Well, I was expecting this chapter to be the chapter, but not yet. Needed to include more in-depth details so that Diana's discussion with Lily would make sense. Of course, this version of the story is slightly different because of the circumstances. But I promise, the next chapter will be the chapter... the chapter that starts the end of the story. But for now, enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons," "TMNT," "Choices: High School Story," nor "Lord of the Rings: the Third Age." I only own Lilianna, James, Diana, Wesley, and Anna (yup, she's back!)
February 10, 2060 - Westport, Connecticut, USA
DIANA'S POV
If our school spirit wasn't at an all-time low yesterday, it was now. After Caleb stood up to Principal Isa, she not only suspended him from school, but she also filed a request to expel him. But before Caleb could go home, he was responsible for cleaning the entire cafeteria. As for the rest of us, the winter ball was canceled and we were all threatened to serve in-school suspension for the rest of the year if we didn't go right to class.
I spent the next two class periods in deep thought. I wondered what all my dad went through that he thought high school was stressful. Lily herself told me her high school career was full of stress. But I understood Lily. She lived in New York and yet, she went to school in Todayland, my father's hometown. I made a mental note to ask her about her experience later. Then I wondered if I could have done anything else to protect my classmates from Isa. But I knew Lily and my father were right; there was not enough proof to investigate her. I felt scared for the first time at the beginning of the quarter. Now, for the first time, I felt so lost, not just because Isa turned my school into a state of tyranny, but also because I may not be able to be around the boy I really liked anymore.
Thankfully, the last class of my day was gym class. After putting all of my things in my locker, I made my way towards the gym and went past the cafeteria on the way. I glanced at Caleb, who was wiping down a table. He looked up at me and I waved. He waved back with a slight smile on his face. I felt someone tapping me on the shoulder, and I jumped.
"Goodness, Autumn!" I exclaimed. "You scared me."
"I'm sorry, Diana," Autumn replied with a frown. "But you need to get to class."
I nodded, hanging my head down. I slinked off to the girl's locker room only to find out I didn't need to change clothes today. So then I slowly walked into the gym and sat in the very back, my back against the bleachers. There were lots of whispers about the food fight earlier today, but I didn't care anymore. I buried my head in my arms, wishing I could go back in time to stop Isa from ever taking over. Suddenly, the room went silent and I lifted my head up to see Coach Isa pushing a TV into the gym.
"Hey, everyone!" Coach Isa greeted us with a grin. "I've got a special treat! It's movie day in gym class, and I've brought my favorite! SPACE JAM!"
Half the class groaned and the other half laughed. I even let out a chuckle as I rolled my eyes. Space Jam was such a classic that was made in the 1990s. I understood why he liked it so much. In fact, I was thankful for Coach Isa in this moment. It brought back a fond memory from my early childhood. Every Saturday at home, my dad would put on a movie that was made as early as 1937 so we could be thankful for the past. When Lily and her family moved to Westport almost five years ago, her family joined us. Not only did we appreciate the past, but we also appreciated our time as one big, happy family.
Here at school, I saw that wasn't the case. I saw most of my classmates playing on their phones and some were even talking. Coach Isa didn't seem to care about that, though. He never took his eyes off the screen.
This is ridiculous, I thought as my mind wandered back to Caleb in the cafeteria.
"Hey, Coach Isa, could I go to the bathroom?" Sydney suddenly spoke.
"Uh, yeah, here," Coach Isa answered, filling out a pass without ever taking his eyes off the screen.
I bet I can sneak over to help Caleb without Coach Isa even noticing!
"Hey, Coach Isa, I need to go to the bathroom, too," I said with a grin, getting up and walking towards him.
"No problem," he replied, filling out a pass for me. "Just don't make me miss the best part!"
"Thank you."
I hurried out of the gym and made it to the cafeteria without encountering a hall monitor. I walked over to Caleb, who looked up at me with surprise in his brown eyes.
"Hey."
"Hey, Diana. What are you doing here?"
"We were watching Space Jam in gym class. I got a hall pass so I could come help you."
"But why would you want to help me?" Caleb asked with a frown.
"Because I care about you. A lot."
He shook his head.
"You really shouldn't. At this point, I've screwed over everyone at school in some way or another."
"Not everyone," I replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay, maybe not directly. But I knew the hall monitor program was bad news, and I did nothing until I just got so angry."
"If you knew, why didn't you do something?"
"I guess because I didn't want to admit it," Caleb confessed. "I think I wanted to like Isa more than anyone else in the school."
"You've always been the kind of person who wants to see the best in people," I replied, now with a fond smile. "That's why I like you so much."
"Well, that's not the only reason. When Coach Burke quit like that, it was the second time my team had been torn apart by a love affair."
"Hughs and Burke weren't like Brian and Zoe," I explained. "Brian and Zoe were just a couple for the drama and to make your life miserable. I believe Hughs and Burke are in it for the long haul."
Caleb sighed.
"I know, but after the team had been through so much, I just wanted stability. Principal Isa wanted order... or so she said. I did too."
"I think I understand where you're coming from. But you still believed that after she hired her own brother?"
"Well, it's not the first time I've been wrong about someone."
"I suppose there are worse things to be than an optimist."
"I started getting a bad feeling after Aiden was suspended, but I knew if I backed out, I'd be a huge target for the others."
I let out a gasp. I saw things in a new light.
"I guess I never thought of it that way," I spoke.
"That's 'cause you're better than me. You're not a coward."
"Caleb, you were trying to protect yourself, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that."
"Well, look where it got me. Isa's gonna have me expelled, and everyone hates me."
"Caleb, that's not true. I don't hate you."
"You probably should. I sorta hate me right now."
"Then maybe it's time for a change."
Caleb and I glanced around at the food-covered cafeteria.
"I think it's a little late for that," Caleb spoke pessimistically.
"It's never too late," I replied optimistically.
I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder, smiling fondly.
"And I promise, I'll be by your side, no matter how hard it gets."
Caleb finally smiled, putting his hand on top of mine.
"Diana..."
I closed the distance between us and sealed it with a kiss. Caleb seemed startled at first, but he returned it. We pulled away and shared a smile together.
"My favorite kiss yet," he said with such fondness in his calm voice.
