Griffin Clan

by Tang Ri Shan

This story follows the plot of Scooby Abracadabra Doo, including some of the characters (minus Mystery Inc), some added scenes from shows like Are You Afraid Of The Dark, and a new ending. Not as exciting as the movie, but I'm proud of it.

Sept 1, 2013

Tang Ri Shan

Griffin Clan

(My version of Scooby Doo Abracadabra Doo)

(This is set after the mystery has been solved. Mystery Inc. doesn't appear. I don't own this movie or any of its characters or quotes.)

(Please Comment)

Prologue

A gray owl flew silently over the misty forest, its wings making not a sound, as if the night had thrown giant invisible pillows underneath them to muffle the wing beats. The owl looked down as the cry of a coyote echoed though the air, shattering the tranquility that had lingered over the owl's head. Narrowing its amber eyes, the owl folded its wings and dove into the thick fog below. The light of the waxing moon seemed to turn the fog into a sea of bright silver, but the owl's eyes were easily able to pierce this fluid barrier to its vision.

Flapping its wings gently, the owl alighted on a tree branch. Gripping the sharp bark with its talons, the owl caught its breath, and then turned its head 180 degrees as the faint sound of snapping came from behind it. Its black pupils narrowed and its eye widened as it saw two dots of light coming towards it through the mist. Two people emerged from the mist, both holding flashlights, the source of the light. The young man led, his gaze constantly shifting from the night sky, to the open book in his hand. A set of binoculars hung around his neck and thumped against his chest. The taller girl followed, though somewhat reluctantly, gazing around with a sense of nervousness, shining her light around.

The owl hooted, and the man came to a stop, holding a hand for his companion to do the same.

"Listen" He whispered, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the woods around him. "That sounded like the call of the Brown-Breasted Bottle Beaked Owl" He thumbed though the book in his hands.

The girl groaned as she switched off her flashlight. "Sherman" She placed her hands on her hips, her fingers running around the rim of her cutoff shorts. "You brought me all the way out here just to look at birds?" She asked.

"I thought you liked birds, Trina" William replied, looking through his binoculars into the fog. As such, he missed Trina walking towards him, somewhat slowly.

"I do, she replied, once she was right behind him. "But sometimes, there are other things I would rather see." Trina walked her fingers up Sherman's arm, and she felt his arm twitch.

"Like what?" Sherman asked, still glancing around.

"Like, a movie?" Trina suggested, laying her head on Sherman's shoulder and closing her eyes, smiling.

Another owl's call boomed though the trees and the man moved towards it, leaving Trina behind. She scowled as she watched Sherman peer into the bushes and placed her hands on her hips again. But then her scowl of anger became a look of puzzlement when she heard something around her, a kind of hiss. Turning her light back on, she shined it around the clearing, but saw nothing. But she could hear something. The branches around her rustled and leaves fell from the canopy to lie at her feet. Trina slowly started to back away, then froze as she heard it again, a hiss-like growl that seemed to come from directly behind her. "It's just a bird. It's just a bird" She whispered to herself. Then she gasped as the skin on the back of her neck began to tingle, like it sensed danger. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she spun around and gasped again. Staring back at her out of the foggy darkness were two enormous yellow eyes with cat-like pupils. Trina felt her hand begin to tremble as she lifted her flashlight to get a better look. On the edge of her vision, she saw a flash of brown and white, but then she saw the cat-like pupils of the two eyes narrow, saw them focus on her!

Trina whimpered in fear as the eyes hissed at her. As she backed away, the beam of her flashlight grew wider. Now she could see that the two eyes were attached to a humongous figure that was mostly concealed by the mist. If this was an owl, it was not a kind she wanted to meet.

"Uh Sherman?" She asked, backing against the tree stump that he was standing on. "Does this bird have unusually large eyes?" The yellow eyes seemed to blink at her as she spoke.

"Oh yes, remember it is a nocturnal predator" Sherman replied without turning around. The yellow eyes seemed to narrow as he spoke.

"…And a giant, pointy beak?" Trina continued, her arm visibly shaking now as the flashlight beam illuminated the sharp looking tool on the front of its feathered head.

"Maybe" Sherman replied, still not turning around even when the eyes growled at them. The figure seemed to lower its head, and Trina flinched as the branches shifted. Then she saw something move a few yards away from the eyes, shining her light in that direction she saw what looked like a lion's tail slithering behind a tree trunk.

"…And f-f-f-fur?" she finished, practically yelling now.

"Fur?" Trina felt Sherman stiffen in surprise. "Trina, what are you…?" But Sherman never got to finish because the vegetation on the other side of the small clearing seemed to explode outwards and the trees seemed to rattle. Sherman spun around as a humongous shape launched itself straight up into the foggy air. Giant wings extended from the shape and beat the air with great booms. Trina and Sherman cringed and huddled together as a cold wind assaulted them, along with a storm of leaves, twigs, and sticks.

"You know Trina, I just had a brainstorm!" Sherman yelled over the wind.

"What?" Trina yelled back, her blonde hair waving wildly.

"Let's go see what kind of birds are at the movie theater!" Sherman smiled at her, but his eyes showed pure terror.

"Good plan!" Trina turned and ran, screaming, through the misty forest. Sherman was right on her tail, yelling in terror. The pair dodged trees and bushes and leapt over fallen trees. They passed by the tree where the owl was sitting. The owl turned its head to watch them run until they were out of sight. The owl turned back as it heard a piercing cry echo through the woods, the sound bouncing off the trees. The owl could see a huge winged figure flying the other direction, towards what looked like a tall building in the distance. The owl watched it go, and blinked.

Chapter 1

"Attention please, will Lenny Livingston please report to the head office immediately? Again, Lenny Livingston to the head office!"

Mr. Livingston groaned as the announcement came over the loudspeaker. He could hear the muffled laughter of the other workers through his hazmat suit as he set down the large pair of tongs he was using.

"I've told them not to call me that" He complained as he walked towards the door.

"Better hurry, Lenny. You don't wanna keep the boss waiting!" He heard someone yell behind him.

"Shut up Pete!" He called back as he climbed a small flight of stairs that led out of the chemical pits.

Mr. Livingston paused for a second to look at the scene before him. A row of giant vats was arranged in rows of two. Most of these vats were filled with toxic chemicals. Men in orange hazmat suits with dark red helmets, boots, gloves, and airtanks, walked around, taking notes, checking gauges, and moving large barrels on trolleys. Sighing, he opened a door and stepped through, sealing it tightly behind him.

A few minutes later, Mr. Livingston knocked on a door marked C.E.O. Karloff Chemical CO.

"Come in" A male voice said. Mr. Livingston grasped the handle with one hand and adjusted the collar of his shirt with the other. Opening the door, he entered the plush office.

Mr. Karloff, his boss, smiled and stood up. Mr. Livingston couldn't stop raising an eyebrow. Mr. Karloff never smiled.

"You called, sir?" He said, feeling a little nervous now.

"Yes Lenny, I did" Mr. Karloff replied, no longer smiling. "Have a seat"

"Okay" Mr. Livingston sat in the plush chair.

"I called you here because the strangest thing happened a few minutes ago." Mr. Karloff began explaining.

"Really?" Mr. Livingston asked.

"Yes, I was going over the reports from our accountant, when all of a sudden I hear a loud Poof and I find that this has magically appeared on my desk" Mr. Karloff held out a letter for Mr. Livingston to read. The company address was on it, along with a note:

Please give this to Mr. L. Livingston

Mr. Livingston felt his heart sink as he scanned the envelope, then he noticed the return address. He smiled despite himself.

"So Lenny" His smile vanished as Mr. Karloff continued. "Care to explain to me why you were writing to the Merlin Brother's Academy of Magic?"

"Well, it was actually for my daughter" He replied, fidgeting nervously.

"Go on" Mr. Karloff said, smiling again.

That evening, Mr. Livingston pulled into the parking lot of the Burger Binge restaurant. This was where he sometimes stopped and ate on his way home from work, but today he had a different reason for dropping by. Locking his car, he entered the restaurant and smiled to the hostess, a pretty redhead.

"I'm with the Livingston party" He said. The hostess scanned a list, nodded, and lead him to a booth in the farthest corner of the restaurant.

"Dad!" Mr. Livingston smiled as his daughter Maya rose from her seat. Tall, with auburn hair, Maya smiled back at her father.

"Hey Dad" His son Martin, Maya's younger brother, smiled at him as he took a seat next to his wife, who kissed him on the cheek.

"So, why'd you ask us to meet you here?" Maya asked, sitting across from him.

"Promise not to freak out?" Mr. Livingston smiled, taking the letter out from his back pocket. He heard a gasp from his wife and winked at her. A big smile spread across her face.

Maya was looking from one parent to another. "Okay, I promise, now what is it?" She agreed, rather quickly.

"Well then" Mr. Livingston sighed, taking the letter out from behind his back and giving it to Maya. Maya tore it open and scanned the document. A smile crossed over her face.

"I'm in!" She exclaimed, her eyes shining. "The Merlin brothers want me to join the other new students in a week's time!"

"That's wonderful dear" Her mother's smiled grew wider as her father crossed his hands over his chest.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. I can't believe it. This is really happening. I got in" Maya stuttered, literally shaking with excitement.

"Hey, remember to take a breath" Her father reached over to place a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

Maya inhaled deeply. "Thanks dad." She said, slumping in her seat.

"What's the big deal?" Martin asked, adjusting his baseball cap. "It's just a stupid school for learning dopey magic tricks"

"Martin!" Mrs. Livingston scolded, reaching over the table and yanking off his baseball cap.

"Hey!" Martin made a grab for his cap, but missed.

"It's rude to wear a hat indoors, and don't sass your sister. You know how eager she is to become a magician." Mrs. Livingston replied, placing the cap on the seat next to her.

"And she's done okay so far." Her father added. "She worked for that stage magician who came through town last year."

"Yeah, but what is so special about this special school?" Martin asked, trying to flatten his spiky brown hair.

Maya rolled her eyes and tried to explain it to her brother. The Merlin Brothers Academy of magic was a special school for stage magicians, illusionists, and special effects experts. The Merlin brothers were well known for their magic shows and would occasionally take students under their wings and tutor them in the finest points of stage magic. Many of these students were famous illusionists or magicians today.

"Just think" She exclaimed as their hamburgers arrived, "Soon I'll be right there among Houdini as a mistress of magic." She was so exited she knocked over her glass.

"Sorry" She blushed as water spread over the table.

"I sure hope they have a cure for a klutz like you, Doe-Eyes" Martin laughed. Maya scowled at him.

"That's enough" Mr. Livingston silenced Martin with a stern look. To Maya he said

"We're all very proud of you dear. We'll come with you when you move into the school on the weekend"

"I wish I was moving in today" Maya wined, laying her face in her arms

"I know that you're impatient honey" Her mother said as she handed Maya a napkin "but you have to wait. In the meantime, how about cleaning up that spill?"

Maya pretended to groan, but smiled as she wiped the table. She was going to the Merlin Brothers Academy for Magic, which was all that mattered. She sighed happily as the other family attacked their burgers. She suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore, she felt like a battery that was fully charged, so she just sat there, staring into space.

Her father noticed this and cleared his throat. "You know magicians need to keep their strength up, even before they arrive at the school" He pushed Maya's plate towards her.

Maya rolled her eyes as her mother chuckled. "Thanks dad" She said, taking a big bite.

The week seemed to go by extremely quickly. On Saturday, the Livingstons held a farewell party for Maya, and most of the neighborhood turned up. Maya spent most of the time talking to her old school friends.

"It's so exciting that you are attending one of the most advanced magic schools in the country" Calvin, Maya's best friend, said as they munched on cake.

"Totally" said Cindy, Maya's other friend. "Please promise me that you'll do some magic for us when you come back to visit" She begged, clasping her hands together and pouting her lips.

Maya laughed "Okay, okay" She gave Cindy a playful push.

Mr. Livingston tapped his glass and stood up. The room fell quiet. Mr. Livingston cleared his throat

"I would just like to be the first to wish my daughter good luck as she leaves to fulfill her new role as a student of the Merlin Brothers Academy of Magic" He raised his glass as cheers and applause broke out. Maya blushed, brightly.

"Yeah, good luck" A drawly voice made the threesome turn around. Monica Jackson, the most popular and most snobbish girl at school was standing behind them with her cheerleader cronies and football player servants behind her.

Monica sighed "A real shame, about your parents giving up on you" she played with a strand of her long blond hair. A football player drooled.

"What are you talking about?" Maya asked, rising from her seat

"Why else would they send you to the freak place?" Monica smiled as she raised her voice. Maya could see people looking in their direction.

"It's a school for stage magicians, Monica" Calvin frowned as he stood up.

"That's what they say, but I did research, and I know that they really lock you up and turn you into animals." Monica whispered as her cronies laughed.

"You just wait until we see her in the summer" Cindy glared at Monica "She'll be more popular than you and your cheerleaders"

Monica gasped, pretending to look scared, "ooh, what are you going to do? Turn me into a monkey?" Her cronies laughed loudly.

"I would" Maya looked thoughtful, "But that would be an insult to the other monkeys around the world. At least they can learn things" Calvin and Cindy both laughed, along with people who heard what Maya had said. Monica snorted and frowned.

"Now, now" Maya jumped when she heard Mr. Karloff's voice behind her. She slowly turned to face her father's boss, who was wearing a crisp white suit and pink dress shirt and white tie. Maya thought he looked like a cone of strawberry ice cream.

"Your friend has a right to feel jealous. The Merlin Brother's Academy of Magic is one of the grandest magic academies in existence. You should feel honored to be admitted, Maya" Mr. Karloff explained.

"Oh yeah, and whose authority do you base that statement on?" One of Monica's friends, a tall jock with blonde hair, asked in a drawly voice.

"My own, young man" Mr. Karloff replied, adjusting his glasses so that the ceiling lights flashed off of them. Everyone grew quiet as Mr. Karloff continued. "The founders of the Academy, Marlin and Whirlin Merlin were two of the greatest performers of their age."

"You knew the Merlin Brothers, Mr. Karloff?" Cindy asked.

"I know the Merlin Brothers, young lady" Mr. Karloff corrected Cindy, then smiled at Maya. "I had the pleasure of meeting the brothers in Las Vegas when they were touring some years back. Even then, they were giving magic lessons to children. Whirlin told me that because he loves showing people the secrets of magic, that his dream was to open a magic school." He sighed, then continued, clapping Maya on the shoulder. "If the Merlin brothers today are anything like they were twenty years ago, than I imagine Miss Livingston here will be learning a lot of interesting illusions and technical tricks. I with you the best, young lady"

"T-thank you, Mr. Karloff" Maya replied, rising from her seat. Something about Mr. Karloff made her feel uneasy. She turned to leave, but Mr. Karloff did not remove his hand from Maya's shoulder and it held her firm.

"I also wish" Mr. Karloff continued "That when you decide to come visit us, that you show us some of these trick that you have learned. I am curious to see how the Merlin Brothers have improved their repertoire.

"They're what?" Calvin asked, cocking his head. Mr. Karloff chuckled.

"They're range of tricks, young man." He explained. He looked at Maya. "What do you say?" He asked, smiling again, showing a row of flashing white teeth.

"I-I'll see what I can do" Maya stammered, smiling back at him. Mr. Karloff nodded and removed his hand from Maya's shoulder.

"Good, carry on then" He nodded to the group, then walked away towards his car.

Maya watched him go, letting out a long breath of relief.

"What was that all about?" Cindy asked, looking around.

"You got me" Calvin shrugged.

"Too many years of breathing in the fumes from his chemicals" Monica sighed, playing with her nails.

"Are you still here?" Calvin snapped.

"Say what you want, but if you ask me, that guy's crazy, just like you are for going to this stupid magic school." Monica said, then turned on her high heels and trotted away.

"Yeah, well no one did!" Calvin called after them.

"Don't listen to her, Maya. We're all really happy for you" Cindy comforted her.

Maya nodded, but the insults still stung.

That night, Maya couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, but she was too excited to close her eyes. So she got out of bed and threaded her way through the boxes in her room to her desk. There, on the desk was her letter of acceptance, along with a brochure of the school. She opened it to the portion that talked about the school's history:

O'Flannery Manor, now home to the Merlin Brothers Academy for Magic, was originally constructed in Ireland in the 1600s. Then, it was known for its mystical happenings. In the early 19th century, the owner of the castle, Lord Seamus O'Flannery, had the castle transported to America and rebuilt, brick by brick. According to reports made by Irish townspeople, there was a long line of dark magic running in the O'Flannery family. When he passed away, his body was entombed in a crypt on an island in the middle of Shadow Lake, which lies to the north of the castle. Whirlin and Marvin Merlin bought O'Flannery castle when it was on auction ten years ago. The school has flourished ever since, turning out top notch magicians, special effects artists, and illusionists. The Merlin brothers have incorporated much of O'Flannery's legacy into the school including adopting the O'Flannery family crest, a Griffin, as the mascot for the school.

Maya closed the brochure, her head wrapping around what she had read.

"What's a griffin?" She asked. She opened one of the boxes and found the red leather dictionary. Opening it, she looked up the word griffin:

Griffin:

A flying creature that has existed in European legend during the middle ages. The griffin has the head, front legs, and wings of an eagle, and the body, back legs and tail of a lion. It is described as being carnivorous. This creature is purely mythological.

"Half eagle and half lion" Maya said quietly, suddenly very tired. She closed the dictionary and stumble to bed. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

She dreamed that she was riding on the back of a griffin. Its large, feathered wings beat against the night air as it circled through the sky. The griffin cried out, its beak opening wide. It's scaly eagle feet clenched and unclenched while its padded lion feet were tucked behind its body. Maya looked down and realized they were flying over the school.

"And now" A voice rang out through loudspeakers. "Let's hear it for Maya Livingston, mistress of magic!"

A spotlight beam burst from the school roof and was trained on her. Maya threw up her hand to shield herself from the glare, then paused when she saw that, instead of her white pajama top, she was wearing a black dinner jacket. Glancing down at herself, she realized that she was dressed as a magician with a black cape, top hat, leotard and sparkling tights.

"Maya! Maya!" Hundreds of voiced began to cheer and chant her name. The griffin rolled hovered in the air currents, its wings beating against the wind, its piercing call adding to the chanting below. Maya gazed out over a great crowd that had gathered outside the school. She was so high up, that the crowd looked like a vast sea of pink and brown faces. Smiling, she raised a hand and waved to the crowd, and the intensity of their cheer seemed to increase tenfold. Three more spotlights snapped on, and the four beams converged

"Maya!" Maya snapped her eyes open, revealing her bedroom full of sunlight. Her mother was standing over her, her hands on her hips and an annoyed look on her face.

"Wake up Maya, we're supposed to leave for the academy in an hour!" Her mother scolded as Maya sat up.

Maya clasped her hands over her mouth. "I'm so sorry" She scrambled out of bed and into the bathroom.

"Wow mom!" She heard Martin say as she turned on the shower. "She's learning already. She made herself disappear."

"Very funny Martin!" Maya yelled through the door. The noise of the shower drowned out Martin's laugh.

Chapter 2

"Are we there yet?" Martin asked for the umpteenth time. They had been driving for hours, and there was no sign of the school.

"We're almost there" Mr. Livingston sighed, tapping the GPS locator in their van. "Only five miles left". They were driving through a thick pine forest. The day, which had turned out fine and sunny when they left the house, was now overcast, which thick fog in the air. They were the only ones on the road.

Maya looked up from her book as the van began to climb. The forest fell away to reveal a cloudy sky, with beams of sunlight piercing the clouds, it looked strangely beautiful.

"Wow, even the sky is magical" Maya mused, gazing out at the sky though Martin's window.

Martin glanced at the sky and snorted. "I still don't see why I had to come" He muttered, closing his eyes and yawning.

"WHOOSHH!" The entire van shook as if caught in an earthquake. A dark shadow passed over the van and disappeared over the cliff.

"What was that?" Martin demanded, suddenly wide awake.

"Probably a pothole" Mr. Livingston answered from the front. "I'll have to check the van before we head back.

Maya glanced out her window and gazed up the cliff. She could see many pine trees on the top, along with what looked like weeping willows and rhododendrons. Once, the thought she saw a small black-and-white head peak over the cliff and look back at her, but she blinked and the head was gone.

"There it is!" Mrs. Livingston called out from the front seat. Maya and Martin squeezed forwards to get a good look. They had just turned off the main road and were driving towards a large castle set on the top of a hill. They drove under an archway that was flanked by stone griffins.

