Jasper sat in the food hall, picking at a piece of stale bread. He didn’t think he’d ever felt so exhausted. By the time they’d finished freezing the last of the monsters, he could have dropped on the spot. Every muscle in his body ached, and his head throbbed as though someone had whacked him with a cricket bat.
Felix scraped mould off his cheese and Saffy was staring vaguely into space. Only Boris still seemed to have some energy left. He was jigging excitedly up and down in his seat.
The food hall was eerily quiet. Most of the students were recovering in the school hospital, and the teachers were busy airing out the assembly hall and removing the frozen Skrinkerscreech from the hallways.
The only people in the food hall were the Whispered kids, who’d spent the last hour gathered around Felix, Jasper, Saffy and Boris, wanting all the details.
‘I can’t believe I missed out on the action,’ said Mac. ‘I wish I’d been there. But listen, Jasper. You’d better watch out for Señor Hermes. You really got him riled by running off like that.’
Jasper buried his head in his hands. Obviously the fact he’d saved the school from monsters hadn’t impressed Hermes.
Jasper wasn’t sure what he’d say to Señor Hermes. It wouldn’t be long before the teachers had finished getting rid of the monsters and seeing to all the other students – and then they would come to the food hall.
‘Heads up!’ Mac called from the doorway.
Jasper froze. Señor Hermes was storming down the corridor towards the food hall.
‘McPhee!’ Hermes called out. ‘Is McPhee in there?’
Saffy looked at Jasper. ‘I would run if I – ’
‘DOMINGUEZ!’ yelled Master Poon, suddenly towering over them in his full camouflage. ‘I’m going to give you five seconds to hand back my cancel cards, and then I’ll get angry,’ Master Poon warned.
Saffy reached into the pocket of her hoodie. ‘Here!’ she said, handing a pack of cards to Master Poon. Jasper’s jaw dropped.
‘You mean, you didn’t earn them? You stole them?’ Felix gasped.
‘I prefer to think of it as unburdening Master Poon’s pocket of his – awrrfff!’ the rest of Saffy’s excuse was muffled as Master Poon lifted her up by her hoodie.