young woman walked into the room. She wore a pink skirt and a fancy purple shirt. The woman's hair was dyed purple and was styled in a cute pixie cut. Lost noticed a single earring in her ear that was a golden bell.

"Hello! I am your art teacher, Ms. Peck," Ms. Peck said, beaming. "In my art class, we are all allowed to be our artsy, creative self. In my art class, we are going to have the most fun time ever."

She sure is enthusiastic.

"So! Today, we are all going to get our creative juices flowing by all painting the same thing. But, in our own unique styles," Ms. Peck said, reaching down and grabbing a rose in a pretty vase. "So, let's start by painting this rose."

Ms. Peck walked around the room, handing out a couple of different sizes of paintbrushes and a palette with a variety of paints.

Lost stared at the beautiful yet complicated rose. She then stared at her paints. Lost sighed softly.

This will be fun.