Chapter 4

     On the walk to the gift shop the teacher offered to buy the two a drink, and of course they gleefully accepted, while racing to the gift shop. The two looked like springs with all their jumping around. From the clothes to the snacks over to the trinkets and then to the drinks, trying to decide on everything they wanted to get. Lee and Miz really liked the gift shop with all the cool items they had, but some of the owl sculptures looked like they could stare into your soul sending shivers down their spines.

     But they didn't care because it was FOOD TIME!!! Just like human cogwheels they were grabbing snacks left and right. The teacher that occupied them was quite impressed, he's seen kids go crazy for food but these two looked like they had technique when grabbing the different shapes. Lee and Miz looked faster than the flash as they stacked piles as tall as the eiffel tower. The cashier looked amazed as the pile grew denser. “Now kids leave some food for the rest of the children.” The teacher said with a grin. They just gave him a nod as they went for the drinks.

     They didn't get as many drinks as they did food, but drinks are heavier and take up more room so they got what they thought was necessary. A few bottles of water, a can of watermelon tea, bottles of mango juice, and a couple others. While Lee and Miz were grabbing the last few drinks, kids started to swarm in. Some of the kids stopped at the counter with amazement on their faces confused how anyone could possibly eat all that food, while other kids were gawking at Lee and Miz with their arms full of drinks. The teacher that was with them was blushing with embarrassment. One of the other teachers came up to him and gave him a pat on the back while saying. “Those are some good choices you’ve picked there.” While sweating, the first teacher was barely able to say. “These aren’t mine.” The second teacher looked at his round build and scoffed, “yeah sure fatty.” After that rude remark Lee and Miz pushed past him harshly. The second teacher gave them a fierce glare, but they gave it no mind. “Okay as promised, you buy us one drink and we’ll pay for the rest, teach.” The teacher just nodded his head, trying to cover his face so no one could see his beet red cheeks. The second teacher just scoffed in disgust, turned away, went back to his group, and started snickering like a teenager. Lee and Miz looked at each other and then at the teacher that was accompanying them.

     With a big sigh they started to act like little bitty babies who have developed zero muscle. The acting may have been atrocious but that mattered not to them, they just wanted to get the nice teacher away from the others and that was the only way they could think of. The teacher looked like he had calmed down after watching Lee and Miz for a few seconds. He very much appreciated their efforts to take the focus off of him. “Okay kids let's pay and go find a spot to eat.” He said with a calm expression. “Yes sir.” Miz and Lee said, relieved that the nice teacher looked to be in a better mood. After paying an astounding amount they grabbed their bags and hopped behind the nice teacher while they looked for a sunny, grassy spot to eat lunch. After 15 minutes of trying to find the absolute best spot, they had to settle for second best. Partially shaded, grass that was dry, and not too close to the other kids. Once everyone was seated one  of the teachers made an announcement. “OKAY EVERYONE, WE HAVE 30 MINUTES TO EAT AND THEN IT’LL BE TIME FOR THE GAMES!” The teacher said with a booming voice. After silence had fell all the kids gave a big HURRAH, before scarfing down the food in front of them. Lee and Miz could care less, they were just happy there was a little quiet since getting to the owl sanctuary. Miz and Lee were peacefully eating when Mrs. Norfman came up from nowhere. The two stopped eating in fear of choking from surprise. “Oh hello Mrs. Norfman. How can I help you?” The teacher said with a tranquil look on his face. “I came to see how you were. I just heard from one of the teachers about what happened.” She said with concern in her voice. Lee and Mizs jaws dropped to the ground in shock, they have never once heard Mrs. Norfman give concern to another person. “I'm fine, he was just trying to be funny.” The nice teacher said with a disheartened smile. “No it was uncalled for. He was just being an ass. Are you sure you're okay, I can beat him up for you.” She said, rolling her sleeves up. “No, I'm truly okay. It’s a joke I grew up with so it barely affects me now.” He said with confidence.

     Mrs. Norfman looked at Lee and Miz and gave them a look. “We didn’t bully him, We swear!” They said in unison. Mrs. Norfman gave them a nod and turned away. Miz and Lee let out a sigh and looked at the nice teacher, asking for an explanation with their facial expressions. “Ah about that,we met in our first year of college, and became fast friends.” He said with a blush. Lee’s and Miz’s confusion only arose more, but they knew that asking would be pointless so they just accepted what the nice teacher said. Miz and Lee were too busy talking to eat much of their food. By the time lunch break had ended they had eaten one small bag of chips and one can of cold refreshing tea. 

     The Lead teacher stood up and clapped his hands to get the students attention, then out of nowhere he pulled out a mega phone and said. “Okay everyone, lunch has come to an end, so let's clean up all our trash and start getting ready to………PLAY SOME GAMES!!!” He said, going into a dramatic pose. Everyone started to snicker. The lead teacher only gave a smirk to their reaction before saying more. “Get a move on children, we’re burning precious daylight!” As if in a trance all the kids immediately stood up rushing to the trash cans and bathrooms before the games were to be decided.  

     Miz and Lee just sat in the background marveling at the other kids who were actually doing what they were told to do. The teacher that they were eating lunch with saw the miniscule amount they had eaten and gave them a worried look. Miz and Lee noticed the worried parent like look the nice teacher was giving them. They looked down and noticed how little they had eaten. “Don’t worry teach, we’re full off of the one bag, so don’t worry about us.” Lee said with a big smile, while Miz nodded his head in agreement. The nice teacher sighed, and gave them a gentle smile before ushering them to join the other children. 

     With a big smile they got up, thanked the nice teacher for having lunch with them and walked toward the hoard of excited children. Once all the kids were accounted for the teachers decided to hold a poll for what the first game would be. The options were Tag, hide and seek, and one of the more favored games, war. A game about strategy for those who like to use their brains, but for the children it was a good excuse to ram into people. Once the children heard the last option a very heavy bloodthirst was able to be sensed in the air. You could hear dogs across the field barking at these children who at the moment no longer look like innocent children. The gleam in their eyes could send shivers down one's spine. 

     Miz and Lee no longer felt safe in the group of kids, so they slowly backed away from the group. Each step had to be precise and quiet or they would end up alarming one of the gremlins, which could start a frenzy no one wants. After announcing that war was one of the games to pick from, the teachers instinctively knew that they had made a mistake, and were too scared to withdraw that option. The head teacher clapped his shaky hands together, barely making a sound, afraid the kids would pounce on him. “The game has been picked. The game of war for our warriors.” He said, shaking so bad that his words barely made it out of his mouth. 

     The children roared a bloodchilling roar, making some of the teachers fall from fear. Faces turned pale as the children grabbed their belts of colored flags, flexing their tiny muscles trying to look like bodybuilders but looking like little goblins, with evil in their eyes. Lee and Miz were not very comfortable at all, so they came up with an idea to sneak away while everyone beats the snot out of each other. The PE teacher went over the rules, before starting down the countdown. “3………2………1 have at it.” The PE teacher said waving his flag. As soon as he waved his flag the kids went at each other like untamed animals. Lee and Miz sprint the opposite direction to get out of the madness. The nice teacher saw the two escape. Curious about what the two young ones were doing, he decided to secretly sneak away.