Chapter 7
Vincent was juggling in attempt to cheer up the crying girls. They just glared at him and continued to tear up. "Come on girls! Cheer up! I'm sure Gary will only be suspended..." The girls began to wail and strangle Vincent at the same time. Aaron whispered quietly to Orlando who was just standing there, "Round them up."
Brad overheard while half-heartedly comforting the girls making no attempts to loosen their fingers from Vincent's neck, "Give them a moment for crying out loud!"
"By evening this place will be swarming with rats."
Peter looked up, "Where is this place anyway?"
Orlando quickly reached into his backpack and pulled out his binoculars, "I can see the roof of Hydrogen Stoich High School."
Aaron calculated the trajectory angle of a spit wad and direction of the sun two days ago and deduced, "We're right outside the HSHS Outdoor Theatre."
Amy was impressed, "Wow, that Biophysichemistionics stuff really works!"
"Huh? Oh this is my homework. There is a sign over there that says 'Welcome to Lauren, the Outdoor Theatre'" The Fellowship did another anime faint. After recovering and doing some more homework, they walked into the forest towards the theatre.
"Yu! Where are you?"
"I'm right behind you Dr. Sauron."
The evil principal swirled around in her chair; "I have information on Washuu's plans to usurp me..."
"Wait a second, how did you get it?"
"I can use any principal's pen in the district as my spy."
"That would do it."
"She plans to thwart the Fellowship and then go after me. I want you to make sure that the Fellowship doesn't even get that far. They must not make it to Terry Ingleburg intact. I will go have a talk with Washuu." Within the hour she was led into Washuu's office.
"I've heard the students here are Thespians. I don't trust them. They are too dramatic."
Aaron turned around, "Grace, who are you talking to?" The small boy walking next to Grace suddenly disappeared. Grace was somewhat saddened, "That was Noah N. Particular. He loves to listen to people and keeps their secrets. I've never heard of anyone extracting somebody's secrets from him. He is rather shy though. Noah only listens to people who are talking to themselves or when no one is listening to them. Anyway I hate Thespians." Several Thespians dressed in Robin Hood costumes suddenly came down from the trees scaring Noah off again. A long-nosed girl was obviously their leader; "Do you mind? We are trying to have rehearsal. Your Debate student mutters so loudly we could have shot her in the dark."
Grace was flustered; "Yeah, but with a honker like that you could probably smell me from a mile away. Am I correct? What do you say to that Pinocchio? Huh?"
Aaron stepped in-between them, "We have come from South Hamilton to here via the sewer system. I am the leader. My name is Aaron. We seek sanctuary in your theatre for the night."
The girl shook his hand; "I'm Haley, the stage manager, pleased to meet you. As for sanctuary I must take you to the student directors, Gabriel and Cedric, her boyfriend, for them to judge your hearts. But, I should warn you, they rather hate uppity Debate students."
As they walked off, Grace tried another comeback, "Yeah Haley, you know what? Your nose is ...um...rather large."
Haley turned around, "Is that the best you can do?" When Grace nodded, Haley went on a tirade explaining what Grace could have said that would have been a clever comeback.
Dr. Sauron slammed the Pen down on Washuu's desk. "So, you thought that you could betray me, Washuu? You are a pathetic waste of my time. I only keep you around because you have a firm grip here and at HSHS. I can get rid of you at any opportune time." Washuu only glowered at her. Finally Dr. Sauron blinked giving Washuu the win of the staring contest. Suddenly a small hand grabbed the Pen and took it down below the desk. Washuu and Dr. Sauron preformed a double take and looked under the desk. Crouched there were Fred and Sam. Fred tried to talk their way out of it, "Hello. Is this your pen? I'm dreadfully sorry. I must have grabbed the wrong one." The little thieves pushed their way past the evil principals and ran from the room. They dashed behind a corner. Sam looked at Fred, "So, do you think it worked?"
"No Sam. She held the pen too long. The spirit now has a tight grip. We must go to the old stadium and destroy the Pen now. We should find the Fellowship while we are at it."
"That's all fine and good, but how do we get out of here?" They spotted a Coca-Cola delivery truck that was going to HSHS and hopped in the back. They had no idea how to get to the stadium, but they decided that they would figure it out as they went.... Hopefully...
