Sebastian Silverstone and the Thea Sisters-The Dragon's Code

Sebastian Silverstone sat on the bench by the docks, metal music blaring into his headphones while playing his portable video game. A duffel bag was placed beside him on the bench while his backpack was leaning onto his leg. Most of the mice that passed by looked at him rather strangely. He didn't mind though. He was a completely different from the rest of them.

He was a human.

Yes. He was pretty much the only one of his kind that lived in this world of anthropomorphic mice. Why? His parents said so. They merely told him to move there. Nothing else. It was a really huge mystery to him. One that would be stuck in his mind.

Well, only stuck at the back.

There was no reason to question their decision. He trusted their decision because he loved them dearly. While there was going to be a sense of homesickness, he'll still be alright. Maybe there could be interspecies harmony between these the humans and the mice.

If only he knew, though.

His appearance did not really help make the stares leave. He was dressed up as a gothic punk, complete with his wavy black hair having white dye on his bangs. One that would be scorned upon the public. Especially the accessories. However, he was by no means a bad person. So he may be lazy, always seemed to have bruises after fights or maybe smoke...

...yeah, it really isn't making him look good.

He wondered if Mouseford Academy allows students to smoke. He is attending a rather prestigious private college so there were bound to be rules. He bends them, but never breaks them. Then another thought came to his mind. Do they have a martial arts club? He's a fighter, but a rather skilled one. While he's considered to be an expert in boxing, there are several more martial arts he was still willing to learn.

And studying...

"Eh..." He found it rather tiresome. Then again, that's what he had done in his school days. It wasn't new. It was old. Really old. But this is college. Maybe there was something bound to be exciting?

He doubted it.

Having the need to rub his ears, he placed his headphones over his neck after pausing his playlist.

"'Scuse me?"

He looked to see where that voice came from. He looked up to see a mouselet in front of him. She had auburn hair that were tied into pig tails and had a hat. Her outfit consisted a short, blank, orange shirt and a green short jacket that covered her grey furry body. She wore brown pants that had zig-zag stitches on them. She also carried a red fanny pack. Her eyes were green.

"Is anyone sitting there?"she asked.

Seba shook his head before placing his duffel bag on the ground beside his feet. "Knock yourself out." he said, offering the space to her.

She smiled and nodded in gratitude, sitting next to him as she placed her luggage right in front.

"You goin' to Mouseford Academy too?" she asked, trying to start conversation with him.

"Yeah. Probably going to be the first human to ever graduate from there." he said.

"So that's what you are," she muttered. She probably needed to check up on humans. "I'm Nicky. You can call me Nic if you want," she said, offering a handshake (on in her case, a pawshake). "If we're gonna be future classmates, we should get to know each other."

She's got a point there. He's gonna need some friends to make it through the years. Besides, she looks like a really nice girl. "I'm Sebastian. Seba for short." the human boy replied, returning her handshake.

"That's a pretty cool name." she remarked.

"Thanks," he replied before adding his two cents. "Nice stetson, by the way."

Nicky smiled. "Thanks. I've gotten used to wearing it back where I'm from."

"Where are you from?" Seba asked. The accent really sounded quite familiar.

"I'm from Australia, the great outback." she answered.

"Ah, I see." Seba replied. That explained the stetson and the accent. "I thought that the weather in Australia is cold there."

She shrugged. "The weather can be unpredictable, so I wear my hat in case if it's hot."

"And when it's not?" he asked.

"I still wear it. It's quite comfy when you're used to it." Nicky answered.

"Can't compare with that," he shrugged. "I think they're more underrated than fedoras."

Nicky rolled her eyes. "Are you seriously comparing a stetson to one of the most overused hats ever?"

"You have to admit, 90% of fedora users are scumbags nowadays." Seba remarked.

"Which is why the fedora has become somewhat of a stigma in the fashion world." A voice interjected.

Seba and Nicky turned to see someone walking towards them. She wore a pink jacket with beads on it, a blue turtle neck, long pink pants and a blue belt. She had light brown fur, wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. She carried a small blue and pink heart-shaped purse. What made both Seba and Nicky's eyes widen was that she had a mountain of luggage right behind her.

"That's quite a lot of luggage you have there." Nicky muttered.

The girl flipped her hair as she smiled at them. "I need to bring an appropriate outfit when the situation fits."

"Well, do you have an outfit that can exterminate the fedora jerks?" Seba asked, his snark quite apparent.

She rolled her eyes as she smiled. "Ha ha. Very funny," she remarked as she sat next to Nicky, causing Seba to scoot over. "Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Colette." she offered a pawshake to them.

"I'm Nicky," the Australian girl introduced as she accepted the pawshake. "That's Seba."

"Yo." was all the goth boy said as he shook Colette's paw.

"By the way, where did you get that outfit?" she asked, looking up and down at Seba.

"This?" he gestured. "I got this personally designed." There's quite a backstory to that, but that's for another time.

"It is trés chic!" she exclaimed, confirming their suspicions that she was French. "I've never seen something so dark and stylish at the same time."

"Thanks," Seba replied with a rather small smile. "You can't get this from any cheap store."

Colette nodded in agreement. "Good fashion doesn't come by so easily. You'll find something rare to be worth the price."

"Thank goodness my stetson's not for sale." Nicky sighed in relief.

"I can assume that one of your parents gave you that hat?" Seba asked.

Nicky shrugged and smiled. "Yep! Passed right down from many generations."

"Now that's a story I'd like to hear." A new voice remarked.

Heads turned and they saw another mouselet. She had dark brown fur that seemed to contrast with Colette's light brown fur. She has brown eyes and dark brown curly hair. She wore a red turtleneck sweater and olive-green cargo pants. Her hair was held back by a thick, striped, yellow headband. Unlike Colette and like the two, she had simple luggage.

"Is this the stop to Whale Island?" she asked. All of them nodded. "Cool. I've had a really long trip from my home in Tanzania. Thank goodness for the lack of jetlag."

"Oui. It feels like I'm faraway from my home in France." Colette remarked.

"So you're from France? I guess the accent was a dead giveaway." Nicky said.

"Really? I thought that she was from the Quebec." Seba replied.

Colette shook her head. "Their accent isn't as thick as mine."

He shrugged. That's a fair point. He looked at the Tanzanian mouselet. "Still, from Africa to America? Long way from home here. Like what? Thirty plus hours?"

"Eh, way longer. I became less worried after sleeping through the trip since all there was were clouds," She shrugged. "Name's Pamela, by the way."

"I'm Nicky. This is Colette and Seba."

"Seba? What kind of a name is that?" Pamela asked.

"It's short for Sebastian." the boy answered with a nonchalant shrug.

"You have to admit, it's an odd name." Nicky said.

"I think that it's quite an exquisite name," Colette admitted. "At least it gives some sort of identity."

Seba shrugged. "It's a name. That's something, right?" Suddenly, he realized that his handheld video game overheated and crashed. "My video game!" He tried to turn it on several times, but there would be errors. "Aww...now what am I supposed to do on my off-days?"

Pamela looked at the console. "I think I can fix it."

He looked at her. "You can?"

She gave a grin. "Of course I can! When we get to the academy, I'll fix it in no time."

Looking at his video game, he gave it to her. "I trust you."

"Makes me even more determined to fix it." she remarked.

"Um, excuse me." a soft voice called out. Everyone looked to see yet another mouselet right in front of them. She had grey fur and black eyes. Her hair was dark blue and tied in one long braid. Her outfit was a long orange dress with dark grey pants. "Is this where we'll be going to Whale Island?"

"Yep." Seba answered. "You're studying there too?"

She nodded. "I heard that it's a pretty good college there, so maybe I can further my studies there."

"Oui. I really hope that it lives up to it's prestige." Colette remarked. "I heard that it's quite an exciting place there to study."

The others nodded in agreement. Mouseford Academy had a really long and wild history. While there were downs, there were also ups as well. About a hundred alumni that have graduated from the academy each year would go on to earn successful careers.

Seba wondered if he could become an award-winning comic book writer? Nah. In a short time, never. Still, at least there's something to put his mind into.

"Oh, we never got your name." Nicky realized.

The girl gave a bashful look. "Sorry. I'm Paulina. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you. Name's Seba." he introduced. "The one in pink is Colette, the one in the hat is Nicky and the one with the headband is Pamela."

Paulina gave a meek smile. "I'm looking forward to being your classmates."

Pamela felt something tingling on her shoulder. When she turned towards her shoulder...

...she noticed a cricket sitting on her shoulder.

"EEEEEEEKKK!"

Pamela jumped up and before Seba knew it, landed in his arms and held onto him for dear life. The human could feel her body shaking in terror.

"Get it away from me!" she shrieked as the cricket landed on the ground. He could feel her accidentally kneeing him in the gut.

"There you are, Frilly. I've been looking for you."

