The rest of the meal passed under a dark cloud of pessimism. Conversations were few and far between, and those that found life did so in hushed, furtive whispers. The possibility that a new, unknown supervillain was on the scene weighed heavily on everyone's mind. The age of supervillains had been one of chaos and mayhem, culminating in the terrifying reign of Memorax. Nobody wanted to go back to that. The students, of course, hadn't been around during the golden age of villainy, but they'd had the horrors of that period hammered into their heads practically since birth. The adults, meanwhile, remembered everything--the older ones quite well. The grim look on all of the teachers' faces spoke volumes.
The Forces of Peace hadn't been faced with a true challenge in a generation, and had gotten soft. An enterprising villain could have the run of the land for some time before an organized resistance would be able to put a stop to them. Word was going to have to go out, people were going to have to get back into fighting shape.
The world, complacent for so long, would have to get prepared.
All of that, of course, was way over Gavin's head. He was only a student, and not even a Thumbledown student at that. All he could do was hope Mr. Hollowind was wrong and there was another explanation for everything that was going on at St. Hibbard's.
Even Austin Cragmire was subdued for the remainder of the meal, which may have done more than anything else to cement the severity of the suggestion in Gavin's mind.
After the plates were cleared, the team from St. Hibbard's gathered in the main entryway, saying their goodbyes. Gavin, Jupiter, Harriet, and Samantha clustered together, apart from everyone else.
"It was nice to meet you," said Paulina Frigmont, holding out her hand. The four St. Hibbard students took turns shaking it and murmuring their responses. When they were done, the small girl took a step away, then turned back around. "For what it's worth, I'm glad that our schools can meet like this. We spend so much energy competing against you guys, we often forget that to the rest of the world, we're all... different. Both schools. In some ways, it's the two of us against the world."
She waved and hurried back to join the rest of her schoolmates.
"That was depressing," stated Gavin. "I almost felt like Jud was here."
Jupiter and Harriet laughed, and Gavin chanced a smile.
"I just want to get going," said Samantha. "The sooner we get back to St. Hibbard's the better. I don't feel comfortable here. It's all so... bright." She glanced around at the numerous chandeliers illuminating the room.
Gavin had to agree. He wouldn't have thought he'd be put off by being able to see everything clearly, but his time at St. Hibbard's had molded him into a creature of, if not quite the dark, then the dim. It was strange to see every nook and corner of a room. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to not be surrounded by shadows.
"Do you buy Mr. Hollowind's idea?" asked Harriet. "That there's a new supervillain out there?"
"And he or she is for some reason attacking St. Hibbard's?" asked Jupiter incredulously. "No, I don't buy it at all. Maybe if the attacks were here at Thumbledown you could pass it off. You could say he was trying to get rid of future competition. But St. Hibbard's? No, I still think the culprit is within these walls." She gestured to the stone walls surrounding them. "I only wish we had more time here. They're hiding something, and I want to know what it is."
"You're being paranoid, Jupiter," said Gavin.
"I'm being smart," she shot back. "I don't trust that Symphonius guy one bit."
"Why not?" asked a fifth voice, startling them all. Gavin swiveled around to find Maximilian standing behind them. "He's the head of Lord Thumbledown's School of Heroics. If we can't trust him, who can we trust?"
Gavin, Jupiter, and Harriet were momentarily tongue-tied, but Samantha, who had no knowledge of Maximilian's strange behavior, piped up. "Mrs. Gruber," she said. "And she seems to believe that Symphonius is innocent."
"He's pulling the wool over her eyes," argued Jupiter. "He doesn't respect her, that's why he's always calling her Aquatica instead of using a proper title like Headmistress or even Mrs. Gruber."
Gavin shook his head. "Mrs. Gruber is a lot of things but easily-fooled is not one of them."
"So you agree," stated Maximilian. "Symphonius has nothing to do with the attacks on our school."
"I didn't say that." Gavin frowned, however, his mind in a state of unease. Did he trust the head of Lord Thumbledown's? He wasn't sure. For that matter, did Mrs. Gruber trust him? Sure she said she did, but who could tell the mind of the Headmistress? She kept everything close to the chest.
"Our school," said Harriet.
Gavin turned, confused. "What?"
She nodded toward Maximilian. "That's what he said. Our school."
"Yes," he said extra-slowly. "I said that. Because we go to that school. In case you didn't know."
"Do you really?" asked Harriet. "How come I've never seen you in class?" She looked at the others. "Have you?"
They both shook their heads.
Maximilian scoffed. "I'm not in your classes, obviously."
"But we've never seen you in the cafeteria, either," noted Jupiter. "Or on school grounds. Or in the corridors. Or-"
"I keep to myself." He pointed at Gavin. "He saw me in the library, right?"
"Sure," Gavin replied. "You were a total jerk."
The boy sneered. "Doesn't mean I wasn't there." With that, he left the little grouping and walked into an empty corner of the room to wait for their ride to arrive.
"Why were you interrogating him?" asked Samantha, after a moment.
Jupiter shrugged. "Have you ever seen him in school?" she asked.
Samantha thought a moment, then nodded. "He has a class with Mr. Choi. I've seen him leave the chem room when I'm on my way to 3rd period. I pass right by there."
"There's one," said Harriet.
"I'm sure there are others," defended Samantha.
"Excuse me? Mrs. Gruber? Excuse me?" Artemis Folly peeled away from the wall and approached the Headmistress, obviously in a bit of distress. His outburst focused everyone's attention on him.
"Yes, Mr. Folly?" Mrs. Gruber was just as obviously not in the mood to deal with the man from Processing. Though Gavin doubted Flooy was aware of that fact. In fact, he was probably the only one in the room who wasn't.
"It's just been so long. What are we waiting for? I have a schedule to keep! Important things."
"It's the weather," stated Symphonius, stepping forward. "Though you can't tell from in here, it is pouring rain outside. If I didn't know better, I'd say we were entertaining Downpour himself. I'm sure your bus will be here soon enough."
"Rain! Oh, please say it isn't raining. I hate the rain. Everything gets wet!"
Symphonius did a poor job of hiding his smile, but again, Folly didn't notice.
"Just relax, Artemis," soothed Mrs. Gruber. "We'll have you home in no time at all."
Suddenly the door burst open and their driver ran in, looking disheveled and upset. He scanned the room, spotted Mrs. Gruber, then hurried to her side and whispered something in her ear. Everyone watched as the color in Mrs. Gruber's face turned bright red.
"Something's wrong," whispered Harriet. Gavin nodded in agreement, though he couldn't fathom what would cause the Headmistress to swell up in anger like this. Not that he had any reason to worry, but he nonetheless prayed he wasn't the cause of whatever had happened.
Mrs. Gruber jerked away from the driver and glared at him, her eyes burning. "And you were there the entire time?" she pressed. "You didn't run off for a drink or to go to the bathroom?"
The terrified man shook his head multiple times. "I swear, Ma'am. I never left my seat. I don't know how it could have happened."
"Is there a problem, Aquatica?" asked Symphonius.
Gavin saw Mrs. Gruber close her eyes for a brief instant, then collect herself. Just like that, her face was back to its normal shade or wrinkly grey.
"As a matter of fact, yes. There is a problem, Symphonius. Someone has slashed all four tires of our bus. We, of course, have a spare, but only one. I'm afraid I am going to have to lean on your hospitality a bit longer. We're going to have to stay the night."