Call To Order: Harmony's Reawakening

PROLOGUE ~ THE BOOTH UNSEEN

Lukas

Portland, Maine ~ The Phantom's Carnival

October 29th

10:00 PM

"Alright, everybody! What do ya wanna do now?" I asked my squad. They all talked to each other, murmuring. Ryan spoke up first.

"How about the Haunted House? I heard it scares the living balls off of people!" Everybody laughed, especially me. Ryan knew just how to make his voice sound to make us pee our pants.

Matt chimed in, breathing hard to seize the laughter. His Western accent was a little rough, but he was suppressing it pretty well. "I think that's a buncha bull. Public haunted houses ain't worth jack. It's the private ones ya want ta go to."

"Well, we won't know if we don't try it!" Ray suggested with excitement. "I for one am ecstatic to go!"

"It's supposed to have really high-quality effects, but even that isn't worth spending $40 for entry!" Maris was clearly

"I'm in it to win it!" My vote was cast. It was 3-2; Haunted House a go-go was up by one. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder and swung around. There she was, my girlfriend Jordan. I met her a long time ago, as with the rest of the squad. She was from Columbus, Ohio and moved here when her Dad's Studio company moved. She wagged her hand, signaling me to lean in.

She whispered in my ear. "Lukas, y-you know I'm afraid of... everything that's probably in there. What if I don't want to go?"

"Hmmm... Oh wait, what if I make your vote the double money?"

"Oh... um... well, I guess I choose no. Sorry Lukas, I'm such a stick in the mud."

"Jordan, don't say that! I love you for who you are. You are a kind, gentle soul. I don't care if you are scared of staplers!" She smiled and hugged me. "Alright, everyone! Jordan got the double vote this time. She voted no, so it's 3-4. We are not going to the Haunted House. Sorry Ray."

There was a mixed reception. Maris kissed his wallet. Ray shouted, "DANG IT!" Ryan and Matt started talking about other options.

"Oh well, if it's majority vote, I'm fine with it..." Ray grumbled, clearly not meaning what he said. "Wait... but if we aren't going to the Haunted House, then where are we going?"

"Matt and I have another idea!" Ryan exclaimed. "What if we took the path leading to the Haunted House, and scanned for any attractions of interest?"

"I like the sound of that!" Maris agreed.

"Looks like the most promisin' course of action." Matt turned to Ray who gave the idea a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Lukas..." Jordan whispered in my ear. I winked.

***

What we found en route was... creepy to say the least. We were walking by an intersection between two buildings when something hit Maris in the face.

"OWWW... What was that?!" he groaned, gripping his nose. "Where did that even come from... Aha!" I saw something flying and grabbed out of the air it before it hit Jordan, who squealed and hid behind me. It was a carved sapphire. "Okay... why are there gems flying in people's faces?!" I ran into the direction it came from, which was obscured by darkness. "Whoever is back there bette... Woah!" I almost ran straight into a wall, but managed to steer into a gap. "Why is there a hole in the wall?

Maris walked up to see. "It looks like the natural gap between two buildings. It looks big enough to squeeze through!"

"INVESTIGATION TIME!" Ray yelled.

"Oh no... we are not..." I cut Jordan off, whispering.

"Don't worry, I'll hold your hand," I said calmly.

"...Okay, I trust you, Lukas! I'll be brave!"

"You're awesome, you know that?" I shot her a chill smile and winked. She blushed.

***

It was a tight fit, but we finally squeezed on through. I popped out first, followed by Jordan, then Ryan, Ray, Maris, and finally Matt. We all started looking around, but no one seemed to be back here. Jordan grabbed my hand and started breathing really hard. "Lukas, I'm scared. Please, can we get out of here? It's so d-dark and cryptic." She was not just shaking, but vibrating in absolute fear.

"Hold on... Stay close. We are just seeing who threw the gem," I whispered into her ear. Apparently, it wasn't quiet enough, because suddenly, a loud voice, shrill yet somehow poised, echoed through the darkness.

