"If Keahi is Fireheart then how is he human?" Aidan asked Nym.
Nym hugged her binder to her chest as she followed Brody and Aidan into the school. It had been a whole twenty-four hours since her resurrection, and despite Kali and Nick explaining in depths what had happened, Aidan was still trying to grasp it all.
"He's a dragonborn like me," said Nym. "He had the potential to shift between human and dragon form, he just needed an anchor."
"And saving you was that anchor?" Brody asked.
Nym nodded. "When Fireheart sacrificed some of his dragon breath for the potion it linked us," she explained. "He's able to shift to human because I am."
"How his he linked to you if I am?" Aidan asked.
"You and I are soul bonded," answered Nym. "That's different to Keahi and me. Besides, Fireheart was the dragon my mother mated with. Keahi is my dad, for all intents and purposes. I just don't call him that."
"It would be strange if you did," said Brody, chuckling. "Especially since the form he has taken is an eighteen year old boy."
"That's due to the link," said Nym. "He looks eighteen because I am eighteen. He can't be older than I otherwise the link wouldn't form."
"Make sense, I suppose," said Brody.
Aidan rubbed the back of his head. He was still finding it difficult to follow along, which was saying something since he always understood magic. He knew that it all happened for a reason, that magic always came with a price, and he was glad Nym was back. But for her to have linked up with another Dragonborn while soul bonded to a human? He was sure this particular form of magic was rare and possibly dangerous.
"Kali trusts it," said Nym, touching Aidan's arm. "If she trusts the magic then it has to be safe, right?"
"Not always," said Aidan, shaking his head. "Even mum will admit that not all magic is safe. She's trusted the wrong kind before and it ended badly."
Nym stared at Aidan. "I'm alive," she said. "We should be grateful for that."
"I am!" Aidan stressed. God, how could he not be grateful that his best friend was alive? "I'm just scared…"
"I appreciate you being nervous," said Nym. "But, I feel great. I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth."
Aidan sighed as Nym walked off after Brody. He was standing nearby with Preston.
"Hey, how you feeling?" Preston asked Nym.
"Glad to be back," Nym answered.
Preston grinned. "For someone who was utterly terrified at the start of term, you've suddenly changed your tune," he said.
Nym shrugged. "What can I say? School has started to grow on me," she smiled.
"Maybe it has something to do with gaining friends," said Hayley, arriving with Calvin.
"Oh, one hundred percent," Nym grinned.
Preston met Calvin's gaze a grinned. "I'd say someone forgot to set his alarm last night," he teased.
Calvin's eyes widened and he drew across his throat with his finger. A tell-tale sign that he needed Preston to shut up, right now. "She's so mad at me," he whispered.
But Hayley wasn't paying attention. She was staring at something over Nym's head. The younger of the two followed her gaze and found a banner she had missed hanging above the reception desk.
"Student body elections," Hayley murmured. "Interesting."
"I thought Victor was student body president?" Nym asked.
Hayley nodded. "He is, or rather, was," she winced. "Every couple of years a student body president is voted into power by the other students. Victor only runs because he makes him Mr. Popular, he doesn't actually do anything for the school."
Nym nodded, still confused. "So, if you sign up, does that mean you become president instead?" she asked.
"If I win," said Hayley. "Anyone can put their name down. But you have to then draw up a campaign, give speeches and inform other students why you'd be the best fit for them and the school, and then at the end of the week it is put to a vote. Whoever has the most votes wins."
"What if you're the only person who signs up?"
"Then I would win by default," said Hayley. "But, that rarely happens. Principal Hastings is good at getting people to sign up."
"That I am," said Hastings, appearing behind the group. She set a clipboard down on the desk. "Thinking of signing up, Hayley? You'd make a good student body president."
Hayley gave it half a second thought and then seized the pen. She wrote her name and details down.
"Interested in running, Nym?" Hastings asked.
"Nope," said Nym.
Hastings moved on to her next person. "Calvin, how about you?" she asked.
Hayley snorted. "A president needs to get things done," she said, turning to her partner. "Calvin is too laid back. He can't even pick me up on time."
"Oh!" the others laughed.
"'Too laid back'?" Calvin repeated. "'Can't get things done'?"
Hayley nodded.
Reaching around Hayley, Calvin seized the pen and wrote down his own details. "How's that for getting something done?" he asked. "I'm gonna run, too."
"Really?" Hayley asked, surprised.
Calvin nodded.
"Okay then," said Hayley, a hint of a smile on her lips. It was always something to see Calvin take charge. "You're on, boyfriend."
