Carol Kerney Books

“Principal! Principal Embrus, come quickly!” The voice rang through the hallways of the old school. “They’re fighting again!”

Mr. Embrus sighed. He was the principal of the biggest boarding school on the whole planet Burjos. But Mr. Embrus had no doubt who was fighting. Again. He stood up slowly from his desk. Just then his secretary burst in.

“I know. I know.” He waved her back and slipped on his coat. Sighing again, he headed into the hall. No one needed to tell Mr. Embrus where to go. He could hear the uproar as soon as he walked out his office door. 

Crash! Bang! 

The principal decided to hurry. He got to the gym within four seconds flat, setting his own school record. Pushing open the door, he stepped inside and stopped in astonishment.

Hurdles lay on their sides. Sports equipment was scattered everywhere. A large ball rolled toward him. Mr. Embrus stopped it with his foot. The teacher and students huddled against the walls. All eyes were looking up.

In the center of the gym, two students had climbed ropes that dangled from the tall ceiling. They held large flat bats and were swinging them at each other. The effect of waving a bat while hanging in the air was that the ropes started to sway back and forth. 

The girl got an idea from that. She started her rope swinging on purpose, so that she swooped by the boy.

She swung at him.
 
He jerked and dodged. 

As she flew by, he struck with his bat. She threw up hers to keep from getting hit. The bats smacked together with a sound like swords clashing. 

The boy started his rope swinging. In a very short time, they were swinging in wild arcs and flying across the gym, trying to take shots at each other.
 
“Zia! And Klax!” the principal boomed. 

At the sound of their principal’s voice, both kids looked down. They were caught, and they were in trouble. Zia looked angry, and Klax looked embarrassed.

“Stop it this moment and come down!” Mr. Embrus bellowed.
Before the kids could obey the principal, their ropes got twisted together. Within seconds, the two students were flying around each other. The ropes braided together, pulling the kids closer. 

It had to happen. There was no way to avoid it.

Klax and Zia slammed into each other. They dropped like swatted flies.

Principal Embrus closed his eyes and thought about going fishing. The cabin on the lake. The golden mountains behind the thick woods. The huge silvery fish in the lake. He sighed and opened his eyes. 

The kids plummeted into the spongy mat that was on the floor. They bounced and landed. Klax sat up and rubbed a bump on his head. Zia sat up, spotted a bat, and started crawling for it. Mr. Embrus’ boot came down on the bat.

“I don’t think so, Zia.” From the floor, Zia looked up into the principal’s furious face.

“You and Klax. In my office. Five minutes.”