The bus sputtered up a long winding road that sloped through the mountains. Several cars had to honk and swerve out of the way just to avoid being sideswiped by this terrible driver. How did this woman even get her license? Kylie never warned me about this weirdo!
At some point, I wondered if I had actually made a mistake. What if this woman was actually a kidnapper? Luring teenage girls away in her tacky bus. But then again, the school sent me an official text clarifying her name. And it did match the one on her nametag. But of course, anyone could get a fake nametag. Maybe she was spying on my text messages!
Trembling, I clutched my necklace for comfort. I wasn't sure how much longer this torturous drive would take. The sky was getting darker, and the forest was getting spookier. Now, I really had a bad feeling. From what I could tell, we were driving on a rocky road because the bus rattled like a tin can being shaken by a toddler.
Just when I thought I was dead, I saw something that made my blood freeze. Signs. The headlights reflected the warnings written in black on the yellow diamond-shaped metal.
WOLF CROSSING – NEXT 5 MILES.
. . . Wolf crossing?!
NO TRESPASSING.
TURN BACK NOW.
DEAD END.
CAUTION: FALLING ROCK.
. . . I was dead! This had to be the wrong bus! This woman was probably a psycho maniac, and she was going to drive me off a cliff! Panic rose into my throat, and suddenly, I started to hyperventilate. This couldn't have been happening! No—I couldn't freak out now! So, I whipped out my phone and texted Kylie at lightning speed.
I think I'm being kidnapped! This creepy woman in a Vegas Baby tank top is driving me through the mountains in a gypsy van!
. . . No signal.
What?! Maybe I just needed to try again, so I resent the text . . . but still, no signal.
Holding my breath, I flew to my contact list and pressed my dad's name. I quickly forwarded the same text to him, but nothing would send. How could this happen? My parents owned air! This was ridiculous! Where was this woman even taking me?!
The final sign that we passed forced me to accept my fate.
Welcome to Specter Heights.
Great. I was nowhere near Frostlake High, which was just north of Aspen. If my signal wasn't working, my locator app probably wouldn't, either. Finally, I stuffed my phone into my purse and hugged my knees in defeat. Tears brimmed in my eyes, and I trembled slightly. I should've known I'd make a stupid mistake like this.
The bus abruptly stopped, but I was too scared to even move.
"Okay, everybody off. I got places to be!" the driver yelled.
I was the only person in this vehicle. "Where are we?!" I finally demanded.
"We're at 'da school you applied for."
"What?! I didn't apply for a school in Specter Heights!"
"Dat ain't no concern of mine. Take it up with 'da headmaster. But here's my card." She reached into her tank top and pulled out a card. "I'm 'da only one who knows how to get outta here. So, if you decide to bail, you know where to find me. 'Da local nightclub down in Bloodmoon Hollow. Plasma Shock."
I was underage! I couldn't enter a bar. Either way, I had no idea what to think . . . but since I had no other choice, I just picked up my bags and forced myself not to cry. I'm sure there was a misunderstanding, so I stepped into the crunchy grass and sniffled. The wacky bus sputtered off into the night, leaving me stranded at the fancy wrought-iron gate of a building that I didn't recognize.
Great. I would probably miss the first day of school because of this fiasco. With slumped shoulders, I shuffled down the paved road that led to the school. Maybe the transportation service confused me with another student. I wasn't sure, so instead, I studied my surroundings.
Oddly enough, the school looked just like a château with turrets on each corner. The walls were painted indigo and were complimented by a dark roof. Even the landscape was impressive. The grass was flawlessly trimmed, and yellow gingko trees sprouted on either side of walkway. If I was being honest, this place may have been spiffier than Frostlake High. At least in an old-fashioned kind of way.
Maybe coming here wasn't the total end of the world. It seemed pretty nice. It wasn't the creepy shack in the woods that I was dreading. I'm sure the headmaster would understand everything once I explained it to him, so I walked forward with a new spring in my step—
And then I could have sworn that I hallucinated. A teenage boy with dog ears and a tail ran past me on all fours. He barked as a frisbee streaked across the campus and jumped up to catch it in his mouth.
