After freezing for a second, you hear a shout of “hey!” from behind you. You spin around to see an older student facing the pair of you with a determined look on his face, backpack dumped on the ground beside him and a book gripped tightly by the spine in one hand. What’s Wyrr doing here? You cringe backward slightly, unsure if you did something wrong to warrant his attention, but he doesn’t seem to be looking at you.

  “I heard that!” Wryy says loudly, taking a couple of steps forward. “What did you do to those kids in there?”

  Your head snaps back and forth between the two. “What kids?”

  Mr. Euss scowls. “They got what was coming to them,” he growls. “And I meant what I said. If you don’t screw off you’ll end up just like -” He cuts off suddenly as his head snaps back with a sickening thud. A book crashes to the ground at the same time he does, pages flapping in the wind, and before you know what’s happening, his body is sprawled on the ground in a jumble of corduroy-dressed limbs. You blink, then spin around to see Wyrr with his hand outstretched, having clearly just thrown the book that hit Mr. Euss in the head. He’s breathing quickly, and it takes a second for him to right himself and walk shakily over to you.

  “I heard you talking and came over,” Wyrr says softly. “Do you think he meant what he said?”

  You fall back against the wall and slide down until you’re curled into a ball. You knew today was going to be special, but you never thought it would be one that ended with the distant sound of blaring sirens.

• The End •