The Thyme Travelers

Chapter Nine: Mr. Hyde and Other Stupid People

"And that is resonance," Mr. Hyde said. When I woke up from my thinking I was in the science classroom, first hour, on Thursday. Meh. I looked to the opposite end of the room to see Zach looking at me with vivid green eyes. I turned back to Hyde who was looking at me like he was expecting me to say something.

"Yes?" I asked pushing the boundary between obedience and defiance.

"I'd appreciate it if you would pay attention to me instead of making goo-goo eyes at Zachariah." Multiple people giggled.

I had this amazing stare that I could give people and they'd freak out. It was just a blank stare, but my sister had told me it looked fierce and intense. I had given myself the stare in the mirror and I found nothing wrong with it. At this point, this is what I did. I gave Hyde The Stare. He looked at me unblinking. Oh no!!! He's immune!

"Anyways," he continued, taking his gaze off me and looking around the room, "As you know, you guys are going to have a four day weekend. What a treat. I know that so far only one group has started on their science project. I also know that no one is going to get started on his or hers this weekend. The school board has decided to push the due date back on the project, so instead of it being due at the end of this month, it'll be due at the end of next month. Hope you guys are grateful and will get started on your project soon." Oh, okay, so we were the only ones who had started (and finished) the project. Great. I'm in a classroom of slackers. My nightmare. "And"--- RIIIINNGGGGG!!!!!!!! Everyone got up to leave the classroom-"Remember to study for the test tomorrow!!!" Zach and I were almost out the door of the dreaded science room when we were interrupted. "Not you two!" he barked. I rolled my eyes and turned back around. Zach came back in the room nonchalantly, as if this was part of an every day procedure.

"What?" I asked rebelliously. I was sick of him picking on me!

"Come into the science lab with me, I need to speak with the two of you privately." The science lab was adjoined with the classroom accessible by a door in the front of the room and we shuffled quietly into the room. For some reason I felt another presence in the classroom from the lab. Not like a ghost or anything, more like another person. I ignored it.

"Cassandra!" Hyde snapped me out of my thinking. I raised my eyebrows. "Pay attention to me when I'm talking to you! I know how you just float between this world and your own. Stop! The world doesn't revolve around you. Pay attention!" Geez, what an attention hog.

"But," I began, though Hyde cut me off.

"And I smelled a rat," he said, turning to Zach. I saw Zach's eyes flicker. "I seem to be missing my prized lab rat. You were the last one seen in the lab the day it went missing. Do you know what happened?" he sneered. Poor Zach. He was in this pressure, and I had to help him.

"I-I took the rat," I blurted. Oh Lord, what am I getting myself into? Zach looked at me sternly.

"No, sir, I took the rat. She had nothing to do with it." Thanks for ruining my noble moment, Zach. Mr. Hyde sighed.

"Well since the two of you can't decide who's going to take the blame now, how about you decide in detention this afternoon?" Then, as if he'd prepared for this moment, he took out a notepad and assigned us detentions. My jaw clenched, but I wasn't going to defend anymore. Just take this like a woman, I told myself. The two quiet kids. In detention. It didn't make sense, but then again, neither did Hyde. Zach and I took our detention slips. Well, he took his and I snatched mine. Wow, I'm becoming feisty. Before I left the lab, I heard a running sound coming from the classroom but when I went out into the classroom, whoever it was had gone. And now we have a ghost in the science classroom. Just what I need. Great.