Wonder

(Jessica)

Inside, I was screaming. This my new friend? I would rather be deformed everywhere than have him as a friend. Anyways, the school was AMAZING! There’s a whole library dedicate to science and an actual DNA test thing and space books and…

People. Staff staring at me whispering behind there backs. Laughing, shrieking, whispering every corner I go. Maybe this isn’t going to turn out so good. Anyways Fat Sam, which is what he actually called himself, stuck out a piggy little hand and said in an angelic voice,” Hi, I’m Fatto Samuel and I’m the Saint of food,” When I reached out my hand, he quickly put his hand back, not wanting to spread my ‘disease’. Oh well, I guess some things never change.

(Jack)

Anyways, back to the good part. The library is simply FULL of science equipment. Test tubes with an assortment of liquids, beakers, Bunsen Burners, microscopes and so much more that I can’t name. I just love to just sit there and experiment and read and learn. It is AMAZING! Jack Will’s catching up on me in Science, but he’ll never succeed to overtake me as he never goes to the library and look at science books specifically. I play with him for most of the breaks and lunch breaks. Apart from him, nobody I know even thinks about sitting at my table even if you can sit at the far end and never talk to me or even listen to what I’m saying. And, just like Beecher, they are never keen on touching something that I’ve touched in the last 10 minutes, at least. I remember once, our Music teacher Ms. Soprano asked me and another red-haired half Irish and half Welsh girl to be in a pair. She immediately turned three as pale as before (which is the palest in the whole entire year group) and got an excuse of going to the toilet and didn’t come back until the lesson finished.

Generally, though, the staff are pretty tolerant of my face. I only know 4 people from the register every morning. Fatto Samuel (obviously), Henry McDonalds, Jack Will (from before) and Charlotte Caballo. So far, everyone’s trying to avoid me and stay away as far as possible. But one school day, everything changed.

(Cathy)

One day at school I was late because it so happened that I over slept and when I went to school I found that there were rumours spread about me. And of course It was from Fatto Samuel. At first when I walked into the school everybody seemed more distant than usual.  They were all rushing to their classes when they saw me, It was like I was a virus. I knew something was wrong. Even for my face most people wouldn’t run away from me. But Today was different and that was when I learned from Jack will.

(Jessica)

I felt confused, and even bit hurt watching everyone scramble to get a seat away from me. Via wasn’t much of a help this morning either, she shunted away from me at breakfast and literally ignored me the whole visit to school. What is it about today?

First lesson, English: oh great. Like anyone would enjoy writing a two page essay about climate change. People kept giving me cold glares so I got a bit distracted and ended up ranting on about space.  Second lesson, Math. All those figures and numbers whirled around my head. I think I got confused between pi and pie. After lunch, science. Whoopee!

(Jack)

Usually, I would have loved science. But this time, science was one of the worst failures in my life. Today, we were conducting science experiments about frogs. we were learning about amphibians so Mrs. Amelia put us in pairs for the experiment. I was about to go with Jack Will as usual, when Mrs. Amelia said,

“August, you’ve always been with Jack. I know that you two are best friends, but you guys have been together for nearly the whole of start of term, can you please, for once, pair with someone else?”

Even though I got a thousand reasons why not, I didn’t want Mrs. Amelia to think I want to disobey her so she won’t like me. Consequently, I chose to be with another boy with blonde hair that looks like someone had put a bomb inside and activated the trigger and his face got at least a million freckles on his cheeks and nose. At first, it was OK. He was doing a pretty good job at ignoring me, although I could still see his freckles was slowing dissolving into the whiteness that was conquering the lands of his face. But it was when I was going to touch an experiment equipment when he shot his hand back so fast that it knocked over the tube with the frogs, breaking it and resulting the frogs jumping all over the science lab. Then, one of the kids tried to grab the frogs, knocking over his tube, and more frogs jumped out. In the end, We had to call in the cleaners to sort it out, which still took 45 minutes because the frogs were hiding everywhere. At least I didn’t get detention, but the guy with the exploded hair did get a detention and a sanction for his trouble. I hope in the future, Mrs. Amelia would allow me and Jack to be together always in science.

 

(Cathy)

At the end of class I tried talking to people asking them why they were ignoring me. But they all made a lame excuse that they had class every time I approached them. And it was break who has class during break.

