Terror at the Talent Show

by Marcus Emerson

  The speakers thumped twice before Zoe’s voice came through them. ‘Check, check, one, two, checkinnnnnnng, checkinnnnnng. Can you guys hear me?’

  Most of the students nodded.

  ‘Awesome. Let’s get started shall we?’ she said, jumping onto the stage. I watched as she took command of the room.

  ‘First off, I’d like to thank everyone for being here this morning and for participating in this rehearsal. You all know it was supposed to be last Monday but was rudely interrupted by some hijinks.’ Zoe turned toward Sophia who was standing backstage. ‘We haven’t found Hotcakes yet, but we will.’

  Sophia dabbed at her red nose with a ball of tissue and nodded.

  Zoe went on. ‘We’re going to do a run-through of everyone’s acts this morning. That way we all know what to expect tomorrow.’

  I made my way to the front of the room until I was next to the stage. Gavin and Faith were off to the side, watching Zoe make her announcements.

  ‘First of all, I’m going to have everyone sit over there on the bench next to the wall in the order of when your act will perform, so the first act will take the first spot, the second act will take the second, and so on…’

  The performers shuffled towards the long bench. The scaffolding with the paint cans was still directly above the bench, which was weird, but since it was just a rehearsal, I figured it would be gone by the next day.

  ‘Howdy,’ said Gavin.

  ‘Sup,’ I said. ‘Any sign of Calvin?’

  ‘Nope,’ Gavin said. He pointed to the side of the room, where many of the students had already taken a seat, waiting their turn for rehearsal. ‘He’ll probably be over there somewhere though.’

  Sophia jumped in front of us out of nowhere. ‘Anything yet?’ she asked, hopeful.

  Gavin shook his head and stared at the floor.

  ‘Not yet,’ I said. ‘But we know Hotcakes is alright. I’ve seen him a couple of times this week, but wasn’t able to catch him.’

  Sophia’s eyes lit up as she cupped her hand over her mouth. ‘Oh! That’s good! So he’s okay?’

  ‘As far as I can tell, yeah,’ I replied loudly so she could hear me over the noise in the lunchroom.

  Sophia grabbed my arm. ‘If you see him, you just have to yell his name! He responds to that! It’s a game he likes to play! I promise he’s a good penguin! He won’t bite you or anything! My family has raised him since he was a little baby!’

  I nodded. ‘So just yell, ‘Hotcakes’?’

  ‘Yes!’ she said. ‘I promise you that he’ll stop in place and let you to pick him up! He won’t bite! I swear!’

  I glanced at Gavin, but he wasn’t paying attention to Sophia. He was too busy examining the room for a kid with a patch of white hair.

  When I turned back to Sophia, she was gone without a trace…until I turned to my left and saw that she had returned to her spot on the bench. Coincidentally she was seated next to Eli. They must have been the first two acts in the show because they were right up the front. The bench stretched out behind them, filled students waiting their turn. It was a little strange how they were seated because they were the only two students who weren’t under the scaffolding.

  I only noticed it because it was unlike Zoe to leave something like that unfinished. Maybe she didn’t have enough people to help her get it out of the way. No big deal, I could probably get Gavin and Brayden to help me slide it backstage later.

  I turned to Gavin, but before I could say anything, everyone on the bench screamed, flinching backwards. Some of the students scrambled to the floor and started running to the back of the cafeteria. The lunchroom was suddenly a mess of confusing shouts.

  ‘It’s over there! Behind the stage!’

  ‘It looks angry! Somebody catch that thing!’

  ‘The penguin! Someone grab that penguin! It’s at the back of the room!’

  I spun around, looking at the spot everyone was screaming about. They were right. The penguin was hopping back and forth, flapping its itsy-bitsy wings as it danced.

  ‘Get it!’ Zoe shouted into the microphone.

  Immediately, I dashed forward. The penguin was all the way across the room, so I sprinted as hard as I could. I heard the sound of drums booming in my head as my feet hit the floor, and then I realised that someone was testing the sound system.

  The penguin bolted when it saw me running at it.

  He ran along the wall until it made it to the stage, then it hopped up and raced across the wooden flooring.

  I kept my eye on it as it disappeared backstage again. It must’ve been living back there.