"Cool griffin statues" Maya commented as they drove through the gate.

"What statues?" Martin looked confused

"Griffin" Maya repeated, "A creature that's part eagle and part lion"

"Couldn't it make up its mind?" Martin still looked confused as everyone else laughed.

As they drove up the driveway, they passed a man who was trimming hedges by the side of the road. He was short and squat, but powerful muscles bulged beneath his work clothes. He looked up as they passed, and his eyes narrowed. Maya shivered, she didn't like those eyes.

"Looks like you have an admirer already" Martin teased. Maya groaned.

They found a parking space in the middle of the parking lot. The drive was cluttered with cars, as students and parents said goodbye and helped unload.

Mr. Livingston got out, stretched, and looked around.

"So now what?" Martin asked from inside the car.

"He may know what's going on" Mr. Livingston pointed to a tall, thin teenage boy standing a few rows away wearing a black cape. He was speaking to another parent.

Mr. Livingston took Maya's hand and they approached the boy.

"Can I help you?" the boy asked, turning at their approach.

"Yes, do you know where we can sign in?" Mr. Livingston asked.

"You can do that with me" The boy held up his clipboard. "Name of student?"

"Maya Livingston" Maya said, shifting from leg to leg, hoping that she was on the list. The boy frowned, scanned the pages, and then smiled.

"Found you" He checked her name off. "You're a new student right?"

Maya nodded.

The boy pointed towards a griffin-shaped fountain near the castle entrance, where a cluster of students were assembled.

"Please wait there with the other new students, the headmaster will be with you shortly" The boy turned to another mother, who was dragging her son behind her.

"What about my luggage?" Maya asked.

"Bring it with you" The boy replied over his shoulder.

"Okay then" Maya looked at her father, who shrugged.

Maya approached the collection of kids, dragging her two suitcases behind her. The other kids didn't seem to notice her. Glancing back, she saw that Martin was dragging one of Maya's bags along the ground as he walked.

"Martin" She grumbled. She liked that bag. Turning back to the crowd, she saw a dark-skinned boy with dreadlocks had noticed her.

"Hi" she said shyly. He looked really handsome.

"Hello, you are new too?" He asked, smiling widely. Maya loved his Jamaican accent.

"Yeah, I'm Maya." Maya extended her hand.

"I'm Benny" the boy shook her hand. "You excited about learning magic?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Maya laughed, tilting her head. Maybe things here would work out.

"Maya?" She turned as her father mother, and brother walked up.

"I've checked you in." Her father reported.

Maya smiled sadly. "I guess this is it, then" She hugged her father and mother.

"I'll miss you" She said, feeling her eyes water up.

"We'll miss you too" Her mother hugged her hard.

"I'll see you in a few months" Maya clasped her father's hand.

"We'll be waiting" He replied, stroking Maya's ponytail.

Maya looked at Martin, who was watching the scene with a bored expression on his face, his hands crossed.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to your big sister?" She asked, holding out a hand.

Martin rolled his eyes, but he finally shook Maya's hand.

"Break a leg, sis" he said. Maya rolled her eyes.

"Come on Martin" His father turned away. "We've got a long drive ahead of us"

Maya sighed as she watched her family walk to their black van.

"Your family seems nice, yeah?" She heard Benny observe from behind her.

"Yeah" Maya smiled as she watched the van pull away. Someone, it looked like her mom, was waving out of the window.

CCRRAAACCCKKK! POOOOFFF!

A bang and a thick cloud of multicolored smoke made everyone jump. Maya spun around, covering her mouth. The smoke cleared, revealing a handsome man standing in front of the students.

"Welcome Everyone! I'm Whirlin Merlin, one of the maestros of the Magic Academy" He smiled, his long blonde hair fluttering in the breeze.

"Alakazam!" He chanted, and threw something to the side. There was a loud BANG and a larger cloud of smoke appeared, clearing to reveal three more people.

"And these fabulous people are my brother Marlin, my former stage assistant Crystal, and my apprentice Madelyn"

Marlin Merlin looked nothing like his brother. Shorter than Whirlin, thick-chested and nearly bald, he wore a white shirt and black tie, black pants and work shoes. His glasses were thick and black-framed. Crystal, on the other hand, was tall and slender, she looked very beautiful. She wore a tan dress with transparent sleeves that seemed to compliment her chocolate-covered skin, white boots, looped earrings, and a chocker with a heart on the front. Madelyn, the youngest, looked like a mix of the two. She wore a red dress over a white shirt, gray tights, and matching shoes. She also wore thick glasses, but these had a white frame. Her reddish-brown hair was tied into two large ponytails

"Greetings" Crystal stepped forwards, her gracefulness made nearly every man watching her unable to speak. Maya sighed, she had secretly hoped she wouldn't encounter a beauty queen here. She'd had way too many experiences with Monica to tolerate that kind of thing.

"I run the weekly magic shows we will be performing for our classes. I'm also in charge of caring for our magical co-stars" She raised her arms out like tree branches and gave a long whistle. Four doves flew down and landed on her outstretched arms while a gray squirrel, a white rabbit and a small raccoon ran up and stood at her feet. Suddenly, one of the girls screamed and several people gasped as a large lion appeared from behind one of the statues and stalked towards them.

Crystal smiled, "This is Vernon, one of our star performers. But don't worry; he's a real pussycat once you get to know him" Maya wasn't so sure. Vernon sure didn't look like a pussycat, especially when he yawned, showing sharp teeth.

Benny strode forward and extended his hand to Vernon.

"Nice to meet you, man" He smiled.

But Vernon obviously didn't agree, because he growled and snapped at Benny's hand.

Benny jerked his hand back and counted his fingers, relieved that they were all there.

Marlin stepped forward with a cart and began loading suitcases onto it.

"What do you do here?" Maya asked

"Marlin here is our resident stage hand. He runs things behind the scenes; we wouldn't have a show if it wasn't for him." Whirlin placed a hand on Marlin's shoulder.

"I've got the bags" Marlin announced as he gathered everyone's belongings. Maya could see that he was blushing slightly, but she wasn't sure if it was from the weight of the cases or from his brother's compliment. "See you all inside" Marlin wheeled the cart through a small door in the castle wall, while Whirlin led the others to the main entrance. It had been open when Maya first arrived, but now it was sealed shut.

"Repeat after me" Crystal spread her hands, spinning to face the doors. "Open Sesame"

"Open Sesame!" Everyone yelled

There was a creaking groan and a rattling chain as the portcullis slowly raised and the heavy doors creaked open.

They entered and Maya gasped at what she saw. They were in a large hallway decorated with posters advertising various magic acts. Some had Whirlin on them and others did not. Along the two walls were display cases and old magic props including an iron maiden and a jar covered with chains and padlocks. Candles in chandeliers provided a warm, flickering light that further served to mystify the place. A few kids were chatting about their vacations. Marlin was pushing the cart of luggage into an elevator near the main doors. Then two people approached. One of them was the man that Maya had seen trimming hedges; the other one was wearing a maid uniform, and had a very stern expression on her face.

"Mr. Whirlin, a word please?" the woman asked.

"In a moment Alma" Whirlin turned to the students. "Amos is our gardener and groundskeeper. And Miss. Alma Rumblebuns is housekeeper to the students." The stern woman nodded, her mood unchanging.

Amos cleared his throat "Are you sure that this is a good idea, bringing in new students? I'd hate to think what would happen If they met the you-know-what"

"What do you mean by that?" Maya asked, suddenly focusing all her attention on Amos.

Amos looked at her, "The griffin, what else?"

One girl, a pretty blonde, laughed "Yeah right, as if griffins are actually real".

"And you are?" Miss Rumblebuns asked, framing the blonde girl with a glare.

"Patricia Wilkinson" The girl replied, flashing her long, blonde hair in the light.

"Well Patricia, I know two people who would disagree with you" Miss. Rumblebuns held out a local newspaper that read; Beast Frightens Bird Watchers. "Two birdwatchers saw the griffin up close and personal last night". This brought gasps from the crowd of students. Maya noticed that even the other students were looking up.

"This isn't the first time the griffin's appeared." Amos continued. "Sightings are getting to be almost nightly these days and he's getting bolder with each appearance. He chased those two bird watchers for quite some time last night. I'd hate to think what could happen if he pays us a visit." Amos turned and stalked away.

Whirlin turned back to the crowd. "Madelyn will escort the students on a tour of the castle while I speak with Miss Rumblebuns"

The two adults walked away, their heads bent together and talking in low voices.

The students followed Madelyn through a door at the far end of the hall. First she led them to, the classrooms (all of which included a small stage, makeup table, and were decorated with old magic props), the dungeons (which were actually classrooms as well), the common rooms (boys and girls had separate sleeping towers), the library, the theater (where the magic shows would be held), and the other parts of the castle.

"Here at the magic academy, you'll learn about illusions, special effects, as well as have the chance to perfect your own branch of tricks" Madelyn explained as she led the students down a hall with large windows.

"But what about the griffin?" A student asked.

Madelyn sighed, but smiled as she paused by a window. Turning to face the students, she explained.

"They say that Lord O'Flannery practiced real magic, and that he had many secrets built into the castle walls. Legend has it that he conjured up the griffin to protect it, and housed the monster in that tower, called the Griffin's roost" Madelyn pointed out the window, to a tower that sat in the center of the courtyard outside, by itself. It was the tallest tower in the castle, and was isolated from the rest of the castle by a stone wall, there appeared to be only one gate, and it was shut. Looking up, they saw that the top of the tower was emblazoned by the moon's glow, and that there were small birds and bats circling the top.

"Why don't they tear it down?" A brunette girl shivered.

"The Merlin brothers restored the tower when they bought the castle, but only members of the Griffin Clan are allowed inside" Madelyn turned to lead the group on.

"What's the Griffin Clan?" Maya asked.

Madelyn turned around, "The Griffin Clan is a group here in the school, and it's made of the most advanced students. The Griffin clan is responsible for the students well being and are taught the most advanced magic tricks that the Merlin brothers offer. They founded the Clan to help make life easier for the students and staff" As Madelyn turned around; Maya noticed the gold necklace she was wearing. It was shaped like a shield and was carved with a griffin image.

"Moving on" Madelyn led the group to the trophy room. "The Merlin brothers began their career as magicians/puppeteers when they were kids." Inside the glass cases were posters showing the two brothers performing with lifelike puppets. These same puppets hung all round the room from wires.

"They first started with neighborhood puppet shows, and just grew from there into great magicians. Here's their trophy case" Madelyn gestured to the largest case, where there were gold and silver trophies, blue ribbons, plaques, and pictures of the Merlin brothers during their tours as stage magicians.

"Awesome" Maya gasped, looking at a poster of Whirlin and a lady of water.

"I am so into magic" Another girl piped up.

Her brother laughed, "As opposed to last semester, Clown College was it?"

Everyone laughed while the girl blushed "So I've done some soul searching" She admitted, scuffing her shoe on the floor.

"So, on that subject, what brought you all here?" Madelyn asked the group.

Many students replied that they wanted to impress their friends with impressive magic tricks. Three kids said they wanted to go pro in magic.

"I wanna impress my fiancé" Patricia boasted, playing with her hair.

"I think that magic is pretty cool" Benny exclaimed.

"Me too" Maya agreed "I've always been fascinated by how it's done. I want to unravel the secrets of magic. "

Madelyn laughed

"What's so funny?" Maya asked

"That's the same reason that brought me here when the school first opened" Madelyn replied, smiling widely. "This is the perfect school for what you have in mind". She winked at Maya.

Everyone jumped and gasped as a bronze gong carved with a griffin up above one of the cases started ringing by itself.

"That's out dinner bell" Whirlin poked his head over the ledge where the gong was hanging. "Alakazam" He snapped his fingers and vanished in a puff of smoke. He reappeared seconds later by Madelyn's side with a long cloth in his hands. "And because you are our guests of honor, new students," He twirled the cloth and whirled it away, revealing a thickset woman with brown skin and multicolored hair. She smiled warmly and waved at the students. "I've asked our chef to prepare a royal feast for this evening" Whirlin finished. The students cheered.

Chapter 3

After being shown to their rooms and given time to unpack their belongings, the students gathered in the great hall. It was a massive hall, with flying buttresses adorned with griffin tapestries. The floors were covered in red carpeting. Lighting came from fires in the five fireplaces set into the walls and from candles burning in the chandeliers.

The other students sat around different tables talking happily while the new students sat at a table with the staff.

"Before we begin" Marvin said, rising to his feet. "I think a little dinner lighting is in order". He clapped his hands three times and the candles around the room and the fires extinguished themselves. Then candles on the tables suddenly lit up. Everyone ooed and awed.

"Cool" Benny exclaimed, "Dinner by candlelight"

"How romantic" Patricia cooed.

"Let's eat" Benny lifted the cover of his plate. But instead of food, three pigeons flew out, leaving the tray bare.

"I guess it was a little undercooked" Maya said in amazement. Everyone chuckled.

"Don't worry kids, never fear". The cook said as she rose from her seat, "For your favorite dish will now appear" She clapped her hands twice.

Maya lifted her cover and gasped. Underneath was a large plate of spaghetti with garlic bread. Just the way she liked it.

"Pinch me man, I'm dreaming" Benny gasped, for under his plate cover was a large cheeseburger with French fries.

"Not bad" Patricia commented eyeing the salad that had appeared under her place cover.

Everyone dug in hungrily. Dinner was a glorious time as the students and teachers discussed their holidays and talked about themselves. Maya found out that Benny's father was from Jamaica, but his mother was from Uganda. Benny himself was born in America.

Suddenly, the light streaming in from the windows was blocked out by a large shadow. Looking up, everyone gasped in fear as a large, winged silhouette flew past the windows of the great hall.

"What was that?" Patricia demanded.

No one answered her, the teachers glanced at each other. Maya thought she saw a smile on Marlin's lips, but it was gone a second later and she decided that she had imagined it.

A little while later, Maya was finishing off her dessert of brownies when suddenly something fluttered past her head. Ducking, Maya batted the air with her hands, knocking a small, feathery bundle out of the air. Benny chuckled as a dove landed on the table in front of her, then turned and hopped over the plates until it was standing in front of Whirlin. A note was clutched in its beak.

"Well, what have we here?" Whirlin took the letter from the dove, who immediately flew away. Whirlin scanned the letter, then he smiled widely.

"Well well well, how very interesting" he commented, rather mysteriously, glancing at Marlin, who smiled back at him.

"What is it?" Maya asked, straightening up in her seat.

"It appears that the members of The Griffin Clan are looking for new blood from our new students." Whirlin announced to a chorus of gasps. Then everyone started talking at once.

"Who are the members now?"

"When do I get in?"

"Why that they picking so soon?"

Whirlin held up his hands for silence. "I assume that Madelyn explained what The Griffin Clan was to you, but let me reiterate for you." Whirlin continued. "To be a member of the Griffin Clan is a great honor. The members of the clan are among the top students at the academy and are taught the most advanced tricks and illusions by the teachers. However, there is a price to pay for that honor, for Griffin Clan is also in charge of running every major event that occurs both in and out of school. If any of you are chosen to join the noble clan, you may find yourselves bearing a lot of responsibility, like planning and performing an entire magic show on your own. My brother and I can assure to you that is no easy task."

Marlin nodded "It's a big commitment, representing the school to the rest of the world. The members of Griffin Clan are occasionally sent out to local schools and communities to perform small magic shows to parents and their children, with no help whatsoever."

Whirlin acknowledged his brother's comment with a nod of his own. "It is hard, but the rewards are usually worth the effort you must put in." Whirlin snapped his fingers and a pad of paper appeared in his hand from thin air. "If you are interested in becoming a part of the Griffin Clan, please write your name down. But remember, the Griffin Clan is looking for one, just one, and you will need to earn your place in the clan. That being said, good luck to all of you" Whirlin passed the pad around. Maya, trembling with excitement, could barely write her name in shaky writing. Benny put his name down too, as did Patricia, and at least three other new students, but some chose not to, simply passing the pad on with worried expressions on their faces.

After dinner, Madelyn and the boy who had signed Maya in, who was actually Madelyn's boyfriend Steven, led the boys and girls to their separate sleeping towers. They consisted of a single common room, with three doors leading to three different sleeping rooms. As Maya opened the door, she saw that she was sharing a room with the blonde girl and the brunette who had asked about the tower. Her luggage had already been brought up and placed on the bed nearest the window. As she unpacked and changed into sleeping clothes, she looked out the window and saw the moon glow. She sighed happily, feeling right at home. She was so excited about tomorrow, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to sleep tonight. She turned away to go to bed, so she failed to notice the winged beast watching the castle from above. It hung in the air, and then flew towards the griffin's roost.

Chapter 4

The next three weeks passed without much incident. Maya and the others began learning simple magic tricks. They learned card tricks, string tricks, guessing tricks. Whirlin showed them tricks that involved locked doors and boxes, and how to make things disappear. Crystal showed them tricks involving animals, like pulling rabbits out of hats and making birds appear and disappear. Everyone loved working with the animals, except for Vernon. Maya and Benny were the only new students brave enough to approach him. But Vernon didn't seem to care for Benny. He did like Maya though, after she offered him some catnip she'd accidentally packed from home. Ever since, Vernon had been somewhat tolerant of Maya, but he wouldn't even let her touch him. This made Patricia jealous because everyone thought that Maya was so brave and smart. Then Marlin showed them special effects, the most potent of which were magical explosives that burst on impact, releasing a cloud of multi-colored smoke. Maya was eager to try everything, and to her surprise, she found it pretty easy. Benny tried his hardest, but he was kind of clumsy. He would usually drop something or fall on something and not do the trick right, but he brought a lot of humor to class time. Patricia was also a good magician, though she kept boasting about how better she was compared to everyone else. But there was no denying that Maya was excellent at magic, better than even her. After executing the zombie ball trick perfectly in her third try (where she had to make the ball look like it had a mind of its own), Whirlin took Maya aside and asked her if she had seen these tricks before.

"No sir" Maya replied, shaking her head, "These are completely new to me"

CRASH!

Everyone looked towards the stage where Benny had been trying the zombie ball trick. When Benny emerged from behind the stage, everyone laughed. He was carrying the zombie ball in one hand, an umbrella in the other hand, his left foot was in a large bucket, a colored rope coiled on his shoulders like a snake, and a purple top hat topped by a plush tortoise was perched on his head.

"Don't tell me, that was pathetic wasn't it" He said, looking crestfallen.

"Does it need to be said out loud?" Patricia sneered. Two people gasped and Benny looked at the ground.

"On the bright side" Madelyn pointed out, "You'd make a great magic comedian; their jobs are all about making things go wrong"

Benny brightened "Than call me Benny the Blundering Magician!" Everyone laughed at this, except for Patricia, who frowned.

That evening, Maya received a note from home:

Dear Maya,

Hope you're doing well. Everyone has been asking about you. We're really looking forward to seeing you again.

You haven't seen a Griffin around have you? There was a report on the news last night that a griffin has been scaring people near the school at night. Your mother is a little worried.

Love you,

Dad.

Maya sighed as she read the letter at the table at dinnertime. She twirled her pasta with a fork, but didn't take a bite.

"Something on your mind?" She heard Benny ask as he sat down beside her.

Maya smiled at the dark boy. They'd grown to be close friends during the last few weeks. Maya really enjoyed the time she had spent with Benny. He reminded her of Calvin and Cindy from back home. Maya frowned again, thinking about her friends made her feel even more homesick.

"What's wrong?" Benny asked, frowning now.

"Oh nothing, I'm just feeling homesick." Maya explained, tucking the letter into a pocket.

"Oh is that all?" Benny asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you were worried about our assessment tomorrow."

Maya felt a jolt of fear lance though her at his words. Benny was right, they were going to be putting on a show for some of the staff members tomorrow.

"You nervous?" Benny asked

"I am now" Maya sighed, feeling her shoulders sag.

"Oh, sorry" Benny quickly looked down at his soup.

"No, it's okay" Maya comforted him, placing an arm on his shoulder. "How about you?"

"Well, to tell the truth, I'm terrified" Benny admitted in a low voice.

"Me too" Maya agreed, sighing again. Hearing a snigger, she looked over and saw Patricia watching them with a smirk on her face.

Benny saw this too. "Hey, don't think about her" He said, turning Maya to face him. "I've seen you act, you've got talent. Why else do you think you're here? Just keep calm, and you'll do fine." Maya felt herself smile at Benny's words, and held his gaze for a lot longer than what may have been deemed necessary.

