Rub! Scrub! Splash!
Eric Hinkle bent over the sink in the bathroom at school. He swished his hands in the soapy water, trying to clean up after gym.
"You're lousy at climbing ropes," he said to his friend Neal. "Did you have to fall on me?"
"I'm better at watching things than doing them," Neal said as he scrubbed dirt from his shirt, his nose, and his shoes. "I think it's a sign of smartness."
"That's not what the coach said," said Eric. Then he sighed. "Man, we need to go back."
"To class?" said Neal. "Mrs. Michaels promised us a math quiz. Can't we be a little late?"
Eric turned to face him. "No, I mean to Droon! I can't think about anything else."
It was true. Droon was always on Eric's mind.
Neal splashed water on his nose. "I know what you mean. It's kind of boring here. Julie wants to go back too. I just hope Keeah is okay."
The young princess was learning magic from Galen Longbeard, but what she most wanted to know was when her mother would be free of an evil spell.
For years, Keeah's mother, Queen Relna, had been changing into one animal after another. She had to go through many shapes until she could be human again.
At the end of their last adventure, Keeah had learned that the queen was now in the form of a red tiger.
To find her, Keeah had flown away on the back of a giant bird. The kids didn't know what happened next.
"I wish we could go back whenever we want," said Eric. "I don't like waiting."
Usually, the kids dreamed about Droon. Sometimes Keeah sent them a message through an enchanted soccer ball. But until one of those things happened, Eric and his friends just had to wait.
Tap! Tap! There was a knock at the lavatory door. "Guys?"
It was Julie's voice. "Mrs. Michaels wants you back right now," she said. "It's quiz time."
Neal looked at his shirt in the mirror. It was soaking wet. "Well, my work here is done. See you in class." He left Eric alone at the sink.
Eric was about to drain the water when he glanced down. The soapsuds swirling in the sink suddenly stopped...in the shape of a face.
A sad old face. With a long white beard.
"Galen?" Eric mumbled to himself. "Galen!"
A moment later, the face in the sink was gone.
The water was just water.
Eric dashed back to class and slid into his seat between Julie and Neal. "I just saw Galen floating in the bathroom sink!" he whispered.
"How did he fit in there?" Julie asked.
"No! I mean his face was in the soap!"
"Eric," said Mrs. Michaels, giving him a stern look. "We'll start our math quiz now." She passed out the papers and stood in front of the room. "You will have ten minutes to finish. Starting...now."
Eric looked at the paper but all he could think about was the wizard's face.
Why had Galen appeared to him? Why had he looked so sad? Was something wrong?
Eric felt a tug on his sleeve. It was Julie. She was staring at the chalkboard.
He looked up. He nearly fell out of his seat.
A piece of yellow chalk was floating up behind the teacher's back. Silently, it pressed against the green board and began to write.
Eric glanced around. Everyone else was busy working on the quiz. Their heads were down.
The chalk began to spell out letters.
S...h...e
Eric slid his foot out and tapped Neal's sneaker. Neal looked up. His mouth dropped open.
...i...s
The chalk hesitated as Mrs. Michaels glanced at the clock. "Five more minutes," she said.
The chalk continued to write.
...l...o...s...t...
She is lost. Eric's eyes widened. She? Keeah!
Mrs. Michaels started to turn around.
Then the eraser flashed up from the bottom of the board and — swish! — wiped away what the chalk had written. Eric and his friends were the only ones to see the message.
They were the only ones meant to see it.
They were so excited they could hardly finish the quiz. When the final bell rang, they burst from the classroom and rushed out to their bus.
"Galen must have sent the message!" Eric whispered. "I think it's about Keeah."
Julie nodded. "She must have gotten lost trying to find her mother. And now we need to find her!"
"It's like homework," said Neal. "Only from Droon!"