  Mrs Olsen lifted herself onto the stage and walked carefully in case the bird jumped out. She was hunched over, staring daggers at the spot where the penguin had disappeared.

  I stopped just behind Mrs Olsen and remembered what Sophia had said. Taking a deep breath, I leaned forward and shouted, ‘Wait up, Hotcakes!’

  Mrs Olsen spun around and glared at me. ‘Excuse me, young man? How dare you say such an inappropriate thing to me!’

  A roar of laughter erupted from all the students behind me.

  I didn’t stop to explain myself. Running to the side of the stage, I climbed the stairs and made my way backstage, feeling the blood pump through my veins.

  Gavin dodged Mrs Olsen and slid across the polished surface of the stage, bouncing to his feet next to me. ‘We’re getting this bird today!’ he shouted, running past me.

  When I caught up with Gavin, he was standing just beyond the stage curtain, out of view of the cafeteria. There was a pitter-patter of tiny penguin feet. ‘Where’d he go?’ I asked.

  ‘I saw him slip into that vent,’ he said, pointing at the air vent behind a cardboard box. The opening was about one metre each side. He slid the box out of the way and knelt down, staring into the metal passageway.

  ‘I don’t know about this,’ I said, looking at the vent.

  ‘No, look,’ Gavin said as he reached into the opening. He pushed his hand against the back wall. It fell over with a metal clang. ‘This just goes through the wall. It’s not an air vent at all. It’s … fake.’

  ‘What?’ I asked, confused. I got down to my knees and saw what he was talking about. The air vent wasn’t actually an air vent. It looked more like a hidden door or something.

  ‘Come on,’ Gavin said, crawling through the passage. ‘I saw the penguin go through here.’

  I nodded, questioning my ability to make smart decisions rather than dangerous and irresponsible ones. ‘Alright, but let’s just get Hotcakes and get out of here. I don’t like the look of this.’

  On the other side, Gavin and I stood up. The ceiling was so low that we had to crouch a bit in order to walk. The short hallway we were in was dark and colder than the rest of the school. It smelled musty and felt damp.

  I looked at the floor expecting to see a dirt path but was surprised to see that the ground we were walking on was tiled, which meant that at some point in time, this narrow hallway was probably used quite frequently.

  ‘You hear that?’ Gavin asked.

  I stopped, listening carefully. I swallowed hard as I heard the sound of a thousand thumps at the same time. Slapping noises bounced off the walls as I silently walked forward. Muffled voices shouted. Holding my breath, I stared down the hallway, realising exactly what the sound was.

  There were ninjas nearby, and they were training.

  ‘We should turn back,’ Gavin said, suddenly realising the same thing.

  I lifted my hand, gesturing for my friend to keep quiet. ‘No way,’ I said. ‘This is huge. This has to be where Wyatt and the red ninjas have been training!’

  ‘You can explore this area later when they’re not here!’ Gavin whispered nervously.

  ‘I can’t leave,’ I said.

  I was wearing my ninja outfit under my street clothes. Pulling my ninja mask over my face, I said, ‘I have to see this for myself. I need to know how large his clan has grown. Just be cool and follow my lead
.’

  ‘Be cool? That’s easy for you to say!’ Gavin whispered harshly. ‘You’re wearing a mask! Where’s my mask?’

  I ignored Gavin’s whining and walked forwards, listening as the thumping sounds of ninjas grew louder. After a few twists and turns, I found myself at the end of the passage, where there was another square opening in the wall.

  I peeked out a little. What I saw was the most frightening thing I had ever seen in my life. The red ninjas were training, just as I had suspected, but their numbers were larger than I ever imagined.

  The room opened up just beyond the entrance in the wall. It looked like an abandoned greenhouse or something because the ceiling was made out of glass that was caked with dirt. The sun was shining outside, but the room was dark. Book bags were set on tables against one of the walls.

  Taped up to the wall was a motivational poster with a silhouette of a ninja and training times. It looked like the red ninjas trained before school and during lunch.

  Of course! That explained why half the students were missing from the cafeteria! I also realised it meant half the sixth graders were members of the red ninja clan. Wyatt was creating an army.

  ‘Whoa,’ Gavin whispered by my side. ‘This is bad.’

