Why you ask Well I'd just moved to a new house In a new town With a new school New teachers New friends Also I'm just ALWAYS ANXIOUS ANYWAYS We'd also survived an invasion This is too me of brain eating hamsters That too And while we'd beaten the hamsters they were still out there somewhere Probably plotting Planning Sharpen- ing their nasty little claws I wasn't safe and neither were Mom and Dad Don't forget about our cat Including Mr. Fuzzikins yes Meow Brainivore Hamster 2
This place wasn't safe and the only good idea I had was to move back home to Kamloops Easier said than done Teddy So while I sat in the Ravensbee common area and tried to play cards with my friend Duggy I was a little preoccupied Teddy it's Your turn
Duggy clutched his last two cards and bumped up and down on his seat He was the kind of kid who's always moving He fidgeted scratched and kicked his feet Umm I picked a card out of my hand at ran- dom and slammed it down on the table I cast I looked down at the card I'd picked— Gimbleward's thicket of locusty doom Duggy heaved a huge sigh and pointed at the num- bers on the top of the card I'd just played You can't play Gimbleward's thicket of locusty doom Teddy It costs five magi beads You only have four Oh Do you need me to explain the rules again Duggy reached into his backpack and pulled out the inch thick manual for Card Combat II featuring new spells such as Monfosilod's Carnivorous Kitty Carnage No I said a little too quickly No it's okay Duggy Thanks I'm just a little worried About what he asked Friends are for confiding in right I'm still worried 4
about the whole hamster thing Duggy blushed and put his cards down on the table I'm really sorry about that Teddy What I did was pretty awful Duggy had made a deal with the evil hamsters to save our lives The catch was he was going to trade the lives of other kids to do it No I don't mean that I said Duggy looked relieved He was still surprised that I'd forgiven him I liked Duggy He knew what it was like to be an outcast which I used to be at my old school I mean How do we know that the hamsters aren't coming back I continued What do you mean I leaned in and whispered to keep the other kids in the common room from hearing me What if they're out there plotting their revenge Sharpening their claws Salivating at the thought of eating our brains Oh Duggy grinned uncertainly and shrugged I don't think you have to worry about that Teddy I haven't seen a single whisker I don't think they're coming back 5
