Chapter Seven: Animal Farm

Sam stirred the melting ice cream with her spoon absently, watching the two boys eat. Tuck and Brad sat across from her in a booth at the Mr. Frosty ice cream shop at the mall, both gulping down hot fudge sundaes. Neither of them seemed to notice that she hadn't taken a single bite of her ice cream. The two brothers had both been more then friendly and invited her to hang out with them after Jenny left on her mission. Sam was happy to be with them and to have made more new friends, but was beginning to wonder exactly what was keeping her first friend from coming back.

She brushed back some of her blonde hair and glanced up at the clock mounted on the wall. Jenny had left the mall at four fifteen. Now the clock read five thirty-five exactly, five minutes later then the last time Sam had looked. She turned to Brad, her eyebrows drawn together in a worried frown. "Brad, do Jenny's missions usually take this long?"

The red-haired boy looked up from his sundae and finally noticed the concern on her face. He wiped some syrup off his mouth before answering. "No, but I'm sure she's fine." He gave her a carefree smile, hoping to cheer her up. "Trust me, there's not much Jenny can't handle."

Sam tried to smile back, but didn't quite manage it. "Yeah, you're probably right." she said, and then looked back down at the swirled mess in her bowl. "But . . . I don't know. I just have this feeling that something's wrong."

Brad raised a curious eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"It sounded like she was just going to investigate a break-in at the museum." Sam explained. "Why would it take so much time?"

Brad shrugged, still unworried. "Maybe something was stolen and she's helping the police look for it."

"Yeah!" Tuck piped up, his lips dripping with chocolate and melted ice cream. He waved his hands in the air excitedly as he continued. "Maybe it was an ancient, magical relic, and the thief has powers that make him impossible to catch, leading Jenny on a wild goose chase all over town!"

He started making whooshing noises with his mouth, sending drops of syrup splattering onto the table. Disgusted, Brad snatched up a napkin and started rubbing Tuck's face with it. "Hey, short stuff! Say it, don't spray it! You want Sam to think you were raised in a barn?" He glanced at the girl nervously, hoping she wasn't too appalled by his brother's antics, but to his surprise Sam was laughing.

She stopped long enough to smile at him. "It's okay, Brad, I don't mind." Then she giggled. "Actually, it was pretty funny."

Relieved, Brad gave his brother a playful bop on the head. Sometimes the little squirt could actually do something right. "Well, anyway, Sam, you don't need to worry about Jenny. She's a superhero, after all!"

"That's absolutely right!" exclaimed a voice no one had expected. Brad, Tuck, and Sam looked to see a scrawny, pimply-faced boy in a sweatshirt standing in front of the counter. He was clutching a glass filled with a strange purple substance in one hand, and his free hand was raised above his head in a grand, dramatic gesture. His outburst had attracted stares from everyone in the shop, but he didn't seem to notice as he went on in his creaking nasal voice. "Jenny is the greatest hero this town has ever known, and there's no chance that some petty art thief could defeat her! You can put your mind at ease, miss, because my sweet Jenny will claim victory for sure!"

Brad seemed unimpressed by the boy's speech. "How long have you been eavesdropping on us, Sheldon?"

The boy's bravado vanished at once, leaving him fumbling with his glass awkwardly. "I, uh, I'm sorry, Brad," he said, flushing red with embarrassment. "I just heard you guys talking about Jenny, and I couldn't help but listen . . ."

"Hey, I remember you!" Sam interjected. "You're the boy Jenny was with at the arcade!"

Sheldon looked at her and his face lit up instantly. "Oh, yeah! And you're the girl who stood up for her!" He grinned, showing off his overbite and crooked teeth, and walked up to her. "Wow, that was pretty impressive how you handled that manager!"

She shrugged the compliment off. "Oh, it was no big deal." she replied nonchalantly. "I just did what anyone else would have done."

"But that's just it!" Sheldon insisted. "Nobody else would have done it!"

Brad and Tuck glared at him. "What do you mean, nobody?" Tuck asked.

"Well, some of us would have," Sheldon said quickly.

"I don't understand." Sam said, looking puzzled. "Why wouldn't anyone else stand up for her?"

Brad folded his arms on the table and leaned forward. "Well, Sam, you may have noticed that Jenny isn't like other girls."