"Who goes there?! Who dares enter the realm, the spiritual pureness, of The Great Quizzini?!"

I signaled everyone to keep quiet and let me do the talking. "Ummm... sorry... we were just investigating something that was thrown at us from the direction of your alleyway. We'll leave, sorry to bother you," I said signaling everyone to go before she started talking again. Nobody moved, they were all frozen in fear.

"You are not going ANYWHERE! You have trespassed on my territory, so the only way to repay me..." I gulped. Whatever she was about to say, it was probably really, really bad.

Suddenly, the entire area lit up. "...is to play my quiz show, of course!"

***

"Q-quiz Show?!"

"Yes Lukas, Quiz Show. Spelling: Q-U-I-Z-SPACE-S-H-O-W. Definition: a light entertainment program in which people compete in a quiz, typically for prizes." The lady at the booth spoke. She was dressed in a fortune-tellers garb of velvety purple and gold.  Somehow, even though old, her body was brimming with energy. The booth she operated in was rustic, DIY, but it looked pretty good. It also wasn't high tech, there were just simple buzzers on an eight-person curved bar table bending around a whiteboard and her table, which had a crystal ball.

"W-wait, how do you know my name, and did you throw that gem?"

"I read your spiritual energy," the Quiz Show lady explained. "I also know the names of the fine fellows behind you. There is the energetic Ray, the strong Matthew, the trendy Ryan, the tech savvy Maris, and finally, your girlfriend, the timid Jordan. You, the athletic Lukas, are the leader of this fine group of adolescents. You, however, don't think yourself as a leader, but just another friend. So does everyone else. That's right, this group of people right here... you guys have the strongest bond of any group of people I've ever scanned. I can see the atomic bonds between the six of you; physical lines have formed to link your hearts as one."

Everyone was dumbstruck and speechless. I was clutching my heart area, toothy frown adjourning my face. "Wait... HOW. DO. YOU. KNOW. ALL THAT LADY?!"

"Please don't call me lady, think of me as a friend. Yes, call me Faridah Quizzeti, otherwise known as the Great Quizzini!"

"Alright... but still Faridah Quizzeti... how do you..." she cut me off.

"I am also a fortune teller. As I have already told you, I read your spiritual energy and picked out important information regarding identity. Throwing the gem was to get your attention. I forgot to put my sign up again..."

I was thoroughly interested now. "Wow... that's pretty impressive. I... you don't seem to have anything up your sleeve. You also walked out of your booth, away from the crystal ball. Most fortune tellers rely on that to sell their act."

"Yes, the real fortune tellers can travel to China, without moving their crystal ball, and still be able to read how much extra Renminbi they are being scammed out of by greedy restaurant owners. I've done that once... the look on that guy's face when I told him he wasn't following his own menu... it was priceless."

"Well, I for one, am intrigued by the Quiz Show," Ryan stated.

"Oh yes... did I go off on a tangent again. Whoops, silly me!" Faridah stuck her tongue out and conked herself on the head with her fist. "Alright, who is playing?" Everyone except Jordan raised their hand. After looking around, she sighed deeply, lowered her head, and raised hers as well.

"Alright! Let's begin! Everyone, take a seat!"

***

"Alright, rules. There is to be no discussing of answers. You have to answer if you ring your buzzer. Your buzzer cannot be rung if I haven't finished the question. Finally, have fun and no cheating! Keep those phones in your pockets! Now... let's begin!"

I cracked my neck, stretched, took a deep breath. The Quiz Show was underway. I am gonna win this! I thought. Maris saw the look I had in my eyes and mouthed "Fight me."

The lady began penning the first question. her handwriting was beautiful, and she was still able to make words very quickly. Faridah had a lot of experience under her belt. "Alright, first question! What was Michael Jackson's first solo single?"

Ryan slammed the buzzer before anyone else even comprehended the question. "Got to Be There!"

