Betty Grimes and the Thermadore Thief

Chapter 14: Appreciate Thermadore

"Betty, Betty!"

She felt a cold hand on her shoulder which caused her to turn her body towards the other side of the bed.

"Betty! Wake up!"

It was a piercing voice that yelled for her.

"What is it?" She said, finally bothered by the disturbance. Her eyes focused on that familiar face.

"The headmaster told us to meet him at eight, remember?" Maria said, situated by her bedside.

It was all a blur, all that she could remember from last night was them all indulging in treats. They were a couple hours past bedtime, Milicent didn't even bother telling everyone to go to bed. Betty dragged off her blankets from which spilled candy wrappers on the floor.

The floor was riddled of it, she didn't want to know how much she'd eaten.

"We have twenty minutes, let's go,"

"Should we dress in our uniforms?"

"The headmaster said it wasn't required," Maria said.

"Thank Hamilton,"

The mess extended out in the halls and gathering room. There were missing couch pillows, misplaced desks and many, many candy wrappers on the floor. They both stared at the aftermath, pitying at whosoever would clean it up as they headed for the exit. Windy frigid air met them as they approached the school, a gray cast to remind them that all fun was gone now that Halloween had passed.

"You know where to go, right?" Betty said to Maria who nodded as they entered the empty school.

Up the main stairs and down the long hall they went, then a right where they met the base of a spiraling staircase. Up they went in silence and slowly as they approached the large wooden doors that laid ahead of them. Maria knocked.

"Come in, girls!" A muffled voice beckoned them in.

The entered the dark room to Ryan and Pierre also in pajamas across the Headmaster's table where he stood menacingly, like the night before just as Betty remembered.

"Sit down girls,"

They both sat on the two available seats.

"Last night was beyond disappointing, it astonished me how audacious you four are. Weren't the neighborhood, town circle and Tenzen park not enough?"

"We were following the man we saw in that hall," Betty said.

His stare went fierce, "don't tell me you've involved yourselves in the investigation."

"Mr. Headmaster,"

"It's Mr. FreeBottom, young lady," the headmaster corrected Betty.

"Yes we were tailing him." she admitted.

"That man?" The headmaster questioned,

She nodded.

"Tell me if I'm wrong but I saw a young lady in that cloak."

"Uhh yes, but-"

"So you were tailing the wrong person,"

"Mr. FreeBottom" Maria interjected, "It was an honest mistake."

"Yeah," Ryan added, "I think that whole hall thing has made us very conscious of anyone in any cloak and we were afraid they might have hurt others."

"And if this person did anything dangerous, what were you going to do?"

They paused.

"We'd call for help?" Betty responded, "we'd call you!"

His face turned less sinister, "Well, I'm glad you four are watching out for your fellow schoolmates, but I'm afraid you've broken rules regardless. I know this whole investigation might be so taxing on your wellbeing but be rest assured that Mr. Zorppo, Mrs. Queenslady, and I are hard at work figuring things out."