The cricket hopped towards it's owner. She had long blue-violet hair going down to her tail. Her outfit consisted of a purple long-sleeved shirt with a turtleneck, and her skirt was also purple but in a darker shade. She also wore white pants underneath her skirt. She also had almond shaped eyes that were dark brown.

Frilly the cricket hopped onto the new mouselet's paw as she lifted it up.

"I told you not to leave out of my sight." she gently scolded.

"Feisty little critter, eh?" Nicky remarked.

She shook her head. "My apologies. Frilly is quite adventurous."

"I-I can see that." Pamela said, still shivering from a fright. She had insectophobia.

"Uh, Pam?" Seba asked.

"Yeah?" It was then she realized that she was in his arms, which made her blush in embarrassment. The boy merely chuckled as he placed her down gently on her feet.

"So, yeah. Crickets. Friendly little things, aren't they?" he said.

"I dunno...your pet could use a little bit of spicing up." Colette remarked.

She shook her head. "Frilly doesn't really enjoy that."

"Agreed. The last time I decorated a creature, I ended up needing to get my arm treated." Seba said.

"Really? What was that?" Paulina asked, curious as to what kind of pet would cause such an injury.

"Sea urchin." The answer had gotten the mouselets to facefault at that. That's how Seba's own phobia of sea urchins surfaced by an iceberg. Seeing, thinking or visualizing it made him shiver down his spine.

"Well, I can say that crickets are nothing like sea urchins," Violet replied. "They're really nice companions to have."

"Well, we know what Frilly's name is," Nicky began before turning to the mouselet. "But you haven't told us your name."

"Where are my manners? My name is Violet." she introduced herself.

"Huh. Really suits you." Seba remarked. Violet looked confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Violet hair colour, violet shirt and violet skirt." he answered. "Forgive me if I'm wrong."

She shook her head. "Close, but not quite."

"Figured as much," he muttered. "I'm Seba, by the way. Pink girl is Colette, hat girl is Nicky, headband girl is Pamela and the braid girl is Paulina."

Violet gave a polite bow. "It is an honor to meet you."

Pamela gave Violet a slight slap on her back, which startled Violet a bit. "No need to get formal on us. We're gonna be classmates!"

The girls giggled while Violet composed herself. Seba gave a soft chuckle as he decided to play mobile games on his smartphone while the girls talk among themselves. He doesn't play games on his phone because phones are for calling and texting! Not for gaming!

"Hey, Seba." Nicky called out. He looked at her and noticed a curious expression on her face.

"Yeah?"

"What are humans?" she asked. Everyone was looking at him for an answer. Even Frilly the cricket was staring at him.

He gave a sigh. This was going to be a long explanation.

The hydroplane had arrived by the docks in a rather fast speed, yet looked like it was recklessly driven. The captain of the boat was a rather short and scrawny mouse. He had black hair that was slicked back. It may have looked like he was trying to look like a smooth casanova.

In reality, it made him look like a slimeball.

"Ladies, allow me to introduce myself. I am Vince Guymouse and I'll be your captain for this trip." he introduced himself. The girls looked unnerved by his mannerisms. Seba raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah...it's nice to meet you." the boy replied. The captain's gaze traveled to the human.

"What are you supposed to be?" Guymouse asked as he stared. Seba rolled his eyes.

"A new student who really needs to get going. Don't wanna delay any further, do we?" Seba replied.

The captain blinked. "R-right. Let's get on board now, shall we?"

Seba and the girls got on board with their luggage. Colette, however...

"Captain? Will you be so kind as to help me board my luggage?" she asked. Violet gave a small frown at the French mouse.

The captain gave a sleazy grin. "No problem!"

The new students decided to sit next to one another. While the girls were getting to know each other, Seba watched Guymouse carry Colette's luggage onto the boat. He was definitely struggling with the bigger ones as the captain was stumbling like a drunken sailor.

"Need help there?" Seba called out.

"No need! I've got it covered!" Guymouse replied, yet was still struggling with some it.

"Suit yourself." the human muttered as he closed his eyes to try and allow sleep to overtake him. He had to work on a comic book draft last night.

He could hear the sound of the hydroplane's engine roar as they were going to take off. It was about time.

VROOM!

What caught him off-guard and wide awake was the immediate fast speed that the hydroplane went. The mouselets nearly shook out of their seats. Nicky was holding onto her hat with dear life. But Seba completely fell off and landed flat on his face.

"Seba!" Nicky exclaimed as she helped the poor guy up. "Are you alright?"

"I think I chipped a tooth," the boy muttered in a daze before snapping back to reality to lick his teeth around. They felt normally lined up and clean. "I'm good."

"Oops. Forgot to mention to hang on tight!" Guymouse yelled out through the loud sound of the engine.

Seba scowled and was about to give the captain a piece of his mind when he felt a paw on his shoulder. He turned around to see Pamela holding onto him.

"Calm down. It's not worth it." she told him.

The human mumbled some curses and went back to his seat. He placed his headphones back on his ears and returned to his playlist as he looked outside the window. It looked like sleep wasn't coming anytime soon.

He decided to take his sketchbook out. Sure, the boat may drag the pencil away in crooked lines, but Seba was a natural at this. He was a writer and an artist, but by no means an expert.

It's just that he practiced from moving environments.

He tried to think of ideas. Looking around, he saw the girls talking to each other. He would actually like to draw them. However, he thought that it was pretty rude to draw them without their permission. He noticed Frilly on Violet's head, taking a nap.

Finally! Inspiration!

With that, he began to draw. Focusing on each anatomical structure, each detail and proper adjustments, the world around him began to fade as he produced each pencil stroke on the piece of paper.

Paulina looked to see what Seba was doing with that sketchbook. She was curious as to what he was doing.

Meanwhile, Seba had finished with the drawing. It was a picture of Frilly with his legs sticking out in the air. It was like the cricket was leaping out to somewhere. He looked pretty satisfied with it.

However, that feeling had diminished when he looked at it longer. It felt pretty boring since it was just one animal. Thinking about it, he wanted to add something to the drawing. Maybe it was the background. Or maybe he needed to add more flair and detail. His eyes trailed towards the window as he stared.

That's it!

Looking back at his sketchbook, he continued to draw. This new wave of inspiration was flowing into his veins and right up intro his brain. The sounds of the pencil being dragged through the material were audible as he was feeling a certain wave of intensity.

Now Paulina was interested in what he was drawing. Getting used by the hydroplane's velocity, she tried to walk over to sit next to Seba.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Seba looked slightly startled, but sighed softly as he looked at her. "Drawing Frilly."

"Frilly? Violet's pet cricket?" she questioned, looking rather bemused.

"Yeah. Wanna see?" he offered.

"Sure." she answered. She wanted to see what he worked hard on. When he showed the sketch to her, she blinked in surprise.

Frilly was leaping through the wild waves of the sea. It was as if the little cricket was clashing against the tsunami.

"How is it?" the artist asked.

Gaining herself to answer, she looked at him. "It's...interesting."

He noticed the pause. "You don't like it, do you?"

"No, no! I think it's really good! It's just that...I didn't think that you'd draw something so surreal." she commented.

Seba brightened. "I do draw vanilla content."

"Vanilla?" Paulina repeated, confused.

"Ordinary, slice of life, everyday life." he explained.

"Ah." She got it.

"I actually wanted to draw you girls, but I felt like drawing without your permission is disrespectful."

Paulina shook her head as she gave a soft smile. "You don't have to ask. You're only practicing your artistic talent," She looked at the sketch again. "Besides, I've always wondered what I looked like in 2D."

Seba gave a smile. Just as he was about to turn the page, he noticed Nicky plopped down next to him.

"Whatcha drawin', mate?" Nicky asked.

"He just finished drawing Violet's pet cricket." Paulina told her.

"Really? Can I see it?" the Aussie asked. Seba nodded and gave the sketchbook to her. She looked at it and was impressed. "This is pretty cool."

"What's cool?" Pamela interjected, sitting next to Nicky as she looked at the drawing. She looked quite startled as it was a drawing of a cricket.

"Pretty sweet, right Pam?" she asked.

"Looks...pretty awesome." was Pamela's reply. Even in 2D, she still couldn't get over her fear of insects. Seba couldn't blame her. He couldn't and wouldn't be able to draw sea urchins.

"You drew Frilly?" Violet asked as she and Colette sat next to Paulina.

"He sure did!" Nicky answered for him as he handed the sketch to Violet as Colette looked over. "Just look at how cool this little critter looks!"

Violet looked impressed if her slightly widened eyes and her slow nod was anything to indicate as such. Colette was more expressive.

"Tres magnifique! It looks really stunning!" she exclaimed. Seba could only blush in modesty.

"You're too kind." he muttered.

"Have you ever tried designing clothes?" the French mouse asked.

"Only fantasy outfits." Seba answered. "However, those were scrapped because I had to move."

