"Ms. Foster? Hello?" I jumped nearly a foot off of my seat and my classmates snickers filled my ears.
"Huh, w—what?" I looked up at my annoying and bossy science teacher, Mr. Dogwood. His dark eyes sparkled as he glared down at me. All I could think was that this guy really needed to lay off the Twinkies—and to get a good old-fashioned haircut to tame his wild curly hair. My fat old science teacher rolled his eyes.
"For the love of the gods Helen,—um, I mean God—you need to stop taking a trip to la la land and focus more on the DNA Replication in the Prophase Stage of Mitosis!"
My classmates snickered some more at something Kelli Johnson said and I glared up at Mr. Dogwood.
"Mr. Dogwood, I don't go by Helen! I've told you every day for the last five months! It's Elle, and I need to go to the bathroom." I stood up without waiting for an answer and stalked out of the old, smelly man's stupid classroom. I fought back the urge to stomp back into that classroom and smack Kelli Johnson's perfect grin off her perfect face. Instead, I stormed into the girl's bathroom at the speed of a Lamborghini and splashed some cool water on my face.
I forced myself to calm down and take deep, calming breaths. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and sighed. My long blonde hair was wavy, as usual, and I was wearing my favorite I Love New York t-shirt and ripped up skinny jeans. In a few short months I would be out of that God-forsaken boarding school I was thrown into by my orphanage.
I could never stay in the same school for more than five months. Currently, I was in Manhattan's School For Troubled Youth. A boarding school where "troubled" and "rebellious" kids went to get straightened out. At least that's what Mother Lucy told me every time I was called into her office at Happy Smiles Orphanage. And trust me, it was anything but happy.
I was known as the "troublemaker fifteen year old who got expelled from three boarding schools every year of my life". Honestly, I didn't really care. My parents never cared; I didn't even know who they were. The Nuns at Happy Smiles said that I would understand someday; I was still waiting for that day to come.
My throat constricted and my whole body was stiff. The salty water that could only be tears began to spill over my bottom lashes. I quickly wiped them away and leaned my head against the cement wall. I then heard the squeaky door of the girl's bathroom open: Someone was coming.
I quickly bounced off the wall and squared my shoulders. I had to be strong; I had a reputation to uphold. I waited to see who was coming; maybe it was Kelli or one of her evil clones. I rolled my eyes at the thought of her smirk and her pin-straight brown locks that fell passed her shoulders. No one came.
What the heck?
I thought as I peered at the doorway. There was still no one there. What was going on? I sighed; it was probably Kelli pulling a prank on me.
"Okay, very mature Kelli! What do you want, a freaking cookie or something?" No one answered me. I have to admit, I was getting kind of freaked out.
"Kelli, okay, seriously, very funny, come on out now." Still, there was not a single reply; not even a single sound.
Suddenly, I heard a shuffle behind me. It came from one of the bathroom stalls. I whipped my head around so fast I got whiplash. Very carefully, I walked over to the stall where the noise had come from and kicked it open with my foot.
"HI-YAH!" I yelled with full Jackie Chan-worthy style. The stall was empty. Dumb-founded I searched every single stall and there wasn't a single human being in sight.
"What the h—" I started, but I never got to finish. I heard a deep growl behind me that sounded like a Pit Bull. I yelped and dove into the stall in front of me and locked the door. I was so terrified that I forgot how to use my voice. Then, underneath the crack in the stall, an enormous black nose started sniffing—it belonged to a very big, very dangerous dog. The dog growled louder and rammed into the metal door.
"Ah! H—help! Help!" The dog barked so loud that the ground shook beneath my feet. Without thinking, I dove under the metal wall barrier separating the stalls and locked that door too. The dog sensed my movement and I heard claws scraping against tile as the beast moved closer to me. Think Elle think!
The dog used all of its force as it pounded against the metal. With a single try it had crumpled the door like it was made out of tissue paper. I was standing on the toilet seat and I still had to look up at this creature. This dog was as big as an SUV with thick black hair and searing red eyes that seemed to glow with pure hatred for me. It had a worn leather collar around its neck and etched into the material was a name: FLUFFY
Wow, that's ironic. I thought as the dog emitted a deep, hungry growl. I thought I was going to become Fluffy's newest chew toy when a familiar voice rang out in the bathroom.
"Hey you big oversized lump of Tartarus! Over here!" It was one of my least favorite people in the entire world: Mr. Dogwood. I couldn't see him, but Fluffy surely could. The beast made a few rapid breathy noises that sounded like it was laughing. Thankfully, Fluffy left the stall and I slid out behind him and tried to come up with a plan that wouldn't get me and Mr. Dogwood turned into Puppy Chow.
I looked over at my science teacher and I sucked in a sharp breath. My eyes first shifted to two little white bumps peeping out through his bushy hair. And then I noticed his legs. Well, they were definitely not human legs. They looked like… the legs of a goat. With the hooves and fur and everything. Well, I had just seen a dog that belonged at a car dealership, why not have a goat for a Biology teacher?
"Mr. Dogwood? What the heck is going on?"
"No time to explain, Elle! Just try and soothe the Hell Hound okay? I'll try and put him to sleep with my magic." My ears buzzed like I had just lost hearing at a rock concert.
"You want me to what?"
"Can't—explain—right—now! JUST DO IT!" The Hell Hound began to approach Mr. Dogwood and snarl ferociously at him. Mr. Dogwood put a reed pipe to his lips and began to play a beautiful lullaby. I did the only I could do.
"It's okay, Fluffy, be a good boy and go to sleep… yes, sleep. Close your eyes and think about… a big dog bone and sleeping by a warm fire. Yes, don't eat the smelly goat science teacher or the juvenile delinquent." Fluffy's huge red eyes began to droop and the Hell Hound yawned so forcefully that his breath pushed Mr. Dogwood back a few feet. Mr. Dogwood kept playing and pretty soon Fluffy plopped on the tile floor with an enormous Boom! And began to snore peacefully.
I looked at Mr. Dogwood like he was an alien from Mars and the old goat guy just sighed.
"Don't worry Elle, I'm your protector. Now come with me and I'll explain everything. We need to find out who your godly parent is."