Chapter 4: Gymnasium
As the final bell rung the three girls beardly walked to Brother Baxter's office.
"This is so stupid." April G said. "We shouldn't have to be here."
"Tell me about it." June agreed. "Maybe we should leave before he remembers…"
Just as June uttered these words, Brother Baxter opened the door and stared at the three students.
"Follow me." Baxter said.
The girls begrudged followed Brother Baxter to the gymnasium.
As they approached the door, Madison heard an unusual noise.
"Was that a cat?" Madison asked.
"Don't be observed. You know that there are no pets allowed on campus." Brother Baxter answered.
The strange feline purred once more but remained out of sight.
"Okay. I heard it too." April G said.
"Same here." June added.
"If you girls are trying to delay time from your punishment, I'm afraid that's not going to work."
"Sir, we really heard a cat." June said. "Maybe there's a…"!
"That's enough." Brother Baxter said as he pushed the door open.
The gymnasium laid empty with its floor riddled with footprints and dirt.
The foul stench was enough to force the girls to cover their mouths.
"I instructed the janitor to take the right off." Brother Baxter said.
"I expect this entire gymnasium to be cleaned by mid night."
The girls walked into the room as they came across buckets of water, brushes, and soap.
"Be sure to make this place spotless on I'll be sure to make a greater punishment for you."
The faculty member slammed the door and locked it behind them.
"Perfect." April G said. "Didn't expect to work till my birthday."
"Tomorrows your birthday too?" June asked.
"My sixteenth."
"Mine too" Madison said.
"Ditto." June added. "Small would."
"Guess we won't have a sweet sixteen after all." Madison said as she picked up a mop.
"At least we'll be miserable together." said June.
"Yeah us." The three girls said in ancient before sharing a lough.
"Come on, Birthday girls." April G laughed. "Let us get the over with.
The girls cleaned every corner of the gymnasium.
After spending several hours of cleaning, the floors, the girls laid on the bleachers.
"God, that was awful." June complained.
"Just be glad that Baxter didn't make us polish his statue." Said April G.
"He has one of those?" Madison asked.
"With his ego, I wouldn't be surprised."
As the girls unwounded from their labor, a strange meow came from the other side of the gymnasium door.
"That noise again." June said.
"Let's check it out." April G said.
The girls ran to the door only to discover that the door was still locked.
"Almost forgot. Baxter kept us stuck here."
"He can't seriously keep us here all night, can he?" June asked.
"I'm sure, he'll be back soon." Madison added. "Eventually, we will…"
Before she finished her sentence, Madison noticed a strange object on the bleachers that was not there before.
"Is that a cake?"
"What?" April G asked as she and June looked at Madison.
"Look. It's a white cake with three lit candles." Madison pointed to the bizarre pastry.
"Where did that come from?" June said.
"No clue." Madison replied as she ran to the cake.
"Wait up."
The other girls ran after Madison, climbing up the bleachers as they all sat around the cake.
"This is weird" April G said. "How did this thing get here?"
"Maybe Baxter left it for us as a reward while we weren't looking." Jun said.
April G looked at June with a blank too.
"I know. I thought it sounded stupid too."
"Whatever brought it here, at least we have something to eat." Madison said as her stomach began to growl.
"Should we really eat a cake that just popped out of nowhere?" asked April G.
"Well, it is our birthday in the morning." June said.
The girls stained at the cake with a sense of hunger. The white frosting sat on the pastry, invoking their taste buds of the orphans.
"Fine. But let us at least blow out the candles." April G said.
"Of course." June said.
The teenagers blew out the candles, snuffing the flames out.
"Now where are the forks?" Madison said.
"Who needs forks?" June replied. We have our hands."
"Weirdest birthday ever." April G said.
"Bon appetite" Madison smirked.
The girls each took pieces of the cake and ate the frosted dessert. The scarlet complexion of the inner caked intoxicated the girl's taste buds as they consumed the last crumbs.
"That was delicious." June said.
"Got to admit. I never hate a cake that good." April G said.
"Same here and I don't even like cherry." Madison added.
"Cherry?" said April G.
"I thought it was red velvet."
"I thought it was raspberry." June added.
The lights began to flicker, and the girls looked around in fear.
"Guess Baxter didn't pay the light bill." Said April G.
