Enchanted High Book I
Chapter Thirteen: Gadget the Gremlin

The next morning arrived quickly. It was as if Mr. Time knew that June, Nicole, James and Dominic were anxious about the next day. The sky was filled with clouds, threatening rain, and there was a chilling breeze. It was Thursday. June awoke to the sound of chirping birds and swaying leaves; Nicole was already awake; getting ready for the school day.

June brushed, bathed and changed; she was packing her school bag when the timetables arrived and she hurried to get it. Just as she walked back in, unrolling the parchment and handing Nicole hers, Kendal alerted them with a message from Charlie.

‘I’m glad you’re awake,’ Kendal said in Charlie’s voice. ‘Look, there’s no need for you to get dressed for class. I arranged for the four of you not to attend today; we’ve got things to do.’

‘Okay,’ June glanced at Nicole; she was folding the sheets of her bed neatly, touching corner to corner and fluffing the pillows.

‘You can have breakfast at the cafeteria and meet me in your office at half past ten.’ Charlie ordered.

June glanced at the clock, ticking above her bed frame. It showed 06:39.

‘Got it.’ Kendal returned to his self.

Nicole looked gloomy. ‘I don’t understand. I think we might even have to repeat this year. We’ll be missing classes, and then Charlie said not to worry about the final exams …’ she shook her head. ‘I don’t think it’s right.’

June shrugged. ‘At least he’s trying to help us.’

Nicole frowned, placing the last pillow into place on her bed, and looking up at June. ’Is he?’

June didn’t reply. She always thought Charlie was a good person; he wouldn’t do anything to harm them … she almost even considered him a father figure.

Nicole’s glum expression lightened up. ‘At least we have time. We can grab Ga – uh – my pet.’

June nodded. Her gaze found Alexia, who was finding her way out from underneath the blanket. She stuck her nose out at the end, sniffed, and allowed her body out as well. Then she flew to June’s pillow, as graceful as a swan, curled herself in a ball, closed her eyes and fell off to sleep again. Her blue body heaved up and down slowly from under her great, white wings.

‘Ladies,’ said Dominic, as June and Nicole zigzagged through the maze of cafeteria tables.

Nicole dumped her bag on the table. ‘I’m starving, what did you order?’

‘Nothing we were waiting for you two,’ Dominic replied, as he said so, he eyed a waiter that was approaching them.

‘Can I get you anything?’ said the elf, bored.

‘Anything special today?’ Dominic began.

The elf sighed and said in a voice that was almost robotic. ‘Garlic Bread. A loaf a day, keeps the vampire away.’

‘Hmm … I’d like the usual cereal please, Cherrie Owls,’ said Dominic.

The elf took a note of that, along with the rest of the orders. June watch him trot away to the kitchen.

Dominic clasped his hands together. ‘What’s on today’s agenda. I’m all geared up for anything.’

‘Didn’t you get the message?’ Nicole asked.

‘No,’ said Dominic, ‘our doorknob’s faulty. She keeps asking me what year it is.’

‘Well,’ June continued, ‘Charlie said we won’t be going to class today.’

‘Yes!’ James and Dominic high fived.

‘And we have to meet him in the office at ten thirty.’

Dominic nodded seriously. ‘Yeah, yeah – we have to get back to this tree business.’

‘Speaking of that,’ said Nicole. ’I don’t think that the idea of ‘Prince Xavier’ framing us makes much sense. I’m sorry, but I’d rather know a real, pure fact, than chase some a legend.’

’But then how did those books end up in our rooms? And Gilda –’ he paused. ‘Who would do that? We didn’t. And how else could you have explained what happened to me in the library?’

Nicole furrowed her eyebrows in thought. ’Well, there obviously must be some other explanation.’

‘How would you explain the wand?’ asked Dominic. ‘And the twin hearts?’

‘Maybe … maybe the person’s a devotee?’ Nicole shrugged. She looked questioningly at June.

‘We’ll just have to wait and find out,’ said June.

After a hearty conversation dealing with school; Dominic complained about math which eventually evolved into an argument about which restaurant in Treatonhaven is the best, they began to round up to leave.

‘It’s only seven forty,’ said James, as they walked out the doors of the cafeteria. ‘What are you girls going to do now?’

‘We’re going to the science class,’ said Nicole. ‘To pick something up.’

‘Do you mind if we join you?’ Dominic inquired.

‘Yes,’ said Nicole flatly. ‘We do mind.’

They followed anyway.

They walked to Science class, passing classes full of students. A few teachers who walked by shot them suspicious glances as to why they were not in their classes, but fortunately, that was all.

They reached the corridor of the Science class. It was deserted – all the students enjoying breakfast at the cafeteria. June halted at the door of the science class and tugged on the handle. A statue of a snake’s body held the double door doorknobs together.

‘It’s locked,’ she said turning around to face the others.

‘Not for long,’ Professor Silong, the Beast and Creature science teacher, was rushing towards the locked door. Her hair was in a messy bun and the tail of her velvet cloak flew behind as she walked. ‘I don’t suppose you are my morning class?’

‘Uh – no professor,’ Nicole said. ‘I’m here to pick up Gadget.’

Silong nodded. She touched the door handle and the stone snake immediately gained a poisonous looking, green color, and slithered away, hissing eerily. June watched it disappear when it reached the end of the door, where the wood met with the brick of the wall. That was as far as it would ever go.

Dominic whistled.

