Secrets Of New Forest Academy Part 9

Garcia led the three kids into the warm building. Spencer peered into the first cla.s.sroom and saw rows of tables with top-of-the-line flat screen computers. Academy students sat attentively at each monitor. Spencer had never seen such a well-behaved cla.s.s. It was the extreme opposite of his cla.s.s in the Welcher Elementary library last Friday.

"Let's make sure they have room for three more," said Garcia. He slipped into the computer lab to talk to the media specialist, leaving Spencer, Daisy, and Dez alone in the hallway.

"So," Dez said, "when are we going back for the stuff your mom hid in the bushes?"

Spencer and Daisy hushed him simultaneously, glancing around to make sure they were really alone. "We'll talk about it later," Spencer whispered.

"I just want to make sure I don't get left behind." Dez folded his big arms.

Spencer yawned, his mouth stretching wide and his eyes squinting closed. He had a right to be tired, after getting up so early to escape Hillside Estates. But as Spencer shook his head to clear out the sleepiness, he saw Daisy pointing down the hallway and he knew that this sudden twinge of fatigue was not natural.

A Filth had rounded the corner, scurrying like an overgrown rat. Dusty quills shook as it limped sideways. The creature slammed into the wall, righted itself, and kept running toward them.

"What are you looking at?" Dez squinted in the same direction as his peers.

"It's injured," Spencer whispered.

"What?" said Dez. "What's injured? Your brain?"

"I thought Walter said there weren't Toxites here!" Daisy said.

"No," Spencer corrected. "He said that Roger Munroe was supposed to have killed them all off."

As if in response to this comment, a wiry man leapt around the corner at the end of the hallway. From his left hand came a well-aimed funnel throw of vacuum dust. A suction sound ripped down the hallway and the Filth collapsed. The little monster quivered on the floor as a mop from the man's other hand stretched out to crush the Toxite.

The kids stood in surprised silence, watching the mop strings retract from the spot where the Filth had been destroyed. "Let me guess." Dez tapped Daisy on the arm. "He just killed a ... thingy."

"Toxite," Daisy corrected.

The thin man approached the kids, walking cautiously along the wall of the hallway. He had oily black hair that came to a sharp widow's peak but slicked straight back from his broad forehead to form a straggly mullet. His skin was pale and pocked from old acne. A pair of thick gla.s.ses, desperately needing to be washed, sat heavily on his large hooked nose.

Spencer waited for some kind of greeting from the janitor. When it didn't come, he looked at the man's face for any sign of recognition. But the beady black eyes behind the dirty gla.s.ses just s.h.i.+fted back and forth nervously.

"Roger!" Spencer finally said. It had to be him. This was New Forest Academy's Rebel Janitor that Walter had told them to contact.

"Where are you kids supposed to be?" the janitor said, pointing an accusatory mop handle at them. His voice carried a slight country drawl, but it wasn't friendly like Daisy's dad. This man's voice was too crackly, almost like a raven's caw.

"It's okay," Spencer said. "Walter told us to find you. Roger Munroe?"

The janitor's entire expression changed. His eyes flicked down the hallway. The man swallowed, his sharp Adam's apple sliding along his throat. "Why don't you kids come with me?"

Spencer stepped forward, but Daisy grabbed his sleeve. "Shouldn't we wait for Director Garcia?" She glanced at the computer lab. "He'll wonder where we've gone."

"It don't matter," the janitor said. "Just come this way. We need to talk."

The door to the computer lab suddenly opened and Director Garcia reappeared, looking surprised to see the Academy janitor in the hallway. "h.e.l.lo, Mr. Fletcher."

"Mr. Fletcher?" Spencer muttered.

The janitor wiped his nose with the back of his hand. His lips were quivering as though he wanted to say something but didn't dare. Instead, he nodded respectfully to his boss.

"Are you the janitor here?" Spencer tried to ask with tact, but Daisy cut him off bluntly.

"Where's Roger Munroe?" she asked.

"You know Munroe?" Garcia raised his eyebrows.

"Uh ..." Spencer swallowed. "Yeah. Roger is Daisy's uncle."

Daisy's mouth fell open in surprise. "He is?"

Spencer nodded unconvincingly. "Remember? Second uncle, once removed."

"Removed from what?" Daisy said.

"Removed from New Forest Academy," answered the wiry janitor, swinging the mop over his shoulder. "Munroe quit."

