by R. L. Ullman
“I was,” he says. “But InvisiBill woke me up.”
“InvisiBill?” I say, looking around, not like I could see him even if he was here. “What for? What time is it?”
“After midnight,” Rage says. “InvisiBill said we need to meet in the common room. He said the Howlers are waiting for us. He said they gave us a dare.”
“A dare?” I ask. “What kind of a dare?”
“Well,” Rage says. “Apparently, InvisiBill spilled the beans about the Artifacts of Virtue.”
“WHAT?” I exclaim. “Crawler told us to keep that a secret. We weren’t supposed to tell anyone.”
“Yeah,” Rage says. “Well, that didn’t last long.”
InvisiBill. You can’t tell that big mouth anything.
“Just say he’s lying,” I say. “Tell them it’s not true.”
“It’s too late,” Rage says. “The Howlers already don’t believe him.”
“Great,” I say. “Problem solved. See you in the morning.”
“Well,” Rage says, “it’s not that simple. You see, they dared us to prove it.”
“So?” I say. “Ignore them.”
“Well, it doesn’t quite work like that around here,” Rage says. “You haven’t been here for long so you probably don’t know this, but there’s an unwritten code of honor here at Monster House. If one team claims something and another team dares them to prove it, you have to prove it. Otherwise, the honor of your entire section is at stake.”
“So?” I say. “Who cares?”
“You still don’t get it,” Rage says. “We have to answer the challenge, otherwise we’ll be forced to serve the Howlers for the rest of the term. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to be bringing Blobby breakfast in bed every morning.”
Well, I didn’t know anything about that.
“And I’m not going to be the one to tell Aura we’re not defending our honor,” he adds. “The Monstrosities will be a joke all over campus.”
“Okay, okay,” I say, getting out of bed. Honestly, the last thing I want to do is disappoint Aura again. Defending our honor sounds much easier. “So, what exactly do we have to do?”
“Well,” Rage says, his voice cracking. “We’re going to have to prove what InvisiBill said is true. Somehow, we’re going to have to go down into the basement and prove that the Artifacts of Virtue are real.”
THE FORBIDDEN BASEMENT
As Rage and I enter the common room, you could cut the tension with a knife.
The Monstrosities are standing on one side and the Howlers on the other. And smack dab in the middle are Aura and Harpoon, looking like they want to strangle one another.
I’d say this doesn’t look good.
“Well, well,” Harpoon says, glaring at me with her shifty, yellow eyes. “If it isn’t old bat-brain himself. This is great news for us, because if you put him in charge you’ll definitely be doing my homework until the end of the term.”
The Howlers cackle at my expense. Shocker.
“Where’s InvisiBill?” I ask, ignoring them. “Because I’m going to throttle him.”
“Take a number,” Aura says, not taking her eyes off of Harpoon.
“InvisiBill isn’t here anymore,” InvisiBill says, his voice coming from somewhere behind us.
“Shut it,” Aura and I say at the same time.
“What’s going on in here?” I ask.
“The Howlers don’t believe what InvisiBill—now known as ‘the Squealer’—said about the Artifacts of Virtue,” Aura says. “And now they’ve dared us to prove it to them. So, per the Monster House code of honor, we need to cough up the evidence, otherwise we’ll essentially become their servants for life.”
“Don’t look so pale,” Harpoon says with a smile. “Based on the company you’re keeping; I’d consider it a major step up the social chain.”
Aura crosses her arms and rolls her eyes.
“If they want us to prove it,” I say to Aura. “Then let’s just prove it.”
“Bram,” Aura says, shooting me daggers, “don’t you remember? The Artifacts of Virtue are hidden in the basement. You know, the basement all students are forbidden to enter.”
Oh, yeah.
When I first enrolled in the Van Helsing Academy, Vi Clops warned me never to go into the basement. In fact, she said that the basement was ‘off limits.’ I think her exact words were something like, ‘I’d hate for yer to become the second kid in Van Helsing Academy history that gets lost forever on some stupid dare.’