As Hayley and Calvin walked away, Nym turned to the others. "Am I the only one with a feeling that this is gonna go south?" she asked.
"Nah, it'll be fine," said Aidan. "Hayley can be a bit competitive, but she knows when to leave it at the door."
"Yeah, and Calvin's to chill to cause any drama," added Brody.
Nym gnawed her bottom lip. "What about us?" she asked. "We're now caught in the middle. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to choose between them when it comes to voting."
"Maybe we could opt out?" Brody suggested. While he didn't believe anything bad would come of Hayley and Calvin competing against one another, he had to agree with Nym on the whole voting aspect. It wouldn't have been fair if they voted in one of their friends over the other.
"And what about the campaign?" Nym added. "Hayley said each candidate has to make up a campaign about why they would be the best fit and give speeches. How are we to help both of them?"
"We don't," said Preston. "We're going to have to split up."
"But that's taking sides," said Nym.
Preston squeezed her arm. "We're help them run their campaign but we'll leave out the voting. Like you said, it isn't fair of us to choose. But, as their friends, we owe it to them to help."
"How do we choose who we're helping?
"Flip a coin?" Brody asked. "Heads for Calvin, Tails for Hayley?"
Aidan fished around in his pocket and pulled out a coin. "Call it in the air," he said, flipping it.
"Tails!" Nym and Preston called.
"Heads!" said Brody.
As the coin landed in his palm, Aidan checked the side. "Tails," he announced. He looked to Nym. "You and Preston are with Hayley, and Brody and I'll help Calvin. Sounds like a plan?"
Nym nodded. She turned to Preston. "We should go find Hayley," she said. She turned back to Aidan and Brody. "Catch you later."
Brody glanced at Aidan as he watched Nym and Preston wander away. "She's a big girl," he said. "She can handle herself, and she's doing great for an undercover student. Always gotta remind myself she's not really a student, to be honest. She fits in so well."
"Yeah, that's not what worries me," said Aidan.
"The link between her and Keahi?" Brody asked.
Aidan sighed. Was he that transparent?
"She's fine. She's awake and alive."
"I know," said Aidan, nodding. He took a deep breath and run his hands over his face. "Anyway, should we go tell Calvin the good news?"
Brody pushed away from the reception desk. "Let's do it," he said.
~X~
Hayley gasped as she placed her poster board on the table beside Nym, her hand reaching for the black marker that should have lay next to her. "Where'd my marker go?" she asked, searching frantically.
"I was looking for one earlier," said Nym. She was drawing Hayley's new slogan onto an A4 piece of paper. "I was curious if we forgot to pick any up at the store, so been using a pencil in the meantime. Why don't you ask Preston," she motioned to the third member of their team, "if he has one?"
Hayley nodded and walked over to where Preston was blowing up balloons. He had thought creating a balloon arch to symbolise Hayley's campaign would be a great way to draw people in. Everyone loved balloons, after all.
"What do you think?" Preston asked, adding another silver balloon to the arch. "I was going to add pink and blue, you know, to represent Nym and I helping you, but wanted your approval first."
"I wouldn't be able to do this if it wasn't for you," said Hayley. "I appreciate the support. Plus, pink and blue will definitely add some colour."
Preston gnawed at his lip as he considered the balloon arch. Hayley had a point, white and silver was a little basic. "Did you need something else?" he added.
"Yes, did you get markers from the store?" Hayley asked.
"I thought you were getting them?" Preston asked. "I was getting the balloons, Nym the boards, and you the markers, pencils, and colours."
Hayley run a hand over her face. She remembered now.
"Here," said Calvin, appearing with Brody and Aidan. He handed Hayley a set of markers. "You can borrow a pack of mine. After all, you can always rely on me." He grinned.
Hayley smiled. "Thank you," she said.
"Man, this is going to be so much fun," said Brody.
"Where's Nym?" Aidan asked.
Hayley nodded toward their table. It was outside in the quad, apparently being inside was a little stuffy for Nym, and she was enjoying the warmth from the sun. "She nearly had a dragon's bane inside. We moved out here and she's been a happy bunny ever since," she explained.
"She had a dragon's bane?" Aidan asked.
"Almost," Hayley corrected. "We got her out here before anything bad happened. Why?"
Aidan shrugged. "I just didn't feel anything," he said. "Normally, I feel the stirrings of one coming on."
"Well, maybe it just means she's recognising the triggers and dealing with it before it manifests?" Preston suggested.
"Yeah, maybe," said Aidan.
