The Day Trippers

Chapter 1

I could already hear the bloodcurdling shrieks from the calculus room door. Luckily, this was the last class of my day. I scrambled up the stairs to avoid being late to class. If there is one class you don't want to be late, it's Ms. Gulon's.
I heard one time a kid was fifteen seconds late, and when he walked through the door she picked him up by his hair, dragged him over to her desk, and threw him into the cellar beneath her chair.
Goosebumps ran up and down my arms as I approached the ominous door. Shivers ran through my whole body. Murky green fog rolled out the door in waves. I could see Ms.Gulon through the doorway. She sat at her desk, facing the door. Yellow teeth bared in a snarl. Haunting, cold, life sucking, gray eyes glowing in the darkness. They say if you look into her eyes for more than ten seconds you turn into stone and she uses the statues for decoration in her basement.
As I entered the room, I stepped on something squishy. I looked down only to see a rat, snapping at my foot. I jumped back as it gnashed its teeth at me and then walked away into the dark classroom. I shuddered.
The carpets were spotted with blood, and the walls seemed to move. As I stepped closer to inspect, I saw hundreds of cockroaches scurrying different directions. I turned my head to Ms.Gulon's desk, remembering to keep my eyes down.
Her massive feet were perched on top of her desk as she was picking something out of her grotesque toenails. I could still smell the strong odor of bleach from her matted, fabricated, hair. Her hatchet-face scanned the room with a grimaced expression.
Last week, Tim was leaning back in his chair, so Ms.Gulon's giant python pet snake tried to swallow him whole. Luckily Mr.Horne heard his screaming, and rushed in and called animal control. They got him out, but Mr.Suckert had an interesting phone call with his parents.
"Return to your seats as I take roll," Ms.Gulon's voice shrilled as she spoke.
I quickly shuffled to my seat. I brushed dust and dead flies off the desk, revealing death wishes and student's wills. I wondered if I too would be needing to write my will soon.
After all, it was the first month of school and two kids had already disappeared and four were hospitalized.
"Olivia Grey." Ms.Gulon spit.
My head snapped up from my desk, "Here," I replied quickly.
"Liam Haden."
"Here."
I glanced at the clock, only 20 more minutes of prison and then I would be out of here.
"Now, you have a packet on the table that you need to finish before the end of class." She sneered.
Riley Smith raised her hand, "What if we don't get it done?" She asked in a small voice.
"Then you are incapable of intelligence. You have not listened to my lessons, so you have no longer have any use to this school since you clearly do not listen." Riley quivered, as Ms.Gulon slowly rose up from behind her desk. "And do you want to know what happens to stupid, inattentive, arrogant students who question my teachings?"
Riley stammered, but Ms.Gulon continued, "They end up like the rest of the students who don't pay attention in school! They end up in the cellar!"
Ms.Gulon was screaming now, spit spewing from her mouth like she was a human sprinkler. She towered over Riley who was trembling in her seat.
Riley yelped as Ms.Gulon took a handful of her blonde hair, pulling it close to her face. Riley's eyes started to water. I didn't know if it was from fear, or Ms.Gulon's horrid breath, or both. I could smell the mix of sour milk, moldy onions, cigarette smoke, and decaying rats from where I was sitting, so I could only imagine what she must have been sensing.
"Do I make myself clear?" She breathed. Riley squeezed her eyes shut, and nodded her head. Ms.Gulon just smirked, an evil smirk that only demons should wear.
"Good," she replied as she set down Riley on her seat. "Now thanks to Riley," Ms.Gulon gestured to her who was now staring at her desk, traumatized. "You only have 16 minutes and 29 seconds to finish the packet."
The class grumbled. The room sounded as if we were a rocket ship about to take off into space. What I would do just to be in that rocket. Millions of miles away from Ms.Gulon.
"28, 27," Ms.Gulon counted looking at her watch. The class scrabbled to her desk, grabbing the thick packets of dull, life sucking, useless torture that teachers make us do to watch us suffer.
As I returned to my seat, I saw Weirdo sitting at the desk right next to mine. Weirdo was a strange girl, with long, curly, blonde hair. She always wore eccentric, vintage clothing, and round tinted glasses. She looked as if she should've been in a different time. Weirdo always talked in riddles or said something strange. She never told us her real name, so people called her Weirdo, but she didn't mind. Or she never said otherwise. Most people never talked to her and tried to avoid her because they thought that she's crazy.
I slowly approached my desk. As I pulled out the chair, a centipede quickly slithered down the leg of the chair. I got to work right away on my packet.
I furrowed my brow in frustration. It's kind of hard to learn from Ms.Gulon when she's constantly throwing kids out the window, or having them eaten by her pets. I tapped the end of my pencil against my head. Stupid
"I can help you, Olivia," I jumped at Weirdo's silvery voice. I hadn't even realized I had said that out loud.
"What?" I whispered as I set down my pencil.
"I can see you're struggling, I can help you." I could hardly see her in the darkness of the eerie classroom.
"No, I'm fine, really. Besides, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble." What I said was only half true. I needed help, but I could do it on my own. Besides, Weirdo probably would just mess it up.
"No, I insist, it's really no trouble. I'm actually quite good at this kind of stuff." Her voice was soft and relaxed. I don't possibly know how anyone could be relaxed in Ms.Gulon's class.
"Okay, how do you do number six?" I asked, sliding over my packet.
"Why do I hear talking?" Ms.Gulon hissed.
"Because you have ears," I muttered softly.
    I looked down to see that Weirdo had slipped me a small piece of paper. I grabbed the small paper and unfolded it.
You are a day tripper.
What the heck did that mean? As soon as I opened my mouth to speak, the bell rang. Weirdo looked at me, nodded her head, and left the room. I looked down at my packet, somehow it had been finished.
"Get out of my room, maggots," Ms.Gulon sneered.
Quickly shoving all of my stuff into my binder, I hurriedly set the packet on Ms.Gulon's desk and rushed out the door. I searched for Weirdo, but she was nowhere to be seen. I looked down at the small piece of paper again.
You are a day tripper.
What was a day tripper?
I flipped over the piece of paper to see a phone number messily sprawled on the back. I shook my head to clear it and walked to my locker. What the heck, what was a day tripper?
I looked over the number again as I slipped my backpack over my shoulder. I listened as the number dialed. And dialed, and dialed. Until finally, someone answered.
I recognized the melodic, small voice, "Olivia, you called."
"What do you mean day tripper? What the heck does that mean?"
"I'm sorry Olivia, could we talk sometime tonight? I can't really talk right now. How about at the Java Hut, at 4:30?"
"Um, sure. But you better have a good reason for this."
"Believe me, I do," she said. I hung up the phone. I was confused and frustrated. If she was just messing with me I would be very mad. Why was I doing this anyways? But why was I so curious?