Gowling Breen University (began May 2003, draft)

Feb 01, 2008 - 17:58 PM PST

{I haven't read this since 2003...I probably should read over it before I post it...but I'm not.}

Robbie ran down the stairs when he heard the mail truck. He skipped the last few stairs and hopped over the sofa and smashed into the door. He grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open. He ran down the driveway to the mailbox sitting next to the road. Robbie opened the mailbox and peered in. There was only one small envelope. He could feel his heart beat faster as he reached his hand in the box. He pulled out the envelope and looked at the return address. Gowling Breen. This was it. This was going to determine his future. It’s a small envelope. That isn’t good. Small means rejected. If I got accepted they’d send me a big envelope with course catalog and…OK. I’m going to open it now. Here it goes.

Robbie took a deep breath and ripped the envelope open. “Dear Mr. Catermole. We would like to welcome you on behalf of the staff and administration at Gowling Breen University to our school. You will be among the first humans ever admitted to our ancient establishment. Included in the envelope is a course catalog and housing information. We hope to see you soon and congratulations. Sincerely, Professor Luke Maguire!”

Robbie jumped in the air and ran into his house. He ran up the stairs to his room and jumped on his bed where he grabbed the phone. He dialed the number. “Sean? Sean did you get in?” He listened for a second. “Me too! This year is going to rock!”

*

Robbie sat with his cousin Sean in the back of Robbie’s parents SUV. Robbie’s mom turned back and tearfully looked at the boys. “Oh guys I’m going to miss you so much! I just don’t feel safe with you guys being the only humans at this school.”

“Aunt Becky, we aren’t the only ones. Didn’t they let in some girls also?” Sean looked at Robbie.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they did.”

Becky blew her nose and looked out of the window at the large university. “Just watch out for the ogres. I hear they have bad tempers.”

Robbie leaned over the seat and kissed his mom on the forehead. He patted his dad on the shoulder and hopped out of the car.

“Bye Aunt Becky and Uncle Doug!” waved Sean as he joined Robbie.

“Are you sure you don’t need help with your bags?” asked Doug.

“We’re fine dad!” said Robbie. His mom and dad looked at the boys again and drove off slowly.

Robbie and Sean turned and looked at large school behind. A large brick wall surrounded the school, not that you could see the brick behind all of the ivy. Large trees towered over the wall and formed a canopy over the walkway into the school. Beyond the trees the boys could at least a hundred large brick buildings; some on the ground like normal buildings, some floating in the air.

“How do you get in those buildings?” asked Sean.

“Boy Mom!” Robbie and Sean turned and saw a girl, about five foot one and with strawberry blonde hair on a flying carpet hugging her mom. She hopped off with her bag and watched her mom fly away. She saw the boys staring at her and laughed. “So you must be the humans they let in, huh?”

“Uh…yeah,” said Robbie.

“You know, a lot of people were against letting humans in, right?”

The boys nodded nervously.

She sees the fear on their faces and laughs. “No, not me. I think everyone should get the opportunity to come to a school like this.” She sticks out her hand. “I’m Sinead and I’m a leprechaun.”

“Uh…cool,” says Sean.

“Come on then, I’ll show you around.” She pulls the boys into their new home for the next four years.

*

“And this looks like it’ll be you’re room,” said Sinead when she stopped in front of a large wooden door. “Do you know who your roommate is?”

Robbie and Sean looked at her confused. “Uh yeah, we’re each other’s roommate.”

“Well yeah, but this is a three person room. There’s going to be a third roommate.” She looks at the scared look on their faces. “Ha, this should be fun. I wonder what he is.” She grabbed the key from Robbie and unlocked the door. Slowly she opened it and peaked in. She turns and looks at the boys. “You lucked out. My first year here I roomed with a vampire. My half the room looked like a church, and smelled like Fazolli’s.” She laughed at the memory. “I mean she was a really nice girl and all but I couldn’t help being a bit scared, even though vampires only like human and wizard blood. Anyway I gotta get going have fun maybe I’ll see you around!” Before either boy can say bye Sinead is at the other end of the hall.

Robbie and Sean looked at each other and opened the door. They saw a boy flying around the room. He stopped when the door opened. “Hi!” he said. “My name is Danny and I am so thrilled to be rooming with the first humans here!”

“You are?” asked Sean.

“Well that’s v rude, but I’m a fairy.”

Robbie and Sean slowly entered the room and unpacked their bags.

*

Robbie sat up in his bed and looked at the clock. “It’s only 8:00 Sean. Why are we here instead of out having fun?”

