Hey everyone, this is Nop62 here and welcome back! Thanks for tuning in for the second book of my Animaljam mystery series! If you have not read book 1 yet, feel free to click on the tag below titled “Silver Moon Academy” so you can read it first. I was excited to get book 2 out in time for Christmas, as it is winter-themed, but unfortunately I didn't reach that goal. I hope you still enjoy it!!! It will make that Christmas spirit last a little longer. :) Anyway, and so, I present to you Mysteries at Silver Moon Book two: Skating on Thin Ice.
Chapter 1
A blanket of snow covered Jamaa. The field outside of Silver Moon Academy was covered in a thick layer of the glittering crystals. The sun shone bright overhead, causing the carpet of sparkles to shimmer like a meadow of diamonds. The air was chilly and carried the brittle scent of winter. There was a very slight breeze, just enough to make your skin tingle, but not to make you shiver. The air was frosty and nipped softly at all the animals of Jamaa.
I walked alone across the white sheet of crystals. Every time I took a step, there was the soft hiss of scattering snow and the little flakes danced into the air, spiraling off into the sky never to be seen again. As I walked, my breath came out in swirls of misty tendrils, curling and stretching for freedom before dispersing and vanishing into the still, cold air.
December had crept up on all of us at Silver Moon Academy, and the Jamaalidays were soon to come. There were only a few more weeks of school before we were free to celebrate the holidays.
I raised my muzzle, closing my eyes and soaking in the warm sunshine that waved cheerily down at me. There was not a cloud in sight and the sky was a brilliant, radiant blue.
I sighed and my breath spun into the frozen atmosphere. I needed to be getting back to school for my next class.
As I began to dawdle back towards the academy, I felt my pocket vibrate and my melodic ringtone go off. Quickly sliding the device from its place, I answered it, holding it close to my ear.
“Hello?” I spoke into it. A familiar and beloved voice responded to mine. “Hey, Isis!” It was one of my three best friends, Astron.
“Oh hello!” I called back, beaming. I heard him laugh lightly at my enthusiasm before continuing. “I have good news.” He informed me, pausing for dramatic effect. “My family and I are finished here and will be returning to Jamaa very shortly and I will be able to continue my schooling at Silver Moon in a week!” I gasped. “Oh, that is wonderful!” I cried, adding a skip to my step while continuing back in my pawsteps. “That means I will be able to spend the Jamaaliday break with you guys at the school.” He said. I smiled. I was so happy.
“Well,” I began. “I am very sorry to cut this short, but I believe I am about to be very late for class and therefore in a lot of trouble.” I informed Astron, quickening my pace as I heard the warning bell toll loudly within the school.
“Alright,” Astron replied. “Good luck with your studies!” We hung up and I flat-out ran the rest of the way to the school.
I raced into the building, my heart pounding and my paws icy and numb. I quickly took off toward my locker where I grabbed my school books and headed quickly to Miss. Belinda’s English classroom.
I wasn’t too late, but according to Belinda, I was very late. Teachers, ya know?
The teacher’s desk was rapped firmly with a ruler. “Class,” the aging lemur began in her quavering voice. “Today we are to be learning about and writing short stories.” She pushed her half-moon glasses up her nose, looking at us with grey-green eyes.
“In all stories, the basic plot goes like this.” She began, writing on the board with pristine handwriting. “Someone, somewhere, wanted, but, which, so, then.” She paused and we blinked in confusion.
“To start with, somebody of your main character or the protagonist of your story.” Miss. Belinda tapped the notebook on someone’s desk. “Start writing this down.” She commanded. “Pick your character and describe them.” She sat at her desk.
We sat in silence. I chewed my lip and tapped my cheek with my pen. Hmm… I thought. Who should my character be? An idea struck me.
A few weeks ago, I had solved my first ever case. In the mystery, someone had been sabotaging the school to make the academy appear cursed so that it would have to be shut down. It was the perfect plot for my story.
