Standing in front of the principal, and trying to sound confident and convincing, Calipso explained on behalf of the Super Six how they had seen the army of rats earlier that morning and that they all had a 'hunch' that the health inspector would be visiting Fernwood High School very soon .
“Hmmm, this is an interesting matter that you have come to discuss with me girls,” said Mrs Sheraton, removing her glasses from the end of her nose.
“But what exactly has brought on this 'hunch' about a surprise health inspection?” the principal asked curiously.
“Uh...how do we know about the inspection?” Chelsea asked nervously, looking at her friends for help.
Jade rescued her. “Well...we're doing a project on it...”
“Yes, a project on Health and Hygiene...” added Roxanne.
“Health and Hygiene, specifically regarding food...” Annie chipped in.
“Health violations in kitchens, restaurants, hotels, schools, that kind of thing,” said Charlotte.
“Yes, and while we were busy with our research, we read a newspaper article about health inspectors that have recently been visiting schools with kitchen facilities. It mentioned that the Board of Health and Hygiene believe that hygiene in kitchens is of the utmost importance and that they would be doing all they could to ensure that schools, restaurants and hotels in our province comply with the health regulations as outlined in the Health Code.”
Calipso swallowed and hoped that her improvised speech had been believable.
“It seems that they don't like to warn anyone about health inspections. The inspectors prefer to arrive unannounced so that things aren't cleaned up just before they arrive and then forgotten about and neglected again afterwards. If an inspection is passed successfully, it proves to the Board that those concerned are making a concerted effort to keep their facilities clean and hygienic at all times.”
Jade had liked Calipso's improvised white lie about finding an article and decided to mention more about the element of surprise behind the inspections. Between the two of them, they delivered a very convincing argument.
“Hmmm, that does make sense. I'm very impressed girls, you have clearly worked hard on this project of yours and you seem to have done some excellent research. Now, the only problem is, how do we get rid of the jolly rats?” she asked, resting her chin in the palm of her hand.
“There must be some sort of exterminating company in the area. Surely they would be able to come and lay rat poison around the school?” thought Chelsea aloud.
“Yes, exactly,” agreed Mrs Sheraton. “Do you girls have any idea about when this inspection might take place?”
“We think it might be within the next few days,” answered Calipso.
***
The next morning, as the girls were walking to their first lesson of the new week, they happened to walk past Mrs Sheraton talking to a very enthusiastic young man with a spray canister strapped to his back.
“That should do it ma’am, I've covered the whole area and have treated all the hotspots with my special potion,” they overheard the man saying. They couldn't help but giggle at his obvious excitement.
The principal caught sight of the girls and signalled to them to join her.
“Ah, girls, this is Nick, from 'Extreme Exterminators'. Nick, these are the girls that discovered the beastly little rodents on our property. Perhaps they can show you exactly where they saw them, just in case you missed that spot.”
“Alrighty,” he answered cheerfully.
The girls nodded, muffling more giggles, and led Nick past the school hall to the drain behind the kitchen.
“Yip, I've given that spot a generous spray of my lethal Pest Potion. The rats do love to huddle near the drains and pretty much wherever they can find food scraps. But they won't be around for much longer, ha!” gloated Nick, pointing his spray gun at an imaginary rat. His job clearly gave him great satisfaction.
“How long does it take for that poison to work?” asked Jade out of curiosity.
Nick suddenly broke into song. It was a rap song with actions and everything:
“It takes seconds for my potion
to kick into motion,
Ladies you can say good-bye
to every rat, bug and fly.
You can show me any pest
And I'll lay them straight to rest.”
“I see,” said Jade, not quite sure what to make of Nick's song which he sang twice, both times with very dramatic actions and dance moves.
“Not long, sweet ladies, not long at all. I best be off, enjoy the rest of this spectacular day,” he lifted his hat as he turned and walked away.
The girls turned back towards the classroom block and howled with laughter as they repeated Nick's rap all the way to English.
During the next few days, the girls checked every drain they walked past. They also found plenty of excuses to go into the kitchen, to ask for more butter, juice or napkins, and while they were there they checked every nook and cranny in the huge kitchen. They didn't see a single rat anywhere. The girls weren't sure of it was Nick's poisonous spray or his awful singing that had chased te rats away, but whatever it was it seemed to have worked.
A few days later, the girls were deep in conversation while walking to the swimming pool for an afternoon swim. They had to walk past the front office to get from Oak House to the pool, and just as they rounded the corner, they saw an elderly man in a grey uniform walk into the office block. They looked at each other with eyes as big as saucers and there was no need for them to say a word, they knew exactly who the man was.
