Cole got his breakfast as Blake and him settled in their usual table in the cafeteria, Blake noticed Cole looked a bit anxious.
"You okay Cole?", he asked once he got out his silverware, "You seem overworked."
Cole sighed.
"You know me too well.", he admitted as he buttered his toast, "I'm kind of still getting over the fact that I barely got in with the Writing unit at this collage."
Blake then looked sympathetic.
"Teacher giving you grief?", he asked, "He's probably still a bit miffed that you got in a few days before his deadline."
Cole looked up to the ceiling as the memory reared its ugly head. Cole had brought in a paper he had written up after getting back from his last adventure and although Mr. Lars read it, the look on his face barely flinched before finishing and turning Cole's way.
"You wrote this?", he asked as if suspecting fraud.
Cole nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Mr. Lars went over to his computer and after several minutes and a print scan, he came back with it and shrugged as he handed the paper back to Cole.
"Well, it looks like you managed to follow my terms.", he said before looking out to the rest of the class with what Cole could resume was an "evil eye" like glance, "Unlike some people who have the nerve to use plagiarism which led me to using the latest program "I-Compare" which helps identify who's actually trying."
Cole felt nervous as Mr. Lars returned his gaze to Cole still wearing that look.
"I hope you don't go that route yourself Mr. Marty, cause I do not tolerate slackers and I will be checking every one of your assignments with this program. Do I make myself clear?"
Cole felt his nerves rattled, but didn't stay silent.
"Perfectly."
Mr. Lars stood up and looked more interrogating.
"Perfectly, what?", he asked.
Cole shivered, but spoke.
"Perfectly, sir?", he guessed.
Mr. Lars suddenly smiled as if he had beaten Cole in a race.
"That's what I thought you said.", he answered before sitting back down, "There's an empty seat in the back near the window. Think of it as your new position until further notice."
Cole gathered his paper, books, and supplies before heading to the back of the classroom although some of the students attending were looking his way as if he had done something to get the whole class into trouble and once Cole found his seat, he felt like it really belonged in a detention room with all the bad writing along the top like "Forget the school" or "Let me die" or more stuff like that.
"I wonder if this desk was for troublemakers.", Cole thought to himself.
"Do we have a problem, Mr. Marty?", he heard Mr. Lars call from behind him.
Cole turned around to see Mr. Lars looking his way pretty miffed as if Cole was holding up the class from learning.
"No, sir.", Cole answered, "It's just that the desk isn't what I was-"
"Zip it!", Mr. Lars snapped sharply.
Cole did so as Mr. Lars continued talking.
"You found your desk, now do the class a favor and sit down!"
/
Blake looked tense as he had finished getting his pancakes cut and Cole was starting on his eggs.
"Wow, that Mr. Lars must have been pretty mad.", he commented.
Cole looked his way a bit miffed, but calmed down for Blake was just trying to show support.
"He acts like we're in the marines instead of a writing class.", Cole stated, "I just want to get better at writing and hopefully not have to put up with him much longer."
Blake put a hand on Cole's.
"I know how you feel.", he answered, "The physician class I'm in for medicine isn't a walk in the park either. I still have trouble identifying diseases and procedures even though the teacher is nice."
Cole felt better as Blake's words felt like a bandage on his wounded pride. Unfortunately, that moment was shattered as a familiar sound rang out not far away.
"Oh, Mr. Writer is having trouble in Mr. Marine's class."
Cole and Blake turned to see Hal, Greg, and Drake nearby clearly fixated on them as they hurled more hurt.
"I hear he got the back seat.", Greg commented.
"The troublemaker's seat?", Drake added pretending to be surprised before going back to his usual smirk, "Maybe he thinks if Cole there gets it, he'll dropout."
Cole and Blake tried to ignore them, but their words kept drilling into them like hot knives.
"No answer Mr. Writer?", Hal asked harshly, "Deep in your mental wonderland where everything is perfect and safe?"
"He's probably thinking of a fairy tale to tell three-year-olds.", Greg suggested, "Then he'll be living on his royalties like a fat slob."
Drake looked thoughtful.
"What's it called? "How to Ignore Me"?"
Cole felt like he was being harassed and was about to stand up before he paused knowing that fighting solved nothing and would only land him in trouble.
"Oh look boys, Mr. Writer there is scared.", Hal teased.
