Have you been wondering about what happened at the school? Who was going to get in trouble for talking during the 'code yellow'? Well, here it is: all the answers!

Chapter Seven- Thief

"Now class." Ms. Carson bore down on them like an oversized bird of prey. Not that she bore any resemblance to one. The eighth grade teacher was short and pudgy, with small round glasses and a thinning mop of reddish curls. "What was the object that caused so much disturbance during the 'code yellow' the other day?"

Oh, yes, Mandy thought, the code yellow. When a big blue monster and his snaky friend attacked our school! And they just happened to be from this fantasy world that we are supposed to be protecting.

She shook her head and glanced out the doorway, where a man in a dark suit paced the halls, holding a large gun. The school had increased security since last week's attack.

Mandy turned back to see Callie raise her hand.

"It was a glowing necklace thing!" she declared.

Mandy froze in her seat, and she saw Lacey, Julia, and Kelsey do the same. But nobody tensed more than Hayleigh. Mandy saw her friend's face go paper white. She clenched the desk with both hands and her eyes widened.

Alison nodded in agreement, and her hand shot up. "I saw it too, Ms. Carson."

Then Brooke moved in for the kill. "It belongs to Hayleigh." The three, and pretty much the entire rest of the class turned to look at the blonde girl, who was sinking lower and lower in her chair.

Why does this happen to us? Mandy wondered with exasperation. We get weird magical powers that we can't control, giant blue things from some fantasy world called Metamoore attack us, and then as a final punishment people happen to find out about one very important part of our huge secret. And that would be the Heart of Candracar.

Ms. Carson turned to the shivering Hayleigh. "Ms. Woods, would you like to share your oh-so-interesting artifact with us."

Hayleigh shook her head vigorously. "N-no Ms. Carson!"

"Well, if it's so distracting, it is not allowed in school. Put it on my desk. I will return it to you at the end of the day."

Hayleigh turned even whiter, until her skin took on a greenish tinge. "Bu-but…"

"No buts!" Ms. Carson held out a fleshy hand.

Hayleigh gulped and started to dig in her desk as if looking for something. "I don't have it Ms. Carson!" she stated shakily.

The girl behind her disagreed. She raised her hand.

"Yes, Laura?" Ms. Carson asked.

"She does have it! I saw it this morning in the bathroom," she said proudly.

She was lying of course, but teachers seemed to believe the best of the worst people.

"Hayleigh?"

The girl leaned over and made a big show of digging through her backpack. When she was sure no one could see her hand, the Heart floated above it. She held it up. To any ordinary viewer it would seem as if she had just pulled it out of her backpack.

"Found it!" she said with false cheerfulness. With much hesitation, she placed the Heart in her teacher's hand, and slumped over in her seat. Without the Heart she felt empty inside, like something important was missing. She felt like there was a huge hole in her heart, where the medallion belonged.

"I'm sorry," she whispered so that only she could hear. A tear dripped from her eye, and she quickly wiped it away.

Ms. Carson strode to her desk and dropped the orb in a drawer. "Now, on with our lesson."

Alison crept silently towards the teacher's desk. It was recess, and the only chance she would get to fulfill her promise to the girl in the bushes. She needed that necklace!

I wonder how I'll give it to her once I get it. But Alison quickly pushed the thought away. She didn't have much time. As the school's Secretary, Hayleigh was always wandering the school at recess doing one thing or another.

With only a slight squeak, she slid open the drawer that contained the crystal. It wasn't glowing, she noticed, and there was no sign of a light bulb or anything within it.

Alison snatched it and closed the drawer. Now I need to hide it! she thought. Or better yet, I'll just put it in my purse.

So into her purse was exactly where the Heart went. With a satisfied smile on her face, Alison slipped out of the classroom and out the door.

"Guess what?" she was about to say to Brooke and Callie. But then she stopped herself.

This is my mission, she decided, and I'll keep it to myself.

With that thought, she joined her friends.

The bell rang briskly and Hayleigh scampered happily out of Reading class. She was about to get the Heart back!

It's funny, she realized, how I never thought I would miss it… until it was gone!

Hayleigh was so excited to get the orb back that she skipped into the classroom.

"Ms. Carson?" she asked, tapping her short teacher on the shoulder. "Can I have my necklace back now? I promise I'll never have it in school again!"

Well, that's not completely true. The Heart goes wherever I do. But I can't tell her that's its literally part of me!

"Yes you may. But remember to keep that promise." Ms. Carson began to dig through her desk drawer. "Just one second, and I'll have it." She spent a few more minutes turning the drawer upside down.

Then she looked up at Hayleigh. "I'm sorry, but I think someone has taken it!"

Hayleigh suddenly felt unable to breathe. She wobbled back and forth, her face turning pale again. Her stomach flopped over and over.

Ms. Carson, meanwhile, turned to the class. "Someone has committed a serious crime here. Whoever took Hayleigh's necklace, or who knows something about who took it, should own up right away. Remember, the quicker you tell the truth, the less punishment you will receive."

The bell rang again, but Hayleigh barely noticed. She wandered out the door as if sleepwalking, almost forgetting her books.

Julia beckoned to the others. "Emergency meeting at my house!"

That evil girl! What will happen next?