“Quickly, behind that bush,” whispered Annie.
The others followed her and they all huddled behind the rose bush underneath Mrs Sheraton's office window. They heard the knock on Mrs Sheraton's door and then a deep voice introduced himself as Mr Snickhelberg. He went on to explain that he was a Health Inspector and was at the school to inspect the health and hygiene of Fernwood's facilities.
“Certainly Mr Snickhelberg, it's a pleasure to meet you,” replied Mrs Sheraton, who did not show as much surprise as Mr Snickhelberg had expected.
If you would like to follow me, you can start your inspection right away,” said Mrs Sheraton, and they heard two sets of footsteps leaving her office.
The girls stayed hidden behind the bush and looked at each other in amazement. They couldn't believe that they had been right yet again. A job well done was what the girls were thinking. They began congratulating each other when they suddenly heard somebody clearing their throat right behind them. They hadn't been as well hidden as they thought they were, and they were startled to see Mr Snickhelberg and Mrs Sheraton standing behind them on the path.
“Good afternoon Sir, welcome to our school. My name is Calipso, and these are my friends Annie, Roxanne, Chelsea, Charlotte and Jade.”
“That's fantastic,” the short little man replied sarcastically.
“Now, if you would kindly step aside girls, I have a school to inspect and if I find one health violation, I'm closing down this school!” he spat and marched smugly down the path.
The girls waited for Mrs Sheraton to reprimand them for hiding behind the bush and eavesdropping, but instead, their principal followed the grumpy inspector without a word. The six girls stood frozen on the spot as they watched her walk away. Just before she disappeared around the corner, she turned to face the girls and winked. They beamed and felt certain that their school would pass the inspection with flying colours.
That night, just before they all went to bed, Jade did another rendition of Nick's rat potion rap and the others collapsed in fits of laughter. They had received a message from Mrs Sheraton after supper, letting them know that Fernwood had passed the health inspection. They were feeling very chuffed with themselves and agreed that the special power that the dorm under the stairs had given them had allowed them to rescue their school from a dire situation. Apparently Mr Grumpy was not able to find one health violation at Fernwood and he actually remarked on the wonderfully clean and well-kept state of the kitchen and the school grounds in general. Mrs Sheraton thanked the girls repeatedly in the note she had sent them, and said that she thought that the six of them deserved an extra sleep-out weekend before the end of the term. The girls were very excited about that as it was always refreshing to have a change of scenery.
Jade flicked the light switch once she had finished imitating Nick and climbed under her duvet.
“Well girls, we saved the day...just in the Nick of time!” she sighed.
They all giggled at Jade's clever pun. Their giggling soon died down and they lay quietly in their beds feeling content, relieved and proud of themselves. The girls eventually drifted off to sleep, a smile on each one of their peaceful little faces.
Chapter Fifteen: The Super Six Smell a Rat (Georgie and Alice)
The Super Six struggled to get up the next morning after very little sleep. They hauled themselves out of bed, put on their dressing gowns and walked lazily to the bathrooms hoping that a shower would leave them feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead.
“Ugh, I feel sick,” groaned Annie.
“Me too,” said Charlotte. “Too many sour worms and too little sleep.”
The others giggled when they thought of the two of them devouring all of Annie's secret stash of sweets and biscuits after the Ball.
The girls were just starting to feel a little more awake when they heard Josephine ringing the bell for breakfast. They trudged up to the Dining hall, the thought of Sunday morning egg and bacon not as appealing as it usually was. They had just passed the school hall when Jade suddenly let out an ear-piercing screech as she caught sight of a fat grey rat scuttling across the pathway.
“Calm down Jade, it's just a rat,” said Calipso, patting Jade on the shoulder. “It actually looks a little bit like the pet rat I had in Peru, Miffles,” she added.
“You owned a-a-a rat?” she shrieked, looking horrified.
“Look at all those rats in that corner, near the drain,” Annie pointed out. “I’ve seen the odd one before, but that’s out of control!”
Jade gasped and looked as though she was about to faint.
“Come on, let’s just get to breakfast, you're making me lose the little appetite that I have,” said Charlotte, marching past them and rounding the corner to join the queue.
***
Once back in their dorm, Charlotte and Calipso settled down to read their books. Annie took out her notebook and looked over her Science notes while Jade decided to change the colour of the nail polish on her toes. Chelsea went to the music room to practice the piano and Roxanne and the rest of the 1st hockey team were meeting for a practice on the field behind Willow House. It was a very lazy day and after hiding in the dorm during lunch, none of them in the least bit hungry, Charlotte suggested that they have an afternoon sleep.