"Where are you from, by the way?" Pamela asked. "I'm from Tanzania, Nic's from Australia, Violet's from China, Paulina's from Peru and Colette's from France."

"Good ol' USA." was his answer.

"Really? It's really hard to tell since you're pretty...unique." Nicky said, trying not to offend him.

Seba shrugged. "It's true. My skin is quite pasty."

The mouselets facepawed. They didn't mean it like that, but it was good enough.

"Hey, I was wondering if I could draw you girls?" he asked after he got his sketchbook back.

"Sure. Why not?" Nicky answered.

"It'll be interesting to see our own portraits drawn out." Violet remarked.

"Plus I'll look pretty cool there!" Pamela said.

"I hope you capture the stylishness I usually possess." Colette reminded.

Paulina gave a smile.

Seba nodded as he took a deep breath and began to draw.

"Do you need us to pose or something?" Pamela asked.

Seba shook his head. "As long as I have a photographic memory, I can remember what you girls look like. So you can do your own thing if you want to."

Nicky shrugged with a grin. "Good enough for me!"

The boy went on to draw on his sketchbook. Unknown to him, the mouselets were watching him draw. They were amazed at how much detail he was putting into those drawings. From top to bottom, head to foot. He would even add such small details such as the eyes and the accessories. There was one thought that popped into their minds:

'How does he draw in such a speed?'

For most artists, it usually takes quite some time to draw. Here, he's doing in such a short time. In fact, he could probably finish the drawing in ten minutes.

With the shading though, it only took 15 minutes. Those small details held quite a lot of importance as it can make a picture look good.

In fact, the girls looked pretty beautiful and natural in the drawing. It was a picture of them talking to each other, having quite a nice time with each other.

The girls were pretty stunned and speechless. No such masterpiece could be created in such a short time. Especially in an environment that can cause interruptions. But whole and behold, there it was.

Seba placed his pencil down and stretched his fingers. "How is it?"

He turned to see them having the same frozen expressions, as if they were trying to comprehend something.

"I practice speed drawing thanks to my photographic memory." Seba explained to them. They still didn't budge.

With Whale Island located somewhere similar to the Bermuda Triangle, this was going to be a long trip.

Seba's eyes slowly opened up and he realized that it was morning. Last night, he remembered watching the stars with the others. There was also a shooting star. It was a really nice sight to behold. Though some of the moments were sort of ruined by Vince's ceaseless bragging.

Turning around, he noticed the mouselets still sleeping as well. Nicky was lying on the slumped Pamela's lap, Violet and Colette leaning on each other's heads while Paulina on his shoulder. He looked outside the window to see the sunlight and blue skies.

Feeling the need to move, he decided to give a soft nudge to Paulina. " Psst. Wake up." he said softly. Slowly, Paulina began to stir as she got up.

"Are we there yet?" she muttered sleepily.

"Almost." Seba answered.

"Good morning, folks! We're on our way to Whale Island, so hang on tight as I give you the ride of your life!" Guymouse announced through the intercom.

The rest of the mouselets began to wake up as soon as the announcement was done.

"We're almost there? I better look my best." Colette said as she took out a compact mirror from her purse to do her hair.

Everyone took their small bags as they could see the island from the distance while the French mouse took out her lipstick.

VROOM!

The loud roar of the engine coincided with the instant velocity of the hydroplane as they sped off. This caught the passengers by surprise as they were dragged to the other side of the inside. Poor Colette had accidentally smeared the lipstick across her snout. Seba's eyes widened in fear as the hydroplane was about to collide into a nearby catamaran. Fortunately, the hydroplane made a quick turn as they made it past the traveling neighbor. Just after they passed, Seba heard the driver of the catamaran yell,

"HOW'D YOU GET YOUR LICENSE?!"

The yell was somewhat toned down because of the hydroplane's engine. However, that was his least concern as he focused on holding onto something for dear life.

When they finally made it to the docks of Whale Island, Seba was the first to leave the boat. Still dazed from such a wild ride, he stumbled through the walkway before landing on the pier. The mouselets weren't faring better as they were trying to hold onto something to compose themselves. Colette was probably the only unfazed as she had other...matters to attend.

"My face! It's a mess!" she exclaimed as she gave a look of horror which reflected on the compact mirror.

Guymouse walked out and sat right beside his hydroplane. He was acting like a big rat on campus, boasting towards any passerby that walked by.

"Did you see my fabumouse docking maneuver? Not to toot my own horn, but I'm one of the best captains on the Sea of Mice. Hmm, make that the best!" the captain bragged with a smug expression.

The mouselets glared at such an inflated ego while the urge to pummel this rat was rising in the human boy.

Suddenly, something or someone had caught Vince's eyes. She was a tall, slender and gray furred rodent who had a long snout. She was wearing a yellow raincoat and blue pants. Underneath the coat was a pink shirt.

Vince strode up to her and gave her paw a kiss. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vince Guymouse. It is a great, great pleasure to meet you." Even the flirting came with a sleazy grin that came with the sleaziest of sleazeballs.

The mouse looked ticked off as she yanked her paw away. "Oh, the pleasure is all mine!" she replied with a glare.

Guymouse wass so surprised, he jumped out of his fur. He stepped back, but tripped over his hind paws thanks to a puddle. He landed with a thud, looking rather dizzy himself. The mouselets and human were chuckling at the captain's karmic misfortune.

"Captain? You? My catamaran was standing still and you almost crashed into me!" the mouse exclaimed. Her tail was twitching in agitation.

Soon, the youngsters began to clap for her actions while Violet looked on in approval. Meanwhile, Guymouse was still sitting on the dock, trying to pick the bits of algae out of his whiskers.

"Well done!" Pamela exclaimed. "That rodent was really cheesing me off!"

Seba raised an eyebrow. Was this world of mice gonna be full of cheese puns?

Paulina darted forward to explain. "We couldn't take another minute of his bragging," She took a closer at the older mouse and became even shyer. "You must be Thea Stilton."

Nicky perked up. "Thea Stilton?!" She quickly went up to her and looked rather starstruck. "Wow! Would you be so kind as to give me your autograph?" she asked in a rather excited voice.

The mouse known as Thea gave a laugh. "Sure. But please, let's not be so formal."

Paulina piped up again. "That's Nicky and I'm Paulina. Those two over there are Colette and Violet." she introduced as she shook Thea's paw.

"I'm Pamela and this exotic dude is Seba!" the Tanzanian mouseling added as she helped up the American punk, whose face had a slight tinted pink when called 'exotic'. Thea looked startled at the human.

Colette spoke as she blew her hot-pink nail polish. "You see, we were on board *puff* the plane with him. It was an awful journey *puff* up and down all the time *puff*. I put on my lipstick and it smudged all over my snout!" She went on to continue puffing on her nail polish.

Nicky nodded. "What a trip! It was a wild ride. Worse than riding on a cat with fleas!"

Seba added his two cents. "I wanted to strangle him." This comment made the others look at him bewildered. "What? You'd do the same."

"Not when it comes to potentially murdering someone!" Nicky exclaimed as Seba rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me for interrupting," Violet cut in. "But what do you think we should do about him?" she asked as she pointed to Guymouse.

"We can throw him off the pier?" Seba suggested. They all shot him a stern look, which made him give a sheepish smile as he put his hands up in surrender. "It was a suggestion."

Paulina came over to look at Guymouse, only to give a disgusted look. "Yuck! The smell must be getting to him!" she exclaimed as she held her nose. The algae really did let off quite a stench. The captain was still on the ground, looking confused.

"To say that something stinks or smells nice depends on your point of view, doesn't it Ms. Stilton?" asked Violet. She placed a paw in front of her nose. "I bet we'll learn about that in your journalism class," She pointed towards the algae. "But I think we can objectively observe that flies adore this algae here."

"My suggestion still stands." Seba interjected with a hand raised. "He needs a bath, doesn't he?"

Colette took out a small perfume bottle out of her purse. "Poor thing! He probably has a very delicate sense of smell. Let me help him." She poured two pink drops onto a pink pawkerchief and waved it under his snout. The flies flew away in a hurry. As for the captain of the hydroplane, his whiskers twitched before letting out a long sigh. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. She stuck the cloth under his snout again.

Slowly, he got back on his paws and looked around. He looked like he didn't remember how he got to the pier.

"That's some perfume you have there," Thea said, amazed by the effects of the perfume. "What's the name?"

"Captain Vince Guymouse." the captain mumbled, looking befuddled.

"Not your name!" she exclaimed, causing the captain to snap back to reality quickly. "The name of the perfume."

Colette winked. "The perfume is called Mousy Sighs."

"No wonder it sounded familiar." Thea remarked. "A very appropriate name, too!"

The mice laughed, though Seba raised an eyebrow. "The creators should make up a better name," he muttered. "It doesn't sound catchy."

Thea looked at the human. Curiously, she walked up to him. "I've never seen anyone like you before."

Seba shrugged. "That's because I'm a human."

