10th Muse: Blade of Medusa. Darren G. Davis
is cute,” Brett said as he took his seat, “but the com-
petition is fierce.”
“She’s a girl,” Dawn said, “not an Olympic event.”
“But,” Dawn thought further, “it is strange that on her first
day, something is stolen from a museum.”
“Yeah, but if you remember,” Brett said, “she sat next to
me. I think I would have noticed something like a sword on her
person.”
“I think anybody carrying a sword would be obvious,”
Emma said.
“Maybe it wasn’t anybody from our class,” Brett suggested.
“Or they just moved it,” Dawn added.
Emma took all this in, but she could say no more because
class was starting and Mr. Coco began reviewing for the histo-
ry final.
Emma and her friends walked out of the room after history
class to find Mr. Rivers waiting in the hallway. They assumed
he was there to talk to Mr. Coco, since they always worked on
projects together.
But Mr. Rivers raised his hand and called, “Emma, can I
• 32 •
C H A P T E R T H R E E
talk to you for a minute?”
Dawn smiled playfully at her friend. It was no secret that
Emma had a crush on her old Western Civ instructor, though
Emma protested that she only thought he was a great teacher.
Emma excused herself from her friends and walked over to
Mr. Rivers.
“Yes sir?” she asked.
“I’m sure you heard the Principal’s announcement this
morning…” he said.
“Yes,” Emma replied, “and I’m looking forward to noodles
and gravy for lunch.”
“Very funny,” Mr. Rivers smiled.
He really thinks I’m funny, Emma thought, containing her
need to giggle.
“I was more concerned about the artifact taken from the
museum,” he said.
“Yeah, that wasn’t good,” she told him, “but I don’t think
anyone from our class took it.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I think we would have noticed somebody coming back on
the bus with a sword,” she explained. “It’s not like they can fold
• 33 •
T H O M A S J . M I S U R A C A
it and hide it in their backpack.”
“Good point,” he nodded. “I knew you were the right per-
son to ask; you are very observant. But if you remember seeing
something suspicious at the museum or think of anything else,
please let me know.”
“Will do,” Emma said, motioning to move away. “I don’t
want to be late for class.”
“Neither do I,” Mr. Rivers said and strolled off in the other
direction.
When Emma caught up with her friends, Dawn couldn’t
wait to shout: “Spring is in the air.”
“Quiet, you,” Emma returned, then noticed one of them was
missing. “Where’s Brett?”
Dawn pointed across the hall.
Brett was at Gloria’s locker, trying to help her get it open.
When you enroll in a new school at the end of the year, you may
end up getting the one locker everyone else passed up. In this
case, apparently the reason was that this one was stuck.
Dawn and Emma stood back, amused and watched Brett
struggle with the door.
“She is beautiful, isn’t she?” the voice of Grayson Bishop
• 34 •
C H A P T E R T H R E E
echoed toward them.
The girls did not dignify the comment with a response.
“By the end of the school year, you can bet Gloria will be
on my arms.”
He then strode up to the locker and gave it a good solid
WHACK in his best Fonzie impression. Assuming that was all
that was necessary to open it, Grayson didn’t even break stride
as he moved on to his next class without another glance.
The locker was still stuck.
“What’s his problem?” Gloria asked Brett.
“Where to begin…” Brett said, not gaining any ground with
the door.
Emma reached into her backpack and pulled out her wallet.
She removed her movie rental card and stepped up to the lock-
er. She slid the card into the lock and quickly jimmied it open.
“ There you go,” said Emma.
She and Dawn continued on to their next class.
Gloria said nothing.
“You’re welcome,” Emma shouted back at her.
• 35 •
CHAPTER
4
Emma didn’t like movies that had scenes with sped-up
action. She thought it looked goofy and unrealistic. A
character running around faster than normal was just plain silly.
But that’s what her world felt like during finals week.
She ran from class to class, taking test after test, watching
the clock move faster and faster. She didn’t think she did well
on any of them.
Though she saw Dawn and Brett in her classes, they did not
• 36 •
T H O M A S J . M I S U R A C A
have much time to chat. That made lunchtime the only time
they could look forward to to catch up and compare notes. And
now that the weather was nicer, they could even hang outside.
Emma was the first one out as the lunch bell rang. Dawn
soon joined her.
“ They shouldn’t have the math final after the English
final,” Dawn told