The lights turned off completely and the girls noticed the door was wide opened. Allowing the lights from the hallway to enter the gym.
"Hey. The doors open." Madison said.
The girls climbed off the bleachers and made their way out of the gym.
As they left, the white cat appeared in the crack of the doorway.
"It has begun." The cat said.
As a new morning arrived, each of the girls made their way to their classes.
"God my hands still hurt from holding that stupid mop." June said.
"Same here." Madison said.
"My ankles still hurt from that fall." April G added. "I'm just glad Baxter didn't make us clean the whole school."
"Speaking of which, have you seen him?"
"Not since he locked us in the gym." Madison said. Why?"
"Don't you think that it was weird that we just walked out of the gym and that door was left wide open."
"Now that you mention it, it is weird that the door was locked one minute and unlocked another." June added.
"True. Plus, the lights going in and out was really strange." Said Madison.
"Not as strange as that cake." June said.
"True." April G said. "I still can't believe we ate that thing. Sure, was good though."
"Sure was." June said.
"Well, I got to get to my chemistry class. See you later, birthday girls.
"later, Birthday girl." Madison and April G said as June walked away.
As June walked into her class, she felt a strange sense of uneasiness as the rest of her classmates stared at her.
"Great. What better way to start off birthday than to have people make me feel more like a freak?"
June made her way to her table as Veronica walked to her with the teacher.
"Veronica." It's good to see…."
"It was her, Mr. Cliff."
Veronica said as she turned to the pudgy middle-aged teacher.
The ripples on his blue dress shirt multiplied as he folded his arms across his red tie.
"Hey. What's going on?" June asked with a puzzled face.
"Ms. Violet, your classmate has brought to my attention that you have stolen her bracelet." Mr. Cliff.
Baffled by the acquisition, June turned to veronica with a deep sense of betrayal.
"You can't be serious. You gave me this bracelet for my birthday."
"Ms. Hash, is this true?" Mr. Cliff asked.
Veronica paused for a minute and looked toward the door.
In the doorway was Vic scowling at her while folding his arms.
"No. She stole that bracelet from me."
"Why are you saying this?" June envied.
"Because it's true." Vic said as he walked in the classroom and polled veronica in for a hug.
"Mr. Thomas, I believe you should be in your own class." Mr. Cliff said.
"I have a hall pass, Sir. I just had to stop by to make sure Veronica was safe."
"Safe from me?" June asked.
"I gave her that bracelet for our anniversary. I never thought June would be so jealous that she'd try to steal it."
"Jealous of what?"
"Isn't it obvious? Cleary you want her for yourself."
The other classmates whispered to each other as June's sexuality was revealed.
"My girlfriends not a lesbian so why doesn't you leave us alone?"
The rest of the class began to whisper amongst each other after hearing about her sexual orientation.
"That's enough." Mr. Cliff said. The primary issue is that Ms. Violet has stolen from another student and must be punished."
"You said you loved me." June said to Veronica who enringed behind Vic.
"She's a liar. I never said anything like that. Veronica said.
"That's enough, Ms. Violet." Said Mr. Cliff. "Now return Ms. Nash's bracelet."
June took off the bracelet and threw it toward the end of the room.
"Ms. Violet." Mr. Cliff said.
"I know where the dean's office is." June yelled before running out of the room.
Veronica rippled at her fingertips as she contemplated what she did to June.
"Don't worry, Babe." Vic said. "That goth creep shouldn't bother us anymore."
"Mr. Thomas. I believe you should get to your next class." Mr. Cliff urged.
"Yes, Sir."
"Hey, can you get my bracelet?" Veronica asked.
"Do I look like a dog to you?"
"Forget it."
Veronica walked to the end of the room to retrieve the bracelet.
But as she reaches for it, the bracelet caught on fire and burned her hand.
"Ow" Veronica said.
"Babe." Vic called out as he ran to her side.
"Everyone stays back." Mr. Cliff said as he ran to his desk.
He pulled out a red fire extinguisher and sprayed the flames until they snuffed out.
"My hand." Veronica said.
"Take her to the nurse now" Mr. Cliff said.
Vic took Veronica to the nurse's office as Mr. Cliff reached for his phone.
"Dean Trask, we have a problem."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone