In order to get to school, every morning I had to walk past the infamous Freak House. Everyone in Brantford has heard about Alex Vreeke, the kid who disappeared 20 years ago. Today, however, as I was approaching the house I noticed two guys around my age standing there.

Spencer Gilpin and Fridge

I vaguely heard Fridge ask Spencer why he was wearing a raincoat. Which in his defense, I was kind of wondering the same thing.

Spencer responded with a shrug, "Well it might. You never know what's going to happen."

Fridge just looked at him. A squirrel ran past them, along the fence of Freak House. It squeaked really loudly, catching Spencer off guard. He, in return, let out a giant "Ah." I let out a quiet chuckle, trying to be nonchalant about the fact that I was listening in to their conversation.

Spencer looked from the squirrel to Fridge, "Can we speed this up?" He began digging around in his backpack. You could tell being in front of Freak House was making him uncomfortable, and slightly nervous.

Spencer handed over a paper. Fridge began looking at the paper, before asking if he had proofread everything. They talked for a couple more minutes, before Fridge was picked up by a girl from our school.

Spencer was standing there, mumbling about what just happened. I watched as Mr. Vreeke approached Spencer from the entrance of his gate. I have no clue what exactly Mr. Vreeke said to him, but you could tell Spencer was nervous once again.

I decided right then and there, that I would help get Spencer out of the situation that he was currently in. I'm hoping he will go along with it, even though he and I aren't exactly best friends either.

Spencer noticed me approach out of the corner of his eye.

I smiled, "Hey Spencer. Did you finish the math homework? I was wondering if you could help me with it."

He stuttered a bit, "S-S-Sure Tillie."

I nodded, before looking over at Mr. Vreeke.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. Vreeke, but Spencer and I must get going. School's about to start soon, and we don't want to be late."

Mr. Vreeke took a step towards us, "you should be more careful where you loiter, you hear me? This world swallows up kids like you. It did my son." He made direct eye contact with Spencer, letting us both know who those words were meant for.

Spencer and I took a few steps back from him.

"Yes Mr. Vreeke, we hear you."

I grabbed Spencer's arm, tugging him away from Mr. Vreeke. He glanced at him one last time, before we both turned and started jogging down the street.

————-
At Brantford High
-
Bethany sat at her desk in class, all the students around her working on their tests. She ranted on video chat to her best friend, "It's been over two hours since I posted. He hasn't commented on it, he hasn't even liked it. It's not like I post all the time, just enough to-"

Her best friend interrupted her, "Hey, there's some random behind you right now."

Bethany turned and smiled at the teacher, "Hi."

The teacher looked at her, "Hi. Bethany did you just make a call during the quiz?"

"Yeah, I finished my quiz already."

The teacher looked at her, "Oh well, did you not notice that the other people around you haven't?"

Tillie glanced up from her quiz, noticing that her cousin was getting in trouble. She laughed loudly.

Bethany made eye contact with Tillie, before looking back at their teacher. "So?"

"Let me back up, you are aware there are other people in the world right? The world doesn't revolve around one person."

Bethany rolled her eyes. Tillie laughed loudly once again, now being finished with her quiz and focused on the encounter.

"Look I'm dealing with something heartbreaking right now.. I'm no happier about it than you are."

Our teacher just looked at her, and then me. Oh no, she must have noticed me laughing at Bethany.

"I'm having a crisis, and Lucinda is supporting me as a woman. It feels like maybe you should too instead of how you are acting right now."

"Bethany, hang up the phone."

"Two minutes, that's all I need."

Our teacher looked at both of us, "And that's detention for you Bethany. You too Matilda."
-

The gym class was lively at the moment, everyone jogging around the gymnasium. Bethany of course, walked in fashionably late.

The gym teacher yelled out, "Bethany, you're late!"

She responded while shrugging, "Sorry."  She joined in with the rest of the students. All around, teenagers were talking about the latest gossip.

I heard she broke up with that football guy.

"This could be your opening."

The gym teacher blew her whistle, "Everyone please pair up and then grab a football." She turned towards Martha, "Martha you can't play catch by yourself. Pair up with someone please and grab a football."

Martha shrugged, "No I'm good." She wasn't in the mood to participate.

Tillie spoke up, "We can partner up Martha."

The gym teacher walked up to Martha, "Martha you have to participate just like everyone else. If not, why are you even here in class?"

Martha immediately responded, "I'm only here because it's a requirement."

The gym teacher sighed, "Martha-"

Martha began a rant, "It's pointless. Gym class isn't going to get me into Princeton. And I don't understand the obsession of throwing a ball into a hoop." She continued in an exaggerated tone, "Oh yeah, touchdown. You get five points."

