The-AO-Squad: School Wars book #1/chapter20
Chapter 20
Brianna led the four downstairs and out into the main hall, she paused though as she erected her ears in the direction of a door that was off to the side, along the wall of the hall, next to the elevator doors.
Garth raised an eyebrow at this. "T-That's the door, to Spanish?" He questioned.
"Yep" Brianna shrugged. Suddenly loud voices rose from behind the four as they turned to see the other wolf students beginning to head down towards them from the stairs, who too had Art, Spanish or P.E. (computer was back upstairs)
Humphrey sighed now, knowing this was where he and Kate would depart. Lilly somehow though must have caught onto his depressed manner, and gave him a small sympathetic nudge. "Hey... c-come on.. I hate leaving Garth too but... who knows? Art may be fun while it lasts" Lilly tried to reassure Humphrey, who only gave a slightly enlightened nod now. Brianna then hurried off down the hall, Humphrey and Lilly at her heels, leaving Garth and Kate stranded simply.
Garth looked to Kate before blinking at trotting to the door that Brianna had pointed out.
"Well... Let's go" he breathed. Kate didn't say much though, as she followed Garth into the doorway. Bestowed in front of them now was a dark stairwell. Only one light flickered on and off from time to time. There were no windows either, seeming it was leading to the basement, underground, which made it even more darker.
Kate's eyes widened as she looked to Garth, his own eyes bulging at what lied ahead for them.
Finally the door closed behind them, turning the long, and dark stairwell into nothing but a pitch dark void.
Garth gave off a small whimper throughout the darkness.
"C-Come on... L-Let's try to feel our way down" he suggested, though Kate heard him, she couldn't see even his outlined figure through the never ending darkness.
She then finally gave a scoff, and frowned. "W-Why would the school just leave this stairwell like this?" She snorted. "It's totally dangerous and hazardous" She explained, ears pinning on her head now from slight annoyance.
Kate could hear Garth just give a small mutter in agreement before she heard muffled pawsteps sound through the darkness. She was guessing that Garth was trying to head downstairs now.
Kate waited, unsure if she too should start her journey down or not when suddenly there was a small thumping sound, as if Garth had tripped from on the last step that led to a corner which held another flight of stairs.
"I-I made it to the first corner..." Garth sounded, yet he fortunately didn't sound injured either.
Kate didn't know how to react. Should she go now?
She then couldn't help but open the door to let in some of the hall's light. The rays of light streamed onto Garth from a slight elevation below, which made him shield his eyes from the sudden brightness.
"Ack! Kate! What are you doing?" He asked with irritation.
Kate quickly closed the door at this. "O-Oh sorry, I just needed to see the stairs one last time..." She explained.
Garth snorted. "Well, there's only about eight stairs until you reach where I am, at the turn. Then... to my guess there's about sixteen more until the last turn which might have only four steps left..." Garth indicated with strong guesses.
Kate only nodded, half to herself, seeming she couldn't see a thing. She then stepped forward, feeling the first drop of the first step with her paw. She then decided to use her forepaws to hold onto the small, yet helpful stair railing that trailed along the side wall.
She eased herself to the next step, and then the next, until she finally reached the point where Garth had been at. Garth now sounded as if he was half way through the sixteen step-stairs that led to the last turn.
"O-Ok just come down slowly" Garth then warned as his pawsteps sounded as if he reached the bottom finally within a few minutes.
Kate shivered, imagining what it would be, or especially feel like if she tripped and fell down these steps. Though the only upside was that these stairs were carpeted, which might make it feel slightly better on the landing part...
Finally Garth opened the basement's door, letting in some light, that greeted Kate's gaze with joy. She then easily hurried down the stairs to the door now, the streams of light making it way more possible.
"...Thanks Garth" Kate couldn't help but mutter as she reached the door now with him.
Garth only shrugged though. "Any time Kate. I wouldn't have left anyone stranded, if it was even Lucy" he joked, though Kate could slightly sense a hint of sarcasm within his tone at that point, meaning that he might have left Lucy, if given the choice...
"N-Now let's find the Spanish room" Garth suggested... dumbfoundedly, making Kate just give him a look.
"W-Wait..." she paused. "Brianna didn't tell us which door it was!?" She gasped, looking around at the many doors that were aligned along the walls.
Garth shook his head in reply.
The sound of a fax-machine was coming from within one of the rooms, making Garth straight for that particular doorway. This only confused Kate though. What was he thinking? There were no fax-machines in Spanish!
"Garth!" She whisper-yelled, trying to get his attention, though he only gave her the shoulder.
"Shh!" He then stepped into the room, and for a few minutes it sounded as if he was talking to another older wolf, like a teacher or an administrator.
At this time, Kate took the moment to study the basement's details. It had a small fountain running along the wall from farther down the hall, and not more than twenty feet maybe, did the hall finally open up into a type of game-room it seemed. There was soda machine, and pool table, along with table hockey and a few other casual games.
Kate though didn't understand how the basement was used then. A game room? Seriously?
Finally Garth reappeared suddenly, making Kate quickly drain her thoughts. "Well?" She asked.
Garth only gave a boastful look. "I got directions to the Spanish room" he smiled, making Kate smile back. "Great! So where too?"
"Follow me!" Was his answer before heading straight for the game room.