"Really?" I teased him. "Let's see if I can do even better."
We kissed again, but this time, this kiss was deep. Just when we were so... into us, I lost my balance.
SQUISH!
"Yuck!" I exclaimed, letting go of his lips.
I glanced down and found I had just stepped in a puddle of chicken noodle soup. Suddenly, I burst out laughing.
"Okay, I think that's a sign that it's time to get back to cleaning!"
"You really don't have to do this," Caleb replied. "It's my job."
"Since when has that ever stopped me?" I asked with a grin, getting my hands on a sponge.
I spent the rest of class helping Caleb clean the cafeteria. We made decent progress by wiping down all the tables and chairs by the time the bell rang.
"I told you she'd be here already."
I glanced up to see our group of friends and I smiled.
"Why are you always right?" Maria asked Michael with a grin.
"What are you all doing here?" Caleb asked with surprise.
"I take it you're here to help out?" I asked.
"You got it!" Luis answered happily.
"We were looking for you too, Diana," Emma explained. "When we couldn't find you, Michael said you must already be here."
"This is really, really nice of you guys," Caleb chimed in with a frown. "But you should probably go. If Isa catches you here, you're all gonna be in trouble."
"No need to worry about that!" Sydney replied optimistically. "Koh and Wes are on the other side of the school creating a distraction."
"How did you manage that?" I asked with surprise.
"Koh volunteered them," Michael explained. "I know most of you aren't that close to her, but it seems she has a lot of respect for Diana."
I smiled, feeling blessed. Koh helped me after I helped her.
"This is all too much," Caleb replied. "I don't deserve help from any of you after the way I acted."
"Caleb, it's not about deserving," I said.
"Yeah, if we turned our backs on our friends as soon as they did something we didn't like, we wouldn't have any friends at all," Sydney chimed in.
"It's not like you did anything as bad as I did," Caleb replied again.
"Maybe, but perhaps if I hadn't gotten so caught up in the fighting, things would've gone differently."
"And if Michael and I had gotten more involved," Maria chimed in.
I glanced over at her with my jaw dropped. Did they investigate her this entire time?
"And if I hadn't let Isa use me as an example," Luis mourned.
"And if-"
"Look, we can go around all day talking about this," Michael interrupted Aiden. "But the way I see it, it's not any of our faults. It's Isa's. So how about we stop this crap and start cleaning?"
Caleb and I grinned and glanced at our friends.
"Well, if you insist," he spoke.
We all picked up supplies from the cleaning cart and got right to work. It took the nine of us two more hours to get the entire cafeteria cleaned... together.
"Well, I'll be damned," Michael said with a huge grin.
I couldn't help but laugh. Michael was not one to volunteer to clean.
"All right!" I yelled before giving the finger to a camera. "Suck it, Isa! You tried to tear my friends apart, but we're stronger than ever!"
"I don't know," Aiden chimed in. "She did still get some free labor out of us."
"Maybe," Sydney replied. "But she can't make us hate Caleb. I think that calls for a group hug."
"Yes!" Emma wholeheartedly agreed.
Seven of us surrounded Caleb in a group hug, our arms around each other. I looked up and saw Michael smirking at us.
"Come on, Michael!" I encouraged him. "You know you want to join in."
He rolled his eyes at us.
"If you insist."
Michael joined the group hug, which lasted a few more long moments before Luis yelled about getting squished. We released the hug.
"Hey, guys, I have something to tell you," Emma confessed. "Don't get mad."
"Wait, what?" Maria replied. "Emma, what are you talking about?"
My mind lit up, knowing exactly what Emma was thinking of.
"Emma, are you sure about this?" I asked.
"Yes. I wasn't before, but after seeing everyone help each other like this, I think it'll be okay. So you know how I couldn't do any activities this quarter, and I kept not being able to hang out?"
"Yeah?" Myra answered. "The Lookout team has been missing you."
"Well, money's been tight for my mom and I. Like, really tight. Ever since my dad left, it's been up to my mom to pay the mortgage on the house. We were scared of getting foreclosed. I've been working at an Admiral Burger across town to help make ends meet."
"Wait, that's it?" Sydney asked with surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"Emma, you could've told us," Caleb assured her. "No one here would judge you."
"See, Emma, I told you it would be okay," I told her.
"You did. And now I know for sure. I guess I was just so happy to finally have friends. I didn't want to say anything in case I ruined it."
"What kind of friends would we be if we threw you out for having money problems?" Aiden asked.
"I don't know. I just didn't want to risk it. Besides, even if you didn't ditch me, I was scared you might think of me different and it would be awkward. But now I know it wouldn't be. And I'm not so scared anymore because I know we'll be together no matter what."
"Oh, Emma..."
We did another group hug, this time with Emma in the middle. I glanced up, and once again, Michael was out of it.
"Again? Seriously?"
"Just go with it, Michael," I answered with a laugh. "It's that kind of day."
And again, Michael joined in the hug. We pulled away after a few moments.
"Hey, for real, you guys are the best friends a guy could ask for," Caleb told us with a smile. "Just promise me we'll keep in touch after I'm expelled, okay?"
"Do you think Isa really meant it?" Emma asked.
"This is Isa we're talking about. She definitely did. I just hope I'm not sent to Staples."
"You won't be," Michael chimed in determinedly. "Not if I can help it."
"Michael, that's nice of you, but-"
"No, you don't understand," Maria interrupted him with a grin. "We can stop her."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
Michael and Maria glanced at each other with confidence.
"It's kind of a long story," Michael warned me.
"Michael, my father's been telling me to keep an eye out on Isa and the hall monitors and I've learned nothing," I confessed. "Please, tell me everything."
FLASHBACK: January 6, 2060
MICHAEL'S POV
Maria and I were walking back from filming the second and last of her morning announcements when I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the girl's bathroom.
"Michael Harrison, let go of me this instant!" Maria yelled.
"Sorry! Look, I didn't mean to startle you."
"Then why the hell did you drag me into the girls' bathroom?"
I felt surprised she let out a word.
"Easy there. No need to swear. This is the one place on campus where I seriously doubt Isa has cameras set up."
"Cameras?"
I put a determined look on my face and looked her dead in her brown eyes.
