My entry for the "Different Pairings" contest Zaratan cooked up…
I honestly don't remember where I saw the last names of two of the main players in this story, so if I inadvertently took them from someone who has rights to them, I apologize.
I really should be finishing up my chapter of "Trial of the Hearts", but this idea hit me like a ton of bricks. When I finally dug myself out, there was a little tiny bunny…
Disclaimer: Any characters in this story that resemble those seen on a certain show involving a redheaded teenager that saves the world, is completely intentional, and I did not have any creative input to their creation. In other-words… THEY'RE NOT MINE! Oh, and there is a reference in here to Zaratan's "The Epic Struggle" in which he approved. Thanks Dude!
Ink and Tomatoes
"I… just… can't… believe… I… did… that!" Monique Jenkins muttered to herself as she stomped down the hall towards the library. "I mean… I always return my books on time! ALWAYS!"
Be that as it may, Miss Monique Jenkins had that most dreaded of after school type of detention… Library Lock-Up!
"I wonder what she's going to have me do? Stack books, organize her shelves…" Monique shuddered, "Sharpen pencils?"
The shapely African-American girl pushed open the double doors and entered the Library. It seemed to be even quieter after school hours, if that was even possible. She walked up to the main desk expecting to see Mrs. Hatchet sitting there gleefully stamping out 'Overdue' slips to send out to unsuspecting students. Instead, she wasn't there.
She looked down two of the nearest rows of books looking for the elderly woman, and saw no one. Monique thought she at least would here something. At least the sound of a squeaky wheeled cart, the shuffling of feet, the gentle thump of books being placed onto shelves. It was almost… eerie.
Monique quietly looked around the rest of the library, even the bathroom, and Mrs. Hatchet was no where to be seen. Monique ended back at the large main desk, and thought to herself. Should I look behind the desk? No one is ever aloud back there… ever. If I get caught, it could be a fate worse than 'Library Lock-Up'.
Again, Monique shuddered at the thoughts that entered her mind. "But this is just too darned peculiar." The young girl said under her breath. Mrs. Hatchet had never been late… for anything. Especially when she asked… no, demanded that a student show up for their punishment after school.
She walked up to the edge of the desk and peered around the corner. So far so good, Monique didn't see anybody. She backed up a bit, and checked the immediate area around herself again, took a deep breath, and like going into a cold pool, she quickly stepped over the threshold that placed her inside the desks work area perimeter.
No alarms went off, no flashing lights were seen… the entire library was still just as quiet and sullen as always. When Monique finally realized she still wasn't breathing, she quickly exhaled, and gulped in the air. Absently she thought to herself, it's not so bad back here. She looked around, and her eyes immediately landed on something that so did NOT want to see. It was as if she was in a bad Slasher Flic, and the music had just reached it's crescendo. There on the floor next to the chair, was Mrs. Hatchet's open purse! Well, it wasn't really a purse, it was more like one of those hideous woven baskets with large handles that one would carry items to the beach with.
There was no way Monique was going to go through that and find… things she did not wish to find. Instead she started to check around the work area, and saw nothing out of place. At least at first. Her plan was to quick get in behind the desk, take a quick look around, and get out before anyone had seen her. She was about ready to leave when something caught her eye.
"What is that…?" Monique said to herself, and stepped forward. She saw a letter opener sitting on an envelope, and there was something red on the envelope. Is that blood? Monique stepped closer.
She saw that the envelope had indeed been opened, and apparently with the letter opener, but there was a drop of something… red, on the envelope. That sure looks like blood. Monique thought to herself. I'm not even going to touch it.
Then she started to look around a little more at the floor, and Monique saw another drop of red a few steps away from the desk. "Did she hurt herself?" Monique said out loud again, but not much more than a whisper.
Continuing on towards the door, she saw another drop of red right in front of the exit. Let's see… if she hurt herself, then Mrs. Hatchet must have been headed towards the nurses' office. Monique headed to where it was located, but she never saw another drop of blood anywhere. She back tracked, and went the other way. Sure enough, she found another drop of red, and Monique took a step in that direction.
Another thought entered Monique's mind. Should I get Kim or Ron? This is something that they should really be doing… not me. She paused in her thoughts. Nah… I can do this. Mrs. Hatchet probably just accidentally cut her finger with the letter opener, and then panicked when she saw the blood. I know I would. But where is she going?
Monique began to follow the drops of blood, and noticed that they were getting further apart. Maybe she finally got the bleeding to stop on her own? If so, why wouldn't she still go to the nurse? After a few more steps, Monique saw where another drop was, and it was right in front of the Teachers Lounge door.
Of course! She thought, There's probably a first-aid kit in there, and she just wanted to take care of it herself. After all, it did seem like the lady would have no problem taking care of herself. But still, I should see if she's OK.