But, despite what Benny had said, Maya couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, but she couldn't get her eyes to close. So she slipped on a coat and jeans and decided to explore the castle. She crept out of the dormitory and set off towards the western wing of the castle, which she had never been to before. She found many empty classrooms, than entered into a hallway where there was some old furniture and other antiques. She wandered down the dark corridor, shining a flashlight all around. The walls were lined with mirrors, portraits, and dusty shelves containing masks, costumes, and props. Among the shelves, she found some simple props that looked simple enough to do.

"Well, at least I have a fallback plan" She said to herself, placing some of the items into a bag. Just then, she heard a noise. She turned and found herself face to face with an antique iron maiden. She jumped and shrieked, but recovered. Opening the creaky wooden lid she shuddered at the sight of the rusty spikes. But she couldn't resist touching them. To Maya's surprise, the spikes retracted into the back of the iron maiden when she applied pressure on them. As she was closing the lid, she heard music coming from a lit door down the hall.

"What in the world?" Maya asked aloud before opening the door.

As the door opened, Maya suddenly recognized the music as ballet music. Entering the room, she saw what looked like a gymnastics room, with parallel bars and mats spread out all over the floor. The music was coming from a record player perched on a wooden table. Patricia, dressed in a dark purple leotard, and matching slippers, was prancing and twirling like a ballerina. Her eyes were closed in concentration and her blonde hair rippled like a flag behind her as she danced. As Maya silently entered the room, Patricia rose up on her tiptoes and swayed along with the music, but suddenly she lost her balance and fell against the table, rattling it and causing the record to skip. She hoisted herself back up with a small groan.

"Patricia?" Maya asked aloud. Patricia gasped and spun around, but she frowned when she saw who it was.

"What are you doing?" Maya asked, switching off her flashlight.

"If you must know, I'm practicing. I took 5 years of ballet lessons and it's helped me to become dazzling" Patricia replied, shaking her head so her hair fanned out behind her. "I am centered, controlled, graceful, and I never get nervous"

"This wouldn't have anything to do with our assessment performance tomorrow, would it?" Maya asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"No" Patrician snorted as she stopped the music. Then smiling at Maya, she began another routine, prancing across the floor on tiptoe, she spun, one leg outstretched. As she spun, her outstretched leg kicked a punching dummy, which fell backwards, rocking on its sphere-like base, it came back up as Patricia twirled again. It missed her leg, but struck her square in the bum, knocking her forwards. "Okay, maybe a little" The admitted, rubbing her rear-end.

Maya smiled, but that only seemed to make Patricia angry.

"Look, Ballet helps me focus okay? Not everyone is a prodigy like you!" She snapped, narrowing her eyes at Maya.

"Woah" Maya backed up, her hands raised, than froze "Wait, you think I'm a magic prodigy?"

Patricia blushed as she picked up a towel. "Well, you are good at it"

Now Maya blushed. "Come on, I'm just lucky" She argued, walking over to the far wall to look at a chart of the human anatomy.

"Whatever" Patricia rolled her eyes. "What are you doing snooping around at this hour, anyway?"

"Believe it or not, even prodigies get nervous. I couldn't sleep." Maya replied as Patricia moved over towards a weight machine.

"Really" Patricia's reply was dripping with sarcasm as she set the weights and grasped the ropes.

"Seriously. Everyone is so amazed that I'm able to do all these magic tricks so well, but no one is more amazed than I am. It makes me worry about tomorrow, I'm scared that I'll choke when it really counts" Maya confessed.

"Sure" Patricia replied, still sarcastic "We all know what a loss that would be". She strained at the ropes, but only her left hand came forward. Frowning, she tried it again, but only her left hand would respond. Glancing back at the machine she saw that the weights on the right side had only risen a foot.

"Hmm" Patricia grabbed the rope with both hands and pulled with all her might. The weights rose a foot, but refused to go any higher. "It must be stuck" She pulled harder, but the weight would not move.

"Want some help?" Maya asked, walking over. Patricia shot her an annoyed look, but nodded. Maya grabbed the handle of the rope with both hands, braced one foot against the wall, and pulled as hard as she could along with Patricia. They pulled vainly when suddenly there was a CLICK and the tension on the rope loosened. Crying out in surprise, with girls fell backwards with a crash. Looking up, they saw the weight rise to the top of the machine, and then the entire section of wall swung upwards on hidden hinges, revealing an opening and a set of stairs going up.

"Oh great, you broke the machine, Maya" Patricia groaned, rubbing her rear end again.

"Come on" Maya said, switching on her flashlight and darting into the hole.

Patricia groaned, but followed her.

The girls found themselves in a dark and dust-filled stairway. Maya shined her flashlight around. There was a screech and something furry flew out at them. Maya ducked as the bat sailed over her head and out into the exercise room.

"Come on" Maya turned to see that Patricia had already reached the top of the steps and was standing beside an old wooden door that was partially open.

Shining her light though the door, the girls saw a dusty corridor full of spider webs and old items. They went in, Maya going first, and Patricia slightly behind her.

"This stuff must have been shipped over from Ireland, along with the castle" Maya suggested as she dusted off an old statue of an eagle.

"I'm not sure." Patricia picked up an old photo album. "This book here is not as dusty as the others, like it was placed here more recently."

She opened it, while Maya looked over her shoulder. Both kids gasped. In the photo was a large woman wearing a black-and-white dress.

"That looks a lot like Miss. Rumblebuns" Patricia commented.

"Hard to tell, she's smiling" Maya replied, laughing. Patricia chuckled.

"Whirlin once told me that Miss Rumblebuns has worked here her entire life, even before Whirlin bought the castle, it's like her home" Maya told Patricia as she thumbed through the album.

"Oh my gosh!" Both girls unanimously exclaimed. The current page showed Miss Rumblebuns and a young man with their arms around each other. The man wore a pinstripe suit, round glasses, and a fedora, but Maya noticed something oddly familiar about the man's strong chin and his close-cropped light brown hair.

"Mr. Karloff?" Maya exclaimed under her breath.

"Pardon?" Patricia shot her a funny look.

Maya looked at her, disbelief illuminated in her eyes. "Okay, you might think I'm nuts, but that man in the pictures looks a lot like my father's boss"

Patricia stared at Maya for a second, than burst out laughing. "Yeah right! That's about the craziest thing I ever heard!"

Still giggling, Patricia turned the page, and her laughing stopped abruptly.

"Ewww" Both girls made faces. The next picture showed the two locked in a deep kissing embrace.

BEEP! BEEP! Maya jumped as the tiny alarm echoed loudly in the dark room.

Patricia pressed a button on her watch. "Well, that's about all the excitement I can handle for one evening." She said, moving back towards the door.

"Right behind you" Maya agreed, shutting the album and dashing towards the door.

Once back in the exercise room, Patricia moved to pick up her bag and towel, while Mays headed for the door. Once there, she turned and looked back.

"Patricia?"

Patricia looked up. "What?"

"I just wanted to say, good luck tomorrow. I'm sure you'll do fine" Maya smiled honestly at Patricia. The blonde girl faltered for a moment, then a small smile broke on her face

"Sure, good luck to you as well" Then her smile widened and her eyes narrowed. "You're gonna need it after I'm done tomorrow"

Maya shrugged and walked out, closing the door behind her. She found her way down the dusty corridor she had been exploring, past the iron maiden, the racks of costumes and back into one of the lit corridors.

Maya was just turning the corridor when she heard footsteps coming her way.

It's probably just Patricia She thought, than she heard a growl, an inhumane snarl of some monstrous beast. At the same time, she saw something on the wall, a shadow of a creature, with wings.

Maya felt a sudden pang of terror creep up her spine. She glanced around, looking for a place to hide. Seeing none, she took off, running down the corridor, around the corner and skidding to a stop. A dead end!

Maya whirled around and backed up against the wall as she heard the growl again. She gasped as the same shadow appeared on the wall of the corner she had just turned, a shadow of a large hairy winged creature.

"Oh no" She whimpered, shivering in terror. Her father's words rang through her mind. There was an article in the news yesterday that a griffin has been scaring people near the school.

Maya shut her eyes and crouched down against the corner. She held her flashlight in front of her like a shield and waited for the inevitable attack.

She heard the footsteps come closer, heard them stop right in front of her! She felt hot breath on her hands, then… felt a wet tongue lick her fingers and heard a parrot-like squawk.

Maya opened her eyes, Vernon was sitting in front of her, and on his head perched a cockatoo with its wings outstretched.

"Vernon!" Maya scolded with a hint of relief in her voice. "Don't scare me like that!" Vernon growled quietly, but remained where he was. The cockatoo flapped its wings and screeched.

Maya looked at Vernon. He seemed content, his eyes weren't flashing with anger or annoyance like they usually were.

"I wonder" Maya thought. Slowly, she placed a hand up to Vernon. The lion didn't move, but he did sniff towards her hand. Taking a deep breath, Maya slowly turned her hand so that it lay flat, palm up. Vernon slowly leaned towards her hand. Maya held her breath. Ever since she had arrived here, she'd wanted to make friends with Vernon, would this be it?

"Maya?" A voice made everyone look up. Benny was standing at the corner, a tray of sausages in his hand. "What's going on?"

Vernon growled and leapt to his feet, sending the cockatoo flying. Benny's eyes widened and he started to back away, but Vernon charged forward, knocking Benny down and sending the tray skidding down the hall. Ignoring Benny, Vernon charged after the tray, caught it in his huge paws, and sat down, munching on the sausages.

"Hey, those are mine!" Benny said, moving forwards. Vernon looked up at Benny and roared, flashing his teeth. Benny's advance faltered and he backed away.

"Come on Benny" Maya seized Benny's hand and pulled him away. "Let him eat in peace."

Groaning, Benny skirted around Vernon, who growled softly, his eyes watching Benny's every movement. He made no movement to follow the kids, turning his attention back to the sausages.

"That was my midnight snack" Benny fumed, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Give it a break" Maya rolled her eyes, "Do you really need that now?"

"Yeah" Benny's reply sounded honest, but Maya couldn't help laughing.

ZZAAPP!

Both kids froze. The buzzing noise came from further down the hall.

"What was that?" Benny asked, cocking his head.

"Let's see" Maya stalked forwards. Rounding another corner, they saw that the buzzing sound was coming from a door that stood a little ajar at the end of the hall.

"Come on" Maya urged. They crept to the door

Opening it, they found that the room was dark. As Maya entered, Benny turned around and quietly shut the door behind them.

Maya turned her head slowly as she walked forward, scanning the dark room. Suddenly, she found herself face to face with several monstrous figures! "AAAHHH!" Maya screamed and darted backwards. Benny dashed up.

"What is it?" He demanded, but Maya, who had thrown herself behind Benny, could only point at monsters that seemed to be floating in front of them.

Benny took a look, ad started laughing. "They're puppets man!" he chuckled.

Maya started giggling too when she realized that they really were life-sized puppets.

Suddenly, the lights snapped on. They whirled around to find Miss. Rumblebuns staring at them with a scowl on her face.

"What are you two doing in here?" She demanded, her hands clenched into fists.

"Um…" Maya's brain went into gridlock as she struggled to come up with a good excuse.

"No one is allowed in this room" Miss Rumblebuns continued, marching forwards with a scowl on her face.

"Oh I get it" Benny laughed as he and Maya backed away. "You're still mad about yesterday. Look, I already said I was sorry for accidentally throwing those flash balls at you but my aim was off—oops" While he was talking Benny backed into a table, causing several bottles to fall to the floor and smash. To Maya's surprise, thick fog began to unfurl from the smashed bottles. The fog expanded and quickly seemed to engulf the room.

"Not students, not visitors, and especially not klutzes" Miss Rumblebuns said, emerging through the smoke and fog. Maya darted backwards and her rear hit a lever, throwing it. There was a loud whirr, and Maya glanced back to see what looked like a computer screen turn on. Suddenly the room was ablaze with blinding multicolored lights. Loud, pounding music thudded from hidden speakers and a strobe sphere hanging from the ceiling began to rotate in two different directions. Through her narrowed eye slits, Maya could see outlines of birds, stars and comets whirling around the floor and walls. In addition to the loud music, she could also hear the tweeting of different birds and the whine of several machines.

As Maya watched, awestruck, three of the birds dived towards her, looking extremely lifelike. She shrieked and ducked as the birds flew over her.

As the light seemed to get brighter, Benny started inching forwards, his hands held out in front of him. "How do you get out of here, man?" He yelled above the thumping music. As if to answer his question the music suddenly faded and the lights dimmed to normal.

"Who killed the light show?" Benny asked, shaking his head to clear his mind and his vision.

"I did" Everyone turned to find Crystal standing by a control board.

"That… was freaky" Maya breathed, placing a hand over her fast-beating heart. Benny nodded.

"Oh dear, what happened here?" Marlin walked in and knelt over the shattered bottles. Maya noticed that one of them was marked Glycerol.

"I heard noises and found these two snooping around" Miss. Rumblebuns pointed at Maya and Benny, who grinned apologetically.

"No harm done Miss Rumblebuns" Marlin said, nodding at the kids. "Sounds like an accident to me"

"What exactly is this place?" Maya asked as she moved to help Marlin.

"This is my private workroom. This is where I create props and illusions for the advanced students." He smiled. "Would you two like a demonstration?" He asked

"Yes please" Maya and Benny replied eagerly.

Marlin moved over to a keyboard and punched in a command. There was a whining sound and two bright pinpoints of light appeared in the room, the lights shifted and solidified into two white birds, flapping their wings and tweeting.

"That's amazing!" Benny exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"Thank you" Marlin replied, giving a little bow. "This is a 3 dimensional volumetric display. Kind of an upgrade to your traditional hologram"

"Marlin whipped this illusion up for his farewell tour with Whirlin when they were on the road" Crystal explained further. "He's quite the showman" She teased. Marlin rolled his eyes, but smiled wider. Then he turned back to the computer, typed in a few commands, and held out his hand. There was a mechanical whine and a white dove appeared on his fist from out of nowhere.

"I'm in the early stages of development. Right now I can only create small things" He explained as the dove flapped its wings a few times. "But in a few years, who knows?"

"Speaking of who knows…" Crystal glanced at Benny and Maya. "Who knows what these two will be in for tomorrow?" She smiled.

Maya gasped and glanced at her watch, it was almost midnight!

"Umm, well thanks for the show, but I really need to get to bed" Maya hurriedly excused herself from the group. She rushed from the room, through the castle, and didn't stop until she was inside the girl's sleeping tower. Creeping quietly up the stairs, she slipped into her room. Patricia and her other roommate were already sound asleep as Maya changed back into her night clothes and crept into bed. This time, sleep came to her easily.

Chapter 5

The following morning, Maya felt so nervous that she could barely eat her breakfast. She kept glancing up at the staff table, where the teachers were eagerly discussing amongst themselves. The other students were discussing as well. Several teens at her table were discussing a popular card game they had been playing last night.

Benny, who was sitting opposite Maya, hadn't touched his food either. He looked like he was sleeping. Maya reached across the table and tapped Benny's hand.

"Huh? Wha?" Benny snorted, looking around. Then he noticed Maya's smile.

"Sorry" He yawned. "Last night's antics really got me thinking. I mean, if the staff are used to seeing stuff like what we saw last night, than what chance do we have of impressing them with our routines?"

"I don't know" Maya admitted. Glancing up the table, she caught Patricia's eye. She looked just as worried as Maya did. Maya smiled at Patricia and the blonde girl gave a small smile back, but looked just as nervous as Maya felt.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the students separated to their classes. As Maya and Benny walked up the stairs, Benny moved Maya aside.

"Hey Maya. Can you do me a favor?" He asked in a low voice.

"Sure" Maya replied, unsure what Benny was getting at.

Benny reached into his pocket and pulled out something on a string. "Can you wear this during the evaluation?" He gave it to Maya, who studied it. It was a clay amulet carved with the image of a bird.

"Of course" Maya said, pulling the string over her head so that it hung from her neck. "What is it?" She asked.

"You'll see" He winked, smiled, then moved to catch up with the others. Maya followed, studying the amulet in her hand. It didn't look very special. Why had Benny given this to her?

In class, Maya sat at her desk, her box of props in front of her. She clasped her hands together and bit her lip as Whirlin walked onto the stage in the front of the classroom.

"Well then" He exclaimed clapping his hands together. "Guess there's no point in delaying this any longer. Who would like to go first?" He glanced around the room; not-surprisingly no one raised their hand. Everyone looked around.

"Don't all answer at once," Whirlin joked, a nervous chuckle filled the room.

Maya caught the eyes of both Benny and Patricia, both looked nervous. Maya couldn't blame them, she felt terror stricken.

"Anyone?" Whirlin glanced around, no longer smiling. This made Maya even more nervous, she felt like she was going to explode. She could barely keep still.

"I'll go" Maya's hand went up before she realized what was happening, and the words left her lips before she could stop them. Everyone looked at her. Whirlin smiled again.

"Thank you Maya, the stage is all yours." He gave a small bow and stepped off to join his brother and Crystal, who were sitting on the far right of the classroom. Maya gulped nervously as she got to her feet, picked up her box, and walked up onto the stage. Setting the box down on a small table, she faced the class. For a second, she froze, panic rushing through her. "What am I doing?" her mind seemed to scream. She caught Benny's eye, and he smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Patricia didn't smile, but she nodded thoughtfully.

"Whenever you're ready, Maya" Crystal called from the staff desk.

Maya glanced at the desk and her eyes focused on the tapestry behind it. It showed a griffin flying on a blue background over a forest. As Maya's eyes rolled over the tapestry, her memory flashed back to her dream where she was riding the griffin. She had felt so fearless then, like she had risen above all her troubles.

Maya took a deep breath and banished her fears to the back of her mind. She could do this! Nodding to the teachers, she cleared her throat.

"Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, today I am going to demonstrate to you a few tricks using only my hands and some simple props." She began, opening the box. She pulled out two large metal rings. "The first are the amazing Chinese Rings." Holding the two rings up for the audience to see, she appeared to run her fingers along the surface of the rings. "As you can see, these rings are solid and separate, and yet, simply by counting to three, I can make one ring penetrate the other. Count with me everyone. Ready? One"

"Two. Three!" Everyone yelled. At Three, Maya linked the rings together.

"There we go!" She smiled. Everyone clapped as she spun the rings. "And yet, as strong as these rings are, I can also make them separate, like rings of smoke" She added, slowly pulling the two rings apart. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Chinese Rings" Maya gave a small bow and placed the rings back in the box. As the audience clapped, Maya felt a throng of exhilaration flood though her. This was fun!

Smiling, Maya went on to her second trick. She showed the audience a clear glass box and called it the "Christmas Cube". Counting to three, she spun the cube upside down, revealing to be full of green paper trees that she had made earlier. She passed them out to each of the students, who wore them around their necks. She caught a wink from Benny and an amused smile from Patricia, though she didn't take a tree.

Coming back to the stage, she continued with the "Black hole Box" a box that vanishes anything placed into it. She demonstrated with a large black dice, placing it inside the box, and closing the doors. She muttered some words and then began to unfold the box, but the dice had vanished.

Finally, she finished with a pot that was the size of her hand. She showed the audience it was empty, and then told them a little story about how her family liked to "cook" rabbit. The placed an egg, a sprinkle of salt, and what looked like dough into the pot, then placed a lid over it. She walked off the stage and asked Patricia to pull off the lid. She did, but instead of a doughy mess, a black rabbit crouched in the pot, staring out at everyone with shiny black eyes. Of course, everyone recognized the rabbit right away, it was Cinder, one of the school's performing animals.

"Thank you for being such a good audience. I hope you enjoyed the show." Maya finished, bowing to the audience, who cheered and applauded as Cinder bobbed his head as well.

"That was awesome!" Benny said as Maya strode back to her desk and sat back down with Cinder, who was snuggled in her arms.

"Thanks, Benny" Maya smiled at him, stroking the rabbit behind his ears.

"Well, after that amazing performance from Maya, who would like to go next?" Whirlin asked the class. Several hands shot up at once. Whirlin chuckled. "That's more like it"

Maya relaxed as the other students came up and performed. Most were pretty good, but a few had some trouble. Fortunately, Benny was not one of them. It was clear that he had been practicing. Maya was actually called up for his finale trick, where he took the amulet he had given her, made it disappear, than asked Maya to retrieve it, only for it to shatter in her hand. Then he moved to retrieve the amulet from his sleeve, and that one shattered as well, but then revealed it to be intact. Maya was very impressed.