The gym teacher looked at her confused, "First off there's a lot wrong with what you just said. It's physical activity, which is good for you and keeps you feeling healthy. If you try it, you might have some fun."

Spencer also stood watching the exchange, not far from where Tillie was. She just so happened to be watching it also.

Martha looked at the teacher, "That's what we're doing here, having fun? We are supposed to be learning things that actually matter." She then proceeded to basically say that she didn't want to waste her life being a gym teacher.

Martha looked shocked at her own words, "Uh, that came out wrong."

The gym teacher looked at her, a little upset. "Yeah it sure did, and that's detention for you Martha."

Spencer looked over to the entrance of the gym, as another school employee called him to the office.

-

Spencer peeked his head into the principal's office, while simultaneously knocking on his door. The principal nodded, while motioning him to take a seat next to Fridge.

Fridge turned, and glared at him out of the corner of his eye.

Spencer walked in and sat in the empty chair, while setting his backpack down. The principal motioned to their history teacher Mrs. Millers (If I got her name wrong, I'm sorry. In the movie, that's what it sounded like they were saying her name was) . She looked down at the stapled pieces of paper in her hand, the essay Spencer "wrote" for Fridge. She began to read from it, and then looked at Spencer.

"Does that line sound familiar Mr. Gilpin?"

Spencer hesitated, "Uh it doesn't."

Their teacher looked at him, "It's the last sentence of Anthony's paper on Westward Expansion. It's also the last sentence of your paper on Westward Expansion from when you took my class last year, is it a concidence?"

"Uh, that's interesting.."

"Is it?"

"Uh I think so, what are the odds of that happening?"

Their principal responded, "very slim."

"You also used the same metaphor from several of your past papers you've written."

Fridge rolled his eyes.

Out of no where, Spencer just blurts "It's like so hot in this room right now."

Mrs. Millers looked over at Fridge, "I know how much you need to pass my class. But, this is not how you are going to. I will not tolerate cheating at all in my class."

Fridge looked at her, "What do you mean cheating? I didn't cheat."

Spencer raised his hand, "It's all my fault." He looked at the group almost in tears. "I made him do it."

The principal looked at him confused, "You made Anthony have you write his paper for class?"

"Yeah I did."

"Uh huh."

-
Fridge, Tillie, Spencer, Martha, and Bethany sat in the chairs inside the principal's office. Fridge and Spencer began to argue with one another about the paper.  Tillie sat in the middle of them, trying not to feel awkward about being stuck right in the middle of their conversation.

The principal groaned while walking in, "Well this is a fun group. Welcome to detention."

Spencer raised his hand.

"Yes Spencer?"

"I just want to say I'm sorry."

The principal sighed, "Thank you Spencer."

Tillie proceeded to raise her hand also. The principal looked at her, "Yes Matilda?"

"First, I also want to say I'm sorry for laughing at Bethany. Even though she's my cousin, I shouldn't have laughed at her for arguing with our teacher. Second, this isn't going to affect my quiz score is it?"

Bethany cut off Tillie, trying to explain her case. The principal sighed, "Bethany you are all here for a reason, you know what it is."

He looked at all five teenagers, "You should be thinking about who you are at this moment in time. About who you want to be." All five just looked at him. After he told all five to get up, Spencer stood up first with his things. Tillie stood up next, grabbing her bag. She followed after Spencer out the door.

Everyone followed the principal into the basement. He explained that all the magazines need to be properly prepped before they get sent to the recycling plant. "All the staples need to be removed from them. Whatever you don't finish today, you will finish tomorrow."

Fridge spoke up, "But tomorrow's Saturday."

He tried to plead his case about how that wasn't going to work, followed by Martha and Bethany.

Tillie, on the other hand, shrugged. "Okay, I had no plans tomorrow anyway."

Spencer spoke up after, "That's fair."

Fridge gave him a look, letting him know he wanted him to keep quiet.

The principal held out a contained filled with staple removers, "Choose your weapons."

Once everyone chose, all five spread out around the room. Martha and Spencer were by standing by one another. Both focused on trying to remove the staples from the magazines in their hands.  Tillie stood a little further down, getting frustrated at the one staple that really didn't want to be removed.

Fridge got bored and was looking through all the junk in the basement. "Hey what do they need with a bowling ball?" He held it up with one hand.

Bethany groaned, "Seriously, no reception down here? Okay, can today get any worse?" Martha looked at her, "Are you going to help?"

Tillie spoke up, "Bethany get her hands dirty? Never going to happen."

