Free Taken Over by Z. Fraillon Page A

stole them?’ Felix gasped.
    â€˜I prefer to think of it as unburdening Master Poon’s pocket of his – awrrfff! ’ the rest of Saffy’s excuse was muffled as Master Poon lifted her up by her hoodie.



‘You could have given us some!’ Jasper said.
    â€˜McPHEE!’ Señor Hermes marched across the food hall, his eyes locked onto Jasper .
    I’m never getting out of this one, thought Jasper.
    A pack of prefects burst into the food hall. ‘Oi! Boris!’ one of them snarled. ‘We need a word with you. Come outside and have a chat.’
    Felix looked from the prefects to Master Poon, to Hermes, and back to the prefects, and started backing away towards the door. ‘Maybe I’ll just, er … leave, now.’
    But his exit was blocked by an old man on horseback.
    â€˜Ah, here you are, my young monster-hunters!’ Von Strasser’s voice rang through the food hall. Everyone turned to face him as he trotted in on his horse.
    â€˜Well done, you four. Well done, indeed,’ Von Strasser beamed. Jasper sighed in relief. ‘You eight-handedly saved the entire school population from the swarm of Skrinkerscreech, and prevented the hatchlings from feeding on the screechwort. I am most pleased by your success.’
    Jasper glanced quickly at Señor Hermes to check his reaction. Hermes still didn’t seem pleased. Jasper decided this was his chance.
    â€˜Um, sir, I wondered if we could talk to you about something?’ Jasper edged slightly away from Hermes.
    Von Strasser looked expectantly at Jasper.
    â€˜Why, of course. Ask away, Mr McPhee.’
    â€˜Ah, could we talk to you in private?’ Jasper said.
    â€˜Yes, of course.’ Von Strasser appeared to only just notice that Master Poon had Saffy dangling in the air. ‘When Master Poon has finished his demonstration of weightlessness as a relaxation technique,’ he added courteously.
    Master Poon dropped Saffy and deftly counted his cards. ‘Missing three. That’s six penalty points you should have had. Another twenty-six should do for taking the cards.’
    Saffy nodded meekly.
    â€˜And if you ever disobey me again,’ Señor Hermes glared at Jasper, ‘I’ll show you a monster side that’s out of control.’
    Jasper gulped. ‘Yes, sir.’
    The circle of prefects had grown tighter like a pack of hungry wolves. They were waiting for Von Strasser to leave.
    â€˜Come, then!’ Von Strasser called and clicked his horse forward.
    â€˜Can Boris come too?’ Jasper added quickly.
    â€˜Of course,’ said Von Strasser.
    â€˜It’s about Boris,’ Jasper began, when they were all outside the food hall, away from the teachers and prefects.
    Von Strasser nodded. ‘Already done. It’s what I came to tell you, in fact,’ he winked. ‘Welcome to Monstrum House, Boris.’ Von Strasser held his arms wide in welcome. ‘I have already switched your enrolment details. You’ve more than proven your ability to think outside the square, and shown that you know when to follow your gut rather than orders. And, of course, your bravery and strength will be useful as a monster-hunter.’
    Boris blinked.
    â€˜Well?’ Saffy asked impatiently. ‘Do you want to hunt monsters or not?’
    Boris’s smile was all the answer they needed.
    â€˜Good, good, a new recruit. Excellent. Just what we need. Of course, you should be a year behind these three,’ said Von Strasser looking closely at Boris. ‘But you seem to have learnt quite a bit already. And I think with some extra tutorials, you’ll be able to start as a second-year student, given your age and experience.’
    Boris grinned even wider. ‘That would be awesome, sir.’
    Jasper thumped Boris on the back. Felix hugged him, and Saffy grinned.
    It was going to be a great year at Monstrum House.