"Well, it looks like everyone did really well." Whirlin said after class had ended, to a chorus of applause.

"Hey, Maya" Patricia pulled Maya aside when they got out of class.

"Yes?" Maya braced herself for criticism, but Patricia was smiling.

"I have to admit, you did pretty well today, and it was really brave of you going first" Patricia blushed slightly. "I could never have done that"

"Thanks, but it wasn't that hard." Maya was blushing now too. She held out a hand. "Friends?"

Patricia stared at Maya's hand, then smiled and shook it "Friends"

Benny's hand came down out of nowhere, covering the two girls' hands.

"Friends" He said, making Maya jump.

Patricia glared at Benny, than burst out laughing. "You really are a nutjob, you know that, right?" She said between giggles.

"No I'm not" Benny replied, but the way he said it made Maya start laughing too. Benny smiled, but looked confused.

Chapter 6

The next morning, Maya, Benny, and Patricia were eating breakfast with the others. The threesome had become fast friends the night before and Patricia had just been telling them about her own family. Apparently Patricia's bossy attitude came from her family. Her father was the head of a major company, while her mother was a fashion model who was never at home. She was the youngest of three sisters, who were constantly competing for the respect and favor of their parents. Patricia had only joined the academy to stand out from her siblings.

"Well, I have to say, you seem to fit right in here" Maya commented as she munched on her scrambled eggs.

"Thanks" Patricia replied, setting her knife and fork down. "But it sometimes feels like I'll never get out from under my sisters' shadows." Her face fell.

"That's why you want to join The Griffin Clan, right?" Maya asked, more serious now.

Patricia nodded "According to my father, if you're not the best at anything, you're the worst in everything."

Benny sighed "I can't believe some people feel that way"

Maya gave Benny a dark look as Madelyn approached with a tray of food.

"The chef wanted me to give you guys this special dessert personally." She said, giving each of them a fortune cookie. She winked, and moved to distribute the cookies to the other students along the table.

"Cool, I love these" Patricia exclaimed, crumbling the cookie and glancing at the fortune. Her smile faded and she cocked her head.

"Well, what does it say?" Benny asked, looking up from his own fortune. Maya noticed that he looked a little nervous.

"Uhh, you go first" Patricia seemed to dodge Benny's question.

"No, you go first" Benny argued, seeming more nervous now.

"Um" Patricia's eyes seemed to dart around, and then they settled on Maya. "Maya, what does yours say?" She asked, her voice quaking.

"What is wrong with you two?" Maya asked, gazing at them with wide eyes.

Benny and Patricia didn't answer. They just looked at her expectantly.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Maya cracked open the fortune cookie and read the slip of paper inside. It said;

DO NOT show this to anyone! Second passage of the Elementum de Mysterium. BY TONIGHT! DO NOT tell anyone or disaster will befall you!

"Well?" Maya looked up to see Benny and Patricia still watching her.

"It's strange" Maya said, narrowing an eye, something she always did when she was confused. "Apparently this fortune says I'll be learning a new language"

"That is strange" Patricia commented, but she seemed to relax.

"Let me see" Benny leaned over, but Maya covered her slip of paper.

"I'll show you mine of you show me yours first" Maya challenged. Benny paused, and then shook his head.

"I'll take your word for it" he smiled, leaning back in his seat. Maya smiled, but her mind whirred. Second passage of the Elementum est Mysterium, what could that mean? It sounded like Latin, but that was a language she didn't read or speak.

"Oh well" Patricia stood up and stretched as the bell rang. "Off to class" She practically dashed away from the table, darting through the main doors before Maya had even gotten to her feet.

"What's eaten her?" Maya demanded, turning to Benny, who shrugged, but he still looked nervous.

Throughout the morning, Maya found it somewhat difficult to focus on her lessons. As Whirlin was explaining the famous trick performed by Houdini during his tours, Maya struggled to take notes, but her mind kept drifting back to her fortune. The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. She glanced out the window, where she could see the Griffin's Roost towering over the rest of the castle. She allowed herself a sigh as she ran her eyes over the outside of the tower. How she would love to see the inside of it. Suddenly Maya blinked and narrowed her eyes, gazing at the wall that surrounded the base of the tower. Someone was there. Someone wearing a hooded robe was walking along the wall. As Maya watched through the window, the hooded figure met another one. They seemed to exchange conversation for a few minutes, than one figure gave the second figure what looked like a toolbox while the second looked around, as if to ensure that they were alone. Maya frowned, what was going on out there?

"Miss Livingston!" Maya jumped as Whirlin called her name. The entire class laughed as she turned red.

"Thank you" Whirlin said from the stage, than began to teach the class about Houdini's famous water tank trick.

Maya turned her attention back to Whirlin, and as she did so, she noticed that Benny wasn't listening either. He kept writing things on a sheet of paper, then shaking his head and crossing them off.

Ac class got out, Benny, who had usually hung back for Maya and Patricia, dashed off without a word towards the dining room. Maya looked for Patricia and managed to grab her hand as the blonde girl tried to rush away.

"Hey Patricia, what's the hurry?" Maya asked.

"Oh nothing" Patricia replied, but her reply seemed rushed and Maya noticed she was fidgeting.

"Anyway, I was thinking of going to the library, you wanna come?" Maya continued. "You know, nothing like a good book to help calm you down"

"Sorry" Patricia played with the bracelets on her arms. "I'd like to, but I've got something else to take care of first. I'll meet you there later, okay?"

"Like what?" Maya asked, tilting her head.

"It's kinda personal" Patricia muttered, scuffing her shoe and glancing down at the floor.

"Oh, okay" Maya let go. Patricia smiled thankfully at Maya and dashed down the hall, her books clutched to her chest, the click of her heels echoed down the hall.

Sighing and shaking her head, Maya ventured to the library alone.

The two story library was in the rear of the castle. When Maya arrived, she was surprised to find that not many students were there. Most of them were clustered around the two large center tables. Finding a seat in an isolated corner of the room, Maya pulled out the note from her fortune cookie. Second passage of the Elementum de Mysterium. Maya mouthed the phrase, hoping the sound of it would make sense. It didn't. Sighing angrily, she clenched a tight fist, crunching the paper in her fingers. She lay her head down on the desk. Something about these words was eerily familiar to her, but she couldn't figure out what it was! Maya felt her heart sink as she stared at the walls, all those books stacked neatly on shelves. Book! "Hey, wait a minute!" Maya sat bolt upright as something in her mind clicked. "Passage, book?" Maya stood up so fast she almost knocked her chair over. She had to find the librarian! Glancing around, she saw Stephen sitting at one of the chairs, talking with his friends. Taking a deep breath, Maya put on an innocent face and approached him.

"Hey, Stephen" She said when she was close enough.

Stephen looked up, "Oh, Hi Maya" he replied, smiling at her. His friends smiled and nodded.

Maya smiled at them, then turned to Stephen "Do you know where I can find a dictionary?"

Stephen's smile turned into a puzzled look. "Yeah, over there" He pointed to a nearby shelf. "But why do you want one?"

"Oh just, want to look up something. Thanks" Maya said as she headed towards the shelf. Finding a large black volume, she carried it back to her desk in the corner.

"Let's see" she said to herself, as she opened it. She flipped to the P section and found the phrase for Passage.

Passage: Noun, with multiple meanings

Act or insistence of traveling from one place to another

I.E: Secret passageway

Permission, right, or freedom to pass

I.E: the right to pass

Phrase or section of written or musical works

I:E: passage of a book

Maya felt a tingle of excitement as she read the last meaning. Passage of a book! So that's what it meant. But then Maya's face fell as she looked up at all the books. Which book was it? Then her eyes fell on the card catalogue. She smiled, stood and walked over it. Opening the drawn marked E she thumbed through the cards until she found what she was looking for. Then she walked over to the farthest shelf in the library, near where her desk was. She glanced at the card, then up at the top shelves, scanning the books that stood in a row. These were big, fat, leather-backed tomes that looked like they weighed a ton.

There!

Maya's eyes settled a particularly large one. She reached up and gently eased it off the shelf. She held it up and squinted at the faded title

Elementum des Mysterium.

Maya smiled widely, this was her book. Taking it back to her desk, Maya opened it to the second passage. She leaned over the book, squinting at the faded writing, and started to read.

Hours later, Maya felt like she wanted to scream. She had found nothing! It was just a story about a wizard who was hunted by an evil duke and his knights and how he had summoned an army of ghosts to exact his revenge. There was nothing about the Griffin Clan, or even anything about the school. She'd even read the entire book, just to make sure!

Maya felt her heart sink lower as she glanced at the clock. It was almost 4 pm. The note in the fortune cookie said that she needed to solve this tonight! She felt herself starting to panic.

"Okay, think!" She commanded herself. "The second passage of the Elementum De Mysterium! It has to be in the book somewhere!" In desperation, Maya opened the book to the second passage again and began scanning the first pages. Something caught her eye on the first page. The word 'dungeon' was underlined with a faint red line, so faint she must have missed it the first time. She scanned the pages again, looking carefully; she found two more red lines under the words 'crest', 'under', and 'skull', and the number 17.

"Dungeon 17, crest under skull" Maya repeated the phrase in her mind. Then she sighed. Her head hurt and she mentally groaned at the thought of climbing all the way down to the dungeons.

"Are you still here?" Maya jumped slightly and spun around to see Stephen standing over her, a cocky smile on his face.

"Don't sneak up on me like that" Maya snapped, getting to her feet. She plopped the books into Stephan's hands, smiling as Stephan staggered and almost dropped them.

"I assume you found what you were looking for" Stephen asked as he readjusted his grip on the books.

"Oh yeah" Maya replied, turning to leave.

"You'd better hurry" Stephen's next remark made Maya freeze, then turn back to Stephen.

"What are you…?" Maya started to ask, but the clock struck 4 and Maya gasped. She had no time for this! Quickly thanking Stephen, Maya practically dashed from the library. As she headed through the doors, she missed the smile that was playing on Stephen's face.

"This had better be the right one". Maya grumbled a half-hour later. She was standing in a passageway in one of the lowest sections of the school. Before her was a large wooden door with the number 17 on it. There was also a sign that read NO ADMITTANCE. Maya gingerly reached out and clutched the door handle. She tired the handle, expecting it to resist. This door was usually locked, but to her surprise, it opened easily. Glancing around, Maya eased the door open and peeked inside. She flipped a switch and a cobweb-covered light bulb flickered on, shining light on what looked like a large collection of magical props including levitating tables and disappearing cabinets. As Maya stepped inside the room, leaving the door slightly ajar, her eyes fell upon one of the tables. A skull lay on top of the table, staring back at her with its hollow eye sockets. Approaching the table, Maya saw that there was a letter lying right in front of the skull. She picked it up; it was stamped with a Griffin, the crest of the school. Maya smiled.

Right underneath the crest was written the words: For Your Eyes Only

Even more curios now, Maya broke the seal and slit open the letter. Holding it up so that she could see the writing in the dim light, she read it. As she read, her eyes opened wide and her mouth opened even wider. She felt a surge of excitement stronger than any she had felt before.

(The letter read as follows)

Dear Maya,

If you are reading this, than congratulations, you have passed the first test.

As Whirlin Merlin has told you, the Griffin Clan is looking for new members. This club is responsible for ensuring that the time spent by the students here at the Merlin Brothers Academy of Magic is well spent. We help the staff teach the students, and in return, we are taught the most advanced tricks that the school has to offer, and even have the chance to make up our own. Most of the graduates of the academy who went professional were members of the Griffin Clan. We have a tradition of accepting only the most worthy to join us. Are you worthy?

As said above, you have only passed the first test. There will be others. All will be explained at the first initiation ceremony, which will occur tonight at 9:00. Meet the other initiates outside the gate to the Griffin's Roost. In the chest next to this table, you will find a hooded robe and a medallion. You must wear both of these to the initiation ceremony and talk to no one, both before and during the ceremony. If you cannot follow these instructions, you will not be allowed to the ceremony and you forfeit your chance to join the clan. We have high hopes for you Maya, do not let us down.

See you tonight.

The members of the Griffin Clan

Maya was so excited she felt like she was going to burst. So this was a Griffin Clan initiation! She had been right! Struggling to breathe now, Maya slowly opened the big wooden chest next to the table. She pulled out a silken black cloak and a wooden coin on a string. The robe felt soft and smooth as the fabric slid through her fingers. The coin was carved with a griffin with folded wings. In the dim light, the coin reminded Maya of Madelyn's necklace, only hers had the griffin with its wings outstretched.

Maya glanced at her watch. 4:30. Perfect. She carefully folded the long, black cloak and placed it into her bag along with the letter, than tucked the coin into a pocket. Then, she left the dungeons and sprinted back to her room.

At 8:30 pm, Maya closed the book she was reading and looked around the bedroom. There was a light on in the bathroom, indicating that Patricia was in there. There was no sign of her other roommate, a brunette girl named Jasmine. That made Maya a little suspicious, but she didn't have time to think about that. Hiding her folded robe beneath her jacket, she tiptoed across the room and opened the door, closing it quietly behind her.

Maya quickly donned the robe, fastening it in front. She pulled up the large hood, covering her hair, the edge of the hood came level with her eyebrows and she felt a shadow cross her cheeks, she doubted anyone would recognize her with this on. She hung the wooden pendant over her cloak so that the griffin was clearly visible. Taking a deep breath, she began the long descent down the staircase to the base of the girl's tower.

Maya crept down the dark halls, flitting between the pools of light being generated by lamps, which flickered every now and then. The closer to the ground floor Maya got, the more nervous she became of running into a Griffin Clan member, or worse, Miss Rumblebuns, who strictly enforced the 8:30 curfew. But, Maya was able to make it to the ground floor without meeting anyone. Coming to a door that connected to the entrance hall, Maya slowly eased open, wincing slightly as it creaked on its rusted hinges. She peaked out and froze, standing near the front gate, looking her direction, were two other people wearing hooded black robes. For five long minutes, both groups stood there staring at each other. Then one of the hooded figures motioned to the other end of the hall, to a door that Maya had never been through. Maya nodded, bowing her head to show thanks, and then walked towards the other door as quick as politeness allowed. She could feel the stares of the two hooded figures burining into the back of her head and had to fight the urge not to run to the door. Her hands were already trembling so much she could barely turn the handle. Opening the door, she found herself outside in the inner courtyard. Glancing across the misty grass towards the Griffin's Roost, Maya saw a group of other hooded people huddled against the wall. As Maya approached, they turned to look at her, one by one. Maya held up her wooden coin for them to see and they turned away. One of them nodded respectfully to her and she nodded back. Then all the members seemed to look up, glancing behind her. As Maya turned, she saw another hooded figure approach, holding a torch. The light from the torch's flame reflected off of the metal necklace she wore, of a griffin with its wings outstretched.

"Are you all ready to enter Griffin Clan?" She asked when he was close enough. Maya could see hooded heads nodding; she could sense the excitement, even though no one spoke. "Follow me" The hooded figure beckoned and led the students out through the door Maya had entered. As the group exited the castle though the main gate, none of them noticed Amos watching them from behind the hedge.

The initiates were up into the western hills, following a worn footpath. The light from the flickering torch was the only illumination apart from the full moon that was half hidden by thick clouds. As Maya, who was near the back of the line, followed the woman with the torch, her vision suddenly seemed to darken, as if a large shadow had fallen across her. She spun around and looked up, but all she saw was the hazy full moon.

"Where are-" Someone started to ask, but the woman shushed her.

"No talking" She whispered, then continued walking. As they approached a bend in the road Maya realized that she could hear drums.

Rat-Tatattat-tattatat-tattat

Maya felt a hand poke her shoulder, looking around she saw another one of the initiates looking at her. He tapped his ear. Maya nodded silently. He must have heard the drums as well.

As they rounded the bend, the woman with the torch suddenly stopped and whispered something into the ear of the first person, that person turned around and whispered "Single file" to everyone.

When a line was formed, she led them on. When they had fully turned the bend Maya saw a set of stairs chiseled into the stone. The sound of drums was louder now, and above them, Maya could see flickering lights. The woman with the torch slowly began leading the line if hooded students up the stone steps. As they reached the top, Maya's eyes widened. She was looking at what appeared to be a ruin. Part of it was located inside a rocky overhang. A stone rail, held up by pillars extended beyond the rock to form a circle above their heads. The pillars and rail were ornately carved with strange symbols. Standing on the outer side of the ring were at least twenty individuals, wearing hooded robes, their faces masked with shadow. Maya could see they were all wearing metal griffin amulets. Two of these figures were playing snare drums. Flickering torches on poles stood at intervals around the ring. As the group approached the ring, their guide held out a hand, and the group halted.

"Wait here" She whispered softly, handing her torch to one of the hooded figures. Then she walked inside the stone ring. Maya now saw that inside the ring was a sundial, outlined with glass stones. There were also four smaller pillars carved with griffin symbols. Standing behind the sundial was a figure dressed in a long, hooded robe. His back was to them. As the woman approached the figure, it turned around. His face (at least Maya thought it was a he) was covered by a shiny eagle mask, only his (or her) mouth was visible. After several whispered minutes, their guide scurried around to stand beside the masked figure as he spoke.

"Tonight, brothers and sisters, we gather to summon the griffin, the mighty guardian of O'Flannery castle and its magical secrets. We honor his mystery, and his courage. And we are also honored that there are those among our school's newest recruits, who seek to join our noble clan." He raised one hand as his voice echoed across the ruins. The students playing snare drums began a quiet drum roll.

"But before you can join the ranks of the Griffin Clan, you must be judged. Throughout your school year here at the Merlin Brothers Academy for Magic, we will watch you, test you. Each member of the Griffin Clan has struggled to live up to the traits that the mighty griffin offers us in his duties as guardian. If you are truly worthy to join us, you too, must exhibit these traits, which shall gradually become known to you. From now, until our selection is made, you are alone. You cannot, and must not, speak of what you have seen or heard to anyone. We will know if you have done so, and you will suffer the consequences of treason."

He paused for effect, and Maya heard at least two people gulp nervously.

"But before we can look together into the magical future, we must first look back into the past, to the history of the griffin, and where he came from!" With that, he brought his hand sweeping down and the scene suddenly darkened as the torches were extinguished. The full moon drifted out from behind a cloud and its glow was reflected in the twelve glass stones. The masked person grabbed the sundial, twisted it so that it lay flat, and then rotated it around the face. The ground began to tremble as the four carved pillars began to sink into the ground. While that was happening, large flat stones were beginning to rise along the wall of the overhang. When the dust settled Maya saw that the far wall was now an intricate carving showing a giant griffin bowing before wealthy-looking man holding a staff. Looking around Maya saw that everyone was bending their heads and clasping their hands to show respect. She quickly did the same.

The guide turned and beckoned the initiates forward. They came until they were standing right in front of the engravings. She noticed some words carved among the bottom of the wall.

"Initiates, behold, Lord Seamus O'Flannery, original master of this castle. Depicted here with his servant, the griffin, and in his hands, the Claw Staff, the wand he used to summon the Griffin and control it." The masked man exclaimed, his arms spread wide, the drummers began playing a quiet roll. Maya could feel the tension building.

"Winged protector, arise and guard this castle and its inhabitants!" He shouted. As if in reply, Maya suddenly became aware of a noise. It sounded like a giant pair of wings flapping. A piercing cry tore through the sky as the hooded figures looked up and their robes were blown about by a sudden gust of wind. The rocky ceiling above them shifted, echoing with padded footfalls, and the scrape of talons on stone, as if something heavy was moving around on top of it. One of the initiates broke away from the group and rushed out into the raised stone ring near where the sundial had stood. As she turned to look up, her hood fell back, revealing a young girl's face with thick glasses and black hair. As the girl looked up, her eyes widened, and she screamed so loud that Maya had to cover her ears. Many of the other initiates ran out to see what had scared the girl. When they saw what it was, they screamed and cried out in fear. Then they bolted, running down the steps and fled back towards the castle. Maya winced as she heard the thud as one person fell in his haste to scram. Three more initiates ran out into the clearing. As a dark shadow passed over them and another cry pierced the air, two screamed in terror and bolted, but the third didn't run. He simply stood, frozen to the spot and exclaimed:

"I don't believe it!"

Maya could stand still no longer, she and the remaining initiates ran out to see what it was. Maya's eyes widened. In the distance, receding, but still visible enough to be made out was a large, winged creature. Maya stared at the retreating figure in the sky.