Hayley turned back to Calvin. "Anyway, good luck with your campaign," she said. "I have to get back to mine."
"You, too," Calvin said.
Nym's yell of 'HEY!' caused the others to turn, just in time to see her bolt off around the corner chasing something large and furry.
"Nym!" Aidan called, giving chase. The others hot on his heels.
They all turned the corner and found Nym facing off against a large, furry ape with a large mouth and a telephone attached to his back.
Aidan placed a hand on Nym's shoulder. "Never run off like that," he said. "Always call for backup."
"I shouted 'Hey'," said Nym. "You weren't that far away, I knew you would hear me."
Aidan started to argue but cut off as the monster blasted at them. They all dived aside, and when they recovered found their path blocked by basherbots.
"Ready?" Brody asked.
"Ready!"
"It's morphin' time! Power Stars!"
"Lock in! Ninja Spin!"
Once morphed, Nym and Aidan divided from the others as the basherbots surrounded them. Nym raised her sword to block a downward strike and raised her foot, planting it into the stomach of the nearest bot. It stumbled backward, arms flailing.
"Guys, I need help!"
Nym turned to the sound of Hayley's voice. "Hayley!" she called, running in the direction it had come from.
"Sonic boom!" the monster howled.
Nym moaned as she was hit back by a sonic airways. She hit the ground and rolled for a few seconds.
"Nym!" Aidan called, racing to her side. "What happened?"
"I don't know," said Nym, shaking her head. "I heard Hayley and then that monster appeared. Be careful!"
Aidan nodded and run off, after helping Nym to her feet. He made sure she was okay and then headed in the direction she had heard Hayley's voice. He found nothing but was also caught off guard by the monster's attack, which threw him backward into a metal beam.
Slicing the last of the basherbots with her sword, Nym turned and run towards where Aidan was struggling back to his feet. The monster was long gone and the others had started to regroup.
Arm around his waist and his around her shoulders, Aidan and Nym ambled over to the others.
"You two okay?" Brody asked them.
"I think so," said Nym.
Aidan nodded.
"The monster got away," said Preston.
"He'll be back," said Hayley. "We'll get him when he does."
The others nodded in agreement.
~X~
"Balloons was my idea!" Preston pouted, watching as Calvin, Brody, and Aidan handed out yellow balloons to potential voters as they passed.
Nym wrapped her arms around Preston as she rested her chin on his shoulder. She felt him tense, which confused her, but she didn't question it at the time. "Hey, your balloon arch is amazing!" she said. "The colours really complement each other. They have to steal your idea because they couldn't think of it first," she reassured. "Besides, we're giving dragon rides, they can't top that with three of the Mystic Dragons on this team."
Preston glanced at her and grinned. "You're right," he agreed. "How did you get Kali to agree to let people have dragon rides?"
"I explained the situation," said Hayley, "and promised that there wouldn't be full exposure. These dragons are conjured by magic, so they disappear as soon as they return to the ground. People already know magic exists, and as long as we're in control of that magic and not exploiting the public, we're good to go."
"So, you're not transforming?" Preston asked Nym.
Nym shook her head. "That would be exposure," she said. "But I am using dragon magic to conjure the holograms. Keahi is helping, too." She pointed at then newest shifter a short distance away. He was helping Muriel onto the back of a black dragon. She clung to him like her life depended on it and was reluctant to let go.
"Poor guy," said Preston.
Nym nodded. "Maybe I should go relieve him?" she murmured. She wandered away after a few minutes, heading over to help Keahi.
"You are so adorable," said Hayley.
Preston blushed and tore his gaze away. "What?" he asked.
"Please, a blind man can see how in love you are," said Hayley, setting up her 'vote for Hayley' board. She passed a button to a group of voters as they passed, heading for the dragon's.
Preston shook his head. "No I'm not!" he defended. It was a weak defence, and he knew Hayley could see through it.
Hayley chuckled. "Whatever you say," she teased. "Hi," she added to another group of teens. "Free Dragon rides to anyone who votes for me!"
By the end of the day, several yellow balloons had floated away while many teens of Summer Cove high were flying over the school. The holograms weren't designed to go too high, but just enough to give the kids an idea of what it was like to fly on a mystical creature.
~X~
Nym carefully juggled three boxes of cake as she followed Preston and Hayley into the school. She smiled at Preston as he held the door open for her, juggling his own boxes, and then made a beeline for their empty table. They were in the process of arranging their next campaign act when Calvin's voice echoed around the hall.
