Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of violence.
Background
Becky, Tommy and Sean have the task of dismantling a bomb activated by the witches in the auditorium. They have five precious minutes to try and save the school and the people inside.
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Nancy and Victor are joined by Akie, the reanimated king of the mummies, to fight against the evil witches and werewolves that have overtaken Milton Middle School.
The battle goes back and forth until the witches get the upper hand and hide in a bomb shelter under the stage. Before disappearing, the head witch triggers a detonator to a five minute time bomb hidden in the boiler room of the school.
The story continues as Becky, Sean, and Tommy try to dismantle the ticking bomb.
Becky watched Sean's deft fingers move across bomb components like a pianist stroking a keyboard. He muttered and swore to himself from time to time, but seldom looked away.
Becky sat by and waited for him to ask her to hand him a tool, or, perhaps, pull something out of his way as he had instructed, but this wasn't happening often.
Tommy held vigil by the door, his assumptive job, watching for intruders ... his real one, staying out of the way. Becky wondered if that might have been a better place for her, as well. She had a feeling Sean would agree.
"What're you doing?" she asked after a flurry of movements.
"Trying to keep us from getting blown up," he said. "Never trust a woman to make a dang bomb."
"Uh ... witch."
"Okay, woman witch, then."
"Sean, there are only three minutes left."
"Mind if I concentrate here?"
"I just thought you'd like to know."
"I wouldn't."
"Two minutes thirty seconds."
"Shut up, please. I'm down to three wires. They have to be cut in a certain order or the game's over."
"What colors are they?"
"Pink, blue and white."
"Well, that's easy." Becky stated. "First cut the white, then pink, then blue."
"Why?"
"White is for the innocence they lost, pink is for their femininity, and blue is for men, whom they seem to hate."
"Thanks," Sean said flatly. He wasn't even going to justify the suggestion with an answer.
"How many more minutes do we have?" he asked, his hand hesitating over the three wires.
"You told me to shut up."
"Okay, then un-shut up and tell me."
"One minute."
"This is crazy. Close your eyes."
"Why?"
"Just do it!" Sean ordered. Becky complied.
At first she didn't see or hear anything, but then she was engulfed by a strange, almost wind-like, sensation of pure energy. It made her throat tingle like swallowing hot sauce too quickly, and her stomach and chest tighten.
She opened her mouth to scream, but the air was pushed back into her lungs. She tried to open her eyes, but they were sealed shut. She couldn't even gulp.
What was happening? Had the bomb detonated? Is this what it felt like to die?
Just as she was about to lament her own death, the sensation abruptly ended.
"Okay, open your eyes."
Becky eased one eye open and then the other. She saw Sean watching her with a bemused expression on his face. Nope, she wasn't dead. Sean was definitely no angel. Reverting to her youth, she slugged him on the arm. He grinned and winked.
"What ... just ... happened?"
"I stopped the bomb." Sean pointed to the timer. It was motionless at 0.1.
"Okay, good, but what was all that whirly energy stuff about?"
"Magic, darlin', nothing more."
Becky shook her head to clear it, and then walked over to tell Tommy the news. To her horror, she found the boy sitting as motionless as death. She reached down to feel for a pulse. There was none.
"What have you done?" Becky cried out. "You killed Tommy."
"I did not. The lad's fine. I just stopped time until we can get things sorted out."
"What do you mean, you stopped time?"
"That's kind of self-explanatory."
"Okay, but how?"
"Leprechaun magic, but I can't keep it stopped for long; it wears me out."
"Just like that, you froze everything in time?"
"Really, you're making way too much of it. In my old life, I did it all the time. Now, leave the child alone. He's only sleeping."
"He's not sleeping, Sean; he's not even breathing."
"Okay, he's in suspended animation, then. They all are."
"Everyone in the world?"
"Don't overthink this."
"That's creepy."
"Not to me. It's one of the clever tricks I used to escape from you and your little Daredevil friends all those times."
"If you were so smart, then how did we catch you?"
"I wanted you to."
"That's what they all say."
"Can we get back on track?"
"Sure, so why aren't I frozen like Tommy?"
"I needed your help."
"Dismantling the bomb?"
"No, I've given up on that. I'm going to get Jerry to fly it off somewhere safe where it can explode with as little damage as possible."
"How're you going to get him down here? Isn't he paralyzed like everyone else?"
"No, I knew I'd need him, too, so I left him awake. He's probably freaking out about now."
"Sean, you didn't?"
"Not to worry, little darlin'. He'll be okay. I'll call him on my cellphone."
"Isn't that frozen too?"
"Not mine. Just like I kept the people I wanted in motion, so also our phones. Being a leprechaun has its advantages."
"So I see."
Sean chuckled as he dialed Jerry's number.
Becky sat and held the still form of the boy she had to assume was going to be okay. She stroked his hair and listened to the phone ringing across the expanse of space.
Jerry answered almost at once. Becky could hear a string of expletives followed by a few placating comments from Sean. She leaned Tommy gently back, pulling her outer sweater off and placed it under his head. She continued to listen to Sean and his conversation.
