Gavin spent the next couple of days in bed healing from his wounds. He pretended to be sick with a simple cold and the administration bought it. It helped that the only part of his body not covered by clothing, his head, was the one part of his body uninjured. Jupiter and Jud and even Stanford helped smuggle bandaids and lotion into Gavin's room over the course of his convalescence to help him heal and when he was finally ready to step out of his trash-strewn home, he was covered in hidden scabs under his clothes but was otherwise back to full strength.
He was naturally eager to go back out and search for the real entrance to the hedge maze, the one the mysterious kid had been searching for, but the chance didn't come up. Mrs. Gruber was everywhere. Every time he turned around, he seemed to find her just behind him, as if she was following him. As if she knew what he'd done. Luckily, however, she must not have been one hundred percent certain as she never mentioned it. She simply appeared to be watching him like a hawk.
Boot Camp kicked into overdrive, with everyone being partnered up with everyone else in twos and threes as the teachers searched for combinations that could be used to protect the school and the students housed within its walls. Gavin's squishy face (he'd chosen to keep the full extent of his ability to himself for the time being) was partnered up with, among others, Levitatus (Mag Tillerson) who would levitate small objects up to Gavin's eye level and then try to punch his face flat. It was an attempt to create another Gavin catapult, or Gavinpult, such as he'd put together with Stanford, but it wasn't nearly as successful. Mag wasn't very strong and so she wasn't able to really give Gavin a good punch in the face, and also, she didn't come with her own ammunition the way Gavin's roommate did.
One of the more interesting combinations was The Threader (Colin Suarez) and SuperCharge (Flynn Decker). It was discovered that when Flynn added his charge to Colin's power, the younger boy was able to manipulate not just small pieces of string, but small pieces of wire as well. The teachers were sure that was going to be useful, they just weren't sure exactly how.
The mood in the school was as dark as the hallways and corridors. Everyone was on full alert, expecting another attack at any moment. Mitchell and his crew took advantage of this to hide behind corners and spook the younger kids by jumping out at them when they least expected it until he received a stern talking to from Mr. Hollowind in front of everyone during Boot Camp. Gavin's grin at seeing this reprimand didn't fade for hours.
The team of Gavin, Jud, Jupiter, and Harriet began meeting every day after class to discuss their own theories and ideas. Harriet was certain the fact that St. Hibbard's had once been Lord Thumbledown's had something to do with what was going on. Gavin was equally convinced that the hedge maze held the key to solving the mystery. It was their first, true disagreement, and it didn't sit well with Gavin. Luckily, Jupiter stepped in and surmised they both could be correct--whatever was hidden in the maze could have something to do with the former identity of the school.
They also discussed Mrs. Gruber. Was she really the same woman who had been in that old photograph? Or had she simply been named after her? All four leaned toward the woman being named after an ancestor, but it didn't quite sit well with any of them and they all agreed they were missing something.
***
Just over a week after Gavin's disastrous journey into the hedge maze, Mr. Spindlefork interrupted lunch by entering the cafeteria and announcing that a number of students had been selected for a special duty later that evening. All of the students were to gather in the gym after classes where more information would be shared.
The instant he left the room, everyone was gossiping and theorising. Rumors abounded. Another bonafide superhero was coming to visit the school. There had been another attack. The teachers had discovered the identity of a mole at St. Hibbard's who was helping Thumbledown break in and attack the students (more than a few eyes turned to Gavin in relation to this particular rumor, it seemed Mitchell was spreading his suspicions.
The rest of the day sped by in a haze for Gavin. He was simply unable to concentrate on anything other than the all-school gathering coming up after classes ended. He wondered if Mrs. Gruber had somehow found proof of Gavin's adventure in the maze and was planning on disciplining him in front of everyone. That would suck, big time.
His final class for the day, French with Ms. Chong, was an utter waste of time as no one was paying any attention to the lesson, not even Ms. Chong. When the bell rang, they filed out of the room in an orderly fashion and then broke into a run the instant they were in the hallway. They were quickly joined by other classes letting out and the entire student population of St. Hibbard's ended up in a race to the gym.
Once there, Gavin quickly found his friends and settled in on the bench to await judgement. His leg was nervously bouncing up and down, and Jupiter finally leaned over and placed a hand on his knee to stop it.
"Chill out, Gavin," she said. "You're not in any trouble."
"You don't know that," he responded. "This could all be about what I did in the maze."
"Or it could be about something else entirely," she countered. "Don't freak out before you have a reason to do so."
"Besides," said Harriet, chiming in. "If you're in trouble, then we're all in trouble with you, since we all helped you cover it up."
For some reason, that made Gavin feel better.
A throat cleared and the entire room became silent as a tomb. It was Mrs. Gruber's throat, and the woman scuttled out into the center of the gym, well aware that she commanded every eye in the room.
"Thank you," she said once she was situated in front of everyone. "As you all know, our school has been host to some questionable events of late."
"Because Thumbledown's been attacking us!" shouted Jason Cottle. A number of grumbles of agreement followed until Mrs. Gruber cleared her throat once again.
"That has yet to be proven, Mr. Cottle," she said. "And if you interrupt me again, I shall have you washing the toilets in the boys' locker room by the end of the day. Am I clear?"
He didn't respond. He didn't need to. Mrs. Gruber continued.
"I have spoken with the headmaster of Lord Thumbledown's School of Heroics," she announced. "He denies any involvement in the various events that have occurred here and to our students. He claims to be as shocked as we are to hear of the so-called attacks. He has invited a select group from St. Hibbard's over to his school for a formal dinner in hopes that students from the two schools can come to an understanding of one another and that any hostilities which may be bubbling up can be prevented."
She paused, letting the impact of her words sink in for a moment before continuing.
"To that end, I have selected six students who will accompany myself, Mr. Hollowind, Mrs. Ackachack, and Mr. Artemis Folly from Processing to this event. This select group of your peers will represent all of you at the dinner, and they will be on their best behavior. Do I make myself clear?"
With nobody wanting to actually speak and risk cleaning toilets, the entire student body nodded almost in unison. Mrs. Gruber smiled.
"The dinner is later tonight, so the six students selected will need to return to their quarters, get dressed in their finest outfits, and meet in the entry hall in just over one hour. I will allow Mr. Hollowind to name the students. Idris?"
Mr. Hollowind stepped forward. "Right. We considered everyone, but in the end could only choose six. Our reasons for choosing these six are our own and will not be shared. When I call your name, get down here. Mitchell Warner!"
"Yes! In your face!" The obnoxious boy jumped over a few students on his way down to the floor.
"Samantha Ruby!"
The diminutive girl quietly got to her feet and made her way to the aisle.
"Lorelei Clark!"
Everyone looked around confused, until Jupiter sighed and stood up. "Coming."
"Gavin Mallard!"
Gavin jumped up eagerly and joined Jupiter on the floor.
"Harriett Grave!"
Gavin felt a spring in his step as he watched Harreitt make her way down. He gave her a wave, which she returned with a smile. At this point, he figured Jud would be number six and he'd have all his friends with him. This was going to be a fantastic dinner. They'd totally overpower Mitchell and ignore him for the entire evening. It was going to be sweet.
"Maximilian Snell!"
Gavin furrowed his brow, confused. Maximilian Snell? Was that someone else's real name that he didn't know? He looked at Jupiter, but she shook her head, her expression as inquisitive as his. The entire student body craned necks, trying to figure out who this sixth and final representative was.
Finally, a voice piped up from the very back row.
"Here!"
Gavin's jaw dropped as the mysterious boy who'd been trying to enter the maze stood and made his way down to the floor.