Bethany looked at both of them, "I'm too pretty to do labor."

Martha looked frustrated. Tillie looked at her from where she was sitting, "Don't take it personally, she's always been like that even when we were kids."

Spencer walked over to Martha, and began speaking to her about gym class. How he watched what happened with their teacher, but that he wasn't watching her " in a weird way."

Fridge tapped Tillie on the back before rolling his eyes at the conversation Spencer was trying to make. Tillie gently smacked his hand away, "Are you going to help us? Or just keep looking through all the junk down here."

Fridge just smirked, before going back to what he was doing. He spoke up, "Yo what's this?" Spencer watched over, "I don't know."

"Is it some old school Nintendo or something?"

Tillie stood up, before walking over to them. She placed her hand on top of the mysterious item, "It looks like some type of old video game system. Not sure what one though."

Spencer looked at it more, "I don't think so, I don't recognize it." He took it out of Fridge's hands, before walking over and plugging it in next to the television.  Both boys stood there while the screen loaded, being joined by Tillie soon after.

Tillie looked at the screen, reading as each phrase popped up. "What game is this?" Spencer began reading his line, before the screen brought up the name.

Spencer spoke out loud, "Jumanji."

Martha interrupted, "Staples people, staples."

"Jumanji? What does that mean?"

Spencer got closer, "I have no idea, I've never heard of it."

Tillie leaned closer, "Me either."

The next screen then loaded, and told us to select a character. Fridge grabbed one of the controllers, "Which one should I pick?"

"I don't know, I don't really think it matters that much what character you pick."

"Jefferson 'Seaplane' McDonough, pilot and rascal."

Fridge tried to click on the character, "It's not working Spencer."

Spencer looked down confused, "Okay maybe try another one."

"Franklin 'Moose' Finbar."

Fridge looked at the screen in though, "Hm, he sounds like a badass." Bethany, now intrigued, walked over and stood by her cousin Tillie. All four of the five teenagers now staring at the screen.

"And he's a zoology expert, which is awesome."

Fridge just looked at him, before clicking on the character. Fridge looked down at Tillie, "Your turn."

Tillie grabbed the controller, before looking at the rest of the characters. After a moment of thinking, she chose "Rhodes Knight, Botanist."

"Here you go Spencer, your turn to pick." Tillie handed off the controller to Spencer. Spencer grabbed the controller, "Okay."

"Dr. Smolder Bravestone." Spencer smiled, before pressing the button selecting his character.

"Bethany, you in?"

She sighed, "Fine" Bethany stepped forward and grabbed another controller.

"I'll be Shelly Oberon, the curvy genius." She smirked.

"Hey Staples, your turn." Fridge nodded towards the television. Martha looked at him, "Uh, no. No thanks."

Spencer shyly responded, "Please, just for a few minutes?" 

Martha looked at him.

Bethany spoke up, "She's not big on fun."

Tillie smacked Bethany on her arm, "Stop Beth, that's rude." Bethany just rolled her eyes in response, to her cousin.

Martha set the magazine down, "Okay fine." She walked over to where the other four were standing. She grabbed the last controller, while Bethany broke the silence between them all. "This might be the lamest thing I've ever done."

"I highly doubt that."

Tillie smirked at the quiet girl.

Martha chose the last character left, "Ruby Roundhouse, Killer of Men."  Once all the characters were selected, a voice spoke out "Welcome to Jumanji."

Spencer pressed start.

All five teenagers looked around in confusion, at the sound of drums loudly playing.

Bethany asked, "What's going on?"

The game console started to spark.

"I think it's shorting out." Spencer dashed forward, trying to figure out what was wrong with it.

Tillie yelled out, "Try unplugging it Spencer."

Spencer yanked on the cord, successfully unplugging it from the outlet. Spencer looked at the plug, before jumping back as the game console started to spark once more.

Fridge looked down at Tillie, "What's going on with your hands?" Tillie held out her hands, confused and slightly scared. Everyone in the room looked at her. She slowly started to disappear as a green mist was being sucked into the television.

Fridge then looked at Spencer, "It's happening to you too."

Spencer looked similar to Tillie, "I don't know what's happening."

Tillie was sucked into the game console, followed by Spencer moments later.

"Oh, oh my god!" Fridge yelled in shock. 

The same thing started happening to Martha and Bethany. They too were both sucked into the game console, as green mist. Lastly, Fridge began to evaporate into the green mist.

"What the hell man? Oh no, holy-"

Before Fridge could finish, he too was sucked into the game console as green mist.

The basement was now filled with completely silence.