Cole and Blake finished their breakfast and started heading out, but even still, the trio kept yelling after them.
"Go ahead and run writer.", Hal called out, "Go hide in your books!"
"Paging Dr. Wolfen, there's a patient for you.", Greg mocked as Drake pretended to faint.
Needless to say, Cole and Blake were beyond listening and had gotten a good distance away before the trio suddenly looked annoyed.
"I can't believe it!", Hal snapped sharply.
Greg and Drake looked confused.
"Believe what?", Drake asked.
Hal slapped Drake in the back of the head.
"Idiot!", he snapped, "How come Cole got accepted into Mr. Lars' class and I didn't?"
"Probably cause Mr. Lars checked your work with his program and found out you were cheating which led to you getting rejected.", Greg pointed out.
Hal looked Greg's way coldly before straightening his leather jacket.
"Come on boys, let's get some pizza."
The trio walked away snapping their fingers and acting like they owned the place even though nobody was around to pay it any mind.
/
Cole and Blake had gone to the library where they were studying up on what they needed and to try and take their mind off what Hal and his pose had thrown at them.
"I wonder what he's studying when he's not making life hard for other people?", Blake said hoping to lighten the mood as he set a big medical journal aside.
Cole sighed as he looked at the notes he had taken when he was reading "War and Peace".
"Probably something like politics or something or other.", Cole answered before looking curious, "I wonder why he keeps picking on us like he does?"
"Maybe cause he sees we're doing well and he's not.", Blake answered smiling, "We were the best track and field players on the team and if he had to resort to cheating when he raced us, he only confirmed that he's the sore loser."
Cole and Blake had a brief laugh before the librarian Mrs. Wilson came around a corner and looked their way.
"Shh!", she hissed.
Cole and Blake quieted down and Mrs. Wilson carried on. They lowered their voices as they saw other people working and studying.
"So, any idea what your fist book is going to be about?", Blake asked.
Cole shrugged.
"No idea, you?"
Blake looked just as confused.
"I'm working on it.", he admitted.
Cole then closed his book and got up to put it back. Just as he turned and returned to the shelf where "War and Peace" was shelved, he returned it and started walking off before he noticed a book on a table nearby which caught his attention.
"That's odd.", he thought, "I wonder who left this one?"
He walked over to the table and just as he got close to it, he paused as a feeling of dread touched his psyche. Luckily Mrs. Wilson was walking by so he gestured to her to come over which she saw and she did come over.
"Excuse me Mrs. Wilson, but who's book is that?", Cole asked pointing to the book on the table.
Mrs. Wilson looked towards the book and looked curious.
"That's odd.", she stated, "I know every book in the library in my ten years of service here and I don't recall this one."
She walked over and picked up the book only to find it was like the book was sealed to the table. Mrs. Wilson frowned as she put the stack of books she had with her on the pushcart she had with her and lifted to cover of the book only to have a sudden burst of sawdust enveloped her followed by a bucket of garbage fell over her making Cole jump back and gasp in surprised. Mrs. Wilson looked outraged.
"Alright, who did that?!", she yelled as some moldy bread fell off her head.
When nobody answered, Mrs. Wilson marched to her desk and picked up the phone rather fast and punched in a number.
"Hello, campus security.", Cole heard the other end say.
"Security, get over to the library right now!", Mrs. Wilson ordered.
/
A while later, Mrs. Wilson had cleaned up, but she was hardly looking any more at ease as security started talking with students who were around when the event happened. Cole and Blake were quickly the first to be questioned. Even though security around the campus were okay, the muscles and looks made them both buckle. One of them who had "Justin Kirby" on his name tag started talking while another with "Tyler Ford" on his name tag took notes.
"Where were you both during the last few days?", Mr. Kirby asked firmly.
Cole felt obliged to confirm what he had.
"Blake and I just took our classes and just came here to study.", he answered, "We couldn't set something like what happened a few minutes ago cause we're not mechanically inclined enough to do so even if we wanted to."
Mr. Kirby didn't look convinced as he turned to Blake.
"Does he speak for both of you?", he asked.
Blake looked firm.
"Of course he does.", he stated, "We respect Mrs. Wilson and we'd never do anything to do something like this to her."
Mr. Kirby still didn't look convinced, but then Mr. Ford came up to him and closed his notepad.
