Here's part numero dos of Polter Hills' premiere!


Welcome to Polter Hills, Part 2

Monday

Polter Hills High, a centre of high learning where young minds enter to study and prepare for a more radiant future...

...is something someone would say if they were crazy.

Despite looking like a modern school, the place presents a rather eerie atmosphere, almost as if the energy had been drained from it. There had been rumors that the school, and by extension, all of Polter Hills, is suffering constant attacks from unknown forces. Monsters, one might say. But that has never been proven. Most of the time, they were nothing but conspiracy theories made up by fringe groups, as well as the ramblings of a lunatic.

The Sandhus' van is parked on the sidewalk of the school building that has the sign 'Polter Hills High.' Noah, Ajit and Deepak get out of the vehicle with their backpacks. All three brothers look up at the place and have different reactions (Noah is indifferent, while the twins are frowning.)

"Have fun on your first day of school, sons. We're taking Yasmin, Zahra and Meena to their new college. And remember, stay out of trouble." their father instructs them.

"That won't be a problem, Dad." Noah replies.

"But Dad, we used to be popular at our old school!" Ajit whines.

"Yeah, and now we have to start over? How's that fair?!" Deepak also complains.

The patriarch gives his sons a sympathetic look. He understands what they're trying to convey, given that he himself went through similar hardships growing up. He still remembers how his former classmates used to bully him simply for being different. After all, even though he was born in Canada, it didn't change the fact that he and his parents were immigrants from another land, and it took them a time to become legal citizens.

And let's not forget how he and his family endured constant discrimination after 9/11. He can still remember how everyone at his old office accused him of being a terrorist, and how his boss denied him a promotion because he suspected him of terrorism. To say nothing of how one of his ex-coworkers sabotaged him to win the 'Employee of the Month' award every single time, and no one said anything because said coworker was white. His repeated attempts to clarify to everyone that he and his family were Punjabi Sikhs fell on deaf ears, as it was clear no one wanted to hear.

He can only hope to avoid that in this town.

"Listen, I know it's going to be difficult to adapt to a new environment; heck, I'm nervous about starting my new job today, but we are Sandhus, and we always face adversity." he tells his sons in an attempt to encourage them.

"Do you know your way back home?" their mother asks.

"Yes, Mom," Noah answers.

"Good, I'll be waiting with dinner ready when you get back home."

Their grandfather sticks his head out the window "And one more thing!"

The boys groan, knowing what he's going to say "Yes, Grandpa?" they all ask monotonously.

"Do not even think about flirting with other girls who are not Punjabis!" the elder exclaims "Otherwise, you will bring shame to this family, like your brother Sanjeet did! The nerve of that young man!"

"Grandpa, I can assure you that dating is not on my list of priorities." Noah replies.

"Come on Gramps! What makes you think we'll do that?" Ajit asks indignant.

"Yeah, Gramps, why do you always think the worst of us?" Deepak adds. He and his twin flinch when Mohammed gives them a stern glare.

"Because I know you two," their grandfather responds flatly. "I will not repeat myself: stay away from any girls coming your way, or you'll be sent to a monastery in Nepal!"

The sisters snicker.

"Yeah, you better keep it in your pants, guys," Zahra jokes.

"Otherwise, mean ol' Grandpa will send you away, and we'll sooo sad," Yasmin adds, sarcasm very evident in her tone.

Priyanka turns to them "The same goes to you three, young ladies." She says sternly. "No flirting with boys, or you'll be send to a boarding school in India."

That makes the girls shut up.

"We wish you luck, sons," Rashad says before starting the car's engine and starts driving away, leaving the boys alone.

As they watch the van disappear, Noah and his brothers turn to see the building they are going to be attending for the rest of the year.

"Well guys, let the torture begin," Noah says as they walk up the stairs.

As soon as they enter, they see students in the hallways chatting and socializing. Noah and his brothers keep walking.

