Chapter 16 - Restless

Lost was sitting, leaning against the wall when Sarah and Swirl came into the dorm. Their laughter and chatter stopped when they saw Lost looking shaken.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sarah asked, her brow crinkled in concern.

"Did something happen? Are you still worried about that noise you heard?" Swirl said.

"I guess I'm still a bit spooked," Lost started shakily, "When I was walking back, I heard someone behind me! I saw them, they were right behind me!"

"Wait, wait. Someone was actually stalking you?" Swirl gulped.

"I think so." Lost stood up, her legs still weak from the fright.

For a moment, the dorm was quiet as the girls thought about what Lost said.

 

"It could have been someone going to their dorm and they just happened to be behind you," Sarah said after a while.

 

"That's possible," Swirl replied.

 

Lost nodded, still a bit unsure. "Yeah, maybe."

 

 

"Well, as much as I don't want to leave you guys, I should get back to my dorm," Sarah said. "I'll see you all tomorrow, okay?"

 

 

Sarah walked over to the door, paused, and turned around. "And Lost? Don't worry, we'll figure this mystery out."

 

 

"Thanks, Sarah. Have a good sleep!" Lost said.

 

Lost watched Sarah leave. As the door softly closed, Lost's gaze met Swirl's.

 

 

"Don't worry. We can think about this tomorrow. Try to get some rest," Swirl said reassuringly.

Lost nodded and smiled softly at Swirl before going to sit on her bed. She leaned back into the soft blanket and stared at the plain white ceiling above her.

 

A thought struck her. Rolling over, she grabbed her phone from the night table. She lightly pressed the power button and went to all of her text messages. She clicked Koolest's name and sent a quick text.

 

Lost scanned her last few texts that she had sent at school. A few of them said they had been read but the last few hadn't. And there had been no reply from Koolest.

She's probably just busy with school and stuff. She'll get back to me later.

- - -

Lost felt like an overtired zombie the next morning as she grabbed the tray and moved down the line. She stiffly held her tray of scrambled eggs and toast and gazed out at all the tables. She thought she noticed a few students glance at her and whisper something to their friends.

Everyone probably knows I ditched a class. Great.

"Lost! Over here!" Ja called from a table nearby.

"Hey," Lost mumbled as she sat down and started poking at her eggs. The smell was making her want to puke.

"Lost, you look awful! Did you not get any sleep?" Karalee asked, her eyes full of worry.

"I had a super restless sleep," Lost said.

Swirl stared at Lost from across the table. "Is this about last night?"

"Oh, Sarah told me what happened, Lost! That sounds spooky!" Ja said.

"Wait, what? Did I miss something?" Karalee said. "Something spooky happened?"

Lost ate her toast while vaguely listened as Swirl and Sarah gave Karalee the full story on what happened. Lost's mind drifted off to think about what to say to Ms. Liza and what might happen to her and if she'd fail English and-

"Wow, Lost, that sounds so weird!" Karalee said, her voice breaking through Lost's worries. "The mystery just gets more and more strange."

"Mhm," Lost said and rubbed her eyes.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Sarah asked. "You look super tired. Is there anything else bothering you?"

"Well, I haven't heard from Koolest in a long while. She hasn't replied to any of my recent texts and I'm worried," Lost said.

"Oh no," Swirl said worriedly. "I'm sure everything is fine but I'll keep an eye out for her, okay?"

"Yeah, I think we have some of the same classes so I'll try to spot her," Karalee said.

"We'll find her, don't worry," Ja patted Lost's shoulder.

"Thanks, guys." Lost forced a smile, trying to ignore the worry that was twisting in her.

- - -

"Lostfairy? Lostfairy, can you come back to us, please?" Mr. Cosmo called.

"Whuh?" Lost sat up straight quickly. Everyone in her science class turned and gave her odd looks.

Mr. Cosmo sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. "I was asking if you knew what male bees are called and if they had any job in the hive?"

"Um," Lost quickly thought back at what she had read the day before. "They are called drones and their job is to mate with the female bees," Lost said.

"That is correct but pay more attention next time, okay?" Mr. Cosmo said before asking some other student a question about female bees.

Lost slumped in her chair. Her mind was full of worry and she just couldn't think of anything else. Her gaze slipped over to her backpack.

Should I risk it?