"Quit?" Spencer's legs felt suddenly weak.

"Last Friday," Director Garcia said. "Mr. Munroe resigned suddenly. Fortunately, Mr. Fletcher was able to step in quickly to this new position. He's our computer technician, but he's had some cleaning experience and was willing to fill in as our custodian."

"Please," said the janitor, wiping a hand across his greasy black hair. "Call me Slick."

Spencer and Daisy looked at one another, trying not to let their shock betray them. Slick wasn't just an average temporary custodian. He was a janitor! Slick had seen that Toxite and executed it with precision and skill.

"I thought we were gonna play some computer games." Dez broke the silence.

Director Garcia nodded. "There's a computer ready for each of you." He gestured for them to enter the lab. "I'll drop your bags at the dormitories, and someone will come get you when it's time for the recruitment dinner."

Dez pushed into the lab and Daisy followed close behind. Spencer stood rooted in place as Slick turned away from the computer lab and sauntered down the hallway, his mop strings still dangling over his thin shoulder.

It didn't seem right. Roger Munroe was gone, having suspiciously resigned only three days ago. Now Slick had taken over as New Forest Academy's janitor. Spencer knew nothing about Slick, but the whole situation seemed unsettling.

"Is everything all right?" Director Garcia's voice startled Spencer. The boy nodded, pasting on a false smile. But everything was not all right.

Chapter 17.

"Did you get strangled too?"

Spencer dragged his last slice of steak through a dab of A1 sauce and popped it into his mouth. It was the best cafeteria food Spencer had ever tasted, and the Academy claimed it was organic and healthy, too.

It was a welcome dinner for the students who had arrived for the recruitment program. They totaled fifty kids, ranging from fourth grade to seventh. Lots of them picked at their dinner hesitantly, faces creased with nerves for the week to come.

Daisy was leaning back in her chair, studying the other students while Dez picked over his sauteed green beans. It was an added measure of comfort to be surrounded by two friends. Well, one friend and one nuisance.

Director Carlos Garcia suddenly stood up and clapped his hands for attention. A few conversations had broken out among the recruits, but they ended instantly.

"Welcome to New Forest Academy!" He opened his arms in a warm gesture. "You're all here because you have an interest in attending this great school."

"Not all of us," Dez muttered under his breath.

"New Forest Academy is in its sixth year and growing rapidly. Our mission is to provide a successful education to any student who qualifies.

"At the end of this week, some of you-and I hope it will be many-will receive an invitation to attend New Forest Academy. That invitation has the power to change your future. But such an invitation must be earned. This week will be challenging. We plan to test you in every way: academically, socially, mentally, physically."

Spencer noticed that Daisy had a plastic spoon to her mouth, chewing nervously on the end. She saw him staring and whispered, "What if I don't pa.s.s?"

"It's okay, Daisy," Spencer said. Her spoon suddenly snapped between her teeth. Spencer ducked as a piece of it went shooting over his head. "We're not here to get accepted, remember?" Daisy set down the broken spoon and nodded, relieved by Spencer's reminder.

"The first thing you must do is divide into teams," Director Garcia explained. "There are fifty handkerchiefs on the table in the back of the cafeteria." He pointed, and all the students turned to look. "There are five different colors, so, five different teams. When I clap my hands, you have exactly three minutes to get the color you want and group yourselves into color-coordinating teams."

Director Garcia lifted his hands and swung them together into a single clap that resonated through the large cafeteria.

The students sat silently for a moment until one kid suddenly scrambled out of his chair and dashed toward the back table. Like a small stone that starts an avalanche, forty-nine students instantly scrambled after him, their voices rising to a squall.

"Let me through!"

"Give it to me!"

"That one's mine!"

Someone checked into Spencer and he skidded sideways, toppling into Daisy. They were in a tight press of bodies crowding the table with the colored handkerchiefs.

"Which color are we supposed to get?" Daisy asked.

"Don't think it matters." Spencer shoved against a large kid. "Let's just try to get two of the same. That way we'll be on a team together."

Spencer strained forward, stretching his arm dangerously close to somebody's armpit. He grasped a handkerchief, but he couldn't see the color until he stumbled away from the crowd.

"Red," Spencer shouted to Daisy. "I got red!"

Daisy staggered backward, gripping a handkerchief of her own. "Green!"

