The Magic School for the Utterly Hopeless (Completed/First Draft)

Chapter Fourteen

With a thwack we hit the shop's fabric awning.

Phew, it held our weight. I was scared we'd go straight through. That would've hurt a lot.

We then scramble, helping each other down to the street.

'Slithering silly snakes,' moans Hank, 'you weigh a ton, Eddy.'

'It's all knuckle sandwiches,' he replies, jumping from Hank's shoulders to the ground. 'Do you want one?'

'Not particularly.'

'Where to now?' Peni mouths as the sound of flittering wings fills our ears.

Hoping, I grab the shop's door handle.

Please be open. Please be open. Please be open.

I pull.

It is. Seriously, how lucky is that?

We swifty get inside.

'Everyone, hide,' I then whisper, closing the door and locking it. And while the others find their own hiding spot, I lunge behind the life size cut-out of a mage with a big smile and sporting an orange cloak.

Outside, three dark fairies zip down from above and peer into the shop, pressing their pointy noses against the window.

Oh, they're such ugly things. So different from good fairies. It's like their skin is made of boogers. It hangs and jiggles.

The dark fairies take their time before moving onto the shop next door.

'What do we do now?' Emily asks silently.

'We wait until they're done searching for us,' I answer. Then looking around, I notice we're inside a candy shop.

There are baskets and baskets of peppermint pixies, chocolate chimeras, licorice cockatrices, sugarberry wands, troll toe nails(not real, of course) and --

'Slithering silly snakes,' says Hank, getting out from behind a sign promoting candied black lobsterapples.

'Oh my,' says Rachel, her eyes widening.

Licking his lips, Eddy says, 'I've just realized I'm starving.'

'Me too,' says Emily.

Yeah, my stomach is rumbling like crazy. I'm not surprised. We've done a lot of physical activity tonight.

We glance at each other before chowing down like flying pigs. Except for Peni, that is.

'How can you guys eat when we've just seen Mr Nos turn to stone?' he asks.

'Hey, you gotta give what the belly wants,' I say with a mouthful of chocolate chimera.

This tastes so good.

'Also, this is stealing.'

'The shop keeper will forgive us, I'm sure. We're trying to save the city here. Break the Great Destroyer's spell. Turn everyone back to normal.'

'My dad won't be pleased if he finds out I've been stealing.'

'Come on, Peni,' I reply, biting the head off a sour griffin. 'I know you're hungry. You're drooling.'

Red-faced, Peni wipes his mouth and says, 'Fine. I am hungry. But if I get in trouble, I'm blaming you guys.'

'I'll tell your dad personally I shoved candy down your throat.'

'I'll hold you to that.' Peni then grabs a dragon wing and eats away, grinning. 'These are my favorites. My mom gets me these all the time.'

After finishing the candy stuffed in our mouths, we grab more and go sit down behind the shop's counter.