"We're wasting time.", he said plainly as he gave Cole and Blake a glance that looked curious and then bored, "It's not either of them."
Mr. Kirby looked shocked as he turned to his partner.
"Mr. Ford, how do you-"
"I read their file.", Mr. Ford answered as he paused walking off and looking over his shoulder, "Those are good people and the reaction that Cole had when the event happened only confirms that he had no part. Blake Wolfen was nowhere near the site and clearly had no idea either by the way he backed up Cole's statement. Only innocent people would be that quick to answer."
Cole and Blake were stunned as Mr. Kirby seemed to lighten up.
"You both got lucky this time.", he said firmly, "But if trouble is happening, we're not stopping til the culprit is sent to the dean's office for shenanigans and destruction of property."
Cole and Blake were shaken, but Mr. Ford spoke up again.
"We'll have a janitor come by and clean up this mess. But if anyone has information about who they might think is the culprit of this, we'll be waiting."
Mr. Kirby and Mr. Ford walked out as Mrs. Wilson took Cole and Blake aside as if questioning them.
"I'm really sorry about what happened Mrs. Wilson.", Cole said humbly.
Mrs. Wilson looked a bit sympathetic since Cole and Blake were in fact good students and didn't spend their time causing any trouble so she was willing to give them each the benefit of a doubt.
"I'm just happy that security is on it.", she admitted, "Mr. Ford used to be a therapist before he came here for a security job. He seemed to know who caused trouble and who was innocent with a look."
Cole and Blake remembered how Mr. Ford had acted when he was talking with Mr. Kirby.
"So we noticed.", Cole stated.
/
A few days later, Cole and Blake were having their usual breakfast with other students when suddenly another student came bolting through the room only to get caught by Mr. Kirby who slapped some cufflinks on him as Mr. Ford came up. Cole and Blake saw that it was Tim Barley and were surprised enough to drop the food in their hands back on to their trays.
"Tim Barley, you're under arrest for the incident on Wednesday on Mrs. Felicia Wilson.", Mr. Ford said plainly as Mr. Kirby got Tim to his feet.
"Mr. Ford, it wasn't me.", Tim insisted, "I was framed."
Mr. Ford looked curious.
"Oh, and the fact that surveillance shows you with fellow student Hal Stone and Greg Burns going into the library the previous day with an unusual large package?"
Tim looked shocked and then defeated as Mr. Kirby led him away with Mr. Ford while Cole and Blake were still getting over their shock.
"Tim was helping Hal?", Cole asked, "But he was so nice to us."
Blake sighed as he put his face in his hand.
"Who would have guessed?"
As they returned to their dorm room, Cole and Blake got their things and were soon off to class. They had a few minutes before class and as they walked the halls, Cole couldn't help but think about the necklace he still wore around his neck and the three charms that remained there. The ivory wolf head, the drop of amber, and the bronze American flag while thinking about the adventures that they took him on. Balto, Fievel, and Littlefoot's faces came to his mind's eye and the times they had made him feel a bit lonesome.
"Cole, you okay?"
Cole came out of his daze as he noticed Blake looking his way and his lonesome feeling faded.
"Yeah, just a little shocked about what happened to Tim."
Blake seemed to take it and then Cole suddenly looked uncomfortable.
"Oh, I need to use the bathroom."
Luckily, they were near the bathroom, but unfortunately, before Cole could get in, Hal was seen down the hall looking pretty mad. Blake felt like it was better to get out of dodge, but then he had to go too so both boys got in before Hal was heard outside their door.
"When I get my hands on those two, they're going to really pay for what they did!"
Blake and Cole were trying to focus on doing their business and though Blake got out first, Cole took a while longer before he came out of his stall.
"Why don't you wash up while I keep lookout?", Blake suggested as he had finished washing his hands.
Cole felt relieved as he got up to the sink while Blake went to the door which was around a corner. Cole had just finished washing his hands when a familiar sparkle shimmered across the mirror.
"All clear.", Blake called back, "You want to meet up for lunch later?"
Cole thought fast as the shimmering got brighter.
"Yeah, sure Blake.", he answered, "I'll see you there."
And before Blake could answer back, the mirror before Cole lit up as it had many times before. Cole braced as he reached out and touched the mirror and vanished without a trace once again.