Thea was in deep thought. "A human...I've gotta check it up in the future," she looked at him and smiled as she gave him a handshake. "It's nice to meet Mouseford's first ever human student. You'll enjoy it here."

Seba gave a small smile. "I'm looking forward to it."

Thea looked at her watch. "I better go now. I'll see you all in my class."

"Bye, Thea!" the mouselets said, waving goodbye to their future lecturer as she walked off.

"We better get our stuff from the hydroplane." Seba reminded them as they grabbed their luggage. He noticed a lot of pink bags and items in the compartment. He knew who owned those. "Colette?"

"Hmm?" she looked at Seba.

"How are you going to carry all that?" he asked as the same question burned in the other's minds.

"Allow me!" Guymouse exclaimed as he went to get her items.

"Oh, you don't have to!" Colette said. She didn't want to trouble anyone.

"It's the least I can do for making me smell good!" the captain said as he was carrying a huge pile of her stuff onto her back.

"Well...if you insist!" Colette relented, albeit happily. Violet now glared at her as they began the trip to Mouseford Academy.

"C'mon, Seba! Pick up the pace!" Nicky exclaimed as she dragged the human up the path to the school. She was really excited for her first day in class. Seba, however, didn't share the same amount of enthusiasm as her since he was getting really tired.

"Maybe we should *pant* wait for the *pant* others." Seba suggested in-between breaths.

"Hmm?" the Aussie mouse turned to look behind. They were still far off. "Whoops, my bad."

Seba sighed as he laid on the grass. Nicky sat next to him.

"Have you ever wondered what our first day is going to be like here?" she wondered.

"It's probably gonna be like high school, but with less authority." he answered.

"True," she replied. "Still, we're in college! What better way than to make it one of the best years we're gonna have."

He looked at her. "Quite the optimist, aren't you?"

She gave a smile. "What can I say? When you're this excited, you've got high hopes!"

Seba rolled his eyes as they waited for the others. A question popped into his mind.

"So who's Thea Stilton?" he asked.

Nicky looked at him as if he grew a second head. "You don't know who she is?!"

He shook his head.

"Thea Stilton is a special correspondent of The Rodent's Gazette, the most famouse newspaper in the world!" she explained.

Seba shook his head. "Sorry. I don't read the news."

Nicky gave a look that said 'Are you kidding me?'. "And you're taking journalism class?"

He gave a lazy shrug. "I don't really trust mainstream news. When you live in where I came from, you'd start becoming disillusioned with the news."

She shook her head. "The Rodent's Gazette isn't like that. They spread the honest truth in their content."

He stared at her, trying to believe her. Eventually, he sighed. "I'll take your word for it."

When the others had arrived, Seba noticed Colette and Violet's heads away from each other. Their expressions gave one of annoyance. Nicky didn't notice since she went to talk to Paulina.

"What happened?" Seba asked Pamela, who gave a sheepish smile.

"Let's just say that there was a small squabble between those two." she answered.

Violet shot a glare at the French mouse while Colette let out a 'hmph!'. Seba raised an eyebrow, but decided not push further.

When they got to the front doors of the school, they were met by a stout old mouse.

"Welcome to Mouseford Academy, young mouselings. I am Professor Octavius de Mousus and I am the headmaster of this institution." he introduced himself.

"Nice too meet'cha, old mouse!" Seba greeted by shaking his paw and a pat on the back. Everyone's jaws dropped while Professor de Mousus stumbled from such a robust introduction. Thea, however, gave a small grin.

"You must be the human Thea was telling me about. Sebastian Silverstone." the headmaster said.

Seba smiled. "Yep, but you can call me Seba."

"Hmm...why not Bastian?"

"Pfft. Sounds too formal." The others were speechless at such casual interaction.

Professor de Mousus gave a hearty chuckle. "Very well. I'll refer to you as 'Seba' from now on. But please remember to call me by my surname, Mr. Silverstone."

Seba smirked. "No promises, professor."

"Still, this might be a couple of interesting years." the old professor mused.

The mouselings introduced themselves as they were invited into his study to discuss the plans for the semester. The study had a well-worn sofa with atching chairs, a fireplace, bookshelves of old books and a wooden desk with a quill pen complete with ink well. The walls were decorated with portraits of Mouseford's alumni. The huge portrait was of the founder, Augustus Mouseford.

Seba noticed Vince Guymouse, who was drenched in sweat. He guessed that the poor rat couldn't handle the pack.

It took four glasses to save Guymouse from dehydration. Before he left, he shot a rather longing look towards Colette, who didn't notice. It must've been the perfume taking effect.

Seba's dorm room was opposite both the mouselets' and Thea's rooms. It was rather plain, which was good enough for him. Two beds were separated by a bedside cupboard. He placed his duffel bag and backpack down on the ground. Packing can wait. There was more to do.

He left his room to visit the mouselets. Just as he was about to knock, he heard a squeak. There was some loud muffled sounds before it ended in a rather audible sigh. Deciding to make his presence known, Seba knocked on the door. It opened slightly as Paulina was at the door.

"Seba? What's up?" she asked.

"I'm about to go exploring around the school. I was wondering if you mouselets would like to tag along?" he offered.

She smiled. "I'd love to. Let me ask the others."

The door closed and there were muffled sounds. The door opened again and she and Nicky left the room.

"Let's go, shall we?" Nicky asked as they began to walk.

"What happened in there?" Seba asked.

"Pam got scared by Frilly again." the Aussie answered.

"Figures. She has insectophobia." he concluded.

Paulina nodded in agreement. "This might take getting use to for her."

"I should've taken the campus brochure." Seba muttered. They were lost in his large school. One newcomer would wonder if the school was structured in a loop.

"We should ask for directions." Paulina suggested. The two could only agree. This was getting really tiring and the thunder outside was not helping their situation!

Suddenly, they noticed a shadow right in front of them. Walking towards it, the lightning struck once again. In a blink, they noticed that the shadow was revealed to be Thea Stilton.

"Hello, Ms. Stilton!" Nicky and Paulina called out. Thea noticed them and waved with a smile. Seba waved back.

Paulina smiled. "I'm so glad we scampered into you. I think we're lost!"

"We are lost." Seba clarified. "I lost track as how many times we walked in circles and noticed that we passed by the same bust." He motioned towards the bust that was probably a mouse version of Napoleon.

"No worries," Thea replied. "This place is like a maze, but you'll get the hang of it. In fact, I think I remember a shortcut to the dining hall. Follow me!"

Thea led them down a long, winding flight of stairs.

"When you mentioned a shortcut, I should've sensed the irony in that sentence." Seba remarked sarcastically.

Thea shrugged. "Trust me. This is the way to the dining hall."

After a long flight of stairs, they finally came across a tiny door.

"Inside-out kangaroo pockets!" exclaimed Nicky. "This isn't the dining hall."

It was a storeroom, filled to the ceiling with strange objects covered in white sheets. There was a large object covered in a white sheet. Thea stepped in front and whipped off the sheet.

"It's a dragon carved out of wood!" Paulina exclaimed in amazement.

Seba looked at the statue. They eyes looked so creepy, since they were carved in swirls. Swirls that can represent hypnotism.

"The artist must have some sort of creative vision here." the human remarked.

Looking around it, something caught the corner of his eye. Something was sticking out of another sheet. While the mice were still gazing at it, Seba decided to see what that was. Just as he was about to reach out for it...

"What are you doing here?!"

Everyone jumped at the loud voice as they turned to see a rather grouchy mouse with a duster.

"You'll lose your fur if you keep sticking your snouts where you're not allowed!" he yelled.

Paulina and Nicky were mortified while Thea was disgusted. Seba decided to calm the situation down.

"Sorry mister. We were just trying to find our way to the dining hall and we ended up here somehow." he explained.

The grump gave looked at the human with an unreadable expression.

"I can tell. You punks look pretty lost in your life." was the reply.

Seba gained a tick mark on his forehead before calming himself down before settling with tightened fists and a strained and crooked smile. The others could hear his teeth grinding.

"Could you please show us the way to the dining hall?" he asked. They could even hear the restrained anger in his tone. The handymouse didn't seem to notice.

"Hmph. Fine. Follow me." he said as he walked out of the storeroom as they quartet followed.

"What crawled up his tail and died?" Seba muttered bitterly.

Thea rolled her eyes. "That's Boomer Whale, one of the members of the old Whale family."

"I don't care if he's the queen of England. That's no way to speak to someone like that!" he whispered rather harshly.

Thea nodded. "I agree, but don't let your anger cloud your mind."

Seba gave an exasperated sigh.

"Still, I like how you tried to solve the issue by reason." she continued.

"Yeah! I thought that you were always angry." Nicky added.

Seba looked at them, a deadpan look on his face. "I might be lazy and hot-blooded, but I'm no dumb muscle."

"Oh, we don't mean it like that." Paulina quickly assured.