Kate followed a bit more hesitant though, thinking he must not have gotten the right room or something, but as they entered the game room, there was another hall that led off the side of the game room. The hall was very small, only reaching about ten feet. But Garth quickly halted at the first door on the hall, peering quickly into the room within the rectangular window.
"here we are" He mused.
Kate quickly shoved him out of the way, so she too could see.
And, like he had predicted, there it was... the Spanish room. Some wolves were already taking their seats from inside, as Kate watched on, and yet all at once she couldn't exactly tell who she had gotten within her class at the moment. This quickly alarmed her, for she knew she had a chance of possibly gaining a Cool Kid within class!
This didn't come across Garth's mind though it seemed, because he instantly opened the door, forcing Kate to follow him into class...
Humphrey panted tiredly as he, Lilly, and Brianna trudged up the longest flight of stairs Humphrey had ever seen. There were possibly about fifty steps in all, which spiraled upwards.
"I-Is the Art room on the very top floor?" Humphrey couldn't help but breathe, making Brianna give a chuckle. At her pace, she seemed to have traveled up these stairs her whole life, though Lilly and Humphrey weren't doing too well...
"Yes, unfortunately, the art room is on the top floor Humphrey" She giggled as she heaved herself to the last step and towards the door that led out of the stairwell.
Unlike Kate and Garth's dark and steep-rounding stairwell, this one was far larger, and had many windows going alongside the walls at it led up and up. You could practically see out over half of the campus now!... And yet, also unlike Kate and Garth's stair-steps, these stairs were not carpeted.
Finally, Lilly and Humphrey reached the top as well.
Humphrey couldn't help but sit now, as he glanced back down over the railing to see how far he had come...
...man...
Humphrey gazed at the stairwell. Everything he looked at was painted white... The walls were white, he stairs were white... and even the rails. Some school enthusiasm...
Brianna finally gave an impatient sigh. "Come on Humphrey, we'll be late" She fussed.
Lilly too had even regained her breath, and was looking at Humphrey expectantly. This made Humphrey climb to his paws, legs aching from the previous trek up the stairs.
The three finally then headed into the doorway, and were brought into a long, carpeted hall. Antique plants sat in some empty corners, while a large four-pieced window ended the hallway on each side.
Other than that, benches aligned the long hall and of course, the usual doorways did too.
After a few moments though, Lilly suddenly spoke. "...W-Where are we again? Like what's this whole building used for anyways?" She questioned, making Brianna pause before replying. "Well this is the Elementary School building from on the campus. I know we're Middle Schoolers, but the art room is all the way in this building" Brianna tried to explain.
"See, this is the fifth grade hall. Way down on the opposite end of the hall is the fifth grade classes, along with a different computer lab that we don't use... we have our own back in our main building" Brianna answered casually.
But this made Humphrey too, gain his own questions for her. "W-Well if we have our own computer lab, why not let us have our own art room too?" he asked.
Brianna chuckled though. "Well.. I guess there weren't enough rooms for an Art room for us" She shrugged before trotting forward to like the second door from on the right side of the hall.
Humphrey and Lilly only followed, not knowing what was going to become of them, once this door opened and revealed their special for all of first quarter...
Finally though, A tall, freckled blonde female wolf answered the door, her eyes bright and brimming. "Oh, welcome! Come in, come in" She stepped back for the three to enter now, Humphrey and Lilly's ears slightly pinning from embarrassment.
Familiar faces greeted Humphrey instantly. Lucy was the first, her larger figure already turning it's head to look at the new comers. This made Humphrey gulp.
Why me?... W-Why is it always me?...
Next he spotted Alasia who sat from beside Lucy and at her table.
The art room was almost similarly set up like Science's tables were... There were about five long rectangular tables at which about four-to-six wolves sat at, each.
Then there was Segi, and also the other Bailey (not the one from language) that was considered kind of a Cool Kid... though she never seemed to be within the whole 'Squad' deal...
Brianna instantly off to a table that withheld Aubrey, Lauren, and Lia, which were all basic Quiet kids... Humphrey slowly trudged over to the table as well, quite afraid whether or not he'd be welcomed like Brianna instantly was... Besides he really had never spoken to any of these wolves... and plus he was only male that was attempting to sit with the four.
Yet he quickly wondered where Lilly would sit.
Would she come sit with me and Brianna?
He turned though to see that... she had taken a seat beside Mckinely, who was sitting at Lucy's table!
Humphrey blinked, feeling as if he wanted to yell out loud at what he was seeing.
"H-hi... may i?" He could hear Lilly's voice now.
"oh sure thing" Mckinely replied, scooting over a tad, so that Lilly could fit another chair into the table...
Humphrey's ears drooped at this as he took his own seat from at the Quieter kids' table
His mind was still boggled though at how Lilly had, and WAS sitting with Lucy and Alasia all at once!
Though it seemed as if Alasia, Lucy, and Segi all were just simply ignoring her in a jerkish manner, giving each other distantful looks every once and a while at why Lilly had chosen to sit at their table.
Humphrey felt slightly sorry for Lilly at this, and yet he also still felt enraged... He knew very well that she knew he would be watching for where she sat!...
"Ok class, so I'm Mrs. Pisano (Pah-Sawh-no)" The teacher then began, officially starting Art...
Humphrey only sighed though.
So this is how it's going to be huh?... wow.
Next up is chapter 21! thanks for reading so far! :D