Sean looked over at Robbie from his bed where he’d been staring at the ceiling. He sighed at reached for the remote and turned on the TV.

“Ooh, stop here Sean.” He did as told and sat up to see what his cousin had wanted to watch.

“Gilmore Girls? Seriously Robbie.”

“What? It’s a funny show. They’re mother and daughter but they act like friends and the way they talk is so funny I’m constantly on the verge of slapping my knee.”

Sean got out of bed and walked to the door. “I’m going to get some food. Want anything?” He looked at Robbie but the TV was hypnotizing him. “Fine.” Sean pushed the door open and hit something in the hall. He peaked around the door and saw a huge guy on the floor. He was about eight feet tall and 300 pounds. “Oh crap. You’re an ogre aren’t you?”

The guy stood up and looked down at Sean. “I am going to kill you, human!”

“Not on my watch you aren’t!” a short woman with black hair waddled over to Sean and the ogre. “Get away from him right now!”

The ogre did as told. Sean tried to walk around the woman to get his food but she stopped him. “Howdy, I’m Alex Moynster and I’m the security gnome on this floor.”

Sean looked at her blankly. “Security gnome?”

“What? You act like you never – ah, I get it. You’re the human.”

Sean nodded.

“Well, a bit of helpful advise. Stay away from ogres!” She hit him on the back of the head and waddled down the hall to where a boy was flying a magic carpet indoors.

Sean backed into his room slowly and slammed the door.

“Sean! This is so funny. The daughter just told her boyfriend—hey, what happened?” asked Robbie.

Sean dropped on his bed. “An ogre tried to beat me up and then a gnome that looked remarkably similar to Rosie O’Donnell saved me.”

“Wow. Rosie O’Donnell. I remember her. Her show was kind of funny.”

“Shut up Robbie. Gowling Breen stinks. I didn’t know it’d be so scary here.”

“It’s just that we’re away from home for the first time.”

“I guesssssssagh!” Sean screamed as he pointed at the window.

Robbie turned toward the window and saw a giant eye looking in. “WHAT IS THAT?”

They ran to the window and saw a giant walking by.

Robbie looked at Sean. “I didn’t know giants were real.”

Sean climbed in bed and covered his head under the pillow.”

*

The next morning Robbie woke up and walked across the large room to the closet. He pulled out a shirt and put it on. He found a pair of jeans, smelled them, and put them on. He grabbed a hat and a pair of sandals and ran out of the door. He rushed back in and stood over Sean’s bed. “Sean? C’mon, we gotta get to class.”

Sean waved Robbie away so he left.

*

Robbie stood outside of a large building and looked at his class schedule. He went in and found the room. When he entered he saw that every seat was full. He walked slowly to the front of the lecture room, stopping in front of every row to make sure there was no seat available. When he got to the front he looked up and saw all of the seats filled by gnomes and fairies and ogres and pixies and nymphs and leprechauns and – leprechauns? He saw Sinead sitting in the middle of the room and there was an empty seat next to her. Her ran up the stairs and down her row and jumped on the seat next to her.

“ROBBIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” She grabbed him and pulled him off of the seat. She bent over and picked something off of the seat. It looked like a Barbie doll. “You sat on Candi.”

Robbie looked closer at what Sinead was holding. A pixie. “Oh I am so so sorry. I didn’t see you. I was looking for a seat and…sorry.”

The pixie flew out of Sinead’s hand. “It’s OK. It actually happens all the time. Tee hee!” She flew off and sat on a chair already occupied by three other pixies.

Robbie sat down again, but checked the chair thoroughly. Once seated he looked at Sinead. “I really am sorry about that.”

She smiled. “No worried. Pixies are tough.” She pulled a notebook out of her bag. “So, where’s your friend?”

“He isn’t adjusting so well. He’s still in bed. And an ogre threatened him last night. And he said some woman that looked like Rosie O’Donnell saved him.”

Sinead laughed. “Ms Moynster is your floor gnome? I am so sorry.”

“Is she bad?”

“She’s strict. But that sounds good for your friend last night.” The professor flew into the room on a carpet. Sinead looked over to Robbie and whispered, “After class we’ll go check on your friend.”

*

Robbie unlocked the door and entered the room. Sinead followed him in. She jumped over Robbie and landed by the bed. “Sean! Come on buddy we’re going to get you out of…here? Where is he?” She looked at Robbie.

“I…I don’t know.” Robbie looked around the room and heard a noise from the closet. The two people walked to it slowly and opened the door. Danny fell out, gagged and hogtied. “DANNY!”

