Lawndale and Sandi Griffin's Genie - Chapter 2 - Part 4

Anna and Chip entered the Science Block.

“Anna, don’t tell me you are doing what I think you are doing!” Chip said, in a slightly agitated tone.

“Chip, the genie may be hiding up there,” Anna protested.

“That wouldn’t matter if whomever has whatever is standing in for a lamp is not also there,” Chip countered.

“I am still going up there,” Anna said, as if daring Chip to deny her the exploratory opportunity. “Besides, I heard that it was Sandi Griffin,” she continued.

‘The president of the Fashion Clique?’ Chip thought. “You don’t know what is up there,” she said, responding to Anna’s previous comment, as they came to one of the flights of stairs to the second floor.

“I know. Think of it as an opportunity to explore,” Anna said, as she started going up the stairs.

‘It is a good thing that she is a member of the Orienteering Club.’ Chip thought as she followed her upwards.

Two minutes later, the two seniors opened a door marked Roof into a corridor much like all other corridors in the school. There were only minor differences. The floors, walls and ceilings looked the same. The Linoleum, the lockers and the lights were of the same colour. The doors were also the same colour. However something felt off (at least to Chip, if not to Anna).

“So far, it looks like anywhere else in the school,” Anna said, her voice showing a slight disappointment.

“But anything could be waiting in the classrooms,” Chip countered, with a slight edge of fear in her voice.

“Spoilsport!” Anna said, picking up on Chip’s fear. She led the way to a nearby door. It was unlocked. Anna slowly opened it. The science lab inside looked similar to the labs on the floors below, except that it had cruder looking instruments, inkwells in most of the desks and metal chairs.

“It looks more like something out of a Frankenstein movie than a high school science lab,” Chip said.

“It’s not that bad,” Anna said as she stepped into the slightly Frankenstein-ish science classroom.

“Maybe not,” Chip conceded. They looked around that room before moving on to the next room.

“So you are saying that the rumours yesterday were true, that there is a genie, that Sandi Griffin is involved and that you want my help in setting up a distraction so that Ms. Li doesn’t find out?” Jodie Landon asked, incredulously.

“Yes,” Daria said.

“What she said,” Jane said.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Jodie objected.

“Believe me, the last day has been rather strange, but the events happened!” Quinn said. ‘Of course, most of the people did not see what happened for themselves, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t hear about it,” Quinn said.

“I remember everything,” Stacy said.

“My imagina-ation is not tha-at active,” Tiffany said. She knew that her imagination was not that active ‘If I did have a more active imagination, I would have been able to help more with the discussion at Quinn’s,’ she thought.

Jodie sighed. “If it were anyone else telling me this, Daria, I wouldn’t have believed it, even with that extra floor. I mean that could be a scheme of Li’s accomplished via smoke and mirrors, right?”

“Not really,” Jeffy said.

“Anyway, I’m in,” Jodie said, ignoring Jeffy.

“If Jodie is in, I’m in,” her boyfriend, Michael ‘Mack’ Mackenzie, said.

“That’s great!” Quinn said in celebration.

“The question is; how are eight people going to distract the principal when a genie is potentially causing chaos?” Jodie asked. ‘Eight people can only do so much in the face of such chaos,’ she thought.

“We are going to need more people,” Quinn said. ‘But who else would want to help us?” she thought.

“Like Andrea, and some Sophomore Brains,” Daria said.

“That would be a good start, but what about Upchuck?” Jodie asked.

She was about to say something more when she was interrupted by a synchronised “Eeeeww!” from the Fashionable Trio.

“He is good with magic tricks, He could possibly use smoke and mirrors to hide the genie’s antics,” Jodie said. ‘Once one looks past his ultrasuave act he is actually a good person,’ she thought.

“I thought he gave up that hobby when he started acting all ultra-suave,” Jane said.

“Believe me, he hasn’t,” Mack said.

“If we find Upchuck, we will talk to him. As it is, we are running out of time. We need to start an interim plan now,” Daria said. ‘We are running out of time. There are less than ten minutes until homeroom,’ she thought.

Quinn glanced at her watch, “Yikes! You’re right!” she said. They began discussing an interim plan.