There is a stout, middle-aged man in a rather tacky suit who has a creepy-looking face, probably the principal. He has short, brown hair that appears to be thinning, and strangely enough, no eyebrows, which only enhances the creepiness factor.

Next to him is a bespectacled woman with shoulder-length black hair who appears to be in her mid-thirties. She has a rather voluptuous body consisting of long, shapely legs, a well-toned butt that is barely covered by her skirt, and a huge pair of breasts contained inside her blue suit. Her body contrasts greatly with her face, which looks like an Argentinian caricature. Overall, she looks like an oversexualized aunt.

"Ah, there they go, Ms. Feinberg, eager young minds wandering lost in the desert of ignorance, thirsting for knowledge!" the man says in excitement, while the woman just rolls her eyes and yawns in boredom "And we shall be their guides to the oasis of higher learning! Yes…"

Noah and the twins continue walking until they reach their designated lockers.

"Well, here are our lockers, guys. Might as well start unpacking," Noah says as he takes off his backpack and starts unlocking the locker. Once he manages to decipher the combo, Noah proceeds to open his locker and place his books in there. While doing so, someone taps his shoulder.

He turns around and sees a teenage boy who is shorter than him, and has very dark African skin and very short and shaved hair. He is wearing a big red jacket, very short yellow shorts, and orange sneakers. He also wears big, round glasses.

"Can I help you?" Noah asks.

"Greetings, new students! My name is Cameron Corduroy Wilkins," the short teen says in a friendly tone while extending his hand. Not wanting to look rude, especially on his first day in a new school, Noah shakes hands with him.

"Noah Sandhu, and these two meatheads are my brothers, Ajit and Deepak," the bookworm responds as he gestures to his brothers.

"Sup," they both greet at the same time.

"I'm looking forward to becoming acquaintances with you. Allow me to give you a free tour of the facilities." Cameron offers as he guides the new students. Noah and his brothers exchange confused looks, before shrugging and following the short African-American boy.

During the tour, Cameron shows the three brothers some of the classrooms, and gives indications of what to expect in each one (like not interrupting the Literature teacher during his monologues, not making lewd remarks about Ms. Feinberg's breasts in Biology class, etc.)

"… and during Physical Education, or P.E. for short, you have to always keep up, or else Coach Greyson will make you run in circles for an entire hour." Cameron explains. "I learned that the hard way on my first day. Needless to say, physical activity is not my strongest point."

"Well, looks like we have something in common," Noah says. "So, tell us, Cameron, how long have you attended this school?" he asks.

"Oh, actually, I'm also new here, me and my momma just moved in last year. Otherwise, I've been homeschooled until I turned 16." Cameron replies.

Noah raises an eyebrow "Homeschooled? Why?"

"You see, I was what you'd call a 'Bubble Boy'."

"A bubble boy?" Ajit asks.

"Yes, for 15 years I've been living inside a bubble, literally. Mainly because I'm an hypochondriac, and I suffer from every allergy in existence." Cameron explains in a melancholic tone. He suddenly sneezes "Apologies, dust allergy."

Noah looks at him sympathetically, he can relate.

"You know, I also have a few life-threatening allergies of my own." Noah says. "I'm allergic to panda dander, for one."

"So, how was it moving here, lil' dude?" Ajit asks.

"When me and my Momma moved here, I wanted to experience what high school education could provide, how different it was from homeschooling." Cameron tells the brothers "It took me quite a time, but I finally convinced my mother to allow me to attend this school. When I finally entered, well, let's just say it wasn't what I was expecting."

"Let me guess: they greeted you with wedgies and swirlies?" Noah asks in a dry tone, knowing first-hand about the harshness of the school environment. He's dealt with it since kindergarten, especially during the 9/11 paranoia craze, and even though it slowly died down, Noah was still bullied for being a nerd.

"Pretty much."

"That's high school for ya."

As they continue walking, Noah doesn't notice someone in front of him.

