The Door in the Alley

by Adrienne Kress

  Of course, watching everyone going to school did not help settle Sebastian’s nerves about skipping going to his own right now. He could feel his chest constricting in panic and his breathing getting shallower. He stopped walking for a second and took in two slow breaths.

  “Are you okay?” asked Evie, coming over to him.

  “Yes,” he replied. “No.” He looked around and then made his way over to a wrought-iron bench. He sat down on it hard and took in another deep breath.

  “You sure?” asked Evie, sitting next to him.

  Sebastian nodded, not meaning it in the least. Okay, he told himself, try to forget that you’re skipping school for the first time ever and that it was really wrong to do that and who knows what you might be missing right now. “I think so. I think it’s another panic attack, but other than that I’m okay.”

  “This is about skipping school again, isn’t it?” asked Evie.

  Sebastian nodded.

  Evie leaned back against the bench and shook her head. “Sebastian, I’m so sorry. I’m making you do all this because you’ve been so supportive and so helpful. But you don’t really need to come if it’s all too much.”

  For some reason hearing that just made him panic more. It was almost as if the thought of not helping her and not finding Benedict was worse than skipping school. It was a confusing moment for Sebastian, but he sat upright and said, “No, no. I want to help. I do. See, all better!” He turned to her and smiled a kind of forced grin, and Evie laughed.

  “That smile is so not believable.”

  “But I’m being sincere.” And he was; he just was also, you know, freaking out.

  Evie nodded and laughed again. “Okay. Well. Thank you. Now then…let’s see…” Evie pulled out the map of the university they’d printed off the Internet, and Sebastian gazed out before him, watching as a professor on a bicycle almost ran down a student on the grass. “So it said he taught in Albert College…,” said Evie, though it almost sounded like she was talking to herself.

  Sebastian nodded. “Yeah, that way!” he said, pointing to their left at a large gray brick building topped with Gothic spires and a tall Gothic clock tower. Evie looked up from the map.

  “How did you know that?” She looked quite surprised.

  “Oh, uh.” Sebastian felt that familiar flush of shame that always came over him at times like these.

  “What, what is it?” asked Evie.

  “It’s just,” he said, “I’ve got a photographic memory. I look at something and it’s as if I’ve taken a picture of it. It’s why I’m so good with math and science stuff.”

  “That’s really impressive,” said Evie. “Aren’t you proud?”

  Not really, thought Sebastian. “I guess I just…”

  “What?”

  “Well, it’s kind of cheating, isn’t it? It’s not really smart, not like the way my brother and sister are smart. It’s too easy.”

  “I don’t think it’s like that,” she replied thoughtfully. “I think we all have our strengths and weaknesses and are lucky to have certain talents. I can sing, and it never took me a lot of work to be good at it.” She stopped short, as if she had caught herself saying something she shouldn’t. “Well, anyway, I think it’s neat, and let’s just go find Benedict now.”

  Sebastian nodded. Having a task to do was an excellent way to ignore all the emotions he was feeling. And he suspected Evie was using it the same way.

  They stood up and made their way over to the building just as the bell in the clock tower chimed. Sebastian actually jumped in surprise and Evie giggled at his reaction. But she stopped short as a young man racing into the building cut her off, almost taking her nose with him. Suddenly there was a large influx of students sweeping past them in a rush. The next class appeared to be starting.

  “Where did they all come from?” asked Evie in amazement.

  “No idea,” Sebastian replied, quickly stepping to the side as a girl with two large bags in each hand and a backpack on her shoulders came barreling by.

  “Okay, so the plan. Find Benedict,” said Evie.

  “That’s always been the plan, hasn’t it?”

  “Just repeating it.” Evie looked at her map. “I think you should go to his class and I’ll go to his office. Maybe there’s some information there.”

  “I don’t think we should split up,” said Sebastian. He didn’t like the thought of finding and speaking with Benedict Barnes on his own. He wasn’t good at improvising lies the way Evie was.

  “It’ll save time,” replied Evie, folding up the university map. “I know where his office is, but you’ll have to ask someone about his class. It’s in this building, that much we know. Remember, his last name is Silo here.”

  Sebastian swallowed hard and stared at the tall oak doors before him. “Why don’t you go to his class? You’re better at talking to people.”