Spencer lunged back into the fray, squeezing forward until he could see the table. By this time, most of the handkerchiefs had been s.n.a.t.c.hed up. There were no greens or reds remaining. Spencer grabbed two blues, threw his red back onto the table, and leapt out of the way.

"Here," Spencer said. "I guess we'll be blue." Daisy accepted the handkerchief and turned to throw her green one back on the table.

The students were spreading out, trying to find other kids with the same color. Many held their handkerchiefs protectively. A few tug-of-war fights had broken out. And Dez ... Dez had a blonde girl pinned against the wall!

Spencer took off in Dez's direction, getting an elbow to the ribs as someone jerked a handkerchief away from another student. "You look real tough, Dez, picking on a girl," Spencer said.

The bully turned to glare at Spencer. Dez had taken a long green bean from his dinner plate and put one end up each nostril. The green bean hung in a loop, like a metal ring in the nose of a bull. Dez was probably trying to make himself look more intimidating, but the green hanger from his nostrils just looked disgusting.

"I don't care if she's a girl or a ... whatever," Dez said. "She's got the color I want."

"I don't!" the girl said, clutching the handkerchief behind her back. "I dropped the brown one back there. I have red now!"

Dez sneered, green bean waggling. "Then I guess I want red!" Dez was in one of those moods. In a new crowd like this, he needed to establish himself as Alpha Bully before anyone else had the chance.

"Let her go," Spencer said. He was trying to decide how far he would go for this stranger. Was it worth another fistfight with Dez?

The bully shoved the girl against the wall. She scrunched up her face and closed her eyes, her whole body tense. Spencer rolled his handkerchief from end to end and stepped forward.

Dez lowered his voice. "Just give me your hankie and no one has to get-"

Spencer looped his handkerchief over Dez's head and pulled on the corners. It jerked around the bully's throat, sending him into a fit of gurgling gags.

"Ghhaaa!" Dez gave a great huff, and the green bean launched from his nose. It sailed into the air, twirling like a boomerang in flight.

"Time is up!" Director Garcia shouted over the din of the cafeteria. "Find your teams!"

Spencer released Dez and leapt away. The cafeteria quickly fell into order as the students a.s.sembled into color-coordinated groups of ten. At least for a moment, Dez couldn't give chase.

"What were you doing over there?" Daisy whispered to Spencer as the blue team came together. "Trying to strangle Dez?"

"He was picking on a girl."

"And why was that your problem?"

"Dez is always my problem," Spencer said. He scanned the room for the blonde girl. When he spotted her across the cafeteria, Spencer was surprised to see that she was staring right at him. She gave a timid wave, and Spencer hurriedly looked away.

"Your face is turning red," Daisy pointed out. "Did you get strangled too?"

Spencer didn't want to explain why he was blus.h.i.+ng. He was grateful when Director Garcia called for attention once more.

"Some of you may be wondering why we bother with teams," Garcia said. "This helps us test your social interactions and teamwork skills. Your team is the key to your success." He paused for effect. "Only one team will be invited to attend New Forest Academy."

A murmur of surprise and complaint rippled through the fifty recruits. Glares were exchanged between groups. Why hadn't the director mentioned that before? Students were studying their handkerchiefs, wondering if they'd picked the winning color.

Director Garcia continued. "Let me explain the rules. Academy instructors will be monitoring you closely during the week. We will make changes to the teams by adding or removing students until we have the perfect group. That winning group could be any size. It may be more than half of you. It may be only a handful. Everything depends on your performance. You are all bright, I'm sure. But New Forest Academy can accept only the very best."

Spencer glanced at the various groups. Dez had staked out a place among the brown team. The green team was mostly girls, and the red group was primarily boys. The yellow team looked far too energetic for its own good.

Spencer turned to his own team. There were one or two fourth graders, but most of the kids looked twelve or thirteen years old. One of the boys was tall with reddish hair. Another was thin, with prominent Asian features.

The other recruits on the blue team were here to win; Spencer could see it in their eyes. This enthusiasm was the common thread, uniting everyone in the room with the desire to get accepted to New Forest Academy. Everyone except Spencer, Daisy, and Dez. They were only there to kill time until Welcher was safe again.

If the Academy staff planned to watch the teams, then surely they would notice this difference in enthusiasm. Spencer and Daisy would stand out. And hadn't Walter sent them here to blend in and hide?

"We can win this," Spencer said to his teammates. He was pleased at how convincing his interest sounded.