Carefully reaching for her backpack pocket that held her phone, she kept an eye on Mr. Cosmo. She quietly slipped the phone out and turned it on. She checked her text messages.

Still none from Koolest.

Lost felt her heart drop lower as she put the phone back. Penguin, sitting next to her, caught her gaze. He looked at her, then the backpack, and then her again. He frowned and shook his head before looking back at Mr. Cosmo.

Trying to act cool, Lost felt her face turn warm as she tried to pay attention to the young teacher as he excitedly talked about the eating habits of bees.

 

- - -

 

Lost slunk into her English classroom before the bell rang, hoping to catch Ms. Liza alone so they could talk before everyone came and heard them. That would be majorly embarrassing.

 

The room was empty except for Ms. Liza who was grabbing books from a box and putting them into the giant oak shelves. She turned around to see who had come in.

 

"Ah, Lost, glad to see your feeling better," Ms. Liza smiled. "Come, help me put these books away."

 

Lost slowly walked over, feeling uncomfortable. She held a stack of books out for let Ms. Liza who grabbed the first one and searched for its place.

 

"So, what happened yesterday?" Ms. Liza asked after a few minutes.

 

Lost gulped. "I panicked, I'm so sorry. You can punish me or tell the Headmaster or fail me or-"

 

"Sweetie, calm down," Ms. Liza chuckled softly. "Nothing bad is going to happen. It was my own fault, jumping that on you at the last second."

 

"I just don't like public speaking." Lost handed her teacher a thick book. "And I know ditching class is awful but I just had to get away."

 

"I get that, Lost," Ms. Liza said, sliding another book into its place. "But in English, you will have to do public speaking but you will get better. And your in Drama, aren't you? That will also help you cause you'll have to do your lines onstage."

 

Ms. Liza turned to look at Lost and looked into her eyes. "We can't always run away from our fears. Life will sometimes make us have to face them head on. You can do that for me?"

 

Lost nodded just as the bell rang.

 

"Well, it's almost class time. Thank you for helping, Lost," Ms. Liza said with a smile. She grabbed the box and put it in a nearby cupboard.

 

"So, I'm not in trouble?" Lost asked, shocked.

 

"No, you're fine." Ms. Liza winked as if they had a special secret and walked over to her desk.

 

Breathing a sigh of relief that everything went better than expected, Lost sat at her desk and waited for class to start.

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 11 - Playing Around

Lost looked around the table at her dorm room friends, Swirl, Gracie, and Fang. It was supper and the whole day seemed to be a big blur for Lost.

"So," Lost said, spooning some soup into her mouth. "What do you want to do tonight?"

"Well, I hear the games room is cool. Maybe we could hang out and play some games?" Fang suggested.

"Oh! Good idea!" Gracie replied as she buttered her bread.

"Apparently Aparri will be there as well," Swirl said, grinning. "Maybe we should get his autograph and be, like, famous."

Lost laughed. "An autograph from some dude at school? I'll pass."

Swirl stood up and looked at each girl in turn. "Ready to go?"

There was a chorus of "yes" and "sure" as the girls got up and marched out of the cafeteria.

"Um, where is the games room?" Lost said, unsure.

"I know! I've been there before. It's that way," Fang said, pointing down the hall.

The girls slowly trailed down the hall, laughing and chattering.

"Oh, hey," Lost said, suddenly remembering something. "Did you guys hear about the fight?"

"What fight?" Gracie gasped.

"I heard about it," Swirl said, slowly. "Apparently, two guys got quite upset about something. From what I heard, it sounded like one of them had 'stolen' some item from the other."

"Is that even true?" Lost gaped.

"No clue. Just rumors, I suppose," Swirl shrugged.

"Do you know who they were?" Fang asked.

"Hey! Guys! Wait up!" a girl called from behind them.

The girls whirled around and saw Ja running up to them.

"Wow," Ja panted. "You guys are fast."

"We were just walking," Lost giggled. "But what's up, Ja?"

"A couple of things, actually!" Ja said. "First, I wanted to come with you. You're going to the games room, right?"

"Second," Ja said, continuing after Swirl nodded. "You know that fight that happened earlier today?"

"We were just talking about it! Do you know who the boys were?" Gracie asked.

"Yeah! 'Cause it was my brother who was the one who got stolen from!" Ja announced.

The other girls stared at Ja.

"Huh?!" they all cried in unison.

