The next day, Mena hauled her mother’s script to the breakfast cloud, joining May and Janus. She was about to finally open it, but two new people caught her attention. At the front of the room, standing by the other professors, were two curious characters—a short wizard dressed in rainbow garb with a twirling beard of grey chuckled to himself. Rainbow kaleidoscopic spectacles helped Mena realize it was the ex-headmaster, Roy G Bivion.

The other person Mena was not familiar with at all…and she wasn’t even sure if it was a person. Standing at a height of six feet tall was a shark-like humanoid. Its skin was shaded the color of lapis lazuli with enormous pink eyes. It sported a long-sleeved shirt with a dress, both draped over its athletic body. Blue fins protruded out of its arm-like appendages, and it had a surprisingly large tail fin for ‘hair.’ Dark rimmed glasses and a golden trident necklace completed its ensemble.

Questions flooded into Mena’s mind how a sea creature could somehow inhabit dry land, but when Stellaris mounted the cloud in front of them, all her questions were answered.

“Welcome to our Spring Semester everyone,” Stellaris said, “As you can clearly see, it will be a very different. Very different from all of your previous semesters. I hope you are coping well.”

There were several looks of sadness around the room, mostly from Groundborns who did not dwell in Dula.

“Fortunately,” Stellaris said, turning her head to the two newcomers who flanked her. “We’ve brought some positive changes too. We will be having two new teachers this year.”

There was muted applause as Roy G. Bivion grinned, and the fish humanoid gave a soft smile.

“Dr. Scalia Trident,” said Stellaris positioning her hand to the fish woman. “Will be teaching Great Dulan History and World Cultures.”

“I am?” the fish woman went wide eyed, causing everyone to raise their eyebrows. “I mean, I am…sorry,” she quickly added.

Mena was confused. It almost seemed like the professor almost had no idea where she was for a second.

Stellaris laughed nervously. “Hailing all the way from Finnland in the Brain Sea, we are proud to have a bit of diversity to our roster. One who will teach you about the vast cultures of Dula.”

Everyone applauded except for the Tessellations who smirked. “Someone wasn’t zere when they were handing out zee brains.”

Stellaris turned to Roy G. Bivion. “This professor needs no introduction. He’s none other than Roy G. Bivion, the original headmaster and founder of the Academy.”

“Why is he returning?” Mena asked Janus and May.

Roy observed Mena and gave a mad giggle. “My pension ran out after a thousand years, that’s why kiddo.”

“That and he loves teaching,” Stellaris quickly added, attempting to cover her tracks. “He will be taking over for me as the Dream Divination teacher.”

“That,” Roy said, holding up one of his long sleeves. “I’ve got some brand-new dream techniques to test out on you kiddies. I think they will help you cope with your change of scenery and these hard times.”

“Yes,” Stellaris smiled. “I purposely asked him, because he has come to understand the healthy benefits of exploring peaceful dreams.”

“Ooh whoo whoo,” Roy laughed. “Peaceful ways to ZONK you out and open your mind to the rainbow prisms.”

He held up a small, wrinkled grape in his hand. “Then you will know the true raisin you are here.”

May squirmed on her cloud. “Uh I think this is the kind of guy that our WARE class warned us about.”

“I dunno,” Janus said with a hazy smile. “He seems pretty groovy.”

Stellaris extended her hands and hundreds of paper suns, moons, globes and a single rainbow flew up over their heads. “I’m sending you your new schedules now. Classes will begin momentarily.”

Mena caught her rainbow. Her two classes that day with Dulan History and World Cultures and Dream Exploration.

“What’d you get?” May asked.

“The two new teachers,” Mena said with an uncertain look. “I hope they don’t give too much homework.”

“You’re worried about that?” May asked with a frown on her round face. “I’m afraid that rainbow professor’s going to do some work on my brain.”

“That too,” Mena said, and she eyed May’s schedule. “At least we’ve got the new history teacher. What do you make of her?”

“She seems nice enough,” May said, “But why did she space out like that?”

“Perhaps it’s because she’s a fish out of water?” Janus grinned, and both Mena and May booed at her.

The bell chimed, and May and Mena headed for their new class with Dr. Scalia Trident. All the while, Mena hoped that she could find some time for play practice.