"Nice one, Fido!" one of his friends cheered.
As if this was normal, the guy on all fours hopped to his feet and hurried back to his friends with the frisbee. "C'mon, man! Throw it further this time!"
My jaw dropped to the earth as my eyeballs glued to his furry reddish-brown tail. It was wagging. And he had twitching ears.
That woman did drive me off a cliff, didn't she . . .?
Before I could comprehend the situation, a group of girls with the lower bodies of goats clopped ahead of me on hooves. They donned dresses, blouses, and even miniskirts.
"OMG, have you even kissed him yet?"
"Spill the deets, girl!"
"Well, we went out to the pasture together, ba-a-a-aht he hasn't told me if he actually likes me or not," she bleated midsentence, which caused me to flinch. "He said he thinks of me as a sister."
. . . What was even happening right now?! Did I stumble upon a really creepy roleplaying session?! What was in that gas station nacho cheese?!
". . . As I lie in the grave, I feel your lips. For your love I'm a slave, and you're my eclipse . . ."
A seriously disturbed emo freak with a bang covering his eye was quoting poetry to his friends. All of them had glowing eyes that pierced into my soul, and their Gothic clothes blended into the night. Yet for some reason, they looked . . . inhuman.
"Oh, that's so luscious," his female friend agreed with a bug-eyed look that slightly scared me. "If a boy quoted that to me, I'd die. Even though I can't, I'd literally die."
Can't? She had to be joking. Either way, I needed to get away from these cosplayers and find the headmaster. Quickly. But soon, I was distracted by another clique that was sitting near a pond. And to my shock, they all had twinkling fairy wings of all different shapes and sizes. Several girls were admiring a blonde guy with tiny butterfly wings. He flexed his muscles as they all cooed in harmony.
Did I fall down the rabbit hole with Alice? Or down the cliff with the drunk woman in the "Vegas Baby" tank top?
"Hey!" yelled a perky voice.
I was in too much shock to realize that someone was calling out to me. When I looked over, a short guy with broccoli hair was flittering in my direction with his sparkling minty wings. He sported a dweeby t-shirt with the school mascot—a leprechaun—and khaki shorts. For whatever reason, he made the mistake of wearing socks with sandals.
"You look lost. And new. And . . . human." He tilted his head. "Are you sure you're 'sposed to be here?" the helpful fairy asked.
"Uh, no, I'm not supposed to be here," I muttered, still confused. "I'm sorry. Is this some kind of roleplay?"
"Roleplay?" He blinked his big green eyes. "Oh, you mean them?" He glanced at the goth kids. "No, they're always like that."
"I'm talking about your . . ." I peered at his wings.
"Oh, you mean these?" He then flapped his wings playfully, and before I knew it, he zoomed into the air and circled around like Tinkerbelle. "Wheeee!"
What on earth?! "You're—you're flying!" I gasped, taking a step back. "This has to be a dream!"
He swiftly landed to his feet but looked flabbergasted at my reaction. "Wait, so you're really human? Madame Sherrie's the only human who knows about . . . us."
"Wait—the bus driver? With the trashy tank top?"
"Well, uh, yeah. Supers don't get driver's license," he sheepishly explained while pressing his forefingers together.
"Wait, so you don't drive?" I questioned.
"Well, sure, we drive! Just not legally. Anyway, I'm Herb. It's actually Herbington, but I don't go by that. Most of us have lame names. It's like some kind of running gag with the parents," he nervously chuckled while rubbing his neck. "But yeah, a lot of us have names that we don't . . ."
I couldn't decipher the rest of his rambling. None of this made sense. Was this some kind of cult? Or just a dream? The stress of all it made my head swirl. Before I knew it, I felt numb all over, and nothing could reach me through my daze.
"Anyway, what's your name?" he asked.
That was it. That simple question was all it took for my brain to melt. In response, I passed out on the sidewalk and drifted into nowhere.