As I approached Jack he looked quite startled to see me. “Is it true man?” He asked. “What’s true?” I asked. ” Well Samuel has been telling everyone that apparently you told your cat to bite his arm and now his arm is in a cast.”  Jack answered. “So now Augustus Gloop is spreading rumors now is he? Well I’ll show him! ” “Your going to tell the principal? “Jack Will suggested. “Are you kidding? that’s the boring way to do it, and he deserves way worse.” Oh I’ll show him and I have a plan of gold. And It will be a good one.

(Jessica)

Well, I’m not normally a boy of trouble, but Jack can be quite persistent. He was good to his words. When I saw him at break, he shunted to a dark corner and beckoned for me to follow. “Listen, we’ll get that kid back… See this?” Jack question, pulling out a minute box filled with fake banana peals, whoopee-cushions and fake beetles etc. “This is my prized prank kit. I’ve been saving up pranks for ages now, determined to use them for a good purpose. And todays the day. We are going to make that Augustus Gloop’s life difficult, starting now.”

A peculiar feeling of excitement whirled around my stomach. Unsure what to do, where to go, how to move, I just stood there looking like a freak. What’s new?

(Jack)

When Samuel, aka Augustus Gloop as we call him now, was in the toilet, we decided to proceed the plan. Why we chose the Geography lesson? Well, the teacher Mr. Law never looks in the corner where I, Jack and Gloop is sitting, so that gives us the advantage to do private things without being noticed. That was when we decided to slip some fake banana peals into his schoolbag.  It blended in perfectly because Sam ate bananas during break. Next, cautiously, we dropped a glass eyeball into his bubbly, swamp like coca cola. Finally, I made the suggestion of a fake spider in his tray. After all these preparations, we closed our eyes for a brief moment and hoped for the best.

(Cathy)

First he plunged his fat sagging hand into his backpack to wolf down the bunches of bananas he brought for break. He caught caught a banana that was real and wolfed it down in front of everybody. This got everyone’s attention and they all stared at him clearly disgusted. As he stuck a fake banana in his mouth he gasped and gagged. Since everyone was attention was on Augustus Gloop and so they all laughed. I can’t wait until he drank his coke.

(Jessica)

Spitting out the disgusting yellow muck, he reached out for his coke desperate for something to wash the horrible taste with. He finished his coke in one gulp then spat out the fake eyeball. Everyone shrieked in alarm and Gloop had the fright of his life! Jack winked at me and whispered that it was just the beginning of Gloop’s problems.

But just then, Principal Walter walked in, the strictest teacher of the century.

(Jack)

Principle Walter had a very long face with long hair growing out of it and his nose is also extremely long. His face is also exceptionally pale and he always carries a comb in the front pocket of his coat. Everyone knows about the comb because when he thinks nobody’s looking, he takes it out and comb his unusually tidy, black moustache in small. straight lines. He is also the worst headmaster as he hates people playing pranks on other people and whatever wrong thing pupils did, he says it’s a prank and announces that the whole class has to write 100 lines saying “I must not play pranks. Today, he popped in at the exact wrong moment and saw Gloop spit out the fake eyeball and as usual, announces that the class has to write 100 lines. Surprisingly, he let Gloop and Jack off for some reason, something he’d never done before, saying

“he’s new.”

I wonder if this was for every new student?

Suddenly, it hit me with a pang. I was new! Why didn’t he let me off?

Just then, I thought about my face. Maybe he thought I was guilty because I was different to the others? Or, because he was scared of my face and thought he can’t trust me? Whatever it is, I started to loathe him instantly, and after school, we discussed he to take revenge, stealthily…

 

(Cathy)

I began to scribble on my piece of paper: I must not play pranks ….. I must not play pranks……

The more I thought about the fact that he didn’t let me go because of my face the more angrily I scribbled …

And the more angrily I scribbled the more nonsense I scribbled.

I must not play pranks, I must not play stupid pranks… I must not play stupid pranks … I must not play pranks in Mr. Buttholes school!

At last I filled the 100 lines in with pride.

I had a pretty satisfying lunch because people were jeering at Augustus at lunch and so he ran away to the restroom.

The rest of the day was pretty good until he got called to the Principal Walter’s office.

(Jessica)

“Can I have Pullman to my office NOW,” Announced Principle Walter with a flourish through the booming loud speaker. The world around me spun as I sat, shocked,  in my seat. Why did the Principle want me in his office?

“Well, go on then.” Persuaded Mrs Douglas, our hateful English teacher at the time.

My heart went into my mouth and felt like for a few seconds I would just puke it out. I hate my life, I thought over and over again as I paced down the unwelcoming hallway, I hate my life and I hate this stupid school.

