The bell rings and I try to catch up to Lyla, but after going through the door and nearly reaching her I remember that she had asked me to stay away from her. So, with that I turned around and walked away towards my next class. I make a note to remember to tell Michael. I continue to the last period of the day, once again the same announcement.

“I am already involved when I don’t want to be involved, but because I have to be, … if she doesn’t want this then I can understand that…” I thought as I was making my way through the crowd of students. I need to let Michael know of my suspicion though, maybe he can get closer to her to find out and see. Maybe we can help each other, and the sooner I find the actual holder of fire the sooner I can move on to finding him.

I go and try to find Michael before the late bell rings but he isn’t where he usually is. I think back and remember that I am not to be looking for him directly and I breathe a sigh of relief and head inside; I think to myself ‘I hope that was enough to show that I was only looking for him because he had been ‘stalking’ me and not because we are now working together’. The sense of someone watching me passes quickly, like that of a scout sent out to keep an eye. The same feeling, I had the moment before I was attacked. I quickly get into class and once again the announcement rings. Reminding student to walk in pairs.

I take my seat and all that was on my mind leaves my brain, the intense feeling of dread, the very moment I realized what class this is and WHO specifically was in this class. Windy. She dislikes me. Since day 1 and I still don’t know why. ‘Almost like I did something to her in a past life.’ I think to myself and smile at the silly thought.

Windy unfortunately sees me smile and speaks loudly enough to say, “Well apparently something you said about your sick grandma is SOOO funny that Magenta is smiling; (directed at me) how about you mind your own business you heartless…” one of her friends stops her and says, “its ok it’s not like she could have heard what we were talking about…” she turns around and I am left just stupefied. I literally was thinking to myself and she had a whole ass cow. A part of me gets upset, meanwhile another part of me begrudgingly understands her defense of her friend. I let it go with that understanding thought and focus on English class, the teacher says, “here we start the year with reading Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and I want each of you to play a role.” I can’t believe the teacher wants us to play the roles, I guess this is just High school level expectations. The class visibly groans, but she promises it will be fun, so we try because she is kind.

The bell rings and I am off to the last class for the day. Art, nice and calming art. As soon as we are let inside, I see Michael running fast down a hallway. Something in me, pushes me to run after him.
I leave art class yelling to the student nearest me “I really gotta pee, please let the teacher know I am going to the restroom.” I see him go behind a building where there are no classes being held there since it’s being demolished during the next break with no students. I think to myself, “Seems like a perfect place to go and hide.”

I sneak around the different garden barricades and make it to a point where I can see Michael holding a fireball and throwing it. I poke my head around more and there… There he is! Bullfrog.
The monster that cut my back, tried to eat me, and for a while there I honestly thought that I had made the whole thing up in my head; that is until Michael confirmed that he was one of the evil henchmen he had mentioned before. Here he was, or err…there he was over 6ft tall, reptile skin with a frog like face but a cow like nose with a ring on it, he had black and white spots like a milking cow but with horns and bumps. I turn away and crack a smile at the name that Michael gave him, I guess he does seem like a bull and frog. I turn back around and see that Michael is now on the floor and that Bullfrog is walking menacingly closer to him. He is holding his hand out as if to ask for something and then goes to swipe at him. A quick flashback to the moment when he had swiped at me and the bloody mess he made before Michael was able to heal me; yea he confessed that too. I turn away and think fast…

‘I need an emergency… the fire alarm… but there are no fire alarm pulleys here’, I a matter of a second I focus my hand on the necklace and asked it, “Please, help me. Michael is in trouble and I still don’t really know what I am doing!” Breathing hard and panicking on what to ask or even do. I continue to speak and say, “Please help me start a small fire to set off the fire alarm!”

Instinctively my hand raises and I feel a slight warmth and a small fire sprouts from my hand; I bring my hand down to see the cute little fire before it quickly starts to get really hot, and I let it go. Dropping it into the trash bin. A slight but quick flash of fire sprouts from the trash can making a lot of smoke and sets off the fire alarm. I think to myself ‘Well, I guess that did it.’

I go back out and turn around to see if Michael is ok. It looks as if other students help him up and everyone goes to their emergency spot. Before heading to my spot, I see him deflated, I can tell something bad must have happened when I turned away. And the thought hits me; “Should I have transformed to help him fight Bullfrog here at school?? I find my class and the teacher exclaims “oh thank goodness Magenta, glad to see you join us.” I say “Yea the alarm rang and I just came straight here from the bathroom.”

She accepts the answer and we wait for protocol to be followed. The question continues to ring thru my head, could I have done something? After some time, we get word that we are going back to class. I text Michael before we go inside.

“We need to talk, meet me at the park on Mission Ave after school” and I hit send.

I think ‘Let’s see how this will go’…before I say “I hope I didn’t mess up.” End of Day Announcements, “A reminder to students to please walk in pairs or get picked up by your parents or guardians as we remind you that the first official report of a student from our school has gone missing. If you have any information, please contact the police.”