The human gave a smile. " I know and I appreciate that."

Once they had finally reached the dining hall, they grabbed their plates and went to get their food. The cook was Midge Whale, Boomer's sister. She was more nicer than her brother. Today's serving was cheddar cheese macaroni.

Paulina and Nicky sat with Colette, Pamela and an unfamiliar mouse. The mouse wore glasses and had mop hair. However, Violet was sitting by herself. Her food was left untouched. Thea and Seba were very concerned at how lonely she looked.

"Maybe you should sit with her, Seba." Thea suggested to him, to which he agreed. Thea needed to sit next to the headmaster to inform him about the incident with Boomer as Seba walked to Violet's table.

"It's really good, isn't it? Even the little critter likes it!" Midge exclaimed, mentioning Frilly eating his own food. "Aww, isn't he just gorgeous?"

Seba pulled up a chair and sat right in front of Violet. "Hey." he greeted.

"Hello, Seba." Violet replied.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" the human asked.

"I don't mind." Violet answered.

Seba softly smiled as he sat down and ate his macaroni. Midge was right. This tasted delicious!

Violet pulled out a book to read. Darn, he needed to get this conversation going. He looked at the book.

"So, what are you reading?" he asked.

Her eyes peered up to him. "Pride and Prejudice."

"Oh, that's a classic. It might not be my favorite, but I read it whenever I'm bored." he said.

"Really?" Slowly, she looked at him. "What is your favorite book then?"

"Paradise Lost." was his answer.

Violet raised her eyebrow. "That's a series of poems."

He shrugged. "Yet they're a set of epic poems. You can't deny that."

Her eyebrow was still raised before she settled down to her book.

Seba sighed inwardly. "Violet, if you need a friend, you can look for me or the other mouselets. We're always free to lend an ear."

Before she could reply, the bespectacled mouse stood up and yawned. "I'm so tired! It's time for bed." Seba narrowed his eyes. It sounded a bit unconvincing to him, but everyone seemed to buy it.

"Whatever you do, don't go scampering around at night!" Midge burst out as she was carrying the dishes. "You'll lose your fur if you stick your snout where you're not allowed!"

The mouselings paid no mind to it. Seba didn't care, since he needed to unpack. However, Thea was suspicious of that warning.

She knew that they were hiding something.

Morning was not too kind on Seba. His nice dream of winning the Nobel Peace Prize was interrupted by a rather horrid noise. It was as if glass shattered as he found himself off the bed. Mumbling to himself, he looked outside the window and saw Vince Guymouse and two other mice. One was playing the accordion and the other had a box of sardines. It seemed as if Guymouse was trying to serenade, but all it came out was a screech.

Scowling, Seba walked out of his room and right into the hallway. He noticed Thea and Professor de Mousus right there as well.

"Good morning, Mr. Silverstone. How are you feeling?" the headmaster asked.

"Like hammered shit." was the human's grumpy reply.

"Ah, you'll have to forgive them. It's the 'Good Morning Serenade'," he explained. "It's an island tradition to sing and bring gifts to one's beloved. I wonder who the serenade is for."

At that moment, Nicky and Paulina peeked out of their room. Violet, Pamela and Colette were right behind them.

"It looks like Mousy Sighs has struck again!" Pamela said, giggling. "Vince is head over paws in love with Colette!"

Colette had the grace to blush while Seba's scowl ran deeper.

"Nice job, Colette. I should've thrown him off the pier." he remarked. Violet shared her sentiments as well.

Midge and Boomer appeared beside them.

"Looks like he could use a little water," said Midge. "A nice cold bucket right in the snout would bring him back to his senses!"

"Thank you!" Seba exclaimed.

Boomer gave her a dirty look. "I'd do the honors myself, dear sister, if only someone hadn't lost my garden hose!"

"Don't look at me!" Midge replied indignantly. "I haven't lost anything! Not a single, teensy, tiny thing! And what about you? Do you know where my six cheese fondue pots have gone?"

Boomer merely shrugged. "How should I know? But while we're on the topic, what happened to my rake?"

As they bickered, Nicky snapped her fingers. "What do you say we go on a run?"

They all agreed except for Violet, who wanted to sleep more. At least Seba found the exercise he was looking for. A martial artist needs to stay fit.

Seba was shadow boxing by his room. It was an exercise that most boxers would have to do in their daily training. It wasn't as intense as most would see it, but as a boxer, he took it seriously.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. Ending the session, he opened the door to see the mouselets right outside his room.

"Yo, what's up?" he asked.

"Thea asked us to help her solve a mystery. Are you coming?" Nicky asked.

He took brief consideration before giving his answer. "Count me in." There was nothing else happening today.

After taking a rinse and changing, they briefed him in on the mission. Apparently, the mouse from yesterday, Hans Ratson, had mysteriously disappeared. Thea needed their help to solve it.

They couldn't contain their excitement since this was one adventure for the books. Right now, they were walking down the cellar with the headmaster and Boomer.

"I know I can count on you not to let me down, Thea!" Professor de Mousus told her. "We've got to find Hans as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, headmaster!" exclaimed Pamela. "We can do this!"

"I hope that statement doesn't jinx us, Pam." Seba humored. Her reply was a small punch to the arm.

Colette and Violet looked worried. "What's wrong, Colette?" Nicky teased. "Afraid you'll break a nail?"

The French mouse stuck her tongue out at the Aussie. "I don't have the right kind of clothes for this adventure. When I packed for Mouseford, I didn't expect going on underground expeditions!"

"That's why they call it adventure, dearie." Seba told her. "To explore the unknown."

"Don't worry. You're perfect as you are." Pamela assured.

Colette looked calm. However, Violet still looked a little doubtful. "Are you sure we won't get in trouble?"

"The old mouse is allowing us to follow, so there's no chance we'll be in trouble." Seba answered.

Everyone became quiet when the headmaster and Boomer stopped in front of a door, who a flashlight in Boomer's paw. The path looked narrow.

"Let's form a line with Boomer in the lead." Thea suggested. Everyone nodded and lined up. Slowly, they walked down the dark, dank stairwell.

"I hope there aren't any spiders here!" Pamela said, shivering as her insectophobia was acting up.

"Shhh!" scolded Boomer. "Stop squeaking and watch where you're going. It's very dangerous!"

As they headed deeper undergound, Professor de Mousus told Thea and the students about the frescoes that lined the walls.

"These ancient pictures depict the legend of the beginnings of Mouseford Academy. According to tradition, the castle was built by the vikings. They landed on this island, which they called Whale Island, more than a thousand years ago. They built their village around the island's largest natural spring. Today's island residents are the descendants of the vikings."

After a few more minutes, they finally reached the bottom of the stairway. Boomer shone the flashlight on an ancient door decorated with stars and winged dragons. High up on the wall, they could all see Mouseford's motto carved into the stone:

ONE MORE, NOT ONE LESS!

The headmaster placed a paw on Seba's shoulder. "You see, Mr. Silverstone? We don't discriminate here in Mouseford. In fact, we would gladly welcome one more species here!"

Seba looked around to see the others giving him smiles. Boomer's was more of a grin. The human felt relief was away his worries as Professor de Mousus pulled out a large key ring. He selected a big brass key.

"You even have keys to the underground?" Seba questioned.

"Young lad, when you're the headmaster of this school, you need to control the safety of the school as well." the headmaster answered.

The door opened with a loud creak as they stepped inside. Thea held her breath in anticipation.

The room they were in was a large, rectangular one with a high, vaulted ceiling. On the left, there was a huge stone fountain carved with five enormous dragons. On the right, there was a statue of a huge crouching winged dragon. This left the mice's tails to curl at how intimidating it looked.

"Welcome to the Dragon's Room." the headmaster announced. Boomer lit a few torches to brighten up the room. The fountain's pool was full of water, which was spilling out of an iron tap wrapped in a tube of green rubber.

"There's my hose!" exclaimed the handymouse.

Behind the fountain, there was an inscription that was made of odd symbols that looked like they belonged to some ancient language. The same symbols appeared on the cold stone floor.

"How peculiar," Violet murmured. "They look like letters, don't they?"

Seba took a look as well. There were 'C', 'Q', 'Z', 'F', 'N' and 'M'. Each row containing six of each letter.

Paulina pulled out her digital camera and started snapping photos. Thea smiled at her enthusiasm.

The human looked at the photographer. "Hey, Polly? How about a photo of me with this big guy?" he asked, motioning towards the dragon.

Paulina giggled. "Sure!"

Seba kneeled beside the stone dragon and gave a thumbs up. The flash went off.

"Nice." he remarked as they went back to the investigation.

"Hey, look at that!" Pamela piped up, pointing towards six fondue pots piled up in front of the dragon statue. "Aren't those Midge's pots?"

"They sure are!" exclaimed Boomer.

Colette took out a small pink notebook and started taking notes.

