Chapter 2

The Last School-Run

"Emily." Tyler moaned at me again. (Oh! He's done nothing but moan the moment we left the house. He's always like this)! "My fins are getting tired."

"Well, I'm not carrying you, that's for certain." I sighed in annoyance.

We were no longer surrounded by nothing but darkness at this point. Instead we were surrounded by other children with responsible adults. (Yes, I know I'm not an adult, but I'm still responsible).

"Emily…"

"What!" I was quick to snap.

"I've for gotten my turtle toy!"

"Well, you'll just have to make do without it."

"No…" (Moan, moan, moan)! "I want my Ting Turtle…"

"Urgh!" I groaned. "This school run is supposed to be a mummy or daddy's job, not an unappreciated sister's job."

"But we haven't got a mummy or daddy."

I sort of slowed down what Tyler said that. "Yes, I know that."

"Do you think that we could ever get another mummy?" Tyler asked me an awkward question.

"Say, you seem to have forgotten all about that turtle toy you forgot about." I tried to change the subject.

But then, Tyler suddenly stopped swimming.

"Ty, what's wrong?" I took note of the melancholy look in his eyes.

"Emily…" (I thought he was about to moan at me again). "I want a mummy."

Alright… Now I really didn't know what to say.

"I… I'm afraid it's not that simple."

"Why?"

How was I supposed to explain this to a five-year-old boy? I just sighed and tugged at his fin again to encourage him to swim on. "Come on, let's see if we can get there on time for once."

Tyler looked up once I pulled at him and he suddenly didn't look so sad anymore. But then, he suddenly pointed out his right fin and cried: "Cor, look!"

I turned my head in the direction he was pointing. There was a crowd a short distance away in front of the school… and police!

I rushed with Tyler to see what was happening and to see if we could still get into the school.

"Emily, you're going to pull my fin off!" Tyler squealed, but for good reason this time.

"Sorry." I then slowed down since we was almost there anyway.

I floated with my brother at the back of the crowd. I needed to swim to the front.

"Tyler, keep hold of my fin." I told him. "I don't want to lose you."

I then felt my little brother's grip on my right fin tighten.

"Good boy." I praised him.

I pushed my way through the crown and reached the front in no time with Tyler still holding on.

I gazed through the Primary School gates. There were police and guarding the front doors.

"What's going on?" I called to one of the officers.

"Someone's set off the pollution alarms. No-one's allowed in yet." The officer replied back to me.

"What do we do Emily?" Tyler tugged at my fin.

"I'll tell you what." I said, smiling with satisfaction. "We're going to just stay here until this whole event is over. Because this is the perfect excuse for being late for my school. And the perfect opportunity to get some homework done."

I guided Tyler out of the crown and towards the lamppost that was resting just outside the gathered masses of little fish and their mummies and daddies.

"But my school…" Tyler moaned.

"Look, you may like it but I don't. And my school is even further to swim. Besides, you can't go in right now, so why don't you just read one of your baby books and be quiet for once." I slumped myself against the lamppost and opened my homework book.

"I'm not a baby and I don't read baby books." Tyler grumbled.

I didn't reply. I just wanted him to be quiet for a few minutes. We had no choice but to wait anyway.

I briefly read my homework while Tyler sat himself on the ground and took out some toy buildings from his bag. (God knows what he keeps in there).

However, my peace didn't last long when it was once again broken by a voice… but this time it wasn't Tyler's.

"Excuse me." Said a gentleman fish who approached us. "Are you two Tyler and Emily Jason by any chance?"

I was a little surprised.

"What does it matter to you?"

"Mr Hamilton!" Tyler cried out. Well, at least he seemed to know him. "Emily, he's is the caretaker!"

"Oh." I said. "Are you?"

"Yes, erm…" He began. "I've actually been able to take off the alarm on the back door to Tyler's classroom. It's been declared safe and they're planning to start bringing in pupils soon."

"Oh, yay!" Tyler cried with joy.

"Oh, great(!)" I groaned with sarcasm. "Well, come on then." I took hold of Tyler's left fin again.

"Right then." Said the caretaker. "Follow me round the back."

I followed alright. But I was still going to hang around for a while to get my homework done and I didn't care if I was late for my own school.

Out of the way of the noisy crowd, the caretaker led us round the back of the school and through the back gate.

But all of a sudden I felt a tug on my right fin as Tyler slow his swimming.

"Ty, come on." I nagged.

"Emily." Tyler didn't sound his usual cheerful self that he was only minutes ago. "I don't feel safe."

"Oh, don't be a baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Tyler shrieked. "I'm just scared. I don't like going in school this way. I feel like something's wrong."

I chose to ignore his childish superstition as we were led into the building.

We found ourselves in a classroom alright. Lots of little desks and shelves and pictures on the wall.

"Alright." I said. "Which desk is yours?"

But the reply I got from Tyler shook me a little. "This isn't my classroom…"

Suddenly… BANG! The backdoor we came in slammed shut from the outside.

"Emily!" Tyler clung on to me.

"It was probably just a current, that's all." But I must admit, I was starting to panic myself. And I was about to panic even more after what happened next…

Psssss… I heard a hissing sound from behind me. I clung on to Tyler and embowered him. My instinct was to protect him.

The hissing was coming from the ceiling; I looked up. I then saw purple liquid seep into the room from the pollution alarm.

As the purple substance began to fill the room Tyler began to cough and splutter… and then so did I.

"T…Tyler!" I cried through coughing. "Keep hold of my fin!" I then felt myself starting to become drowsy. "Stay awake, Ty!" I screamed. "Tyler! Stay awake!"

"Em…i…ly…" I heard this fain voice… Everything was dark… All I could hear was:…

"EMILY!"

"AH!" That woke me up.

I suddenly shot up from the floor where I was lain. I swished my head around to see where I was… I was at home!

"Oh." I sighed. "It was just a dream…"

"What was just a dream?" Louise, the one who woke me up, sounded like she was panicking. "Emily, where's Tyler?"

"He…" I thought for a moment. "He's at school… isn't he?"

Louise snatched hold of a not of paper from the kitchen side and handed it to me. "You tell me!"

Ok, now I was starting to get worried.

"You were dropped of at the doorstep like a parcel… That was tied around your right fin."

I dared myself to glance at the paper… I read the words… 'Ransom instructions will follow"… and there was this strange symbol at the bottom of the page.

"Ra… Ra…" I had to bring myself to say it. "Ran… Ransom?" I started to breath really heavily.

Louise then worryingly stared me in the eye. "Emily…" She whispered as she trembled. "Where's Tyler?"