I wrote “somebody” down as the title of my assignment’s first page. I would need to change the name of the felon as to not disrespect the former teacher.
Maybe I’d call her… Evica. I thought before letting out a snort, for I had amused myself. Nah. How about Shae. I wrote down the name Shae, deciding she was going to be a creamy grey and white coyote with a blonde French braid.
We waited a few more minutes for everyone to finish before the lemur began her lesson again.
“Alright.” Miss. Belinda continued. “Next is ‘somewhere.’” She tapped the board. “This is where you describe your story’s setting. Where is your protagonist? Mt. Shiveer? Crystal Sands? Are they even in Jamaa at all?” With a blink, she turned around. “Begin writing.”
I continued my writing as she commanded. It would take place in Jamaa, at a school called… Golden Sun Academy. Yeah not creative at all.
The lesson continued for half an hour, where we continued with what the character wanted, what stopped them from getting what they wanted, the problem, what they did about it, and finished with wrapping everything up. My little outline ended up looking something like this:
Someone: A creamy grey and white coyote named Shae.
Somewhere: At a school in Jamaa called Golden Sun Academy.
Wanted: She worked at Golden Sun’s competing school called Shining Star Academy and wanted her business to go well.
But: Golden Sun was attracting a ton of new students.
Which: Which caused her school to not do as well since the students were going to the other Academy
So: She joins Shining Star to be a teacher there to cause people to leave and return to her school.
Then: She is caught and no longer gets to work at either of the schools for interfering with the learning.
I was satisfied. My outline needed work, but it was a good start. The class ended shortly after this, and we were dismissed for a short break.
“Alright everyone, you all did very well and are now dismissed for your break. Please make sure you are on time for your next class.” Miss. Belinda concluded, rubbing the whiteboard with a grey eraser.
I packed up my stuff and flung my backpack over my shoulder, heading out of the classroom and into the hall. I walked slowly, thinking and humming absentmindedly to myself.
Suddenly, with a loud click, the speakers turned on and the voice of Silver Moon Academy’s Headmistress, Marie, was heard.
“Good afternoon everyone!” She began in her charming, slightly British accent. “I have a lovely announcement to share with you all. The Jamaaliday break will begin in a couple of weeks, and to celebrate the holidays, there will be a Winter Festival on the first day!” She turned from the mic and coughed. That was when I noticed Amy and Denaé walking together ahead. They noticed me and ran over. “Hi!” Denaé greeted me happily. I smiled instead of replying, not wanting to miss the rest of the announcement.
“Excuse me!” Marie cleared her throat. “At the Winter Festival, there is going to be a skating competition! If you think you would like to be a part of it, please head to the office where I can sign you up. More details will also be provided there.” With those final words, she hung up and it was quiet once more.
Amy gave a little hop, her fluffy, lilac, fox tail shaking in delight. “I decided I am going to join the competition!” She informed us excitedly. I smiled at her. “Oh good for you!” I exclaimed. She beamed, her deep violet eyes twinkling. “We should head to the office.” She said. I nodded and we took off in the direction of Marie’s Head Quarters where Amy signed up and we learned that there would be skating lessons every day until the competition. The information sheet also told us that after the competition the rink would be open for everyone to enjoy and later there would be hot chocolate. This interested me, so we all decided that once school was done for the day and after we had some tea from the cafeteria, we would go to Kazu for some new skates.
“How fun!” Amy cried, beaming and huddling in her purple heart scarf. She was so cute when she got excited. So with that, we each got ready for our next class, our conversations bubbly and bright. We couldn’t wait for the Jamaalidays…
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Hey everyone! How did you like the first chapter of book 2? Come back soon as Isis, Denaé and Amy continue their winter adventures! Aren’t you guys excited? Also, Astron will finally be returning to Jamaa for you guys to meet! I can't wait. Jam on and I’ll see you next time!
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