I looked at Zach. "Which one do you think is better?"
He scratched his head. "I'm all for the sugar coated one but then again, custard cream filled sounds delicious."
I shrugged. "Nothing says we can't have them both."
Zach nodded his head in agreement. "Only problem is, there's no one serving and I don't have money."
I frowned and pointed at the silver bell placed on the counter. "I'm assuming we just ring that."
He blinked and rubbed his eyes. "I swear, this place makes my head hurt. I could have sworn that wasn't there a second ago."
I shrugged again, pressed the buzzer and waited. A second later, a woman with grey hair and twinkling eyes ambled into view. She smiled and wiped her hands on a towel.
"Well, well. It's not every day I get two fine gentlemen coming to my corner of the world."
I blushed. "We'd like to have a sugar-coated donut, a custard cream filled donut, and an éclair."
The woman raised an eyebrow and started packing our orders. "Straight to the point."
Zach raised his hand. "Excuse me ma'am, would you mind explaining something to us?"
She smiled. "Of course."
He gestured towards the backroom. "If we're on a school bus, how is there enough space to hold a bakery stall and an adjoining pantry?"
She continued moving around and getting our orders ready, so I assumed she hadn't heard him. As I was about to get her attention, she looked at him and spoke softly.
"All in due time, my boy. Your true strength lies not in what you are, but who you are. And remember, not everything is at it seems. Sometimes, the wolf wears the sheep's wool."
She turned to me and suddenly everything felt heavy like I was underwater.
"As for you, Djimal, fret not. That you cannot see it doesn't mean it isn't there. Ancient things need some time to get moving."
She winked at me and suddenly I felt lightheaded, almost like when I used to test how long I could hold my breath for, and right before everything went black, I'd breathe.
I blinked. Zach was staring confusedly at the woman. As she handed us our snacks, something she said registered.
"Excuse me, how did you know my middle name was Djimal?"
She turned and put her finger to her mouth, then disappeared through the door.
I turned to Zach, not sure what had just happened. He looked at me then shrugged. "If you're about to ask me what just happened, I have absolutely no idea." He opened the pack and took a bite out of a donut. "All I know is that she makes stellar pastries."
Before I could respond, the ground shook and the world tilted. I smashed into Zach and the donut he was eating at full force. We fell to the floor and banged our heads. He groaned. "What's going on now?"
I looked around. Some people were giving us weird looks while others were straightening ties and tightening shoelaces. I flushed. "I think we just arrived."
We got up and dusted ourselves. Well, Zach did. I looked for a tissue paper to wipe off what had once been Zach's donut but was now a mushy paste of sugar and cream on my tie. I found one and cleaned up the mess as best as I could. When the worst got out, Zach and I straightened our ties and checked ourselves over once more.
With a hiss, the doors opened and as the students left in a steady stream, I looked back at the now empty bakery stall. I couldn't help but feel kind of relieved that we were leaving the bus. I sighed and joined the stream of students flowing out of the bus.
YOU ARE READING
Imperial High
FantasíaIt's 1981 and summer is coming to an end. The daisies are beginning to bloom, schools resume and offices open once more. Everything is normal. Or not. Centuries ago, a prophecy told of seven warriors who would come together, leading an army to fight...