As soon as we reached out the portal, we were greeted by the school with flashing lights. A banner hung over the entrance: Homecoming. Alex led the way dragging my big brother with them. They led us outside the courtyard where their peers were in casual formal wear. "Ladies and gentlemen, your night has gotten brighter!" Alex announced, "I am here to dazzle you with my latest designs! Photos are allowed." They struck a pose, but no one seem to bother or care to look at them. Alex wasn't happy. "Excuse you! Perfection at their finest here!" No one didn't respond. They were too focused on their phones.
"As much as I don't want people to notice me, I feel like I'm invisible", Katie commented.
"Everyone is too busy on their phones to enjoy the dance", Lydia said.
"Guys, come on", Merrill said, "sure their eyes are too busy staring at their bright screens, but who isn't these days? Everyone does it in every setting. Hell, I bet some of them take a few peaks at a funeral." I guess it made sense. Our cell phones are always in our hands wherever we go. I was expecting the students to start dancing or socializing at some point. Maybe we're too early.
"I'm sure it's too early", Raph said voicing my opinion.
"Early or not, someone should have noticed the fabulousness that entered their measly lives", Alex argued.
"Maybe if we move to the gym, it would be more excitement there", Lydia sweetly suggested. Everyone, including a reluctant Alex, nodded. We were about to go when April approached us. I wanted to say hi, but I felt an unsettling feeling; a feeling as though someone was watching us. I looked around and saw a large shadow gazing at a far window. I squinted to focus on the silhouette, unfortunately, April leaped into my focus.
"Wow, Leo, you look different. I barely recognized you", she complimented. I gazed behind her. The shadow disappeared. Was I imagining it? "Hey, good?"
I blinked and refocused on my first friend. "Yeah, I'm good", I replied with a smile, "you look great, Apes."
"Ha, she looks great?! Her outfit looks like a lemon and zucchini had a terrible sex life", Alex disapproved.
"Oooh, sick fashion burn", Merrill praised which caused me to elbow his rib.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, clowns, but it's not going to bring me down tonight!" April said with a raised fist, "because you are looking at the newest member of the popular crew!" Merrill and his friends stared, while I and Raph praised our first human friend.
"And who are you?" Katie asked.
April's proud energy dimmed. "Seriously, we have the same classes!" Merrill's friends continued to stare. "Katie, we have Algebra together! Lydia, we took English I together last year. Alex, we sit together in French class; you complained how my French was like hearing an old man yawn." The fashion designer tilted their head. April slumped. "You kept saying I should dye my hair black because my red hair was an abstract color to my complexion."
"Ah, yes, now I remember!" they said with a snap of their fingers, "and honestly, I could care less."
"That's mean!" Raph said to the designer who shrugged without a care in the world.
"I'm sorry, April, but I was too focused on my schoolwork to notice you", Lydia apologized.
"More like you were too busy texting to notice", April muttered, yet we all heard her anyway. Lydia's face became a bright red while Katie scratched her cheek with a light blush.
"Hey, let's get to the gym", Katie redirected the conversation, "I hate standing around outside while the real party is inside." The group went to the building. I stayed behind and gazed at the area where I saw the shadow.
The unsettling feeling remained present in my stomach. Something wasn't right. I shook my head. You're overthinking things, Leo. That's Donnie's job. I should enjoy myself. I'm at the dance with my new friends despite my brother tagging along and my date happens to be a guy who I humbly respect.
'Respect, huh?'
Shut up.
'Nervous?'
Something like that...
'You think someone was spying on us?'
Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe? Am I going insane?
'I would say it's probably nerves. Don't worry. You got your brother here and me if anything goes down. Not to mention, these guys aren't just schoolmates of mine. They can stand their ground.'
That's what I'm afraid of, I thought as I clung to Merrill's arm. I want to believe what he said, I really do, but my upset stomach told me otherwise as we make our way inside.