(Jack)

“So, you’ve decided to put a fake banana peal in a new student’s snack box AND snuck in a fake eyeball in their coke.”

Principal Walter yelled in a booming voice.

“But, Principal, he was the one who-”

“SILENCE!”

Principal Walter shouted, almost blowing the eardrums out of my ears.

“WHATEVER HE DID, IT IS NOT OK TO PUT PRANK ITEMS IN THEIR SCHOOL BAG WITHOUT PERMISSION!!”

“But…”

I stammered.

“NO talking back! Just follow the rules!”

Principal Walter screeched.

“Now, go back to your class and don’t step a TOE out of line or…”

He drifted off there but I knew clearly he meant a possible suspension or a call to home and a week’s worth of writing lines. Back in our room, everyone was quiet. Although they didn’t show it, I could clearly spot from their faces that Jack had told them all about how Gloop was mean to me about my face as when they saw it, they didn’t flinch as usual or rather, there was a little sympathy in their eyes, not Gloop’s. When I sat down in my seat at the end of the classroom Jack secretly passed me a mass of notes from the majority of the and…

(Cathy)

Notes like what happened in there? Or Did he let you off. Honestly he was asking me questions that I do not have the biggest interest in answering.

At the end of school I sprinted beck home I did not even care right now. When I got home I was going to fire this principal and give karma to whatever his name was, Fattie? Idiot? Those names suited him better.

I searches day and night on different websites on principal Walter trying to find some dirt on him. And on The fifth day I had struck gold, On a specific Website typed in glories red letters were…

(Jessica)

EX BODYGUARD, P.S. WALTER,  GETS FIRED FOR PLANNING AGAINST PRINCESS LIA!

Walter, could it be? Yes, YES! I didn’t know our principle had such a dirty past! I called Jack to come over immediately to discuss the new-found info. I was prancing round the room when I heard the ringing of the bell echoing in the hallway. I rushed to the stairs and saw Jack tug on a massive bag. Seriously? This is time to get revenge, not make a James Bond movie!

(Jack)

As we jogged into our already full classroom, Jack slammed down the giant black bag and said,

“I just thought it would be nice to bring some spy items so we could properly watch him plus a laptop to search up information whenever possible just to be sure.”

“Great!” I  mouthed, elated, without our Geography teacher Mr Law hearing us.

Peering inside the bag, I saw 2 pairs of glasses labeled ‘be able to see backwards’, binoculars being able to magnify the objects you’re looking at, a small glass designed to see all around you, an 2 invisible-ink pens to write to each other secretly, and 2 bookbags which can transform into a laptop.

“How  did you get all these cool gadgets?” I asked enviously.

“Never mind that.” He giggled to himself.

“Right, you’ll put these glasses on during break tomorrow to check behind us, he’ll always be pacing around the playground during break to see if we behave, so use the binoculars to spy on him to see if he’s going near the projector I’m putting in a dark corner, which’ll project the words you searched up on the side wall of our classroom. If this doesn’t work, then I’ll insert  an automatic chalk-writing machine behind our blackboard so when he pops round, I’ll trigger the controller and who knows what his reaction would be!” Jack whispered, excited.

“Understood! Captain Jack Will.” I mimicked in a fake crewman’s voice, as we both shook with silent laughter. The next day that was exactly what we did.

(Cathy)

So the next day we set up the plan  and before I knew it he set up the projector,” class we are going to learn about the war of 1812 not that you are smart enough to learn it.” He muttered under his breath.

As he started the projector everyone got a peek at the title and instantly got hooked they read all they needed to know about getting fired. Principal Walter just stood there with smoke coming out of his ears until he got the guts to turn off the projector.

“WHO DID THIS!?” Principal Walter Screamed.

Just then we heard a faint giggling behind our back.

(Jessica)

His body seemed to expand with rage, wrestling his tight, uniform suit.I could swear is saw small sparks of fire erupting from his slick backed hair. Then, without a warning, he hurdled the wrecked chalk at me, hitting me bam in the side of my swollen face.

“It was YOU!” he bellowed in his deep, rumbling voice, “YOU did it! Of course you did! I know a criminal face when I see one.”

This made me shake with fury. So I had a criminal face? We’ll see who’s the criminal after this.

(Jack)

“YOU WERE AN EX BODYGUARD FOR PRINCESS LIA!!”

I bellowed so that everyone in the room could hear.

“YOU WERE FIRED BECAUSE YOU’RE SEEN PLOTTING AGAINST HER! YOU ARE THE CRIMINAL! NOT ME!”