Dr. Trident’s room was formerly Professor Gaia’s room…and formerly, Mrs. Cumberson’s who was later found out to be Anguish’s henchwitch Bubbel in disguise. Mena heard whispers around the school that the room was cursed, and they could never keep a teacher in it for one straight semester. This Dr. Trident seemed nice, so she hoped that wasn’t the case with her.

The room was decorated very differently from the previous teachers. For one, there was now an ocean-like wallpaper around the room. There was an enormous poster behind them of a strange creature. It had legs like a humanoid but its upper-body was that of a wall-eyed fish with large white teeth and a golden crown. The room had a musky odor, very reminiscent of salt water and sand. There was also a big bucket filled with water on the front desk.

Mena and May grimaced as the trouble making Tessellation Twins’ came in and sat down. Ashlan trailed after them too, looking miserable as always. Considering the terrible twins hated everyone but Professor Gaia, Mena had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a pretty class.

Scalia shuffled in behind them and closed the door. She looked around curiously, before shaking her head. “Welcome to Dulan History and Cultural Studies,” she said in a surprisingly feminine voice. “I’m your professor….Dr…Uh….”

Scalia put her fin to her chin and scratched it for a second. Everyone gazed at her confused. “I’m Dr. Scalia Trident…” she said at last and laughed nervously. “My apologies. I have a bit of a guppy’s memory.”

Laetitia Tessellation crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue to her twin, but Scalia didn’t seem to notice.

“Professor Stellaris,” Scalia began. “Was nice enough to have me since I’m the world’s first historian from the Brain Sea. We fishysauz generally don’t make great historians since we’re so forgetful.”

“I can see why,” Marie Tessellation chuckled.

“Since you will be performing there soon,” Scalia said, and she scribbled on the blackboard. “I’m here to teach you about the Mind Jungles of the Subconscious and the BourgeBeasts that reside there.”

Scalia adjusted her glasses. “Do you know who BourgeBeasts are?”

Ashlan raised her hand and Scalia called on her immediately.

“The BourgeBeasts are the upper middle class society of the Mind Jungle.”

Ashlan put her hands behind her head and eased back proudly. “I should know. I am one.”

Scalia happily nodded. “Very good.

Scalia walked over to the blackboard and scribbled the numbers, “Ninety-Seven AD—After Dula.”

The professor remarked as she wrote, “The BourgeBeasts colonized the Wild Jungle of humans in Ninety-Seven AD…and…”

Ashlan cleared her throat and raised her hand. “I do believe, professor, it’s Seventy-Nine AD.”

A strange look came over their aquatic professor’s face. Her thin nostrils twitched like someone had broken wind in the classroom. Her eyes grew veiny and red. “Wa-wa-water…” she gasped.

Immediately, she ran over to the bucket and dunked her head in it. A gurgling noise filled the room. Everyone stared transfixed until their wayward teacher lifted her head out. She was slightly walleyed as she breathed like a fish who was reacquainting its gills with water. At last her eyes returned to normal and she smiled. “Phew…sorry about that. Sometimes I get thirsty. ..Now where were we?”

“Er…ah…teacha?” Laetitia remarked innocently. “It’s Twelve-O-One. Class is ova.”

Ashlan and Mena immediately looked at each other. Ashlan glared at Laetitia but Marie Tessellation ran her fingers across her throat, silencing Ashlan.

“Oh…” Scalia said, shaking her head fin. “Ah and so it is. I think there was homework, too but I forgot about it. Until next time…” she smiled.

Everyone stood up to leave before the aquatic professor added. “And remember, those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it…quite literally in my case.”

Everyone departed the room. None of the other girls were kind enough to inform their teacher she had been hoodwinked.

Mena looked at May. “How was this first class, May?”

“Forgettable,” May responded in a deadpan fashion.

They both looked at Scalia who was humming to herself and sitting back down at her desk.

“Should we tell her?” May asked.

“Let’s…” Mena responded.

“Job well done, Scalia,” the aquatic professor said to herself as she relaxed at her desk.

“Er…teacher…” Mena said, standing at her desk.

“Uh, you’re…you’re…” Scalia said, her mind fumbling for Mena’s name. “Wena Millow.”

“Close enough,” Mena quipped, and she turned to her portly friend.

