✓ | brutal ━ mike wheeler ( THE ARCHIVE. )

𝐢𝐯. 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝

"-And he began to curse, using terrible words that I don't repeat here." Mr. Clarke continued with his lesson.

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Dustin slammed his ghost trap down and opened it, letting the five other teenagers take a look at what was in it.

"His name is D'Artagnan." Dustin picked the thing up and let it rest in his hands.

"D'Artagnan?" Mike asked, disgust evident in his tone of voice. "Dart for short."

Adrian looked at it from next to Will and grimaced. "And he was in your trash?" Max asked, her red hair glowing in the small light.

"Foraging for food." Dustin looked up at the girl as if he had gotten an idea. "You wanna hold him?" Max quickly shook her head. "No. No."

"He doesn't bite," Dustin reassured. "I don't want to-." Dustin ignored her and placed him in her hands. "Oh, ew, he's slimy!" She spoke before passing it to Lucas.

"Ugh, he's like a living booger." He didn't hesitate to give it to Will, who passed it to Adrian.

Adrian scrunched up his nose as the thing looked at him before bowing down. He shook his head before passing it to Mike.

Mike brought him up to his face and looked down at the creature. "What is he?"

"My question exactly," Dustin answered, walking over to his bag as Mike set him back inside Dustin's trap.

Dustin returned, setting a pile of books on the table. "At first, I thought it was some type of pollywog."

Max leaned in at the new word. "Pollywog?"

"It's another word for tadpole. A tadpole is the larval stage of a toad." Max nodded. "I know what a tadpole is."

"All right, then you know that most tadpoles at aquatic, right?" Adrian nodded. "Well, Dart, he isn't. He doesn't need water."

Lucas looked up at this. "Yeah, but aren't there non-aquatic pollywogs?"

"Terrestrial Pollywogs? Yep. Two to be exact. Indirana Semipalmata. And the Adenonera Andreae. One's from India, one's from South America. So how did one end up in my trash?"

Adrian was leaning against the wall, behind the rest of the group when he noticed the Will was beginning to look worried and uncomfortable.

"Maybe some scientists brought it here, and it escaped?" Max suggested, not really knowing what to say herself.

"Do you guys see that?" Mike looked down at the ghost trap, causing Adrian to raise his eyebrows and walk up, peering down at the creature that was in it.

Something in its body moved around and Adrian grimaced. "Looks like something is moving inside of it."

Mike picked up the lamp that was the only source of light and pointed it at Dart, only for the creature to screech and crawl over the wires to the trap.

Mike jumped back, accidentally stepping on Adrian's foot.

Adrian pushed the boy off of him and looked at Dustin like he was crazy when he started soothing the thing in his hands.