Meanwhile, Paulina made another discovery. "Look!" she cried. "There are wooden splinters on the floor!"

Boomer looked indignant. "There's the handle to my rake! It's completely ruined!" He looked around. "So where's the rest of it?" The metal part was missing.

"And where is Hans Ratson?" the headmaster wondered. There was no trace of the strange mouse.

"I have a hunch that the key to the whole mystery is this inscription," Paulina remarked. "I think it's written in a secret code."

"A secret code?" murmured Violet. "What can it mean?"

Seba looked at the letters on the ground before referring back to the inscription. They stayed and looked around for a while longer, but no further clues came to light.

Finally, Professor de Mousus said it was time to go back upstairs since it was getting late. His brow creased in worry. "I just wish we had more to go on." he said.

"Me too." Thea replied, feeling the same.

"I was sure we'd find Hans in the cellar," the headmaster went on. "Where else could he be? According to the legend, there are secret passageways from the Dragon's Room, but no one knows how to access them or where they lead. And they could be dangerous."

Everyone walked out of the room. Seba turned back and looked at the motto on the wall.

Wait...

Why would the school motto be displayed underground? Maybe it's supposed to mean something.

"Seba! Come on, everyone's waiting!" Pamela called out. Taking one last glance, Seba left. The mystery was getting deeper.

It began to rain again. Vince Guymouse was still singing off-key. His assistants had to drag him away, to which he was blissfully unaware.

Pamela's ears were covered with her paws. "Thank goodness they're leaving!"

Midge was complaining about how her pots were taken without permission and were left to rust. She was even more outraged that she couldn't have them back until the investigation was over. "How will I cook dinner tonight?!" she demanded.

"We could order takeout?" Seba suggested meekly, which caused a huge reaction.

"Takeout?! TAKEOUT?!" Midge's outburst caused the human to hide underneath the table.

"I'm sorry," Thea said firmly, trying to calm the cook down. "But I can't have my evidence covered with cheese fondue."

Midge stormed out in a huff.

Seba slowly moved out of the table. Violet glanced at him. "Takeout? Really?"

The human sighed. "Not my finest moment."

They began to discuss their next steps.

Paulina was first. "Behind every legend, there is an element of truth. There must be some connection between the legends of mice disappearing in the cellar and the disappearance of Hans Ratson."

Colette was a little more practical. "I think we should look at Hans Ratson's room. Maybe he left behind a clue."

"Nicky and I can go to the port to see if anyone has seen Hans," Pamela suggested. "I mean, we can't be sure that Hans is still here at Mouseford."

"Good point," said Colette. "While you're there, I'll look at his room."

"I can come with you." Violet suggested softly. It seemed like she was trying to break the ice a bit with Colette. Seba had a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Sure, that would be great." Colette replied with a smile.

"Is it alright if I help Paulina with the code?" Seba asked.

Paulina smiled. "I'll be glad to have additional help!"

Seba nodded as he sat next to her by the laptop, trying to decipher the code in the Dragon's Room.

Thea gave a smile at her students. "I'm so proud of you! Your instincts are excellent. Now, this is the first investigation, so remember: Don't be fooled by appearances. Check out all the details, but never lose sight of the case as a whole. And never be afraid to rethink your ideas. If an idea doesn't seem to be leading you anywhere, maybe it's time to try a new idea! If you need help, I'm here whenever you want. But so far, you're off to a great start. I know you can do it!"

They smiled and nodded in determination, setting off to their own tasks.

Paulina was typing down in the laptop while Seba was still trying to figure out the code. Stuck on the miniature whiteboard were pictures of the letters in the Dragon's Room, the photograph of the inscription, Colette's notes, pictures of the missing items and a photograph of Hans Ratson. Underneath the Hans picture was a question mark. There were dotted arrows all over the place.

Seba growled as he ruffled his own hair. "This is really making my brain ache..."

"Take it easy, Seba. Try take this slow and steady." Paulina told him.

Seba sighed as he sat back next to her. "How's the codebreaking?"

Paulina shook her head. "It's still in the works. Something's missing though..."

Colette and Violet came in with a huge pile of books.

"Look at this!" Colette exclaimed. "Look at how many books he has on ancient codes!"

Violet already had her snout buried in one of the books, reading rather eagerly.

"Did you find anything else?" Seba asked.

The French mouse shook her head. "He still has his belongings lying around."

Nicky and Pamela had returned as well, but they had no news. No one had seen Hans at the port. In fact, the storm had kept all the ships safe at home, and there had been no new arrivals on the island.

"Hans is still on the island." the human concluded. "But just where?" He began to circle around the bespectacled mouse's picture with the whiteboard marker.

"I've found something!" Violet squeaked as she waved some papers she had found in one of Hans's books. There was one sentence written over and over:

ONE MORE, NOT ONE LESS!

"Jeez, sounds like he was possessed by a demon or something." Seba remarked, feeling a bit creeped out. However, he realized something. "The school's motto. It was inscribed outside the Dragon's Room!

Violet nodded. "I think it's an example of ancient writing. Writing that's even older than the academy itself!"

There was a long silence. What does it mean, though? Paulina looked at the motto again.

Suddenly, an idea struck.

Seba noticed her expresison. "Penny for your thoughts, Polly?"

Paulina looked at him. "I think I've got it!" She began to type into her computer. With the final tap, beeping could be heard. There was a huge smile on the Peruvian mouselet.

Everyone went over her shoulder to see what she had done. One word had appeared on the screen:

DRAGON

"It worked!" Paulina exclaimed.

"What worked?" Pamela asked.

"I came up with a way to try decipher the inscriptions," Paulina explained. "I was thinking about Mouseford's motto: One more, not one less! So I typed in the letters in the code and replaced each with a letter one place after it in the alphabet."

"So the C's became D's, the Q's became R's and so on and so on." Seba concluded.

Paulina nodded. "And the word that it made was 'DRAGON'!"

Violet gasped. "You're exactly right! One more, not one less!"

Pamela hugged Pamela. "Way to go!"

Only Colette was quiet. She watched the other mouselings celebrate for a minute, then pointed to the table, which contained books and the whiteboard full of clues. "I don't mean to put mold on your cheese, but I think it's a bit too early to start celebrating. We still have hundreds of mysteries to solve!"

Seba looked and agreed. "We've got what the inscription and motto are for. But that only leaves more questions. What was the hose used for? Why use six fondue pots that ended up in bad shape? Why 'dragon'? What do the letters on the floor mean? Who broke the rake? And where was Hans Ratson? Was he possessed or something?"

The mouselets raised an eyebrow at him, who shrugged. "Just trying to lighten the mood."

Still, there were still a lot questions to be answered. Everyone looked downcast for a moment.

"We know that to decipher the mysterious code, we have to substitute one letter for another. So let's see what number works to figure out the message that's inscribed on the floor!"

With that they began to figure it out...

...which made no sense.

Seba groaned in annoyance. "Why did the code have to look like Dungeons & Dragons dice?!"

Everyone looked puzzled. "Dungeons & Dragons?"

"It's a board game. I'll show you next time." he dismissed as they went back to focus on the code.

"There has to be a connection." Violet said.

"But what? What? WHAT?!" Nicky was getting frustrated.

"The letters are pretty much a jumbled mess." Seba remarked. "The only luck we can get is from an anagram. But I've tried and none of the words I've gathered have any connection to the mystery."

Hours have passed and they were starting to get tired. In fact, bags began to grow under their eyes!

Paulina was going cross-eyed from staring at the computer screen for too long, Pamela was pulling on her own fur in frustration, Nicky was fidgeting restlessly and Colette had shampooed her hair three times in hopes of getting inspiration. Seba probably had the worst of it as he accidentally fell asleep. This in turn caused him to drop his head and slam his chin on the table, causing him to go wide awake and clutch his jaw in pain.

Suddenly, Violet had an idea. A moment of inspiration looming in her head.

"Back home in China, we say that there comes a time when you should stand still instead of scurrying about and getting nowhere," she looked at the others. "I think we've reached that moment."

And with that, she scampered out of the room.

Nicky stared after her. "What's she talking about?"

The others wall shook their heads and shrugged.

Few minutes later, Violet returned with a kettle of boilingg water and her red wooden box. She opened it and took out a teapot and some very small china cups.

"This tea set belonged to my dear great-grandmother Lotus Flower," she told them. "It is my most prized possession."

Violet crumbled a few dry leaves into the teapot.

"What's that?" Nicky asked curiously.

"It's green tea," answered Violet. "It gives you a big boost of energy. Plus, it tastes and smells delicious."

She was right, as the room was filled with a delicious-smelling aroma.

"I heard that it also cleanses the oil from your body." Seba inquired.

Violet nodded. "They serve it in restaurants since they also serve fried delicacies."

"All this talk about delicacies is making me crave for a snack!" Pamela remarked. She was interested in the cheese and crystallized ginger Violet was setting out on the tray. "That looks great! I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole elephant!"

