A Yeti Story

Chapter Fourteen: Harvey

December 9th, 2019

"Where is everyone? Don't tell me a fourth of the class left early for winter vacation," I said, scanning the room as I took a seat.

"A couple of the guys dared each other to drink the tap water," one of the guys on my hockey team informed me. "Because of the ban."

"Ugh. How stupid do you have to be?"

"It didn't turn out to be that bad. They just came down with a cold."

"They should be going to get the cure."

He held up his hands. "Don't lecture me. I didn't do anything." Turning, he faced the teacher who had just then walked in.

"I hope everyone did the weekend homework!" the teacher said, plopping down at her desk. "I'll take attendance and then we'll check."

Most people had forgotten to do their homework, but I didn't. It was two pages of easy work. The class was supposedly honors, but it was a breeze in my opinion.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

That same Monday, everyone in the school got an email around third block.

Dear students, faculty, and staff of Foxcroft Academy,

By now you should be well aware of the warning against drinking tap water. I emailed out a warning on Friday, however some students decided to ignore it. These students are now at the hospital, receiving the cure.

We are now almost certain the disease that had been going around the school has come from drinking the contaminated tap water. We have hired someone to look into the water and find what is contaminating the water, wherever that be leaking sewage or a malfunction.

Soon, the water will be safe to drink again, but do not drink from the tap until you receive notice that it is safe to do so. The school has free bottled water stations now, do not hesitate to hydrate safely.

One last week until winter break.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation,

Dr. Rondal Baldwin

Assistant Principal

Foxcroft Academy

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

I stepped out of the shower and began to dry myself off. Once I was somewhat dry, I threw on my clothes and exited my shower stall.

"I'm sure we'll find the yeti if we keep looking," someone said. "Let's go hunting Wednesday after school, when we don't have practice." It was the guy who replaced Jhon; I couldn't remember his name.

I turned the corner to find about eighty percent of the team sitting in a ragtag circle. They looked deep in conversation.

"You guys are still searching for the yeti?" I asked, standing outside the circle.

"Of course we are," Enrico said coolly, looking up at me. "We spotted it once, now we have to get a photo... or something."

"We just need to prove we really found it. That it's real," our left defense, Aziz said.

"Come with us. We'll meet here after the last class of the day and then head up the mountain," Enrico said. "Dress warm."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

Swinging open the doors to the ice rink locker room, I found my entire team dressed for temperatures below freezing. I myself was decked out in a wool hat, multiple layers of clothes, mittens, and water-resistant boots.

"Perfect. Is that coat water-resistant?" Enrico asked, looking up to see me.

"Duh."

"Then let's head out."

The hockey team got up and I was sweeped away in the flurry. Before I knew it, we were outside school grounds, heading up the icy mountain road.

"Once we're higher up, we'll head into the forest," Enrico explained.

"Is the forest owned by anyone?"

"Not anyone that'll care," the replacement guy said.

By the time we finally headed into the forest, my nose felt frozen solid. My cheeks were probably tomato red, but we were far from done.

"Stay quiet," Enrico commanded.

"And look out for giant footprints or any tracks a yeti could leave," Aziz added. We lined up single file and began to snake through the trees, which got more dense as we walked.

Everyone was completely silent. The only sound was the wind, whipping frozen flakes at my face.

We passed through several clearings and thickets and I began to worry about my schoolwork. Even though it was the week before break, my teachers had decided to cram in as much material as possible. Maybe it would have been smarter to use this time to study...

Who was I kidding? I couldn't fail an advanced placement class if I tried. School was easy for me and a little break wouldn't change a thing.

"When is this yeti showing up?" one of the guys whined. I doubted he'd been on a hunt before... He just gave that vibe.

"Shush. Be patient," Enrico said, trudging forward.

After what seemed like hours, a flurry of white fumbled out from a thicket and then back in. There was not a word. Not a thought. We raced through the clearing. The line became a stamping blob. We galloped through the thicket, searching and searching.

"That was the yeti. You guys saw it too, didn't you?" one of the guys huffed.

The group merged together. "Augh, of course we saw it," Enrico snapped.

Aziz shook his head. "To be so close, yet so far..." He sighed.

The yeti is real!?