Chapter 15

BONY BEASTS

Lucy was eager to hear Maya and Debbie’s story—she was sure they were going to confess to working with the rainbow griefers—but the second Maya began to speak, there was a loud explosion.

Kaboom!

“What was that?” Lucy ran to the window.

Smoke rose from the Main Hall, and skeletons were marching across the grassy campus.

“Oh no!” Lucy cried. “We are under attack again!”

“It’s almost evening—even more will be able to spawn in this light!” Phoebe said as she grabbed her diamond sword from her inventory and ran from the room to battle the bony beasts.

Lucy and the others followed Phoebe out of the dorms and into the thick of the battle. Lucy snapped her armor on as she ran, choking back her frustration that she hadn’t gotten to hear Maya and Debbie’s confession.

As they reached the foot of the stairs, four armed skeletons shot arrows at them.

“Ouch!” Lucy cried out in pain when an arrow struck her unarmored arm.

To Lucy’s surprise, Maya lunged at the skeleton with her diamond sword and destroyed it. Lucy didn’t know what to make of Maya’s actions; she had summoned the Wither, but she always defended Lucy in battle. It didn’t make any sense. But she didn’t have time to puzzle it out now, so she reached for her diamond sword and joined her classmates in battle.

Using potions and swords, Phoebe and Jane obliterated the rest of the skeletons in the stairway. They were confident as they sprinted out of the dorm, but stopped in their tracks when they saw the massive bony army that filled the campus.

“How are we going to battle all of these skeletons?” Lucy asked in shock.

“We have a lot of help,” Phoebe said as she pointed out all of the other students who were battling skeletons.

Though the entire student body battled the undead mobs, it was still a tough fight. Lucy called out to her friends, “We have to find the spawner. It’s the only way we can survive.”

Maya nodded. “Follow me,” she cried, and led them back into the dorm and down the stairs to the dimly-lit basement. Maya took out a torch and placed it on the wall, illuminating the spawner in the center of the room.

“Maya, you knew where it was all this time?” Jane asked as she helped Maya and Debbie deactivate the spawner.

Maya didn’t reply. She pursed her lips and worked silently to deactivate the spawner.

“Debbie, can you explain?” asked Phoebe.

“What is going on with you two?” Lucy demanded.

“The spawner has been deactivated,” Maya replied coldly. “What more do you want from us?”

“You came into our dorm to tell us something,” Lucy said. “What was it?”

Maya paused. “We were going to tell you something, but I think it’s best that you don’t know. We were making a mistake.”

“Telling the truth is never a mistake.” Lucy looked at Maya and Debbie.

Debbie looked at Maya and began to cry.

“What are you doing?” Maya snapped. “Stop it.”

“I can’t take it. I can’t keep the secret anymore. I never wanted to be a part of this,” Debbie cried.

“You can’t tell them,” Maya told her friend. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Why?” Lucy asked.

Before Debbie could answer, a familiar voice called out from the stairs, “I can explain.”

The group looked over and saw Isaac, standing on the stairs with a diamond sword in his hand.