"Correct Ryan, good job!" She marked a tally under Ryan's name with a green Expo marker. I looked at Maris with raised eyebrows, and he  looked at me, then to Ryan, who was sitting there with his elbow on the table, leaning into it, and shooting a smug smile at us. Ryan always had crazy reflexes, but to combo that with a question about hit music?! It was almost if it was meant... for him...

Faridah moved on to the next question. "Which symbol is not allowed in JavaScript, except for math?" Maris buzzed.

"A hyphen is not allowed, it breaks the rules of JavaScript's syntax." JavaScript was like breathing to him.

"Wow! Impressive! I didn't know we had a fellow programmer here!" Faridah continued to surprise everyone.

She is a computer whiz too?! What?! That can't be possible... I thought to myself aggressively. Maris was equally as surprised, but he shook it off. Something was really starting to bother me about this quiz.

Faridah continued. "Where does apple pie originate from?" Ray vigorously buzzed.

"14th Century England!" Ray was proud of his answer.

"You guys are good! Alright! Let's take the difficulty up a notch, shall we?" How Ray knew that was beyond me, but he is Ray, so I'm not going to question it. Every time she asked a question, though... why was I getting so worked up about this?

"When were cattle brought to the US, and by whom?" There was a brief period where everyone was thinking. I actually had a chance... Wait! What kind of questions are these, anyway? I was now realizing what was bothering me so muc..." *Buzz* Matt had rung his buzzer loud and proud, interrupting my train of thought.

"The first cattle were brought by a Spanish expedition in 1521."

"Yes, Matthew!" Faridah was genuinely amazed at our answer streak. Or... was she? Matt is from the west, in a farming community. Of course, he would know that... Wait! She's a fortune teller, so she would know that too if she was looking at our identities!

"How many types of monotremes are there?" Everyone was dead silent. Monotreme? What the heck is a monotreme? Jordan surprised us all when she rung the buzzer. She also surprised herself and squealed, forgetting to answer the question.

"Honey, you have to answer. You rung the buzzer." Faridah pointed out after five seconds of nothing happening.

"O-oh, s-sorry. The noise scared me. I forgot how loud it was when I pressed it..." Jordan put her hands on her chest and breathed. "Alright. My answer is this. Five: the duck-billed platypus and four types of echidna."

"Oh! An animal lover!" Faridah was selling it less and less each question. Jordan was a fanatic, and as such, blushed hard at her compliment. She worked at the zoo; loved animals to death. Seriously, though, the fact that she is a fortune teller was making obvious what was going on. Alright that leaves moi. If she asks a question and I immediately know it, I'm calling this woman out for her tricks!

"Alright, final question! The score is a five-way tie! One more right, and you win! However, we have a chance for a tiebreaker here! Lukas, it's time for a comeback!" She cleared her throat. "About what speed are you going, in MPH, if you are going Mach 3 at sea level in average weather conditions."

i knew it! I thought as I slammed the buzzer. It vibrated under my sweat palms. My knowledge of movement, physics, and momentum stemmed from my many years in cross country. Coach made us learn about streamlining and optimal body movement, so I did some research. Long story short, I memorized that Mach 1 is about 760 miles per hour under normal conditions. That times any number is how one finds a certain mach. So 760 x 3 is...

"2280 miles per hour!"

Faridah gasped. "It's time for a Tiebreaker!"

"Hold on just one sec! Faridah, you've been...!"

"So you've noticed Lukas..." She said in a creepy tone; her eyes were squinted. "I know you know my tricks. That was intentional..."

My face went pale.

***

"Lukas, whatever's the matter? Whar is she talking about." Ryan asked.

"Yeah... Why are you suddenly verbally assaulting Faridah?" Maris was concerned.

Matt was really confused. "Tricks... intentional... What the heck is goin' on?"

"Faridah..." My blanched face was converted into a serious expression. I slammed both my hands down on the curved bar table; polished wood letting off a huge *SLAM*. "...What are you trying to say here?!"

"You all passed the first round. That's what I am saying."

"First round?" Ray said, scratching the back of his head with a puzzled glare.

"You mean that questions were...!" Jordan started.