"Woah, did you plan on that?" Ja laughed. "Anyway, yeah, my brother got stolen from. From some dude who usually hangs out with Fman."

"Ugh," Lost said, remembering playing dodgeball with him.

"Wait, wait!" Gracie said, holding up her hands. "Which brother? Tox or Pob?"

"Pob was the one who got stolen from. Tox actually ran and got the HQ," Ja explained.

"Ooooh!" Lost exclaimed. "I saw your brother run and get them. Everyone was so upset that he got the HQ."

"Oh really?" Ja said, clenching her fists. "That is just SO wrong! How is helping bad?"

Swirl shrugged. "Maybe they were friends with that stealer?"

"C'mon, guys. Let's go before it gets full!" Fang said, teasingly tugging Lost's arm.

All five girls continued down the hall and into the room marked "Games Room."

Lost looked around the room. All around were tables and chairs set up. A couple of pool, air hockey, Ping-Pong, and foosball tables were in rows close to the door. A small table was set up on the right that had a sign that read "Autographs." In the back of the room were other tables that had board and card games. On the left were cozy, brown couches with pillows spread neatly on them.

But the strange thing was, the room was empty.

"Woo!" Ja cried, racing around the room. "We have the whole room to ourselves!"

Lost laughed. "What, you wanna play tag?"

"No," Ja grinned, slowing down near the Ping-Pong table. "Hey, let's play this together!"

"But there's five of us and only four rackets," Fang pointed out.

"That's ok! I'll be a score keeper," Gracie said, cheerfully.

"I'm on Swirl's team!" Lost said, jumping up and down.

"I'll be on Ja's team then," Fang smiled.

As the girls played and laughed, the room slowly got fuller. Soon, almost all the tables were occupied.

"Okay!" Gracie announced. "Ja and Fang won!"

"Aw, good job!" Swirl said, beaming. "But you gotta admit, me and Lost did pretty good."

Lost laughed and gave Swirl a high-five. "Ooh! Let's do what they do in "Austin and Ally."

Swirl and Lost high-fived again and then did a fist bump. "What up!" Lost said, giggling.

"You watch that show too?" Swirl said.

All of a sudden, the door room flew open with a loud BAM. Lost looked up and saw Aparri march into the room with a herd of kids following behind him. Some even had caps that looked like... cheese?!

"Yo!" Aparri said as he sat down behind the table that was for autographs "If you want an autograph from your boy Aparri, just come over here and line up!"

A shriek came from a cluster of girls that were sitting on the couch. They jumped up and bolted over to the table with pieces of paper out, ready for an autograph.

"Wow. Just wow," Lost rolled her eyes.

"Do you guys want an autograph?" Ja asked. "Because I kinda do. Just for fun, you know?"

"It's fine, go ahead," Swirl grinned.

As Ja ran over and stood in line, Lost felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

"Yes?" Lost turned around and saw Gfox, the girl she had met at breakfast.

"Hi Lost! Remember me?" Gfox asked, smiling.

"Yeah, of course! Good to see you again!" Lost exclaimed. "Have you met my friends before?"

"No, I don't think so!" Gfox said, looking shyly over at Swirl, Gracie, and Fang.

"This is Swirl," Lost said, pointing to each girl in turn. "This is Gracie and this here is Fang. They're my dorm twenty-six girls."

"Hi!" Gracie said, shaking Gfox's hand.

"I'm baaaack!" Ja sang, coming over. She then noticed Gfox. "Oh, hi! I'm Ja!"

"I'm Gfox," Gfox smiled.

"How many autographs did you get?!" Lost said, staring at the small pile of paper in Ja's hand.

"Um, one for me, Sarah, Tox, Pob, and then one for each of you guys," Ja said sheepishly. "Good thing I got an extra, I didn't know Gfox would be here!"

"Aww, that's really sweet of you!" Lost said as Ja handed out the autographs.

"It was nothing," Ja shrugged, blushing slightly.

Lost yawned and brushed her long bangs aside. "Well, I dunno about you, but I am tired. I think I'm heading up to my dorm to chill for a while."

"Sounds like a good plan!" Gracie said. "Ja and Gfox, wanna hang out in our dorm?"

"Sure!" Ja and Gfox said at the same time and then laughed.

The six girls wandered out of the games room, down the hall, up the stairs, and up to room number twenty-six. Fang took out her key and unlocked the door, holding it open for everyone.