Robbie and Sinead franticly untied him and helped him up. He flew up and cracked his back. “Someone took Sean!”

“Who?” asked Robbie.

“I don’t know. I opened the door and they were struggling with him by the bed. I yelled for them to stop, one of them grabbed me and tied me up and tossed me in the closet!”

“Were they ogres?” asked Sinead.

“I dunno. They were all dressed in black so they blended together. They didn’t really look big enough to be ogres but I’m not sure.”

“Let’s go find Ms Moynster!” yelled Sinead. The three ran out of the door and bumped right into Ms Moynster.

“Stop right there! There’s no running in the dorms and you should know that!”

“Ms Moynster, one of the new human students has been kidnapped,” yelled Danny.

“Which one?” she asked as she pulled out a pen and notebook.

“He’s the one that the ogre tried to beat up last night. He said you saved him,” said Robbie.

Ms Moynster flipped back in her notebook. “Ah ha. The ogre is in room 405, end of this hall. Let’s go see what he knows.”

Ms Moynster led the way down the hall. Robbie and Sinead walked behind her while Danny flew above them.

*

A person dressed all in black slipped into Robbie, Sean, and Danny’s room. He or she put a small box on Sean’s bed and vanished.

*

Ms Moynster pounded on the door again. “I know you’re in there!” She hit it again.

“Maybe he’s in class,” said Sinead. Ms Moynster and Danny laughed at her.

“What’s so funny?” asked Robbie.

“Everyone knows ogres don’t go to class,” said Sinead.

“OK everyone, back up,” instructed Ms Moynster. She took a step back and ran to the door. She jumped up right before she reached the door and kicked it down. The four people entered the room. “Hmm. It looks abandoned.”

“There’s something moving on that bed,” said Sinead pointing to a lump under a blanket.

“Danny, go remove that blanket!” ordered Ms Moynster.

Danny flew to the bed and hovered above the blanket. He slowly lowered and grabbed the blanket.

“Sometime today!” yelled Ms Moynster.

Her outburst startled Danny. He fell on the person in the bed. The person sat up, knocked Danny off of the bed and to the floor. The person jumped out of bed and ran to the corner where he growled at the intruders.

Robbie looked closer at what was in the corner. “His roommate is a dog?”

“Werewolf, Mr. Catermole. It’s no wonder they didn’t let you humans in here before. You know nothing about the supernatural world.” Ms Moynster walked to the corner and grabbed the werewolf by his shirt collar. “Where’s the ogre that lives in here?”

“I – I promised I wouldn’t say. He said he’d beat me up if I told anyone.”

Ms Moynster looked back at the kids behind her and smiled. She turned to the werewolf and said, “Would you rather he beat you up, or me?”

“He’s at his house. All of his underpants had holes in them so he went with his mom to get new ones! Please don’t hurt me!” He covered his face with his extremely hairy arms.

“When did he leave?” asked Ms Moynster as she put him down.

“Last night.”

Moynster turned and walked out of the room, the three students followed her. “So Mr. Robbie...”

Robbie turned and looked at Ms Moynster.

“You say he was there this morning do you?”

“Yeah, he was buried under the covers this morning when I left for class.”

Ms Moynster looked up at the six foot tall Robbie and tried to look him in the eyes. “I’ll be watching you. I’d better not find out that you had anything to do with this.” She took a step back from Robbie. “Let’s go look in your room for clues.”

The four people walked down the dim lit hallway and stopped in front of the large wooden door to Robbie’s room. “The door is shut,” said Danny.

“So?” said Ms Moynster.

“We were in a hurry when we left, we didn’t shut it.” Danny opened the door and flew in the room. Sinead and Robbie followed while Ms Moynster came in last.

Sinead walked to Sean’s bed and picked up the small black box. She handed it to Ms Moynster, or more accurately, Ms Moynster grabbed it from Sinead. She opened it and shut it back up. “It’s Sean’s ear lobe. Someone is cutting him up bit by bit and they’re going to send the pieces to you. Oldest trick in the book Mr. Catermole. “

“Uh…can I see it?” asked Robbie.

“Fine. If you must.” She gave Robbie the box.

He lifted the corner of the lid and peeked in. He shut it and gave it back to Ms Moynster. “That isn’t Sean’s ear. It’s pierced and Sean doesn’t having any piercings.”

“Then whose—“ began Sinead. There was a scream outside, everyone turned to the window.