"Yes, they were planned." Faridah then went into detail about the truth of her quiz show. "As you all know, I am a psychic. I have the ability to read people's minds and gain information about them through spiritual readings. Because of this, I knew about your various knowledge and built my questions around them. I do this to decipher what exactly I want on my bonus "Tiebreaker" round. This is the round that you will actually have to think, for there is a prize. I have one more hobby, and that is collecting strange, mystical prizes to give to people. Finding something that can be related to the bonus round is the hardest part, but I lucked out here. Now, as for what your final challenge is. It is a group activity that everyone must contribute towards to receive your shared prize. I noticed a common theme in your souls as well as your answers, so I have the perfect final question for you six, as well as the perfect prize!"

Everyone was silent, digesting the story of the fortune teller. Maris was the first to find words. "So, what is that theme?"

"Why don't you find out!" Faridah then started writing a huge story with six blanks.

It read:

The friendship formula is a simple thing.

However, it's effect; eternal happiness, it shall bring.

Complete _____ is the trust that makes it stick.

_____ means you will be there for each other through thin and thick.

Sometimes, good _____ will flip any frown.

Showing _____ will lift those who are feeling down.

_____ will make the world a better place.

To lasting friendships, these qualities will make the base.

However, this riddle, this formula, has one more component.

Something that will overcome any opponent.

No, matter wether the situation is hopeless, dark, or tragic.

Friends will prevail because Friendship is _____.

I read the riddle over and over again. Faridah gave us the instructions. "You need to fill in each blank, and only one per person. Then, I will give you your prize." My mind was freaking out. I knew exactly what was going on now.

"No... you can't possibly mean..." I looked around. Everyone's faces told me they were thinking the same thoughts as I was. "...This riddle... The theme you were talking about..."

"My Little Pony. That's what you saw in us."

***

"Impressive! You guys are the first to figure all this out before finishing the Quiz Show! Congrats!"

Nobody said a word to her. Everything was silent.

"Laughter." Someone said. It was Ray. Good laughter is all you need to flip any frown." He had shattered the silence. "Laughter... is the missing word for that line." Following Ray's footsteps, our minds went into overdrive. One after another, we all started saying our answer. It was pathetically easy to figure out what the blanks were.

My mouth moved by itself. I didn't know how to stop it. "Loyalty means you will be there for each other through thin and thick. The word is Loyalty."

Matt slammed his fist down "Honesty. Complete honesty is the trust that makes it stick."

"Generosity will make the world a better place. Generosity is the blank." Ryan smiled serenely.

"Ummm... Kindness is the last one. Showing kindness will lift those who are feeling down." Jordan finished.

Faridah finished writing Jordan's answer in and then turned to us. "Now! Say the whole thing!" she demanded. We all started saying it.

The friendship formula is a simple thing.

However, it's effect; eternal happiness, it shall bring.

Complete honesty is the trust that makes it stick.

Loyalty means you will be there for each other through thin and thick.

Good laughter is all you need to flip any frown.

Showing kindness will lift those who are feeling down.

Generosity will make the world a better place.

To lasting friendships, these qualities will make the base.

However, this riddle, this formula, has one more component.

Something that will overcome any opponent.

No, matter wether the situation is hopeless, dark, or tragic.

Friends will prevail because...

Maris, who had been too absorbed in the riddle to speak, suddenly said the last line.

"Friendship is Magic."

***

Faridah said nothing. She walked out of the booth and behind it. A few minutes later, she came back with a long blue box tied with down with rope. Entering the booth again, the box was given to me. Thanking us for playing, she showed us out. I was stopped before I went back through the crack again, though. Suddenly, Faridah hobbled over to me. She was crying and told me there was one more thing that needed to be said.

That's when it happened, the moment I knew that our world was going to be changed forever...

Faridah put her right hand on the box and leaned into my ear. This was the last thing the psychic in the wall ever spoke to me. It was in the darkest, saddest, most pain-inducing voice I've ever heard.

"Please... save them..."