CHAPTER 2

Clare, Jonathan, and Tatiana could not believe that they were suspended from school. They never even did anything to anger the school principal. Clare started to look around for someone to help her get back to her world. Then, she ran into a few familiar looks. Video game structures were all around her sights. Clare immediately knew where she was: In the World of Gaming, a place where video game characters live together peacefully. However, when Clare went to the central plaza, she noticed something was missing.

"That Star Crystal Simba told us about!" yelled Tatiana. "It's gone!"

"Oh, that's for sure." said a strange male voice.

"Wh-who said that?" asked Jonathan.

"I did." said the voice, which turned out to be Mario.

"Mario?!" asked Clare.

"I could not help hearing what you were saying." said Mario. "That happened not too long ago."

"What? The Star Crystal being stolen?!" asked Clare.

"Yup." said Mario.

Luigi, Mario's younger brother, called out for Mario.

"Luigi's here too?!" asked Tatiana.

"Well, you are in the World of Gaming!" said Mario.

"So my life's somewhat complete…" said Clare.

"And this was behind your locker, Clare!" yelled Jonathan.

"To think that Mrs. Hampshire, our own school principal of Riverton Public School, would banish us behind the locker of Clare Hutchinson and we end up in the World of Gaming…now I think Mrs. Hampshire was behind all of this mess." wondered Tatiana.

"So tell me, who are you?" asked Luigi.

"Oh, my name is Clare Hutchinson, and this is Jonathan and Tatiana, my two best friends."

"We're not going to ask who you are. Everyone knows you. You're like…the Mickey Mouse of the video game industry. Mario, that is, right?" asked Jonathan.

"Yes, that's me." said Mario. "Now, come with us. The protagonists of the World of Gaming are having a press conference about the Star Crystal being missing."

"But we–" said Clare.

"No buts about it." said Luigi.

"Come now." said Mario.

Mario and Luigi took away Clare, Jonathan, and Tatiana.

Back at Riverton Public School, Mrs. Hampshire contacted the families of Clare, Jonathan, and Tatiana. There, she wanted a principal-parent conference with everyone. Clare's mother, Adriana Hutchinson, was disappointed with the principal, not with Clare. The same thing applied to Jonathan and Tatiana. Their parents were not disappointed either with their own children; they were just disappointed with the principal for suspending the children and banishing them from school when they did nothing to break school policies.

The parents of Clare, Jonathan, and Tatiana later arrived. "Thank you all for coming on such short notices." said Mrs. Hampshire in a dark tone. She then ordered the parents to find seats.

"So, what was this conference about, Mrs. Hampshire?" asked Mr. Arlidge, Jonathan's father.

"I am very disappointed in all three of your children at this very moment as we speak." said Mrs. Hampshire.

"But they did nothing wrong!" said Mrs. Daymond, Tatiana's mother.

"In my book, they frickin' did." said Mrs. Hampshire. "Don't play these kinds of games with me."

"Or what, Hampshire?!" asked Mr. Hutchinson, Clare's father.

"Or I am kicking all of your children out of this school by giving a full expulsion and restraining order!" said Mrs. Hampshire.

"Where are the children?" asked Tatiana's father.

"I sent them behind Clare's locker to teach them a lesson for skipping school for Behind the Locker traveling." said Mrs. Hampshire. "This will surely teach them a lesson."
"You know what, Mrs. Hampshire, we are totally don with you." said Mrs. Arlidge, Jonathan's mother. "We're keeping our children at this school, hoping that one day, you will be fired for all the chaos you have caused to our children. You have broken them down mentally, and we are afraid that we are going to be broken families!"

"Get out of my office! Now!" yelled Mrs. Hampshire.

The parents left the principal's office in disgusting moods.

"Sure, the parents can trash talk me, but just wait until the truth is revealed about what this school was behind." said Mrs. Hampshire. She later went back to her desk after throwing the parents of the three students out of her office.