Monique placed a hand on the doorknob, gave it a turn, and was slightly surprised to find out it wasn't locked. She heard a voice off to her right, and Monique just about jumped out of her own skin…
…x x x x…
Tara Matthews just couldn't believe her luck. She had never gotten into trouble before. NEVER! In fact, wasn't it Bonnie who had said, "Cheerleaders don't get detention"? Well, here she was, and she had been caught red-handed. Or, gray-handed… as the case may be.
It was really a misunderstanding, but all the evidence was there. Even if the cafeteria lady, or Mr. Barkin, didn't want to hear an explanation.
Tara had just set her tray down on a table when one of the freshmen had run past her, bumping her in the elbow. As a result, her hand went right in to the gray mush called Mystery Meat.
"Ewww!" Tara exclaimed, and whipped her hand to the side just as a knee-jerk reaction, causing some of the… substance clinging to her hand for dear life flew off, and hit… someone. That someone just happened to be Mr. Barkin.
"Who threw that!" He bellowed and everyone in the cafeteria immediately stopped what they were doing, including Tara, her hand in mid-air, covered in mystery meat gravy. Mr. Barkin's keen eye was drawn immediately to Tara. "Matthews?" He said, slightly shocked at who the culprit was.
"I… I'm sorry Mr. Barkin! I was…" She started to explain, but Mr. Barkin wanted none of it, even if it was from someone who had never been in trouble before.
"Matthews, I'm terribly disappointed in you." Tara hung her head, blond strands of hair covering her face. She looked up at Mr. Barkin with a small pout, and the ex-military man almost immediately turned into a puddle of jell. His resolve almost broke, but he pulled himself out of it, and proceeded to hand out her punishment.
"Miss Matthews," He started with his voice a bit lower in volume, "As you know… No food fight goes unpunished on my watch."
"Y… yes, sir." Tara said and dropped her hand to her side, letting some of the mystery meat gravy slide off and plop onto the floor. No one even noticed that it started to slowly pull itself across the floor, apparently trying to move underneath a nearby table. A pink and silver blur suddenly jumped in front of the gray blob, and brandished a fork like small sword. The small pink form was covered head to toe with what looked like armor made out of small kitchen utensils.
A small battle ensued while the conversation above them went on without anyone taking notice. "Now being that this is your first infraction, I'm willing to go easy on you." He looked at the cafeteria lady who stood with a ladle in her hand, dripping some strange sauce. "What should her punishment be?"
The cafeteria lady thought for a bit, and then spoke. "Have her come to the kitchen after her last class for an hour. I'll have something for her to clean up."
Both Mr. Barkin and Tara audibly gulped and Mr. Barkin answered. "Are… are you sure? She's never been in trouble before."
"It's something new I'm trying." She answered. "I call it my…"Scared Straight" initiative.
"That should do it." Mr. Barkin said under his breath.
"OK then, Miss Matthews, you heard the lady. After your last class, show up here. Immediately! Got that?"
Again Tara dropped her head. "Yes Mr.Barkin, I'll be here."
I feel sorry for the poor girl, I really do. Steve Barkin thought as he walked out of the kitchen to wipe off his coat. When he reached the bathroom, he was mildly surprised to see that there was no mystery meat or gravy on his jacket anymore… just a grease spot, which he quickly removed with cold water on a paper towel.
…x x x x…
Now Tara entered the cafeteria after school hours, and she immediately noticed how quiet it was. Usually the place was filled with students talking and eating. It was quite disconcerting to the young blond girl. But she walked in, her shoes making a squeaking noise as she walked across the slightly damp, freshly mopped floor.
"H… Hello?" Tara called out when she didn't immediately see anyone. "Is anyone here?"
Tara had walked up to the serving counter, placed her hand on the rail that students used to slide their trays on, and lifted herself a few inches off the floor so she could look behind the counter. "Can anyone hear me?"
The lithe blonde walked along the counter, and stopped just before the small swinging gate that marked the entrance back into the kitchen. She called out again. "Is anyone here?" Still, there was no answer.
Tara placed a hand on top of one of the small doors, and took a breath before entering. She was about to go where no student had gone before, unless asked to do so. A memory flashed into her head when Ron Stoppable had temporarily made the kitchen and cafeteria into his own personal restaurant. Her smile widened at the memory of his "7 Layers of Heaven".
Taking a breath, Tara pushed herself into the back area behind the counter. No alarms went off, and no lights flashed. She quickly glanced around one more time, and then cautiously took another step. The further she went back towards the kitchen area, the bolder she got, and suddenly found herself at the entrance to the kitchen.
The kitchen… She thought. The place where it all happens. The place where meat becomes… well, a mystery. Tara had been absent on the day that the film was shown, divulging the secrets, so she was spared the horror.
Walking along the counter behind the serving area, Tara scanned the area looking for anything out of place. Actually, if something was out of place, there as no way for her to know it was out of place.
