𝙳𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚜𝚍𝚊𝚢 || 𝙿𝚒𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝙼𝚌𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚗

𝟹 - 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚢𝚕𝚊𝚗

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The storm churned into a miniature hurricane. Funnel clouds snaked towards the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster jellyfish. Kids screamed and ran for the building. The wind snatched away their notebooks, jackets, hats and backpacks. Diana zipped up the jacket she had borrowed from Piper. Gods be damned if she lost it.

Leo lost his balance and almost toppled over the railing, but Jason grabbed his jacket and pulled him back. "Thanks, man!" Leo yelled.

Diana looked as the kids got in the door, and surprisingly she did not have a wish to join them. A sense of adrenaline filled her veins, almost as if she was ready for something. But she didn't know what she was waiting for.

"Go, go, go!" said Coach Hedge as he pushed them towards the doors. But it would be of no use. This was one of those monsters that the coach had mentioned - and even though she couldn't remember just why she knew that, Diana knew that the monster was only getting the others away to have an open field.

Piper and Dylan were holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Could it be that Piper or Dylan was one of those who were not supposed to get inside? Diana didn't know where she got all her theories, but she let them run wild anyway. Piper's snowboarding jacket was flapping wildly, her dark hair all in her face.
She should've been freezing with the wind going everywhere, but she looked calm and confident - telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving.

Jason, Diana, Leo and Coach Hedge ran towards them, but it was like running through quicksand. The wind seemed to fight them, pushing them back. Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside, then lost their grip on the doors. They slammed shut, closing off the skywalk. Piper tugged at the handles.
Inside, the kids pounded on the glass, but the doors seemed to be stuck. Yeah, Dylan or Piper - most likely Dylan - had something negative to do with this.

"Dylan, help!" Piper shouted.

Dylan just stood there with an idiotic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind, like he was suddenly enjoying the storm. Okay, so he was probably on the bad side in this.

"Sorry, Piper," he said. "I'm done helping."

He flicked his wrist and Piper flew backwards, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck.

"Piper!" Diana tried to charge forward, but the wind was against her, and Jason held her back.

"Jason," Diana said sternly, "let me go!" He just shook his head and made sure they all kept behind the coach.

"You three, stay behind me," the coach ordered. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our Monster." Okay, so he was the monster, not just on the monster's side.

"What?" Leo demanded. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face, but he swatted it away. "What monster?"

The coach's cap blew off, and sticking up above his curly hair were two bumps - like the knots cartoon characters get when they're bonked on the head. Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat - but it wasn't a regular bat any more. Somehow it had changed into a crudely shaped tree - branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.