Lost went straight to her bed and plopped down, sighing happily. "I. Am. Tired!"

"Me as well," Swirl yawned.

Swirl, Gracie, and Fang went to their beds and sat down.

"Feel free to sit on any bed," Gracie said to Ja and Gfox.

As Swirl took of her ever-pleasant wizard hat, Ja flew across the room and sat down next to Swirl.

"Can I try your hat on?" Ja said, doing puppy-dog eyes.

"Sure!" Swirl laughed.

Gfox walked over and sat down on the edge of Lost's bed. "What do you guys wanna do now?"

Just as Lost was about to open her mouth, a loud knocking came from behind the door.

Fang got up and opened the door. "Hello?"

"Hi, is my sister here?" a girl's voice said. Lost tried to see who it was but Fang was standing in the way.

"Uh, depends on who your sister is," Fang replied.

"Her name is Ja," the girl said.

"Sarah?" Ja said, bounding over to the door.

"Ja! How could you just leave me?" Sarah said dramatically. "Me and Karalee were worried!"

"Sorry!" Ja said. "I thought you knew where I was going."

"It's almost time for bed, wanna go back to our dorm?" Sarah asked.

"Okay, sure," Ja replied, handing the wizard hat back to Swirl. "Thanks for letting me hang out, guys!"

"Goodnight, Ja!" Gracie called from her bed.

"I should go too," Gfox said, hopping off Lost's bed. "Bye guys!"

Fang shut the door after Sarah, Ja, and Gfox left. "You guys wanna go to bed now?"

"I'm good with that," Swirl said, pulling her pajamas out of her bag.

After half an hour or so, all the girls had brushed their teeth, changed into pajamas, and were in their beds. Swirl jumped out of bed and flipped the light switch. She then ran and jumped into bed.

"Goodnight, dorm twenty-six girls," Lost said, smiling in the dark.

"Goodnight!" they said in unison.

As the room got quiet, Lost snuggled into her covers and sighed a happy sigh.

Yet again, school was fun and busy. I'm so glad I have such good friends with me.

 I can't wait see what tomorrow has in store!

Chapter 8 - Good Morning Jamaasian High

Lost woke up to find sunlight streaming down out of the big window onto her face. She moaned and sat up, squinting her eyes.

 

Lost looked at all her room mates, each in turn. Swirl was curled up in her blankets with a little smile on her face. Gracie had her face stuffed into her pillow and one of her arms flopped out of the bed. Fang was lying perfectly still on her back with the blankets pulled over her face.



Smiling, Lost turned to look at the clock on her side table next to her bed. It shouted six-thirty at her in bold red light.

Sinking back into her fluffy covers, Lost stared at the ceiling, wondering what to do while she waited for her roomies to wake up.

An idea struck her. Lost quietly turned over and opened her backpack, cringing at the noises her zipper made. She pushed some books aside and grabbed her sketchbook and pencil.

Lost flipped the sketchbook open and tapped her pencil thoughtfully on her chin.

"Ughhhh," a voice groaned from Gracie's side of the room. Lost glanced up, surprised. Gracie then rolled over and her other arm flopped down on the other side of the bed.

Lost grinned and start sketching four people. She was going to draw her and her room mates together.

Half hour passed when Swirl yawned and lifted her arms, stretching. Lost watched as Swirl sat up and looked around. She smiled at Lost and Lost gestured to come over to her bed.

Swirl got up slowly, walked over to Lost's bed, and jumped under the covers with Lost.

"What are you drawing?" Swirl asked quietly.

"You. Well, all of us," Lost said. She pushed her sketchbook over for Swirl to see.

Swirl looked eagerly and did a thumbs up gesture. "That's so cool!"

Gracie made another noise from her side of the room. Swirl and Lost glanced over at her bed and then back at each other. They both grinned and suddenly, they just lost it. Lost quickly stuffed her face in the covers but she kept on giggling. Swirl kept on making funny noises as she tried to stop.

The noise woke up Fang. She sat up and looked at Lost and Swirl who were still laughing. She cocked her head, confused.

Swirl just shook her head and snickered. Lost still had her head in a blanket.

Gracie all of a sudden woke up and sat up quickly.

"What's going on?" she asked, sleepily.