The person he clashed with is a teenage boy with scruffy brown hair. Upon a closer look, you can see that he is wearing a tuque on top of his head, a camouflage T-shirt, camo pants, army boots and a trench coat. In his hands there's what appears to be a remote control with a satellite dish.

"Watch where you're going! You almost broke my probe detector!" he yells angrily.

"Probe detector?" Deepak asks in confusion.

"Sorry about that," Noah apologizes "Uh, and you are…?"

"Sorry, my name's classified," the boy replies.

"Hello, Sean," Cameron greets in a bored tone.

Sean, as the guy is called, shushes the short nerd "Don't reveal my name in front of these strangers! For all we know, they could be spies sent by… them." He says this last part in an ominous tone.

Noah and his brothers simply stare at Sean like he is mentally insane.

"Uh, who's these 'them' you speak of?" Noah asks.

"That's classified."

"Sean thinks he's being pursued by a mysterious group, and that they want to silence him because 'he knows too much'" Cameron answers "For all I know, this group probably doesn't even exist, and Sean's just imagining things."

"Exactly what they want us to believe! I must leave now. You never heard of me." Sean says before running off, disappearing into the hallways.

The four teens simply watch the scene, and no one knows what to say.

Until Noah decides to break the silence, turning to Cameron.

"Quick question: do you know this guy?"

Cameron sighs "Unfortunately. He's Sean Aconite, or as everyone here calls him derogatorily: the local nutjob. He claims to be a paranormal investigator."

"Paranormal investigator?" Noah asks in confusion.

"Yes, he believes in the existence of supernatural creatures, and even aliens, but I think he's just delusional." Cameron explains. "I've always been wondering if he's suffering from schizophrenia."

"Or maybe he's been watching too many horror movies." Deepak remarks.

"That's another possibility." Cameron concedes. "In my opinion, those cinematic pieces are poisonous to the brain. Fortunately, my brain has never been exposed to such pointless drivel. Besides, my momma would never allow me to watch one of those."

"You know, he reminds me of an old classmate I knew back at home, named Shawn; even the name sounds similar." Noah tells Cam "He was also paranoid and crazy, only he was focused on zombies, and the fact that we could be facing a zombie apocalypse."

"Zombie apocalypse?" Cameron asks incredulously "Surely you jest."

"Better believe it, dude. Guy was nuttier than a squirrel," Ajit says as he makes a 'cuckoo' sign.

Noah nods "Yeah, and I learned long ago that trying to reason with a paranoid conspiracy nut like that isn't worth the headache. Just let them live in their own fantasy world, because even the best psychiatrists won't be able to reason with them. Trust me, the last school counselor who dealt with Shawn ended up having a nervous breakdown."

"Yeah, last we heard, he took a Sabbatical to Tibet." Deepak says.

The bell suddenly rings.

"Oh dear, the classes are starting!" Cameron exclaims.

Noah is looking at the school schedule "It says here that we have different classes, and the only ones in which we'll be interacting are P.E., History, Home Economics and our first period for today, Biology."

He then looks up to see the door in front of him, which has 'Biology' written.

"Well, that's convenient." he comments.


Cut to inside the classroom, where Noah and his brothers are standing in front of their new classmates. Next to them, Ms. Feinberg is talking in a nasal voice.

"Class, I'd like to present you our latest new additions here at Polter Hills High: Noah, Ajit and Deepak Sandhu." She says in a bored tone before turning to the brothers "Boys, if you have anything to say, don't. Makes my job much easier to tolerate."

Having been dismissed, the three brothers walk towards their desks.

"Well, isn't she a ball of sunshine." Noah says sarcastically as he sits down and pulls out a notebook and a pen. While he is writing down, his brothers are talking.

"She has a nice body, though." Deepak remarks.

"Yeah, but that face of hers won't win her any pageants, that's for sure." Ajit adds.

Noah shakes his head, he can only hope the day ends much sooner.


Four hours later…

Cafeteria, 12:00 p.m.

