We dream of a world where everyone is treated equally.
—PET-M MISSION STATEMENT
See? They're a dangerous bunch of nut jobs out to ruin the world.
—THEIR DETRACTORS
Movie night was held in the ballroom for the regular-sized minions, while the minions of impressive size watched outside on the giant screen by the boulderball field. That night's movie was a classic horror tale called Beauty and the Beast. It's the story of an awesomely cruel and angry monster who takes a pretty girl prisoner, but she ends up turning him into a human through singing and romance. It is so tragic. I've seen monsters leave the theater shaking in fear after watching it.
I met Syke in the foyer. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. "Runt, you've never broken a rule in your life, and you don't do anything without asking an adult if it's okay. I've heard you ask permission to turn your homework in early."
"She called me family, Syke," I said. "She knows where I'm from. I will die unless I find out who I am, and who cursed me."
"I know," she said. "I just wish there was something more I could do."
"You do know I'm going to sneak out and you'll have to watch the movie with Boris, right?"
"Yeah," she said. "I meant to say, I wish there was something different I could do."
We laughed, but really, we were both nervous. I took my seat, saying hi to as many classmates as I could, so they'd remember I was there. I wore my black cargo pants, boots, black T-shirt, and dark gray Critchlore tackle three-ball sweatshirt. I put on a beanie that Cook had knitted for me last winter. It had the logo of my favorite tackle three-ball team, and earflaps with dangling strings.
The lights went down.
"Gotta pee," I said loudly. I edged my way out of the row, ran down the aisle, and found Boris waiting near the foyer, wearing the exact outfit as mine. I thrust the beanie on his head. "Remember, be nice to Syke," I told him.
"Syke," he said. "I like Syke."
Yikes.
Rufus Spaniel walked up to us. Even though we were both third-years, he was twice my size. I got nervous whenever he was in the same room as me, much less talking to me.
"What are you twinsies up to?" he asked.
"Movie night," Boris said. "We watch a movie on movie night." Boris wasn't trying to be sarcastic, but Rufus thought he was and growled at him.
"Where's Janet?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"Why do you care?" Rufus said, angry now.
"Just wondering," I said. "You two usually watch movies together."
"She's saving my spot," he said. He sneered at me one more time, then put an arm around each of us to lead us back inside. "The movie's starting, boys."
I ducked under his arm. "Gotta pee," I said. I darted into the bathroom, hoping he wouldn't follow. I waited a few minutes before peeking out, but I didn't see Rufus anywhere.
I ran to the boathouse by the lake to meet Frankie, Eloni, and Darthin. Not many people know about the secret entrance to the dungeon in the boathouse, under a box labeled "Engine parts." When I got there, only Frankie was waiting inside.
"Darthin said he had an emergency study session or something," Frankie said.
"He chickened out?" I said.
"Pretty much."
"I don't blame him," I said. "If he got kicked out, his whole family would be put in jail."
"I'm so glad I'm not from Upper Worb," Frankie said. "Or some other place where the EOs keep your family hostage to make sure you come back."
"What about Eloni?" I asked.
"He told me he had a movie-night date with Elise. Then he said 'Elise!' again so I would understand it was a big deal."
"She's really nice," I said. Everybody liked Elise.
I was disappointed, but I couldn't blame him either. "Listen, Frankie, you don't have to do this. This school's your only home too."
"So if we both get kicked out, at least we'll have each other," he said. "Let's go."
Frankie was the best. I pushed aside the box, and we climbed down a shaft that had a ladder built into the side. The reverberating clang of our footsteps echoed in the space, making it sound like someone was following us.
We reached the floor. "This way," I said, pointing. I didn't have my Dungeon Positioning System (DPS), because I'd given it to Boris. If anyone looked for me, they would see that I was at the movie. Fortunately, I knew my way around the dungeon. We had to go past the underground grotto, past Dr. Critchlore's steel-plated safety bunker, and then down another flight of stairs to the lower level and the holding cells.
The crunch of our footsteps seemed amplified in the quiet, and the darkness was so thick it smothered the feeble light of my flashlight. My whole body felt prickly with fear as we passed dark crevices in the rough walls, hiding who knew what kind of creatures.
I was so grateful that Frankie followed me. There's nothing like having a superstrong minion watching your back in times of danger.
We continued on, faster now. I just wanted this to be done. When I reached an intersection, I turned to say something to Frankie, but, guess what? No Frankie.
"Frankie?" I whispered. Where'd he go?
I checked each hallway. No Frankie. Panic filled me, and my heart thumped so hard and fast it felt like a drum being played by a hyperactive troll. I raced back to find him, but as I passed a dark crevice, someone put a hand over my mouth and pulled me into the shadows.
Another hand grabbed my flashlight, switching it off.
"It's me. Pismo," he whispered. "Frankie's right behind us. Someone's following you."
"Pis—"
"Shh. Wait here."
He edged around me, out of the alcove, and into the hall. I couldn't see anything, but I felt Frankie ease up next to me. At least, I hoped it was Frankie. I reached for his neck and felt the familiar bolts to make sure.
I didn't know whether to trust Pismo. He was an obnoxious little transfer student with a bad attitude. But when we noticed a light swooping around the tunnel, Frankie and I leaned back into the darkness.
"Whoa! Watch it," Pismo said to the flashlight-wielding follower. "You'll blind someone."
"Pismo," Rufus said. "Beat it, punk. What're you doing down here?"
"I take an evening swim in the grotto," Pismo said. "Care to join me?"
"You do know there's a flesh-eating fish monster in there?"
"Clarence? Sure, he's a hoot. Come on, I'll introduce you."
"No thanks, weirdo," Rufus said. "You see anyone else down here? A couple annoying little dorks?"
"Yeah," Pismo said. "They went toward Frankenhammer's lab."
We waited in silence.
Finally, Pismo came back to the alcove.
"He's gone," he said, running a hand through his long bangs to lift them off his face. "So spill. Whatcha two doing down here, and why was Rufus following you?"
"I'm—uh … we're—um—exploring?"
"Yeah, right. You're the worst liar in the history of forever." He swished his towel at me. "What's going on? I want in."
I looked at Frankie. Frankie looked back at me. Pismo draped an arm over my shoulder. "Runt," he said, "some people are more equipped for delinquency than others. I'm your man."
It was true. Pismo didn't care about rules, and I felt I could trust him. After all, I knew his secret. Pismo was a merman—that was why he needed the nightly swim. He didn't want anyone to know, mostly because people thought mermaids were stupid. You couldn't get through a day without hearing a "dumb mermaid" joke, thanks to the sirens, who hated mermaids.
"What's the plan?" Pismo said.
"We're breaking someone out of a holding cell," I said.
"Goody," Pismo said, hopping up and down. "I love a good prison break. Who're we springing, and what'd he do?"
"It's a she. The Girl Explorer who showed up after Dr. Critchlore's assembly."
Pismo stopped hopping.
"Are you crazy?" he asked. "That thing was … it had those teeth … and claws … Are you crazy?"
"I've talked to her. She called me family. I know she can help me find out where I come from."
Pismo shrugged. "Okay. Let's go."