Ms Moynster pushed to the front of the group. “There’s a crowd gathering, let’s go investigate.” She, Sinead, and Robbie ran out the door and down the stairs. Danny flew out the window and waited for the other three at the door.

When they got out Danny already knew what happened. “One of the human girls was murdered. Both of her ears are missing, they must have sent one to us.”

Robbie’s eyes began to water. Sinead looked at him and hugged him tight. She turned to Danny. “How was she killed?”

Danny takes a deep breath. “Vampire.”

*

The four people walk back up the stairs to Sinead’s room. “I’m sorry kids but I don’t know what else to do,” said Ms Moynster. “But I’m going to have to go and enforce the law in other places.” She turned and began to leave but turned when she heard Sinead screaming. She turned and saw Sinead holding a black box, about the size of a rose. Ms Moynster slowly approached Sinead and looked in the box. “What – ?”

“Candi. My roommate,” Sinead managed between sobs.

Ms Moynster took the box. “She’s dead I’m afraid.” Sinead dropped the box and ran into her room. Ms Moynster looked down at the body of the pixie at her feet.

*

That night Robbie and Danny slept in Sinead’s room. They were awakened the next morning by Ms Moynster pounding at the door. Sinead slowly walked to the door and peaked out before opening it completely. “Any news?”

Ms Moynster forced her way in the room and shut the door tight behind her. “Two of the wizards were killed last night.”

“Vampires?” asked Danny.

Ms Moynster nodded then stopped. “That’s what campus police are saying, but I don’t know that I’d buy it.”

“Why?” asked Robbie.

“We only have three vampire students this quarter. Two are vegetarian and one had his teeth removed for attacking students in the past.”

Robbie looked at her confused. “Did you say…vegetarian vampires? Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of being a vampire?”

“While there is the possibility that they did attack the four students now missing or dead, I seriously doubt it. I think it’s someone trying to get the vampires expelled.”

“Who would do that?” asked Sinead.

“Come with me,” said Ms Moynster. The three students followed her out the door, down the hall and down the stairs. They got outside and were greeted by hundreds of reporters flashing pictures and asking questions. Ms Moynster pushed through the crowd and led the students into a locked building on the far corner of the campus.

Robbie, Danny, and Sinead looked up. “The Gowling Breen University Morgue?” they all asked.

Ms Moynster reached in her pocket and unlocked the door. She held it open as the three students entered. Once inside she locked the door behind her. She grabbed a torch from the wall and led the kids down a corridor of stone walls and ground. They came to a door at the end and entered the room. In the room on a table was the body of the human girl that was murdered. “Her name was Brandi. She came here from Florida. The first person in her family to go to college and she ends up here.”

“Wait!” yelled Sinead. She hurried to the table and examined Brandi’s body. “She’s still bleeding. There’s blood in her. That means –“

“It wasn’t the vampires,” finished Ms Moynster.

Just as she finished the thought the fire alarms went off. The four people ran out of the room, back up the stone floor of the corridor and to the large stone doors that they had come through minutes before. Robbie and Sinead each grabbed a door and pulled.

“It’s locked, move out of the way!” ordered Ms Moynster as she pushed Danny into a wall.

Robbie and Sinead moved out of the way and watched Ms Moynster fidget with the keys. “Hurry!” they yelled.

“I am!”

“Why did you lock the doors in the first place?” asked Danny as he stood up.

“Students aren’t supposed to be in here so I had to lock the door!” She continued to search for the key, found it, but dropped the ring.

Smoke began to creep up the hallway and fill the entrance way that occupied the people. As panic spread Sinead noticed the room got darker. She looked up and saw a sky light. “C’mon guys, we need to get out of here!” She backed up from directly under the light. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a gold coin. She dropped it on the floor, pointed at it, and then pointed at the window in the ceiling. The coin began to glow rainbow colors and a rainbow shot out of it, through the glass on the ceiling and continued out the other side of the building. “Come on, get out of here!” She waved for Robbie to climb the rainbow out. Danny flew up and out of the hole. Ms Moynster waddled up the rainbow and slid down the other side. Fire began to spit out of the hallway at Sinead and Robbie. Sinead grabbed Robbie’s arm and pulled him up the rainbow. When they reached the top they slid down the other end and landed in the grass. Sinead pointed at the rainbow and it disappeared and the coin reappeared in her hand.

The four people stood and watched the building. “Where’s the fire?” asked Robbie, out of breath.

“There wasn’t one. It was an illusion,” said Ms Moynster.
“Who can make illusions?” asked Robbie.