Off to one side was a mop in a bucket, which was half-full of graying water, and a fly buzzing around the edge. Her eyes continued to look around, but she missed the small movement at the bucket, and she also didn't notice the sudden disappearance of the fly's buzzing.
Then off to her left, Tara saw a small desk, which was obviously used by the head cook and manager of the kitchen. That's as good a place as any to wait for the cafeteria lady to come back. She thought, and then noticed a recognizable yellow and black bound book, that had the words "Cooking for Dummies" stenciled in black letters. I guess that figures…
Taking one last look around before walking over to the desk, Tara saw something a little peculiar. All knives next to the large cutting area were either stuck to a magnetic strip, or were hanging by their handles… That is, all except for one. The sharp tip was sitting on something white, and looked to be stained with something.
She took a step closer, and saw that the stain was red. "Is that… blood?" Tara said out loud to herself. There was no way she was going to step any closer to check it out. All Tara knew was that something red was on the tip of a knife, lying on an opened envelope.
She must have used the knife to open the letter, and cut herself. Tara deduced. She then spoke again under her breath. "But then that would mean…"
Looking around the area, Tara finally saw what she had been looking for. She saw another drop of red a few feet from the cutting area. Then she saw another right before the small doors, which exited the area behind the serving counter.
"Wait a second…" Tara said to herself, "I really should call Ron or Kim. They're better at following clues than I am… Nah, they're still at cheer practice, and I don't want to interrupt. I just want to see if the cafeteria lady is alright."
Tara walked out of the immediate area looking down at the floor, following the small drops of red. She'll probably head for the nurses' office. She thought, and as soon as Tara walked out of the cafeteria's swinging doors, she immediately headed in that direction. Tara kept her eyes down, and noticed almost immediately that she hadn't seen anymore drops of red.
How strange. The blond girl thought. She turned, and headed back to the cafeteria doors and went right on by. Sure enough, Tara saw another drop of red a few feet down from the door. Now why would she go this way?
Tara continued to follow the drops, and noticed that they were becoming few, and far between. Just as she thought that maybe the bleeding must have been slowing at that point, Tara realized that the trail was leading her towards the Teachers Lounge.
Of course! Tara thought, I bet a First Aid kit is in there.
Realizing that she was still walking with her head down, Tara looked up just in time to see Monique standing in front of a door, her hand on the knob. "What are you doing here, Monique?" Tara asked causing Monique to jump, and turn so fast she should have caused herself whiplash.
"Tara!" Monique whispered loudly. "You scared me half to death, girl!"
Tara narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Aren't you supposed to be in Library Lock-Up?"
"I went there… but Mrs. Hatchet was no where to be seen! I followed this trail of… something, and it led me here."
"The cafeteria lady wasn't in the kitchen either." Tara said. "And I too followed… something here." She pointed at the floor a few feet behind her.
"Did it look like…" Monique started to say, and then they both said the next word together at the same time. "Blood."
"So there could be two people hurt in there?" Tara asked sounding astonished. "We better make sure that they are OK… Is the door locked?"
Monique looked down at her hand, which was still wrapped around the doorknob. "No, it's not."
Monique quietly pushed the door about half way open, and was the first to call out. "Mrs. Hatchet? Are you in here? Are you OK?"
Then Tara called out. "Miss Cratchet? Are you OK?"
"Cratchet?" Monique said with a questioning look. "I didn't know that was her name."
"I just learned it for the first time myself." Tara said. "I saw it on an envelope on her desk in the kitchen."
Suddenly Monique and Tara herd a shuffling in the room and then a loud… THUMP! …and a muffled "eep". Fearing the worst, Monique threw the door open the rest of the way, and stepped inside, closely followed by Tara.
Two figures immediately stood up on the opposite side of a couch in which the back was facing the door. They both had a look of fear on their faces, and the last thing Tara and Monique saw was an outstretched hand pointing out the door with a very… large… item of underclothing dangling from the extended finger. "OUT!" Two very stern voices said in unison.
Tara and Monique's screams could be heard for miles as they ran out of the school clutching their faces… "My eyes!" They were screaming. "My eyes!"
…x x x x…
Back in the Teachers Lounge, the two figures that had scared the two teens sat back down on the couch after one of them locked the door. "I thought you had locked that before." One said.
"I guess not. By the way Gladys… did you get that red ink cleaned off your hand that you spilled at your desk?"
"Yes, I did Ethyl… Did you get that tomato sauce cleaned up that you dumped on yours?"
The two then went back to what they were doing before they were so rudely interrupted.
"I just can't believe that ink soaked all the way through to my bra!" Gladys said. "Now give me that thing so I can try this solvent on it again, and you can keep working on your shirt to get that tomato stain out…"
The end…
The reference to the "Dummies" series of books was just that… a reference. I didn't create them either…
Now to those of you who were thinking other things… Shame on you!
And to those of you who figured this out early, it still didn't really take away from the end, did it?