Chapter One: Bam!

My teacher was writing a whole bunch of things on the board. I looked around me, watching a bunch of students writing in their notebooks. I was supposed to be too, copying what Mrs. Truax wrote down on the board. You’re probably wondering why I wasn’t. First of, my name is Andrea. But my friends call me Andy for short. I’m an eighth grader, last year in middle school. I have curly long brown hair, well, a little past my shoulders. I’m kind of tall, about average I’d say. I should be paying attention, but I’m too curious. Curious about what?

A few days ago, a man disappeared. Just “Bam!” he’s gone. He’s not a magician, no. But he was our school’s principal. Now, we started school on the fifth of September. It’s only the eleventh. I’ve only officially been in class for five days. Where is he? Where is Mr. Janks? He went missing on Friday, the eighth. Only the fourth day of school. But I knew him pretty well, actually. Not because I’m sent here a lot, but my two older brothers went to this school also, and they had to have my mom come into school an awful lot to talk with the principal. When my oldest brother was here, I was only five years old, so I pretty much had to come. My other brother, I was only seven. My brothers are only three years apart so I was in here a lot, even in a month. I’m thirteen years old, my oldest brother, Ryan, is twenty-one now and my other brother, Mitchell, eighteen. I told them about it. Ryan was not at all too concerned. It’s just his middle school principal, he’d explain. Mitchell just kind of shrugged it off. He was graduating and that’s all he thought about. Whatever.

“Miss. Barkley!” My teacher yelled. I jumped. That was me. I looked up straight. I smiled a little, it was so fake, everyone could notice.

“Uh…y-yeah?” I asked. I quickly stopped doodling and dropped my pencil. My eyes widened, as if I was interested. I smiled a little more realistic.

“Are you paying attention!?” She yelled. A bunch of students stared at me.

“Uh...Yeah…?” I said. I know, I know, I sounded stupid but I was totally out of it. I had no clue what we were doing in class today. She walked up to me, and I grabbed my notebook and pulled it close to my chest so she wouldn’t see my doodles. I gulped, pretty loud I might add. Her loud high heels clacked against the ground as she slowly walked towards me.

“What are we doing then?” She slowly asked. I expected that question…

“Uh…Math?” Everyone laughed, and I didn’t care. I’ve always been the class clown. I just sat there, neatly, waiting for Mrs. Truax to reply, with a big smile on my face. She sighed. She knew I was right. After all, this is a math class.

“Getting smart, are we?” Mrs. Truax sarcastically asked.

“No, sir. Oh!” I seriously accidentally said that. She could totally be mistaken for a man, no kidding. The kids in my class laughed their heads off at that. “Crap!” I mumbled. I coughed a few times, cleared my throat and began to speak. “Ma’am.” I sort of laughed, it was funny, but this time I wasn’t trying to be funny.

“Miss. Barkley, if you don’t recall…This is the third time you’ve been in the Vice principal’s office since school started.” She said. She had to say ‘Vice’ since Mr. Janks wasn’t here. She didn’t care either, she was still getting paid!

“Actually, it’s two times.” I corrected.

“GO. Now, it’s three.” She pointed to the door. I grabbed my stuff and walked away with a huge sigh. My mom was going to kill me. I’m usually a good student, but this class? That’s impossible. Plus, Mrs.Truax already hates me!

I walked into the VICE Principal’s office. “Hi, Mr. Edwards…” I said quietly.

“Back again, Miss. Barkley?” He said, turning his spinning chair to face me.

“OK, one: It’s all Mrs. Truax! She hates me, Jim!” He looked at me strangely, but he’s pretty cool so he’s not mean or anything. I smiled. “Mr. Edwards.” He nodded and smiled back. “Two: I’m curious about Mr. Janks!” He glanced away really quick when I said that. He knew something… But I couldn’t ask what just yet. “And three: Please, please, please don’t tell my mom!” He pointed to the chair. I sighed and sat.

“OK, one: Fine, I’ll check what’s going on with Mrs. Brut.” I smiled wide. “OK. Two: I know…nothing. Three: It’s school policy that I tell her!” He said, continuing to move his fingers around annoyingly as he always does.

“Oh please!” My eyes softened. I knew him well enough to puppy-dog-pout. After all, he is my uncle! I pushed my bottom lip out. “Oh, please!? You’re my uncle! C’mon!” I said quietly, no one knows he’s my uncle except for my best friend and my family, of course.

“Oh, don’t you… Andrea, don’t you dare do that pout thing!” He said. He’s a big ole softie, but no body else knows that. “Andrea Elise Barkley, you do not do that pout thing!” I started to make my eyes water, I was so good at making it look like I’m crying. He sighed. He leaned in and whispered. “Oh, fine! You’re off the hook this time… BUT! Tell Mrs. Brut… That I…gave you detention in my office this afternoon, OK?” I nodded really fast. I ran out of the room. “No running in the halls!” He yelled. He’s so lame…

“Thanks!” I called. I walked slower back to class. Why waste my precious time in boring, old Mrs. Brut’s class listening to her talk when I could be in the halls a bit? I walked in about 5 or 6 minutes later.

