The many bricked hallways of Sandalwood School, Bondi was quiet as the big clock on the wall struck 9.00 o'clock. It wasn't very spacious--but it had enough for the velvet lockers lining the walls. Chatters of students and the raised voice of teachers echoed from classrooms, sunlight seeping in from broken windows.

And Theo was talking to his backpack in the toilet.

He sat with his back leaning against the wall, his head leaning towards the door of one of the cubicles. His knees brushed the toilet bowl, his nose tortured with foul scents. His trousers stained with leaks on the floor, and he had his arms wrapped around his dark green bag. His tie was nowhere to be seen, his white uniform all wrinkled.

Only after he heard the receeding of footsteps and the creak of a door, did he let out a noise.

"Okay, mate," he unzipped his bag. "What the hell are you doing here?"

What came out between the books was a snake, slithering out about an inch, its head sticking out. It was covered in all colours of the rainbow, red from the head, black stripes seperating each shade. Its hollow eyes fell upon Theo, and a low whisper came out. "This place smells malodorous."

"It's the school toilet," he grunted. "Answer me, how did you get in my bag?"

"I sss-slither in."

"Yes, of course," he rolled his eyes. "But why? You shouldn't be here."

"I have never ss-seen ss-such a place. What is-ss this-ss white object?"

"That's the toilet. We have them at grandma's home, too. And every other place, really."

"Your grandmother never allowed me in the toilet."

"Reasonably," he sighed. "You shouldn't be here. I'm worried that you will-"

"Oh, Theodore, you ss-sweet boy," it cooed. "I appreciate your concern, but I am the Great Rainbow SS-Serpent. I started the begining of Dreamland. I will be perfectly unss-scathed."

"It's not you I'm worried about," he whispered-shouted. "I'm worried about everyone else! I'm worried about me. God, just imagine what they all would say if they know I'm talking to a snake in my bag in the toilet."

"Why? Won't the mortals-ss feel honoured, earning the chancce to meet the Rainbow S-Serpent?"

"One, very little people here actually knew about mythology at all. Two, you're a snake. Three, you're rainbow-coloured. Four, I don't need to be called more names than Fairy boy, Voldemort, and Dancing Dandelion."

"Why would they call you all that?"

"How would I know?" he grunted, one hand in his golden locks. "Okay, here's the thing, mate. I'll let you off free, as long as you stay hidden in the school backyard. Or, you stay in my bag, and not slither off."

"I will ss-stay in this shelter."

"Right. Don't scare anyone," he pulled the zip as it retreated like a coil of ropes, and slung it across his shoulder. "Stay inside. I'm late for Maths."

Theo successfully went through Maths with only a lecture.

Unfortunately, when the bell rang, he was so anxious to not let anyone touch his bag, that he bumped into someone. His bag fell, but he didn't.

What freaked him out the most was the person sitting up on the floor, her books scattered everywhere. Her black curly hair in a mess, her glasses by her feet.
Amy Green.

Laughter echoed around him, and his face heated in red. He took in a deep breath, slowly bent his knees and offered her a hand. "Sorry."

She looked up to him, putting on her glasses in the process. He almost looked away from the awkward eye contact. She eyed him for a second, then nodded and accepted his help. "It's alright."

He rose and pulled her up, before falling on his knees to collect her books and passed them into her arms.  Meanwhile, she used one hand to brush her skirt and smoothen her hair.

"There," he mumbled as she clutched the books to her chest. He puckered his lips. "I'm really sorry. I wasn't looking."

"It's okay, seriously, I'm not hurt," she tilted her head with a small smile then touched the rim of her glasses. "I've seen you before. Theodore Roo?"

"Theodore Too," he nodded, his clammy palms against his shirt. "And you're Amy. We have Cultural Club together."

"We do?" her eyes widened, then she made an "ah" sound as if she just remembered who he was. "You're that guy who everyone says should be the princess for the theatre this year?"

"Uh, yeah," he averted her gaze, eyeing his bag on the ground, wishing he could slither in and coil forever as well. "That's me."

She blinked, then took a step back and reached for his bag. His mind snapped in one second, grabbing it before she could and quickly slung it across his shoulder. When she gave a look, he gave an attempt at a grin and a shrug.

His hand clutched his bag and was glad to feel a moving snake in it.

"I heard you dance?"
He nodded, though his eyes were on the corridor over her shoulder, eager to escape from further embarrassing himself. His face felt very warm.

Amy was a good girl, beautiful and popular with her grades. He even had a crush on her at one point.
Maybe he still felt the same.

And dancing isn't really a macho thing he wanted his crush to know him by.

"Oh," she said. Just an oh.

"Yeah, uh," he stammered, looking down. "Nice to meet you. But I... I gotta hurry. Excuse me."

"You made quite a fool of yours-self."

"Shut up," he murmured, looking around in case someone had the same idea as his to hide in the janitor's closet. Dark and quiet, and with an odd stench of paper and soap. "It's all because you're here."

"Dancing isn't sss-something to be ashamed of."
"You don't know that," he sighed, leaning against what must be a broom. "You said you have a message for me?"

"Yes-sss, Theodore," it said. "Ss-Sadly, it isn't about your grandmother."

"Ah," he didn't even think about the possibility, but his heart dropped a little. "Okay."

"You are sss-summoned by the League of the Ss-Sights, Theodore," it spat on the floor. He winced. The saliva formed some shape of an eye, shining in green momentarily before it dried up completely.

That didn't take away his disgust.

"You will go to the Blue Mountains for your mission to come. Sss-Search for a deity, any one of our kind."

"The League of what?"
"The League of the Ss-Sights. You are sss-summoned at an early age. Your grandmother would've been very proud."

"Who?"
"They connect all the Mai of the world," it informed.

Theo's muscles tensed, frozen for a while, then turned to it.

"Hold up. There are... other Mai? Around the world?" his eyes widened. "There's a whole league of them?"

"I trust you're not as-sss vain to think that you are the only one with the gift of sss-sight."

He didn't have enough time to answer as the janitor opened the door, and ran away when he saw the rainbow snake in his bag.

[NOTE: I'm begging you Australians out there to tell me if the schools in Australia is like where I live (you have the same classmate for the whole year) or like America where your classmates can change depending on the periods of the classes you take. The Internet provides me with nothing.]