Locked In (11 page)

Jasper looked at the empty can lying in the snow.
Oops.

‘Now, if you wouldn't mind, hold this.' Stenka grabbed the Bogglemorph by its trunk and handed it to Jasper. He couldn't help shivering slightly as he held it at arm's length. Stenka produced a pair of tweezers from her pocket. She leant over the monster and plucked the single pink hair from its head.

The Bogglemorph trumpeted loudly in objection. Jasper expected it to pop or deflate or something, but it just sat there looking miserable. ‘Does that hurt it?' he asked.

‘Not exactly,' said Stenka. ‘It can't change form again until the hair grows back, so it's harmless, for now at least. I will see to its … disposal. And now for your foolhardy friends,' she turned to face Saffy and Felix, flashing a smile. ‘Let's just say being de-morphed is an experience that will haunt their nightmares.'

Stenka pulled out a small vial of clear liquid and carefully placed the pink hair in the vial. The liquid immediately began to sizzle, turning a bright pink as it bubbled to the top of the bottle. ‘One single drop ...' Stenka dripped the liquid carefully onto the heads of Felix and Saffy.

Jasper watched in horror as the statues began to melt. His friends' faces oozed onto their chests, then the rest of their bodies bubbled and dripped like melting cheese, until they looked like two blobs of skin in the snow.

They were better off as statues,
thought Jasper, horrifed.

Then the blobs began to take shape again. It was almost as if invisible hands were moulding Saffy and Felix out of playdough. The blobs started throbbing to the beat of two hearts, then swelled grotesquely as the bones and muscles took shape inside. Jasper had to turn away. He hated to think how much it would hurt.

‘There – isn't that better?' Stenka said to Felix and Saffy as they finished re-forming.

‘Ugggh,' Felix managed to groan.

Stenka snapped her fingers and two prefects with blank-looking faces emerged from the dark. ‘These two – the school hospital,' she ordered. The prefects nodded and began to haul Felix and Saffy towards the mansion.

‘At least you're not statues anymore!' Jasper called out feebly. He thought he saw Saffy wave, but it might have been a different gesture.

Stenka turned to Jasper. ‘You. Follow me.' She took the Bogglemorph from him and pocketed the vial. ‘I have a feeling there are more statues who have been waiting a long time for a drop of this.'

Slowly they trudged back to the mansion, Jasper keeping as much distance between himself and the Bogglemorph as possible.

Despite everything he had been through, Jasper felt pretty good. After all, he
had
caught a monster. A wild monster this time. And probably saved all those statues. They would all be turned back to normal kids, with Jasper to thank. A marching band was
definitely
in order this time. He wondered if he should suggest it to Stenka.

Perhaps being a monster-hunter wasn't such a bad thing after all. The more he thought about it, the more excited he felt. The buzz was definitely there.

They reached the school and Stenka marched Jasper towards a cell marked
Punishment Room 1
. She turned to him and smiled. ‘The basement is full. However, I'm sure you will find this room equally ... deterring.'

Jasper gulped and felt his guts clench. ‘A marching band?' he tried weakly.

Stenka smiled and shook her head.

This couldn't be good.

TO BE CONTINUED ...

Jasper and his friends are about to take on their biggest challenge. They have to find a monster that's loose in Monstrum House ... before it finds them.

If they fail, they'll have their creepy teacher Stenka to answer to. Or perhaps they'll be eaten by a monster. It's hard to know which is worse.

www.monstrumhouse.com