Chapter 1

A camera pan shows the path of the Sewers of Sworia. On a branch from the main tunnel, a voice screams, "You shall not pass!" The camera continues it's panning of the empty system. The voice declares, "I'm a member of the National Honor Society, wielder of the Flame of Knowledge." The camera finally shows a senior wrestling with an administrator who is trying to drag him off by the ear. Both of them disappear into the darkness of the sewers. A gaggle of horrified students watch them leave.

Fred suddenly woke from his dream crying "Gary."

Sam woke beside him, "What is it, Fred?"

Fred shook of the strange dream of events that he never experienced, "Nothing...Just a dream…a very strange dream." Fred collapses back into his sleeping bag.

A couple of hours later the freshmen were climbing down a steep hill using Sam's stunt rope tied to a rock for balance. Sam had his eyes closed. "Can you see the bottom?" Fred being particularly moody said, "No! Don't look down, Sam! Just keep going!" Even though they were nearly there. Suddenly a tin slipped out of Sam's pocket and rolled down the hill. "Catch it! Grab it, Fred!" Fred grabbed for it and rolled down the hill. He got up and brushed himself off laughing, "I think I found the bottom."

Sam scrambled down the rope as Fred once again turned to the highway. Sam muttered under his breath, "Cars and rope, and goodness knows what." Fred gave him a cockeyed glance. "What?"

"It's not natural. None of it."

"Cars are perfectly natural. What are you talking about?" Fred picked up the tin. "What's this?"

"Nothing…just a bit cologne. I thought maybe if we were having a party with a girl one night of something… "

"A party?"

Sam looked perfectly innocent. "You never know."

Fred groaned "Sa-am" slightly as he opened the tin to find a small bottle of cologne.

Sam looked over his shoulder. "It Is Very Special, that. It's the finest scent in all the Choir."

Fred looked at it. "It is special."

"No I meant that the name of the scent is called "Very Special."" Sam snatched back the tin and pocketed it as Fred walked towards the rope to change the subject. "We can't leave this here. Stunt rope is too useful and someone could use it against us."

"Who would even follow us here Fred? It is a shame, really. Gabriel gave me that. Real stunt rope. Well, there is nothing for it. It is one of my knots even I can't untie them." Fred yanked the rope and the rock down towards them and used his knife to undo the knot, "Real stunt rope."

The two began to trek once again down the highway. And found a view of and evil glowing aura. Sam looked out, "The Stadium. The last place in Middle District we don't want to see any closer. And it's the one place we must get to. And we can't get there." He turned back to Fred. "Let's face it, we're lost. I don't think we were meant to come this way."

"We were not meant to do a lot of things Sam, but we did." He began to tick off on his fingers all the things they did silently. Fred suddenly looked up towards the Stadium, got a chill in his heart and fainted.

Sam slapped him awake, "Fred? It's the Pen, isn't it?"

"It is getting heavier." He drank heavily from a bottle of Gatorade and glanced toward Sam. "What snacks have we got left?"

Sam reached into his backpack, "Let me see…" He found something. "Oh yes. Lovely." Sam held the object out. "Trail Mix Bar. And look!" He held out another bar. "More Trail Mix Bars." He threw one at Fred and they began to eat it grimacing.

Sam looked up. "I don't usually hold to healthy food, but this Theatre stuff, isn't half bad."

Fred looked up smiling slightly. "Nothing ever dampens your spirits."

Sam looked up at the sky. "That rain cloud might."

When the rain began to fall, the boys got out rain ponchos that the Band had spared them and huddled together. Something clanked down the road and Fred looked up in fright but saw nothing.

After the rain ended they got up and began to walk again. After an hour Sam spoke up, "This looks strangely familiar."

Fred looked down at the trampled grass at their feet. "It's because we've been here before. We're going in circles."

Sam groaned, "Aggh. What is that horrible stench? I bet there is a nasty public restroom nearby. Can you smell it?"

"Yes…I can smell it." He looked at Sam suspiciously, but then looked upwind at the road. "We're not alone."

When the Choirling bedded down for the night, a stealthy figure crept up towards them. "The thieves. The thieves. The filthy little thieves." The man crept closer with a hiss in his voice. "Where is it? Where is it?" He began to cast his shadow over the sleeping bags. "They stole it from us. My Pen. Curse them, we hates them. It's ours, it is, and we wants it." He reached for Fred's neck, but they both jumped up at him. The two young boys struggled with the grown man. He kept going for Fred's necklace. Finally Sam body slammed him and pinned him down. Fred held his pocketknife to the man's throat. "This is Stinger. You've seen it before haven't you Golem?" Golem tried to strangle Sam. Fred stopped him. "Release him your I'll cut your long hair." The man's scream echoed into the dark.

The next morning, the boys have the man handcuffed and lead him by the stunt rope. The man screamed again. "It hurts us!" Sam screamed behind. "Shut up!" The man howled even loader. Sam groaned. "It's hopeless. Every Football player and Cheerleader is going to hear this racket. Let's just hog tie him and go." The man screamed in protest. Fred looked at him sadly. "I actually pity him."

