Chapter 6

Amy shivered as she walked down the hall with the other students. She was from Theatre also but not one of the three. Theatre students had rumors about the Sewers of Sworia. All of them ended with suspended and expelled Debate students. "Where is the entrance to the sewers?" she questioned Gary. "I heard they were in some bathroom but impossible to find."

"No, It is merely difficult. I have passed through them before but I came from the other end. I personally would prefer not to pass through them again...but it is the only way..." They soon reached a bathroom in the south hallway. Upon seeing the sign above the door, the three girls blushed. Mia made a disgusted face, "That's the boys' room! We can't go in there!" Grace smiled shyly and activated her costume. It changed into a schoolboy uniform. Amy became annoyed, "But that doesn't help the two of us!" Vincent smiled wickedly, pulled out beards from his pack and stuck them on the girls. It was now Mia's turn to be annoyed, "You idiot! We look like cross-dressed Arabs!" Vincent shook his head and pulled some turbans out of his backpack and placed there on the girls' heads, "Now you look like cross-dressed Arabs." The girls started to charge at Vincent, but their male counterparts wrestled them inside.

Mia was again disgusted; "Your bathroom is certainly a wreck. No wonder they took away the full-length mirrors, couches, chandeliers, and gold plated stalls. You even lost your marble sinks! How can you live in such a dump!?" The boys stared at her dumbfounded and the other girls nodded their heads in agreement. Brad was fascinated "How does all that cool stuff fit in your bathroom? The boys' bathroom has been like this as long as I can remember." Gary stopped in front of a urinal; "This is it. If I can get it to be dark, the door should appear." Gary snapped his fingers and the lights went out. Slowly strange glowing letters appeared on the wall in graffiti:

Black Guy: Yo bro! Flush and get down!

"These are written in Ebonics. It is a bit hard to decipher, but I think I got it."

African American Theatre Student: Flush Friend and Enter

Gary sat down on a toilet to ponder the hidden meaning of the words. Mia went into hysterics, "I hate this bathroom!" She threw a toilet paper wad into one of the far toilets. She lifted up another one but Brad held her fist, "Do not disturb these dark waters." The toilet bubbled once then stopped.

Yushuda Gonto walked into Dr. Sauron's office. "What is it?"

"They have entered the bathroom. Your orders?"

"Didn't your cousin have a sushi obsession?"

"...Yeah...along with a penchant for biochemistry..."

"Didn't she have some unusual friends?" Yu gave a smug smile and disappeared as quietly as he had entered.

...

"The principal at my school only had your best interests in mind," said Niccea sweetly to Hydrogen's principal Dr. Theo.

"I'm sure Dr. Washuu is a great principal, but I have never heard of her."

"All we want is your support" Niccea pulled out a pen and began moving it in a pendulum motion in front of his face, "You're getting sleepy..."

"What does it mean?!" shouted Gary for the umpteenth time. Peter decided that just to be funny he would flush the toilet. There was a crunch and the wall slowly opened. Grace was ecstatic, "Wait 'till you experience true Debate team hospitality Orlando! No homework and great sna-"Grace tripped over something. Orlando picked up a backpack that had once belonged to a debate student, "Vice-principals!" Indeed there were several backpacks and articles of leisure scattered among detention, suspension and expulsion slips. The Fellowship slipped and slid out of the sewer entrance, but someone was opening the door to the restroom. They quickly shoved the girls into the stalls and started to whistle innocently. Into the restroom walked Yu, "Have a nice snack. Ciao!" He snapped his fingers and disappeared. "Yu!" Aaron called out but was cut short as the far toilet began to burble again, and a tentacle slurped slowly out followed by seven more. From the toilet's watery depths emerged the octopus's hideous head. Every several feet, it maneuvered one of its tentacles under a stall. He eventually grabbed Mia by the leg. "EEK!" Aaron and Amy drew the Bari Blade and the Trumpet Saber while Brad assumed a tackle position.

Washuu watched the Fellowship battle for their lives against the mutant octopus Niccea and her biochemistry friends had created years ago. She routed for the octopus silently while crocheting. She began to consider giving her Sweettongue a raise, but thought against it. From the window Fred and Sam cringed at each blow, but cheered as Peter saved the day by flushing the octopus down the toilet again. Washuu scowled happily, "Looks like Yushuda failed again. Soon it will be my turn..."