At the same time as Chip and Anna entering the Science Block and Daria et al talking to Jodie and Mack, Brooke was looking for Sandi between the Library and the Arts/Music block. She then heard Andrea saying “Be careful Sandi!” Brooke looked and saw that Torii was already moving in on Sandi.

“Be careful Sandi,” Andrea said.

“I know I have to be careful!” Sandi said.

“There you are Sandi!” Torii said. “This time your time trick won’t work!” she continued. ‘Bring it on!’ she thought, readying herself for what might come next.

“And why is that?” Sandi asked, glaring at Torii. Torii charged, grabbing the emerald. She and Sandi then struggled. Sandi grabbed Torii’s hair. Torii then also grabbed Sandi’s hair. Sandi used her other hand to try to wrestle Torii’s hand off the emerald. This went on for a minute before Torii decided to wish Sandi somewhere else. By this time a large crowd had gathered, including Jean, Andrea (both hoping that Sandi would beat Torii back), Brooke, Ted, Joey and Jamie.

“I wish that Sandi would be elsewhere!” Torii said. ‘Now, I have the emerald!’ Torii thought, gloating.

“No!” Sandi said before she vanished, leaving Torii holding the emerald.

“Where did she go, Torii Jericho?” Andrea asked.

“Why don’t you ask the genie, Hecuba!” Torii said. She purposely wasn’t on a first name basis with unpopular teens to spite them.

“She is still in the school!” Jean said, to Andrea. At Joey’s glare she said “She’s not in the pool though.”

“Good,” Joey said.

Torii looked at the extra floor on the science block. ‘No, I’ll leave that there. There may be no telling what useful nick-knacks may be in there,’ she thought. She came up with a wish. “I wish for bright streamers in the school colours hanging off the side of the library,” she said. ‘That will brighten this school up!’ she thought.

Jean grumbled but granted the wish anyway. Bright blue and yellow streamers appeared, with the usual sound, hanging off the library building.

Elias was outside the cafeteria when Sandi appeared next to him. “Elias, I, like, need your help!” she said, with reluctance.

“Someone else has the emerald?” he asked.

“Torii Jericho!” she said. Elias’ eyes widened.

“Let’s go,” he said. ‘She would be worse than Sandi!’ he thought. He ran off towards the quad, Sandi followed close behind him.

Torii was still deciding what to wish next when she saw Elias and Sandi enter the quad and run towards the crowd. She grabbed the emerald. “Oh no you don’t!” Andrea said, growling. She leapt towards Torii. Torii put herself into a defensive stance, but that was no defence against 145 pounds of Goth Chick moving towards her at 10 miles per hour.

Andrea crashed into Torii, preventing her from making a wish, and knocking her over. “You are going to give the emerald back to Sandi!” she said, as she grabbed the emerald herself.

“Why don’t you want it for yourself?” Torii asked, through gritted teeth.

“It is too big a responsibility, for any one person, especially a person like me,” Andrea said. She saw that Sandi was now approaching the two. “I wish that Sandi would have the emerald back.”

The emerald disappeared from around Torii’s neck and appeared around Sandi’s neck. Andrea got off Torii and looked at Sandi in the eyes. “I hope you realize what a burden having a genie at your command is,” she said.

Sandi was at a loss for words as the bell rang. She did not know what to say in response to Andrea’s statement.

She then wished herself to homeroom.

Anna and Chip heard the bell ring as they exited the third laboratory (which definitely had Frankenstein qualities). “We can come back at recess,” Anna said.

“Possibly,” Chip said as they went back towards the stairs down to the normal part of the science block.

Daria, Quinn and the others heard the bell ring. “At least we have a basic plan,” Quinn said. ‘ I hope it works!’ she thought.

“That we do have, Quinn. That we do,” Jane said.

“Hopefully we won’t need to put it to the test,” Jodie said.

“Murphy’s law may come into play,” Daria said.

“I hope not,” Jodie said. They then dispersed to their different homerooms, after agreeing to meet at Recess.

20 minutes later, Ms Li was handed the incident report about the ‘fight’ between Andrea and Torii.

“That sort of behaviour is definitely not the sort of behaviour that Lawndale High students should be behaving in!” she exclaimed (pronouncing the school’s name in her usual manner), after she read it.

“Ms. Haley-Andrea Hecuba and Ms. Victoria Jericho, report to the Principal’s office immediately!”