Then the remaining initiates herd a rumbling sound behind them. Spinning around they saw that a section of the wall was sliding open, revealing a tunnel that had been cut into the hillside.

The masked figure addressed the small number of initiatives who had remained behind. Including Maya, there were at least six of them.

"The appearance of the Griffin is a sign! Those remaining are truly worthy!" The hooded clan-members cheered. Maya glanced upwards as the winged silhouette cried out again. It had turned around and was now diving through the fog towards them.

"Come!" The guide urged, beckoning towards the opening. The six figures darted inside just as another cry echoed through the sky.

The guide and the masked man lead them down a set of steep stairs and along a dark tunnel until they passed through an opening and found themselves on a small rock ledge farther down the mountain.

"You six are all that remains of this year's initiates." The masked man explained, turning to face Maya and the others. "The Griffin has helped us to narrow down the selections, but you must take it even farther. As mentioned in your letters, there will be other tests. Each test is designed to test your magic skills. The test with your letters was about vision, proving that you can see magic that other people do not have time for. One of Lord Seamus O'Flannery's main lessons is that there is magic everywhere you look."

"Yes" The guide continued, nodding her head. "And just now, because you did not flee at the appearance of the Griffin, it proved that you understand how powerful magic can be."

Maya felt like she should point out that she never actually saw a griffin, just a shadow, but the masked man had started to speak again, and so she kept quiet.

"But, as also mentioned in the letters, there will be other tests. Prepare yourselves tor your next one. To pass through the next level of initiation, each candidate is required to pull off a bold prank. A joke; that demonstrates daring, originality, and creativity. These are traits that the magician strives to uphold in every show. Oh and, you cannot be caught." The man's voice dropped an octave. "Good luck"

"Now, I'll show you back to the castle." The guide said, stepping down a steep trail that led from the ledge down towards the trail they had used to climb up.

"Oh, one moment" Maya and the others stopped upon hearing the man's voice again.

"Before you go, I have a warning for you." The man stepped right up to them and leaned towards them. "Another important trait of the magician is secrecy. Remember, a magician never tells his or her secrets. In the same manner, you cannot tell anyone that you are an initiate, no matter what your heart may say. If you do…" The man paused for effect. "…And trust me, we will know if you have, you will be considered unworthy. Good luck" With that, the man turned and climbed back into the opening as the guide lead Maya and the others down towards the castle. Once the six initiates were back inside the main hall, the guide turned to them.

"You will separate and go through different doors. Be on the lookout. I suspect that some of the initiates who fled earlier will want answers. Remember, you can't tell anyone about this, not even your closest friends. Good night" With that, she vanished in a puff of smoke.

Maya and the other initiates were left alone, staring at each other. Slowly, Maya turned away from the group to head back through the door that she came from, only to spot another initiate heading for the same door. For a moment, the two girls stood there, staring at each other. A thin wisp of long yellow hair seemed to fall from the other girl's hood and she hurried to stuff it out of sight. Maya's eyes narrowed beneath her own hood and she frowned, but she motioned for the other girl to go first. The figure nodded in thanks and darted through the door before she could change her mind. Maya waited, leaning against a pillar as the other initiates dispersed. The hallway grew quiet as Maya stood there, thinking. The clan members kept talking about the griffin, like it had actually appeared that night. Maya hadn't seen it herself, but she remembered seeing a winged silhouette in the foggy sky. Maya sighed, shaking her head. She had always been the kind of person that had to see things to believe them, but something had to have scared off all the initiates.

That led Maya's mind to drift towards Benny and Patricia. Maya remembered when that male initiate had yelled, his voice sounded a lot like Benny's. And Patricia had long blonde hair, just like the hair that had slipped out of that other girl's hood. Maya glanced at her watch. Twenty minutes. That should be enough of a head start. Maya opened the door, slipped through it, dashed quietly though the castle, and slipped back into the girl's tower. As she crept into her room, she noticed that Patricia and her other roommate were both already asleep. Maya now recognized the girl as the one who had first screamed and fled. She was twitching slightly in her sleep. Patricia was tossing and turning. Maya couldn't help a smile as she got under the covers.

Chapter 7

Fortunately, the next morning was Saturday, so Maya was able to sleep in. Actually, it was Patricia who woke, shaking her shoulder gently.

"'morning sleepyhead" The blonde girl smiled as Maya stirred and opened her eyes.

"'morning" Maya replied, getting out of bed.

"You sleep okay?" Patricia asked, cocking her head.

"I kept waking up" Maya replied, rubbing her eyes. "I thought I heard screams last night"

A flicker of alarm crossed Patricia's face, but it was gone in a second. "I didn't hear anything" She said, but she turned away as she said it.

The following morning, Maya was sitting outside the castle gates, racking her brains. She had to pull a bold prank on the school to pass to the next level. But she couldn't think of anything that was bold, creative, and original. She had spent most of yesterday thinking of plans. Meanwhile, two initiates had already pulled their pranks. One had stolen several pieces of magic antiques and formed them into some kind of sculpture that had been left in the main hallway. The other had taken an old portrait of Seamus O'Flannery and had switched it with a silly carton drawing of wizards casting spells. Maya had considered sabotaging the magic classes, but that seemed silly. She sighed as she watched Amos walk around with the hose, spraying it over the flowerbeds that lined the drive. Maybe she could cut up the hedges into funny shapes.

No! Maya shook her head. First, she didn't know how she could do that without being seen, and second, she didn't want to get on the wrong side of Amos. He always looked angry. So she just sat there and watched Amos spray water onto the flowers. She watched as the water hit a particularly large light purple flower, and she saw the flower darken in color. Something clicked in her mind and she sat bolt upright.

"That's it" She said to herself. It would take some planning, but she was beginning to see a prank begin to form. But it would require a lot of help from Amos.

Taking a deep breath, she walked over to where Amos was standing. He must have heard her approach, because he turned to stare as she approached. His eyes narrowed. Maya found herself faltering, but she gathered up her courage.

"Hi Amos" She smiled. Amos frowned and didn't reply.

"Can I help you?" Maya asked. Amos raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Thanks, but I've got this. And you'd better get back inside before…" He said.

"Before what?" Maya asked, then she backed away as Amos raised the hose and aimed it at her.

"Before you get very wet." He said, his eye narrowing again.

"Okay, okay" Maya replied, backpedalling as fast as she could. When Amos turned the hose back on, she turned and fled. She felt cold water spray her ankles, but it was small.

"So much for that plan" Maya thought as she ran up the drive and darted into the castle.

In the main hallway, she ran into a crowd of students who were staring at one of the walls and whispering to each other.

"What happened to you?" Benny asked, as Maya joined them, noticing Maya's wet ankles.

"Oh, I had an interesting conversation with Amos and a garden hose." Maya replied, catching her breath. "What's going on here?"

"Come look" Patricia turned and grabbed Maya's arm, pulling her forward through the crowd. Maya gasped. Where once the wall had been dark brown, someone had tagged the wall with graffiti; luminous white letters spelled the word 'Abracadabra'. A DAY-GLO spray can stood on the floor at the base of the wall, and next to it was a wooden necklace.

Maya's mouth closed and her she narrowed her eyes. This had to be another initiate prank. All the other pranksters had left their initiate medallions at the scenes of their pranks.

"Holy Houdini!" Everyone turned at Whirlin's exclamation. The maestro stood, stunned at the back of the crowd, his eyes wide with surprise. Behind him, Crystal gasped as she saw the graffiti. Miss Rumblebuns, who brought up the rear, dropped both her mouth and her duster when she saw the words.

Whirlin's eyes swept over the wall, then they rested on the spray can and the necklace. In a few strides, he snapped both up.

"Another Griffin Clan prank" He said to the others.

Crystal gave a small smile, but Miss Rumblebuns clenched her fists in anger.

"Well, that's certainly an interesting way to decorate" Patricia said quietly. Maya's head whipped around and she framed her friend with a startled gaze.

"Interesting? They destroyed the look of the castle." Maya commented.

"She's just saying that because she's wanted to give this room a makeover." Benny explained, chuckling. Patricia frowned, then one side of her mouth crept up into a smile.

"I don't know if the Merlin brothers would be happy if you that" Maya cautioned.

"Of course they won't mind" Patricia scoffed, tossing her blonde hair.

"No, I think they would be upset." Maya countered. "They worked so hard to keep the original theme of the castle"

Patricia shook her head, and for some reason that made Maya angry. Maybe it was her annoyance that her plan with Amos had failed, or maybe it was because she had to keep a secret from her friends, or maybe she just liked the castle. But she suddenly seemed on the verge of yelling.

Fortunately, Whirlin interrupted. "I'm going to need some volunteers to help Miss Rumblebuns clear up this mess" He glanced around. Several students raised their hands, including Maya.

Miss Rumblebuns nodded, then motioned to a hall closet. "You'll find paint in there."

That afternoon, Maya and Benny were helping Miss Rumblebuns clean up the paint cans. As she bent to pick up a can of brown paint, she stumbled. This can was almost full. She glanced down at the labels on the side of the can, and one caught her attention.

Warning!

Slow drying!

Allow one hour drying time

Maya raised an eyebrow. Maybe her day wasn't completely ruined. Then she looked up as angry voices approached them. As she slid the paint can and a large paintbrush inside a container in the hallway, she saw Whirlin and a short, squat woman approaching. The woman was waving a newspaper around with one hand and dragging a red-haired boy with glasses behind her. Maya recognized him as a member of her class.

"When I enrolled Walter in your school, I did not expect dodging monsters to be part of the curriculum." The woman snapped.

"But the griffin is a myth" Whirlin pleaded, but the woman wasn't listening.

"Good day to you sir" She spun on her heel, nearly hitting Maya in the face with her newspaper in the progress. She marched towards the main doors, dragging her son behind her.

"What was that about sir?" Maya asked, as she approached Whirlin and Marlin.

"You heard?" Marlin asked

"Only the last part" Maya confessed.

Whirlin sighed "That woman's son claims the griffin chased him last night while he was out picking flowers"

"But I thought the students weren't allowed outside the castle after dark by themselves" Benny prompted.

"They're not" Whirlin agreed, "And no one else can qualify being outside with him"

"I think he's lying" Marlin agreed "He's been doing so poorly in classes, I was wondering when he'd leave"

"So, the griffin isn't real?" Maya asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"You mean you haven't seen it?" Marlin looked surprised "Almost everyone claims to have seen it on at least one occasion"

"I think I saw something, once" Maya said, recalling the night at the sundial, "But I couldn't make it out, for all I know it could have been a jet plane."

Whirlin raised an eyebrow and a cocky grin appeared on his face. "Rumors of the griffin are scaring kids so badly that they're leaving the school, but you sound as if you're not scared of the griffin. Why aren't you scared?"

Maya thought about it for a bit. "I guess I'm more curious than scared" She admitted.

"Curiosity killed the cat you know" Benny joked.

"But then satisfaction will bring it back" Maya automatically replied.

Everyone, including Miss Rumblebuns, looked surprised by this statement.

"Say what?" Benny cocked his head.

"What do you mean by that statement?" Marlin asked, scratching his head.

"My mother said that to me. It means that although you may kill yourself trying to find out something, once you find the answer, the knowledge is reward enough"

Marlin and Whirlin nodded; apparently this made sense to them.

"That will be all, you two. I think Alma can take it from here" Whirlin dismissed Maya. But as she closed the door, Whirlin whispered to his brother

"What do you think?"

"She will bear observing" Marlin replied.

Early the next morning, Maya woke up feeling full of energy. Slipping out of her bed, fully clothed, she crept across the room, trying not to wake Patricia, and then slipped out the door and down the tower stairs. When she reached the bottom, she peaked out the door. There were a few students that were congregated in the main hallway, but they were all standing by the main doors. And were nowhere near the doors that led to the dining hall. Moving quickly, but still quiet as a mouse, Maya snuck over to the container that held the blue paint can and brush. She felt around for them and gave a very muffled squeak of glee when she discovered they were still there. Quietly lifting them out, she glanced back towards the doors. No one was looking her way. Smiling, she crept over to the dining room doors and slipped though them.

Once inside the dining room, Maya ducked down and made her way over to the first table. She glanced at her watch. 6:10. Good, breakfast was served at 7 am. Donning a pair of latex gloves, she opened the top of the paint can, dipped the brush into the swirling electric blue color and began to paint.

Half an hour later, Maya was sweaty and breathless, but she was done. She placed the paint can and the brush, along with her griffin initiation medallion underneath on one of the tables and covered it with a serving lid. She had just placed the lid when she heard the main doors open. She dived behind one of the tables. A crowd of kids walked in on one side and Maya darted around the tables until she was behind them. She dropped a coin and then pretended to be kneeling to pick it up. She smiled at a boy who saw her, and he smiled back. As he turned away, Maya breathed a sigh of relief and searched for Benny and Patricia. Spotting them by the doors, she moved through the crowd and reached them just as they reached a table.

"Good morning" She greeted them, and was answered by smiles.

"Where were you?" Patricia asked as she took a seat. Maya fought the strong urge to laugh and shrugged.

"I was in the main hall. I saw you." She argued as Benny sat down. Maya remained standing, but move her chair back.

"Really?" Benny asked, cocking his head. Maya hesitated, than decided to play along. She slowly sat down, fighting the urge to flinch as a cold feeling seeped into her pants. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the staff walk in and sit down at the staff table.

"Are you sure?" Patricia's voice snapped Maya back to reality. "Cause we looked for you and didn't see…" Patricia's voice trailed off as she glanced at her hand. Her fingers were stained blue. Slowly, she twisted her head and looked down. She gasped.

"What is it?" Benny asked.

"This chair's blue! And it's wet!" Patricia exclaimed. She ran her hands over her jeans. "There's on my butt!"

"What?" Benny laughed, until he felt the seat of his chair. "Hey! It's on mine too!" He leapt to his feet, causing people to start laughing.

Maya slowly got to her feet, and looked down at her chair, trying not to laugh. She glanced around and pretended to gasp in horror. "There's paint on my chair too!" She exclaimed. "It's on all the chairs!" At this, people began jumping up and checking their chairs, and their butts, and the screaming went up an octave.

Many students ran towards their rooms to put on fresh clothes. Maya and the others were among them. But as Maya headed for the doors, she glanced back towards the staff table. The paint can had been uncovered. Whirlin and Marlin were still seated, discussing with each other, Whirlin was holding Maya's wooden amulet. Crystal and Miss Rumblebuns stood nearby, and neither of them looked happy.

That afternoon, when Maya returned to her room from her classes, she plopped down on her bed and sighed noisily. She felt guilt tug at her like a dead weight. She hadn't meant for things to get so far out of control. Maybe painting the seats was a bad idea.

Sighing again, she lay back, and heard a crunch come from under her pillow. Confused, she reached into her pillowcase and pulled out a letter that was stamped with a griffin and marked For Your Eyes Only. Her heart quickened, both out of excitement and fear. This letter had to be from the Griffin Clan! No doubt assessments of her prank, but did they like it? Maya took a deep breath, and then darted into the empty bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she slit open the letter and quickly read.

Maya,

Nice work with painting the chairs, though you may owe Crystal a new outfit. And of course, Miss Rumblebuns had extra work to do. Anyway, your next test awaits tonight. Meet us in the dining hall at 9 pm wearing your robe. We hope you still have it.

This second test has seriously thinned out the crowd. Only four remain, including you. After tonight, who knows?

The Griffin Clan

Maya breathed a sigh of relief. She was still in; she hadn't gone too far after all. Folding the letter and placing it in her pocket, she came out of the bathroom and found herself face to face with Patricia.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Oh nothing" Maya replied, shrugging. Patricia raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything else.

That evening, Maya slipped out of the girl's dorm again. Pulling up her hood, she crept down the spiral stairs and along the dark corridors until she arrived at the dining room. The other three remaining initiates were clustered around a table and looked up as she entered. Maya wasn't sure if they were allowed to speak yet, so she just waved. The others nodded at her as two other hooded members of the clan appeared.

"Follow us" One of them said in a whispery voice, beckoning towards one of the doors.

Maya and the other initiates made to follow, but were stopped by the second member.

"After, you put these on" She hissed, holding out four blindfolds.

"What?" One of the initiates demanded, in a very familiar voice.

"You heard me" the member hissed. "If you want to continue, put these on."

The initiate groaned, and then reached for the blindfolds.

The clan members had the four initiates facing away from each other and lower their hoods so they could put on the blindfolds. Then they had the initiates stand in a line, each placing a hand on the shoulder in front of them.

As they started walking, Maya, who was in front, felt her hand begin to quiver with both nerves and anticipation. She wondered what she would have to do for this test, she wondered how many tests there would be after this one, and she wondered how hard this test would be. The last two tests had been difficult, Maya wasn't sure she could handle a third.

She felt them pass through a doorway and down a series of corridors. Maya tried to count the twists and turns, but she quickly became lost in her head. Eventually, the guide in front of them came to a stop.

"Wait" Maya heard her whisper, and at the same moment, she felt someone walk past her, then a rustling, like a curtain being moved.

Beyond it, she could hear the faint sounds of people moving.

Then she heard a voice "All unworthy who enter this place, must be prepared to pay the ultimate price"

This tone was accepted by what sounded like a muttered response from a number of people.

"Bring them" The voice commanded. Maya felt the guide in front of her start to move forwards and she followed. She felt them pass through the curtain, Maya thought she could smell candles burning, they turned, walked a few feet, and then came to a stop.

"You four are the last" The voice spoke, now clearer. "You must pass the test, or face the consequences."

Maya felt hands push on her shoulders and she knelt down onto what felt like a cushion.

"The bowls before you hold the intestines of four wise owls. You must reach inside and grab a handful"

Maya stretched out her hand and slowly lowered it. She gave a small gasp when she felt her fingers come in contact with something cold, and slimy. She hesitantly placed her hand into the bowl, flinching slightly as she heard goopy noises and felt sticky slime wrap around her fingers.

"And now… Eat" The voice commanded. Maya didn't move, certain she had heard incorrectly.

"Eat!" the voice yelled. Maya felt her mind begin to glaze over with panic as she raised her hand to her lips. Was she really eating guts? She banished the fear as far back as she could as she stretched her lips and sucked some of the goop off of her hand. As it entered her mouth, she fought the urge to gag, her stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels and her throat felt like tightening. The goops was slimy, and lumpy and tasted like…cherries.

Maya smiled, than took another bite. As she did so, she felt an intense quivering to her left.

"No, no way" A voice whimpered, quaking with fear. "I'm out of here!" Maya felt someone get up and run from the room. She heard a door slam followed by muffled laughter.

"Well, I guess he didn't have the guts" The voice remarked. Maya, who had finished with her hand, smacked her lips and said,

"Mmm, delicious". This caused more laughter.

"Congratulations, my friends. You three have passed the test of bravery, and have earned your chance to enter the Griffin Clan" Maya felt her body flush with excitement as she rose to her feet. This was it, she was in!

"And you have also earned something else." The voice continued. "The right to see who will face our judgment alongside you, remove your blindfolds, and greet your worthy rivals" Taking a deep breath, Maya reached up. As she did, she heard a series of gasps to her left. Removing her blindfold, she looked left, and locked eyes with Benny and Patricia!

Maya gasped, her eyes wide, her surprise mirrored in the faces of her two friends, and then Benny's mouth widened into a big grin. Patricia's hands were covering her mouth, but her eyes twinkled.

"Yes!" Maya exclaimed and hugged Benny. She felt Patricia hug both of them and the threesome dissolved into a mass of tangled arms.

"Ahem!" They froze as a stern voice cut through the celebration. The threesome broke apart and saw that the hooded figure with the eagle mask was giving them a stern look. They broke apart and hung their heads, embarrassed about what had just happened.

"I am pleased you feel good about getting this far. You should be." He said, nodding at them. "But, I wouldn't celebrate yet. None of you are officially in the clan yet, and only one of you will obtain that honor."

Maya, Benny, and Patricia looked at each other, Maya felt tension begin to rise again.

"Now, the rest of the clan, and I will discuss amongst ourselves." The figute raised his hands towards the back of the room. Maya looked around and her eyes widened again. The room as a bit longer than she thought and more occupied. Between her and the far wall were at least twenty chairs, and they were all occupied by hooded and masked figures.

"We will also consult the staff and we will inform you of our decision in two days time" The eagle-masked figure continued as Maya looked back at him. As she did, she noticed a griffin-embroidered banner hanging from the wall behind him.

"Until then, you three are dismissed" The figure bowed to them and the masked figures in the chairs did the same. Maya, Benny, and Patricia hesitantly got to their feet and slowly made their way towards the door.

