"Get up, Gohan!" Drew shouted, throwing a pillow at his friend's head.
"Church!"
"Church?" Gohan mumbled, rubbing his bleary eyes.
"Yeah, it's Sunday. We have Church on Sunday cause it's a Christian school. So get up and get dressed in something formal."
Gohan climbed out of bed, still half asleep, and dressed in one of his many suits.
Church? He had never been to Church before. What was it like?
The entire school gathered in the chapel. The grade sevens sat at the front and grade twelves at the back. Everyone else squished in between.
"So what is Church?" Gohan asked Drew. "I've never been before."
"Only the most boring thing on earth." Drew sighed. "You're lucky you didn't go to the junior school, Gohan. It was the same thing there."
They made their way to their seats, walking down the red carpeted aisle that led to the altar. Stupidly, Gohan began to pretend he was a prince, approaching a throne to be crowned king.
He walked solemnly towards the altar, lost his balance and tripped over, landing head first on the ground. The chapel rang with laughter.
Gohan stood up, filled with embarrassment and came face to face with brother Sydenham.
"I'm watching you, boy." He warned. "Anymore outbursts like in RE, and you'll be put on permanent detention."
Gohan shuddered as Drew pulled him into a seat.
"Evil looking guy, huh? Not someone you want as an enemy. Take my advice and try to get back on his good side."
"I never was on his good side." Gohan said as he watched brother Sydenham march away to shout at some other unfortunate teenagers.
The mass begun and everyone stood up to welcome the priest. They sung some weird Latin hymn that Gohan had never heard before. He stood silently beside his friends and watched with a fake interested look on his face.
Cecilia came into the chapel with the priest wearing a white robe and holding a candle aloft. After Gohan's senzu bean, she had made a quick and unexpected recovery. She winked at him as she came by.
"What's Cecilia doing?" Gohan whispered to Drew.
"Altar server. It means she helps the priest and stuff. Apparently, her family is really religious and she isn't allowed to go out on Sundays."
"Why?"
"Because Sunday is a day of rest for some reason. All she's allowed to do is pray."
Gohan watched her as she solemnly set the candle down and stood behind the priest like a slave. As he watched her, he failed to realize there were two others watching Gohan. Vicky and Faye.
*****
"That brat." Vicky sobbed, trying to keep her tears under control while in the presence of God. "He has a crush on Cecilia! And there I was defending him when you said he was a flying freak. I just thought that when I walked in on him, he was just being nice and seeing if Cecilia was ok. But he was trying to get with her!"
Faye wasn't listening, continuing to watch Gohan.
"He won't take his eyes away from her." Vicky continued. "And did you see her wink at him? It's so obvious their dating. I can't believe I was such a fool!"
She paused, noticed that Faye hadn't been paying attention and burst with rage.
"FAYE, ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME???"
All eyes swiveled to the red faced, grade seven girl who was obviously going through some sort of emotional growth disorder. All was quiet as Vicky shrunk into silence.
"What is the meaning of this?" brother Sydenham spat, breaking the silence with his enraged tone.
"I-I." Vicky stuttered.
Brother Sydenham was too angry to speak. His face turned murky green and his eyes boiled over with fury.
"Sorry brother Sydenham. It was my fault." Gohan said, getting to his feet.
All eyes turned to the young boy with a long black pony tail and sharp dark eyes.
"What ever do you mean?" Brother Sydenham asked.
"I was the one who dared Vicky to scream out in mass like that. It wasn't her fault."
"Oh my goodness. My sweat Gohan is trying to save me!" Vicky simpered to Faye under her breath. "Oh, I should never have doubted him for a second."
"Even so, if Victoria was stupid enough to play along with your silly prank, Mr Son, then it is her fault as much as yours. Both of you will come with me."
He turned to face the priest. "Terribly sorry, reverent. Carry on."
Gohan and Vicky stood up and followed brother Sydenham out of the chapel. The mass behind them continued as usual and everyone sank back into their usual Sunday gloom, but Vicky knew she was stepping into something much worse than Sunday mass.
Detention with brother Sydenham.
*****
Gohan avoided Vicky's eyes. He knew she probably thought he was stupid for trying to save her. And he had more to worry about now. Like what brother Sydenham was planning to do to them.
"Gohan?" Vicky whispered softly so that Sydenham couldn't hear.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
He blushed stupidly, putting his hand behind his head. "It was nothing."
Sydenham paused outside his office. "Wait here." He instructed coldly and left them in the hall.
"What do you suppose he'll make us do?" Gohan asked in a desperate attempt to make conversation.
Vicky shrugged. "No idea. But everyone says that detention with brother Sydenham is worse than getting expelled."
"Can't be that bad." Gohan said positively. But he feared the worst.
Finally the mass ended and children hurried to get changed and go out to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Everyone gave them a sympathetic stare.
