The Witcher

Mudslinging

At school, in the gym, band music played as a person in a mole costume danced behind Coach Lawrence as he listened to the students who cheered on the bleachers.

"Give me an A!" Coach Lawrence called out to the crowd, the mole jumping in the background, doing poses to the letters.

The students repeated, "A!"

"Give me an R!"

"R!"

"Give me a C!"

"C!"

"This is taking way too long. Give me an "adia"!"

The student cheers died down some confusing chatter here and there.

"What's that spell?" Coach Lawerence asked the students. He scoffed when no one in the crowd replied and moved. Coach Lawerence then yelled, "Arcadia!"

The mole appeared before Coach Lawerence as the students cheered for their school. Pushing the mole out of the way, Coach Lawerence nearly knocked the microphone stand down.

"Go, Moles! Go, Moles," Coach Lawrence said less excitedly. "Before we begin. I have a few announcements-"

In the crowd, Jim, Raelle, and Toby sat near the top. Jim was explaining what he saw in his dream to Toby and Raelle, but his friend's focus was on something other than the story. Toby's eyes were a clear concept that he was very interested in whatever he was staring at. Raelle looked at her brother with concern as she listened to his story.

"And his eye is glowing. And then, the dream just keeps reminding me that I'm completely way out of my league. Right?" Jim asked his friend and sister before noticing Toby was preoccupied with something else. "Tobes."

"Who is that masked mole? You ever wonder?" Toby asked Jim and Raelle.

The three teens watched the mole as it did a few small dance moves.

"You didn't hear a word I said just then, did you?" Jim questioned Toby.

"Sure, I did," Toby responded. "You had no problems sneaking into the Darklands when it was to save Claire's brother, but now that Kanjigar says you've got to face Gunmar, you're having nightmares about him and are freaking out that you're way out of your league. I can multitask, Jimbo."

Jim smiled before looking at the mole and answered, "It's Bill Aronstein."

"Bill moved to Wisconsin. This is someone else's artistry. Someone with feminine wiles," Toby said as he continued to watch the mascot.

"What do you know about feminine wiles? How do you even know that it's a girl under there?" Raelle questioned her friend.

Romantic music began to play as the spotlight only seemed to be on the mole, dancing like 'any girl would'.

"Uh, trust me, Rae. I know women, and that is all woman under there," Toby told her.

"You know women?" Raelle repeated, questioning her friend with a raised brow.

During their little dance, Toby felt as though he made a connection with the mole until they fell into Coach Lawrence, who groaned in annoyance. The students laughed. Jim, Raelle, and Toby watched the mole leave with a bit of curiosity.

"Hey! All right, mole, that's enough! Go back into your burrow or whatever!" Coach Lawrence pushed the mascot aside, and the mole walked sadly away. "Okay. Principal Levit has taken ill with the flu. He's asked me to handle announcing the students the faculty's nominated for the year-end Spring Fling King and Queen. The nominees are Shannon Longhannon! I'll pronounce it soon, Shannon."