Outside, in the dining room, the three friends cheered and hugged each other again.

"I knew it!" Maya crowed as she broke away from the embrace. "I knew it!"

"Oh sure you did" Patricia countered, but she smiled too.

"I can't believe all three of us made it to the finals" Benny exclaimed, looking from one girl to another.

"What did you think of those tests?" Maya asked as they started towards the doors that lead back towards the sleeping towers.

"Man, those test were tough" Benny groaned "Especially the prank one"

"Was your prank the graffiti?" Patricia asked. Benny nodded, looking embarrassed.

"I guess growing up in a gang-related neighborhood paid off" He said.

"What was your prank?" Maya asked Patricia, who looked down.

"Switching the paintings." She replied. "What was yours?"

Maya felt her face flush. "Painting the chairs" She admitted. Benny and Patricia stopped walking, their eyes wide. Their gazes felt like searing-hot spotlight beams and Maya felt guilt flood though her.

"Sorry!" She said. Her friends smiled.

"Well, see you ladies tomorrow" Benny said as she passed through the doors that lead to the boys sleeping tower.

"Seriously, you owe me a new pair of jeans" Patricia said as the two girls climbed the stairs to the girls' tower.

The next morning, Maya, Benny and Patricia were reading in the library. They were reading books about Lord Seamus O'Flannery, trying to figure out more about him.

Suddenly something in the book that Maya was reading caught her eye.

"Hey guys" she said quietly, "Remember the night we were at the sundial, remember the carvings on the wall?"

Benny and Patricia looked up from their books. "You mean the one showing Flannery and the griffin? What does that have to do with anything?" Benny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Remember in the carving, O'Flannery was using a magic staff. It was highlighted in the carving". Maya continued

"So?" Benny wasn't getting the picture.

"So this" Maya showed them a picture the book she was reading. "Remember when that masked man said that O'Flannery used a magic staff to summon and control the Griffin?"

Benny was interested now, "Does it say where the staff is?"

"According to this, Lord O'Flannery had it placed in his tomb, which is located on an island in the middle of Shadow Lake. It's really close." Maya read.

"You're not saying you want to go find that staff" Patricia stated, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Why can't we?" Maya smiled. "It would be a great gesture to Griffin Clan about how serious we are about joining them"

"But Griffin Clan said that they only had room for one of us" Patricia reminded them, placing her own book on the table. "Besides…I'm not so sure we should be doing something like that" She glanced around nervously.

"Why not?" Maya asked, raising an eyebrow herself.

"Well, what if the Griffin attacks us?" Patricia admitted, looking down at her clasped hands

"The Griffin?" Maya exclaimed, her eyes and mouth open wide. "That's just a myth"

Patricia's eyes snapped up to frame Maya with a glare. "What I saw at the sundial was no myth!" She hissed though clenched teeth. Her anger was so visible that Maya ducked her head down and raised her hands in surrender. She felt shame flood though her cheeks as her memory flashed back to Patricia screaming at the sundial.

"I'm with Patricia on this one" Benny added, sucking in a nervous breath. "Remember those birdwatchers who claimed the griffin chased them? Our parents are worried enough as it is. You saw what happened to Walter, his mother yanked him out of the school."

"And Carolyn's bed is empty now" Patricia added. "She was so looking forward to coming here, and she voluntarily left when she saw the Griffin"

Maya rolled her eyes. "They're just getting worked up over rumors" She argued.

"Rumors?" Patricia's eyes narrowed again. "Have you ever seen the Griffin?" She asked in a fierce tone.

"Well, no" Maya admitted.

"Well, I have" Patricia continued a triumphant look in her eyes now. "And I'm telling you, we should not go messing with anything connected with that monster."

"But that's all the more reason why we should go looking for the staff" Maya responded, a touch of whine crept into her voice and she cleared her throat. "Think about it. If the griffin really exists, it's natural to assume that the magic staff does as well. And if the griffin is attacking people in the area and scaring parents so badly they're yanking their children from school, that's bad press for the school. Would your parents send you to a school that had a mythical monster running around, attacking its students?"

Benny and Patricia slowly shook their heads. Maya gave a triumphant smile and continued. "Well, I for one, have no intention of leaving the school. And if getting that magic staff means that we have a chance to save the school from this 'supposed' griffin, than I'm going for it"

Patricia sniggered "You sound crazy! You think you can use that staff to control the griffin?"

"No" Maya responded, looking at Patricia like she was nuts "I mean, get the staff to the teachers"

"So, why done we let the teachers go get the staff?" Patricia argued.

Maya shook her head. "Because I personally think that the griffin doesn't exist. And I'm serious about joining Griffin Clan. If giving them that staff doesn't prove that, nothing will. And who knows? If we all work together to retrieve it, the members of Griffin Clan might be so impressed, they'll let all three of us into the clan"

There was a few seconds of silence after Maya finished speaking, as Benny and Patricia processed this speech. Patricia opened her mouth to argue some more, but no words came out and she closed it again.

Benny groaned and placed his head on the table. Maya giggled, feeling the rush of adrenaline start to fade.

"Girl makes a good argument" Benny admitted, turning to Patricia. The blonde girl scowled but finally she took a deep breath.

"Fine, I'm in" She said. Maya's eyes danced with happiness. "Where's Shadow Lake again?"

"A few miles from here" Maya replied, glancing at the map in her book.

"You won't want to be going there my friends" A voice made Maya, Benny, and Patricia look up in surprise. Amos, the groundskeeper was standing across the table from them. "What that fancy book won't tell you" Amos continued in a low voice "Is when Lord O'Flannery came from Ireland, with him came his clan's banshee."

"Banshee? That's a good thing right?" Benny asked hopefully.

Amos shook his head "A banshee's a hideous female ghost who's wail brings doom to all who hear it" Benny quickly covered his ears, Patricia paled slightly, but Maya asked Amos to continue. "Legend says that the banshee wailed over Lord O'Flannery as he breathed his last breath. To this day, the ghost guards his tomb, ready to attack any that would dare disturb the dark wizards slumber" Straightening up, he said more calmly "You all have a pleasant evening". He turned and walked towards the door with a rake in one hand, a bad slung over his shoulder.

"Ever get the feeling he's trying to scare us?" Maya asked as they gathered their things.

"Oh yes" Benny replied, "All the time"

"Are we still on for Shadow Lake?" Patricia asked.

"Yes" Maya nodded determinedly, "Banshee or not, we have to get that staff"

That evening, the threesome slipped out of the castle unnoticed and hiked to Shadow Lake. It was three miles from the castle, and even though they made good time, it was nearly midnight by the time they reached Shadow Lake. Once there it was easy to see why it was called Shadow Lake. Though there was a quarter moon out in a semi-overcast sky, the water was inky black and murky.

"There's the island" Maya pointed to where the island sat in the middle of the lake. The island itself was barely visible due to a cloud of mist.

"Remember, we should stick together and stay alert. That banshee could be anywhere" Benny reminder the girls.

Maya felt terror grip her heart at the mention of the banshee, "Right, but I'm actually more worried of finding a way across to the island"

Maya had a point. The shore of the lake was littered with jagged looking rocks and the wrecked remains of small boats that had hit them.

"Hey, look at that!" Patricia dashed over to where a small rowboat was lying upside down beneath some dead branches. The boat's hull seemed to be in good condition, and when they flipped it over they saw two oars lying beneath it. Maya and Benny dragged the boat down to the water's edge. Benny took a moment to read the name of the boat, inscribed in bronze letters.

"The Fog Phantom, that's a weird name" he commented.

Maya flinched as an owl hooted from somewhere nearby. "Well this is a weird place"

They got the boat into the water, and climbed in. Soon Benny was rowing them across the water with powerful strokes. Maya and Patricia offered to help, but Benny said he could manage and that the girls should watch where they were going. In about 15 minutes, they bumped softly onto the island beach.

"We're here" Maya said quietly, and they hopped out and dragged the boat up onto the beach. They were just about to head inland when Patricia suddenly grasped their shoulders and pointed out across the water. A purplish light was drifting towards them, getting closer every second.

"Is it the Banshee?" Patricia whispered.

"If it is, we'd better run" Benny turned to do so when Maya grabbed his arm.

"Wait" She hissed. "Let's see what happens" The threesome crouched down behind a log as the light got closer and closer to the island. Maya narrowed her eyes to see better in the thick fog. When did it get so foggy? She asked herself. It had only been overcast earlier. As she stared at the purple light, it seemed to get bigger, like it was expanding. Maya could feel Patricia shivering next to her, and it probably wasn't because she was cold. Maya was beginning to feel nervous herself. Then she felt her mouth fly open as the light seemed to warp and distort, like it was being molded by an invisible pair of hands. Maya saw what looked like tattered appendages, long wavy light that reminded her of hair, and what looked like a face, staring back at her. Sheer terror seized her, than she ran.

"Maya!" She heard Benny call after her, but she barely acknowledged it as she disappeared down a barely visible trail into the thick tree cover.

Maya felt her feet pound the soft ground as she ran, darting this way and that along the twisted trail. Suddenly she became aware of footsteps pounding the trail behind her and that made her run faster. Her mind was screaming in terror and the only reason she wasn't literally doing so was due to the deep breaths she was taking. Maya felt something grab her hand and then she did scream.

"Woah! Woah!" Benny's voice rang in her ears as Maya trashed wildly to free herself. "Calm down!" Maya relaxed when she recognized the voice.

"Sorry" She said, as Patricia caught up with them. "I don't know what came over me."

"I'm guessing, something you 'don't' believe in" Patricia commented in a sarcastic voice.

"Funny" Maya frowned. "Now come on" She spun on her heel and marched down the trail. Benny and Patricia looked at each other, shrugged, and followed.

After a while, the group reached a clearing in which the trail branched into two different directions.

"Now where?" Patricia demanded.

"I'm not sure" Maya replied, glancing down both trails.

"Hmmm" Benny reached up to scratch his head, suddenly a gust of wind seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Hey!" Benny exclaimed in surprise as his cap was yanked right off his head. It soared up into the air, out of Benny's reach and drifted over the massive thicket in front of them.

"I'll get it" Patricia growled. She leapt up, grabbed a tree branch, swung for a minute, pumping her legs back and forth as she watched Benny's cap flutter past the tree, than, in one fluid motion, she pushed off, grabbed the cap, somersaulted in the air, and landed in a crouch, Benny's cap firmly clutched in her hands. May clapped as Patricia bowed playfully.

Benny's eyes were wide with amazement as he began pushing through the thicket. "How did you do…WOOAAHHH!" Benny vanished into the thicket. Maya winced as she heard a series of loud thuds.

Maya edged carefully into the thicket and saw that there was a giant hole in the ground. The brambles had masked it from the trail. The only way to see it was from above. Maya trained her flashlight around the hole until she saw Benny lying at the very center of it. Then she gasped. Projecting from the walls of the hole, at different heights were stone beams topped with carvings of eagle heads.

Maya and Patricia dashed down the stone steps that had been chiseled into the side of the hole as Benny groaned in pain.

"Are you okay?" Patricia asked, kneeling as he sat up on the steps.

"I've been better. Not very graceful of me, huh?" Benny replied smiling at Patricia as she handed him his cap. Patricia smiled back, her eyes glowing as Benny got to his feet.

"What is this place?" Maya exclaimed as she shined her light around. Benny gasped in amazement as he realized what he had tumbled into.

The pit floor consisted of three stone monoliths outside of a circle of carvings on the floor. The walls of the pit were also covered in carvings. Maya looked around then trained her flashlight on the monoliths. Each was carved in a series of swirl-like patterns. She noticed an X carved into the top of one of the monoliths. She shined her light on the other monoliths, they were carved with a different shape each, a diamond and a circle.

"Look at these markings" She said, "Each monolith has a different one".

"And look at this". Maya turned and saw Benny kneeling by the circle. "I've found a similar carving on the floor. Maybe…" Benny placed his hand upon the carving, and it pressed down like a large push button. There was a clanking sound from behind the pit walls.

"There's one here too" Maya pushed down another carving, while Patricia pressed down a third carving. Then Maya, on a hunch, walked to the very center of the circle and tapped her foot. The carving she was standing on sank down. There was a creaking and rumbling noise, but nothing happened.

"Great, now what" Benny groaned, leaning against one of the monoliths. To his surprise, it moved easily. "Hey these things move" He announced.

Maya dashed over "Maybe if we push them, something will happen". The threesome each threw their entire weight and muscle against a monolith. All three of them began moving along the circle. They were rotating along circular tracks carved in the pit floor. With the creaking of a chain and the rumble of stone sliding together, a section of the pit wall was raised like a portcullis, revealing a tunnel beyond.

"A secret door" Benny exclaimed, "Come on!" The three teens dashed towards the opening, but as soon as they stopped pushing against the monoliths, they began to rotate the opposite direction. The door began to lower again the threesome dashed through. It slammed down behind them and they heard a 'chunk' as the locks were sealed.

Chapter 7

Undaunted, they set forward through the cobweb-filled tunnel. Eventually they reached a large chamber filled with carvings and statues. And at the far end of the chamber, framed by strips of glowing blue stones, was a large griffin statue. At the feet of the statue was a sarcophagus.

They dashed over to it, and Maya trained her flashlight on the engraving on the lid of the tomb.

"That's the O'Flannery crest" she exclaimed

"But, where's the staff?" Patricia asked, shining her light around the dark and dreary tomb.

"I've got a hunch. Help me get the lid off." Benny replied, throwing his weight against the lid of the massive stone sarcophagus. Maya and Patricia ran to help.

Eventually, the lid rolled off and fell to the floor with a clang. Everyone crowded around to see what was inside. Their flashlights revealed a dusty white skeleton wearing old clothes, with wisps of white hair still stuck to its skull. Patricia cringed, than noticed that the staff was clutched in the skeleton's boney hands.

"Bingo" Maya reached inside the sarcophagus and carefully unclasped the boney fingers from around the staff. She had to strain to lift the staff from the crypt because there were so many cobwebs attached to it. Finally the staff was out. It shone weekly in the light created by the glowing stones on the wall.

"Now we'd better get this back to the teachers" Maya said to Patricia, who nodded. A sudden gasp made both girls look up. Benny was stating at the girls, his eyes wide with fear and surprise. His face was purple. In fact, the entire crypt wall seemed to be purple.

"What's wrong with you?" Maya demanded.

"We got a visitor" Benny pointed behind the girls

"Is it who I think it is?" Patricia asked slowly. Both girls turned, and their eyes simultaneously widened and their mouths dropped.

Floating behind them was a female figure enshrouded in purple smoke. They could see her bare arms and her face, which were pale purple, her eyes were purple too, and deep purple was her hair, fanning behind her in soft waves, as if there was a breeze, but there was no wind inside the crypt.

Quickly recovering, Patricia scoffed "That's the banshee; she doesn't look hideous at all"

"Yah man" Benny agreed, smiling in a silly kind of way. "She look kinda pretty"

The banshee seemed to smile, and began to change!

Her skin turned ghostly white. Her hands, arms, and face became wrinkled and skeletal-like, her eyes widened and turned yellow, with black slits for pupils. Her mouth unhinged, revealing a black mouth with rotten-looking teeth. Her hair turned black and waved around wildly. Then the banshee threw back her head, and screamed. Everyone cried out in fear, as the banshee dove at Maya and Patricia. Screaming, Maya ducked as the banshee swooped over her.

"…Or not! Come on, man!" Benny yelled as Maya scrambled to her feet. The banshee circled around and dived at them again, screaming at the top of her voice. The three teens dashed down another tunnel, with the banshee in hot pursuit. They scrambled through an opening in the wall, and dashed through the woods, ignoring the brambles and twigs that plucked at their clothing. Maya clutched the staff in both arms, praying that she wouldn't lose it.

As the three teens burst through the undergrowth onto the beach, they could hear the Banshee's screams echo though the trees.

"You think we lost her?" Patricia asked as the threesome pushed the boat around. Maya was about to answer, when the Banshee wailed again. A purple figure shot out of the trees to hover against the cloudy sky and shrieked an unearthly cry

"Nope!" Benny yelled, pushing their smaller rowboat out into the water. Just then, the banshee dove down at them. The girls jumped into the boat and Benny began rowing away from the island.

"Look out!" Patricia screamed. They looked up to see the banshee practically on top of them. She hissed and screamed, reaching for them with clawed fingers.

Benny took one look at the banshee, gritted his teeth, and began rowing harder than ever before. The rowboat practically flew across the water, with the banshee right behind them. Maya twisted around just in time to see the far shore rocketing towards them.

"Benny! Slow down!" Maya yelled, but it was too late. The boat hit the rocks and flung them onto the beach. The three teens groaned with pain, but nothing was broken. Then they whirled around to glance the lake. The banshee was floating at the water's edge, an astonished look on her face, as if she could not believe what had just happened. Then she scowled, glaring at the kids before sinking beneath the waves.

The kids couldn't speak for a while, than Maya turned to Benny.

"Nice work on the oars" She said, clapping Benny on the shoulder.

Benny couldn't speak, he was still gathering his breath, but he nodded.

"I don't think I've ever seen a rowboat go so fast" Patricia admitted, once she had stopped shaking. "You saved us" She flung her arms around Benny, who turned to look at her.

"Well, what can I say?" He replied in a somewhat macho tone "When I row, I really row"

Patricia giggled and placed her head on Benny's shoulder. Maya rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

HONK! HONK! All three teens jumped as a car horn pierced the foggy night. A midnight-blue colored van was driving down the short gravel road to the shore. The van screeched to a stop, the doors opened and Whirlin Merlin stepped out, an annoyed look on his face.

"Uh oh" Patricia groaned as she and Benny broke apart. Whirlin approached the threesome, lookin over each of them in total.

"So, care to tell me what you three are doing…?" His phrase cut when he noticed the staff clutched in Maya's hands. "Is that…?" He pointed to the staff. Maya nodded, feeling guilt flush her cheeks.

Just them, a cry pierced through the air.

Everyone looked around.

"I thought the banshee was gone" Patricia wailed as she edged closer to Benny.

"That wasn't the banshee!" Benny gulped, than pointed skyward.

Diving towards them through the thick fog was a large, winged shape.

"The griffin!" Patricia shrieked, clutching Benny tightly as the creature emerged from the fogbank, cawing loudly.

"Holy Houdini!" Whirlin exclaimed, staring at the creature in wonder. Maya was too stunned to speak, she'd already dropped both the staff and her jaw from sheer amazement.

The griffin was real! It was huge, much bigger than her. Its large wings, each longer than her body, flapped the air, keeping it aloft. Its eagle-like front legs were topped with wicked-looking claws. "I don't believe it" Maya muttered in a half tone, staring up at the rapidly approaching creature. "It can't be!"

"Come on!" Whirlin reacted first, grabbing Maya's and Benny's hands and pulling them towards the van. Maya instinctively grabbed the staff as the threesome were dragged towards the van. The griffin cried out again as they dove into the back.

"Drive! Drive!" Benny yelled to Whirlin as he got in at front. The van roared to life and the wheels spun for a few seconds, sand and gravel flew everywhere before the van got traction. The box-like vehicle leapt forward, throwing the teens around the back like ping pong balls as Whirlin struggled to control the van on the rough, uphill drive from the lake. They reached the main road and Whirlin floored the gas. The van rocketed down the winding road almost recklessly.

As the van roared over a bump, a thud shook the vehicle and the rear doors flew open. Glancing back, Maya heard the griffin's call, and her eyes widened as the creature appeared, about 10 feet behind them, and gaining.

"It's chasing us!" She yelled over the roar of the wind and the van's engine.

"Use the staff!" Benny called back, holding Patricia, who was starting to shake again.

"Right!" Maya turned to face the griffin. "Shoo!" She yelled, swinging the staff at it, like the griffin was a big dog "Begone!" But the griffin didn't 'shoo', instead, it darted forwards and snapped angrily at them, it's pointed beak slamming shut inches from the van. "It's not working!" Maya yelled in disbelief and Patricia wailed in despair, clutching Benny like he was a life ring.

Squirming to get out of Patricia's tightening embrace, Benny's hand ran along the van's floor as they rounded a sharp curve and struck a box. The lid popped open, revealing rows of colorful spheres. "What are these?" He asked. Maya shrugged.

"Magical explosives!" Whirlin yelled from the front. "I keep them for practice while travelling!"

Benny held up one of the explosives, and his lips curled into a smile. Pulling Patricia off him, he pushed the pin on the sphere and hurled it at the griffin.