"It's going to come back up again! Hurry!" The Fellowship followed Gary into the only way out, the sewers. As soon as they entered, the tentacles came up and ripped the door to shreds. "We now have only one choice," proclaimed Gary snapping his fingers to light up the light bulb on His National Honors Society torch, "It is a day's walk to the other side. Be careful, darker and things than vice-principals lurk in the deep places of the district."

They sloshed through the knee-deep water. There were worms crawling down from the ceiling and sliming their way around on the girls' heads. Mia even saw a snake slither by. "Every thing looks like a killer octopus in here!" They started to reach a brief stretch of higher ground and decided to take a small break. There was an uncovered grating leading to the lower parts of the sewer nearby. Peter found himself wondering how deep it was. When no one was looking, he grabbed a pebble and threw it in. Everyone jumped at the terrible clanging. They turned to stare at Pete who grinned nervously. Then the pebble hit a rusty pipe nicking it. First a trickle then a flood of water poured into the reservoir under the grate. Gary was furious, "Fool! Next time throw yourself in and rid us of your curio-"Suddenly there was a gigantic BOOM! and SQUEAK! It echoed around the sewer for quite some time and then faded.

Gary decided that they should hurry up and get moving again. They soon came to an area with three separate tunnels. Gary was disturbed; "I don't remember this at all."

Washuu was getting ready many other surprises for the Fellowship. She had already sneaked into the biochemistry lab and got some more of Niccea's pets; "Someone has to take charge around here. If Dr. Sauron fails, the district won't be ripe enough for me to pick."

Yu was preparing too. He was sure he knew when and where the Fellowship would appear next. He would be ready. Picking up his Black Alto Sax, he left the far practice room with a smirk on his face. "Soon, Aaron. Soon."

The members of the Fellowship were talking idly to each other while waiting for Gary to figure out the path. Grace was confused, "I don't understand. My cousin Bailey was supposed to be here. She was in charge of reorganizing our Debate team hideout."

Mia was very nervous, "Are we doomed? He doesn't remember. We're going to end up like those Debate students!" Everyone shushed her nervously. Grace's lip began to tremble. Peter was shaking, "I thought I heard some thing back there, like some one is wading behind us."

"Nonsense Peter!" the Fellowship shouted at him. Peter walked over to Gary and started to speak, but Gary beat him to it. "It's Golem ... I have researched him a little bit. He has gone by his last name for a long time. His first name is lost to me. Only few people know it these days. He transferred over to SHHS from TIHS after middle school. I doubt that even they remember his name. He was in the choir until the pen corrupted him. After five years in high school, he finally ascended to the Junior year, but he was over 18 and was kicked out. Golem has been lurking around school ever since he remembered he left the pen in his P. E. locker when they kicked him out. He ran in here when Billy found the Pen, but I suspect he has been visiting with Dr. Sauron. He could lead to our doom or success..." Gary stood up suddenly and pointed at the left most tunnel. "It's this way. The air here smells of heavy perfume and must." Gary picked up his torch and lead the way again. As they left, there was a small squeak and the scurrying of tiny feet.

They reached a vast chamber in the heart of the sewer system. There was a big bright neon sign in the middle that said, "Welcome to Debatenville!" Everyone cocked his or her head in an awkward manner. Grace suddenly saw something out of the corner of her eye while raising her head to its normal position. She gasped and ran through a door that was labeled, "South Hamilton Area." At the head table, there was a gavel with an expulsion slip. Grace bit her lip and tears welled up in her eyes. Gary read the slip out loud, "Bailey daughter of Fiona, Lady of Sworia." The Fellowship bowed their heads and Brad removed his helmet. Grace tried to leave to mourn on her own, but she tripped over a notebook. Gary picked it up. It was worn and damp and most of the letters had smeared. "It is mostly rants and poems from what I can make out. It is a typical teenage journal... Here's some Spanish notes ... Wait! This is what we needed. The last pages contain the rebuilding project of Sworia ... This kid loved poetry. Each entry is a poem."