  “Why do you think that?” she asked, looking quite surprised.

  “My parents…last night…you were able to lie to them and make up stories and make small talk. It was…well, I guess it was kind of impressive.”

  Evie stared at him for a moment and Sebastian started to feel a little uncomfortable. “Thank you,” she said so sincerely and so warmly, it almost made Sebastian blush. “I can’t think of the last compliment someone gave me.”

  “Oh, well. You’re welcome.” He was feeling too uncomfortable now; time to change the subject. “So anyway, you’ll go to the class, then?”

  “No. It’s a class on cartography, and with all your maps all over your bedroom and your impressive photographic memory, I think you’re better suited to pretend to be a student.”

  “Pretend to be a student?” Sebastian was feeling that panic sensation again.

  “Of course! How else will you fit in with the class?”

  “Evie. I’m twelve!”

  “Who cares? There are prodigies, aren’t there? Kids who go to university? No one will question you, they’ll be too impressed. Now get going; the crowds have thinned—class is starting soon!” Without pause, Evie walked up to the oak doors and pulled one open. Sebastian followed, and soon they were in the dark, looming foyer of the college.

  “Good luck!” said Evie, and she started to climb the wide wooden staircase before them, passing a large sculpture of a fox carved into the top of the banister.

  “Wait, where do I meet you after?” Sebastian called out. Evie turned and looked down at him.

  “The base of the clock tower.”

  And with that she was running up the steps, taking them two by two.

  Sebastian stared as she disappeared, and took a few moments to steady himself. Then he turned just in time to walk right into a tall man in a black leather jacket. “Oh, I…uh, I’m sorry,” he said. He looked up and had to contain his shock at what he saw. Half of the man’s face appeared to be, well, for want of a better word, melted. The man gave a curt nod and was about to walk off when Sebastian asked, “Do you know where Professor Silo’s class is today?”

  The man stared at him for a moment. For too long a moment, really. It made Sebastian feel terribly uncomfortable. “No,” he said abruptly, and he marched off up the staircase.

  Sebastian sighed.

  “I do!” said a warm voice from behind him. Sebastian turned and there was a short, friendly-looking young woman with a mass of red curly hair smiling at him brightly.

  Sebastian felt instant relief. “You do?”

  “Yup! Follow me!” she said.

  She led him down a dark hallway that turned into a brightly lit corridor opening onto a courtyard. They pushed through a set of doors and walked outside under a sheltered colonnade and back through another set of doors, continuing until they finally reached a large classroom set up like an amphitheater: rows of seats stacked above each other, making the room two stories tall. It was jam-packed with students.

  “Thank goodness, we’re on time!” said the young woman, and she darted into the room. Sebastian had no choi
ce but to follow her. Well, he probably had many choices, and his brain acknowledged that as he rushed into the room and sat at the only other available desk beside her in the front row, but his body didn’t seem aware of the other options.

  The door slammed shut and Sebastian jumped, looking back toward the entrance. A tall young man with long hair in a ponytail and wearing a blazer and jeans walked to the middle of the room and dropped his leather satchel on the desk at the front. He looked at everyone with a gleeful glint in his eye. “Buon giorno, class,” he said, not at all pronouncing the Italian words for “good day” correctly, though he spoke it with an odd smugness. “Pop quiz!”

  There were frustrated murmurs from the students behind him, and Sebastian joined them. He leaned over to the redheaded young woman and asked, “Where’s Professor Silo?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That’s not him,” said Sebastian, nodding at Mr. Ponytail.

  “Right. That’s Derrick.”

  Sebastian stared at her as she pulled a pair of pens from her purse. She looked up then, noticing his confused expression.

  “The TA,” she said. He continued to stare. “Teacher’s assistant?” she said, now looking equally confused.

  “What?” Okay, next time he was going to ask a specific question, not let surprise hold him back like this.

  “Wow, you’ve missed a lot of classes,” she said, shaking her head. “Derrick’s been teaching us for over a month now.”

  “What? Why?” Nope, evidently all he could do was blurt out single questions beginning with W.

  The young woman frowned at him and for the first time regarded him with suspicion. “Because,” she said slowly, “Professor Silo has been off photographing the Vertiginous Volcano for the last six weeks.”