"Oh, is it time for the speeches?" Nym asked, licking strawberry frosting from her thumb. She couldn't eat chocolate, but strawberry was a fan favourite for her.
Preston nodded. "Don't worry, Hayley's isn't until later this afternoon," he reassured. "She's been practicing it all day."
"Good. I thought we had missed it," said Nym. She turned back to the cake, rearranging them on the table while listening to Calvin's speech.
"I wanted to start off by thanking everyone for coming to my speech," said Calvin. "I know some may say that I'm just a mechanic, too laid back to be President, and, maybe they're right. But if you bring me something that's broke, I can fix it every time. The same way I can make our school a better place. If you elect me as your President. Thank you! Thank you, guys!"
Those present applauded.
Nym smiled. "He was pretty good," she said.
"Yeah," Preston agreed. "Are we ready?"
Nym consulted the table, mentally counting the cakes and any backups that they may have. "I think so…" she said. "Oh, wait, we forgot the t-shirts!" she threw Preston a plain white shirt and threw on her own. Hayley's face beamed from her chest, with the words 'Hayley for Prez' written in blue and pink underneath.
Now they were ready!
"Hit it, guys!" Hayley called.
Nym nodded at Preston.
"FREE CAKE TO ANYONE WHO VOTES FOR HAYLEY!" Preston yelled. "We've got double chocolate with chocolate frosting! Strawberry dream with vanilla frosting!"
Calvin rolled his eyes as the crowd immediately left his table and swarmed Hayley's, each one scrambling for a piece of cake.
"Wow, these are huge!" someone in the crowd commented.
"Help yourself!" said Nym. She had been trying to hand out the slices but found it easier to just let people fight it out amongst themselves, Instead she resigned herself to replacing any cake that had already been taken, making sure there was enough to go around.
SPLAT!
Keahi, who was standing nearby, roared in anger as a slice of cake hit him directly in the face. The chocolate frosting clinging to the scales that had appeared over the visible skin.
"Keahi!" Nym cried, racing towards him. She shoved him out of view, ducking around the corner after him. "You have to calm down! You can't expose us here."
"Exposure?" Keahi demanded, wiping away the chocolate frosting. "That's what you're worried about. You know what chocolate does to us!"
"Kali wouldn't be impressed if you of all people exposed us," said Nym. She took out her wand and pointed it at him. "Finishio!" the cake disappeared, and soon did the scales.
Keahi took a deep breath.
"I think you should go back to Rootcore," said Nym.
"Good idea," Keahi agreed. He headed down the corridor and slipped out a back door.
Nym turned back to the hall. She peered around the corner and found a full on food fight happening, while her friends hid beneath a nearby table. She met Hayley's gaze and she shook her head, a silent warning to not come out.
The clacking of heels echoed and the food fight stopped immediately. Principal Hasting walked into the Hall, surveying the trouble and damage the food fight had caused.
"This was supposed to be a civilised election between civilised nominees," Hastings said, speaking to both Hayley and Calvin. "If I hear about one more shenanigan, I will disqualify both of you from this election. Is that clear?"
Hayley and Calvin, both gazes downcast, nodded.
"Yes, ma'am," they murmured.
"Now clean this place up!" Hasting snapped.
As she left the hall, Nym hurried over to her friends. "What happened?" she asked, grabbing Hayley's arm.
"Like you don't know," said Brody. "We saw you hiding. You started the food fight and then got the hell out of dodge!"
Nym frowned. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "Keahi got hit by chocolate cake, I was getting him out of sight before he exposed us all."
Aidan snorted. "Likely story," he said, arms folded.
"It's the truth!" Nym protested.
Hayley squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, Nym, we know it's the truth," she said, reassuringly. "They're just pissed that their food fight didn't end with me being disqualified."
"Our food fight?!" Aidan, Brody, and Calvin exclaimed.
Preston wound his arms around both Hayley and Nym's shoulders. "Come on, we better get this place cleaned up," he said. "After all, cleaning up other people's messes is what we're good at."
The trio turned away but not before Nym cast a glance at Aidan, one last time. Why did she feel that his annoyance with her run deeper than a stupid food fight?
~X~
Later that afternoon, Nym emptied the last of her used paint brushes and markers into the trash as Preston joined her. Since they had decided not to vote in favour of Hayley or Calvin, they were both free to clear up for the day while the rest of the school did vote.
"Hey, did you see that Calvin and the others haven't turned up to the voting booth?" Preston asked.