Golem seized his chance. "We'll be nice to them if they be nice to us. We swears to do what you wants."

"I'll never trust you."

"Pinky Promise!"

Sam ran at him. "I don't believe you!"

Eventually they released Golem only if he would drive them to the stadium. They climbed into his broken down car and left. Golem muttered curses under his breath the whole way.

…

A hoard of Gothic Cheerleaders carried Peter and Mia hogtied through an open field. Raven, the leader, signaled for them to stop. Yushuda Gonto stepped out of the shadows with some of his wrestlers, "You're late. She grows impatient. She wants the Choir-brats now."

Raven spoke down to him. "I don't take orders from you. Washuu will have her prize. We will deliver them." Yu gave her a look of disgust.

During the talking, Peter turned to an unconscious Mia.

"Mia? Mia? Wake up." Peter tried to get one of the Cheerleaders' attention. "She needs water." The girl gave him a foul look. Raven laughed cruelly and shoved water down Mia's throat until she gagged and regain consciousness. She and the others laughed at this. Peter yelled outraged. "Leave he alone." Raven silenced him by thumping her pom-pom in the palm of her hand. Raven saw one of her kind looking in the distance and sniffing slightly. "What do you smell?"

The other called back. "Band-flesh."

"They've picked up our trail."

Peter grinned. "Aaron…."

Raven signaled for the Cheerleaders to move on out. They picked up the helpless freshmen and ran off. Peter grasped his leaf necklace in his mouth and pulled hard breaking the chain. The necklace fell to the ground unnoticed by the Goths.

…

Meanwhile, Amy had the bell of her trumpet pressed to the ground in order to detect movement. She got up and spoke to Aaron. "Their pace has quickened."

He nodded, "They must have caught our scent…Next time I won't use Very Special conge."

Amy sprung to her feet and began to run with him. They called back to the others, "Hurry!"

Orlando ran up behind with Vincent at his heels, he called down, "Come on Grace!"

Grace staggered behind. "Three hours pursuit. No snacks. No rest. No sign of our quarry, but inaudible noises that a trumpet can hear."

All five of them took off running in the direction of the Cheerleaders. Amy and Aaron ran hand in hand with sure-footed Orlando just behind. Grace stumbled behind. She couldn't even keep up with Vincent who was running backwards.

Aaron found Peters necklace and exclaimed, "Not easily do the leaves of Lauren fall."

Orlando came over to look. "The may yet be still enrolled."

Amy looked ahead. "Less than an hour ahead of us."

Aaron strode forward. "Come."

Grace just stumbled into the scene. Orlando called back. "Come Grace. We are gaining on them."

Grace called back. "I'm wasted on Cross-country. We Debaters are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances."

Vincent ran up behind to catch her as she stumbled again, "You don't know how short."

They ran up to an open field revealing a High School. Aaron identified it. "Ronin High School. Home of the Horsepower-lords."

Amy looked on, "There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us."

Orlando ran ahead. Aaron called after him. "Orlando, what do your binoculars see?"

Orlando peered out over the field. "The Goths turn northeast. They are taking the Freshmen to Ingelburg."

"Washuu…"

…

Washuu gazed into a pen knowing that Dr. Sauron saw her in it. She thought at the pen. The District is changing. Who now have the strength to stand against the armies of Ingleburg and the Stadium? To stand against the might of Sauron and Washuu and the union of the schools? Together, my principal Sauron we shall rule this Middle District. She got up and paced through the Basketball Court, were the Cheerleaders were removing the stands and goals. A new order will rise. We will drive the machine of war with sword and mace and the angsty fist of the Goths. She approached one of the ROTC members after inspecting the new Gothic Cheerleaders, "I want them armed and ready to march soon."

The boy protested, "But my lady, there are too many. They cannot all be armed in time, we don't have the means."

Washuu began to tell him how to run the army and when the boy said that there wasn't enough fuel, she told him to burn the hardwood basketball floor.

Washuu went back into her office for a meeting with the leader of a group of expelled students. She stood before Washuu's desk, "We will fight for you."

"Swear it."

The girl hooked her pinky within Washuu's. "We will be expelled for Washuu."

Washuu went out of the office to see her spur-of-the-moment raiding party, "The Horsepower-lords took your classes. They drove you out of the school to scratch out a living without higher education."

One of the students got riled up, "Traitors." A riot started with him.

"Take back the education they stole from you. Destroy every club." The drop-outs and expelled students took off in a riotous mob. Washuu thought to herself again, We have only to remove those who oppose us. It will begin in Ronin. Too long have these students stood against you. But no more. At Ronin High School the mob began to drive students away from their clubs and classes. Many took off in their cars, heading for safer ground. Ronin, my principal is ready to fall.

…

A small group of surviving students drove up to the banks of the random stream. They saw a mass of unconscious students. All of them had expulsion slips next to them. The leader exclaimed, "Theodore…Find the principal's son!" They found him unconscious without a slip next to him. The leader threw him in the back of his car and raced the Assistant Principals back to school.