‘Lock Guardians,’ Miss Silong called out, her voice echoed in the empty classroom. ‘Haven’t you heard of them? Great protectors indeed, best security you could ever own, I never had a single robbery in my class.’

They walked into the hall. Miss Silong went to her desk and shuffled through some papers. ‘Knock three times, my dear.’ She said to Nicole.

Nicole walked up to the translucent door to the simulation cage and knocked thrice. It opened after the third knock and allowed them into the other room, where Alexia had once been.

The cage felt even more vibrant than before. Birds of every color flew in every direction freely chirping, the green grass glittered in the morning sun and enchanted animals of all sorts scurried around. June was reminded of the moment, earlier that year, when she was in the Speedy Sailor, and they had just emerged through the portal.

‘Hey, little fella,’ Dominic almost toppled over as a baby dragon ran across his feet. At Dominic’s words it suddenly crouched to the ground and disappeared.

‘An invisible dragon,’ James grinned. He bent down to examine it.

While Dominic and James got distracted with the newborn beast, June followed Nicole. Crouched in between two large shrubs, was a makeshift –

’Is that a tent?’ June gazed intently at a miniature tent, complete with metal poles, but covered in utter filth. It looked completely out of place but Nicole seemed oblivious to it.

‘Yep,’ said Nicole.

June crossed her arms and waited patiently as she called the creature that lived inside.

‘Meet …’ Nicole did a little drum roll as Dominic and James joined in. ‘Gadget!’

A white furred creature stepped out, wobbling onto the green grass. It had pointy ears, bigger than its head, and little feet supporting its huge belly. Pink stubs were his fingers and toes. A patch of brown fur that covered part of his hand and back which made it look as if he was wearing a jacket.

He laid his eyes on the four. ‘Pleased to meet you.’ He let out his short hand.

June bent down and shook it. ‘June Price,’ she said. Nicole introduced Dominic and James.

’What are you, exactly?’ asked James.

Gadget examined his own arms. ‘What do you think?’

Dominic grinned. ‘I think you’re one of Santa’s elves.’

‘Nah,’ James inputted. ‘He’s definitely the tooth fairy, can’t you see those wings?’ He pointed and flicked a finger at Gadget’s ear.

’These are not wings, sir.’ Gadget said shoving James’s finger. ’They’re my ears.’

‘He’s a Gremlin,’ said Nicole.

June frowned; she tried to remember what Aunt Audrey had taught her about Gremlins and she couldn’t remember much. Gremlins, she thought, trying to surface anything she knew about them. ‘What is that?’ she asked.

Nicole glanced at her briefly. ‘You don’t know?’ June shook her head. ‘Well they’re known to be mischievous creatures. My grandmother had one.’

The group heard a tiny growl and James turned around to see his little invisible dragon friend tugging on the hem of his shoelaces.

‘Hey – stop –’ James reached out a hand to pick up the beast when a much bigger dragon appeared into sight behind the little one. Its nostrils flared fiercely; its teeth bared; prepared for the kill. Its eyes pierced at James and its growl caused the ground to rumble a little.

‘Careful,’ Professor Silong joined the group. ‘Dragons are very protective of their little ones.’ She stood, in a commanding position, in front of the elder dragon and raised her hand with full confidence. Her hand looked no smaller than a toothpick to the dragon, but she showed no sign of fear. She placed her palm on the dragon’s nose and immediately, the dragon closed its eyes and stepped closer. Professor Silong rubbed the dragons chin.

James’s jaw dropped. ‘How did you do that?’

‘With a lot of practice,’ Professor Silong replied. The dragon behind her gently walked away, with its fledgling tailing behind. ‘But not all dragons can be domesticated.’ She looked at June thoughtfully, a hint of a smile on her lips.

The gang dropped Gadget off at the dorm. Alexia was quite fascinated with his ears and Gadget had to keep shooing her away. Chagrined, Gadget gazed pleadingly at Nicole and begged her to take him someplace else, a place where he could be at peace. But soon enough, Alexia had fallen off into another nap, leaving Gadget alone to tinker with the bathroom tap.

Dominic and James soon disappeared in corridors, whilst June and Nicole overlooked the third year’s magic ball practice. A few times they would find the ball on fire swishing past their faces or a player being trapped in an ice cube. They hadn’t the faintest idea of what was going on.

‘First years?’ said a voice.

June turned her head to see a boy seated on the bench behind them.

‘Clifton,’ he introduced himself. ‘Captain of the Merfolk Mafia team. Know how to play?’

‘A little.’ June replied.

Clifton commented the game while they watched. June picked up a few useful tips that Audrey hadn’t mentioned to her. Five attackers use their powers to stop the other team from scoring. If an injury is resulted, it is counted as a foul and the other team wins by default. The hoops move around the perimeter of the field randomly.

They watched game with great enthusiasm until it ended. Clifton bid them goodbye, and herded the team to the change rooms.

June only glanced at the time and saw that they should be on their way to Charlie. They hurried into the school.

‘What about James and Do –’

‘Already here,’ said Dominic, joining them.

No, I did not get along with Gadget, either. When I met him, he was much older than me. And much grumpier. We share the same long ears that people mistake for wings. No, I’m not a Gremlin - at least, I think I’m not a Gremlin. But he used to flick my ears. Whenever he did so, I used to feel something. I used to remember something. It involved another creature like me. Only much, much older.

Love from all the fur on my back,

-THUG.

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