"Look, I don't know how that footage got into yesterday's broadcast, but I know it wasn't your fault, and it wasn't mine. And don't you think this has worked out a little too well for Isa? Come on, Maria. Don't tell me you haven't thought it, too."
Maria frowned, shaking her head and putting her left hand on her hip.
"Maybe I have. But we don't have any proof."
"Not yet. But we can find some. If you're in, I'm in."
"Why should I trust you? You don't like me, Michael. We've never seen eye-to-eye."
"I know what it's like to feel powerless against the system, and it sucks. Besides, I know a thing or two about taking down authority."
Maria pondered for a few more moments until she finally relaxed.
"You're... right. I hate to admit it, but you're right. But just so you know, I refuse to commit any felonies as part of this."
FLASHBACK: January 24, 2060
MARIA'S POV
Michael and I kept tabs on Principal Isa for the next few weeks, but didn't come up with much of anything until the winter carnival.
"Okay, it's obvious that she's looking for an excuse to shut the carnival down," Michael said with a frown. "She spent five minutes looking at the hot chocolate heater. Do you have anything?"
"Whenever anyone gets too close, she puts her phone away," I explained. "I don't know what's on there, but I'm certain she's hiding something."
"Say no more, Maria," he replied with a smirk. "I'll get it... if you can create a distraction."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Surprise me!"
"Well... if you're sure about this."
I ended up buying Isa a cup of hot chocolate. I got two cups of hot chocolate at the booth and offered one to her.
"My decision about the morning announcements is final, Miss Flores," she said sternly. "I won't be bribed with hot chocolate."
"I understand," I replied calmly. "But I'm going to be applying to, uh, Terman University, and I was wondering if you had any... advice?"
Her gaze softened.
"Oh really?"
"About getting college recommendations, I mean," I continued with a smile. "Are there any teachers who went there, perhaps?"
"Principal Isa, is this your phone?" Michael suddenly asked.
She let out a gasp.
"Where did you get that?"
"I heard it ringing and recognized the case. Must've slipped out of your bag."
Principal Isa grabbed the ringing phone, picked it up, and ran out of sight. Michael got up to me and whispered.
"Sorry, I only had a few seconds to look before she got a call. It didn't have much on it. Not even Facebook."
"You think she's using it as a secret second phone to contact someone specific?" I asked with shock. "Like they do in spy movies?"
"Exactly. I sorta wish I'd picked it up, but it would've been way too easy to get caught. I did get the password, though."
"Hey, guys!" Payton suddenly greeted us from behind. "What are you whispering about?"
"Oh, nothing," Michael answered. "I was about to go try my luck at the dunk tank. Catch you guys later."
"Okay, bye Michael! What about you, Maria?"
"I'm just here to buy more tickets," I quickly answered.
"Coming right up!"
Then I ran into Diana and told her how great of an idea this was. I felt bad running away on her like that, but I spent most of the rest of the carnival trying to track down the phone again. No luck.
FLASHBACK: January 26, 2060
MICHAEL'S POV
After we found out Aiden was suspended, things started to get desperate. Maria wanted to come forward with the bit about the phone, but I knew it wasn't enough.
"We can't just keep hiding what we know like this," Maria told me. "One person's already been suspended."
"What are we gonna tell people?" I asked in response. "Isa keeps a secret phone, therefore she's doing something?"
"Come on, you know it's something bad!"
"Yeah, but until we know what, there's no use."
"Do you have any guesses?"
"I think she's laundering money."
"Laundering money?" Maria asked in aghast. "You mean like from-"
"Uh-huh."
"Why would she be involved in that?"
"I don't know," I answered with determination. "But we're gonna find out."
"I had no idea this was going to be so serious."
"I didn't either. Are you still in?"
"More than ever," Maria answered with confidence.
"Me too."
Maria was still upset, so I gave her a hug.
"Thanks, Michael. I'm glad I have you around."
"Yeah, don't mention it."
FLASHBACK: February 6, 2060
MARIA'S POV
We spent the next few weeks looking for the phone, but we didn't see it after the carnival. Finally, on the night of the basketball game, Principal Isa left her purse unattended for a minute to go talk to her brother.
"Now's my chance," Michael spoke with a grin.
"Hang on!" I butted in. "You got the phone last time. It's my turn."
"All right," he said with surprise. "Go ahead."
Her phone wasn't in the bag, but I managed to swipe a key. I quickly went back to my seat to show Michael.
"Maria, are you crazy?" he asked with shock. "Isa's gonna know what happened as soon as she can't get into her office."
"She would if this was her office key. But it's not. It belonged to Principal Hughs."
"How do you know?"
"I found Isa's regular keyring as well," I explained. "This wasn't on it. She probably saved Hughs's for backup. As for how I knew it belonged to Principal Hughs, who else would have a heart-shaped key labeled office?"
Michael grinned.
"You're good, Maria."
"Thanks, but with the hall monitors, I'm not sure how we're going to break in without getting caught."
"Maybe now's the time to tell everyone."
"What will people think of us if we-"
"If you what?" Diana suddenly called out behind us.
PRESENT
DIANA'S POV
"And you two didn't fall in love while working together?" I teased them.
"What?" Maria replied. "No, we're not dating."
"Maria, no offense, but you're not my type," Michael confessed.
"None taken. You're not mine either."
"Glad we had this conversation."
"So you've found out all this stuff about Principal Isa," Caleb replied, still frowning. "But what now? She still wants me expelled."
"If your case is like any other in this country, Caleb, you're not gonna have an expulsion hearing until next month. If we can prove before then that Isa is trouble..."
"Then Caleb probably won't be expelled!" Emma finished the sentence with a grin.
"One problem, though," Maria spoke up. "I'm still not sure how we're going to break in without Principal Isa catching us."
"Couldn't we just sneak in during the middle of the night?" Luis asked.
"There's an alarm system active from midnight to five A.M.," Michael answered. "Too risky. We need some other time when Isa won't be there."
"How about a big school board meeting that all educators in the district have to attend?" Aiden suggested with a huge smile.
"Is there one coming up?" Maria asked.
"This Saturday. My mom was just complaining about it this morning."
"Perfect!" Michael replied. "Saturday morning, seven A.M. sharp, parking lot."
February 14, 2060
After getting permission from my dad to investigate Isa, I met my friends early this morning at the school.
