UNACCOMPANIED MINOR SERIAL

What Sharon Found at the End of the Hallway

PART IX

Source

Unaccompanied Minor
Previous parts (if you’ve missed them):
I A Face in the Window
II The Ferryman
III Bent Fork 
IV The Librarian
V Sharon’s Side Quest
VI What Happened With The Whiffle
VII Within The Whiffle
VIII What David Found At The End Of The Hallway

Sharon eyed the page in her hand. She furrowed her brow and took a sip from a can of iced tea. How was she to make sense of the irregular markings on this page?

Before her were five rows of five desks each. The classroom was full, save two of the seats up front. What was she supposed to be teaching them again?

Pairs of innocent eyes locked on her, hungry minds eager for knowledge — it was all too much. I’m a fraud, she thought. And soon they will all know.

Sharon’s reverie of self-flagellation was interrupted by a shout from beneath her feet. The floor quaked, but not enough for her to lose her balance. She looked down. No, it wasn’t the whole floor that had shaken. What was…