  ‘Ya think?’ I said.

  ‘Is Hotcakes in there?’

  I scanned the room. ‘No, I don’t see him.’

  ‘Wait a sec,’ Gavin said, pushing me aside. ‘Am I crazy, or is that President Sebastian?’

  I looked at the front of the room. As much as I wished it were true, Gavin wasn’t crazy. President Sebastian was talking to Wyatt as they watched the red ninjas train.

  ‘What?’ I shouted.

  The red ninjas immediately snapped their attention to the opening in the wall.

  ‘Whoops,’ I said, covering my mouth.

  ‘Get them!’ Wyatt screamed. ‘Don’t let them get away!’

  I turned around and tried running, but tripped over Gavin’s feet. We rolled across the cold floor of the secret passage.

  ‘Get off me!’ Gavin shouted.

  I pulled myself up. ‘Sorry about that,’ I said, helping him to his feet.

  Several red ninjas jumped through the opening and started sprinting at us. I pushed Gavin ahead of me. ‘Where’s the exit?’ Gavin shouted as he ran.

  ‘I don’t know!’ I said, keeping an eye on the red ninjas behind us. ‘Just start turning down random corners! We’ll lose these guys and find our way out when it’s safe!’

  ‘Turning down random corners doesn’t sound safe!’

  ‘Getting beat up by a bunch of ninjas is worse! Trust me!’ I shouted.

  Gavin darted around one of the dark corners. As I ran towards it, I kicked my foot out, hitting the wall and making a sharp right turn, following Gavin as he ran faster.

  The red ninjas turned the corner easily and were quickly catching up. In the dark passageway, their red outfits seemed to glow, making them look like monsters tearing through the hall. It felt like a nightmare. Corner after corner, Gavin ran as I trailed behind him. He was probably just as scared as I was. I remembered when he had saved Zoe and me from the red ninjas the first time they chased us. I wasn’t sure if we were going to find our way out of this, so I decided the least I could do was give Gavin a shot at escaping. I owed it to him.

  When Gavin reached another corner, he turned left. As I made it to the same corner, I turned right. As soon as I did, I dove to the floor and rolled into the edge of the hall, where it was dark enough that it would be difficult to see me.

  The red ninjas stopped at the intersection. I saw six of them total.

  ‘Which way did Gavin go?’

  ‘Who cares? It’s Chase that we’re after!’

  ‘You three go that way, and we’ll go this way.’

  Three of the ninjas punched their chest and yelled, ‘Ha!’ And then they took off down the hall that Gavin had run down. So much for helping him escape.

  The other three ninjas stepped into the passage I was in, scanning the corridor for any sign of me. They walked carefully as they approached my hiding spot.

  I held my breath.

  Their sneakers squeaked on the floor as they walked in front of me. I slowly exhaled, keeping as still as possible.

  One of the red ninjas stopped. ‘You hear that?’

  His ninja buddy said, ‘What?’

  I could feel a bead of sweat drip down eyelid.

  The red ninja pointed down the passageway. ‘I heard him running! Let’s go!’

  When the red ninjas were far enough away, I rolled to my feet and dusted myself off. ‘Ha!’ I said. ‘Suckers!’

  Suddenly a thump came from behind me. When I turned around, I saw four more red ninjas standing in the intersection.

  ‘Ugh!’ I groaned, taking off again.

  Footsteps pounded the floor behind me as I ran harder. My side started to ache. I pressed my hand against my ribs as I ran. If I got a cramp at that moment, I’d be dead. My legs were burning, and I had no idea where I was in the school. I guess crawling through a hole in the wall was a bad idea after all!

  As hard as I tried, I couldn’t do it anymore. My legs, back and sides were on fire. My gracious sprint had turned into a clumsy stumble as I slid my hand against the cold wall. I couldn’t see the red ninjas in the dark passageway, but I could hear them huffing and puffing, closing in on me.

  I leant against the wall and stared down the black hallway, ready to meet my enemy. Closing my eyes, I bumped my head against the wall as I caught my breath.

  Suddenly, two hands grabbed my collar and pulled me off the wall. This is it. The red ninjas have me. But when I opened my eyes, I didn’t see anyone in front of me. Instead, I saw a white figure floating above me.

