SECRET

By:  Magdalene Chloe Ariodamar (9A)

It was a cold, December afternoon, the last day before winter break. The school bell rang, marking the end of the school day. Screams of joy could be heard as waves of students ran out the classroom doors and filled up the halls. Two girls walked side by side, each one carrying a basket full of food. On the right was Jeanine, a tall, sporty girl whose blonde curls were tied back in a perfectly neat ponytail. Next to her was the always fashionable Laila, who was only a bit shorter than her best friend. Half of her light hair was clipped away from her face with purple butterfly clips. Both girls carried bags that were heavy with books.

“So about that thing we found earlier…” Jeanine began to speak. “You mean the note we found in that old, dusty library book?” Laila asked as she raised an eyebrow. “Yes, that. Do you want to go back and get it?” Jeanine asked her friend. Earlier that day, the pair had found an old, yellowed piece of paper with odd writing in a foreign language. After a bit of research, they had found that the writings didn’t match any language known to this day. However, they managed to uncover an interesting article that seemed to have the code to the writing on the note. Unfortunately, before they could even begin to read it, the bell signaling the end of their free period had already rung. “Of course, I do,” replied Laila. So, the two girls went back to the library. It seemed eerily quiet since nearly everyone else at school had left. It being the end of the semester, it made sense that everyone had other plans.

“So, according to this website, the note says “to neop hte tage, lcla tou ym enma”. What’s that supposed to mean?” Jeanine wondered. “Hm… Maybe it’s an anagram?” suggested Laila. The girls spent a while figuring out what the words meant. Then, they finally figured it out. The note said, “To open the gate, call out my name.” That left one more question. “What’s their name?” Laila said what both of them were wondering. Jeanine then pointed out that some of the letters were emboldened. Taking those letters, they were left with T, O, N, and E.

Jeanine began to say all the possible names out loud. “Neto? Neot? Tone? Teno? Teon?” When the blonde said that last name, the ground below them began to shake. “Woah, what’s happening?” asked Laila. “I don’t know…” Jeanine’s voice was shaking just like the ground.

Then, all of a sudden there was an opening right below their feet. The girls were sucked in by some unknown force and they reappeared in a room lit by blue, purple, and pink lights. Taking a look around, they found that they were standing in a room filled to the brim with gadgets and trinkets. As the two of them explored the room, they found that these weren't just ordinary items. All the items in that room were valuable objects from thousands of different stories. The sword in the stone, the shield used by Perseus to defeat Medusa, and many other items. The girls were amazed. How could the key to all this be hidden in a place as insignificant as their school?