It started like any other Monday morning at Elmwood Middle School. Kids were dragging their backpacks through the halls, half asleep and whispering about the science test. I was one of them, just an average kid trying to survive a week of living pain. But something felt off.
Ms. Carter, the substitute teacher, was standing outside room 117 with a confused look on her face. “Has anyone seen Principal Raymond?” she asked a group of teachers nearby. That was weird. Principal Raymond was never late. He always treated us at the front door with that same tired smile and his huge cup of coffee.
By third period, the whispers had spread like wildfire. “He’s gone,” someone said. “Vanished.”
No announcements, no emergency meetings. Just silence. The whole school felt like it was holding its breath.
After lunch, my friends Mia, Jace, and I met in the library. We had a group chat called “Mystery Squad,” but it was mostly just jokes and memes. Today felt different.
“I think someone kidnapped him,” Mia whispered, her eyes wide.
“Who would kidnap a principal?” Jace asked, stuffing chips into his mouth. “That’s like kidnapping a broom.”
I shrugged. “What if he saw something? Something he wasn’t supposed to see?”
We decided to investigate. We snuck down the hallway toward the staff lounge, where Principal Raymond usually kept his bag and coat, but Mia picked it open with a hairpin. (Don’t ask how she learnt that. Like ever!)
Inside, everything looked normal except for his backpack, still sitting by the door. I opened it. His planner was inside, and a sticky note with just one word: Basement.
Our school didn’t have a basement, or so we thought. But Jace remembered an old metal door behind the gym, always chained shut. We sprinted there and saw it—it was unlocked!
Mia pushed it open, and a rush of cold air hit us. Stairs led down into darkness. My heart was pounding so loud it echoed in my ears.
We used our phone flashlights and crept down the stairs. It smelled like dust and rust combined, very unpleasant. Then we heard it. A voice.
“Help … someone … anyone…”
Principal Raymond! We rushed to the sound of his plea and found him tied to a chair, looking pale but unharmed.
“Who did this?” I asked him.
He looked at us with tired eyes. “Someone on the school board. I recently found out they were trying to steal money meant for a special student of my choice. They wanted to keep me quiet.”
We helped him back upstairs and told the front office everything. By the end of the day, police were swarming. The person behind it was arrested, and Principal Raymond said we saved his life.
The next day, we got a shout out on the morning announcements. Everyone clapped for us, even the freshmen.
And just like that, the Mystery Squad wasn’t just a joke anymore.
Now, whenever we pass the gym, we glance at the old basement door and wonder: what else could possibly be hidden down there?