Day: 1
We came back here one day
And made an attempt to stay.
Bailey led us all through.
She is brave and true.

Day: 8
People came from other schools,
But someone broke the rules.
A girl tattled one day.
I think her name was Ray.

"The rest is too watered out to read. Wait! On the last page there is one last readable poem, but the hand was quaking."

Day 20:
The smeared word spare no one.
Here they come!!!!

A sudden BOOM! rattled the students. "I fear we have stayed to long," muttered Gary. "Aaron! Brad! Bar the door!" There was a SQUEAK! Orlando suddenly realized what it was, "Rats!" Vincent passed out weapons to the two unarmed choir students. He himself took out the fog machine. At that time Grace stood up on the table brandishing the gavel, "Let them come! There is still one Debate student left in Swor-" At that point she fell off the table. Aaron and Brad ran back from baring the door and got ready for battle. There was a pounding on the door, "They have a wrestler." Niccea's genetically engineered rodents soon clawed the door to pieces. The Bari Blade cut down the first. Soon the battle became very heated and chaotic. Vincent's fog machine stirred up a lot of rats and forced them into the blades of Aaron and Amy's swords. Mia held up the frying pan Vincent gave her by the very end, "I can't fight! I hate to fight!" A rat's tail suddenly slithered by reminding her of a tentacle. "Aaah!" Mia went into a frenzy whapping every rat (or rat tail) in sight. Peter was struggling to wield the hat rack that Vincent gave him. He ended up hitting more allies than foes. Orlando did an advanced costume change. He got himself into a Robin Hood costume complete with authentic bow and quiver. He shot down many rats. Brad knocked out his opponents by tackling them. They managed to push the rats back, but the wrestler stormed in with a big club. Robin Hood (Orlando) started to knock another arrow, but Aaron lowered the bow. "We aren't supposed to injure other students..." At that moment Amy was hit in the gut by the club and went sailing across the room. Aaron redrew his sword, "Get him!" After a few blows to the head, the wrestler fell unconscious. Aaron rushed dramatically towards Amy. "I always wanted to do this," he said as he lifted up the shirt to inspect the wound. The whole Fellowship jumped back and covered their eyes at the sight. Underneath Amy's regular shirt was the Super Shiny Band Show Shirt. Orlando was in awe; "Truly Band students are made of tougher stuff than I thought." There was a sudden roar and the students ran out into the main part of the sewer. Gary was nearly left behind. During the whole battle he was eating Gardetto's and reading his book on School Myths carefully. Now and then he would casually throw out his torch to trip someone.

The rats surrounded them again coming from every nook and cranny available. Orlando got ready to change his costume again, but the rats suddenly scattered. There was suddenly a light from the other end of the sewer and a loud roar. Gary went into a lapse of shook. He quickly recovered and murmured softly to the others, "He has awoken, the ancient administrator, Baal the Rock. This foe is beyond your !!!!" The students ran sloppily through the sewer. Up ahead the saw a tunnel with a light at the end. Gary recognized it immediately as the correct exit, "The Chasm, Doom!"

Mia stopped suddenly, "What!?!?"

"The name means nothing. Hurry up!" A black fog began to swirl around their ankles. A deep voice echoed around the sewers, "Roar, Gary, why aren't you in class?"

"Oops! Sorry Mr. Baal, but would you believe I'm doing a project for Architectural Graphing on the sewer systems?"

"No."

"Um...You shall not pass!"

"I don't intend to pass. All I need is you." Aaron and the others were standing behind Gary. He nodded towards them, "What about the others?"

"They don't matter to me. Come!" The Rock grabbed Gary by the ear. The last words they heard from him were, "Quit Stalin and get Russian you idiots!" The Fellowship quickly rushed toward daylight. All the girls had tears in their eyes.

Niccea ran quickly into the SHHS gym where Yu was training. "Yu, Gary has fallen."

"Interesting. Will you be a good cousin and keep me posted on the Fellowship's movements?"

"Sure." Niccea noticed that Yu was wielding a large black sword. "What's this for?"

Yu smiled, "It's for getting rid of Aaron."