Chapter 1

It was just after dark on a moonless night. A boney little man with curly hair and an amazing resemblance to a weasel paced nervously around a small lantern in a little clearing in the woods, at the base of the hill below the mysterious, Castle like, academy that sprawled out over the entire top of the hill.

The little man kept checking his watch and glancing around. He looked as though he could jump out of his skin any minute and he almost did when a deep, eerie, almost other worldly voice suddenly spoke.

"This better be good Eddie."

Eddie jumped and whirled around to see the speaker. A young man half silhouetted in the shadows. He was dressed in black Jeans, a dark red shirt and a black leather jacket with red stripes down the side. Under the jacket Eddie could just make out what really made him nervous, a brace of semi automatic pistols in shoulder holsters.

"D-don't worry," Eddie stammered, "My information is always good," he chuckled very nervously. The serious look in the young man's eyes didn't change. The shadows themselves seemed to swirl around the young man.

"It had better be," the young man snapped, "The British Museum wants the eye of Osiris back! Now what do you know?!"

Eddie was fumbling for his answer when suddenly the young man in the Shadows seemed to sense danger in a instant the pistols were his hands he whirled around lightning quick and fired at a dark clothed man who was trying to slip up behind him. The man was spun around by the force of the bullets hitting his right shoulder and knee. In the next instant Eddie hit the ground and there was suddenly a hail of bullets coming from two different directions. The young man was in a cross fire. He spun on his heel and dove behind a large rock before becoming aware of a stinging pain in his left side. He looked down as two more bullets ricocheted of the top of the rock. He realized there was a patch of blood growing on his shirt.

"Oh great," he muttered, "This is all I need!" he pulled up his shirt to check the wound and was relieved to find out that it wasn't as bad as he first thought. The small caliber bullet, that hit him, seemed to be lodged at or in the base of his ribcage. The problem was it was still bleeding badly. A few seconds later his attackers rounded the rock where he was hiding and found nothing.

"He's gone," one of the gunmen yelled to his boss, Nolan who was paying off Eddie with an envelope full of bank notes.

"What do mean, he's gone, Sikes?" his boss snapped heading toward Sikes

"Just that," Sikes yelled back, "He's not here he's gotten away somehow."

"Well spread out and find him," the man snapped, "he couldn't have gotten far on foot! And I don't want to half to be the one to tell Mr. Scanlon that he got away!"

Just as the men jumped to carry out their boss's orders they heard the unmistakable shrill sound of approaching police sirens.

Nolan swore under his breath.

"Forget it," he snapped, "We're out of time. Everybody clear out!"

#######

Mildred sat on a bench in the courtyard. She was waiting for Enid and Maud. Enid had run back to her room to get something she had forgotten and Maud was at a head of year meeting. She was sitting trying to get the taste of the last potion they had made in class out of her mouth. While chewing on the peppermint she had just put in her mouth she was also wondering why most potions, while they did amazing things, always seemed to taste like old varnish.

As she watched the evening lights flickering in the courtyard, she was suddenly startled out of her thoughts when a male voice barely above a whisper spoke to her.

"Miss," he said.

She turned and looked over her shoulder. To her amazement a young dark haired man of about sixteen seemed to appear right out of the shadows. He immediately dropped to one knee clutching his side. In the dim light she could see blood between his fingers. He looked up at her with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Please help me." He spoke clenching his teeth against the pain he was in since his initial adrenaline rush had worn off. Never in her life had Mildred been one to turn her back on someone who needed help and she wasn't about to start now.

"I'll get one of the teachers," she said

"No!" said the young man, he paused as another spasm of pain hit, "No one else can know that I'm here. The might let slip the fact that I am here and the men who already tried to kill me once will come back to finish the job!"

"Okay," said Mildred, "I think I know what we can do. Last week I discovered a secret passage behind the closet in my room I'll sneak you up the back stairs and hide you there." The young man nodded.

"I'm Mildred Hubble by the way," she said as she stepped up to him and pulled one of his arms across her shoulder.