Torii knew that she was in trouble if the principal used her full name. She certainly didn’t see any teachers during her confrontation with Sandi or with Andrea, but someone must have been there. She exited the economics class with trepidation (after grabbing a hall pass from Mrs. Bennett). ‘Hecuba will take the fall, no matter what she says,’ she thought.

Quinn and Jeffy looked at each other as Torii exited the room. Did this have something to do with the events related to the genie? Or was it separate? Neither were sure, so they decided to stay put.

“Ms. Haley-Andrea Hecubaand Ms. Victoria Jericho, report to the Principal’s office immediately!”

‘What is it now? I thought no staff was present when I was grabbing the emerald off that ‘Popular Girl’ Torii,” Andrea thought. She also didn’t like the fact that the principal used her first name. ‘Haley is no name for a Goth like me,’ she thought as she walked up to Mr DeMartino’s desk.

Mr DeMartino handed her a hall pass. “Whatever it is Ms Hecuba, come back ASAP!” he said.

“Whatever!” she said as she left the room.

Daria, Jane, Jodie and Mack looked at each other as Andrea left the classroom. They were wondering whether Ms. Li’s call to the office had anything to do with recent events. None of them were sure, so they didn’t follow Andrea.

“Ms. Haley-Andrea Hecubaand Ms. Victoria Jericho, report to the Principal’s office immediately!”

Stacy looked up from her work as she heard Ms. Li’s announcement. ‘Does this have something to do with the genie?’ she thought. She looked at Tiffany, whom was looking at her textbook with a perplexed expression. It appeared that Tiffany hadn’t paid the announcement any notice. She also noticed that Sandi (whom was sitting on the other side of Tiffany) had tensed up when the announcement was made. She also glanced at Jean. The genie however appeared to be engrossed in the work.

But Sandi’s reaction made Stacy think. ‘I have to check it out!’ she thought. She got up and walked to the front. “Mr. Crown, I need to go to the bathroom,” she said. The teacher absentmindedly handed her hall pass without looking at her, and continued reviewing his lesson plan. She quickly exited the classroom.

‘What is Stacy up to?’ Sandi thought as she saw her exit the classroom. She went back to the work.

Stacy slowly edged along the corridor, and ducked into an adjacent corridor when she saw Torii turn a corner into the corridor. ‘Ok, there’s the Popularity Meter Girl, but where’s the Goth Chick,’ she thought. She followed Torii quietly.

Andrea reached the principal’s office first.

“Take a seat, Ms. Hecuba,” Ms. Li said.

Andrea crossed her arms and stared at the Principal in defiance.

“You will take a seat. Your actions this morning quite possibly have tarnished the good name of Lawndale High,” Ms Li, putting more reverence into the pronunciation of the school’s name than usual.

“Why do you have to do that?” Andrea asked, referring to Ms. Li’s pronunciation.

“It shows school spirit! Now sit down, before Ms. Jericho arrives,” Ms Li said.

Andrea reluctantly took a seat. “Now, Ms. Hecuba, why did you attack Ms. Jericho?”

Andrea remained silent.

“I need an answer, Ms. Hecuba,” Ms. Li said, whilst staring Andrea in the eyes. Andrea stared back for a few seconds before responding.

“The Fifth,” she said. Telling the Principal the truth would be a very bad idea. ‘I have no idea of what would happen if she gets a hold of that emerald!’ she thought.

“You are not getting away that easily, Ms. Hecuba,” the Principal said. She placed a thick folder on the desk. “This is your permanent record. Do you want me to go through it?”

Andrea just sat back and glared at the Principal, as if saying ‘bring it on.’

“Fine, I will read your misdemeanours to you in front of Ms. Jericho.”

Andrea raised an eyebrow. ‘She has to be bluffing. There is no legal way she can do that!’ she thought.

“And I’ll read hers to her in front of you,” Ms. Li continued.

‘Still would be a bluff. But if it is not a bluff, it is the price to pay for her not knowing about the genie,’ Andrea thought.

Torii then entered the office. “What is this about, Ms. Li?” she asked.

“You and Ms. Hecuba were involved in an altercation shortly before Homeroom. Why were you fighting?” The principal asked.

Stacy tip-toed up to the office door and then began to peek through the keyhole.