Finally, Sydenham returned holding two sheets of bright pink paper. "I have decided that for detention you will both join me in the graveyard at six tonight to clean the tombstones."
"There's a graveyard?" Gohan interrupted with surprise.
"Yes, and you will clean it. Now go and enjoy your weekend. While you can.
*****
At six pm, Gohan and Vicky skipped dinner and took their pink slips to the graveyard.
"Back when this school was a nun convent, the nuns wanted to be buried on their own land." Vicky told her companion. "So they made a graveyard. That's were all the ghost stories come from."
"You mean Lavender is buried here?" Gohan quivered.
"Probably not. She wasn't a nun. But it is possible they buried her hear out of sympathy."
Gohan shuddered to think of what awaited them.
Brother Sydenham met them at the graveyard gate. "You're late." He said. "But let's begin."
They crouched beside tombstones and scrubbed while Sydenham rested against the fence and napped.
"This is the worst detention ever!" Vicky complained.
"Yeah." Gohan lied. Because he was stronger than Vicky, this work seemed like nothing to him.
Already reaching his fifth tombstone, Gohan began to scrub away the mould that covered it.
"Ok, this is just wrong!" Vicky shouted again. "I just found my great, great aunt."
Gohan laughed feebly as he continued to brush away the filth, wondering who this grave belonged to.
Scrubbing until the engravings could be seen, Gohan squinted to read the name and stood back, screaming when he saw it.
Lavender.
"What is it?" Vicky cried, rushing to his side.
Gohan pointed weakly to the gravestone. Vicky let out a shrill squeak.
Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from behind him and Gohan saw the figure of a beautiful young girl, with straw blonde hair and no pupils in her dead eyes.
Screaming with terror, Vicky clung to Gohan's shoulder.
"What do you want?" Gohan called to the ghostly shape. Remembering that the dead was nothing to fear.
"My necklace!" Lavender called. "We don't have it." Gohan answered.
"Then I will kill you!"
It seemed Gohan had no choice. He powered up to super Sayian form to try and scare it.
It worked. Lavender backed away, shrieking with terror.
"You haven't seen the last of me, Gohan Son. I shall find you and kill you!"
With that, she vanished into light and Gohan returned to his normal state.
"Listen; Vicky I-" Gohan begun to explain. But then stopped when he saw she had passed out.
Brother Sydenham, somehow, still managed to sleep. Gohan grabbed the signed pink slips from his grasp and carried Vicky back to the school.
"Church?" Gohan mumbled, rubbing his bleary eyes.
"Yeah, it's Sunday. We have Church on Sunday cause it's a Christian school. So get up and get dressed in something formal."
Gohan climbed out of bed, still half asleep, and dressed in one of his many suits.
Church? He had never been to Church before. What was it like?
The entire school gathered in the chapel. The grade sevens sat at the front and grade twelves at the back. Everyone else squished in between.
"So what is Church?" Gohan asked Drew. "I've never been before."
"Only the most boring thing on earth." Drew sighed. "You're lucky you didn't go to the junior school, Gohan. It was the same thing there."
They made their way to their seats, walking down the red carpeted aisle that led to the altar. Stupidly, Gohan began to pretend he was a prince, approaching a throne to be crowned king.
He walked solemnly towards the altar, lost his balance and tripped over, landing head first on the ground. The chapel rang with laughter.
Gohan stood up, filled with embarrassment and came face to face with brother Sydenham.
"I'm watching you, boy." He warned. "Anymore outbursts like in RE, and you'll be put on permanent detention."
Gohan shuddered as Drew pulled him into a seat.
"Evil looking guy, huh? Not someone you want as an enemy. Take my advice and try to get back on his good side."
"I never was on his good side." Gohan said as he watched brother Sydenham march away to shout at some other unfortunate teenagers.
The mass begun and everyone stood up to welcome the priest. They sung some weird Latin hymn that Gohan had never heard before. He stood silently beside his friends and watched with a fake interested look on his face.
Cecilia came into the chapel with the priest wearing a white robe and holding a candle aloft. After Gohan's senzu bean, she had made a quick and unexpected recovery. She winked at him as she came by.
"What's Cecilia doing?" Gohan whispered to Drew.
"Altar server. It means she helps the priest and stuff. Apparently, her family is really religious and she isn't allowed to go out on Sundays."
"Why?"
"Because Sunday is a day of rest for some reason. All she's allowed to do is pray."
Gohan watched her as she solemnly set the candle down and stood behind the priest like a slave. As he watched her, he failed to realize there were two others watching Gohan. Vicky and Faye.
*****
"That brat." Vicky sobbed, trying to keep her tears under control while in the presence of God. "He has a crush on Cecilia! And there I was defending him when you said he was a flying freak. I just thought that when I walked in on him, he was just being nice and seeing if Cecilia was ok. But he was trying to get with her!"