Nym glanced over toward the booth that had been set up. There were two boxes, each one with Hayley and Calvin's name on it, and students were putting slips into one or the other. "Well, Calvin would be the only one voting," she said, "so, I can see why the others aren't here."
"But Calvin isn't here, either."
"That is weird."
"What's weird?" Hayley asked, arriving. She had just cast her own vote, something that Nym didn't fully understand. Voting for your opponent was redundant, but voting for yourself seems conceited.
Preston indicated over his shoulder. "Calvin hasn't voted," he said. "I find it strange given all the hard work he put into today."
Hayley looked thoughtful. "Maybe he decided to step down?" she asked.
"Without saying anything?" Nym asked. She shook her head.
As her phone started to vibrate, Hayley reached into her pocket and pulled it out. "It's Brody," she said, answering it.
There was chatter across the line and then Hayley exclaimed: "He what?!"
Preston and Nym shared concerned looks. The phone wasn't on speaker, so they couldn't hear the whole conversation.
"What did he say?" Preston asked as Hayley hung up
"He said that Calvin started the food fight," Hayley answered. "He said to go down to the plaza. Calvin is there now planning his next move."
Nym caught Hayley's arm as she raced past. "Hold on," she said, wheeling around. "Why would Calvin be planning another move? The campaign is over."
"He can do something to interrupt the voting," said Hayley. "That would convince Hastings that I'm just causing trouble." She wriggled her arm free from Nym's grasp and headed for the exit.
Nym sighed and turned to Preston. "Something doesn't feel right about this," she said.
"I agree."
"We should catch up with Hayley," said Nym. "Come on."
Preston nodded and followed her out of the exit. They were less than three feet from Hayley when Nym's phone started to ring.
"That's strange," Nym murmured, checking the caller ID. "It says unknown."
"That means - "
"I know what it means," said Nym. "But there is an enchantment on here so only people that I know can call it. Any unknown numbers are diverted or just can't get through. The only people who have this number are you lot, Aidan, and Kali."
Preston and Hayley shared a confused look as Nym answered the call. For a few seconds she looked concerned and then confused.
"What is it?" Preston asked.
"It's you," Nym whispered, covering the phone's speaker with her hand and staring at Hayley. "It's your voice on the phone."
"What?"
Hayley and Preston crowded closer and Nym put the phone on speaker. Hayley's voice did indeed echo over the line.
"You need to meet me at Fraiser Plaza," said Hayley's voice. "He's planning another way to sabotage us. Meet Preston and I there."
Nym hung up the phone and turned to the other two. "I knew something felt off about all this," she said. "But it also reminds me of something."
"What?"
"Do you remember the fight this morning? When we all heard the other cry for help only to be hit by a sonic boom?"
Preston and Hayley nodded.
"I think the monster may be related to this," said Nym. "I think he may have copied our voice somehow."
Hayley looked convinced. "Only one way to find out," she said.
"Fraiser Plaza," agreed Preston.
"Let's go."
~X~
The monkey monster laughed as he waved the bag of Power Stars around, the contents rattling as they knocked against one another. "Those pesky Power Rangers will be here any second," he gloated, "and they're gonna be walking straight into my trap without even reali -" he broke off as two laser beams hit the wall above his head.
He stopped and turned, stunned to find Hayley and Preston racing toward him on their mega morph cycles.
"No! How did they figure out my plans!" the monkey howled. He turned and took off, leading Hayley and Preston away as Nym dropped down from the rooftop above.
"Hello," said Nym, unsheathing her sword and dispatching the foot soldiers that were standing guard around the others. As the first lot fell, another lot took their places.
Aidan yelled, his voice muffled against the gag in his mouth, but Nym didn't hear him as she raced off to fight. She dropped to her knees and slid under a sword aimed for head throat, her head rolling backward as the blade sailed overhead. She was back on feet and already turning as the momentum carried her attack onwards.
Nym raised her arm and blocked a downward strike from a basher bot to her left; she dropped her sword, catching it awkwardly in her right hand and stabbing it into the chest of another basherbot on her right. The strike knocked him back and Nym rolled the sword over in her palm, tossing it back to her right hand and slashing down the second bot's chest.
A four and fifth raced towards her, with the first that had tried to take her head off recovered and spun around. Nym jumped backward, over the three basher bots already sparking on the ground and raised her sword above her head as she landed.
"Element Star! Solar flare!" Nym called, landing and drawing her sword from across her shoulder and unleashing a wave of hot energy at the basherbots. They stopped dead, collapsing to their knees, as their circuits spasmed and stopped working.
They all disappeared before they could hit the ground.
