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.