"Lee," he Replied, smiling weakly "I'm sorry our meeting couldn't be under better circumstances."

Mildred was secretly glad there was no one else in the courtyard right then as she helped Lee to the back staircase. After a long slow climb they finally made it to Mildred's room. Helping lee into the closet she pushed on a brick that was about eye level. It depressed with a click and the wall in the back of the closet slid open. Mildred Helped Lee to sit down inside the secret passage. Then she turned and lit one of the old oil lambs on the wall in the passage.

"Wait her and I'll get you a pillow and some blankets," she said, "They always keep extras in the hall closets for the colder nights." A few minutes later she was back. After she did her best to make Lee comfortable, Lee pulled off his jacket, slipped out of his shoulder holsters and began to unbutton his shirt. Mildred was a little taken back at the sight of the guns but she decided that even if he was armed he couldn't be the bad guy.

"I need you to help me get this bullet out of my side." He said.

"How can I?" she asked

"First get some water a towel and a pair of tweezers, big ones if you can." He replied fishing in the pocket of his jacket. Mildred jumped to her feet as a minute later was back with a drinking glass full of water and her shower towel. She also had a pair tweezers she snagged from the bathroom. As the passageway door closed behind her again, Lee opened his red bone handled pocket knife and handed it to her handle first. Then he produced a box of matches.
"Hold up the knife," he said, she did as he said. He struck a matched and ran the flame along the blade several times.

"This is closest I can come to sterilizing the blade in a pinch," he said, "Now dunk it in the water to cool it off!"

Mildred once again did what he said. When she looked up again he was holding a pencil.

"Now listen to me very carefully," he said, "I want you to take the knife and make a small incision across the wound. Do you understand?"

Mildred was wide-eyed.

"Can you do it yourself?" she asked

"It's going to take all the strength I've got to keep from moving or making any loud noise when you make the incision," said Lee, "Besides I'd be doing it at a much more awkward angle than you are."

With that he put the pencil in his mouth and lay down on his back. Mildred took a slightly shaky breath and moved the knife toward the wound. Lee had washed it off with some of the water and wiped it off with towel so she could clearly see what was what. That didn't make her feel much better though. Right before the blade touched his skin she looked up at him and he gave one last reassuring nod. Then she made the cut. Lee stiffened sharply and great beads of sweat appeared on his face. She was sure he was going to bite the pencil in two but he never made a sound.

"O-okay," she said in a shaky voice, "I did it."

"Okay," said Lee taking the pencil out of his mouth, "Do you see the bullet?"

"Yes," she said, peering into the wound, "I see it"

"Try to get a hold of it with the tweezers and pull it out!" he said, he put the pencil back in his mouth.

Mildred took another deep breath and carefully stuck the tweezers in the wound. She felt Lee stiffen again. His eyes were closed and he was sweating profusely but he held his tongue. The tweezers closed around the bullet and Mildred pulled. Thankfully the bullet came free much easier than she was afraid it would and just like that the ordeal was over for both of them. Bandaging Lee was much easier than operating on him.

The bandages came from a care package her mother had sent. As Lee sat back up after Mildred finished and was cleaning up, he was surprised to see that she was moist around the eyes and a great big tear rolled down her cheek.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"I'm Sorry," she said almost whimpering. Lee was flabbergasted

"For what?" he said

"For hurting you like that," said Mildred

"You crazy sweet soft hearted girl," said Lee, shaking his head, he took both of her hands in his a looked earnestly into her eyes.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he said, "You didn't shoot me. I knew getting that bullet out wasn't going to feel good, and what's more if anyone should be apologizing here it should be me for having to put you through that."

"Oh it's okay," said Mildred, feeling better and beginning to smile again "You needed help."

"Yes I did," said Lee, "And you did a great job. I'm going to be fine." Suddenly Lee's stomach let out a loud growl. Mildred giggled.

"It seems I have another problem," said Lee, "I forgot that I haven't eaten since breakfast."

Just then they heard the supper bell chime.