BANG!FZZZZZZZ!ZING! The sphere exploded into a colorful array of sparks, smoke and what looked like tiny stars. The griffin jerked backwards, shaking its head.

"Now we're talking!" Benny laughed, grabbing another one. Patricia grabbed one as well and they both began throwing the explosives. The Griffin cried out and veered away as the sky became filled with what looked like fireworks.

By this time, they had turned onto the drive leading up to the school. Whirlin screeched to a stop by the main doors and everyone scrambled to get out.

"What's all the ruckus out here?" Maya, Patricia, and Benny jumped and spun to see Amos, the groundskeeper standing a few feet away with Madelyn right behind him.

Maya opened her mouth to explain, but the griffin's cry cut her off.

"Griffin attack!" Benny yelled as he ran past with Patricia at his heels.

Everyone looked up to see the griffin diving towards the group.

Amos' eyes widened and he ran towards the door with Maya right behind him. As they crossed the threshold, Maya suddenly realized that Madelyn was nowhere to be seen.

Spinning around she saw that Madelyn hadn't move from her spot, she was frozen, staring up at the approaching griffin.

"MADELYN! RUN!" Maya screamed. Madelyn suddenly seemed to snap out of her frozen state, she turned to run, but the griffin was almost upon her.

Maya gritted her teeth and dashed through the door.

"Maya, no!" Benny yelled, chasing after her.

Maya ran as fast as she could, but it was too late. The griffin swooped down and seized Madelyn with its claws.

"Madelyn!" Maya yelled as the griffin took off with its prize.

"HELP!" Madelyn screamed as the griffin vanished into the fog, its triumphant cry echoing long after it had vanished.

"No!" Maya moaned, sinking to her knees and burying her face in her hands.

Chapter 8

Later, in the great hall, Maya barely touched the food that the cook had just prepared for them. Guilt was crushing her like a giant weight on her back.

Poor Madelyn She thought miserably, glancing over at the throne-like chair that Whirlin sat in. Crystal was standing next to him, Vernon on his other side. Amos, Marlin, Miss Rumblebuns, and Stephen were discussing in a quiet group. Stephen looked downcast, but there was a spark of anger in his eyes and he kept shooting dark looks at Maya, looks that cut though her like razor blades. Maya took a deep breath and felt anger coarse though her, mixing with her guilt. She felt a hot bile rise in her throat. Grinding her teeth, she stood up and began to pack. She grabbed explosives, smoke bombs, and other tricks and began stuffing them into her backpack.

"What are you doing with those?" Maya looked up at Whirlin's question. The head teacher was staring at her from his throne.

"I'm going to get Madelyn back" Maya replied, her voice firm.

"How? You don't know where the griffin's taken her" Amos argued.

"I've got a pretty good idea" Maya turned to look out the window, staring at the Griffin's roost with narrowed eyes. She turned back at Patricia's gasp. She blonde girl was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Maya please, tell me you're not serious!" She pleaded.

"Why else do you think it's called the Griffin's Roost?" Maya responded, tryignt o hide the fear that was creeping into her voice.

"The Griffin's Roost?" Stephen exclaimed.

"That's out of bounds!" Miss Rumblebuns barked, her expression and voice as stern as ever. "Especially at this time of night!"

"Alma's right, plus it's dangerous" Marlin added. "The Griffin Clan has been helping me restore the tower, but parts of it are still unsafe"

"I. Don't. Care!" Maya replied, the fury in her words so strong that Marlin actually took a step back and Stephen's face lost its dark glare. "This is all my fault!" Maya continued, shaking the staff. "If I hadn't gone to get this thing from O'Flannery's crypt, the griffin wouldn't have chased us and ultimately, it wouldn't have gotten Madelyn!"

"Can't argue with that" Stephen muttered

"Stephen!" Crystal scolded, giving him a murderous look.

"No, he's right!" Maya said, her voice trembling. "I got Madelyn into this mess…and… and I'm going to get her out!" Without waiting for a response, Maya turned on her heel and dashed from the room.

"Maya wait! Come back here!" Maya heard Whirlin call out after her, but she ignored it and continued running. The edges of her vision blurred with tears as she ran into the main hallway and dashed towards the door that led to the inner courtyard. She had amost reached the door when someone grabbed her hand and yanked her to a stop. Snarling, Maya whirled to face Benny and Patricia. Benny was holding her wrist in an iron-tight grip.

"Benny, let go of me" Maya growled, throwing daggers at him. "I have to do this"

"I can't let you go" Benny replied, his face hard as stone, then it softened "Without us" he added.

"What?" Maya's eyes widened, surprise written over her face.

"If you think you can waltz off to the Griffin's Roost without us, you've got another thing coming" Patricia replied, her hands on her hips and a determined look set on her face.

"Guys" Maya breathed, relief beginning to show. "You don't have to come with me"

"Oh, and why not?" Benny demanded his face stern again. "We went with you to the crypt, we helped you retrieve the staff, we were all chased by the griffin"

"We're in this just as much as you are" Patricia finished, placing her hand on Maya's other wrist. Maya twitched but didn't try to pull free. "We're sticking together"

Maya looked from one face to another, then gave a huge sigh of relief and seemed to sag in her friend's arms. "Thanks. You're the best"

"I know" Patricia smiled, but it faded when they heard footsteps behind them. Turning, they saw Stephen approaching, his mouth set in a frown.

"Stephen, I know what you're going to say, so don't even bother" Maya said, feeling her anger return.

"You're really serious about going up there?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes" Maya replied, and she meant it.

"Then you'll need these" Stephen tossed something at them which Maya caught. She stared at a large key-ring equipped with two old-fashioned keys. "Those will get you inside the Griffin's Roost. I managed to 'borrow' them from Amos. Use the black one for the outer gate, and the gold one for the tower door"

Maya looked back up, gratitude shining in her eyes. "Thanks" She smiled at Stephen.

Stephen didn't smile back. "Just be careful up there. We've already lost Madelyn, Whirlin and Marlin don't want to lose any more students"

"We will" Maya nodded. To Benny and Patricia she said "Let's go shake a monster from its nest"

A few minutes later, they were standing outside of the wall surrounding the tower. Maya inserted the black key into the keyhole and turned it in the lock. The door opened with squeaking hinges. The courtyard inside was not what they were expecting. The yard was almost overgrown with thorny trees and weeds. The teens jumped as lightning flashed across the cloudy sky. Benny moved forwards, carrying a flashlight while Maya held the keys and staff. They followed a stone pathway to the only door in the base of the tower. The overhang above the door was shaped like a griffin's head, with a long beak and sharp teeth pointing down like stalactites. Even though the griffin's eyes were carved stone, they seemed to be looking right at them, as if daring them to enter. Maya inserted the gold key and unlocked the door. There was a hiss as the door unlocked and it began opening by itself.

Inside the tower was a small corridor, at the end of the corridor was a giant chamber that took up much of the tower. There was some wooden framework crisscrossing the floor of the tower, but not much else. The rumble of thunder made Benny turn his flashlight upwards. They saw that the top of the tower was open to the sky. Slowly, the threesome began to spread out, searching the tower for any trace of Madelyn, but found nothing. Then suddenly, Maya heard Patricia gasp in horror. Looking at her, she saw that Patricia was gazing at something behind her, her face was purple.

"Wait, don't tell me" Maya said nervously, "There's something very ugly and very scary right behind me". Benny nodded, his eyes wide. Maya slowly turned around, locking eyes with the Banshee! She wailed, even louder than she had at the crypt. Maya screamed and started running, but only got about several steps before she tripped. As she fell, the banshee suddenly vanished in a flash of light, her wail was cut off mid-shriek.

"What happened?" Patricia asked, looking around wildly "Where'd the banshee go?"

"I don't know, she split when I tripped on this…wire?" Maya gazed down at a thin wire that was wrapped around her ankle.

Maya took the flashlight, and followed the trail of wire. It ran around a wooden beam and was connected to what looked like a camera, hanging from one of the wooden frames.

"Funny place to put a video camera" Benny commented as Maya untangled herself.

"Why would there be one in here?" Patricia asked. Maya and Benny both shrugged.

Suddenly, the threesome heard muffled screaming "Help! Help!"

"That's Madelyn!" Maya exclaimed, recognizing the voice.

Benny dashed over to some stone steps. "This way"

As they started climbing the stairs turned into wooden beams sticking out of the wall. They began stepping from one beam to another, carefully, ascending the tower around the walls in a large spiral. All the time, Madelyn kept screaming from somewhere up ahead. But after a while, all was quiet.

The threesome continues climbing the stairway of wooden beams, but as Patricia (who was last) was looking around, she stepped on a beam that was near a window, and the beam sank downwards. Losing her balance, Patricia started to fall over the edge, screaming. But Benny reached back and grabbed her wrist, thus saving her from a long drop, but Patricia's flashlight wasn't so lucky. It spiraled down and crashed on the unseen floor below.

"The stair moved" Patricia embraced Benny, clearly shivering from her close encounter.

"Are you okay?" Maya asked from the other side of the window.

"Yeah" Patricia replied, but refused to let go of Benny.

Then suddenly the boards blocking the window began shuddering violently with giant thuds, cracks appeared as if something was trying to break through them. The boards broke as a giant claw reached out through the window and began swiping at them. The griffin's cry echoed from outside as it tried in vain to reach them.

Patricia screamed and tried to back up.

"Don't worry, it can't reach us" Benny soothed her, then as the claw relaxed for a second, they leapt over it.

CRASH!

As Maya and Benny watched, the claw destroyed two of the beams, before retreating back through the window.

"Come on!" Maya said and they started running. As they ran, thundering vibrations indicated that the griffin was somehow scaling the tower walls, following them as they ran higher and higher. Than as they passed another boarded window, the boards were suddenly blaster across their path and the giant claw reached inside again, trying to reach its prey, but they were already gathering their breath on a ledge where the stairs ended.

Than the griffin claw retracted, but they gasped as the griffin stuck its head through the hole. Its beak opened wide, its long pink tongue waving. Its yellow eyes glanced around, when it saw them, it cried out and snapped its beak a couple times, but couldn't reach them.

"Out here" Benny pulled Maya and Patricia through an opening in the wall as the griffin retracted its head. The teens found themselves on a balcony running around the top of the tower. The night was now so foggy that they couldn't see the griffin, but its piercing cry, and the sound of giant wings beating the air told them it wasn't far behind. They ran along the circular balcony and darted into another opening, and up a short flight of steps, than stopped. Above them was only sky, before them was the hollow part of the tower which, at this height, was like a giant canyon pit. It was spanned by only a little, flimsy-looking wooden bridge with no railing, more like a giant beam than a bridge, which led to a pair of giant wooden doors on the other side of the pit.

"Help! Help!" Muffled cries were coming from across the empty space, and May could hear dull thuds from the doors.

Patricia gulped nervously "She's on the other side" she whimpered.

"Figures" Benny moaned, shaking his head.

Maya walked forwards but froze as the wood groaned beneath her feet. The entire bridge seemed to shake and small pieces of the structure came off and fell into the blackness below. They carefully made their way across the bridge, which groaned and shook, but seemed to support their weight. They were nearly to the other side, when disaster struck.

Something thudded down in front of Maya, who screamed as the griffin reared up before her. Now that she was close up, she was even more afraid of it. Its huge brown-and-white feathered wings were extended, making it look even bigger. Its orange-yellow beak was opened so wide Maya was sure it could swallow her whole. Its cry was almost deafening and Maya had to fight the urge to instinctively cover her ears and crouch down in terror. Its yellow eyes narrowed as it studied her, its black cat-like slits gleaming. Even though it was on its back legs, Maya had a tough time distinguishing where the brown eagle feathers ended and where the brown lion fur began. In the dark, they seemed to be the same. A ring of white feathers framed the face like a beard and two long bunches of feathers stuck out sideways over the creatures' eyes, like eyebrows. The griffin sank to all fours and tensed its body, its beak barely open in a warning hiss, its wings hunched, its eyes had the look that a cat has when it is about to pounce on a juicy mouse or bird.

"Maya" Benny whispered as he and Patricia clutched each other, clearly as terrified as she was. "Use the staff"

Maya felt more like running away than facing that creature, but she forced her feet to move forwards. She approached the griffin, held up the staff to the monster could see it clearly and bellowed "I COMMAND YOU TO LET US PAST!" To add extra effect, she tapped the wooden bridge with the staff, which groaned in response.

The griffin cried out, but its eyes widened, as if it recognized the staff used by its former master. Its wings rustled and it shifted on its clawed feet, but it didn't move.

"I think I did it" Maya sighed with relief, turning back towards the others. But as she did, the griffin darted its head forward and clamped its beak shut on the staff. The next thing Maya knew, she was whipped off her feet as the griffin reared up again, shaking its head like a terrier shakes a rat it has just caught. The griffin eventually let go, and Maya was flung through the air to crash into the wooden doors behind the griffin. Dazed, she sank to the floor, shaking her head, moaning in pain.

The griffin snorted, then turned back to Benny and Patricia, who was still standing in the middle of the bridge. It opened its beak and gave another ear-splitting cry.

"That's it" Benny growled, reaching for Maya's bag, which had been dropped. "Now I'm mad"

"Me too" Patricia's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Heads up Birdbrain!" Benny yelled, as he and Patricia threw some magic explosives at the griffin. They burst, causing the griffin to shut its eyes and squawk in pain. Benny cheered and threw some more bombs. "Not so tough now, are you feather face?" he taunted.

"Yeah, take that you flying feather duster!" Patricia added as she cocked her arm to throw another explosive. The griffin hissed in rage and lunged at them. Benny quickly jumped back and Patricia threw the bomb she had. It exploded in the Griffin's face as it lunged forward blindly. The beast's beak speared the bridge, ripped up the boards of the bridge where Benny had been standing. The bridge began shaking as more boards started giving way. The bridge began to fall apart. Boards and splinters began spiraling down to the emptiness below.

"Run!" Benny yelled as the bridge began to crumble. The two teens sprinted along the length of the bridge just ahead of the cracking wood and leapt from the bridge to the solid archway. Spinning around, they saw that the griffin had spread its wings as it tried to maintain its balance, wide eyes darting every which way. But the bridge crumbled beneath it, and it fell. Its cry sounding like a death rattle as it vanished into the darkness below.

"Maya! Are you okay?" Patricia called, her voice echoing across the giant opening. Maya groaned as she rose to her feet, dusting off her jeans.

"I think so!" She called back.

"Stay there" Benny's voice drifted over "We'll go and get help".

"Okay!" Maya replied as Benny and Patricia disappeared into the archway.

Maya sat down to wait for him, but after a few minutes, she heard a cry.

"No, it can't be" She muttered, glancing skyward through the arch.

But it was; the griffin was back! It circled above the tower with lazy flaps of its wings.

Suddenly, Maya heard thumping noises coming from behind her.

"Help! Help! Can anybody hear me?" It was Madelyn's voice!

"She'll probably be fine until help comes" Maya thought to herself, than the shook her head "No! You've come this far and you can't go back! The least you can do is see this through!"

Turning, she took a deep breath, and approached the door.

Chapter 9

The doors were way taller than she was. They were covered with carved scenes and symbols, there was no keyhole.

"How am I going to get in without a key?" Maya asked herself. Then her eyes were drawn to the part of the door right in front of her. She held up the staff, studied the carvings, and something in her mind seemed to click. A determined look on her face, she took the staff and twisted it. The jeweled tip of the staff suddenly separated into three claw-like points, revealing a straight piece that looked like a key. She inserted the staff into the carving; there was a click as the key pierced a lock that had long been dormant. Then she twisted the staff around. There was a hiss as the ancient tumblers tumbled, and as she removed the staff, the doorway slid open with a rumble. Maya carefully stepped through and observed where she now was.

She was in what looked like a small courtyard. Rising above her was a small keep that was partially demolished, so she could see bits of furniture in the different rooms. A wooden chandelier hung from a hook on one room, half over the edge. As Maya closed up the staff again, she heard a voice.

"Maya! Maya!" Looking up, she saw Madelyn waving from a floor above her, looking scared but unhurt.

"Hey Madelyn, are you okay?" Maya called up.

Madelyn nodded as Maya dashed up the steps. "The griffin dropped me in the tower than flew off. I hope he doesn't come back for a midnight snack"

A roar from behind Maya indicated that the griffin had indeed returned. It flew over the crumbling wall and landed in the courtyard.

"We have to get out of here!" Madelyn yelled as the griffin advanced

"But that thing destroyed the bridge, there's no other way down!" Maya yelled back as she darted between Madelyn and the griffin. The griffin began snapping its beak, trying to reach them. Maya lashed out, using the staff as a club

"Beat it Tweety!" She yelled as she made contact, "Take off!"

"What are you doing?" Madelyn screamed as the griffin roared and reared up on its back legs to better reach them.

"Trying to hold this lummox at bay until Benny and Patricia get back with help" Maya replied.

CLAMP!

"Not again!" Maya screamed as once again she was lifted off her feet and thrown against the wall.

Staggering to her feet, she heard Madelyn scream as the griffin tried to get at her. Looking up, she saw Madelyn cowering against the wall, then, was it her eyes? Or did everything suddenly go red? Maya didn't care; she felt strength flowing through her. Getting to her feet, she ran toward the griffin, shouting "HEY BEAKY! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET". The griffin and Madelyn both turned to face her as she chanted; "BY THE POWERS OF SEAMUS O'FLANNERY, I COMMAND YOU TO STOP!" On the word stop, she hurled the staff with all her might, like a javelin. It pierced the griffin's chest and the beast roared with pain. Madelyn, seeing her chance, dashed down the steps seconds before the griffin fell back against them, its legs and neck flailing. Maya ran forwards and dragged Madelyn back towards the wall as the griffin slowly fell forwards, collapsing on the floor with a loud crash.

Several agonizing seconds passed, nothing happened. Then Madelyn broke the silence.

"You…You defeated the griffin! That's incredible" She stammered, her voice and wide eyes showing awe and wonder. Maya couldn't speak; all she could do was gaze as the griffin's body. Suddenly, the griffin's eyes snapped open. It raised its head and opened its wings, but it couldn't take off. Lightning flashed among the clouds as the griffin gave one final cry to the heavens, and then its eyes closed and it sank to the floor, unmoving.

Chapter 10

As Maya gazed at the lifeless beast, she became aware of another sound, clapping.

Looking up, she saw the masked Griffin Clan leader standing at the top of the stairs, applauding. As Maya watched, more hooded figures appeared behind him, applauding and cheering.

"What's-"Maya started to ask, but was interrupted when Madelyn squeezed her in a crushing hug

"-happening?" she finished as she wrenched herself out of Madelyn's grasp.

Madelyn smiled happily at Maya as she stood back. "You did it Maya! You passed Griffin Clan's final test"

"Final…test?" Maya asked her, still confused.

"Maya" Madelyn held up her griffin pendant. "You're in"

Maya's eyes widened, her jaw dropped, and a jolt of excitement flowed though her as she realized what Madelyn was talking about. "R-really?" She stammered. Madelyn nodded. "But, what about…" Maya glanced back at the lifeless griffin.

Madelyn snorted with barely contained laughter. "Come here" She led Maya towards the griffin's body "I want to show you something" Taking Maya's flashlight, she shone the beam on the griffin's front leg. Maya looked confused, not exactly sure what she was supposed to see. Madelyn reached out and her hand closed on something above the foot joint. Maya looked carefully and saw that Madelyn was actually grasping a long black wire, strong enough to hold the griffin's leg, but thin enough so that Maya had to look very carefully to see it. Giggling, Madelyn pulled up and down on the wire and the griffin's foot flopped around like a puppet on a string. Taking the flashlight, Maya followed the wire up with the light beam and saw many more wires rising from the griffin's body. They disappeared into a low cloud hanging above the tower.

As Maya watched the cloud broke up, revealing a small blimp descending down. As it reached the tower, several of the hooded figures on various levels of the keep threw ropes to the blimp, which was then secured to sections of the tower. Seeing the wires were attached to the gondola of the blimp Maya gasped,

"T-The griffin's a…gigantic puppet?" Maya stammered, struggling to make sense of all this.

"Mm-hmm" Madelyn nodded and smiled.

"But it sure fooled you" The masked figure appeared behind Madelyn. Stephen removed his mask and bowed to Maya.

"Madelyn and I are the current leaders of the Griffin Clan." He explained as Madelyn walked over to stand by his side. "Ever since I joined the academy two years ago, I've been dreaming about performing with a real griffin. It would be the ultimate performance. We presented our idea to the staff and they all approved of it. We spent much of last year and this summer building it and making it work.

