Chapter 2:

Greta Hill

I walked up the steps, one of the few girls who were late. My suitcase bumped against my calf.

"OW!" I shouted, falling onto the stairs and cutting my shin on the edge. Immediately someone was at my side, lifting me to my feet.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked, looking at my shin. He had dirty-blonde wavy hair that almost covered his emerald eyes. He looked about 13, just my age. He carefully lifted me into his arms and yelled to someone inside the mansion, "Hey, guys, we have an injury out here. Grab her bags and bring them to-" he cut off and looked at me, and I was now being carried bridal style up the stairs. "What room are you?" he asked tenderly.

"321," I responded through the pain.

He repeated my number to some other boys, who grabbed the roller suitcases and my purse before setting off up the stairs to the Grand Hall. The boy pushed open the gigantic door and we entered the gigantic hall as I thought to myself: What am I getting myself into?

Faithlynn Honan

I was sitting on my bed and Kayleigh was sitting on the empty one, bubbling like a fountain of useless information. I could have found this out myself if I wanted to know. Dahlia had already opened up her makeup case and started to apply her "evening coat" of mascara and lip gloss. Emma was lying on her bed, reading a giant novel and giving my gossipy not-best friend who just kept rambling.

"It was bloody brilliant when I met their leader-"

"Take me to your leader." smirked Emma, looking-and sounding-so much like Prof. Goode that it was super scary.

"Hey! I was talking here!" exclaimed the gossip fountain. "As I was saying, one of them looked just like bratty here, and had the same smirk. I wonder why he was smirking?"

"Probably because you're so dumb." Emma whispered softly. I turned to her, smiling, but when I was the look on her face the smile disappeared.

The newest Gallagher Girl was terrified.

"What is it, Emma?" I begged, sliding off my bed and onto hers. I gripped her shoulders and shook her slightly when nshe just continued staring off into space.

"Wait." Dahlia said, snapping her makeup case closed and lugging it over to her closet. "Did she just make a really cool sarcastic comment while in shock?"

I laughed, thinking that was pretty funny. I mean seriously. It's almost like this girl and Professor Zach Goode in her veins. He makes everything a joke. Well, everything except that one time when a girl asked him if he had a girlfriend. He kinda freaked out at that point and no one has asked him since.

Suddenly, Em stood up and walked over to the door. I followed her and when she moved to touch the hand scanner that was required to open the door, I grabbed her wrist.

She flipped me, but I retaliated and rolled her onto the floor. Through all of this, she was in a trance. I sat on her and looked at the other two in the room.

"Do either of you numb-nuts (A/N: my friend Laura's favorite insult... haha. ha. haha. hahaha) have any idea how to wake her up?" I asked, using all of my strength not to let her slide out from under me.

"Hmmm... let's see." muttered Kayleigh, walking into the bathroom. I heard running water and she came out with a bucket filled with ice and water. She dumped it over the dead-of-mind person under me, thus soaking me, too.

We stared at the saracstic one, who just pushed me off her and, still in the trance, turned to the door again.

"Emmalyn Clare Hanson! Stop it right now!" Did Mr. Goode just appear in the room behind me? I slowly turned to see only the two girls that had been there previously standing there. Kayleigh was staring, open-mouthed, at Dahlia, who was laughing like a hyena. I heard a thump behind me and jumped, spinning in the air.

Emma was on the floor, awake and panting.

"How did you do that?" I asked Dahlia, shocked.

"Well, I thought that we all ake up when Mister Goode is about to kill us, so I tried it on her." she gasped through her laughs.

Emma stood up and said shakily, "That voice... It's familiar somehow. I just had a freaky flashback where I was a baby, lying in a crib that had a top to it, kind of like a cage. I could see my mother leaning against the side, talking to someone. He suddenly moved into veiew, but it was dark so all I could see was his outline. He was tall and built. He looked at me and I could feel his anger in the air..." Her voice trailed out as she stared at the back wall, not really seeing. "He looked at my mother and said darkly, 'You didn't tell me that there was a kid!' He lunged for the crib lock, but Mama flipped him out of the air towards the door.

" 'You are not touching my daughter." she growled, placing another padlock on the crib. I kneeled behind her and shook the bars. The man shook his head and controlled his temper before saying, "Can I hold her?" My mother gently shook her head. "Well, can I at least see her?" he said, gently kneeling about 7 feet from the crib. Mama stepped to the side and he crawled towards me.

"Hey Emmalyn Clare. Hold on there. Mommy will have to leave you, but the best daddy ever will find you, whoever he is." he said sadly. And that's all I remember." She finished, mentally re-entering the room.

"I think you need to go see Mrs. Newman." I said, tugging on her arm. She grabbed a large purse off the little decorative table sitting by the door and we pressed against the door, causing it to slide open. We were met by four boys loaded down with mismatched bags.

"Hey..." The one with the most bags, shook his carrot-red hair out of his eyes as his eyes bulged out of his head. He was staring at Emma kind of creepily.

"Do I know you?" Emma said bravely. He shook his head no. "Well then, pick your eyes off the floor and put them back in your head 'cause your going to see me every day this year, bonehead." We both ran off and when we reached the stairs I tugged her gently down to the first floor.

We reached the big landing and I ran off to the right, expecting Emma to follow. She did. I put on the brakes when se were in the Hall of History and she stopped just before she hit me. We walked toward the office, where we could hear an argument.

"I need to see her! She's hurt and I put myself on the mission to protect her. Let me in!" a boy yelled before we heard a crash as someone was shoved against the door. We scurried back a few steps to avoid being hit by an flying missiles. The door swing open on the hinges and I saw Professor Goode fly out. I immediately saluted him and checked for broken bones.

Emma stumbled back a few steps when a boywalked past her, not seeing either of us. He swept over to the Professor and me before a tiny voice croaked. "Morgan?"