Chapter 12

Courtney was still livid about missing out on Free Time on Wednesday the following week. Recess had ended, and it was time for class. This time it was Art.

The students lined up at the steps of the art room. They wanted to be let in quickly because the smell of rotting eggs burnt their nostrils. Recently, this particular awful stench had surfaced around the art rooms, but none of the kids knew why, nor did they particularly want to spend the time looking around to investigate the smell.

Now that PE was out of the picture, art class was the last bastion of safety away from the clutches of Mrs Grungle.

The door crept open, and the art teacher, Mrs Livy, waved at the children, inviting them inside. Today, she was wearing a wooden bird clip in her matted, greying hair. She was quite a quirky teacher, but one that Courtney liked.

Like every other class, they sat on the mat to receive their instructions.

“Today, you are free to do whatever type of art you want,” Mrs Livy notified them.

The kids all went and put on their art smocks. As they say on the playground, you can tell a lot about a person by the style of art smock they wear. Some kids, like Jack, were wearing oversized t-shirts, likely hand-me-downs from their parents.

Sarah had a fancy apron with hand-sewn pink unicorns. Courtney was a little bit jealous of hers. She only had a basic pink plastic one that looked like a poncho. Leah also had a similar plastic poncho, one that was formerly white but was now covered in paint stains.

“What are you doing?” Sarah asked.

“I want to play with clay,” Leah responded.

“But I want to paint,” Sarah snapped back, stomping her foot, frustrated that Leah didn’t share the same interest as her. She glanced at Courtney and grabbed her arm. “You want to paint as well, don’t you, Courtney?”

“No! She wants to do clay!” Leah grabbed Courtney’s other arm.

Courtney didn’t want to do either. It was the only time she didn’t have to worry about Mrs Grungle. She wanted to do something fun. Something that she enjoyed.

“I want to draw,” she responded, avoiding their eye contact. She felt her heart rate begin to increase rapidly.

Would they be angry?

Would they hate her?

Would they want to stop being friends?

“Girls, have you decided what you want to do?” Mrs Livy asked. Her soft smile made Courtney feel instantly better.

The girls shook their heads, explaining to her how they all wanted to do different projects.

“I see.” She brought her finger to her mouth as if she were thinking, before warmly smiling. “Well then, why don’t you all do the ones you want to do and show each other why your one is the best?”

The girls all liked this idea. They gathered all the items they needed and found an empty, paint-splattered table covered with old newspapers, poorly taped together.

Courtney already knew what she wanted to draw. She liked drawing monsters, and she knew exactly which one she wanted to draw. Mrs Grungle. Being slain by a brave fairy inspired by her.

She began sketching.

She meticulously tried to keep the colour between the lines, but it was difficult.

“Hello girls, what are you all doing?”

“I’m making a snail,” Leah excitedly shared, showing off her clay creation. Leah loved bugs, so it was no surprise that she was making some sort of creepy crawly.

Hearing this, Sarah shifted her stool slightly further away from Leah. In stark contrast to Leah, Sarah detested all sorts of creepy crawlies. Courtney could still remember the scream she made when she came face-to-face with a huntsman in class.

“What are you going to do with your snail once it’s done?”

“I’m going to put it in my garden to let the other snails know it’s friendly to come to my place,” she replied, beaming.

“I’m sure they will be happy to have a very cute friend.” She turned her attention to Sarah. “And what are you painting, Sarah?”

“I’m painting my favourite Nokomon,” Sarah proudly responded, patting herself on the chest and smearing wet paint on her smock.

“Who is your favourite Nokomon?”

“It’s Meltdrei, it’s a legendary Nokomon,” she proudly stated, pointing to the fire-bird she painted.

“That’s one of my favourites too.”

Courtney didn’t know she was also a fan of Nokomon. That just further proved that Mrs Livy was the best teacher. Way better than Mrs Grungle.

“And what are you drawing, Courtney?” Mrs Livy asked.

“I’m drawing a monster,” Courtney replied, hoping that Mrs Livy would pick up on the fact that it was Mrs Grungle. Having another adult on her side, especially a teacher who was here long before Mrs Grungle arrived, would certainly help in defeating the monster.

“Oh my!” She covered her mouth with her hand. “That’s a really good monster. Does it have a name?”

Courtney was shocked that she couldn’t instantly tell who it was. Why didn’t she recognise that it was Mrs Grungle? It was obvious. How many other monsters were around the school?

That was unless…

Courtney’s heart sank.

Could it be that Mrs Livy was working with Mrs Grungle? She hadn’t considered the possibility that Mrs Grungle’s tendrils would extend to the other teachers. She trusted them. But that would make them all the more desirable to manipulate.

Courtney racked her brain, trying to think of a way to hide the fact that she had caught on to Mrs Livy. An idea flashed in her brain.

“It’s called the Gribble Groble.”

“Oh my.” Mrs Livy covered her mouth with her hand. “Do you mean the Gribble Groble from The Monster and the Little Girl?”

How did she know that book? Mrs Grungle was the one who brought that book in. Only she could have known about the Gribble Groble. If Mrs Livy also knew about it, then it meant she must be working for Mrs Grungle.

Courtney realised she couldn’t tell Mrs Livy the truth.

It was no longer safe to do so.

With art no longer a safe space for her, Courtney lost the one remaining class she enjoyed at school.

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End of Chapter 12