A Dangerous Secret Revealed

Chapter 2

The halls of the school were exactly the same when I left. There were less students roaming in here this time.
Some students stared at me, I wasn't wearing my uniform. I walked straight to the principal's office.

I take a deep breath and thought about what I will say. My hand was an inch away when the door opened.
Grazilda looked at me then gave me a strange smile.

"Catherine, my dear student, come in!" She greeted happily. I laughed and went in. She was more like a friend than a principal to me. I took a moment to take in her office. It had changed a lot. But the first obvious improvement was the ceilings and the walls.

"Catherine, what brings you back here?" She asked. What should I say?
"Uh, actually I came here to...to...talk about something. That I think you may know about."
She nodded her head slowly, maybe not sure if she understood what I was saying. I took a seat in front of her desk and explained the matter.
"Grazilda - my brother's missing! He...he...was took from a woman and...and.." I blurted out. Grazilda raised her eyebrows.
"Your brother is MISSING? Did I hear that right?" I nodded my head vigorously. "Tell me what happened." She said.

I explained very quickly, from bottom to end, with the words tumbling out of my mouth.

"Wait...You said he was SHRINKING? And...the intruder took him?!" She said incredulously. All I did was nod again.
"Yes and...I thought you might have any idea WHO this intruder is?" I asked politely. "I...need you help."

Grazilda's expression changed. It looked like a mixture of hesitation and...fear.
"I'm truly sorry. But I don't know anything about James. I...don't know how I could possibly help," She told me apologetically. But something in her sudden change of tone, sudden change of expression...made me think she was lying.
"Please, Grazilda," I pleaded. "I need your help. And I know you KNOW. Please."
Grazilda shook her head slowly. "But I DONT know. I'm sorry."
"Grazilda. Please. You have to tell me whatever it is you know."
She didn't reply for a long time.

She sighed. "Alright, Alright," She finally said. "I have a long story to tell."
"Good thing I have lots of time."
"No interruptions. Okay?" I nodded once again.

Her explanation began and I listened well.
"This is how every problem in the land of Spunkies started. It started with a poor, young Takinyo girl living in a very, very tiny house somewhere in the forest. The girl had no parents, no siblings, no relatives whatsoever. Both parents were in jail for deadly crimes. Her siblings were either dead or lost in the woods. She was the remaining girl in that small house. Her name was Ellie." I have a feeling this story is interesting...

"Despite all her problems, Ellie stayed kind, hopeful, and cheerful. For her meals, she would catch a rabbit or small deer to eat. One day, a man came up to her house, knocking on the door made of branches and twigs. She thought he was there to help her. But it turned out he was actually there to demolish her house, along with the whole forest, to build a construction site! The girl pleaded for him not to, and the man offered her a deal - she would let her demolish the house, and in return the man would take her to the orphanage. Ellie, of course, agreed quickly. She thought the orphanage would be the best place to stay. When she arrived, it was the exact opposite of what Ellie thought. Children hated , disliked, dispised, and feared her. They feared her because she was a daughter of the two most popular thieves and kidnappers. Ellie's parents were the world's most infamous criminals. Ellie often tried to be friendly and talk to them, but all they did were assume that she was just dangerous. Sometimes, the people who took care of the orphanage would join in the ignoring and making up rumors about her. Ellie stayed there for a few more months. Until one summer day, she couldn't handle it anymore. She took off and escaped that horrible orphange." She paused for a long while. Is that it?