  ‘Huh?’ I grunted just before getting yanked into the air. My body flew up high enough to see metal piping along the top of the passageway. I clutched at one of the pipes and pulled myself to safety.

  The red ninjas sprinted past underneath me. I watched them disappear down the hall.

  Catching my breath, I looked to see who my rescuer was, expecting to see an angel dressed in white robes. The truth wasn’t far from that. Resting on the metal pipes next to me was another ninja, wearing white ninja robes. A full mask covered their whole face, even their eyes. From their size, I could tell they were also a sixth grader.

  ‘Who are you?’ I whispered.

  The white ninja stared at me for a second, silently. And then shrugged and dropped to the floor.

  I landed on the ground next to him, keeping an eye out for any other red ninjas. Taking a few steps down the passageway, I said, ‘Thanks for saving my butt back there. I would’ve been dead meat if it hadn’t been for—’

  When I turned around, the white ninja was gone.

  The butterflies in my stomach started flying again. On top of all the other junk I had to deal with, now I had to add a white ninja to the list? Were they friend or foe? Wyatt was supposed to be a friend when I first met him, but we all know how that turned out.

  After a few minutes, I found another way out of the passageway. There was an opening that led to the library. I didn’t doubt that the secret passage was how Wyatt and his red ninjas moved around the school so quickly. If there was an entrance backstage in the cafeteria and in the library, there were sure to be more.

  I pulled my ninja mask off just as the bell rang. School was starting and I had no idea where Gavin had gone. For all I knew, he had been captured by Wyatt and was being held prisoner in that secret room. The thought made my head spin.

  I went back to the cafeteria to look for Gavin after first period, but he wasn’t there. Zoe asked if we had caught the penguin. I was sad to tell her no. When she asked where Gavin was, I was sadder to tell her I didn’t know.

  I waited in the hallway until the last possible second to see if Gavin would appear, but he never did. Unsure of what to do, I went to class. I hoped things would turn out alright, but I seriously doubted it.

&nbs
p; On the football field, I stood on the sidelines, wearing the dumb moose outfit again. The other students fell in line behind their teams so they could get the game started.

  Jake stepped onto the field, but he didn’t approach his team. Instead, he walked towards me. His wolf pack followed obediently behind him, their red wristbands flopping on their arms.

  When he was a metre away from me, he stopped, folded his arms, and stared into my eyes. ‘Why even bother wearing the mask anymore?’ he asked.

  ‘Uh, because I’m not on a team, so coach is making me wear it,’ I replied.

  ‘No,’ Jake said, shaking his head. ‘I mean your ninja mask. Why bother wearing it if we all know who you are already?’

  I sat there for a moment. ‘Because not everyone knows who I am.’

  ‘The kids who matter do,’ a voice said from behind me.

  It was Wyatt. He had found his way to the football field. I looked past him, trying to see if Coach Cooper was outside. He was in his usual spot, reclining in a lawn chair and sipping on lemonade.

  As hall monitor captain, Wyatt had a few extra privileges, such as walking the halls whenever he wanted to make sure everyone was in class. Needless to say he was taking advantage of that privilege.

  ‘We have your friend, you know,’ Wyatt said. ‘Gavin.’

  ‘Where is he?’ I asked, upset.

  Wyatt tugged on his shirtsleeves, refolding them as he said, ‘In a safe place … for now.’

  ‘You can’t hold kids prisoner,’ I said. ‘That’s not just frowned upon – I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.’

  Wyatt smiled softly. ‘I guess the ball’s in my court now,’ he paused, looking at the two football teams on the field. ‘I mean, in my possession now.’

  I said nothing.

  ‘So how’s this sound,’ Wyatt said. ‘You have to do whatever I say or I’ll tell Principal Davis everything about you.’

  It felt like the wind had just been knocked out of me.

  Wyatt grinned. ‘I’ll give you a moment to think about it.’

  A couple of months ago, Wyatt had stolen my ninja outfit from my book bag. He pulled a series of random crimes while wearing the robes and made sure to get a photo taken of each one. It didn’t take long for the school paper to get wind of the story and from there, a ninja in black robes became one of the most wanted students the school had ever seen. They never caught Wyatt while he was in my outfit, but hall monitors were still searching for the mysterious ninja.