Seba looked at her. "Can you?"

Pamela looked disgusted. "No! It was a figure of speech!"

He shrugged. "I know. It's just that your reaction is adorably hilarious." That got him a punch on the arm.

As soon as Violet was done setting everything out, everyone dug in. They'd worked up quite an appetite. Especially Pamela. There was silence while they ate. The sounds that were occasionally heard around the room was Seba's loud sipping on his tea. In a moment, they regained the energy to think again.

"That hit the spot." Seba said. The mouselings agreed. "Now, back to work!"

"These letters on the floor are a real enigma," Paulina mused. "They make no sense at all."

"So we're reminded." Seba muttered as the computer whiz sat in front of her laptop to work at the letters again.

All of the sudden, she stopped in her tiny tracks.

"Hang on, I think I've got something here!" she cried. Everyone gathered around her computer screen. "There are twenty six letters, and they're all different. So maybe it's an alphabet of some kind."

Realization dawned in her mind. "Of course! The letters on the floor don't hide a secret message of any kind, they make up a complete alphabet!"

Nicky was very excited about her discovery. "Thea was right. If an idea doesn't seem to be leading you anywhere, maybe it's time to try a new one!"

Everyone discussed about it. Pamela looked around her. She wanted another cup of tea, but every inch of the table was covered with books and papers. So she placed her cup on one of Hans's books.

Violet was thinking aloud. "We've discovered that the letters on the floor correspond to an alphabet. But what use is that?"

"Maybe it's no use at all." Pamela replied as she poured the tea into her cup.

Seba looked at her before he widened his eyes. "Pam, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Before she could reply, the unbalanced book began to topple on top of a smaller book. The teacup was shaking and before she knew it, it fell over.

Violet looked up just in time to see what was happened, only to gain a look of horror when one of her prized possessions was about to be smashed into smithereens.

"Oh no!"

As quick as a kangaroo, Nicky jumped and grabbed the cup. She caught in a second before the cup landed like Humpty Dumpty.

"Smooth reflexes, Nic." Seba commented. The Aussie gave a thumbs-up in return.

Violet had sighed in relief before a light-bulb went up in her head.

"Chewy cheese bits, I've got it! Pamela, you're a genius!" she exclaimed.

"Don't make fun of me!" Pamela exclaimed, still feeling guilty about the accident. "I'm really sorry! I know I almost broke your cup, but it was an accident!"

Violet shook her head as she looked at Nicky. "Thanks, Nicky."

Nicky smiled. "No problem!"

The Chinese mouse looked back at Pamela. "If you'd broken my cup, I would have been really upset!"

Seba blanched. Thoughts of the shy mouse falling into depression made him cringed. Paulina and Colette looked at him.

"Are you okay, Seba?" Paulina asked him.

"Oui. It looked like you've seen a ghost." Colette commented.

The human shook his head. "Just my imagination."

Violet continued. "But I'm not making fun of you. I've never been that serious in my life. Pamela, you really are a genius because you've cracked the case!"

Seba looked puzzled, feeling out of the loop. "How so?"

She looked at him. "There was a six-letter word inscribed on the wall behind the fountain in the Dragon's Room, right?" Everyone nodded slowly, wondering where she was getting at. "And there are six fondue pots, too. So I bet if we arrange the pots on the floor on top of the letters that make up the word 'DRAGON' and fill them with water, something will happen."

Everyone's eyes widened at that. "That is absolutely brilliant!" Pamela squaked.

"Come on! Let's go back to the Dragon's Room!" cried Nicky.

The youngsters had grabbed a few flashlights and left a note for Thea. They stopped by the dining hall to borrow Midge's fondue pots, though rather in secret.

As quiet as mice, they scampered down to the cellars. As soon as they got to the Dragon's Room, they placed the pots on top of the letters. When it finally came to the final letter, everyone held their breath.

Paulina felt anxious. "What if something scary happens once we fill that pot? What if the roof collapses?"

Seba shook his head. "Whatever the case, any adventure is bound to have a jumpscare. Like I said, we're exploring into the unknown."

At that precise moment, Pamela finished filling the last pot. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the floor started vibrating.

"Jumping tuna fish!" Colette shrieked. The mouselings grabbed onto Seba for dear life. The poor boy was too frozen to move. They watched the six stone slabs sink into the floor, the pots disappearing along with it.

There was awkward silence.

"Could you please let go of me?" Seba pleaded. "You're crushing me."

The mouselings looked at him and realized what they were doing. They blushed in embarrassment as they released their hold.

"So now what?" breathed Colette, trying to change the subject.

As if to answer her, the stone dragon's mouth suddenly opened, a light coming from inside.

Pamela leaped up in excitement. "Wow!"she shouted. The echo caused Seba to wince at the loudness. "It's a secret passageway!"

She was about to run right in like little kid when Nicky grabbed her paw.

"Hold on a minute!" Nicky interjected.

Pamela looked at her. "Do you wanna go first?"

Nicky laughed as she shook her head. "Nah. I think we should look before we leap."

They all took a look. Inside the dragon's mouth was Boomer's rake, broken cleanly in half.

"So that's where the other part went to." Seba remarked.

Nicky gazed at the dragon's mouth. "It reminds me of the crocodiles back home." She took off her hat. "In Australia, everyone knows you have to be very careful with crocodiles."

And with that, she took careful aim and threw her hat directly into the mouth of the dragon. A moment later, its massive jaws snapped shut!

At the same time, the six holes shot up, hurling the pots against the ceiling!

"GAH!" Seba jumped at the sudden event.

"Cover up quick! It's a booby trap!" Pamela shouted. Immediately, Seba placed his hands on his crotch. The mouse facepawed. "Not like that! Gather together!"

All of them huddled up together, covering their snouts with their paws while the human took a deep breath and held it. The pots bounced off the ceiling and hit the floor, the noise echoing in the room. The water put out all the torch flames.

Everything was pitch black.

There was a moment of silence. Nicky reached for her flashlight and turned it on. The beam lit up the room, causing Seba to cover his eyes.

"Seba?" Nicky asked.

"Of course. Who else could it be?" the human replied.

"Where are the others?" the Aussie wondered.

To answer her question, Pamela, Violet, Colette and Paulina emerged from the darkness. They were drenched, but unscathed.

"Let's open the dragon's mouth again!" Pamela proposed gleefully.

Paulina shook her head, laughing. "You sure don't give up, do you?"

Pamela shrugged. "We made it this far."

So they repeated the process. From the pots on the letters to filling them with water. The dragon opened it's mouth once again.

"What do we do now?" asked Colette.

"Someone tried to keep the dragon's mouth open using Boomer's rake, but it didn't work." Pamela theorized.

Seba nodded. "Wood can't sustain against concrete."

"That's what caused the rake to break. But I believe that we can do better." she rummaged around in her backpack, pulling out an enormous wrench. "Unlike the rake, this won't break!"

The others were taken aback.

"Do you always go around with one of those things in your bag?" Violet asked.

"Of course!" exclaimed Pamela. She had an expression of a kid wondering what she did wrong. "I've got a whole collection of them. You never know when you'll come across an engine that needs to be repaired!"

"And when you offered for my video game to be fixed..." Seba trailed off. Pamela gave a grin. The boy shook his head. "Let's get this thing stuck in between the dragon's jaws."

Pamela and Nicky quickly propped up the wrench between the teeth of the dragon. It was perfect for holding the dragon's mouth open. There was just enough space for them to squeeze through.

"I wonder if there are any other booby traps," Nicky muttered.

Seba gave a glare towards her. "Really, Nicky?"

She placed her hands up in surrender. "Not like I want them to happen, you know. Just very cautious."

Violet looked a bit scared. "Let's hope not."

Nervously, the six students crept inside the stone dragon's mouth. Inside, there was a staircase that led down. They had began their decent, carefully placing one paw after another.

Colette stopped to reapply her pink lipstick.

"Are you serious, Colette? Don't you think this isn't the appropriate time to put on make-up?" Seba sarcastically asked.

"It's always an appropriate time to look fabumouse!" she answered.

Seba deadpanned. "That was a rhetorical question."

When Nicky placed her paw on the third step, a loud click was heard. Before anyone could react, the stairs all turned downward and the staircase became a slide.

Colette tried to hang on, but all she managed to do was leave a really long pink smear on the wall with her lipstick.

They all fell down.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" they shrieked. Seba covered his eyes with his hands.

SPLASH!

They had landed in a dark underground river. Paulina was the first to get up. She realized that they landed right into the sewers of Mouseford Castle!

She looked around for the others. "Is everyone okay?"

"Is everybody with us?" Nicky asked, slowly sanding up.

"I'm wet, but I'm here." Pamela answered.

"Me too!" Violet said.

"I'm here too." Colette replied.

"My ass broke my fall, so I'm good." Seba remarked.

"I think we're caught in some kind of current," Nicky said. "Do you feel it?"

