The thing about disasters is that you’ll never know when one’s going to strike until it does. The beginning of October started out fine. Everyone was safe in the school. Classes continued as normal, maybe got a bit more challenging. But then the first person disappeared. At first we didn’t think much of it. The teachers told us they were sick, or some other mundane excuse that we all believed because the adults knew everything, right? That fantasy didn’t last. That first person didn’t show up to classes for a week. Then the next people disappeared. It only got worse. Whoever was behind this was brilliant: The disappearances were so scattered that a few missing faces in the crowd stood out to almost no one. By the time October twentieth rolled around, twelve students and three staff members had vanished off of the face of Welsburry. No one had any clue as to where they were, or where they could have gone. The first staff member to disappear was Professor Malone. Then one of the chefs, and the third was Professor Janet. After Professor Janet’s disappearance, Naomi got a panicked letter from Danielle that Jackie, Carlos, and Diego were missing too. That scared the living daylights out of us. Apparently it wasn’t just WSoM people getting taken. The teachers tried to play it off, but by the time the fourteenth student and the fourth teacher had vanished, the staff members called off classes, saying that there would be a break until they sorted this out. In any other situation, this would have been a blessing. An unknown amount of free time? Sweet! But the reason that it had occurred lingered amongst us students. The six of us overheard some panicked first years conversing in the halls on the way to lunch a few days after the shut down. “If all the staff disappear, who will take care of the castle?” “How will we get food?” “And clean linens?” “And who will supervise us?” “You guys don’t see them?” This last voice wasn’t panicked, and it wasn’t a first year either. I looked in their direction and saw a seventh year, like us. They had short dark red hair, almost brown, with light skin, freckles, and crystal blue eyes. I recognized them… Axar, yes, that’s their name. Ax, a new kid, she/they interchangeably. I remembered them from the first day of school. “See what?” a first year piped up. “The spirits,” Ax whispered. “The what?” two first years practically screeched. The ghost of a smile appeared on Ax’s face. “Don’t worry. They’re not here to hurt you. The spirits are the ones who take care of the castle. And cook for you if the staff are gone. And clean your clothes and sheets. They can also supervise you and make sure you don’t get hurt.” The first years nodded, wide eyed. They turned away from Ax and hastily went into the dining hall. “If you wanted to creep them out, it certainly worked,” a voice called from the crowd of students around us. “If they’re creeped out by the truth it’s not my fault,” Ax called over her shoulder as they walked into the dining hall. The six of us exchanged a wary glance and followed the rest of the students inside.
Notes/Credits: Hi! Welcome to The Dark Prison - the third book in The Wolf Stories. If you haven't read The Wolf Boy or The Monster's Curse, I highly suggest you do so! This is Chapter 3, enjoy! Previous Chapter(s): Chpt 1 Pt 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/750051827/ Chpt 1 Pt 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/753809497/ Chapter 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/758384060 Credits: Me, for being the author Shannon Messenger, JK Rowling, Eoin Colfer, Rick Riordan, and many other authors for inspo @aqua_di_angelo, @AL600AWESOME, @Lanze_cupcake_face11, and @Yayabinks for inspo and supporting the story! QOTW: Do you like Ax, the new character?