“Miss. Barkley?” She asked, wondering what my punishment was.

“Detention,” I said. “Office, today.” She nodded and went on with the lesson. She was the kind of teacher that would continue the lesson until the last minute, and suddenly hands out work which just added homework. I glanced at Lilly, my best friend, and smiled quickly. She knew what that meant. Uncle Jim saved the day. She smiled and gave me a quick thumbs up.

Lilly and I stood outside of school. We walked, but sometimes we just stand there for a little and talk with other friends.

“I can’t believe you got out of detention. Your uncle is soooo jazz.” Lilly said. ‘Jazz’ was her new word for ‘cool’. She had blonde pin-straight hair just below her shoulders. She was just a little bit shorter than me and we’ve known each other since we were three years old.

“Ha-ha, I know it. Wanna come over today? My ‘jazz’ uncle and my cousin…” I nudged her. She had a huge crush on my cousin. “Will be there…” Her big blue eyes widened and her mouth dropped.

“I’m there!” She yelled, fixing her hair and brushing her clothes to be neat and tidy.

“OK,” I laughed. “Let’s start walking.” I said, as we walked home.

We got home about fifteen or twenty minutes later. “Hey, mom. Hey, Dad. Lilly’s over!” I called as I dropped my backpack on the floor and took off my shoes. Lilly did the same. I looked over at my uncle, who was in the living room with my dad watching football on the T.V. My uncle looked at me and gave me a thumbs up. That’s Uncle Jim for you. Alan walked down the stairs.

“Hey, Andy.” He said. (That was my cousin that Lilly is absolutely in love with!) I looked at Lilly and shook my head. She had this dazed look on her face, but quickly snapped out of it when he looked at her.

“Hey, Alan.” I said.

“Uh… Hi…Lilly.” He said. She had this dazed look on her face so he didn’t know what to say. He was used to her being here. Him and his dad came over a lot, they live real close.

“H…hi…” She said with a smile. He shook his head with a laugh.

“You’re crazy.” He turned to me. “Andy, I’m gonna go raid your fridge if you don’t mind.” I smiled and shook my head.

“Go right ahead.” I said. I pulled Lilly and walked upstairs to my room. “Snap out of it, will ya!? You’re supposed to be my friend, remember? Here for ME! Not ALAN!” I said.

“Oh, sorry, Andy. But man, oh, man!”

“Oh be quiet!” I chuckled. “Anyways, there’s something I want to talk to you about.” She sat on my bed and looked up at me. She nodded as if to say ‘Shoot’. “OK, you know how Mr. Janks is missing?” She nodded. “Well, I’m curious about that.”

“Oh no, Andy. Not another one of your detective ‘missions’!” She said. I nodded.

“Oh yeah. And you’re my right hand guy.” She looked at me evilly. “Girl.” I corrected myself with a smile.

“Oh fine. But you best be glad I’m helping you. I’m the best spy ya’ll ever find ‘round these parts.” She said with a country accent. I smiled and laughed.

“I bet A.J will want to help out!” I teased. She jumped.

“I’m in!” I ran down stairs and into the kitchen to see Alan (Also known as A.J, Alan James.) dumping milk into his mouth right out of the carton.

“Your sick! Eww! I use that, thank you!” I said, grabbing his arm.

“Oh, sorry.” He said with a mouthful. I sighed and pulled him upstairs.

Lilly looked dazed again. I slapped her slightly in the face. “Ow…” She said, rubbing the red mark.

“Snap out of it!” I whispered. Alan turned around.

“OK, so what is it, Andy?” He asked.

“Know how Mr. Janks is missing?”

“How could I not? They announce it over the P.A everyday.” He sarcastically said.

“You actually listen to that!?” Lilly asked in amazement. “Whoa…” She said. He looked at her weird and turned back to me.

“Well, we want to find him.” I said with a sly smile. He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Us? Three kids?” He asked. I nodded.

“Exactly…” I said. He shrugged and went along with it. We started ‘devising’ a plan. “This will be awesome.” I said as I rubbed my hands together and looked at our chart.

Lilly and I sat together on the bus ride to school, like we always do. “Your cousin is even more jazz then your uncle…” She said, still in a daze.

“Lilly! C’mon! Work with me here! We’ve got stuff to do!” I said, snapping my fingers in front of her. She shook her head quickly, as if to go back to normal.

“OK, OK, OK… Let’s work.”

“You know the drill?” I asked. She nodded.

“Of course. I couldn’t forget it if I tried since you called and texted me about 20 times last night telling me!” She said, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah…Sorry, your phone got token away…” She sighed.

“Don’t remind me… My baby! She’s all alone…” Lilly said.

“Oh, you’re such a drama queen.” I said as we got off. She smiled.

“I know!” She announced proudly. “First hour, I KNOW WHAT TO DO.” She promised me.

“OK. THEN DO IT.” I said. We both went to our lockers and then our first hours.