“I'm so tired,” she yawned, “and I still have no appetite, especially after seeing those rats this morning. I think we should close the blinds and have a little nap.”
“I think that's a great idea,” agreed Roxanne and collapsed onto her bed.
The others all did the same, and soon their breathing had become slow and heavy and they were fast asleep.
***
Annie woke up with a start and bolted out of bed.
“Oh my gosh, we only have fifteen minutes until Maths, we've overslept!” she cried.
“Annie, relax, it's Sunday afternoon,” mumbled Jade, her eyes still closed.
“Oh, oh yes,” gasped Annie, climbing back into bed.
“What a pity it isn't Maths in fifteen minutes, hey Annie?” said Roxanne sarcastically, grinning to herself.
“Did any of you dream this afternoon? I had a very strange one,” said Chelsea as she sat up and leaned against her pillows so that she could see the others. “I dreamt that there was an elderly man in some kind of grey uniform, walking around the school property.”
“Oh yes, I dreamt alright! I dreamt about those dreaded rats we saw this morning,” moaned Jade.
“Yip, I also dreamt, but mine was about the school being closed down. Whoopee!” Roxanne cheered excitedly.
“Don't say that Roxanne, that would be dreadful!” frowned Annie.
By now they were all sitting up in their beds, trying to make sense of the snippets of their dreams.
“What about you Calipso, did you dream about anything during your nap?”
Calipso nodded while yawning. “I dreamt about Mrs Sheraton and Josephine and they were involved in a serious argument with someone called Mr Snickhelburg. He was also wearing a grey uniform, and there was a badge on his pocket that said 'Health and Hygiene is our Business'.”
“I also dreamt about Mrs Sheraton, but in my dream she was standing in the kitchen with her hands on her hips and she looked terribly upset,” said Annie, her voice full of concern.
Charlotte thought she was slowly beginning to understand. “I also dreamt about Mr Snickhelburg, he introduced himself to Mrs Sheraton as the health inspector. She was trying to tell him that she knew nothing about his visit and he told her that she wasn't supposed to, it was a surprise visit to check that the school was meeting the correct standards set by the Department of Health.”
“So that means Mr Snickhelberg is going to be visiting our school, he'll see all those rats running around near the drains and in the kitchen, and then he's going to close down the school,” concluded Chelsea.
“We have to do something!” said Annie, jumping up with her arms in the air.
“Yes, we do have to do something before it's too late. I really don't want to go back to Peru, I love it here!” shouted Calipso in agreement.
“Come on, we need to think,” said Jade, jumping off her bed and pacing up and down.
“I say we go straight to Mrs Sheraton,” suggested Roxanne.
“How do we know that she will believe any of this?” asked Annie.
“We don't, but she listened to Calipso when she went to her about Suzy and the shoplifting incident, so if Calipso does all the talking, then our chances might be better,” said Jade. So the girls neatened themselves up and marched out of the dorm, on a mission to save Fernwood High School from the rats.
“Ugh, I feel sick,” groaned Annie.
“Me too,” said Charlotte. “Too many sour worms and too little sleep.”
The others giggled when they thought of the two of them devouring all of Annie's secret stash of sweets and biscuits after the Ball.
The girls were just starting to feel a little more awake when they heard Josephine ringing the bell for breakfast. They trudged up to the Dining hall, the thought of Sunday morning egg and bacon not as appealing as it usually was. They had just passed the school hall when Jade suddenly let out an ear-piercing screech as she caught sight of a fat grey rat scuttling across the pathway.
“Calm down Jade, it's just a rat,” said Calipso, patting Jade on the shoulder. “It actually looks a little bit like the pet rat I had in Peru, Miffles,” she added.
“You owned a-a-a rat?” she shrieked, looking horrified.
“Look at all those rats in that corner, near the drain,” Annie pointed out. “I’ve seen the odd one before, but that’s out of control!”
Jade gasped and looked as though she was about to faint.
“Come on, let’s just get to breakfast, you're making me lose the little appetite that I have,” said Charlotte, marching past them and rounding the corner to join the queue.
***
Once back in their dorm, Charlotte and Calipso settled down to read their books. Annie took out her notebook and looked over her Science notes while Jade decided to change the colour of the nail polish on her toes. Chelsea went to the music room to practice the piano and Roxanne and the rest of the 1st hockey team were meeting for a practice on the field behind Willow House. It was a very lazy day and after hiding in the dorm during lunch, none of them in the least bit hungry, Charlotte suggested that they have an afternoon sleep.