The three brothers are currently in the cafeteria, where the lunch lady is serving them their lunch. It consists of rather weird-looking food that, as the lady insists, is vegan. Even so, it's way better than the 'food' that they were served in their former school. The lunch guy there, Chef Hatchet, cooked in a way that would give any health inspector nightmares.

Noah and his brothers are sitting on a table, eating their lunch. Deepak and Ajit look like zombies with their blank stares.

"So, how were your other classes, guys?" Noah asks.

"The Physics teacher droned on and on about gravity!" Ajit complains, sounding like he wanted to escape.

"Yeah, and then in Literature the teacher was all about how we're 'doomed' and how our existence is meaningless, or some shit like that." Deepak grumbles "I mean, is he trying to be poetic, or does he just hate his job that much?"

Noah rolls his eyes at them "If you two think that's torture, wait until we get to P.E. Sports aren't my forte, remember?"

He then proceeds to eat his lunch, finding it to be rather good.

"Hey, stop! That's my lunch!" a familiar voice is heard.

They turn to see Cameron, who is on the ground, feebly struggling against two tall guys who stole his lunch. One of them has dark skin like him, but is skinny and has long, shoulder-length hair. The other is chubbier and has paler skin and short brown hair. Both of them wear the same purple T-shirt, but the skinny one wears jeans while the fat one wears cargo pants.

"Finders keepers, Wilkins!" the tall bully says mockingly, speaking in a New York accent.

"My momma made that lunch for me! I need my nutrients!" Cameron exclaims.

"Too bad, it's ours now!" the short bully replies, letting out a thuggish laugh.

Noah watches the scene, and can't help but feel sympathy for Cameron. After all, he himself had been a victim of bullying in his old school, namely by a guy named Duncan Myers. This scenario reminds him of unpleasant times when he had his run-ins with the delinquent. Times when he had suffered all kinds of humilliations, from wedgies to swirlies, were times Noah would rather forget, and seeing Cameron go through this hit a little too close to home.

He has to do something.

"I gotta help him." He says in determination as he rises from his seat and starts walking towards the scene, lunch tray at hand.

"Bro, what are you…" Deepak asks but Noah is already approaching the geek and two bullies.

"What do you want, brainiac?" the tall bully asks.

"You shouldn't take someone's lunch when you could have your own." Noah explains.

"Don't tell us what to do, pipsqueak!" the short bully exclaims, shoving Noah to the ground, which makes his lunch fall to the ground, spilling it.

"Good one Chet!" Lorenzo laughs.

"I know, Lorenzo!"

Noah shrugs as he gets up "Okay, I guess I have no way to defeat you two, so I'll be on my way. But first…" Noah says before taking his spoon, which he uses to scoop some of the mashed potatoes from the ground. Then, with an eagle-like precision, he throws the projectile at someone, surprising the two thugs. Noah then immediately gives his spoon to a stupefied Lorenzo.

The target happens to be a very tall and musclebound African-American boy who is seen making out with his girlfriend. Both of them have short purple hair and wear the same kind of clothes, which consists of pink T-shirts and purple shorts with tennis shoes.

Their making out session is interrupted when some mashed potatoes land on the tall guy. Seething in rage, the muscular black boy stands up and glares at the other classmates.

"Who threw this at me?!" the taller student hollers angrily.

Noah nonchalantly points to Lorenzo, who can only stare in fear, as does Chet, which makes them unable to see that Noah took Cameron's hand and they started to walk away.

"What are you…?" Cameron asks, but Noah interrupts him.

"Trust me, you'll thank me later." The bookworm replies as they leave the cafeteria.

Thinking that he found the culprits, the tall black boy grabs an apple from his tray and throws it at Lorenzo with such strength that it looks more like a projectile. The fruit ends up hitting Lorenzo, who is thrown towards another table. This has the side effect of food being flung to the air, and landing on the students who were eating, covering them, as well as Lorenzo, in their own lunch. As the bully gets up, he sweat-drops when he sees the angry students glaring at him with evil-like eyes and fire emanating from the background.

