The Largest Ruby

Written by Keely Topalides Illustrated by Holly Adkins

It was just a normal school day on February 2nd at a quarter to five in the morning, and Emma and me (Rebecca) were flying to school in bat formation when . . . Alexia sprinted up out of nowhere.

On the way we chatted about crushes and movies we wanted to see, like M-rated movies.

Of course we were in high school if we were seeing such movies. But we weren’t just going to a normal school. We were going to Vampire and Werewolf School. If Emma, Alexia and I were going to a school like that we obviously had to be vampires or werewolves. And we were.

I was a vampire with a little bit of werewolf, and Emma and Alexia were the same except they were werewolves with a little bit of vampire.

It was our first day at Vampires and Werewolves Girls High School and it was very nerve-racking because we didn’t know what we were good at yet. When we arrived, there were all these vampires and werewolves chatting, running and walking around.

As per usual the Year 11 and 12 boys from nearby schools teased the younger year levels, except the Year 11 and 12 girls. But for some strange reason they didn’t tease us (we were in Year 9), probably because we looked REALLY REALLY pretty in our pink cheerleader costumes.

That day our classes were: Science (where we were dissecting a human that the teacher had caught that morning); then History (learning about old Count Dracula and Frankenstein); and then a flying class learning how to fly in bat formation (Vampire class), followed by a running class where we learned about running REALLY REALLY FAST (Werewolf class).

We had lunch inside because if we went outside normal people would see us and SCREAM! Also, if we went outside we would get sunburned (vampires and werewolves don’t like the sun).

The next day our classes were all tests: a flying test for vampires, a science test for vampires and werewolves, and a sprinting test for werewolves only.

Then there was a History test for both types of monsters. All three of us passed our tests but something strange began to happen to our hands. There was something we could feel but no one could see it except for us.

It was a scroll that said: 

You have become the guardians of this planet (Earth). My children, you will have to look out for the shadow vampires and werewolves. They are trying to steal the largest ruby on Earth for energy for the Planet Shadow. Your mission at 6pm tonight will be to go to Africa and fight the Shadow’s secret agents.

You must stay under cover. If you get spotted by Shadow’s agents you must hide in the darkest places you can find.

Good luck, my children, on your mission. I will meet you at 6pm at the bloodmarket under the chemist around the corner from you.

Signed Mr McDonald.

Then the scroll disappeared into thin air.

We were shocked by what we had just read.

I whispered, ‘Did you just see what happened?’

Emma whispered back, ‘I know! Don’t you think that was cool?’

So at 6pm we did what we were told and were off on our mission, travelling on a jet plane to Africa. (It was too far to fly there or sprint.) Once we had reached our destination, we were either flying or sprinting to get to the precious ruby to protect it.

When we reached it we saw how beautiful and delicate it was, and we knew we had to protect it with all our life forms.

After a little while we saw dirt flying everywhere. Then there was a line of dirt. Suddenly three heads popped up from under the ground. Emma, Alexia and I quickly hid but realised that we recognised the trio. They were Melissa, Imogen and Chelsea, and they were the Shadow agents.

We were all SHOCKED because they went to the same school as us! We had to think quickly how to lead the others away from the precious ruby.

We didn’t talk but instead used hand actions to show each other what the plan was.

Alexia slowly started to sprint then got faster and faster making a track in the dirt. Emma became invisible and sneaked up behind the other girls and cheekily swiped the map out of their hands and changed it, then quickly and quietly put it back.

I made heaps of sand dunes to disguise the true location of the precious ruby.

Then we all stopped what we were doing and went up to the other girls to greet them. After we all chatted for a little while about their ‘holiday’ we asked them, ‘Do you have the correct map?’

Then the Shadow girls checked their maps and said, ‘No I don’t think we do or maybe we‘re in the wrong place!’

‘Off we go then – looks like we’re all in the wrong place. Maybe we could follow this track,’ we said and off we all went.

Phew! That was close. Emma, Alexia and I smiled at each other, knowing that our plan had worked and that we had defeated the Shadow girls… this time.