Maybe this is what she was talking about?
But according to Crawler, the Artifacts of Virtue are in the basement. So, if we’re going to defend our honor, one or more of us are going to have to go down there.
“I don’t care if we lose the dare,” Hairball says. “I’m not stepping foot in that basement. I heard there’s a monster down there. Like, a really big one.”
“Same,” Stanphibian says.
“I’m not going either,” InvisiBill says.
“What?” Rage says. “But this was all your fault!”
“InvisiBill still isn’t here,” InvisiBill says.
Surprise, surprise. The three amigos have chickened out. Predictable.
“Fine,” Rage says, standing up a bit taller. “I’ll do it.”
“No, Rage,” Aura says firmly. “You’re still recovering. I’ll go.”
“No,” I say suddenly, surprising even myself. “I’ll do it. I’ll go into the basement.”
“Whoohoo!” Harpoon yells, pumping her fist. “This is in the bag! Blobby, how do you like your bacon?”
Honestly, I don’t want to go, but after everything I’ve screwed up, I need to prove myself all over again to my team.
“Bram,” Aura says, staring at me with her bright, blue eyes. “You don’t have to do this. Why don’t you stay here and keep an eye on Rage? I’ve got this.”
“No,” I say. “I’m going to do it. It’s my fault we’re out of the Monster Cup in the first place, so I should be the one to go. Besides, it’s right up my alley. I can see in the dark, remember? And believe me, you’re the only person I trust to keep an eye on Rage tonight. Those were Van Helsing’s orders.”
“Hey!” Rage says. “I’m not a baby, you know?”
Aura stares at me, waiting for me to fold, but I don’t.
“Okay,” she finally relents. “It’s settled. Bram will go. But only if he really wants to.”
“So,” I say, turning to Harpoon. “When I find one of these objects, how exactly am I supposed to prove to you that it exists? Based on their power, I’m certainly not bringing one back up with me.”
“With this camera,” Harpoon says, handing me a small, rectangular object. “After all, they say a picture is worth a thousand words.”
“Great,” I say, taking it from her. It’s a small digital camera, about the size of my palm. I open the back cover just to make sure there are batteries inside and then tuck it into one of my hoodie pockets.
“You need to stay alert at all times,” Aura says. “It’s going to be dangerous.”
“That’s alright,” I say with a wink. “Danger is my middle name.”
“Really?” InvisiBill says. “That’s funny, for some reason I always thought it was ‘Carl.’”
***
Now that it’s settled, my first task is to actually get into the basement. And to do that, I’m going to have to get past Vi Clops—our super-scary cyclops who’s in charge of Monster House. Since Aura has to keep an eye on Rage, I enlist the help of Hairball, Stanphibian, and InvisiBill.
I guess I’ll never learn.
The plan is simple. While Stanphibian preoccupies Vi Clops by telling her that he feels sick, InvisiBill will cause a distraction on the other side of the foyer. Then, when Vi Clops goes to investigate, Stanphibian will give a thumbs up, and I’ll follow Hairball down the stairs, past Vi Clops’ office and straight to the forbidden basement.
It was fool proof.
“Is InvisiBill in place?” I whisper to Hairball, tapping the staircase bannister. I survey the foyer but don’t see signs of him anywhere. “He was going to give us a signal when he was in place.”
“No clue,” Hairball whispers back.
Stanphibian is standing outside the Admissions Office. He smiles and gives me a thumbs up.
Wait, why is he giving me a thumbs up? I look to the other side for InvisiBill. Did he give a signal?
“Uh-oh,” Hairball says.
Uh-oh? Uh-oh what?
But when I look back down at Stanphibian, I see him entering Vi Clops’ office!
“Stan, wait!” Hairball whispers firmly, but Stanphibian has already gone inside.
“What are yer doin’ here?” comes Vi Clops’ deep, rumbling voice.
