Chapter 5

MONDAY

As the three friends entered the main doors of the school, Hardcase slipped her right hand through Steetch's left elbow, her left hand through Freaky's right arm, and with linked elbows muttered from the side of her mouth "Start with your right foot and go!" and launched them into the wizard of oz waltz down the wide hallway. The few fellow students already in the hallway got out of the way, and a few more carefree or daring of their classmates managed to link on the end extending the line and matching the steps, all singing "We're OFF to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz..."

Yes, that was the way to greet the start of a new school week! Hardcase was exuberant about the start they had made on their new cool underground fort- The entrance was in the roof of a low rock overhang, the narrow kneehigh opening leading to a shallow, dark, unwelcoming trash littered wedge about four feet deep. by lying on your back as you wiggled under the ledge, you could sit up as you pushed the thin sliding rock panel to the side, and stand up into the revealed passage.

So far, there was only one room, Freaky didn't want to have the dustcloud blowing the rock dust out of the rocky gap in the daylight. Besides, they had to plan out their secret lair. Sunday had been spent drawing designs, and discussing ideas. Steetch had reminded the others that every secret lair has another secret exit, so they added that idea to their list. Hardcase wondered how difficult it would be to transport the rock dust to her garden, or to a central location she could get at. It would provide useful minerals. Freaky wanted access to water, and some kind of drainage for graywater and or sewage. He didn't think it would be too much trouble, but he might need a pump to pull the water to the surface. That brought up lighting and electricity, which Steetch said he could wire in if they could find someplace to steal it from in the first place. He would need a breaker junction box with several 15 and 30 waat fuse breakers, and whatever lighting fixtures and outlets they needed.

They all split up, and headed off to class, their unspoken agreement being that they would meet for lunch as usual.

You have to forgive Freaky, he was after all a 16 year old boy. If there were more strange and willful skirt-lifting zephers than was usual, considering none was the usual amount, it was, in a manner of speaking, 'only natural'.

Steetch made a game of being fluid and graceful as he navigated the hallways, also an abnormal, if mostly unnoticable occurance. Most people, if it impinged their awareness only sensed that something wasn't quite right. Steetch did prevent a bully from tripping a freshman with his arms full of books with a unobstrusive, well-timed flick of a gum wrapper into the eye of the culprit as he started his move to stick out his foot. Steetch then murmured into the unknowing would-be victim's ear the sage advice to "get yourself a backpack." as he glided by. Arriving at class early, he went over his homework one last time before handing it in. Steetch was quite academic, keeping his GPA just low enough to not garner any unwanted attention, such as the Dean's list, or the Class Valedictorian slot. Steetch had been embarassed enough over the years of his clutzy antics, that he would rather just blend in, and be invisible. He didn't talk much about himself to others, and even Hardcase and Freaky didn't know everything about him, like his skill with computer programming, (He was the instigator of the "Have a nice day" adventure), his mechanical and electrical prowess (He could wire a house, or HotWire a car, pick a lock or crack a combination, build a bomb or manufacture fireworks, including making the gunpowder in the first place.) You can see why he kept his knowledge and skills close to his vest.