"Morning, Diana," Caleb greeted me.
"Morning, Caleb," I replied with surprise. "How did you convince your parents to let you out?"
"Ezra and I both gave our sides of the story, and Mom and Dad were pretty understanding."
"Oh, good!"
"They're not punishing me 'til they hear the whole story at the hearing. I just told them I was hanging out with friends."
"Lucky," Aiden chimed in with a frown. "I'm un-grounded, but my parents still don't like me spending time with you all. I had to swear I was at the library studying for a test."
"Well, after today, you'll both be free," I replied optimistically.
"Okay, it's seven o'clock," Maria said with determination. "Let's go in."
"Hang on," Michael chimed in. "We're still missing two people."
"We are?" I asked. "Who?"
A beat-up flying car flew into the parking lot, and out came Wes and Koh.
"Sup?" Koh greeted us.
"You guys are helping us?" I asked.
"You bet we are," Wes grinned. "You and Michael may have been able to break into Staples last fall, but Koh and I are the real masters."
"All right, all right," Maria said impatiently. "Let's get in there."
"Now hang on! We can't all just barge in. The hall monitors will catch us!"
"The hall monitors?"
Wes pointed to a few cars scattered in the lot, telling us those belonged to Autumn, Frank, and Morgan.
"What are the hall monitors doing here on a Saturday?" Luis asked.
"I bet they're here to watch over the kids in Saturday detention," Caleb explained. "Isa was trying to get people to do that."
"What are we gonna do?" Sydney asked.
"I'll tell you what," I explained, now realizing I had to do this in stealth mode. "Isa's office is on the first floor. I'll go in by myself, sneak past the hall monitors, and unlock the window."
"Are you sure?" Emma asked with uncertainty. "If someone catches you, you'll be in huge trouble!"
"Does anyone have a better idea?" I asked, hands on my hips, and no one replied.
"Thank you, Diana," Maria said, handing me Principal Hughs's key.
"Wait by the window. I'll be there in a few minutes. Promise."
I opened the door to the school and used my ninjutsu skills to sprint without making a sound. But just as I was about to make the corner to go to the principal's office, I heard someone coming! I found a janitor's closet and hid inside. I fumbled around and grabbed onto some kind of fabric. With the small amount of light I had, I realized this was a janitor's uniform.
"Hmm..."
I went ahead and put it on, and I also noticed there was a pair of sunglasses. I put those on, and then I put my long black hair up into a ponytail so no one would recognize me. I got out of the closet and casually walked to the principal's office. I used the key to unlock it when...
"Hold up! Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"Morgan?" I yelled out.
I realized I was using my normal voice and knew I had to disguise my voice as well. I had listened to Lily so many times that I decided to sound just like her. I used a slightly higher-pitched voice to match hers.
"I mean, uh, you must be Morgan."
She squinted at me.
"How did you know my name?"
"Oh, a little bird told me all about you."
"Really? What did this little bird say?"
"She said you are Isa's favorite student."
Morgan laughed.
"I used to hate teacher's pets, but now... I admit, it's useful."
I just stood there while Morgan paced around me.
"We've cut a deal," she explained. "I catch students, she'll look the other way when I skip class."
"How did you get her to agree to that?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"Hey, it's easy when you're the only hall monitor worth salt at this school."
"You think you're the only one?" I asked skeptically.
"I don't think. I know. Autumn's too timid. She's more scared of the others than they are of her. And Frank's just too much of a softie. Caleb wasn't bad until he went all psycho and threw spaghetti at Isa. But you knew about that already, I'm guessing."
"Oh, yes. The little bird told me about that, too."
Morgan turned around and looked at me again.
"What's your name?"
"Lily."
"Ha! Well, Lily, has anyone ever told you that you look like a girl at this school named Diana?"
Uh-oh.
"Yeah, I've heard that before. In fact, Diana's my goddaughter."
"Well, you've got the same haircut, anyway."
And she saw through the ponytail. Awesome, Diana.
Morgan squinted at me again.
"Actually, just take off the glasses and..."
I swatted her hand away.
"I need these!"
"Oh yeah? What for?"
"I need them to protect my eyes from the light, obviously. Bright lights are my weakness."
Morgan pondered this for a moment before she grinned.
"Oh, I see how it is. Word on the street is that mixing eggs, potatoes, oysters, bananas, and pickle juice will do the trick."
EW.
"I think that's my cue to get back to work," I told her.
"Heh. Fine. I'll see you around, Lily."
Morgan sauntered away and I blew a huge sigh of relief, even doing it the way Lily does it. Once I knew for sure Morgan was gone, I unlocked Isa's office and got inside. I opened the window to let my friends in.
"Could someone get the lights?" Emma requested.
The lights turned on at the magic word. The eleven of us then looked around the office.
"Where'd you get the janitor's outfit, Diana?" Myra asked with a grin.
"I found it in a broom closet," I replied in my normal voice.
"What were you doing in a broom closet?" Maria asked. "Uh, never mind. Don't answer that."
"So now what?" Aiden asked.
"Now... we search," Michael answered with determination.
"There's so much stuff around here," I said.
"Where do we even begin?" Emma asked.
"Let's split up so we can cover more ground," Michael suggested.
"Great idea," I replied with a grin. "We'll be in and out before you can say, Isa's going down!"
"Well, I'll keep an eye on the hallways in case more hall monitors show up," Wes spoke up. "Caleb, Aiden, you can join me."
"Us?" Aiden asked.
"Uh, I mean, if you insist," Caleb replied hesitantly.
I could tell there were tensions between Aiden and Caleb ever since the former's suspension. But I would leave it up to them to make up.
"Guys, there's a safe in here!" Koh called out from the next room.
"How much do you wanna bet Isa's hiding a few answers for us in there?" I asked.
"I might be able to open it," Emma volunteered. "I've read about safe-cracking before."
"While you do that, I want to get into her computer," Maria said.
"I'll stay with you, Maria," I replied.
I joined her, Sydney, and Michael as they gathered around Isa's computer. To my surprise, Michael was able to hack into it.
"Good thing Isa had her password written down in her desk," Sydney said with a smile.
"What was it?" I asked.
"Eh, that doesn't matter," Michael replied. "I found her email."
