Chapter 5

Niccea was grabbing her backpack at South Hamilton during the time of the council. She quickly sized up the Fellowship of ASTSW. Niccea thought that they looked weak. She called Washuu the White on her walkie-talkie while racing up Electric Road, "Boss, Niccea here. The three classes are starting to unite. They are coming for you. Even a football player has joined their ranks. I'm en route. Over."

"What, why aren't you at Hydrogen Stoich? Over."

"I left my backpack in the theatre during Musical rehearsal today…I heard their 'secret' council. I sat behind the seats and was ignored. Over."

"Hurry, get here! Over." Washuu turned around to wait, but Niccea was already standing in front of her holding up the walkie-talkie, "All right. Over and out." Washuu glared at her menacingly and sat down at the desk to crochet. "So, Gary thinks he can unite them? Ha! Make sure the Gothic Cheerleaders are ready, then set some traps around the roads here, and then get your butt over to HSHS!" Niccea saluted and rushed off to wreak havoc on the Fellowship. Washuu decided that the pen could be useful to her ploy.

……

Washuu walked into SHHS with one of her fake Ids under the name of Rose Muyo. She was almost past the attendance office when she bumped into Sauron's lapdog and the chief of propaganda, Yushuda Gonto. He had one thing to say to her, "You should have gone to the office."

"Yu! How could you betray mee?" Yu snapped his fingers and the wrestling team jumped out of nowhere and seized Washuu. They carried her to the office.

Dr. Sauron was waiting for her behind the desk looking like a mobster boss. Somehow she had obtained a New Jersey accent, "It is great that you could join me today. Now kiss the Ring." On her hand was the One Ring… Wait. Oops sorry, wrong story! Frodo and Sam ran into the room, snatched the Ring, and ran off. Dr. Sauron was indifferent, "Boysh, go get me a new ring for Washuu to kiss." The wrestlers ran out of the room to look for a box of cracker jacks. "Washuu, there can be a lot of power in this for you, see? If I take over the district again, you and Yu will get special rewards. You just continue your operations over at Terry Ingleburg and Hydrogen Stoich. Yu will be recruiting for my army. This Fellowship could become quite a problem." By the time the wrestlers brought in a new ring, the private meeting had adjourned.

……

Unknowingly, the Fellowship gathered at the front doors just an hour later. Gary was outlining the route the Fellowship would follow, "The fastest way to THIS is up Main St. cross the intersecting road and walk 'til you reach the snow cone stand. There will be the mouth of Electric Road; the road ends at TIHS's baseball fields. If that fails, we must try to sneak in though the freezer. We still don't know why our freezer is connected to theirs. But if that route fails… Let's just hope that route doesn't fail. But, you shouldn't worry about that now. First, we must get off the campus. The nine are patrolling the perimeter with attack dogs and parts of the student body. We'll need to take a root out."

Garry privately led Aaron to the secret root out of the school. "This tree has been here for ages. Its roots spread from here to the outer perimeter of the school. You enter the tree from this door here. Make sure you're ready before we go through it. Dr. Sauron's power has already started to grow. I believe she has won over Yushuda Gonto, your ex-friend and a lesser member of the National Honors Society. Let's go get the others now that we've discussed these matters." Several minutes later the Fellowship went to the courtyard and took the secret root through the tree.

It took quite a lone time. They could only squeeze in two by two and Grace continued to trip over her feet or a stray piece of bark. They all made it out with only a few scratches. They continued on their way towards Electric Road.

……

Washuu had a meeting with Ace in her office, "I don't trust Yu or Dr. Sauron…"

"You don't trust me? Why?"

"Not you! Yu. You know, Yushuda form SHHS. He and Sweettongue are cousins. I wonder if we can still trust her… Ace, I want you to get the Gothic Cheerleaders ready. There may be a battle soon." Ace saluted and went into the secret tunnels of the school. Little did they know, two boys were peeping in through the window. It was Fred and Sam doing their assigned duty of spying on Washuu.