Alex led us to the gymnasium. They burst through the doors. "Hello, lowlifes!" we entered and of course, everyone was busy looking at their phones to acknowledge Alex which made the designer very upset. "This is an outrage! Why is no one complementing me?! I need someone to complement me! Raphael, compliment me!"
"Uh, you look like a bird...?"
"But am I beautiful?"
"...sure?"
Alex let out a relieved sigh. "I'll take it."
I looked at the décor around the gym. Based on the decoration, it looked like it's based on a magic theme from bunnies and top hats; there's even a cake that's decorated into a magic box with the person being sawed in half. Everything screamed magician. Something about it felt familiar...
"Merrill!" a shrill scream echoed across the room.
"Ah, fuck me", Merrill cringed, "Taylor Martin." I saw a girl with blonde hair and a pink dress running up to us. Should I be concerned?
'Taylor is the most popular girl school. Since I happened to be the most popular boy in school, she got this little fantasy that we're a match made in Heaven. Barf.'
Did she try to do anything...?
'Provocative? No. Taylor's delusional, sure, but she is reasonable. Sometimes...'
Hmph. She better not try anything. You're with me tonight.
'Ah. There's the jealous turtle that I know and love.'
Shut up.
"Merrill! Hi! You look great! Come join us at the table! Have you tried this new game? It's like the newest trend", the blonde bimbo said with such enthusiasm.
"Can't say that I have, Taylor", Merrill told her.
"What about you all?" she redirected the question to our small group.
"Bootleg Barbie, I don't follow trends I make them", Alex declined.
"I left my phone at home", Katie said not bothering to look at the peppy girl.
"I don't play online games", Lydia kindly declined.
Taylor turned to April. "What about you April? It's called Hippo Crush. It's like the best game ever!"
"Oh! Sure! I'll go download it now!" April already took out her phone and tried to download it, but Donnie's voice came onto her screen. "What?! Donnie! Ugh, what about you guys?" I wanted to check my phone then I realized I'm technically grounded – in a way.
"Oh, darn", I said in a fake disappointing voice, "my phone was confiscated by my dear father. So sad I couldn't play the game. I bet it would be a thrill."
Merrill coughed into his fist. 'That was so fake.'
Eh, it's better than nothing.
"Aw man, I've been Donnie-blocked", Raph whined, "I wanted to see what the hype was."
"Here you are, Big Daddy." Alex offered their phone to Raph. "I just downloaded the game. Play it with your heart's content."
"Aw, sweet!" Raph started playing as April excused herself. I pulled Merrill to the side.
"Are you okay?" he asked in concern.
I shook my head. "No, I'm not. Something doesn't feel right. Everyone is too hyper-focused on the game to enjoy their dance. Don't you find it odd?"
"A little, but not enough to raise suspicion. Okay, so the theme is a bit tacky too, but it beats Plushie Homecoming last year; the entire school was decorated with stuffed animals. It was kind of creepy." Ugh, why doesn't he get it? "Get what? That you think something big is going down? Everyone is just trending on a game like when Pokémon Go was a thing; everyone was on the hype train and that lasted like what, a month? What harm can a game do?" At that comment, multiple dings scattered across every cellphone. I noticed their eyes are pink. One by one they formed a line and stepped out of the gym. "Okay... maybe your theory isn't as farfetched as I thought. So much for a quiet night."
"We gotta follow them", I pulled Merrill to the line. We saw our group stay behind. Merrill signaled them to follow, which they obliged. They were marching to the auditorium. Our group stayed in the far back near the doors. I looked around hoping to spot April or Raph. Nowhere to be seen. Okay, April I can understand, but Raph! Raphael is technically taller than any of the kids here! How did I lose my huge, big brother?
Flashing lights blinded the stage. "Good evening, kids! Presenting the greatest magician and creator of Hippo Crush: Hypnopotamus!" a familiar mutant appeared on stage.
"Hypno?!" I cried but quickly covered my mouth before taking a dive behind the seats. My friends ducked with me.
"Friend of yours?" Katie asked.