Faye wasn't listening, continuing to watch Gohan.
"He won't take his eyes away from her." Vicky continued. "And did you see her wink at him? It's so obvious their dating. I can't believe I was such a fool!"
She paused, noticed that Faye hadn't been paying attention and burst with rage.
"FAYE, ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME???"
All eyes swiveled to the red faced, grade seven girl who was obviously going through some sort of emotional growth disorder. All was quiet as Vicky shrunk into silence.
"What is the meaning of this?" brother Sydenham spat, breaking the silence with his enraged tone.
"I-I." Vicky stuttered.
Brother Sydenham was too angry to speak. His face turned murky green and his eyes boiled over with fury.
"Sorry brother Sydenham. It was my fault." Gohan said, getting to his feet.
All eyes turned to the young boy with a long black pony tail and sharp dark eyes.
"What ever do you mean?" Brother Sydenham asked.
"I was the one who dared Vicky to scream out in mass like that. It wasn't her fault."
"Oh my goodness. My sweat Gohan is trying to save me!" Vicky simpered to Faye under her breath. "Oh, I should never have doubted him for a second."
"Even so, if Victoria was stupid enough to play along with your silly prank, Mr Son, then it is her fault as much as yours. Both of you will come with me."
He turned to face the priest. "Terribly sorry, reverent. Carry on."
Gohan and Vicky stood up and followed brother Sydenham out of the chapel. The mass behind them continued as usual and everyone sank back into their usual Sunday gloom, but Vicky knew she was stepping into something much worse than Sunday mass.
Detention with brother Sydenham.
*****
Gohan avoided Vicky's eyes. He knew she probably thought he was stupid for trying to save her. And he had more to worry about now. Like what brother Sydenham was planning to do to them.
"Gohan?" Vicky whispered softly so that Sydenham couldn't hear.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
He blushed stupidly, putting his hand behind his head. "It was nothing."
Sydenham paused outside his office. "Wait here." He instructed coldly and left them in the hall.
"What do you suppose he'll make us do?" Gohan asked in a desperate attempt to make conversation.
Vicky shrugged. "No idea. But everyone says that detention with brother Sydenham is worse than getting expelled."
"Can't be that bad." Gohan said positively. But he feared the worst.
Finally the mass ended and children hurried to get changed and go out to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Everyone gave them a sympathetic stare.
Finally, Sydenham returned holding two sheets of bright pink paper. "I have decided that for detention you will both join me in the graveyard at six tonight to clean the tombstones."
"There's a graveyard?" Gohan interrupted with surprise.
"Yes, and you will clean it. Now go and enjoy your weekend. While you can.
*****
At six pm, Gohan and Vicky skipped dinner and took their pink slips to the graveyard.
"Back when this school was a nun convent, the nuns wanted to be buried on their own land." Vicky told her companion. "So they made a graveyard. That's were all the ghost stories come from."
"You mean Lavender is buried here?" Gohan quivered.
"Probably not. She wasn't a nun. But it is possible they buried her hear out of sympathy."
Gohan shuddered to think of what awaited them.
Brother Sydenham met them at the graveyard gate. "You're late." He said. "But let's begin."
They crouched beside tombstones and scrubbed while Sydenham rested against the fence and napped.
"This is the worst detention ever!" Vicky complained.
"Yeah." Gohan lied. Because he was stronger than Vicky, this work seemed like nothing to him.
Already reaching his fifth tombstone, Gohan began to scrub away the mould that covered it.
"Ok, this is just wrong!" Vicky shouted again. "I just found my great, great aunt."
Gohan laughed feebly as he continued to brush away the filth, wondering who this grave belonged to.
Scrubbing until the engravings could be seen, Gohan squinted to read the name and stood back, screaming when he saw it.
Lavender.
"What is it?" Vicky cried, rushing to his side.
Gohan pointed weakly to the gravestone. Vicky let out a shrill squeak.
Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from behind him and Gohan saw the figure of a beautiful young girl, with straw blonde hair and no pupils in her dead eyes.
Screaming with terror, Vicky clung to Gohan's shoulder.
"What do you want?" Gohan called to the ghostly shape. Remembering that the dead was nothing to fear.
"My necklace!" Lavender called. "We don't have it." Gohan answered.
"Then I will kill you!"
It seemed Gohan had no choice. He powered up to super Sayian form to try and scare it.
It worked. Lavender backed away, shrieking with terror.
"You haven't seen the last of me, Gohan Son. I shall find you and kill you!"
With that, she vanished into light and Gohan returned to his normal state.
"Listen; Vicky I-" Gohan begun to explain. But then stopped when he saw she had passed out.
Brother Sydenham, somehow, still managed to sleep. Gohan grabbed the signed pink slips from his grasp and carried Vicky back to the school.