……

The Fellowship was traveling casually down Electric Road. When they stopped Aaron and Brad gave Peter and Mia fighting instructions. Gary was eating from his favorite bag of chips while reading his Science text book laughing as Peter and Mia took Aaron and Brad to the ground. Orlando was standing on a rock when he saw a wisp of shadow moving against the wind. As Grace was shouting at him that it was probably nothing, he reached into his backpack and pulled out his binoculars to better identify the shadow, "Remote control air planes from Ingleburg! Get down!" The students scattered. As soon as they buried themselves in the grass, there was a mighty buzz. Hundreds of planes soared over them. The Fellowship waited a minute after the last buzz 'til they lifted their heads and brushed themselves off. Gary was the first to speak, "The path is being watched. We must make for the freezer!" So the Fellowship walked back to school.

……

Washuu marched up and down her ranks of Gothic Cheerleaders. With Ace as their head they stood straight-backed holding their maces with tassels that looked almost, but not quite, entirely unlike pom-poms. "Do you know how the Gothic Cheerleaders came into being? They were Theatre students once, but then darkness took them and gave them the urge to be cheerleaders. But they were too dramatic to cheer, so I took them in and made them gothic as you see yourselves now. Now my Gothic Cheerleaders you will be angsty, you will be spiteful, you will not fear embarrassment, you will not be happy. Tomorrow, you will taste band flesh!" The cheerleaders let out several battle cheers and ran off to rip up the basketball courts for the use of a new training facility.

……

Following Gary's lead, the Fellowship sneaked into the cafeteria. They slipped under tables and chairs and ducked under trays. They froze at the slightest movement or noise. When they crept slowly into the freezer, they failed to notice the whirling of a small security camera.

……

Washuu watched their movements from her computer and clicked her tongue, "So, Gary, you're taking them on that route and if it fails would you chance the sewer? The Debate students dwelled there, but they became restless and awoke a creature of flame and darkness from the Administration Building, Danielle's Bane?" Washuu snapped her fingers and trouble began to ensue for the company

……

The Fellowship trekked slowly through the freezer, mainly because Grace kept slipping on ice. Vincent pulled some nice warm coats for them out of his backpack. Orlando ran slightly and lightly ahead of everyone, "I hear a fell snap on the wind!" The Fellowship tried to continue on but soon there was a deafening roar. The noise began to steadily increase. A rumble stated and ice from the machines began to fall on the nine companions. Gary recognized the sound of the snap, "It's Washuu!" The students were soon buried past their necks in ice. The taller students broke out of the ice first and helped dig out the smaller Choir students.

Orlando ran lightly back to the door and tried to open it, "It's locked!" All the students panicked. Soon rationality broke in and they tried to open the door. Orlando had already had his turn, so Grace tried to break the door by sliding into it. Luckily she wasn't hurt, but neither was the door. Peter and Mia tried to sing in hopes to shatter the door or lock. They only succeeded in making another avalanche of ice and frozen food fall down on them. At least from this they learned why the cafeteria food was so awful. It was all made of tofu. After struggling out from under some tofu ice cream, Vincent reached into his backpack and pulled out some dynamite. Unfortunately the fuse and the matches were wet from the mass of ice. Aaron and Amy charged up their sax and trumpet weapons in attempt to break down the door. Their weapons almost shattered on it. Gary used all of his scholastic abilities, but the door didn't feel any effects. Last, it was Brad's turn. Brad walked up to the door and simply turned the handle, "Guys, the door was unlocked the whole time. It was just caked with ice." The rest of the Fellowship did the classic anime faint. After recovering, and getting Vincent's hair unstuck from the ice, the Fellowship looked to Gary for their next move. He was evidently upset that the freezer had failed; "We must go into the Sewers of Sworia…" Gary looked at the Fellowship's smiling faces for he thought was the last time.

……

Lightning flashed as Dr. Sauron laughed in her office as Yu smiled smugly behind her chair. Washuu was also having a fit of the giggles. Fred and Sam shivered from their secret place at seeing Washuu so happy.