"Well, duh! She's a robot!" Tuck interrupted. "I mean, she's got all those freaky powers and stuff! She's got jets in her head! And she's made of metal, too!"

Brad narrowed his eyes and glared at his brother. "Thank you, Tucker." He looked back at Sam. "Anyway, that's pretty much it. Most people think she's a freak and won't go anywhere near her, much less stand up for her."

Sam frowned. "Jenny's not a freak! I mean, besides the whole 'being a robot' thing, she's just like any other girl!"

"That's what I think, too." Brad said, nodding his agreement. He gestured to Tuck and Sheldon. "We all do. But the point is that most people don't."

Sam folded her arms and leaned back in her seat, an irritated expression on her face. "Well, that stinks." she grumbled.

Before someone else could speak, a scream rang out from somewhere else in the mall. Then there was glass shattering and an alarm going off, followed by more screaming. Excited, Tuck jumped up on the bench and climbed over Brad's legs. "Ooh! A robbery! Let's watch!" He pressed his face and hands against the glass. People were now running past the window and screaming in terror. More people in the ice cream shop began looking to see what the noise was about, including Brad, Sam and Sheldon. Their eyes grew wide at what they saw.

A huge brown moose was galloping across the floor, big hooves clattering loudly on the tiles. Its large nostrils were flared wide open as it snorted and bellowed over the shrieking alarms in an irritable, frustrated manner. A group of security guards were running after it, waving their clubs over their heads and shouting menacingly. Suddenly the moose turned sharply, lowered its huge antlers and charged at the guards. They instantly turned around and started running the other way, screaming as the enormous beast chased them back the way they came.

Brad's jaw hung open in shock and he blinked a few times. "Tuck, please tell me you just saw all that."

Tuck looked back at him with a totally bewildered expression. "If you saw what I saw, then yes, I saw all that."

Suddenly there was another scream. This one had come from further down the hallway, where the group couldn't see. They jumped out of the booth and dashed out of the store, to be greeted by another bizarre spectacle. A big fat panda crunched lazily on a stick of bamboo, sitting on the floor next to a large overturned planter, and barely noticing the small crowd of people murmuring and staring at it. Sam looked at the panda on the floor a bit longer, and then began to notice some strange noises coming from below. She rushed to the railing and looked down at the ground floor below, then gasped loudly. The place had turned into a menagerie. Squirrels and raccoons rummaged around in overturned garbage cans. A few ducks, geese, and even a flamingo were loitering in and around the fountain, while goats, llamas and yaks grazed on the foliage in the planters. Meanwhile, some people were yelling and waving brooms around, trying to chase away a bear who was getting too close to the food court.

By now the boys had joined Sam at the railing, scarcely believing the chaos. Tuck was clinging to Brad's pant-leg as if it were his last hold on sanity. "This is just like that nature show 'When Wildlife Goes Wild!' Oh, the humanity!"

Brad rubbed his chin thoughtfully, ignoring his little brother's wailing. "You know, Sam, this is just a crazy guess, but I think this might have something to do with why Jenny isn't back yet."

The confusion was starting to overwhelm Sam. "But there was a break-in at the museum!" she cried. "Why would there be animals running around from that??"

"Maybe that's why!" Sheldon replied, pointing into the food court. "Look over there!"

A tall woman stood on top of a table in front of the 'Caffeine Machine' coffee shop. She was dressed in flowing black robes and had long violet hair, and held a long staff high above her head. A nimbus of red light surrounded the top end of the staff, crackling with brilliant energy. "Fear me, puny mortals!" the woman yelled. "Bow down and tremble before me, Enchantra, Mistress of Magic, who shall rule you all!"

"Okay, lady, that does it!" A group of security guards surrounded the table and aimed their guns at her. Their chief, an overweight man with an upturned nose, barked orders at her through a bullhorn. "Party's over! Put the big stick down and get off the table! You're under arrest!"

"So, little man, you want to play with me?" Enchantra grinned viciously, aiming the glowing end of the staff at him. A carved ram's skull adorned the head, and as she began to chant, the eye sockets glowed with evil red light. "Staff of Circe, power unleash! Turn this human form to beast!"