Lost finally got control of herself and lifted her head. "You just were making funny noises and well, it wasn't that funny but I guess I'm hyper!"

Gracie laughed. "I was making noises? Like what?"

Swirl stopped laughing and started mimicking the noises Gracie had made. But Swirl was still gasping from laughing so hard so all she did was wheeze.

All the girls looked at each other and burst out laughing. Lost beamed.

I sure have some awesome room mates!

After they all caught their breath, Gracie got up out of her bed and started rummaging through her backpack.

"I have something for you guys," Gracie said as she stood up again. She lifted up her hand and Lost could see that four gold chains were dangling down. Swirl gasped and raced out of Lost's bed.

"What, really? You bought necklaces for us?" Swirl said. "They are SO cute!"

Each necklace had a dainty gold chain with a jewel pendent on the end. All four had different colors for the pendant. There was an orange, a red, a turquoise, and an emerald.

"Yup! I bought one for each of us. I didn't know which room mates I'd get so I wasn't so sure on buying them. But then my mom said I should just buy them and give them to whoever I get," Gracie replied. "I hope you like them!"

"I do!" Swirl gushed. "Can I pick one?"

Gracie nodded and Swirl reached out and took the one with the turquoise pendant.

Fang and Lost got up and looked that other necklaces. Lost thought they were all pretty.

"May I take the red?" Fang asked.

"Sure thing! Take whichever you want!" Gracie said.

Fang picked up the red pendant and walked back to her bed, admiring the necklace.

Lost thoughtfully looked at the other necklaces. She really liked the emerald colored one and it would bring out the little bit of green in her eyes.

Lost lift the emerald one and watched it as it shone in the sunlight. "I like this one."

"Then I'll take the orange one!" Gracie said happily.

Lost went back to her suitcase next to her bed and pulled out a green skirt and a gray shirt to go with it. It matched very nicely with the emerald pendant.

Swirl marched out of the bathroom, fully dressed and ready to go. She grabbed her wizard hat and plopped it down on her head with satisfaction.

Lost ducked into the bathroom and quickly changed and brushed the many knots and tangles out of her hair.

Just as she went out of the bathroom, the speakers let out a series of crackles.

"Hello and goooood morning!" Headmaster Clark said way too cheerily for seven in the morning. "I hope you all feel rested because today is going to be a fun, full day! Breakfast is in half an hour! Be sure to go down to the cafeteria. There, I will give out a few announcements. Jam on!"

Gracie rushed into the bathroom shouting, "I need more time! I have to do my pigtails!"

The door slammed shut. Lost started making her bed, trying to get it to look as good as it had before she had slept in it. After she struggled with that, she shoved her sketchbook back into her backpack.

A few minutes later, Gracie marched out of the bathroom with her hair in neat pigtails. Fang quickly ran into the bathroom so she could get changed as well.

Gracie sat on her bed, contemplating on which neck item to wear. Her orange scarf or her necklace. She finally decided on the necklace and quickly put it on.

"How does it look?" Gracie asked. The orange pendant stood out on the white and gray shirt.

"Lookin' good!" Swirl said.

Lost nodded and put her own green pendant necklace on. She noted Swirl had hers on as well.

"Ten minutes, let's go!" Fang exclaimed as she rushed out of the bathroom and dumped her pajamas on her bed.

The girls hurriedly put their shoes and ran out of their dorm, through the halls and down to the cafeteria.

"We should all sit at the same table!" Lost said after they gone through the line and got their homemade porridge.

The girls all nodded and sat down at an empty table. Lost looked around and noticed Bepper standing in the line with Wisteria. They seemed to be very good friends.

"Hey, can I invite Karalee, Sarah, and Ja to sit at our table?" Gracie asked.

Hey, I know all of those people! Maybe I'm getting the hang out this boarding school stuff.

"Sure!" Fang said.

Gracie got up and wandered into the crowd.

"Did she even see them or is she just looking?" Swirl asked, confused.

Lost shrugged and started digging into her porridge. She was pretty upset there wasn't any chocolate chips to put in it.

"I'm back! With the pack! Hey, that rhymed!" Gracie said, sitting down in a chair.

Karalee, Sarah, and Ja sat down at the table and immediately started chatting among themselves.

Lost glanced up and noticed a girl brown-black wavy hair making her way over to their table. The girl reached the table and sat down next to Gracie.

"Hey Gracie!" the girl said.