Violet noticed that something was missing as she looked around her, her movements slowly becoming frantic. "Frilly? Oh, where has he gone?"

"I see him!" Nicky exclaimed as she pointed at the direction. "There he is!"

Sure enough, Frilly was in a pumpkin. It was bobbing dangerously in the water. The cricket was about to drown!

Colette was the closest. "I'll get him!" With two quick strokes, she reached for the pumpkin. But then, she was unable to swim back to her friends. "The current is too strong!"

Paulina reached out for her paw. "Here, hang on to me!"

Nicky was closest to Paulina. "And you hold on to me!"

Pamela grabbed Nicky. "I got you!"

Violet held onto Pamela while Seba had gotten a hold onto Violet. Soon, the six of them were holding on to one another.

"Seba, look! Land!" Violet called. The human nodded and climbed up on the ground before pulling Violet up. She reached out to Pamela. "Grab my paw!" The Tanzanian mouse grabbed onto it.

"Frilly! Come here!"

The cricket popped his head out of the pumpkin. Then, he jumped onto Colette's arm, then onto Paulina's head, next on Nicky's hat and finally right on the tip of Pamela's snout.

The insectophobiac stared at the cricket for a moment in shock. Then's her face contorted into mortification as she shrieked.

"GET HIM OF MEEEEEE!"

Frilly was as scared as Pamela, but for a different reason. He jumped into Violet's waiting paws, safe and sound. One after the other, the mouselings pulled themselves out of the water.

Violet hugged each of her friends in turn. She held onto Pamela for an especially long time. "Thank you." she whispered. Pamela didn't seem to respond, as she was curled into a fetal position.

Nicky sniffed and gagged. "Eww, do you smell that?"

Colette giggled. "Yeah. I think it's us."

Seba rolled his eyes. "Please don't use the Mousy Sighs on us."

Soon, they began to laugh, relieved that they're alive.

"HEEEELP!"

Everyone jumped at the piercing cry.

"What was that?" Violet whispered.

"Maybe it's Hans!" Paulina guessed.

"Let's find out!" Nicky suggested.

"I see a light over there." Colette noticed.

"Let's check it out." Pamela offered.

"Sanctuary!" Seba exclaimed. The mouselings looked at him, bemused. "When you're in total darkness for a long time, you tend to snap out of your descent to madness."

They shook their heads as they walked into the light. A few moments later, they found themselves in a huge cave lit by rays of sunshine that filtered down through a few cracks in the ceiling. The floors were covered in sewer water.

But what really got the students' attention were the remains of an enormous viking ship! Its prow was in the shape of a magnificent dragon's head. Next to it was a strange contraption built with cables, wheels and gears. And someone was hanging upside-down.

"Hans Ratson?" asked Paulina.

''It looks like him," spluttered Violet. "But it isn't Hans Ratson!"

Whoever he was, he was happy to see them. "I beg you, please help me!"

Impulsive Pamela was already running toward him. The others hung behind him cautiously. They weren't sure what to make of the scene.

Suddenly, Colette shrieked. "Look! On the ground! It's Hans Ratson's hair! That monster has plucked out all his hair!"

Seba jumped up, feeling alarmed. "I knew it! There was a ghost that possessed him! And you mice thought that I was crazy!"

Paulina laughed. "Don't be silly, you two. It's just a wig."

Whoever it was shouted "Well then? Are you going to get me down or not?"

At that moment, Thea and Professor de Mousus had arrived onto the scene. They had found the students' note and followed their steps.

Violet was the first to see them. "Ms. Stilton! Professor! You're here!"

"Thanks to you!" Thea said, smiling. "And Colette, thank you for letting me know there was a trap on the third step of the staircase."

"Who? Me?" said Colette, looking confused.

"Yes, I found the pink smear you left with your lipstick," Thea replied. "It was ingenious!"

Colette blushed while Seba laughed. "What do you know? It is useful for something!" he exclaimed.

"Well, Professor Stilton?" Nicky asked. "Do you know who that is hanging upside down?"

Thea nodded. "Do you know Bartholomew Sparkle? He's a journalism teacher, and his photo is hanging in the headmaster's study. He disguised himself with a wig and thick glasses, transforming himself into Hans Ratson!"

The hanging mouse, now known as Bartholomew Sparkle, gave a cheesy grin and thumbs-up. Seba rolled his eyes at such a dork.

"That's right!" Violet remembered. "I saw his picture in the headmaster's study too!"

While Thea and her students were talking, Professor de Mousus was busy freeing Professor Sparkle from the confines of the rope. The young professor rubbed the place on his ankle where the rope had been and limped over to the group.

"Hello! Were you talking about me?"

Everyone had burst into laughter.

"Professor Sparkle, you've got a lot of explaining to do." Thea said as she tried to collect herself. "Tell me something: were you spying on me from Mouseford Academy when I landed?"

Professor Sparkle scratched his head. "Professor Stilton, 'spied' isn't quite the word I'd use. Let's just say I was curious to see what you were like. When I was a student, the headmaster always referred to you as a model student, so I wanted to check you out."

Thea's fur had turned a little pink. Seba chuckled at how flattered she looked.

"Still, I think it's time for me to come clean." Professor Sparkle continued. "Back when I was a student at Mouseford, I found a book called 'Booby Traps: A Beginner's Guide' in the library. It was about the cellars in the academy, which made me want to explore them. Once I was inside the Dragon's Room, I managed to decipher the code with some help from the book I'd found in the library. I went back up to the dining hall and grabbed a few fondue pots from Midge's kitchen to fill them up with water and used Boomer's rake to block the mouth of the stone dragon."

"That didn't work for you though." Seba added.

The young professor nodded. "After being carried along by the sewer currents, I ended up in a Viking trap, where you found me."

"I never thought that vikings could have some sort of intelligence." the human mused.

Professor Sparkle chuckled. "You'd actually be surprised at how resourceful and crafty they were back then."

"But why did you disguise yourself?" Thea asked.

"Because I wanted to make sure I could explore the cellars undisturbed," he answered sheepishly. "Luckily, you arrived and saved the day. Otherwise, I might've been hanging there for years!"

"People might be wondering why there's a hanging skeleton." Seba chuckled.

"Well, I can't say I approve of your methods, Bartholomew," the headmaster said in a strict tone, but turned into an approving look. "But what an amazing discovery! We'll have to get a team of archaeologists down here."

Everyone was back upstairs. The students look quite worried as to what was happening here. In a few minutes, Thea had led them in the Great Hall.

"Will we be expelled?" asked Paulina.

Seba sighed. "Especially on the first week."

"It's all my fault!" exclaimed Nicky.

Colette shook her snout. "That's not true. We were all in agreement."

"We're all responsible." Violet declared firmly.

When they entered the Great Hall, there were loads of students and teachers there. Someone in the back started clapping. Then another mouse, and then another.

This left the six surprised.

"Colette, Paulina, Pamela, Violet, Nicky and Sebastian, we ow you many thanks for find Professor sparkle and for discovering the secret that has been hidden below Mouseford Academy! Your first assignment in Professor Stilton's adventure journalism class is to write a detailed account of this adventure."

This left them relieved. They were staying! Thea smiled at the looks on their faces.

Of course, there were still a few details to sort out.

"What about my rake, my dear Professor Sparkle?" asked Boomer.

"And what about my six fondue pots?" asked Midge.

"And what about the receipt for that letter I gave you?" asked a rather unfamiliar postmouse. "Please tell me where is it, Ms. Stilton."

This was Mercury Whale, a postmouse and also one of the Whale siblings.

Professor Sparkle promised to buy a new rake for Boomer.

The six friends promised to polish the fondue pots until they shone.

Thea gave Mercury her brightest smile. "I heard that you came all the way to New Mouse City just to bring me Professor de Mousus's invitation."

"Of course! What else would I have done? Put it in the mail?" the postmouse snorted.

She batted her eyelashes and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks a million!"

At that, he turned as red as a the wrapper on a wheel of Gouda.

The Whale siblings all headed off to their various tasks. Soon, Thea and her students were left. The mouselings were hugging each other while Seba was standing with his arms crossed.

"I don't do sappy." he claimed. The girls gave each other a smirk before they hugged him, causing him to freeze awkwardly.

Thea looked at them and smiled. These six were all so different from one another. Each had different personalities, passions, flaws and dreams. Working together had taught them that being different can be a huge advantage. Different perspectives give everyone a chance to learn something.

"So are we all friends now?" Violet whispered.

Colette smiled. Paulina gave here a huge. Nicky put her hat on.

"We're more than friends!" exclaimed Pamela. "We're sisters!"

Seba rolled his eyes. "Considering that I'm the only male in this little group, I'm more of a brother." Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. "Sebastian Silverstone and the Thea Sisters. Has a nice ring to it."

The mouselings rolled their eyes and chuckled. This was going to be a long semester.