章 26: Donovan!

"WHAT?" Donovan jerked to attention, nearly toppling over as he stumbled back to reality, eyes darting around as if he had just been woken from a nap. His bewildered gaze landed on Mason, who stood there with a hand on his hip, visibly annoyed.

"What on earth are you doing?" Mason asked, trying to keep his frustration in check.

Donovan scratched his head, clearly not prepared to answer. "I was, uh… thinking."

"Well, stop thinking and come on. We've got a situation to handle."

Donovan, still looking confused, followed Mason back toward where George and the instructor stood waiting. George was visibly uneasy, his mind racing, trying to figure out how to wriggle out of this mess.

"Alright, Donovan," Mason began once they were all gathered again. "George here says he knows Sir Michael and wants to be excused from attending the Great Wizard's speech."

Donovan blinked. "Wait, what?" He glanced between George and Mason, completely thrown. "Why would anyone want to miss that? The Wizard of Oz is like, the biggest deal around here."

George kept his face as neutral as possible, but inwardly, he was still panicking. "I know it sounds insane, but I'm telling you the truth. Sir Michael specifically told me not to attend. It's… personal."

The instructor folded his arms, still fuming, his skepticism written all over his face. "And why should we believe that? You're a new student. This academy doesn't exactly hand out privileges like that, especially not from someone as important as Sir Michael."

Mason looked at George, his tone softening just a little. "George, listen. I'm trying to help you out here. But you've got to understand, this is Emerald City Academy. Skipping out on something as monumental as the Great Wizard's speech is serious. You're going to need to give us a lot more than 'personal reasons' if you want us to believe you."

George took a deep breath, knowing he was on thin ice. "I get it, okay? But Sir Michael told me not to say anything more about why. Look, I'm not trying to cause trouble. I just need to follow his instructions."

The instructor's patience had clearly worn thin. "This is absurd! You're making an outrageous claim. Do you have any idea the consequences of lying about something like this?"

Donovan was still piecing things together, his brow furrowed. "So, hold up. You're telling us Sir Michael, the same Sir Michael that works for Oz, told you—some random new student—not to attend the speech, but you can't say why?"

"Exactly," George said, exasperated. "That's what I'm trying to explain."

The instructor scoffed, clearly not buying any of it. "Do you take us for fools? This sounds like a convenient excuse to skip out on one of the most important moments of your academic career."

George grimaced, knowing the situation was quickly spiraling out of control. "Look, I know how this sounds, but I swear I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, ask Sir Michael yourself."

Mason considered this for a moment. "We will. But understand this, George—if you're lying, you're going to face serious consequences."

George nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. "I understand."

Mason turned to the instructor. "I think we've heard enough for now. We'll take it from here. No need to escalate this further until we get confirmation from Sir Michael."

The instructor, still fuming but recognizing Mason's authority, grudgingly agreed. "Fine. But don't think for a second that I'm letting this slide if it turns out to be a lie." He stormed off, leaving the three of them standing in the hallway.

As soon as the instructor was out of earshot, Donovan looked at George with a raised eyebrow. "I gotta admit, this is one heck of a story you're spinning."

"It's not a story," George insisted. "I'm just trying to stay out of trouble."

"Well, you're neck-deep in it now," Mason replied. "We'll contact Sir Michael and get to the bottom of this. You better hope he confirms what you're saying."

George sighed. "He will. I promise."

Mason and Donovan exchanged a glance. "Alright," Mason said, "we'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. But if this goes south, you won't be able to talk your way out of it."

With that, the two guards turned and walked down the hallway, leaving George standing there, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. He had bought himself a little more time, but he knew it was only a temporary reprieve. He had to figure out how to handle the upcoming speech—and fast.