"She never logged out? I bet there's something juicy in there."
"Whoa! This guy named Bruce Faris has emailed her... a lot. From one year ago: Hey Ashley, or should I say VP Isa?! I figured out why you left San Francisco... then Mansingh then Hartfeld! Why don't you return my phone calls? I found you at this Westport High though! Call me back... Bruce Faris. There's fifty shades of weird in that email."
"Principal Isa's name is Ashley?" Sydney asked.
"There has to be more in her email," I suggested. "Let's try searching for some keywords."
I took over computer duty and typed in a search for San Francisco.
"Ooh!" Sydney exclaimed. "This one looks like it's from the beginning of the school year. Hey, Ashley... or what do you go by now? VP Isa feels way too formal. Did you see about ClickIt?! They lost that big award thing to a new blog! Do you still keep in contact with your old coworkers? They were... interesting people when I visited San Fran. Bruce Faris. P.S. CALL ME! I miss you."
"So Isa used to work at ClickIt?" I asked out loud.
"I wonder why she left," Michael pondered.
"Maybe she took over ClickIt like she did Westport High," Maria angrily suggested.
"We won't know unless we search more," I replied, typing in a search for Mansingh.
"Hmm, looks like Bruce sent this a while ago. Hey Ash... Went by your Hartfeld apartment today because I miss you (I still can't believe you moved from Mansingh to work at the college). Obvs you weren't there though... it must be so hard changing work places AGAIN. I just want to catch up. Maybe we can play basketball like old times! CALL ME! I'm just going to send more emails until you answer. Love you, Bruce Faris."
"How many places has Isa worked at?" I asked, feeling floored.
"Sounds like a lot," Michael replied. "I wonder what she did there."
"Maybe another email would answer that!"
This time, I searched for Hartfeld.
"It's not turning up anything," I spoke up. "But let me try one more: Westport High."
"That worked!" Michael said enthusiastically. "This is from winter break. Hey sis! I thought about your offer from our phone call. I won't out you about your shady money deals, IF and ONLY if you let me basketball coach at Westport High. Let me know if we have a deal. Your loving brother, Bruce."
I gasped out loud.
"Bruce Faris is Coach Isa?"
"What shady money deals are they talking about?" Maria asked.
"Is that why we lost our funding?" Sydney asked with a frown.
"I think so," I answered. "But I think we found everything we need here."
"Nice going, Diana," Michael encouraged me. "You figured that out in no time."
"I am a T.I.M.E. agent's daughter, after all! Well, I'm going to see who else needs help. I'll go into this side room."
I ventured into the side room where I joined Louis, Koh, Myra, and Emma.
"Any luck opening the safe, Emma?"
"Not yet," Luis repied. "Emma's still working on it."
"I've never broken into a safe before," Emma explained with a frown. "I know how to do it, but I keep missing a click... I think."
"Maybe you should take a crack at it, Diana," Myra teased me.
"Please, Diana," Koh pleaded with me. "Just so Myra can't make that joke... again."
"Sure. What do I have to do?"
"Spin the dial clockwise," Emma explained. "Listen until you hear a click, then you'll change directions. Just keep turning left until you hear another click. You'll turn it clockwise one last time, and it should open!"
"Got it! Let's give this a try."
I put my ear against the safe and spun the dial to my right. I heard the gears turning faintly until I heard a loud click!
"Got it!"
I switched directions and listened for the next click. It took some time, but I finally heard the next click and changed directions once more. Once I heard the last click, I stepped back... and opened the safe!
"Yes!" I exclaimed happily.
"Nice going, Diana!" Emma congratulated me. "You're a natural."
"Finally!" Koh exclaimed.
"Diana was a safe bet," Myra teased again.
We all glared at Myra before we removed all the contents of the safe to analyze them.
"Huh!" I exclaimed with curiosity. "This is Isa's badge from Mansingh. But it says Lana Harel?"
"I've never heard of her before," Emma replied. "Why would Isa have that?"
"Uh, what's an old cell phone doing in here?" Koh suddenly spoke.
"Looks like it's locked."
"Diana, what can you make of this?"
I glanced over at the phone and realized this was the same phone Michael and Maria were trying to track down. I remembered the passcode and typed it in.
"Ah ha!" I exclaimed happily. "I'm in!"
I was floored at what I saw.
Blackbird: You're late.
Ashley: Tell Phantom he'll have his money soon.
Blackbird: This is the fourth time you've been late on payments. Don't be late a fifth time or -else- Phantom isn't forgiving.
Ashley: Yeah yeah yeah I know!
Blackbird: Don't shoot the messenger. You're the one in debt not me.
Ashley: Like I don't know that. It's my own damn fault for falling for that stupid pyramid scheme.
Blackbird: Anyway. Pay up... or else.
"Looks like Ashley's in a lot of money trouble."
"I don't like the sound of or else," Luis replied.
"Me neither," Emma chimed in.
"Hey, look!" Myra suddenly spoke. "This is Luis's emergency room bill!"
"The bill I got said it cost a lot more!" Luis replied with shock.
"It's a fake!" I angrily said. "I bet Isa kept the rest of the money for herself!"
"It'd explain why your broken wrist cost so much, Luis," Emma said.
"We were supposed to use that money for band and cheerleading," Myra angrily replied. "And she kept it!"
"This all seems rather fishy to me," Koh said skeptically.
"Between this and the emails I've read, I'm dreading what I'll find with Caleb and Aiden," I replied. "Let me see what else I can find."
I caught up with Aiden, Caleb, and Wes in a hallway with a door I had never seen before.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"Supposedly a secret room Isa has that's been erased from the school blueprints," Caleb explained. "Not sure I buy it though."
"Ye of little faith," Wes replied, grabbing a huge set of keys and trying each and every one on the door. "Bingo. This is it."
"Huh?" I asked. "How do you know?"
"This door isn't on the school blueprints, and the school keys don't work on it. Don't you think it's a bit strange?"
"Strange?" Aiden replied. "Try impossible!"
"It would be a great place for Isa to hide something," Caleb said.
"That settles it," Wes replied. "Diana, take one of the guys and explore the secret room."
"What are you going to do?"
"Keep an eye out with whomever you leave behind, of course."
"We have to find out what Isa's hiding," Caleb said with determination.
"Then, let's go."
Wes took out a couple of bobby pinks and was able to unlock the door with no issues. The door swung open, and the first thing we saw was a steep set of stairs descending into darkness.
"Okay, I'm already creeped out," I spoke, hiding behind Caleb. "We have a basement?"
"Let's go, Diana."
Caleb and I walked down the stairs together, with my following him very closely behind. I had to use my iPhone as a flashlight until I found a light switch at the bottom of the stairs. I glanced at my surroundings.
"Doesn't look all that special."
"What would Isa hide here?" Caleb asked.
"Wait, what's this?" I asked out loud, spotting several boxes in the corner that were not covered in dust. "Maybe her big secret is in here."
We pulled the boxes down from the shelf and discovered files in all of them. The first name that popped out was Maria Flores.
"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed. "These are files on every single student at Westport High School!"
"These are all the hall monitors," Caleb replied. "Including me!"
He opened his own file with his brows furrowed.
"I am not easy to manipulate! How can she say that?"
I shrugged, hating to admit that it was the truth.
"Here, let's spread these out," I suggested. "I want to read them thoroughly."
First, we went through the hall monitor files. I learned quite a few surprising things about my classmates. I was Caleb's weakness. Isa convinced Autumn to be a hall monitor to convince Wes and Julian to join her. After reading Frank and Morgan's files, I went into the box labeled TROUBLEMAKERS. I learned Isa had also planned to use Autumn to make Wes crumble as the know-it-all. Isa had planned to influence Aiden with a prestigious music scholarship until the accident at the winter carnival. I was very surprised to see Sydney's file in this box because she was the complete opposite of being a troublemaker, but I learned she was diagnosed with ADHD. Lastly, Isa had planned to pin Maria as a troublemaker all along by breaking her spirit as the president of her class.
Then there were a few boxes marked OTHER. I was honestly surprised to see Michael's file in this box, but according to Isa, he hadn't caused an uproar lately. I smirked, thinking how Isa would be in for a rude surprise eventually. Isa would not have Emma become a hall monitor as she was too meek. Isa had made note of Myra's connections to Aiden and Luis and her potential to be a rebel leader. I found it interesting that Isa thought Mia was unlikely to instigate anything, given her temper. I finally found Julian's file and discovered he refused to be a hall monitor, which meant that he put the school first as well. I laughed when Isa thought Luis was not influential enough to become a hall monitor due to his gaming. Isa had definitely broken Payton's spirit and targeted her love of winter ball and prom. Lastly, Sakura may have possibly been considered to be a hall monitor with the right incentive while Nishan had no voice to become one.
I put all the files back in the box, feeling sick to my stomach that Isa knew all of these students to a T.
"Isa has pinpointed everyone's weaknesses and how to manipulate us," I spoke, almost on the brink of tears. "It must be part of her plan to rule Westport High."
"She's even handpicked who could be a hall monitor and who's a troublemaker!" Caleb replied angrily.
"All of this is... horrifying. We're not some chess pieces to be played with!"
I got angrier with each word I said.
"This is horrible and crazy. Isa needs to be taken down now."
"I agree, but..."
"But?"
"There's one more file you should look at. I found it in the troublemakers box."
I gulped, knowing exactly whose file it was: mine.
Name: Diana Evelyn Robinson
Year: Freshman
Notes: Daughter of T.I.M.E.'s Wilbur Robinson, Clear leader/unifier of the school, CANNOT be completely influenced, must be addressed to take full control of Westport High, broke into Staples High, late to class, part of Trojan News
Recommendation: To be taken down and hopefully expelled
I felt like I took a punch to my gut and I dropped the file.
"She wants me expelled?" I asked, now really feeling nauseous.
"I should've done something to stop this!" Caleb yelled. "I was one of her hall monitors!"
"You're helping us now," I spoke up despite my stomach. "That's what matters."
"I won't let her get rid of you. You're the glue that holds our group together."
"Caleb, you're the one who keeps me strong."
"I don't know about that," Caleb replied with a small smile. "But thanks."
Our brown eyes stayed locked together as he leaned into me and kissed me deeply. For one moment, the nausea was gone. After our kiss, he held me tightly as I started to cry into his shoulder.
"Definitely can't let Isa expel you," Caleb said. "I'd miss you too much."
He hugged me tighter before he got up.
"Wait!"
I gathered all the files together and put them in my backpack. This was the evidence I needed to get my dad to investigate Principal Isa.
WILBUR'S POV
"Dad, when's Diana coming home?" Wesley asked me. "When's Mom coming home?"
"They'll both get home when they get home," I answered. "Diana's doing some research at school and Mom's at a meeting."
As if it was on cue, I heard the front door open. I glanced over to see Diana running inside. She set her backpack down on the couch and made a beeline for the bathroom. I heard her vomit into the toilet. Instantly feeling worried, I hurried over to the door and knocked.
"Diana, are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay! I feel sick!"
"Breakfast can't have been that bad."
"DAD! Stop talking! It's about Isa!"
I opened the door and walked in the bathroom to see Diana rinsing her mouth off.
"What did you find at school?"
"Look in my bag. Isa's made files on every single student at the school, including me."
I left Diana alone and went into the living room to glance at the files. But Wesley beat me to it.
"Dad, you're not going to like this," Wesley warned me.
I hung my head down. He had already read his sister's file.
"Wesley, this is confidential."
"So why does Diana have it?"
"Well, let me see it."
Wesley handed the file to me and I read it. I was about to ask myself how Principal Isa knew I worked at T.I.M.E., but I remembered there was parent information on every student's file as well. But the more I read, the worse it got. And what I read at the end really put the cherry on top.
"Isa wanted Diana EXPELLED?" I yelled. "That explains everything!"
"And you'll never guess what else I found out," Diana chimed in, walking in towards us. "Principal Amanda Isa is not her real name. Her real name is Ashley Faris. She's worked in a lot of places and changed her name every time."
My eyes widened and I took a step back. I took out my phone and called Lily.
LILIANNA'S POV
My T-Phone rang and I found Wilbur trying to call me.
"Hello?"
"Lily, you need to get over here now!"
"Whoa, Wilbur! Are you okay?"
