CHAPTER TWO: What Happens When You Eavesdrop
Lizzie felt sick. Whoever was knocking, whoever was on the other side of the door, she knew it was bad.
Mr. Burner seemed to feel the same way. He tentatively went to the entrance, and cautiously opened it. He and Lizzie both gasped at the same time, drawing stares from her peers.
On the other side of the door was an old man who, like The Two Hotties, seemed sickeningly familiar. He couldn't have been The Third Hottie, though he might have been cute if he had been about twenty years younger.
After a long pause, Mr. Burner opened the door wider. "Well.hello, Principal Barbierossa."
"Hello," he said in a chilling Irish intonation. "I'd like to see Elizabeth.Duck."
Fear shot through Lizzie's body. Mr. Burner again fingered his medallion.
"Fine," the hot teacher agreed in a harsh tone. "Lizzie, let us go talk to Principal Barbierossa in the hallway." He emphasized the word us. Lizzie knew that whatever was going on here, Mr. Burner would help her out.
Trembling, Lizzie got up from her seat. She slipped through the doorway, Mr. Burner by her side, and they faced the Principal.
"Thank you, Miss.Duck," Barbierossa said in that chilling voice, leaning closer to her. "You have something that belongs to me."
Lizzie knew she had heard some variation of that sentence before-and not just on cop shows.
"I didn't steal anything if that's what you mean!" she squealed in a shaking soprano. Mr. Burner moved closer to her.
"I know you've got it.It calls to me," he added with a freaky grin. "Your emergency form. The school needs it for early dismissals due to unexpected circumstances."
Mr. Burner and Lizzie breathed a sigh of relief. Lizzie took off her large, hollow earring and cracked it open. Inside lay the folded-up emergency form.
"Here ya go," she said with a smile. "Have a nice day." She put the earring back on and skipped back inside the classroom where foolish students where playing with hammers, glad to be alive.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The rest of the day proceeded fairly uneventfully. The only other notable class was Home Ec, where The Third Hottie, a Mack Swallow, got drunk all day and insisted they make batch after batch of rum cake. Lizzie did not find it surprising that he seemed familiar as well.
At the clang of the last bell, Lizzie slammed the door of her locker and looked for the best possible route out of the building without running into Chrissie and Melanie on their way to Shopping Club. She took a passage that ran next to the door to the Teacher's Lounge, but stopped when she heard Bill Burner's voice.
"She knows-"
Lizzie pressed her ear to the door harder. Who were they talking about?
Then came Doorington's voice. "She can't know! It's impossible!"
"We know, don't we?" said Mr. Burner, annoyed.
"But we're adults!" hissed Doorington. "She's only a child! She wouldn't be able to handle it!"
"If I ever want to be totally alive, I need her," said the chilling voice of Barbierossa. "I deemed in my past life that she took it from you, Bill, so I need her as well."
"I won't let you have either of us!" insisted Mr. Burner.
"Hear hear!" shouted the drunken Mr. Swallow.
Then came an unfamiliar voice, another's man's, high-pitched and strange. "I be seeing something with my eye, Principal."
"What is it?" said Barbierossa in a bored tone.
"It's her," the unfamiliar voice giggled. "She's right outside the door."
Lizzie tried to run away, but by the time she had taken one step, the door was opened and Barbierossa glared down at her.
"Welcome aboard, Miss Duck," he said. "Care to join us?" Then he left that scary, chilling, familiar laugh.
Lizzie felt sick. Whoever was knocking, whoever was on the other side of the door, she knew it was bad.
Mr. Burner seemed to feel the same way. He tentatively went to the entrance, and cautiously opened it. He and Lizzie both gasped at the same time, drawing stares from her peers.
On the other side of the door was an old man who, like The Two Hotties, seemed sickeningly familiar. He couldn't have been The Third Hottie, though he might have been cute if he had been about twenty years younger.
After a long pause, Mr. Burner opened the door wider. "Well.hello, Principal Barbierossa."
"Hello," he said in a chilling Irish intonation. "I'd like to see Elizabeth.Duck."
Fear shot through Lizzie's body. Mr. Burner again fingered his medallion.
"Fine," the hot teacher agreed in a harsh tone. "Lizzie, let us go talk to Principal Barbierossa in the hallway." He emphasized the word us. Lizzie knew that whatever was going on here, Mr. Burner would help her out.
Trembling, Lizzie got up from her seat. She slipped through the doorway, Mr. Burner by her side, and they faced the Principal.
"Thank you, Miss.Duck," Barbierossa said in that chilling voice, leaning closer to her. "You have something that belongs to me."
Lizzie knew she had heard some variation of that sentence before-and not just on cop shows.
"I didn't steal anything if that's what you mean!" she squealed in a shaking soprano. Mr. Burner moved closer to her.
"I know you've got it.It calls to me," he added with a freaky grin. "Your emergency form. The school needs it for early dismissals due to unexpected circumstances."
Mr. Burner and Lizzie breathed a sigh of relief. Lizzie took off her large, hollow earring and cracked it open. Inside lay the folded-up emergency form.
"Here ya go," she said with a smile. "Have a nice day." She put the earring back on and skipped back inside the classroom where foolish students where playing with hammers, glad to be alive.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The rest of the day proceeded fairly uneventfully. The only other notable class was Home Ec, where The Third Hottie, a Mack Swallow, got drunk all day and insisted they make batch after batch of rum cake. Lizzie did not find it surprising that he seemed familiar as well.
At the clang of the last bell, Lizzie slammed the door of her locker and looked for the best possible route out of the building without running into Chrissie and Melanie on their way to Shopping Club. She took a passage that ran next to the door to the Teacher's Lounge, but stopped when she heard Bill Burner's voice.
"She knows-"
Lizzie pressed her ear to the door harder. Who were they talking about?
Then came Doorington's voice. "She can't know! It's impossible!"
"We know, don't we?" said Mr. Burner, annoyed.
"But we're adults!" hissed Doorington. "She's only a child! She wouldn't be able to handle it!"
"If I ever want to be totally alive, I need her," said the chilling voice of Barbierossa. "I deemed in my past life that she took it from you, Bill, so I need her as well."
"I won't let you have either of us!" insisted Mr. Burner.
"Hear hear!" shouted the drunken Mr. Swallow.
Then came an unfamiliar voice, another's man's, high-pitched and strange. "I be seeing something with my eye, Principal."
"What is it?" said Barbierossa in a bored tone.
"It's her," the unfamiliar voice giggled. "She's right outside the door."
Lizzie tried to run away, but by the time she had taken one step, the door was opened and Barbierossa glared down at her.
"Welcome aboard, Miss Duck," he said. "Care to join us?" Then he left that scary, chilling, familiar laugh.