Then, I beckoned Jack to switch on the projector again which he did, and everyone read the news article about Principal Walter being fired by the royal family. After the whole class had read and reread it several times, all the children started to murmur something and after a few seconds, everyone started to glare at Principal Walter.  Principal Walter seemed to swell with incomprehensible rage and his face grew redder and redder until I could no longer see his features, just a mass of crimson. Then, he wrenched my hand and marched me along the narrow corridor to his room, yelling to me all the way while murmuring threats to himself, called my parents, and in a few minutes, I was sent home.

(Cathy)

Like I’ve got anything to worry about, he was the one exposed I did nothing wrong besides and teach him a lesson: don’t mess with the ugly students.

Well that came out wrong but you got the point. So I was in my room dancing and celebrating when my mom came into my room.

“You really shouldn’t have done that!” She said, surprised.

I was outraged! Shouldn’t have exposed that imbecile?! I think he deserved more than that honestly! I stood there like a stupid goat not knowing what to do.

(Jessica)

The next day, I was enjoying my lunch when the loud speaker boomed on with an anonymous ,grating voice screeching at me.

“August to the office please, August in class T1-T5.”

Everybody glared at me, x-raying me with their eyes. I was going to get in BIG trouble and I knew it. Not only did I disrespect a teacher in the middle of his lesson, it was a PRINCIPLE. Oh god, well, wish me luck (I’ll need it)!

(Jack)

As soon as I trudged into Principal Walter’s office. I heard a surprisingly soft voice pass into my head, sending a shive down my spine.

“So, you’ve decided to show my old secret and show it to everyone at school.” Principal Walter said in his softest, most venomous voice.

I nodded slowly, then said stoutly,

“But you deserve it. You’re mistreating people with deformities and abusing them. You’ve really tried to plot again-…”

“Silence.” He hissed, which made me close my mouth at once.

“If you don’t tell me where you got the information and why did you decide to show it openly then…” He thought for a moment.

“Then, you’ll have the rest of 3 weeks of term writing lines instead of first break.” He said after the dreaded moment of consideration.

“Do you tell me, or would you rather write lines?” He asked silkily.

I stood there, rooted to the spot. Would I risk telling him all our secrets, plans and origins or would I keep it a secret, and silently accept the consequences?

(Cathy)

Was I about to stand there and give Mr. Butthole the pleasure of seeing me being nervous? NO! So I said in the most hateful baby voice I can muster, “Of course I WON’T tell you! I’d honestly be doing servants work 24 hours a day than be in the same country as you!”

He looked so affronted that I almost laughed. “Is that so Mr. Pullman? Well than you well start wring lines RIGHT NOW!”

“Ok Sir!” I said in my baby voice.

He looked like there was steam coming out of his ears. “And what lines shall I be writing?” I said, smiling at him feeling as though I just won a Marathon.

“You, Mr. Pullman will be writing ‘I won’t ever embarrass my principal ever again!’ ”

I nodded but inside I was so elated that I thought I might burst. “So he admits I embarrassed him in front of the whole class. That means he IS an ex bodyguard! YES!!

I happily skipped out of his stuffy, stinky office smelling of unwashed, old socks and started writing lines.

(Jessica)

As I was labouring with my lines, I slipped Jack a torn notebook page containing my note. I watched Jack carefully as he looked around before carefully opening the folded note. It read:

Meet me at my house, urgent. Don’t tell mum what we’re up to. 175

Me and Jack had spent ages creating our secret passwords in my past school, time to put it to work. 175 was the most important phrase from all of the codes we’ve created, 1=teacher 7=payback 5=time so it was teacher payback time.

(Jack)

After school, I hopped back home quickly, a content smile on my face, daydreaming of how I was to plan our payback at Principal Walter and how I had enraged him when I was in his office. When I finally arrived at my bedroom, Jack was already there, writing something in his notebook fervently. I waved a hello to him and he looked up.

“Oh, I’ve been developing  our strategy.” He said enthusiastically.

“So first, we…”

But his words were cut short by my mum calling for dinner, so he whispered

“After dinner.”

So, we hurried down  (we don’t want to create any suspicion but if we stayed upstairs for too long, we’re bound too) and then, we ate our lunch ASAP, so we can have more time for our malicious planning against our principal when something most unexpected happened…

(Cathy)

We weren’t too surprised that the story about Principal Walter betraying Princess Lia spread like wildfire. However we were really surprised that Principal Walter was gone as in out of school gone.