"JUST GET OVER HERE!"
"Alright, alright! I'm coming!"
I hung up the phone and put on my coat.
"James! I'm heading to Wilbur's!"
"See you later, hon!"
I walked out the door and ran to Wilbur's. I didn't even bother knocking and just ran right in. I found Wilbur and his two children together in the living room.
"Oh, goodness!" I exclaimed angrily. "You're all okay! Wilbur, you made it sound like it is an emergency!"
"In a way, it is," Wilbur answered with a frown. "Diana finally managed to investigate Principal Isa, but Isa isn't who she says she is."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"My friends and I discovered through a bunch of emails that Principal Isa's real name is Ashley Faris," Diana answered.
My eyes widened. Ashley had been hiding under our noses this entire time.
"Wilbur, may I please speak with Diana alone?"
"Of course. Diana, take those files with you. Lily will need to look at those."
Diana and I walked upstairs to the office. We sat across from each other.
"Lily, what is this about?" Diana asked.
"You discovered Principal Isa is really Ashley Faris?"
"Yes. Do you know her?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Tell me what you found."
Diana explained everything. She explained what Ashley had done under her guise as Principal Isa throughout the month of January and the first half of February. Then Diana told me what she found at the school today alone. Then, she shoved the files at me with hers on top. I opened the file and discovered the most horrifying thing I had ever seen: Principal Isa had attempted to expel Diana.
"Lily, Ashley needs to be taken down. Can you help me?"
"Absolutely. I have a friend in California named Anna Swan. She can help me verify Ashley worked in at Hartfeld and Mansingh with those identities. I can also have her verify she worked at ClickIt. Do you remember her names there?"
"Lana Harel at Mansingh and Alexia Safar at Hartfeld. I'm not sure if she used her real name at ClickIt or not."
"Well, I can tell you this, Diana, and this is between us. Got it?"
Diana nodded.
"Ashley Faris was a profiler at T.I.M.E. before I moved back here. But during her time there, she stole money from six different time periods, and she stole from T.I.M.E. itself. I tried to stop her, but I was pregnant at the time and Ashley knocked me out. My bosses, Amy and my aunt Renet, could never find her. But apparently, she's been in hiding this whole time. Ashley may or may not have used her name at ClickIt, but I'll have Anna find that out."
"Did Ashley have another secret identity?" Diana asked.
"She started out as a member of the Purple Dragons under the guise of Angel Jones. I'm going to explain all this to Anna and see if she can help you. In fact..."
I pondered a moment, coming up with an idea.
"What are your plans, now?"
"Well, Maria suggested we hop on a plane and fly to San Francisco as a group," Diana explained. "But when Myra complained about the lack of money, I suggested we use my portal."
"But you don't have a portal," I replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Exactly. I'm going to ask my dad if I can borrow his."
"Take mine."
I took my portal out and placed it on the desk.
"I cannot act without proof, but you can," I continued. "Go to San Francisco. Go back to the source. I'll have Anna meet you there as a chaperone. When do you leave?"
Diana grinned.
"Monday."
New York City, New York, USA
APRIL'S POV
"Donnie, what is going on?" I asked with a giggle.
"It's a surprise," he answered, and I knew he had that cheeky grin.
He continued leading the way with my eyes closed and using his hand as a guide. Donnie suddenly gasped once we entered his lab.
"Lily?!"
"Hey, Dad."
I opened my eyes to find both Lily and a candlelit dinner set up for... the two of us. Donnie walked over to our daughter and hugged her. I followed suit and she hugged me.
"What brings you by?" Donnie asked.
"I need to talk to you two and to Aunt Renet," Lily explained.
"Aunt Renet?" I asked. "What's this about?"
"I'll explain once she gets here."
I let out a sigh.
"I'll go get her."
I left the lab and found her in her room with Mikey. I knocked, interrupting their make-out session.
"Oh, April!" Renet exclaimed. "We were in the middle of something!"
"Can it wait? Lily's here and she's asking for you."
"Me? Why?"
"Beats me."
Renet kissed her husband.
"I'll be back. Don't miss me too much!"
"I miss you already, sugarplum!" Mikey replied with a cheesy grin.
"Better than my sweet chinchilla," I whispered to my sister-in-law.
Renet and I shared a laugh before we went into Donnie's lab.
"Lily, what's going on?" Renet asked.
"Diana's found Ashley Faris."
"What?" Donnie replied with shock.
"Diana found her?" I asked, feeling floored. "How did that happen? Was it pure coincidence?"
"Ashley Faris has not one but four secret identities," Lily explained. "She used a fake name at each job she's worked at since her stunt at T.I.M.E. She happened to be Diana's high school principal and she's placed the school in a police state. Diana investigated as a result and found out about Ashley."
"Why didn't you investigate?" Renet asked.
"We didn't know Ashley was working at Westport High School at the time. While Diana was telling me all that had happened since spring semester started, there was no concrete proof to back it up."
"Do you have proof now?" Donnie asked.
"Unfortunately, no. Diana gave me some files Ashley made that pinpointed every single student's weaknesses and a plot to expel Diana from the school."
"I take it the plot failed?" I asked.
"Yes. In January, Wilbur received a call about Diana breaking into her rival high school... in September. Wilbur said he would take care of it."
"So what now?" Renet asked.
"We're going to let Diana finish the investigation and try to find proof of Ashley's wrongdoings. To her it's about taking her school back. To us, it's making sure Ashley is behind bars for good, but we need to do it right. Diana is a very charming young girl. I have trusted her with my portal to find the information she needs, and I already let Anna know to expect her in San Francisco on Monday."
"Does Wilbur know about that?" Donnie asked.
"Yes. Wilbur's given Diana permission to go."
"So why did you involve us?" Renet asked.
"Because you and my dad work at T.I.M.E. and I may need your advice in case Diana does find evidence."
"Leave that to me and Wilbur. You, Jack, and Zara will be backup if we need it."
February 16, 2060 - San Francisco, California, USA
DIANA'S POV
"So this is how interdimensional travel works," Michael said with a grin as we arrived. "It's amazing you figured it out, Diana."
"Actually, I wasn't sure how it worked myself," I replied, biting my lip. "The portal belongs to my godmother."