Gracie turned around and grinned. "Frozen! Hi!"

Frozen was wearing pretty much all orange. A orange cap with a design of a fox face sat on her head with a fake tail at the back. Her backpack was orange and she had orange and white stripped socks. A dark orange backpack and an orange necklace with little spikes matched the look.

"Guys, this is Frozen," Gracie said. "She is part of our pack."

All the girls introduced each other and started chatting and eating porridge.

A loud SHRIEEEEEK coming from the little stage at the far end of the room made almost all the students jump and look around. A younger looking student burst out crying.

"Sorry for that!" Headmaster Clark said into the microphone on the stage. "Anyway, I have a couple of announcements for you!"

He cleared his throat before beginning. "First of all, art is starting up today so make sure you go when it says so on your schedule tells you to do so. Second, one of your fellow students wishes to give a little announcement himself! So, without further ado, Aparri, please make your way to the stage.

Headmaster Clark went down off the stage and sat down in one the chairs near the stage. Lost looked around and saw Aparri making his way to the stage looking a little nervous.

Just as he was almost at the stage, a chant started.

"A-PARR-I! A-PARR-I! A-PARR-I!" kids chanted, banging the tables with their fists.

The chant seemed to calm him down. Aparri smirked and hopped onto the stage. He stood there and waited for the chant to stop. He looked like he was enjoying it. Finally, it drifted off.

"Hey, guys. It's me, Aparri." Aparri cleared his throat and continued. "As you all probably know, I get a load of autograph requests. Like, I just stand there in the hallway and a bunch of people yell at me to give them an autograph. I'm not saying I don't like it, I love it. But some of the teachers don't like it because that makes their students late for class."

A little ripple of laughter went throughout the cafeteria. Though Lost heard a loud sigh coming from nearby. Lost looked and saw a guy in blue. Like, all blue. He had a large blue top hat on his head and wore a blue shirt. He had a large black spiked necklace of some sorts around his neck and Lost noted a huge turquoise ring on his hand. He also was wearing a large frown on his face as he glowered at Aparri.

Just as Aparri was about to continue, a loud yell came from the back of the cafeteria.

"Just stop talking already! Don't you ever stop talking for just one moment in the day?!"

Aparri seemed a little taken aback but quickly recovered. "So, instead of me signing autographs in between the classes, I will be in the games room almost every night, ready to sign some autos."

A couple of girls at the table behind Lost sighed dreamily. Lost rolled her eyes.

"Before I go, I just want to let you know that I will be having a daily giveaway," Aparri took a deep breath before continuing. "AllyouneedtodoisheadtothegamesroomtonightandthenIwilltelltherulesthen. Well, peace out!" Aparri took another deep breath from talking so fast and walked off the stage.

The room erupted into applauds and Lost clapped half-heartedly, still confused on what he had said at the last part of his speech.

Lost felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw a girl with a blue flower in her light brown hair and a blue and white stripped scarf around her neck. The girl leaned closer to Lost.

"Did you catch anything of what Aparri said at the end?" the girl whispered.

"Nope. Not a word." Lost whispered back.

"I'm Gfox, by the way." Gfox said softly.

"I'm Lostfairy." Lost grinned. She then noticed Headmaster Clark back on stage and turned back around in her seat to listen to him.

"Thank you very much, Aparri." Headmaster Clark said. "Well, the bell is just about to ring so you better finish up your breakfast and head on up to your classroom!"

The cafeteria became abuzz with noise and chatter. Sarah looked up from her empty porridge bowl and looked around at table.

"Does anyone have the same homeroom as me?" Sarah asked.

"I do!" Ja said brightly.

"I KNOW you do, Ja. I was asking everyone else." Sarah said and stuck out her tongue at Ja.

"Well, who do you have as your homeroom teacher?" Karalee asked.

"Mr. Sigurd." Ja replied then snickered. "Heh, that's a funny word. Sigurd."

"I have Ms. Liza. And I know you have her too, Swirl," Lost smiled.

"Speaking of which, I'd like to get there earlier rather than later. I hate getting caught up in the rush after the bell rings," Swirl said.

"Good plan. Bye guys!" Lost said, standing up.

There was a chorus of goodbyes as Lost and Swirl walked toward their second homeroom of the year.

