Changeling Witch

The Detention Kids

Hunter looked back over at the kids, swallowing. The group consisted of a tall, skinny boy with brown hair, a dog-like kid with glasses, and a curvy girl with a ponytail held back with spikes and rips in her uniform. None of them looked pleased at his arrival.

"Heya, fellow detentioners," he said, sliding in next to the girl. "Room for one more?"

Silence.

"I, uh. I like the spiky things in your hair."

The teacher looked up from the book he was reading. "You all better be quiet, unless you want to scrub the classroom again."

"Wh---don't punish them!" Hunter snapped, standing up. "I'm the one who started talking."

"Oh, hooray. A hero." The teacher summoned a mop and a bucket full of suds, which instantly flew into his hands.

Hunter slumped his shoulders and started to get to work. Guess this is my life now.

As he scrubbed the bars on the windows, he saw the baby class walking by. "All right, kids!" the teacher chirped. "Who wants to go on a field trip to the astral planes?"

"I do!" the others cheered.

Shit. Maybe I should've just gone to the baby class.

"Hunter!"

He started as Willow, Gus, and Amity ran up to the window. "Oh thank fucking god, I missed you so much," he sighed.

"What's going on?" Amity asked. "We didn't see you in the halls, and Ed and Em said that you weren't in any of the classes."

"Principal Bump put me in the Detention track for mixing magic," he explained.

Willow let out an outraged gasp. "The Detention track? You can't do anything in there!"

"You'll learn less than you did before!" Gus said.

Hunter let out a frustrated groan. "No! I'm better than this! You gotta help break me out!"

Gus gave him a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, Hunter, we'll get you out---dead or alive!"

Willow and Amity gave him a look.

"Okay. Alive."

Hunter heard a chair scraping in the background. "Shit, it's the teacher. I gotta go."

He turned around and jumped a little, seeing the girl with the spiky ponytail. "It's---it's you!"

She motioned for him to be quiet, pointing towards the teacher---who was out cold. Then she led him over to the blackboard and drew a little door onto it.

Once she pressed it, it opened, revealing a hallway leading to a door that read Keep Out!

The girl climbed in and pulled Hunter in after her, closing the blackboard door behind her.

"What is this place?" he whispered, looking around.

The girl crept closer. "This is the last room you'll ever see alive."

Oh fuck---

"HA!" She clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm just messing with ya. I'm Viney."

"Ah. Gotcha." He gave her a little wave. "I'm Hunter."

Viney gave him a smile. "Thanks for sticking up for us back there. Not a lot of people would do that." She pulled him down the corridor and opened the door. "You're one of us troublemakers now, so you get access to our secret room of shortcuts."