The companions finally made it to the stage of the theatre where Gabriel and Cedric were waiting in their director chairs. Cedric was very puzzled by the number of students, "Mr. Elfmen said that he sent nine. Eight come when nine were set out. Tell me…where is…Gary."
When the party remained quiet, Gabriel's eyes became opaque; "He has been dragged into shadow..."
Cedric glanced over at his girlfriend nervously, "Then the success of the quest balances on the edge of a knife. Be careful not to slip." Everyone jumped, but then they realized he and his girlfriend were merely talking about a video game instead of them.
Gabriel's eyes returned to normal, "There are also some students from TIHS taking refuge here, maybe they can give you the information you need for your quest."
The party was lead away by some Thespians. They showed them to a tree house where Fred and Sam were sitting nestled by a heap of pillows. The Fellowship recognized them immediately and friendships were renewed. Fred showed them his prize of the Pen and made up a highly elaborate story of taking on a hundred ROTC members single-handedly. Mia looked at him with great affection in her eyes, as Brad looked at the Pen with great longing. After a rather healthy dinner, the fellowship retired to their sleeping bags.
After a day of frolicking in the theatre, the party felt well rested. Fred was rather restless though. In the middle of the night he woke up to strange dreams about the Pen talking to him. He mainly excused it as having too much salad. The next night he heard some rustling and the ghostly figure of Gabriel passed underneath the tree house. Fred followed her into a back room behind the stage. She turned around suddenly and showed him a cosmetic mirror. "Would you care to gaze into the Mirror of Lauren?"
Fred took a step forward, "I'm considering it...if you would tell me why everything here is called Lauren."
"It is an old HSHS Thespian legend...Lauren was the first Thespian here and established the outdoor theatre to separate us from our regular theatre bothers and sisters. Now gaze into her cosmetic mirror and learn what you are up against."
Fred looked at his reflection for a while and began to primp himself. Gabriel became annoyed, "How dare you insult the mirror!!! Oh wait this is mine...Cedric broke the real mirror...that is why he can't beat that video game...Here is the portable TV of Lauren." She switched on the TV and it showed different images of the dark principals and their flunkies. Washuu and Dr. Sauron were yelling at each other again. Sweet tongued Niccea was sitting on the HSHS principal's desk keeping him in her hypnotic power. Yu was practicing his sax in the dark shadows of a practice room. He also saw the future where students were slumped over their desks on the Fourth of July. And then the TV zoomed in on to a dark place...the old stadium long forgotten by the district...over it was an evil cloud. The Pen, on a fine chain that Fred had used as bling, suddenly slipped out of his shirt...It talked to him again..."Write with me...use me..." Fred quickly turned off the TV.
Gabriel looked over at him with pity in her eyes, "I know what you saw for it is also in my mind."
"Well yeah. You were watching the TV with me."
Gabriel ignored him; "The Fellowship is beginning to break. He will try to take the Pen. You know of whom I speak."
Fred stuttered, "No actually I don't. Is it Sam?"
"No you numbskull it is Brad! Do I have to tell you everything?!?!"
"No, but it would be helpful..." Fred snapped the Pen off of the chain. "If you ask it of me I will give you the One Pen."
"You offer it to me freely. I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired this...Lights please..." The lights went from a serene white to a dark green. Her costume also changed to Xenia's. "Thank you...In place of a Dark Principal you would have a director not dark but drop-dead gorgeous, and terrible as the rosy fingered dawn! Treacherous as the blue ocean depths! Stronger than the foundations of the district! All shall love me and despair..." The lights rose back to the soft white and her clothes returned to normal... "So how was my acting was it good?"
"It was terrifying I thought you were serious..."
"Good, I have passed the test. I will switch schools and remain Gabriel."
"I can't do this alone..."
"You are a random magical object bearer Fred. To bear a RMO is to be alone. I should know. I'm the guardian of the third theatre costume...I couldn't let my fellow students know it was I...I even go by a different name at SHHS. Grace doesn't realize her true potential as a theatre student and Orlando...he just received a letter welcoming into Thespian society. This task was appointed to you Fred. And if you can't do it no one can."
"Then I know what I must do...It's just I'm afraid to do it."
Gabriel bent down to look him in the eye, "Even the smallest freshman can change the course of the future."
Fred snapped the pen back onto the chain ending the solemn moment with dignity. But then a thought hit him; "Hey I'm not that short!"