Finally, she heard a, "Good, hurry."
"He's on his way." Sean slipped the green cell phone back in his pocket.
"He didn't sound too happy," Becky said.
"No, but that's okay. He's a vampire. He's used to adversity. I was just getting a wee measure of revenge for the little people of the world. Vampires are scary beings."
"Which is exactly why we shouldn't anger them."
"Since when did I ever care about making people mad?"
"Are you sure you're reformed?"
"Absolutely." Sean unstrapped the bomb from the workbench and sat motionless, his eyes fixed on the door to the hall.
He didn't have to wait long before it burst open, the door echoing in the eerie silence of stalled time. In stalked one very indignant vampire.
"What do you think you're doing?" Tall and handsome, Jerry's captivating blue eyes burned with a dangerous inner fire.
"I need you to fly this bomb out of here," Sean said, nonplussed. "It's been activated, but since I've stopped time, it won't go off for now. Get it somewhere safe, then call me when you're out of range. I'll release the time block and let it detonate safely. But listen, it takes a lot of energy to hold time still, so please hurry."
"My pleasure." Jerry said, snatching the bomb out of Sean's hand. "You know you might have warned me first."
"Where's the fun in that?" Sean asked, a sparkle dancing in his emerald eyes. "Besides, there was no time left. Look at the clock."
"Yes, I see." Jerry gave him a sour look, but turned and smiled at Becky.
"You have grown into a fine young lady."
"Thank you, Jerry, and you look ... unchanged."
"It goes with the territory."
"Thanks for your help," she said.
"My pleasure, my dear." He bowed, then turned and walked out of the boiler room, the bomb tucked securely in his arms.
"What do we do now?" Becky asked, leaning against the wall.
"We'll be off to do what I do best."
"What, cook? Dismantle bombs?"
"Na ... cause a wee bit of mischief, lassie."
Author Notes
A special thanks for the artwork, "subconscious 3" by Renate-Bertodi. Seems to have been drawn for this chapter. Of course, it wasn't, but I really thought it worked well!
General Summary of book:
Nancy Jordan is a teacher in an ordinary small town middle school. She is living a safe, uncomplicated life when suddenly her past comes back to haunt her--literally. Her students have somehow found out that she was once a member of the world famous, Daredevil Girls from Bunker Hill, a group of young people who fought evil supernatural beings in the early 1980's.
She is asked by her principal to share stories from her youth once a month in an assembly. Reluctantly she agrees. In the first assembly, set auspiciously on Halloween, she is joined by the former members of the Daredevil Girls, who are now grown and have lives of their own. With their help, she retells two of their adventures. After the last story is told, Nancy finds that her past has become a part of her present---will she be forced to fight again?
Characters:
Nancy Jordan: Now a teacher, once the leader of the Daredevil Girls From Bunker Hill
Emily Jordan: Nancy's mother
Mrs. Pierson/ Witch Gelada: Nancy's boss and Miltonville Middle School Principal
Melba, Anastasia, and Matilda: Witch sisters of Mrs. Pierson/Gelada
Victor Brewer: Coach teaching across the hall from Nancy, perhaps a romantic interest.
Sean: Caterer and old acquaintance. Also known as the "Prankster".
Mildred: Witch and head of an organization of evil creatures. Locked up, for now, in a jail for supernatural beings.
Theo: Werewolf captor who is bronze colored and the nicer of the two.
Truman: Meaner and less intelligent of the two werewolf captors of the Daredevil Girl Supporters inside the school.
Jerry Crandall: Daywalker Vampire ally of Emory Settler
Gooblie: Goblin ally of Emory Settler
Akhenaten II/Akie: Ahmed's alter ego as a reanimated mummy, the son of Pharaoh Akhenaten I and Queen Nefertiti
Sean: Caterer and Leprechaun.
Sage: Sally's wise beyond her species, cat sidekick.
Daredevil Girl Supporters: Also students in Nancy's classes
Tina Alice: Leader of the supporters, tiny in stature, student all teachers love, very level headed. Blonde
Belle Conner: Girl twin who is larger than most kids in her grade and very outgoing. Dark hair
Billy Conner: Male twin who is a football player, large, strong, outgoing and plagued by a need for "fairness." Dark hair
Rasha: Athletic, smart, bouncy, African American
Julia: Small, energetic, speaks before she thinks sometimes, Hispanic
Sally Jordan: Nancy's little sister
Tabby: Daredevil Girl member-fast, smart, popular, African American. Real name is Tabitha
Elizabeth: Daredevil Girl member-strong willed, short, chubby, Cherokee heritage
Becky: Daredevil Girl member-Tall, gangling, awkward, slow in school, smart in ways of nature and the woods.
Bruce: Becky's little brother, the only "Daredevil Guy"
Kurt: Young and handsome Captain of the Shadow Wolves, a group of fringe werewolves who denounce the shedding of innocent blood.
Tommy: Student helping Bruce and Becky
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