"Well, you got us here," Maria chimed in. "And that's what matters."
"Didn't you say there was going to be a chaperone here?" Luis asked me.
"Yes, her name is Anna Swan. My godmother gave me a picture of her so I can try to find her."
"Maybe she's at ClickIt already?" Emma suggested.
Maria punched in the address in her phone and she grinned when it popped up.
"Let's go!"
"It's so strange not seeing snow around here!" Emma remarked, mindful of her surroundings.
"I miss it already," I replied, thinking back on all my winters.
"We'll be back in Westport before we know it!"
I grinned as we continued to walk along.
"It can't come soon enough!"
"I just hope these ClickIt guys won't waste our time like they did on the phone," Michael said in annoyance.
"Lily told me all of Isa's other identities were easy to track."
"Let me make sure I have this straight," Emma replied. "Isa used to work for Mansingh Global, but they fired her because her project didn't produce results."
"Not to mention they poured millions of dollars into it," Michael chimed in.
"Right, then she worked for Hartfeld University until she quit unexpectedly. And that was around the time she started at Westport High."
"Lily said she worked for the finance department," I replied. "And a lot of money went missing then. How much do you wanna bet the missing money was her paying off that Phantom guy?"
"At least the ClickIt guys are letting us look at their files," Maria said with annoyance. "But they could have been nicer on the phone! I had to call back five times before they'd even talk to me, even to where they denied Ashley Faris worked there!"
"That's because she did work there," said another feminine voice. "But under a different identity."
The five of us jumped and turned around as we saw a tall woman with her long red hair tied up in a hair clip approaching us. She wore a navy blue dress with golden shoes and gold ear clip-ons. Lastly, I noticed her ears were slightly pointy and she had green eyes.
"Are you... Anna Swan?" I asked.
"I am!" Anna answered, holding her hand out for me to shake. "Diana, my goodness! You've grown up since I last saw you! You look beautiful!"
"Thank you! Anna, these are my friends: Emma Hawkins, Luis Castillo, Maria Flores, and Michael Harrison."
Anna shook everyone's hands.
"So Ashley had another identity?" Maria asked with shock. "Who was she at ClickIt?"
"Angel Jones. But I had just about the same luck as you, Maria. They verified Angel worked there, all right. But that's all I could get. My friend Lily tried as well and she got nothing, even after she stated she worked for the government."
"Well, it won't be long before we can talk to them in person!" I replied, approaching the building. "Let's go!"
We walked into the building and came to a modernized lobby. There were chairs as well as beanbags surrounding a center table.
"Nice place!" I said with a smile.
"It's not just nice!" Emma replied excitedly. "This is where the Which Spicy Pepper Matches Your Soul quiz was born."
I glanced over at Anna, who glanced back at me. We both shrugged at each other.
"I take it this is a teenage thing?" Anna asked me.
"Very," I answered as Luis finished talking. "Wait, what happened?"
"Some guy ate a crazy spicy pepper and nearly blew off his own head," Luis explained.
"People are crazy," Michael replied as I rolled my eyes.
"That's why I hate clickbait," I said. "Sometimes they cross the line of what's funny and what's dangerous."
"But ClickIt has some good content," Emma said with a smile. "Like this one time--"
"Look, memory lane is nice and all," Maria interrupted. "But we need to find the guy I spoke to on the phone."
"They look a little young to be the new hires," a man suddenly spoke.
"They're kids," a second man replied. "Must be trying to get a picture for Instagram."
He turned to us.
"Hey, are you looking for the burger joint next door? This is a private office."
"Nope," Anna answered with a smirk. "We're in the right place."
"Are you... Martin?" Maria asked.
"That'd be TJ," the first man in the yellow shirt answered. "I'm Martin."
"I'm Anna Swan of Swan & Crane Counseling & Law," my friend introduced herself, holding her hand out for him to shake. "I called you yesterday about Angel Jones."
"Angel... Angel..."
Martin's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Oh, Angel!"
"I remember her," TJ, wearing a blue denim vest, chimed in. "Smokin' hot babe, but damn. She was crazy and unlucky."
"Well, it's nice you came by, Ms Swan, but Jones left a long time ago. We don't have much for you here."
"Excuse me, we drove for hours all the way from--"
"San Diego," Anna finished Maria's sentence.
"What they're trying to say is that you told us we could look at some files," Emma explained.
"We don't have time to be digging up old info," TJ replied angrily. "Actually, we don't have time for this conversation."
"I'm sorry," I butted in with a glare. "But we did not come all this way for nothing! You said we could come here for information, and we did."
"In the content world, minutes are dollars, kid."
"Look, half our office is out sick from bad sushi," Martin explained with a frown. "We've gotta film a viral cupcake creation video stat without our food team."
"And we don't have room to deal with high school gossip. Try us again in a few hours after we figure out Plan B."
Martin gazed at all of us and his face lit up again.
"Actually, I've got it! You want our information and we need to make this video. How about a little quid pro quo? Star in our video, and we'll get you those files asap. Or you can sit around here and wait a few more hours."
Anna looked confused, but it sounded too good to be true.
"You want us in a ClickIt video?" I asked.
"Look, we're desperate here! Just please help us out!"
"And then you'll get us the stuff on... Jones?" Maria asked.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you want. It'll be ready for you as soon as you're done!"
"Oh my gosh!" Emma exclaimed excitedly. "Being in an actual ClickIt video would be incredible!"
"Then today's your lucky day, little lady! Make some chocolate cupcakes for us!"
Emma suddenly hesitated.
"I... I'm not sure I could be in front of the camera by myself. Luis? Diana?"
"I'm sorry!" Luis replied in a panic. "But I'm allergic to chocolate! And cameras! And public speaking!"
I pondered for a moment, a smile creeping on my face.
"It would be our shot at internet fame."
"Just make up your mind and quick," TJ pressured us. "I've gotta know if I'm resorting to Plan C today."
"I volunteer as tribute," Emma said with confidence. "But only if Diana comes, too."
I grinned at my best friend. I glanced over at Anna, who gave me a firm nod and a genuine smile.
"Emma, let's make a ClickIt video!"
We squealed excitedly.
"This is going to be a dream come true!" Emma squealed.
"Chop, chop!" Martin yelled happily. "No time to waste!"