We were happy and didn’t bother asking where he went we were just kind of disappointed that we couldn’t put out genius plan into action until…

(Jessica)

One bizarre evening, when the frosty winters snow was falling quickly down from the sky, an announcement came blaring out of the loudspeaker once again. It was like deja vu. We waited in anticipation, not knowing what to expect. What came out of the loudspeaker however was something that would never even happen inner wildest dreams!

That night went like a blur, first we were in the police station announcing our case, then calls were made, and, before we knew it, we were in a limousine riding to the queen! It turns out Walter was a well known thief and took a different identity for months. No one would have expected the strict, unpleasant principal to be a thief, and there for no one looked into it that much when a stranger walked in, declaring the role of principal.

(Jack)

The new principal was called Paul and at first, seemed way better than Walter. He rarely ever gives punishments and the only time I’ve only seen one time when he was angry. Even then he only told him to stay for a chat for breaktime and not write 100 lines of  “I will not…” like Walter.

Although he’s a good headmaster, his appearance is absolutely hilarious! He is very chubby and he’s a relatively short man, which just makes him chubbier. He also has a big, bald head and  his moustache is basically two thin black lines and the funny part is, they are combed so that the moustache curves upwards and it curls together like a whirlpool. He always wears the same clothes to school but I don’t think he knows, but his shoes are different colours. This fact makes it so that whenever he pops in, just like Principal Walter used to do (although he doesn’t take give random punishments for no reason like Walter) and make a speech or look around, everyone secretly giggles at his shoes without him looking. He never catches us. Me and Jack had a great time, had a rest from 175 and just enjoyed school for a little while. That was until we overheard him talking with some other people…

(Cathy)

“So those stupid little rats really think that you am such a nice little headmaster do they?!” Said a very familiar voice. ” I know right Walter! Those insolent pigs are the stupidest living thing I have ever seen!” Said a squeaky voice who we remembered was Headmaster Paul.

We both gasped in horror The new Headmaster was working with the old headmaster?

” Have you seen August’s face? Its’s the most horrendous thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on! I have to stop my self from laughing every time I see him! His face is like this..” And Headmaster Paul began making ugly faces who we assumed was an imitation of me. I almost laughed my head off until Jack Will hissed at me, “shut up!  They’re going to notice us!” And he motioned greedily at Walter and Paul talking. However what they said next shocked us.

(Jessica)

I hurried home to explain the new happening of the school. She sat there looking incredibly tired and stared up wearily at me. It was like a movie. We rushed out to the police station once again and explained the peculiar situation.

“He..he..” I stuttered “Headmaster Paul said…”

(Cathy)

” The, headmaster was Samuel!” Jack said pushing me aside. When the police looked confused .I said “Samuel Brown, the biggest murderer and thief that ever existed? He’s also supposed to be dead!” I said.

“Look kid just because you think you heard Principal Paul talking with Principal Walter, doesn’t mean Paul is Samuel!” One of the police said.

(Jessica)

“Look,” I said, staring the dumbfound police straight in the eye, “If you don’t believe me, check for yourself. You’ll be eating up your words like everyone in the world.”

That’s when I knew I had won them over. They followed me to school and armed themselves with guns, daggers and other useless items: we weren’t going to kill him! Anyways, Headmaster Paul…I mean Samuel is successfully locked up. The big surprise was when I came to school the next day. ME AND JACK WERE FAMOUS!

(Jack)

Usually at school, I was infamous for my completely deformed face and was stared at whenever I was strolling along the corridor. The would be goggling at me like a goldfish, step away when I brush past them, avoid touching me like I was some sort of contagious disease and stare and stare until I was well out of sight. Although I was used to this by now, it still occasionally irritates me to think “what is ugly about my face” and “can they just stop it?”

Now, Jack (who is not the most popular kid in the year due to the fact that he hangs out with me), receive more pats on the back and words of encouragement than stares now that we’ve gotten rid of 2 biggest criminals possibly in the entire human history. Even the teachers stopped gazing at my face and muttering behind my back.

Tomorrow was Halloween, the best day EVER! This year, I an dressing up as Darth Vader from Star Wars. Apart from the costume, I love the mask most. Even though I am famous now and is not stared at for as much as it used to be, I still have to endure behavior like before. The Darth Vader mask completely covers my face leaving only my eyes visible. Nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, is going to know it was me – not even Jack, who is my best friend. I simply can’t wait! That was until this happened…

(Cathy)

Hey guess what, Cathy deleted the work! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!