"Good," she said, "They've started serving dinner, the Dinner w-Ladies will be busy serving, so I can use this passage way to sneak into the kitchen and get you something to eat and drink there.

"Thanks Mildred," he said,

"Call me, Millie," she said grabbing her backpack before disappearing down the passage way steps to the kitchen entrance. The passage way entrance opened into the pantry as Mildred suspect the kitchen was deserted. Working quickly she pulled out a thermos and filled it with tomato soup from the extra tureen in the kitchen she grabbed one of the loaves of crusty bread that had just come out of the oven and had been set aside to cool. Then she disappeared back into the passageway and up to wear Lee was waiting.

"Here," she said Part of tonight's meal, "Tomato soup."

"Thanks Millie," he said suddenly he looked straight forward. But he didn't look like he was looking at anything in the room.

A split second later he turned to Mildred.

"Your friends are looking for you," he said, "you'd better make an appearance so they don't get suspicious." Mildred nodded and slipped out of the secret passage. She met Maud and Enid just as she stepped out into the hallway.

"Mille, there you are," said Maud, "Why weren't you down in the courtyard?"

"I uh, had do something in my room," Said Mildred

Amazingly that answer seemed to satisfy them. Or at least they let the subject drop for the time being. They started walking down the hall toward the dining hall. They walked in and got their food and were headed to their usual seats when who should they come face to face with but Ethel Hallow.

"Hey Hubble," she said, "What's that on your sash?"

Mildred looked down and saw a reddish brown stain on her sash down on the tail of her sash down by her thigh.

"oh no," thought Mildred, "I must have gotten some of Lee's blood on my sash!"

Aloud she said.

"I must have gotten something on it in potions class." She hoped that she sounded a lot more confident than she was. Without waiting for Ethel to say anything else she hurried to her seat. Maud and Enid sat down on either side of her. This would turn out to be the most uncomfortable meal Mildred ever ate. Ethel was eyeing her suspiciously and Maud and Enid were beginning to look at her funny too. Finally the meal was over Mildred jumped up and turned her tray in. she turned and hurried up the stairs. Maud and Enid were right behind her. They followed her into her room and shut the door.

"Alright, Millie," said Enid, "What's going on?

"What do you mean?" said Mildred, Trying to sound innocent

"That stain on your sash," said Maud, "Its blood isn't it?"

"Where did it come from?" asked Enid, "what are you hiding?"

Mildred sighed,

"Alright," I'll show you but you have to promise on your honor that you won't tell anyone what I'm about to show you."

The girls promised and Mildred led them into the closet. When the trap door opened they found Lee inside asleep. Mildred quietly gathered up the thermos and closed the secret door.

"Your hiding a boy in Cackles!" said Maud

"Yes," said Millie, "He appeared in the courtyard right before Dinner started, he had been shot. I brought up here and dug the bullet out of him that's how the blood got on my sash."

"Wait," said Enid, "He was shot!?"

"Yeah," said Mildred, "He said some guys tried to kill him, so you can't tell anyone that he's here somebody could let it slip then those guys could come back to finish the job."

"How do you know he's not some crook too," said Enid, "Those weren't cap pistols next to him."

"Not him," said Mildred, "He's too nice."

"If you trust him that's good enough for us," said Maud, "We won't tell anyone."

"Thanks," said Mildred.

Meanwhile….

Ethel Hallow was pacing in her room while Drusilla Paddock sat on the bed watching her.

"Hubble is up to something I just know it," she fumed

"How do you know," said Drusilla, "Maybe it is a stain from Potions class you know how accident prone she can be."

"There just one problem with that idea," said Ethel, "Laundry day was yesterday and today none of the potions we made in class were reddish brown, they were all green or blue."

"Oh yeah," said Drusilla, sheepishly, "I forgot." Ethel looked out the window.

"I'm going find out what your hiding Mildred Hubble and when I do You're Dead!"

TO BE CONTINUED….

There it is the first chapter. Stay tuned to find out what happens next.

Coming up…

Enid and Maud officially meet Lee.

Ethel Hatches a plan to find out what Mildred and her friends are hiding.