"Not even an acquaintance", I remarked. Just fantastic! I had to deal with Hynopotamus at my first school dance! I am so beating the living shit out of him!
'Get in line.' I felt Merrill's irritation as well. We peaked over the seats. Hypno gave a speech about how some wannabe teen magician made a middle school disappear; so, to top off that trick... he's going to make Merrill's school disappear?!
"What?!" Lydia let out a quiet gasp, "does he have the power to do so?"
"Lyds, he's a talking overweight hippo. I doubt that", Katie objected.
"And have you seen his attire? Lavender on his skin tone? I need a heavy dose of bleach to cleanse my eye sockets", Alex whined.
"Guys, this is serious", I silently told them, "Hypno has the power to not only perform magic but can hypnotize anyone in his sight."
"Gee, I wonder how Hypnopotamus got his name?" Merrill sarcastically remarked. I glared at my date who dejected my stare to change tactics. "If what you said is true then MC Hammer is gonna need something powerful other than a giant cloth covering the school. If we can find the mystery item, we can foil his plans." That's a great plan! "I know." His friends looked at Merrill as if he grew another head. "What? You guys were thinking of how great the plan is."
"...I guess..." Katie didn't exactly believe him.
"I shall make the school disappear starting with the school's mascot!" Hypno announced with a poor kid dressed in a purple dragon costume tied overhead. He then tossed a top hat below the kid.
"Hold on a sec", I heard Merrill mutter. "Analyze." He stared at the hat until his eyes widened. "Holy shit. With that kind of energy, it's a definite yes."
"It's merely one hat, Merry Bear", Alex said, "not even a stylish one at that. That alone can make the mascot disappear."
"Unless Hypno got multiple hats to scatter across the school carrying equal amounts of energy then his performance will be a reality."
"We got to find those hats", Lydia encouraged. I was surprised how my new friends aren't afraid of what they were getting into.
'I told you. These guys ain't pushovers.'
"Let's leave before we're spotted." We inched close to the door but April was there trying to get it open. She was immediately spotted. She tried to act like her hypnotized classmates, but that didn't work out.
"Scatter!" my Goth Boy yelled as we exited the auditorium. Merrill and I left in one direction as the others ran with April. There was a small group of zombified teens running at us with their phones.
'Stay close and don't make a sound.' I didn't know what he meant until he grabbed my wrist and held me close. A clicking sound reached my ears and Merrill tossed a very small marble. Smoke emitted and blinded the teenagers. He opened a storage closet. We lowered down. We waited without breathing a sound.
Shoes ran away from our secret hiding place. We released our held breaths. Merrill crept open the door. We left out the storage closet.
"That was close", I said, "I hope the others are okay."
"I told you. they can handle themselves. On another note, we need to take down MC Hammer."
"Why are you calling Hypno MC Hammer?"
The emo shrugged. "It was the first thing I thought about after seeing him."
"I don't get it."
"Seriously, though am I the only one seeing it?" A large fist crashed through the left side wall. My eyes widened to see Raphael clutching Merrill's face in his hand.
"Raph!" I yelled causing my brother to look my way. His eyes were the same pink hue as the hypnotized students. His eyes focused on me as he slammed my friend into the hall hard. Merrill was unconscious from the collision. "Merrill!" I rushed toward my injured friend, but Raph got in my way.
I stepped back, but my hypnotized brother picked me up with ease. I struggled throughout the way until we reached the auditorium. The stage had a chair. He went on stage and put me on the seat. Raph walked away his eyes locked on Alex's phone. Another shadow loomed over me. My eyes gazed upon Hypno's. I gulped.
"I finally have you in my mitts", he said reaching into his jacket. Oh, yeah, Hypno wanted payback! He knew me and my bro were coming here and coming to the dance so he can exact his revenge! "Now... without any intrusions..." the mutant hippo quickly pulled out the mysterious item and swiftly went to my sword's hilt. I stared at a bouquet of red roses. I blinked. "For you, my angel", he said with such charm.
I blinked again.
...say what now?