“Professor Trident…” Mena and May both said in unison. “Class isn’t over...”

Scalia’s large pink eyes grew even larger. “What?”

Mena seethed while thinking of the Tessellations. “Those trouble-making-twins tricked you. Class isn’t over. We still had forty-five minutes to go.”

“Aw fishsticks…” Scalia swore. “I’ve been tricked again.”

“Is this a regular thing with you?” May asked as their professor held her head in her fins.

“Even for a fishysuaz,” Scalia said, “My mind is notoriously murky.”

She held her fin out, pointing towards the window. The entire Brain Sea swirled in a pink nebula in the far distance of Dula. Back at the Undersea Academy, everyone told me I’d flop and flounder as the first fishysauz historian.

Scalia shook her head. “I wanted to prove them wrong so bad.”—she gazed forlorn into the bucket of water—“But I guess there were right. I’m sure I’ll be fired soon.”

“It’s not your fault!” May blurted out. “This room is cursed!”

“What? !” Scalia exclaimed

Mena glared at May for scaring their hapless professor. “What my friends means is,” Mena corrected. “Teachers who inhabit room 1313 tend to not stay longer than one semester.”

“Great,” Scalia muttered. “Now I’ve really been set up to go kerplunk.”

Mena thought for a second and a goofy grin brightened her face. She placed a consoling hand on the professor’s scaly back. “Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing, professor. We’re here to help you so you don’t smoked like all these other professors.

“R-really?!” Scalia stammered.

Mena’s eyes sparkled in a starry way. “This castle was built on Imagicnation—as long as you can dream it, you can do it!”

Mena dramatically thrust her fist up in the air. “Yes you can…be the first fishysauz historian!”

“But how?” Scalia asked

Mena held her hand to her head and chanted, “Rubber band magically appear on her hand.” Mena envisioned the object in her head and a purple rubber band magically appeared around Scalia’s fin.

The aquatic professor observed it curiously. “So, what’s this supposed to do?” she asked.

“As soon as you forget something…” Mena grinned “I’m going to magically make it go SNAP-POW! and hopefully, that’ll help jog your memory.”

“Wow…” Scalia murmured. “That’s very imaginative.”

“What can I say?” Mena giggled. “I’ve got a big head full of imagination. Now hopefully, if we keep this up, you’ll achieve your deepest dreams!”

Scalia’s eyes gleamed as a wide smile with fishy fangs spread across Scalia’s face, but suddenly, she gasped. “W-Water!”

She dunked her head into the bucket, and when she raised her head, she had that same wall-eyed fish stare as her lungs relearned the language of the air.

“Sorry,” Scalia said. “I got so excited I forgot to breath.”

“No worries,” Mena said with a knowing smile. “Now how about we use this extra time to test my plan.”

May and Mena sat back down. “Teach the class like you regularly do,” Mena said, “But how about you start with a very familiar subject.”

Scalia stood up. “The brain sea,” she said and pointed out the window. “Is the neural network center for all dreams. The capital of the brain sea is…uh…uh…”

Mena slyly flicked her finger and snapped the band around Scalia’s wrist.

“Ow…FINNLAND!” the aquatic professor screamed.

“Wait a minute…” Scalia said, holding up her stinging hand. “I remembered.”

“Good job.” Mena smiled. “Let’s keep this going.

For the next forty-five minutes, the trio practiced basic trivia questions about the Brain Sea. Most surprisingly, Scalia got eighty percent of them right.

“I feel so much better,” Scalia said. “Thank you Wena and uh…”

“May Cumberson,” May said and put her hand forward. “Don’t worry. Happens all the time…especially with big lion men.”

Before the two bid Scalia farewell, Mena was compelled to ask Scalia the question that was dogging her. “Uh Professor Trident who is this fish thing up on the wall?”

“That thing…” Scalia sighed with a crimson blush on her dark blue skin. “Is Prince Phil Le. The handsomest sea creature on the ocean floor.”

Gazing at the wall-eyed splendor of a crowed fish with gleaming white teeth, made Mena’s eye twitch. Scalia’s taste in men was…rather fishy.

But as Mena departed with May, she felt good about helping the forgetful professor. After all, saving someone’s job was another brick in the road of saving the world. Now it was time to meet the former headmaster Bivion for her second class.