Chapter 14: Body Guard Duty
Fu Dog and his Grandmother were watching a Boulder Ball game at a stadium with "Closed for Renovations" signs as a way to distract humans albeit Fu stated that the place would need real renovations after the ogres finished the match. "Fu, I thought the American Dragon would be here watching this with you." She commented.
"I've invited him, Grandma, but the kid's afraid of waking up late for school." Fu explained.
"Didn't you tell him that, since they're playing under winter rules, the match will last only seventeen periods?" She asked.
"He still thought it'd be too long." Fu replied.
"Kids these days." She commented in disdain and then resumed watching the game.
As time passed, things started getting rough. "Come on, my Grandma hits harder than that and she's fourteen hundred years old."
She then whacked him. "I'm only thirteen hundred and ninety-two years old." She protested and then joined the fight.
"Go Grandma! Go Grandma!" Fu cheered. "Even I didn't expect that. The kid doesn't know what he's missing."
The next morning, Jake was skateboarding towards Millard Fillmore Middle School when he saw something unusual: security staff were preventing Professor Rotwood from entering school grounds. "Come on, Principal Derceto." Rotwood pleaded. "I've been set up!"
"You've been keeping one of our students locked away in a cage like he's a fire-breathing dragon, Rotwood." The Principal replied. "Several witnesses saw him there and you've already been warned you're supposed to stay away from the school until the appeal regarding your termination of employment is decided?"
"Ze school board only fired me because they're still upset over ze talent show misunderstanding." Rotwood argued.
"Either way, you're still not welcome here, Rotwood." The Principal stated. "Now leave before your victim becomes too afraid to enter." She then gestured to Jake. "You may enter, Jake Long. This horrible man won't hurt you."
"If you say so, Principal Derceto." Jake shrugged and entered. "Hi, Trixie. Hi, Spud." Jake greeted his best friends upon spotting them. "Hi, Rose." He added upon seeing her.
"Stay away from my girl, Long." Brad Morton threatened.
"I'm not yours, Brad." Rose replied.
"Says you, Roselicious." Brad seductively said.
"Ewwwww." She walked away in disgust.
Without a mythbiology teacher to stand in for Rotwood, the time that would be used for his lesson became free study periods. "Come on, Jakey." Trixie pleaded. "I know these are called 'free study' but the real name should be 'study-free' since none of us really needs to use them for studying."
"Trixie, I need to keep up with my studies lest my parents pull me back into homeschooling." Jake explained.
"Jake, I'm absolutely certain nobody other than you would use free study periods for actual studying." Spud commented.
"Jake, would you mind studying with me?" Rose suddenly asked.
"Of course the only other student with a record of homeschooling would be interested." Trixie snarked.
"Not at all, Rose." Jake replied with hears for eyes. "Anything in particular you want to study?"
"History?" Rose suggested.
"History of love, I presume." Trixie teased.
"What?" Spud was worried. "Is this an actual lesson? I never studied for that! What if I fail for real? Where do I get books on history of love?"
"Are you serious?" Rose asked Spud.
"No, I'm Arthur Spudinski but you may call me Spud." Spud explained. "Sirius is Harry Potter's Godfather."
"Believe me, Rosey." Trixie said. "He is."
After school was over that day, the students readied themselves to leave. "Goodbye, Rose." Jake said.
"Goodbye, Jake." Rose replied.
"Wanna hit the half-pipe with us, Jake?" Trixie asked.
"Can't do it." Jake answered. "I'm going to Gramps' shop to help."
"We're going with you!" Spud declared.
Jake and his friends arrived at Canal Street Electronics and found not only Fu Dog and Lao Shi but also a pair of red-haired twin girls. "Hi, kid." Fu said. "Do you recognize them?"
"The Oracle Twins?" Jake guessed, not remembering having ever met any other set of twin girls.
"Correct, young one." Lao Shi stated. "Sara and Kara are here because they need your help."
"With what, G?" Jake asked.
"Herbert the Goblin wants to capture the twins to force them to predict the Ogre Bowl results so he can win a lot of money with bets." Lao Shi explained.
"Using magical gifts for profits? How despicable!" Fu Dog commented in disgust and then showed the girls a racing schedule. "So, are you feeling anything in particular about any centaurs here?" He then noticed everyone glaring at him. "What?"
"It can't be too hard." Trixie commented. "You are oracles. Just predict when and where the next abduction attempt will take place and don't let it happen."
"It's not that easy." Sara happily said.
"We're not as powerful as our illustrious ancestor." Kara grumpily added. "We have no control to when our power activates and what it'll predict."