"FOOD FIGHT!" an Arab-looking student yells.

And just like that, all hell breaks loose. Everyone is throwing food at each other like it's war; tomatoes are thrown like grenades, burgers are used like projectiles, mashed potatoes explode on the ground like bombs, that sort of thing.

Ajit and Deepak, rather than join in on the fight, decide to do the sensible thing like their brother, and they skidaddle

Outside all this madness, the principal is walking in the hallway, until he sees the cafeteria in utter chaos. He decides to assert his authority.

"Enough!" He exclaims, but no one listens and food is thrown at him. This makes his blood boil "I said ENOUGH!" he yells loudly for everyone to stop the food fight and look at the pissed off principal "Who's responsible for this?!" he demands angrily.

All the students immediately point to Lorenzo and Chet, who are covered in food. They both look like deer in a road as the angry principal approaches them.

"Oh crap!" they both utter.

"You two, to my office, now!" he orders.

The two bullies share a look of despair and, not wanting to get in more trouble, dejectedly follow the principal outside the cafeteria. As they exit the place, they see Noah standing at the end of the hallway, giving them a taunting smirk and handwave. The bullies glare at him in anger as they walk away.

Once those two are out of sight, Noah suddenly feels a palm on his shoulder. He looks up to see his older brothers.

"That was wicked, bro!" Deepak exclaims.

"Yeah dude, you should've looked their faces!" Ajit adds.

"Something tells me they'll seek revenge tomorrow." Noah notes "Or right now if we have classes with those two. Luckily, I'm bringing the stretchiest underwear I can find."

Cameron turns to Noah, smiling "Thank you for assisting me back there. Not many people are capable of standing up to Lorenzo and Chet."

Noah shrugs "I have experience in dealing with bullies, starting with my two dunderhead brothers here." he says pointing to the twins.

"Hey!" they both exclaim indignant.

"Don't try to deny it, or do I have to remind you of the many times you two and our other siblings gave me wedgies, swirlies or put me in lockers?" Noah says, an underlying hint of resentment evident in his tone.

The twins try to retort, but they stay silent upon being asked that. They both look away in shame, as they remember the number of times they did exactly that to their younger brother.

"Yeah, well, you're right… but we don't do that anymore!" Deepak insists.

"Yeah, bro, we've changed!" Ajit adds.

Noah just rolls his eyes, not believing them "I'll believe it when I see it. Anyway, we better prepare for our next class."

"What about lunch?" Cameron asks.

"After causing that food fight and getting those two assholes in trouble, I lost my appetite anyway, but my thirst for knowledge is insatiable." Noah says as he walks away.


3 hours later…

The ring bells, which signals the end of classes. Everyone immediately makes a dash for it, as crowds of students start filling the halls, making way for the exit. Among the students are Noah and his brothers, all of which look beaten, especially the former, who is sporting a few bruises on his face.

"I knew those two jerks would try to get revenge on me, and lo and behold, they picked P.E. as a perfect opportunity to inflict damage on my persona during dodgeball." Noah grumbles. "That's what I get for trying to do a good action."

"Yeah, too bad they got put in their place," Ajit says smugly as he had been the one to hit Lorenzo where the sun doesn't shine.

"Well, it's time to go home," Noah states as he turns to Cameron "It was nice meeting you Cam. See you tomorrow."

"Likewise," Cameron replies with a smile. "But before we go, would you mind if I gave you my number?"

"What, are you hitting on me?" Noah asks with a trolling smile. His brothers laugh loudly.

"N-no, no!" Cameron denies "It's not like that!"

Noah laughs "Relax, I'm just kidding. I'll give you my number." He says as he pulls out his cellphone and starts typing. After he is done, Cameron does the same.