Stay calm, Bram. Stanphibian is just going to have to talk for a while until InvisiBill shows up.
Then, I smack my hand into my forehead.
Stanphibian barely ever talks! We’re doomed!
Suddenly, someone pushes past me from behind, nearly knocking me down the stairs.
“Sorry,” InvisiBill whispers. “Had to make a potty.”
“Seriously?” Hairball says.
“Sorry, young one,” I hear Vi Clops say. “But I ain’t understandin’ yer. I’m takin’ yer back upstairs to bed.”
Oh no! She’s coming this way! I try to find somewhere to hide but my only option is to duck behind Hairball—which isn’t an option at all!
Suddenly, I see Vi Clops’ large foot in the doorway.
“Follow me,” Vi Clops says.
The next thing I know she’s standing in the foyer! All twenty feet of her!
CRASH!
The sound of glass shattering echoes through the foyer, and when I look over I see one of the hanging pictures smashed on the floor. The frame is busted and glass is everywhere.
Holy cow! InvisiBill destroyed school property to make a distraction. That’s not good.
“What’s goin’ on?” Vi Clops says, her giant eye darting to the other side of the room. Then, she STOMPS past the stairwell.
Thank goodness! She didn’t see us!
I glance back down at the Admissions Office to find Stanphibian waving at us with his webbed hand. I nod, and Hairball and I race down the stairs and dash under the stairwell through a maze of corridors.
The last time I came this way was when we snuck out of Monster House to stop that grave robbery. I sure hope things work out better this time. I stick close to Hairball as he navigates his way through the seemingly endless twists and turns. Fortunately, he knows this place like the back of his furry hand.
After what feels like hours, we make a final turn and Hairball stops short in front of a door that would look pretty ordinary, if it weren’t for the yellow caution tape, multiple locks and DANGER! DO NOT OPEN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! sign.
“We’re here,” Hairball says. “You know, in case you didn’t notice.”
“Oh, I noticed,” I say, counting all of the locks. There are five in total.
“Let me break those for you,” he says.
But as soon as he reaches for one, I stop him.
“Hold on,” I say. “You remember Faustius’ door, don’t you? I bet these locks are cursed.”
“Right,” he says. pulling his hand back. “Good call. So, how are you going to get down there then?”
“The vampire way,” I say. “Wish me luck.”
“You’ll need more than luck,” Hairball says. “Look, I don’t want to freak you out, but I’ve heard a three-headed monster lives down there. And there is that story about a kid who went down there and was never seen again.”
“You know,” I say. “I’d appreciate it if you stopped talking now.”
“Sorry,” he says. “Just want you to be prepared.”
“I’m sure it’s just an urban legend,” I say. But in the pit of my stomach I’m not so sure. I mean, I’ve encountered some pretty crazy stuff over the last few months.
“I hope so,” Hairball says. “For your sake.”
“Gee, thanks,” I say. “See you soon.”
Then, I focus on becoming a mist. I envision myself as a vapor cloud, flowing seamlessly through the cracks of the door. I hold that vision in my mind, focusing only on that goal, and suddenly, I feel tingly all over.
The next thing I know, my body feels light, like it’s pulling itself apart. And then I flow through the cracks of the basement door and collect myself on the other side.
Once I’m pulled together, I focus again on becoming a kid, and when I transform, I’m standing on the top step of an old stone staircase. Well, that was easy. Now I just need to take care of business. But when I look down the staircase, I realize I can’t see a thing. It’s pitch dark and my eyes don’t seem to be adjusting.
Hmmm. That’s weird. I blink my eyes a few times and then open them wide, but my vision doesn’t change.
What’s going on here?
Then, a lightbulb goes off.
If I thought the door was cursed, then I bet the darkness may be a curse too. I bet Van Helsing did that to deter visitors who managed to get past the door. Well, if that’s the case, then this is going to be way creepier than I imagined. I sure hope the camera has a powerful flash setting.