Chapter 7 - The Amazing Meatballs

A girl came marching into the dorm. She had brown hair with long bangs. She wore a brown longbow on her back and an orange and blue scarf around her neck. She had a bright smile on her face as she stared at Lost and Swirl.

"Hi there! I'm Graciepopstar!" Gracie said.

"Hey, I'm Lost and this is Swirl," Lost replied. "I'm guessing your our dorm mate?

"Yup," Gracie said, looking around at the room.

"Is that your suitcase?" Swirl asked, pointing at the bag near the bed by the window.

"No, that's not mine. It must be our other room mate," Gracie said.

So, Gracie isn't the mystery roomie.

"Well," Gracie said as she moved her duffel bag to a bed, "I overheard one of the teachers talking to some kids and they said art starts tomorrow. They wanted us to get settled in."

"Oh, I was wondering about that," Swirl said.

Lost nodded, even though she had totally forgotten about art. She watched Gracie start unpacking her duffel bag and neatly refold her clothes.

Suddenly, a loud crackle came from overhead. There was sounds of static before a voice started speaking from the speaker in the top corner of the room.

"Hello again, students! I hope your all getting settled in your dorms and getting to know each other. I can already tell that this year will be a year to remember," Headmaster Clark said, cheerfully. "Just so you all know, some parents have come with all your belongings. I suggest that whoever doesn't have any luggage should make your way down to the lobby. You will meet your parents there. Thank you and as we say in Jamaasian High, jam on!"

The speakers went silent. Lost could hear a couple of doors closing and the pounding of running feet.

"I should go get my stuff," Lost said, pulling herself to her feet. She made her way to the door, quietly shutting it behind her. She went down the stairs to the main lobby. The bird statue glowed mystically.

Lost slipped and slid over to the doors. Marble floor sure was slippery!

Lost peered through the glass doors, noticing how spotless they were. Whoever cleaned the school certainly deserved a pay raise!

Seeing her mom, Lost pushed the door open and took a deep breath. The air smelled cleaner here than it did back at home.

Mom walked up the front steps with a smile on her face and holding a brown suitcase. She put it down and pulled Lost into a hug.

"How are you? How's the school? Do you like your dorm?" Mom asked.

"I'm fine, school's great, and I love my dorm. It's so weird though, there's like, famous people here!" Lost exclaimed.

"Hmm, interesting," Mom replied. "Well, I probably should let you go. It's most likely going to be supper soon."

Lost nodded and picked up her suitcase. "Thanks for bringing this, Mom."

"Anytime!" Mom smiled. "Bye, sweetie!"

Lost waved before turning back around and walking inside. She hurriedly made her way back up to her dorm room.

As she reached her dorm room door, it opened and Swirl and Gracie marched out.

"Where are you guys going?" Lost asked, confused.

"Oh, while you were out getting your stuff, the supper bell rang. It's time to go down to the cafeteria," Swirl replied.

"Go ahead and put your stuff in the room. We'll wait for you," Gracie added.

Lost nodded and quickly put her suitcase down on the carpet beside her bed. She'd have to unpack later.

The three girls made their way down the stairs. Lost could hear the clatter of dishes and smelt the aroma of food as they walked up to the cafeteria door. Lost quickly grabbed the handle and held it open for Swirl and Gracie.

"You guys wanna sit at the same table, right?" Gracie asked.

Lost nodded. The idea of trying to find another spot with a group of people she didn't know didn't sound like the ideal plan.

The girls walked up to the end of the line, waiting for their turn. Lost peered past the line to see what was being served.

"Oh yum!" Swirl exclaimed. "Meatballs and spaghetti!"

Lost moved up in the line and grabbed a yellow tray. The serving lady raised a giant spoonful of spaghetti and plopped it down on a plate. Lost cringed at the huge amount.

After getting meatballs and water, Lost made her way to the table where Swirl and Gracie sat at. Just as she sat down, a girl pulled up a chair next to Gracie.

"Ja!" Gracie yelled. "How've you been?"

"Hi Gracie! I haven't seen you since this morning!" Ja said. She wore one silver glove and a red-brown jacket. It had a bow and arrow design on the front.

"So, guess what? I was really hoping to be in a dorm with you and it turns out, I'm in the same room as Sarah! Fancy that, huh?" Ja continued.

"Really? That's such a coincidence!" Gracie said.

"Ja is Sarah's sister, by the way, Lost," Gracie explained, turning towards Lost.