"I'm still having difficulty in understanding how humor works." Cameron admits "I've read somewhere that it is a sign of social interaction, and that people bond over jokes regarding a subject."

"Don't over think it too much, Cam."

"Well, see you tomorrow, guys," Cameron says.

Just as they are about to leave, however, a ruffling sound is heard. The four boys get surprised as they look for the source of that sound.

"Did you hear something?" Deepak asks.

"Maybe it was the wind." Noah replies with a shrug. When he's about to walk away, Noah suddenly catches a glimpse of a small, shadowy figure, about his height, coming out of the bushes under the stairs, only for it to run rapidly into the woods. His curiosity piqued, the bookworm goes to where the figure went.

"Noah, wait!" Deepak exclaims as he follows his younger brother. Ajit and Cameron follow suit as they all go into the forest.


Cameron tries to keep up with the three Indian boys, but sadly for him, his lithe legs are not meant for running. He gasps for breath as he attempts to catch up. Luckily for him, the brotherly trio comes to a sudden halt, allowing Cameron a moment of respite.

"Curse my short limbs! And my lack of lower body strength." he says quietly as he stops to regain his composure. Once he does, he suddenly gives a look of awe as he stands in front of the forest.

Even though it is afternoon, the towering canopy of lush pine trees shields a great deal of light from the forest floor. A rather unsettling breeze wafts through the light needles of the trees, whistling in tune with the chirping of the birds and the buzzing of insects. Aside from the sparse natural lighting, an array of summer fireflies also dances loftily through the trees, giving the forest both an enchanting, yet undoubtedly mysterious vibe.

"Man, look at this place! It's so creepy!" Ajit exclaims.

"Yeah, classic place to get attacked by a monster, or maybe some wild animal," Deepak adds. "Or maybe some psycho with a hockey mask and chainsaw!"

"You mean, like the Escaped Psycho Killer with a Chainsaw and a Hook who appears on the news?" Ajit asks.

Noah doesn't pay attention to his brothers' conversation as he contemplates the environment. Something about these woods seems off, but he can't pinpoint what it is. As he looks around, he hears a blitzing sound, and turns his head to see. Noah scratches his head in confusion; maybe he's seeing things. However, as he places his hand against a tree, Noah feels something is off. Running his hand up and down, he notes that the bark feels nothing like wood, but rather metal, as he deduces from its hard, cold exterior. Confused and intrigued, he gives the tree a tentative knock, listening closely to hear that the tree did indeed make a strange metallic noise.

His curiosity getting the better of him, Noah runs his hand over the surface again only to discover small, relatively well-hidden hinges on one side of it, like some kind of door. Sure enough, after a bit more probing, he manages to feel out the edges of the panel, and with a little struggle, he actually ends up prying it open. The panel creaks open to reveal a small, dust-ridden compartment hallowed out in the tree. It looks as though it hadn't been touched in years.

"Maybe that was the point," Noah thinks as he continues to analyze the compartment. "I mean, why would they go through all the trouble of hiding something like this in here, unless it contained horrible secrets no one should know about?"

As he ponders that question, Noah notes that, inside the compartment, there is an outward-facing button with a cross sign, surrounded by smaller buttons and what appears to be letters engraved into the walls, though they seem completely undecipherable.

"Maybe it's ancient Japanese or Hindi..." Noah thinks as he notes that the button has a weird symbol on it as well.

"What the…" Noah questions as he looks inside, kneeling so he can get a better look. Much like the tree compartment, the shallow dugout looks as though it had been abandoned for decades. Noah observes that the sole content resting in the center of the hole is nothing but a book covered in dust and cobwebs.

Raising an eyebrow at the dirt-covered tome, Noah reaches down to pick it up and blows away the dust, revealing a strange symbol on the cover. Despite its apparent age, the book is sturdily bound, with a rugged, somewhat tattered burgundy leather cover and rounded golden corners. However, the most fascinating feature of the book, by far, is the strange cross-like symbol that appears to share the same design from the switch in the tree.