“I'm so tired,” she yawned, “and I still have no appetite, especially after seeing those rats this morning. I think we should close the blinds and have a little nap.”
“I think that's a great idea,” agreed Roxanne and collapsed onto her bed.
The others all did the same, and soon their breathing had become slow and heavy and they were fast asleep.
***
Annie woke up with a start and bolted out of bed.
“Oh my gosh, we only have fifteen minutes until Maths, we've overslept!” she cried.
“Annie, relax, it's Sunday afternoon,” mumbled Jade, her eyes still closed.
“Oh, oh yes,” gasped Annie, climbing back into bed.
“What a pity it isn't Maths in fifteen minutes, hey Annie?” said Roxanne sarcastically, grinning to herself.
“Did any of you dream this afternoon? I had a very strange one,” said Chelsea as she sat up and leaned against her pillows so that she could see the others. “I dreamt that there was an elderly man in some kind of grey uniform, walking around the school property.”
“Oh yes, I dreamt alright! I dreamt about those dreaded rats we saw this morning,” moaned Jade.
“Yip, I also dreamt, but mine was about the school being closed down. Whoopee!” Roxanne cheered excitedly.
“Don't say that Roxanne, that would be dreadful!” frowned Annie.
By now they were all sitting up in their beds, trying to make sense of the snippets of their dreams.
“What about you Calipso, did you dream about anything during your nap?”
Calipso nodded while yawning. “I dreamt about Mrs Sheraton and Josephine and they were involved in a serious argument with someone called Mr Snickhelburg. He was also wearing a grey uniform, and there was a badge on his pocket that said 'Health and Hygiene is our Business'.”
“I also dreamt about Mrs Sheraton, but in my dream she was standing in the kitchen with her hands on her hips and she looked terribly upset,” said Annie, her voice full of concern.
Charlotte thought she was slowly beginning to understand. “I also dreamt about Mr Snickhelburg, he introduced himself to Mrs Sheraton as the health inspector. She was trying to tell him that she knew nothing about his visit and he told her that she wasn't supposed to, it was a surprise visit to check that the school was meeting the correct standards set by the Department of Health.”
“So that means Mr Snickhelberg is going to be visiting our school, he'll see all those rats running around near the drains and in the kitchen, and then he's going to close down the school,” concluded Chelsea.
“We have to do something!” said Annie, jumping up with her arms in the air.
“Yes, we do have to do something before it's too late. I really don't want to go back to Peru, I love it here!” shouted Calipso in agreement.
“Come on, we need to think,” said Jade, jumping off her bed and pacing up and down.
“I say we go straight to Mrs Sheraton,” suggested Roxanne.
“How do we know that she will believe any of this?” asked Annie.
“We don't, but she listened to Calipso when she went to her about Suzy and the shoplifting incident, so if Calipso does all the talking, then our chances might be better,” said Jade. So the girls neatened themselves up and marched out of the dorm, on a mission to save Fernwood High School from the rats.
Chapter Fourteen: Misunderstood (Julie)
Kyle turned on his heel and rushed out of the hall after Chelsea.
“Chelsea, wait!” he called after her. He spotted a flash of pink out of the corner of his eye and when he caught up to her, she was standing at the fountain outside.
“What's the matter Chelsea, are you alright?” he asked while gently wiping a tear from her cheek.
“I'm f-f-fine,” she sobbed.
“Are you sure? You don’t seem fine,” he persisted.
“Well, Holly! Are you two together now?” she stuttered.
“What? No! Chelsea, Holly is my cousin. She saw me standing on my own while you were in the bathroom, so she asked me to dance with her. She told me she was given strict instructions from my aunt Hilda to give me a big hug and kiss.”
“Oh,” she whispered while trying to compose herself. “It's just that...well...it was as if she was trying to make me jealous.”
“That's just Holly. Don't take her seriously, everything she does is a bit of an act. She can be very sweet sometimes,” Kyle explained, trying his best to reassure Chelsea.
“Maybe to you,” answered Chelsea, who was starting to feel a little ashamed of her jealous outburst.
Kyle sighed and took both of Chelsea's hands.
“I'm sorry,” she said, looking at his handsome face, “I misunderstood.”
“Don't apologise, I'm sorry you felt upset and I'm so sorry about spilling punch all over your beautiful dress.”
Chelsea laughed and showed him that the mark from the fruit punch could hardly be seen.