"The only constant is that I only predict bad news and my sister only predicts good news." Sara explained with glee.
"In that case, how come you're so happy?" Spud asked and then pointed at Kara. "And you so sad?"
"When one constantly predicts bad news, any good thing is reason for celebration!" Sara answered with joy.
"And all good surprises are spoiled by my ability to predict good news." Kara grunted.
"So, what's the plan?" Jake asked.
"They'll attend school with you and pass as your cousins from out of town, Jake." Lao Shi answered.
"From which parent's side?" Spud asked and everyone stared at him.
"There's no need to explain that detail, Spud." Jake explained.
"Congratulations, American Dragon." Kara muttered. "You'll have no cavities this year."
Jake was too shocked at the sudden change of subject to properly react.
"You'll learn a terrible truth about Rose." Sara said with a dreamy face.
"Which truth?" Jake asked in worry.
"I don't know, Jake." Sara happily answered. "I didn't see beyond what I've told you."
"Then what's the point of telling me that prediction?" Jake asked.
"Once one of us makes a prediction, we cannot avoid telling it to whoever is close enough to hear us." Kara explained. She looked bored as usual.
Jake, Trixie and Spud looked at one another. That would make it way harder to keep a masquerade.
The next day, the five of them went to school. "Hi, Jake. Who're your new friends?" Rose asked while secretly worried.
"Hi, Rose. These are my cousins from out of town: Sara and Kara." Jake introduced them. "Cousins, this is Rose."
"Jake's girlfriend?" The oracles asked.
"Yes." She answered unknowingly making Jake happy.
"Your vision of the world will be shattered this year." Sara happily exclaimed.
"You'll get over it." Kara mumbled.
"Eh, sorry about that." Jake said with a guilty smile. "My cousins are a bit eccentric."
"You haven't met my uncle." Rose commented in reply, not knowing how wrong she was.
Unbeknownst to them, Sara and Kara weren't the only "new" students at Millard Fillmore Middle School. Two goblins posing as teenage girls were trying to reach the oracles and their acting was so bad it was surprising they managed to fool somebody.
During lunch, the only prediction that interrupted them was Sara predicting the approaching goblins. Jake and his friends quickly figured out the other two "new" students were goblins in disguise. The Oracle Twins and Team Dragon went outside so the goblins wouldn't harm the other students. Outside, Sara made a prediction about a dumpster full of stinky garbage and Jake, remembering how goblins hated that smell, lured them into it.
"Wow, nice thinking, Jake." Sara congratulated him.
"And congratulations for acing the next test as well, American Dragon." Kara added.
"Wait a minute!" Trixie asked. "Did you predict Jake acing the test?"
"Yes." Kara monotonously answered.
"Spud, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Trixie asked.
"Yes!" Spud exclaimed. "Ferris wheels are a rip off because, when we get off them, we're back where we started.
"Not even close, Spudinski." Trixie replied. "We could get the twins to predict the answers.
"That's cheating, Trix, and they don't have this kind of control over their power anyway." Jake replied.
"That's right, kid." Fu Dog added as he suddenly appeared.
"Fu?" Jake asked. "What're you doing here?"
"The old man wanted a progress report, kid." Fu explained and once again showed his racing forms. "The girls must need some sort of focus. What about now? Any predictions? Come on. I need to win some bets to be able to pay off Big Ernie."
Had Jake been any less mature, he'd try to misuse the oracles' power in a way that'd put them in trouble. Since that's not the case, the goblins needed a way to get them. "What about that blonde girl the American Dragon likes?" One of them asked.
"Oh, her hair is so marvelous." The other goblin answered, still in character. "I wonder what kind of shampoo she uses."
"Not that, you idiot!" The first goblin said. "We can use her as a hostage and trade her for the oracles."
"Good idea! She's just a regular human. She'll be totally defenseless."
The next day, the Ogre Bowl ended without any further troubles. As they walked away from the stadium, Fu Dog' cell phone rang. "It was a friend of mine, kids." He explained after answering the call. "He said those two goblins were found unconscious inside another dumpster."
"What happened to them?" Jake asked.
"I don't know." Fu commented. "My friend said the goblins looked scared and couldn't say anything other than 'Huntsgirl'."
"Huntsgirl?" Trixie asked in surprise. "Isn't she one of those evil ninjas trying to slay you?"
"Yes, Trixie." Jake answered.
"Why would they stop the goblins if the dragon slayers are evil?" Spud asked in confusion.
"The Huntsclan hates all magical creatures, Spud." Jake explained.
End chapter.