"Interesting…" he remarks as he opens the mysterious book. Strangely enough, upon opening it, Noah's eyes start glowing yellow for some reason, then go back to their normal brown. The confused bookworm blinks, then shakes his head. "What just happened?" he asks, before shrugging it off; it must've been the Sun. He re-focuses on the book in his hands.

On the right is a paper that reads "Property of…" but the name of the supposed owner of the book was cut off from below, possibly on purpose. Noah turns the first page which has weird drawings, and what seems to be a journal entry, headed with the date "April 15", but oddly enough, there was no year. However, that doesn't stop Noah from reading it.

"It's hard to believe that it's been six years since I began studying the strange and wondrous secrets of Polter Hills, Wisconsin," Noah reads out loud, and then scouts through the pages. The browning, crinkled pages are filled with sketches and photographs of all sorts of unheard of oddities. Noah's eyes widen in surprise as he observes the entries on strange creatures and other anomalies like ghosts, mermaids, werewolves, vampires, gnomes, etc.

"What's all this?" he asks in awe as he continues to leaf through, before stopping at the final pages of the journal.

"Unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed: I'm being watched. I must hide this journal before they find it. Remember, you can trust no one." he reads out loud as he sees the emphasis on the big words "Trust No One" that are written in red.

"Wow, cryptic and mysterious, but so cliché," Noah says rolling his eyes, yet he can't help but stare at the journal and the information it offers, particularly the last message.

He slowly closes the book and silently muses over what this books encompasses. It gives him the idea that Polter Hills is home to many strange creatures and occurrences, but he's yet to see any of that. If he was being honest, Noah would think that this book looks more like a prop book from Harry Potter, or something of the sort. And yet, he can't help but recall the journal's ominous warning.

"Noah! Are you there?" Deepak's voice is heard.

Noah snaps out of his thoughts when he hears his name being called out. He quickly opens his backpack and puts the journal inside as his brothers and Cameron approach him.

"There you are, bro!" Ajit exclaims.

"What'cha reading there? Some nerd thing?" Deepak remarks.

Noah is about to reply, but then he remembers the cryptic warning. Even though he doesn't really take it seriously, he can't really take any risks in revealing it to his brothers, let alone his new friend. On the other hand, even if he tells them, they'll probably laugh in his face.

So, he decides to play it cool.

"So what if I was? They don't call me 'bookworm' for nothing." Noah replies.

"Can we go home, please? This frightening atmosphere is unsettling!" Cameron says, his teeth clattering in fear.

"I don't know what you just said, but yeah, let's go home. This place is giving me the creeps!" Ajit agrees.

The quartet soon starts leaving the forest. Unbeknownst to them, however, a pair of red eyes appears from between the trees, glaring at the departing boys.

While the four of them are heading back to civilization, Ajit fails to notice the bunch of leaves on the ground. As he steps on them, a strange sound is heard, and the four boys look up. Turns out that Ajit's action had the unforeseen effect of activating what appears to be a booby-trap. Soon, all four boys end up tangled in a big fishing net. They all struggle to escape the net, to no avail.

"Hey, what the hell?!" Deepak exclaims.

"What just happened?!" Cameron yelps.

"We captured dinner, boys!" a strange voice shouts.

What happens next leaves Noah, Cameron and the twins completely stupefied when a bunch of tiny figures come out of the bushes and treetops, revealing themselves. Expecting them to be predators, the guys' eyes become the size of saucers while their jaws drop in shock when they see who the culprits are.

Gnomes.

As in, miniature woodland creatures that resemble garden gnomes.

The four captured boys stare blank-eyed at the strange creatures surrounding them, no one saying anything for an indefinite period of time. I mean, what exactly can they say?

After what appeared to be an eternity, one of the slack-jawed boys finally speaks.

"Uh…hi." Cameron says sheepishly.


Uh oh. Looks like the boys are facing their first obstacle!