Maya looked around to see a rope ladder cascade from the blimp gondola. Marlin Merlin climbed out of the gondola and down to the ground. He paused to remove the staff from where it was wedged in the puppet's chest and approached the group.

"So the monster was never real!" Maya realized, her eyes widening.

"Nope" Marlin shook his head, "Just a more advanced version of the puppets that Whirlin and I used as kids in our magic acts".

"And the blimp carried the griffin beneath it to make people believe that it was really flying" Stephen explained.

"But how did you disguise the blimp?" Maya asked, scratching her head.

"Glycerol" Marlin answered, pointing up at the blimp. "I have a fog machine up there in the gondola, and sprayers rigged all over the structure to cover the blimp in a concealing fog bank.

"So that's why it was foggy when the griffin appeared" Maya realized, shaking her head. She was beginning to feel stupid.

Marlin held up a remote control unit "I used the fog to hide the blimp, than operated the griffin through this animatronics control." He moved a few levers and the griffin raised its head, spread its wings, and cried out.

Maya flinched, but then raised an eyebrow as another thought struck her."But what about when the griffin attacked Patricia, Benny, and me inside the tower?" Maya asked, "It couldn't have been the same puppet"

"It wasn't" Marlin explained. "Soon after we bought the castle, we started to renovate the Griffins' Roost. Whirlin and I discovered that Lord O'Flannery had rigged parts of the tower with devices of his own design to make superstitious people really believe that a monster lived there. When a trespasser entered the tower, the griffin would drive them away. I decided replaced the worn machinery with more advanced equipment."

"I'm starting to get it" Maya looked thoughtful "But what about the banshee, was that a puppet too?"

"Sometimes" Madelyn replied "We helped Marlin rig several puppets to appear at various places, even in the lake, which is why she appeared to be chasing you"

"She wasn't a puppet every time" Marlin objected "That camera you three discovered in the base of the tower was really a holographic projector that I use in volumetric displays. Actually one of many that I had put together. Anyone entering the tower would have set off the invisible beam of an electric eye. That would in turn activate the ghost".

"I see, but why go through this elaborate scheme? You scared everyone out of their minds, and lost a third of the students in the process!" Maya asked, her hands on her hips. Now that the nightmare was over, and things had been explained, Maya felt angry for being put through all that.

"I guess we got a bit carried away" Madelyn admitted, looking embarrassed. "You see, we've been trying to improve on the initiation process for years. We wanted to make it more difficult, and scarier. We never meant for things to get so wild, but we had to come up with a way of choosing between you, Benny, or Patricia. So when Amos told us that he had overheard your plans to go to Shadow Lake to find O'Flannery's staff we realized that we could use the legend of the griffin to our advantage and have some fun as well."

"Is Amos in the Griffin Clan?" Maya asked, looking around for him, her eyes narrowed. But there was no sign of the squat groundskeeper.

"Many of the faculty are in the clan" Stephen smiled.

"Once we knew you had the staff, I even arranged for the griffin to 'kidnap' me and take me here. You see, the final Griffin Clan test is about loyalty and never backing down from a challenge. We wanted to see if our remaining initiates were brave enough to come and rescue me, but even I didn't expect you to do what you did" Madelyn blushed.

"One last question" Maya turned to Marlin. "What about when the birdwatchers saw the griffin?"

Marlin blushed, then he chuckled "That was an early practice runs with the griffin puppet. Whirlin and I had actually finished building the griffin puppet a few nights before then. I was out practicing with the puppet's movements, trying to make it move as realistically as possible. Those people saw the puppet and they probably freaked out because to them it must have looked like a real creature."

"And what about that night at the sundial?" Maya asked

"Yeah, Marlin. What about that night?" Madelyn asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Marlin chuckled again, "That was actually a little joke on my part. I knew that the ceremony would be that night, and I knew that Stephen was planning to give a small speech about the griffin being the protector of the castle. So I figured that if the griffin were to 'show up' while Stephen was speaking, than it might look more realistic"

"Try too realistic" Maya countered, folding her hands over her chest, her tone flat.

Marlin shook his head "I never expected half the initiates to flee in terror when they saw my puppet"

"Well, at least you helped us narrow it down" Stephen pointed out. Everyone laughed at this.

"Well, I have to admit, you really put on a great act" Maya commented "Though, you didn't have to make it that realistic" She added, glaring at Marlin and rubbing her back.

"Honest, I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I tried to make amends" Marlin said

"Huh?" Madelyn cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"When the automated griffin wrecked the bridge, I realized that things might be getting a little out of hand. So I called Whirlin to find your friends and try to calm them and explain. Meanwhile, I would try to bring the two of you down. But you attacked me before I could do anything" Marlin said to Maya. "And you weren't helping any by screaming your head off like that" Marlin pointed at Madelyn, who blushed again.

"Hey, I thought the show was still going on" Madelyn argued. This made everyone else laugh as the other members of the Griffin Clan gathered around. Maya shook hands and many people clapped her on the back. But she barely noticed. She was still in a semi-state of shock.

"So, Benny and Patricia know about all this?" She finally asked. Stephan nodded. "Will they be inducted too?" Maya asked, her hopes rising, but they deflated when Stephen and Madelyn shared a worrying look.

"We're not sure" Madelyn finally admitted.

"Oh, come on" Maya argued, scowling.

Madelyn put her hands up "Hey, it's not that we don't want to, but we're only supposed to take in one initiate a year. We'll have to ask Whirlin if they're allowed in"

"Fine" Maya snapped, then looked towards the doors. "So how do we get down?"

"I think there's enough room in the blimp for all of us" Marlin suggested. Stephen began shouting orders to the other Griffin Clan members, which had lowered their hoods. Maya recognized them as various students at the school. They began gathering by the ladder as Marlin handed Stephen the staff and climbed up. The students began following him. Stephen handed Maya the staff before he climbed up the ladder.

"Maybe you should hold onto this for now" He told her as he started up. Madelyn climbed up next. Maya started up, but halfway up she stopped when she saw Madelyn wasn't inside yet.

"What's wrong?" She hollered up.

"It's too crowded!" Madelyn called back, "There's no more room for you".

Maya groaned, looked around, than she saw the griffin puppet, laying on the floor.

"Hey Madelyn" She called, "Do you think I could ride on the puppet on the way down? If it could pick you up, than it should be able to hold me"

Madelyn confirmed with Marlin, then called down "He says go for it"

Maya squeaked with glee and climbed down. She waited on the floor while the blimp released its tethers. It slowly began rising. In the gondola, Marlin plugged in the controller and fiddled with the knobs. The griffin opened its eyes and rose to its feet. It lowered its head so Maya could climb onto its feathered neck.

Seeing no way to hold on, she gripped the puppet tightly with her knees, and knelt down on top of the puppet's feathered skin, clutching the staff with both hands. The griffin spread its wings and was soon airborne. Gliding limply beneath the blimp with wings outstretched, Maya looked down at the ground and realized this was like her dream. She was riding a griffin, well, a real-looking griffin anyway.

"You okay down there?" Stephen called down.

"Yeah, this is kinda fun!" Maya yelled back.

"Kinda fun?" Stephen's eyes widened in fake horror. "Hey Marlin, I don't think our new recruit's having fun down there. Let's fix that!" As if in response, the blimp began projecting fog from its sprayers, concealing itself against the cloudy sky.

"Get ready for the ride of your life!" Madelyn's voice yelled down through the fog.

Maya suddenly realized what was about to happen. "Don't do it too hard!" She yelled as the griffin suddenly came alive. The wings began flapping, the limbs began moving and the griffin started to pitch in the air, swaying from side to side. At first, Maya hung on desperately to the griffin's neck, but eventually, she began to enjoy herself. She let go with her hands, keeping a firm grip on the staff, and eventually she threw her arms back and shrieked for joy. Her dream had come true. She was riding on a griffin!

The blimp made a wide turn away from the school and began coming back on a lower level. As they flew over the castle, headed towards the base of the Griffin's Roost, Maya saw a group of people standing by the gate in the wall. Some of them were holding torches. As they got nearer, Maya recognized Benny and Patricia among them, along with Amos, Miss Rumblebuns, and about twenty other students.

"Hey!" She called out, the griffin cried out as well. Whirlin spotted her and pointed her out to Patricia and Benny. Patricia's jaw dropped in amazement while Benny put two fingers in his mouth and gave a piercing whistle.

The blimp lost its fog covering as Marlin shut off the fog machine. The griffin puppet coasted down to the ground and hung a few meters off the grass as the blimp came to a stop. The puppet gently settled down as Maya jumped off its neck and ran to Benny and Patricia, who were running towards her. Benny opened his arms and Maya leapt into them. After a few minutes, they let go.

"I do not believe it! This is unreal! You actually were riding on the griffin!" Benny exclaimed.

"What was it like?" Patricia asked eagerly

Maya, red-faced from excitement, struggled to find the right words.

"Amazing? Awesome? Incredible? Fabulous? Am I getting close?" Patricia guessed.

"All of the above and more" Maya gasped, leaning on the staff.

"Man, I thought you were a goner!" Benny gave Maya another crushing hug.

"Well, it sounds like you had an exciting evening." Whirlin walked up. Maya handed him the staff, which he examined with great care. She staff seemed to gleam in the torchlight. "We'd better get this back to O'Flannery" He handed it to Miss Rumblebuns, who smiled.

"You know" Benny was admiring the puppet, "This really does look like a real griffin"

"Yeah" Maya agreed "I was completely fooled by it"

Madelyn laughed as she climbed down the rope ladder and joined them "Yeah, so fooled that you attacked it"

Benny and Patricia gasped in amazement while Maya blushed.

"She what?" Patricia stammered

"Okay, now you tell us everything that happened up there!" Benny demanded.

"I think there will be time for that later" Whirlin said, clapping Maya on the shoulder. As Marlin stepped off the rope ladder and the blimp began to deflate, he walked over to his brother and handed him a wooden case.

Whirlin took the case and, smiling even wider now, turned to face Maya.

"Maya Livingston, you have demonstrated epic loyalty and dedication to the magic arts. Your bravery and creativity have exceeded levels rarely seen before at this school. You have passed the tests, and I believe I speak for everyone when I say; Welcome to the Griffin Clan" Whirlin opened the case, revealing a shiny shield-shaped medallion carved with a griffin.

"Wow" Maya breathed, her eyes wide and sparkling as she reached into the case and lifted the medallion out of its case by the silken cloth that formed a necklace. She sipped the thread over her head as everyone cheered and clapped. "Thank you" She bowed to Whirlin and Marlin, who both bowed back. "Thank you!" She repeated, giving a playful bow to the rest of the assembled clan.

Chapter 11

The rest of the school year passed without much interruption. Maya, as a member of Griffin Clan was taught some pretty high level tricks by the other members. Whirlin offered Benny and Patricia the chance to join the Griffin Clan as well, but both declined. Benny decided to dedicate his career at a magical comedian, with Patricia as his assistant. Even Miss. Rumblebuns got a good chuckle out of his acts. Patricia and Maya would sometimes work together on their own tricks. Being a member of the Clan, Maya was also tasked with helping restore the Griffin's Roost. She helped repair the bridge that lead to the giant doors, and helped restore the keep at the top of the tower, which would serve as a lounge area and dormitory for the clan members. The Merlin brothers also took Maya under their personal wings. Whirlin taught her the flamboyance of the stage magician, while Marlin educated her in use of puppets and projections. Maya even got to go out with him one night to work the life-size griffin puppet. Marlin said she was a natural, but Maya was certain that he was commenting how she had scared some boaters on Shadow Lake. The puppet really was that convincing.

A week before term ended came the final show. Maya was looking forward to this one because her family was coming. So were Cindy and Calvin.

As the show started, Stephen walked up to the microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the final show being put on this year by the students of the Merlin Brothers Academy for Magic. Just a reminder to respect the performers, no phones, flash photography, or phony fortunes please" The audience giggled

"And now let's welcome our heads." Stephen said as the curtain parted and the music started "Marlin and Whirlin, the Brothers Merlin!" Marlin and Whirling were wearing matching suits, ties, and top hats. They bowed to the audience, than they bowed to each other. As they bowed, they appeared to step back. Now there were two pairs of each brother, one pair bowing to the audience and the other pair to each other. The audience ooed and awed as one pair vanished in a puff of smoke. Then Madelyn came onstage wearing a stage magician costume.

Martin, who was seated at the front row alongside his parents, looked up as Crystal sat down next to them.

"Having fun?" She turned to look at Martin.

"Not really" Martin admitted

"Martin!" His mother scolded.

"Shouldn't you be up there?" Martin asked Crystal,

"Normally yes, but this time I have a replacement" Crystal pointed to the stage. Maya had just walked out, wearing a costume similar to Crystals, but in deep purple, whereas Crystals' costume was tan-colored.

"Isn't she adorable?" Crystal cooed as Maya waved to the audience.

"She sure is" Her mother held up her phone and began snapping pictures with her built in camera.

As the people watched, a large cage was winched down to the stage floor. Maya entered and Madelyn locked the door before covering the cage with a big cloth. Then she turned the cage completely around to show the audience that there was no way out. But when she pulled away the covering, Vernon the lion was sitting in the cage instead of Maya. He gave a little roar, showing the audience his fangs. The audience cheered.

"That was a cool tri..." Martin commented, turned to Crystal as a spotlight was trained on her seat. But Crystal was no longer in her seat, it was Maya!

"How'd you do that?" Martin asked, wide-eyed, as Maya rose from the seat and bowed to the audience

"Sorry bro, that's my secret" Maya smiled as the light dimmed for a few seconds. When they came back up, Maya was gone.

Bewildered, Martin turned to his mother "Mom, are all girls going to be like that they I get older?"

Mrs. Livingston chuckled and ruffled her son's hair "We'll have to wait and see dear"

Stephen came back to the microphone as the curtain closed.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen, and now for some comedy, new to our shows. Here's hoping he does a good job" He said quietly to the audience

"Hey! I heard that man!" A voice yelled from behind the curtain. A few audience members chuckled.

"Anyway, let's welcome Benny the Magician of Mistakes!" The curtain parted revealing Benny standing there wearing a suit, cape, and top hat.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen" Benny swept his top hat off in a grand gesture "For my first trick I'll- Hey!"

The audience laughed for while Benny has been speaking, a white rabbit hopped out of his hat and began hopping offstage.

"Get back here!" Benny demanded, but the rabbit ignored him, hopping behind the curtain.

"Well there he goes" Benny threw his top hat after the bunny. "But don't worry ladies and gentlemen; I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeves!" The audience laughed again because while he was speaking, five pigeons flew out from his sleeves. Benny watched them fly away from him.

"For some reason though, my tricks never want to wait up for me" He admitted to the audience

"Gee, I wonder why" Patricia said mockingly as she appeared onstage wearing a black dress, tights, and heels. Several audience members groaned at the burn.

"Ah a beautiful young lady" Benny crossed the stage to her, "And every beautiful young lady deserves the flowers" he snapped his hand, and a green stem appeared. Patricia looked confused as the audience laughed.

Benny cleared his throat "THE FLOWERS!" This time, a rose appeared. Patricia accepted the rose as the audience cheered.

Patricia smiled and wheeled out a thick wicker basket as Benny addressed the audience.

"Now ladies and gentlemen, I would like to ask the assistance of two people in the audience" Two spotlights went through the audience and settled and Cindy and Calvin.

The audience applauded as the two kids stepped nervously onto the stage. As a stage hand brought out a case of swords, Benny announced "Now we shall run razor-sharp swords through this here basket!"

Cindy gasped in horror while Calvin paled. Benny chuckled "I see what you are thinking, no, no, no you will run the swords, and I will be in the basket". Calvin and Cindy brightened, but still looked nervous. Benny settled in the basket, while Patricia sealed the lid, locking it. The lights dimmed, a spotlight shining on the basket. A snare drum rattled as Calvin went first; he took a sword and raised it. With a grand motion, he sent it right through the basket.

"Yeow!" A cry made both kids freeze.

Cindy then carefully picked up a sword and slowly ran it through the basket. No sound was made. Cindy sighed with relief.

"OWWW!" another cry made Cindy scream, and the audience chuckle. Calvin whispered something to Cindy, and they both smiled.

"Hey pal!" Calvin called to the basket. "Are you okay in there?" He ran another sword though it

"Yeah" Cindy picked up another sword, "You sound like you're in a lot of pain" She ran a fourth sword through the basket

"Well, I suppose I would be" The light brightened as Cindy whirled around to find Benny standing behind her "If I was in there" He finished as Cindy covered her mouth in amazement. The audience laughed and cheered as Benny bowed and Calvin and Cindy sat back down in their seats.

"And now for my final trick, I will require a young lady from the audience" The spotlight again searched through the audience, landing on Mona, who had been chatting with her friends instead of watching the show.

Mona shook her head vigorously when she realized that she had been selected.

"Aw, she's shy" Benny said "Let's give her some encouragement folks!" The audience started clapping. Mona didn't move.

"Oh, you'll have to better than that" Benny goaded the audience further.

"Come on, Mona!" Martin yelled. The crowd began chanting Mona's name.

Mona eventually walked onstage as a stage hand wheeled out a large blue box, which Patricia opened. Mona whimpered, but got in the box anyway. Patricia sealed it, then Mona stuck her head and her feet out of various holes in the box.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I shall attempt the Sawing a Woman in Half trick" Benny announced as he and Patricia raised a large saw. Mona's eyes widened, and she paled. As Benny adjusted the saw, Patricia leaned down and whispered something into Mona's ear. Whatever it was caused her to freak out. She started screaming and struggling. The box rocked back and forth. Benny and Patricia ignored her and started sawing through the box. Mona's legs began wiggling frantically. Then, when they had finished, the box fell into two sections, the lower half, with Mona's legs, began running offstage. The audience roared with laughter as Benny called after it "Hey, you forgot your upper half!" He bowed to the audience as the curtain closed.

The rest of the show passed smoothly, with members of Griffin Clan performing complex tricks like passing through a solid wall, making objects float, a Solomon toolbox, and other tricks.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen" Stephen announced as the curtain closed for the final time. "We hope you enjoyed the show as much as we enjoyed performing it!" The responding ovation was deafening.

The show was a great success, so much that the magic school was asked to perform at the night fair run by Maya's school.

The fair was running smoothly, but no one was really riding the rides or playing the games. Everyone was waiting for the magicians to appear.

"And now everyone!" The principle finally announced from the school steps. "Please welcome the students of the Merlin Brother's Academy of Magic!" There was a cheer and everyone looked around expectantly, but there was no sign of the magicians.

"Um, where are they?" Cindy asked, looking puzzled.

"Patience, they'll be here soon" Mr. Livingston replied.

"Hey!" Calvin suddenly exclaimed. "Where'd the moon go?"

Everyone looked around, realizing that Calvin was right. The night had been clear before, but now a thick fog had appeared out of nowhere, blocking out the moon.

KAAAAAWWW!

The large cry made everyone at the night fair freeze.

"What was that?" Martin asked, looking around nervously.

Suddenly a woman screamed and pointed skywards.

The griffin descended through the clouds, crying out.

Everyone gasped in fear and some people actually fainted.

The griffin soared lowed and hovered above the entrance to the school. It gave a loud screech and a mighty downbeat of its wings. There were several BANGS, and the principle cried out as the stage was suddenly covered with multicolored smoke. The smoke cleared, revealing five hooded teenagers crouching in front of the microphone. One rose, holding the magic staff high. The griffin screeched at she waved the staff and pointed it at the sky. The griffin took off, climbing higher and higher until it flew into the thick cloud cover. Its cry seemed to echo in the air as it faded from view.

For a few seconds, there was absolute silence. Then Calvin yelled "Wow! What an entrance!" This broke the tension, making the audience laugh and cheer as Maya and the others lowered their hoods and bowed in unison.

"So, what'd you think?" Maya asked, smiling at her friends and family.

Her father smiled

"Maya" He said, "That was purely magical"

"Indeed" Maya whipped around the face Mr. Karloff. "Truly magical" He said in a low tone, his voice radiating his admiration as fireworks lit up the sky behind him. Maya smiled and bowed her head. Mr. Karloff bowed back and walked over to speak with Madelyn.

Benny and Patricia walked over and the three friends watched the fireworks together.

"No" Maya muttered to herself as she felt the hands of her parents on her shoulders. "This is magical"

THE END