Suddenly, my heart drops to my toes.
The camera!
I feel inside my pocket to make sure it’s still there and it is. Whew. I didn’t realize I could transport objects with me when I went into mist form, but I guess that’s why my clothes stay on my body when I go to vapor form and back. I don’t understand how that works, but it sure beats standing here naked.
Then, my head bumps into something high against the wall. I lean over and feel it with my hand. It’s a lantern. Perfect! I grab it off the hook and turn the dial, and it lights up the space around me. Well, that’s helpful. Now I can see a few feet in every direction.
Okay, here goes nothing. I take a deep breath and make my way down the twisting staircase. Judging by the stone walls and dusty floor, this place is really, really old. And about halfway down I notice a hanging wooden sign that reads:
DANGER!
TURN BACK NOW!
Well, that’s comforting.
Believe me, I’d love nothing more than to heed that warning, but I know I can’t. After all, I don’t want to let my team down again. All I need to do is find one of the Artifacts of Virtue hidden somewhere down here and snap a photo. How hard could that be?
It’s not until I hit the bottom of the staircase that I have my answer, because I’m standing in the center of a large chamber surrounded by a dozen corridors.
Are you kidding me? Which way am I supposed to go? I turn aimlessly in a circle as a million thoughts fly through my brain at once. Which corridor should I pick first? What if I pick the wrong one? What if I get lost down here forever? What if I die of starvation?
Speaking of starvation, I haven’t eaten anything since dinner. Normally, I’d be fine until breakfast, but what if I’m stuck here past breakfast? And if I use my super-speed, I may get through some of these corridors quicker, but I’ll just end up making myself weaker.
What if there really is a three-headed monster down here?
Okay, get it together. Clearly, there’s no science to this. I’m just going to have to pick a corridor and go for it. I raise my lantern, searching for any clues as to which way to go, but the corridors all look the same.
So, I pick the one straight ahead.
As I move forward, I realize I’m walking through a cold and musty tunnel that looks strangely familiar. Unlit torches hang from the rock walls every ten feet or so and I hear the sound of running water overhead.
That’s when it hits me.
This was the tunnel I saw in my dream!
I stoop beneath the low ceiling when my lantern reveals something that makes my heart stop.
Footprints.
Heading in the same direction I’m going.
Someone is down here.
“H-Hello?” I call out, my voice echoing through the tunnel.
Then, I wonder why I did that. I might as well have doused myself in ketchup and told the three-headed monster it was snack time! At this point I could turn back—I probably should turn back—but then I would have failed Aura and the others. So, I take another breath and follow the footprints.
My pace quickens as I weave my way through the tunnel. But it’s not until I step directly on one of the footprints that I notice something else.
The footprints match my shoe size.
I shake my head in disbelief.
Something’s not right, but I can’t stop myself. I need to see where this goes, so I follow the tunnel to the end.
And that’s when I see the iron vault door.
And it’s wide open.
RATS AGAIN!
I’m in total shock.
The vault door is… open?
And the footprints that led me here match my shoe size exactly! My mind is working on overdrive. I mean, I can’t help but put two and two together.
I thought it was all just a bad dream. Yet, the evidence in front of me is telling me something else. I clearly remember walking down this very same tunnel and grabbing the wheel that opens the vault door. I couldn’t stop myself. And now that I’m standing here in person, there’s no denying it.
It wasn’t a dream at all.
Somehow, I must have come down here after helping Rage go to bed. And when he woke me up, I had no clue where I was, yet I was lying in my own bed with my shoes on. But how did I even get here? I had no idea where the basement door was even located. I needed Hairball to take me there.
Then, something else makes me shudder.
The voice.
That cold, raspy voice who was trying to convince me to open the door.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
I-I know that voice.
It-It couldn’t be him. But then I remember that flapping sound. And the fact that he called me by my first name. But that’s impossible, right?