One Little Spark: Part 1

Chapter 34

          Dreamfinder, Figment, and Alex start walking out of Fye's office and back into the hallways just in time for the students in the academy to finish their current classes. The space in the hallways is filling, turning into a sea of crowded students and imaginary friends old and new. Many of them who see Dreamfinder and Figment together in public are filling up with joy and inspiration. Among those students is Capri with her own friend, Spark who, from a distance, can see her great-great-great-grand uncle with his own imaginary friend, Figment. With Spark fluttering his little dragon wings behind Capri, she pushes through the student sea and rushes over to them in reunion.

"Hey, Figment! Uncle Dreamfinder!" Capri calls out.

"Hello, Capri!" Dreamfinder shouts back. "How was class?"

"Bark, arf, ruff! It was really tough!" Spark rhymes.

"Aw really?" Figment groans.

"It wasn't so bad." said Capri, trying to keep a positive look. "It could have been worse."

"What was the subject?" Dreamfinder ask.

"Calculus. Oh by the way, I called my mom before class started and she says that you are all welcome to stay at our place for a while. I can even show you a couple of inventions Spark and I have been making while you were gone."

"Splendid! Thank you, Capri! I'd love to see what you've been inventing."

"SLUMBER PARTY!" Figment cheers.

"I-I can teach you Calculus." Alex jumps in front of Capri, stuttering. "I'm...I'm really good at it." It seems Alex is still having a little fling fluttering inside of him for Capri.

"Oh, really?" Capri perks up. "That'd be great!"

          Trying not to tease Alex, all Dreamfinder and Figment could do is chuckle quietly behind Capri and Spark. The young Katkin notices the chuckling and gives a strict smiling look at his playful friends and as Capri turns around, they stop laughing. For the most part, they try to keep a straight face but only Figment that's ending up sniggering.

"Now what is so funny, Figment?" Dreamfinder said, faking his charm from his hilarity.

"What? You were laughing, too!" Figment laughs.

"I most certainly did not!"

"Yes, you did!"

"I didn't!"

"You did! Now stop denying it! You're ruining all the fun."

          But in the midst of Capri's giggling and Alex's hidden blush, a male student comes through all the other students. By the looks of his running ability, he looks pretty desperate. His sweat is beginning to show, his hands are in fists, and his face is flushed and upset. He does not look too happy.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" the boy shouts and pants at the same time.

"What? What's wrong?" Capri worryingly asks.

"It's Mr. Fye! He's on the ground and he can't get up!"

"Fye?!" Dreamfinder shouts. "Where is he?"

"He's at the Sherman Auditorium!" said the desperate student. "He was just passing by and when we came out he started fainting!"

"FYE!" Dreamfinder, fearing for his friend, dashes off to the auditorium with his friends following frantically behind him. Along the way, his top hat falls off and is collectively scooped back up by Figment.

"Dreamfinder! Wait up!" Figment shouts.

          But Dreamfinder would not listen; he is much too worried over the fact of his sprite friend getting hurt, let alone not being able to stand up at his age! His scared heart is beating really fast and really hard inside his rib cage like an intense wrestling match. The closer he's getting to Fye, if he can find the auditorium to begin with, the worse his panic attack is increasing tremendously high. With his friends and grandniece following behind him, they pass through many of the hallways and cut through so many corners. He sees his reflections on each side of the walls running alongside with him, each imitating the same expression on his face. His eyes are wide fear, his fists are hard as rocks, and the stomping of his running feet are as loud as a raging storm, echoing with every step.

          They reach the Sherman Auditorium entrance together and just as that one despondent student said, they find a crowd of frightened students surrounding Fye and a pair of paramedics trying to help him. Figment and the Dreamfinder pushes through the crowd and they, to their horror of seeing him in pain, join Fye at his side. It seems that, thankfully, Fye has not fainted completely, but he does look a little pale in his bright shade of sky blue. Capri and Alex stand together with the students watching with the crowd as Spark hovers over them with the rest of the other flying imaginary friends.

"Fye!" Figment exclaims.

"Dreamfinder...Figment...you've come." Fye pants.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine, my friends. It's nothing serious, really."

"Nothing ser— Fye, you're not in a good condition!" Dreamfinder shouts. "How can falling and not being able to stand back up not be serious? Especially at you—" Dreamfinder drawls, stopping himself from the mistake of calling Fye old. He then asks, "How did this happen? Who did this to you?" But Fye says nothing. He lets the crowd of students wait in suspense for an answer he doesn't seem to be comfortable to say. "Fye, it's us!" Dreamfinder yells. "You can tell us anything. Think of the students!"

"It was..." Fye started, "It was Dr. Channing."

"What?!"

"What? Oh gee! How can this be?" Spark asks in his traditional wording.

"I insisted him to set that little spark free after you and Ms. Rachel ran out, but he wouldn't listen. He just pushed me out of his lab and closed the doors behind him in his anger. I was heading to Chairman Auckley's office to report this, but I think my legs are not as limber as they used to be."

          Everyone is shocked. The students exchange their comments and murmuring to each other of the professor's sudden assault. And to do this to this to an elder who is also an executive of the Board of Directors is just wrong. It's just plain wrong! Capri's eyes are locked at Dreamfinder's. It's clear to Dreamfinder that she must have had a great interest and respect for Dr. Channing and his devotion to the academy. Now, she is starting to feel not so sure if all that the professor has done is even true. Alex, seeing how broken Capri must be feeling inside, takes Capri's hand and squeezes it firmly.

"Okay, Mr. Fye Where does it hurt?" asked one of the paramedics.

"Down here..." said Fye weakly. "On the tibia to the knee, I believe."

"Figment, will you stay with Fye for a moment?" Dreamfinder asks with a very throaty growl in his tone. The thought of anyone beating, throwing, kicking, or in this case, pushing his friends around and leaving them behind in the dust has made him infuriated, but he didn't want to show anyone his anger. He stands back up, leaves from the group resigning Fye to the paramedics, and politely advances by Capri, Spark, Alex and the rest of the student body back down the path he came.

"Uh...sure, Dreamfinder." said Figment. "But where are you going?"

"I'm going to have a little chat with Dr. Channing and teach him the meaning of the word respect." Then Dreamfinder yells "And then I'm going to KICK HIS POSTERIOR STRAIGHT TO THE MOON!"

          Dreamfinder runs back through the hallway with his anger fueling his speed. His teeth are clenching with rage. He's almost ready to scream his lungs out on the way there. The images in his mind are developing very negative thoughts. To Dreamfinder, this may be the most infuriating moment imaginable.