Chapter 3: See in the Ink.
'Welcome, my children...' the art teacher waited until all the students were settled before he rose from his seat, a white suit secured in place with a yellow apron, his face was hidden behind a white mask painted with colourful patterns. 'In this room we shall explore and awake the creative talents that sleep within each of us! For each of us has a flowery bud of talent, waiting inside for the chance to bloom into a creative pattern upon a canvas! Drink in the energies of the universe, of dreams and the astral realms!'
'Is he mad...?' Kara whispered to Alex.
'Quite possibly...' he replied, considering something.
The art teacher, Mr King, was still continuing his eccentric advice as the students were asked to "Draw from the soul". 'The very essence of life, captured forever on canvas, does that not sound beautiful? Try harder, Mr Whateley...' he spun suddenly to face Kara, golden blonde hair settling behind him. 'Ooo!' he gasped, making Kara flinch. 'Your aura is pulsing, Ms Wilton!' he leant in close enough she could hear him breathing. 'Do you feel it? Life... Time... Decay... Death... Do you feel their energies?' he wondered, Kara let her eyes trace along a spiral pattern on the left side of his mask. 'Yes...' she whispered before returning to her drawing.
'Hmm? What about you, Mr Gale?' he wondered, looking at Alex. 'What are you focusing on?'
'Something I saw in my dreams.' Alex shrugged, sketching random lines.
'May I see?' the art teacher wondered. Alex nodded and passed the paper to Mr King.
'Hmm?' he turned the page every which way before suddenly throwing it back down and stepping away, amber eyes wide. 'My... My dear boy...'
Kara looked down at the discarded page; upon it was a winged, tentacled bat creature, one, three lobed eye stared out at her. 'W-why would you choose to draw the Haunter? Of all the beautiful things in this wide universe, why him?'
'Like I said, sir, it was just something in my dreams.'
'Ok... Ok...' Mr King was still a bit twitchy, but had calmed down considerably. 'Well, that was unexpected-' he stopped suddenly. Again Alex felt the chill first, but so did the art teacher, one by one the students began to shudder and huddle closer together. A sharp knock on the door.
'Enter.' Mr King managed. The door opened and Mr Tepp poked his head in.
'May I borrow Alexander Gale for a moment?'
Alex gulped deeply.
'For how long, sir?' Mr King wondered.
'I would just like a word with him.' the science teacher assured him, Mr King nodded and Alex rose slowly from his seat, trembling from head to toe. He followed the terrifying teacher out of the room.
'Might I ask what you find so humourous, Mr Whateley?' Mr King wondered, turning to face Wilbur, who stopped snickering immediatly. 'Nothing, sir!' he assured him before turning to whisper to the teen next to him who snickered as well.
'Mr Carter, Mr Whateley...' the art teacher sighed. 'Behave, please.'
Alex reentered the room shortly later, holding a text book and looking lucky to be alive.
'What did he want?' Kara asked once she was sure he was recovering.
'B-book. Left behind.' Alex managed, replacing the science text book into his rucksack.
'That was nice of him.' Kara stated.
'Sure... Nice...' Alex shivered before glancing at Wilbur Whateley and Randolph Carter, both of them kept sparing him glances and snickering to each other. This could not bode well.
The teachers gathered later in the staff room while the students were out at lunch.
'I heard you, Hastur. Half the school could hear you.' The librarian, Yog-Sothoth, stated as he cleaned his glasses. '"Open your hearts and souls to the energies of the universe!" Can't believe it.'
'Good art comes from the soul and connection with all living things.' Hastur replied as he removed his mask, running a hand down his face.
'C'mon Hastur, I-' The King in Yellow turned to face Yog who stammered immediatly over Hastur's face. 'I- Well... There's a work of art right there...'
'Do stop drooling, Yog.' Hastur replied, replacing his mask to cover his "So-handsome-it-hurts" face. 'You know it doesn't come out of the sofa.' The door to the staff room opened before slamming shut once again, the science teacher strode across the room before collapsing into an armchair. 'Ugh...' Nyarlathotep groaned. 'If I have to look at another of those hairless apes I feel I may vomit.' he ran his hands down his face before looking over at the two of them.
'We feel the same...' Yog replied.
'He feels the same.' Hastur corrected him. 'I believe they have potential.'
'Potential for what? Azathoth is now a permenantly drunken headmaster, and I am stuck in a dead end job teaching tiny minds the basics of our reality without any of my usual methods.'
'I don't think mind control and eldritch forms are very high on the school charter.' Hastur considered it as he paced. 'Then again... That nasty curse you placed on the school...'
'What curse?' Yog wondered, looking between the two of them.
'It makes rumours become reality if enough people believe them.' Hastur waved it off as he approached the coffee pot.
'Your son seems very keen on that one...' Nyarlathotep growled. 'Yes... I heard him whispering outside. I do not like what is being said.'
'What's being said?' Yog chuckled, knowing it was something that would negatively impact the Crawling Chaos.
'Never you mind...' he snarled.
'I don't want to go in tomorrow...' Alex groaned as they left at the end of the day, among the other throngs of students. 'Double science tomorrow. Over two hours stuck scribbling down equations with him breathing down our necks...' his tone turned sarcastic 'I can think of no greater pleasure.' A group of female students burst into fits of giggles as they heard him say that. 'What?' More giggling, Alex rolled his eyes and walked on. 'I will never understand women...'
Wilbur Whateley and Randolph Carter watched from the shadows, dark smirks on their features.