"Which dorm are you in? Maybe it's close to mine!" Ja said excitedly.

"Um, I think it's room number twenty-six. Right, guys?" Gracie said.

"Oh neat! Mine's room thirty! We're just a little ways away from each other." Ja replied.

Lost speared a meatball with her fork and chewed it thoughtfully. So many people already knew each other it seemed. Maybe they had all gone to the same schools before.

All of a sudden, a loud noise came from the far side of the room. Lost looked up and saw a small stage with a microphone. Headmaster Clark tapped it gently and waited for everyone to notice him. Slowly, the room got quiet. The students looked at him expectantly.

"Well, weren't those meatballs great?" Headmaster Clark said. "Anyway, I just want to let everyone know that tonight, you're all free to do whatever you want. You can go to the library or hang out in the games room. But lights out is at ten. Please be at your dorm then. Have a great evening!"

As he walked off the stage, the chatter began again. Lost looked around and noticed Wisteriamoon over near Julian. They sure seemed awfully close.

"Well!" Swirl said, banging the table with her hand. "What's the plan for tonight?"

"Hey, Gracie? Can you come with me and go to the games room? I told Sarah I'd meet her there." Ja said.

Gracie nodded. "I can go. If that's okay with you two." She looked at Swirl and Lost.

"Go ahead! Have fun," Swirl replied.

"So. What's the plan now?" Swirl said, turning her head to look at Lost.

"I don't know. We only have a few hours. Want to go hang out at the library?" Lost suggested.

"Sure! Let's go!" Swirl said.

The two girls walked through the cafeteria. Lost listened to random bits of chatter as she passed by tables.

She suddenly noticed that she was going past a table where Aparri and Bepper were seated at. She noticed Aparri put his arm around Bepper in a friendly sort of way. Maybe they were related to each other? They both did have the same dark brown hair.

Before she knew it, Lost found herself in the library.

It had huge bookshelves in every direction. Dark green tables were set up so students could study. The walls and floor were dark brown wood. The shelves were mahogany and full of books in all shapes and sizes. Lost couldn't tell how big the room was, shelves blocked her view. The air seemed to have an ancient feel to it. Lost couldn't put her finger on what made it feel like that.

Lost took a deep breath. She loved the smell of libraries. All those books in their shelves just waiting to get picked up! All those adventures ready to be read. Yes, Lost sure did love a good library.

* * *

Lost looked up at the giant clock high up on the wall. It was almost lights out.

"We should go," Lost said, closing and putting the book she was reading back onto the shelf.

Swirl nodded and the girls walked out of the library, up the stairs and down the halls to their dorm. Lost was so tired, she could have slept right then and there!

As Swirl pushed the door open, Lost saw a girl with black hair sitting on a bed.

Aha! Our mystery roomie!

"Oh hi there!" Swirl said brightly.

The girl looked up at us and smiled. "Hi."

"I'm Swirlshine. This here is Lostfairy. Gracie is our other roomie. She's not here yet," Swirl continued.

"I'm Fangwolf. But my nickname is Fang," Fang said, brushing a wave of dark hair behind an ear. Fang had red streaks in her hair that worked really well with the black. She had a mini black and white top hat perched on her head. A matching black necklace and bracelet with white studs were on her neck and wrist. A dark red jacket finished the look.

"Hello!" Gracie said, bounding into the room. She walked over to Fang and stuck out her hand. "I'm Gracie!"

Fang smiled and shook Gracie's hand. "I'm Fang."

Lost walked over to her bed and flopped down on it. She was exhausted from the long day.

"Well, we should all go to bed," Swirl suggested. "It'll be another long day tomorrow."

Gracie and Fang nodded and started getting ready for bed. Lost groaned softly, stood up again, and took out her toothbrush.

After she had brushed her teeth and changed into pajamas, Lost snuggled into her warm covers. She watched Swirl brush her brown hair, Fang hop into a bed, and Gracie put on hand lotion.

"Ready for lights out?" Swirl asked. She ran over and flipped off the light. Lost heard her bed rustle as she leaped into it.

"Goodnight guys!" Gracie said in the darkness.

There was a chorus of goodnights and then the room went silent.

Lost stared at the ceiling and sighed happily. She pulled her blanket close around her.

Today, she had survived Jamaasian High. The question now was, could she survive the next day as well?