Two red beams shot out at the man, swallowing him up in red light. Then in a blinding flash and a puff of smoke, he was transformed into a large, grunting pig. The other guards stared at their former chief in horror, who walked away on all fours and started sniffing at a trash bin. Enchantra waved her staff at them, still looking as self-assured as ever. "Now, which one of you wants to be next?"

Sam and the boys had seen everything. As the guards ran off, Sheldon clutched at his head in distress. "This is horrible!!" he cried. "A crazed witch with a magic staff, and Jenny isn't here to stop her!"

"What are we gonna do??" Tuck wailed, now completely hysterical. "We'll all be turned into monkeys and sent to the circus, forced to perform tricks for bananas! And I'm allergic to those! We're doomed! Doomed!"

Brad lifted his brother and shook him roughly. "Get a hold of yourself, Tuck! We are not doomed! We just need to think of a plan!"

Tuck struggled to regain his composure, shivering and sputtering. "Plan . . . yes . . . plan good . . ."

Sam remained in a state of stunned silence through all this, as her brain began to register what was going on. Somehow that crazy lady with the purple hair was using the funny glowing stick to turn people into animals, and it all had something to do with the robot girl she hadd met at the arcade. Sure, right, that all makes perfect sense. If I survive this day, I'm gonna need some serious therapy.

A low growling noise brought her back to reality, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She slowly turned her head to see a tiger behind them; a very big, unfriendly-looking tiger, with really big, pointy teeth. Its piercing yellow eyes fixed her feet to the ground as it slowly made its way toward them, one huge paw at a time, it's striped tail swishing from side to side. The boys had noticed the huge cat as well, and inched closer to her. Sam could hear Tuck's ragged breathing even as her heart pounded in her ears.

Brad grabbed her hand. "Okay, guys," he said, his voice low and serious. "On the count of three, we make a run for it." Sam swallowed the huge lump in her throat and nodded. She reached her other hand out for Sheldon's, hot and slippery with sweat. The tiger's eyes remained focused on its prey, its lips curled back and showing its fangs. Sam tightened her grip on Brad's hand. "One . . ." Sheldon's hand was shaking violently, and it was all Sam could do to hold on to it. "Two . . ." The tiger crouched down, preparing to spring. She could see the powerful muscles in its shoulders standing out. "Three!"

The tiger lunged at them at the same time. For an instant Sam was thrown off balance as Brad yanked her arm, but her reflexes kicked in automatically and she began to run, pulling Sheldon stumbling along behind her. Tuck was tucked under Brad's other arm, whimpering pitifully. "I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die . . ." Sam looked over her shoulder as she ran. Sheldon was huffing and puffing behind her, red-faced and sweaty. The tiger had recovered from its failed pounce and was now bounding after them, and small animals and other shoppers jumped out of its path.

Just ahead of them was an elevator. The doors slid open suddenly and Brad charged headlong into them, still holding Tuck under his arm like a human football, with Sam and Sheldon close behind. The tiger was still coming and was only a few feet away from the door. Thinking quickly, Sam smacked a button on the control panel, and the doors slammed shut. The tiger had no time to stop and ran into the closed doors with a heavy wham!

Sam punched another button and the elevator began to drop. Then she slumped back against the wall and heaved a sigh of relief. "That was way too close to call." she said, trying to smooth her frazzled hair back into place.

"Hey, we made it, didn't we?" Brad said, flashing a big cheesy grin her way. Then he looked at Tuck, whose face was turning an odd shade of blue. "Yo, Tuck, we're safe. You can breathe now." The boy gasped loudly and panted, his small lungs taking in big gulps of air.

Sheldon cleared his throat. "Well, I think after that little incident, it would be best for us to get out of here."

The others nodded their agreement, although Sam looked disappointed. "It's too bad. I'm really gonna wish I'd gone to that sweater sale sooner."

The elevator stopped at the ground floor then, and the doors slid open. Sheldon poked his head out and looked around at the animals outside. "No carnivores in sight. The coast is clear!"

Brad placed Tuck on the floor. "Great! Come on, the exit's this way!" They stepped outside of the elevator and began to make their way through the bestiary, looking around anxiously for any signs of predators.

"Surely you aren't leaving so soon!" said a voice none of them wanted to hear. Enchantra was seated on a bench by the fountain, calmly filing her nails with her staff laid across her lap. "Why, I've just gotten warmed up!"

To be continued . . .