Nym sheathed her sword and raced back across the plaza to where the others were tied up. She untied their binds and seconds later was swept into the air by Aidan as he hugged her.
"At least you're in a better mood," Nym laughed, hands on his shoulders as he set her back down.
Aidan removed the bandanna from around his mouth and took a deep breath of fresh air. "How did you find us?" he asked.
"The monster gave himself away," said Nym. "He called Hayley pretending to be Brody, saying that Calvin was here working on another sabotage. He then called me pretending to be Hayley…"
"And you were with her," said Brody.
Nym nodded. "The rest just fell into place," she said. "Are you guys okay, though?"
"We'll feel better when we get our Power Stars," said Brody.
"You mean these?" Hayley called, returning with Preston. She opened the bag once she was close enough, and Brody, Calvin, and Aidan were able to reach in and take back what was theirs.
Nym turned to Hayley and Preston. "Did you get the monster?" she asked.
"Oh yeah! He went bananas," said Preston, fist-bumping Hayley.
Nym laughed.
~X~
"The election results will be announced in just a few moments," Principal Hasting's voice echoed across the Hall.
Hayley, her arm caught in Nym's, turned to Calvin as he arrived with Brody and Aidan. He had arrived just in time to cast his vote in the ballot boxes, and then rejoined his campaign team. He nervously played with his fingers as he met Hayley's gaze.
"We just wanted to say that we're sorry," said Calvin. "We should've known that you didn't put hot sauce in our cupcakes."
Nym cocked her head. "That's what started it all," she said, turning to Aidan. She had seen chocolate on Keahi and gone straight to him to help. She hadn't seen the start of the food fight, just the aftermath.
"And it was hot hot sauce," said Aidan, nodding.
"Which is why you thought I had something to do with it," said Nym, nodding.
Aidan squeezed her in a hug. "Sorry," he apologised again.
Nym shook her head as she rested it on his shoulder. "Apology accepted," she said, smiling.
"Why did you think Nym had something to do with the hot sauce?" Calvin asked. "Am I missing the reference?"
Brody shook his head. "There is a hot sauce in the Mystic Realm called Dragon Breath, it is made from dragon link sausages and it is burn all the skin off your tongue hot. I made the mistake of adding it to my food the other night, and Kali had to cast multiple cooling spells just to ease the pain."
"It's not that hot," said Nym, rolling her eyes.
"Not that hot?" Brody exclaimed. "I still have the burn mark to prove I ate it."
Nym shook her head, muttering something about Brody being an 'amateur'.
"Coming back to the food fight," said Hayley. "We should've trusted you, too."
"Yeah, it was silly of us to think that it was you three who started the food fight," Preston added.
"We all should have known better," said Aidan.
Nym nodded in agreement.
Stepping forward, Hayley seized Calvin's hand and led him away from the group.
"Dragon Breath hot sauce?" Preston asked Nym.
Nym grinned and nodded. "It is safe for humans to eat," she reassured. "Kali discovered it a few years ago. Udonna did warn her about it, but when she didn't flinch from it, Udonna guessed it was because she is the Hellhound - she burns with eternal fire - but then Nick tried it, and he didn't flinch either, Udonna realised it was because of their affinity for heat."
"I can eat it too, fyi," inputted Aidan.
Brody rolled his eyes.
"I'd love to try it," said Preston. "I love hot sauce."
"No, trust me, you don't," said Brody, quickly, shaking his head. "I don't care what this pair say, it is not made for human consumption."
Nym raised an eyebrow. "Good thing I'm not human then, huh?" she asked.
Brody stuck his tongue out.
The microphone screeched from the end of the room, and the four teens turned to see Principal Hasting's take the stage. She didn't look impressed about something.
"I have an announcement," said Hastings, awkwardly. "Our two candidates have informed me that they will be both withdrawing from the race."
Hayley smiled sheepishly as her friends turned to her, stunned at the news. After everything they had gone through?
"This means that our president will remain…" Hastings took a deep breath. "Victor Vincent!"
With an ecstatic screech, Victor rushed around the corner and hopped onto the stage, while, at the same time, Monty slowly eased into the air behind him.
Nym nudged Preston and pointed at the net above Victor. It was filled with a multitude of coloured balloons.
"If you insist," said Victor, grinning out at the crowd.
With a screech, Monty hit the floor and the balloons crashed down on top of and around Victor; dousing him and the front row of students - but mostly him - in water.
He spluttered as everyone laughed.
"Congratulations, Victor!" someone from the crowd shouted.