CHAPTER 5Troublemaker
Monte gazed around the office at Strathmartine Academy, his focus drawn to an inviting bay window which overlooked the rolling emerald hills and heavy clouds of the Scottish Highlands. Just play it cool, he told himself. You didn’t do anything wrong . . . at least not this time. He swallowed and stared out the window. The weepy sky spoke of a tantrum, a habit which promised no end. Across the loosely populated landscape was Ben Nevis—or the Ben, as the locals called it—the mighty mountain Mr. and Mrs. Darrow had been assigned to survey. They were up there now, toiling through the mist in search of large cats and mysterious enchantments. Monte shook his head. The days were melting into weeks, already. It felt like they had just arrived yesterday.
“And what is this al
