1. P R E V I O U S L Y : On "ZooPhobia"

CHAPTER III

"S-So... you're a g-giant cheetah," Cameron stammered, putting forward a poor attempt at small talk.

"Yes," the cheetah confirmed.

Cameron swallowed and looked away. "Just checking."

-

The cheetah led Cameron into an office and gestured to a chair with his tail. "Have a seat, miss," he told her.

Cameron did, shooting a wary glance at the cuttlefish-headed man who sat at a desk adjacent to the one the cheetah had walked behind.

The cuttlefish creature sputtered something, dribbling mucus all over the desk.

Cameron's mouth opened but nothing came out. She gestured wordless to the man, glancing at the cheetah.

"Oh! This is Principal Winston," the cheetah said, angling his head toward the cuttlefish-man. "He is quite harmless."

Cameron pulled her knees up to her chest. "Right..."

The cheetah gave her a sympathetic look and then sighed. "Well, my dear Miss Cameron," he began, "I have some news for you.

"My name is Zechariah, and I regret to inform you that there seems to have been some sort of mistake with the company that employed you. You were hired to be a guidance counselor, correct?"

"Y-Yes," Cameron replied nervously.

"Well," Zechariah continued, "all humans employed or chosen to be sent here are given strict details about this world, and it is their choice to be transferred." His eyes narrowed as he added, "Whoever sent you did an incredibly dishonest thing... for once here, you cannot return to the outside world you once knew."

Cameron's breath caught in her throat. Choking down her fear, she asked, "S-So... I'm stuck in this crazy magical world of oversized talking animals?"

"I am afraid so, miss." Zechariah leaned forward. "Also, this is an interspecies society. There are many different creatures—not just 'animals'."

"Like what? Other scary things?" Cameron cried. "Vampires?"

"Yes."

"Mermaids? Demons? Ghosts?!"

"Yes."

"ALIENS?!"

"Aliens do not exist, Miss Cameron," Zechariah replied dryly.

Cameron blinked, unsure if he was joking or not. Then she looked over her shoulder and whimpered, "Where am I right now?"

"You are in the Zoo Phoenix Academy," Zechariah answered, resting a paw on his desk. "This is where you were employed, so we brought you right here." He leaned forward slightly, trying to meet Cameron's gaze again. "Would you like a tour?"

Cameron turned back to the giant cheetah. "Okay..." she said uncertainly.

Zechariah nodded and raised his tail to his face, speaking into a watch-like object that he wore on it. "Jackie, can you come to my office, please?"

"Absolutely!" came an overenthusiastic voice from the other end.

Cameron grabbed Zechariah's tail and cried into the watch, "Who's Jackie?!"

The door to the office suddenly flew open, and a woman's voice sang, "Hey, hey, heeeeey!"

Cameron looked over her shoulder as a blue-green-and-yellow-haired woman in a blue-and-yellow dress waltzed into the office. "Well, hello-hello!" she greeted Cameron in a voice tinged with a Spanish accent as she shook the counselor's hand. "I'm Jackie! Drama instructor! So you're the new girl everyone's talking about? What's your name?"