They sat down on the edge of the fountain, still holding hands, and talked and laughed under the clear and starry night sky. After a little while, they were quiet for a moment and they could hear the muffled beat of the music in the hall. Chelsea suddenly felt nervous as Kyle turned her face towards his, the corners of his mouth turned up into a cheeky smile. He looked into her eyes and tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. Chelsea's heart skipped a beat when she realised that Kyle was about to kiss her. But all of a sudden the clock tower behind them broke the silence as the clock struck midnight. Within seconds the hall door swung open and everybody shuffled outside, the boys linking arms with the girls ready to escort them back to their hostels.
Kyle and Chelsea stood up quickly and joined the others, both feeling a little awkward after what had almost happened.
There was lots of chattering and laughing amongst the boys and girls as they walked back to Fernwood, and once the Super Six had been wished good night by their partners, the chattering continued down the stairs and into the dorm.
There was a lot for them to talk about, so they put on their pajamas, took off their make-up and then they all climbed onto Annie's bed to discuss every detail of the evening. Annie reached under her bed for her snack box, which was always full of exciting treats, and they all tucked in as they relived the evening at the Ball. There was Suzy's arrival in her beautiful red dress, Ben's good looks without his glasses and Annie's discovery of his great sense of humour. There was also Adam and Calipso's attempt at Latin American dancing, Charlotte and Roxanne's special treatment at the matric table, and of course Chelsea's almost-first-kiss. They giggled non-stop into the early hours of the morning and when they finally climbed into their own beds it took them no time to fall fast asleep. Just before Chelsea closed her eyes, she picked up the rose that Kyle had given her. The soft, sweet petals tickled her nose.
“I know what I'm going to dream about tonight,” she thought to herself, gently laying the rose down on her pillow. Then she turned over and closed her eyes.
“Chelsea, wait!” he called after her. He spotted a flash of pink out of the corner of his eye and when he caught up to her, she was standing at the fountain outside.
“What's the matter Chelsea, are you alright?” he asked while gently wiping a tear from her cheek.
“I'm f-f-fine,” she sobbed.
“Are you sure? You don’t seem fine,” he persisted.
“Well, Holly! Are you two together now?” she stuttered.
“What? No! Chelsea, Holly is my cousin. She saw me standing on my own while you were in the bathroom, so she asked me to dance with her. She told me she was given strict instructions from my aunt Hilda to give me a big hug and kiss.”
“Oh,” she whispered while trying to compose herself. “It's just that...well...it was as if she was trying to make me jealous.”
“That's just Holly. Don't take her seriously, everything she does is a bit of an act. She can be very sweet sometimes,” Kyle explained, trying his best to reassure Chelsea.
“Maybe to you,” answered Chelsea, who was starting to feel a little ashamed of her jealous outburst.
Kyle sighed and took both of Chelsea's hands.
“I'm sorry,” she said, looking at his handsome face, “I misunderstood.”
“Don't apologise, I'm sorry you felt upset and I'm so sorry about spilling punch all over your beautiful dress.”
Chelsea laughed and showed him that the mark from the fruit punch could hardly be seen.
They sat down on the edge of the fountain, still holding hands, and talked and laughed under the clear and starry night sky. After a little while, they were quiet for a moment and they could hear the muffled beat of the music in the hall. Chelsea suddenly felt nervous as Kyle turned her face towards his, the corners of his mouth turned up into a cheeky smile. He looked into her eyes and tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. Chelsea's heart skipped a beat when she realised that Kyle was about to kiss her. But all of a sudden the clock tower behind them broke the silence as the clock struck midnight. Within seconds the hall door swung open and everybody shuffled outside, the boys linking arms with the girls ready to escort them back to their hostels.
Kyle and Chelsea stood up quickly and joined the others, both feeling a little awkward after what had almost happened.
There was lots of chattering and laughing amongst the boys and girls as they walked back to Fernwood, and once the Super Six had been wished good night by their partners, the chattering continued down the stairs and into the dorm.
There was a lot for them to talk about, so they put on their pajamas, took off their make-up and then they all climbed onto Annie's bed to discuss every detail of the evening. Annie reached under her bed for her snack box, which was always full of exciting treats, and they all tucked in as they relived the evening at the Ball. There was Suzy's arrival in her beautiful red dress, Ben's good looks without his glasses and Annie's discovery of his great sense of humour. There was also Adam and Calipso's attempt at Latin American dancing, Charlotte and Roxanne's special treatment at the matric table, and of course Chelsea's almost-first-kiss. They giggled non-stop into the early hours of the morning and when they finally climbed into their own beds it took them no time to fall fast asleep. Just before Chelsea closed her eyes, she picked up the rose that Kyle had given her. The soft, sweet petals tickled her nose.
“I know what I'm going to dream about tonight,” she thought to herself, gently laying the rose down on her pillow. Then she turned over and closed her eyes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)