  —

  Evie felt quietly confident walking down the empty corridor that led to the faculty offices. They were on to something. They would find Benedict Barnes, and they would hopefully find the key, and then she’d get it to her grandfather…step by step, like her footsteps now, echoing along the polished marble floor.

  She arrived at 18B and knocked on the door. She knew Benedict was teaching right now, but one could never be too careful, or too polite. No response. She tried the doorknob and was relieved when it turned easily and she opened the door. The room inside was very small. So small, in fact, that the door could only open halfway before it hit the desk running along the length of one wall. She slipped inside and looked around. Above the desk was a large map of ancient Rome, and opposite the desk was a bookshelf stuffed full with books. On the far wall opposite the door was a small open window above a table on which a large leather-bound atlas lay open to a map of the world. Benedict Barnes had certainly managed to cram a lot of stuff into the tiny space. She felt quite daunted by the prospect of finding a key in the crowded room with maps everywhere. If only that were what she was looking for. If one wanted to find a map, this was the place to do it. If books with titles like The Complete Topography of Western Canada and Rivers, Lakes, Oceans, and Puddles of the World weren’t overwhelming enough, the desk itself was piled high with them, all scattered about in a disorganized fashion.

  Evie stared at the room and decided she might as well start searching. She began by going through the drawers of the desk, but all she found were old cameras and empty film canisters. She then decided to attempt the top of the desk. Maybe a key was hidden underneath the pile of maps. It seemed daunting, but she was determined. She began to sort through the papers.

  Halfway through her task she noticed an invitation buried under a map of the inside of the local television station. She picked it up and looked at who it was from, gasping at what she read: “Catherine Lind.” The former animal expert of the former Filipendulous Five! Evie felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach just as the invitation fluttered in her hand. A breeze from the open window at the end of the room swept the card from her grasp and sent it flying toward the doorway. Evie bent down to pick it up, only to see that it had landed on top of a heavy black boot.

  “What are you doing?” a voice asked.

  Evie snatched up the invitation and stood, her insides running cold at what she saw. Facing her, both silhouetted by the doorframe and lit by the light from the window, was the melted man. She straightened, paralyzed with fear, able to do nothing more than blink a few times. Do something, Evie, she told herself. Say something. It looks more suspicious if you just stare like that.

  “Oh. Hello,” she said.

  The man cocked his head to the side slightly and squinted at her.

  “I, uh, I wanted to talk to the professor, but he’s not here, so I thought maybe I’d help him organize his papers….” The words were coming out in a frantic stream as she hoped that maybe he wouldn’t recognize her. Some grown-ups thought that kids all looked alike, or didn’t really notice kids in the first place. Hopefully he was one of those adults.

  He took a step toward her. His eyes opened wide in realization.

  Or maybe not.

  “Anyway, probably a bad idea, so I’m going to just go now….” But of course going was pretty much impossible, as the half-open door was completely blocked by a man the size of a wall.

  The melted man put his hand to his hip, pushing back his jacket and revealing a holstered old-fashioned-looking gun.

  Evie’s breathing got fast and inefficient, a bit like she was a dachshund attempting to dog-paddle. She took a step backward.

  “You look very familiar,” growled the man.

  “Really? How neat,” squeaked Evie.

  “What’s that?”

  Evie squeezed the invitation tightly between her fingers.

  “Nothing.” She took another step backward.

  “That’s clearly something.” And he pointed with his other hand.

  Evie looked over her shoulder. “Where?” she asked, trying her best to act stupid. She stared at the atlas hard.

  “Not over your shoulder, in your hand.” The man’s growling had become more guttural, deeper and angrier.

  Evie looked at her right hand, the one that wasn’t holding the invitation. She really couldn’t keep up this pretending-to-be-stupid game for long.

  “The other hand!” the man roared at her.

  Evie took another step backward. She looked at the invitation. Something inside her told her she shouldn’t let it go. “Oh. This. It’s nothing. It’s just—”

  And then she spun around, leapt up onto the atlas, and pulled herself through the tiny window, scrambling out onto what was fortunately a sill, though unfortunately, an incredibly narrow one. The man’s hands appeared through the window a moment later, grabbing at her fleeing foot. She narrowly avoided him, scrambling to hold on to the side of the building. She pulled herself up to standing and walked carefully along the wall away from the window, willing herself not to look down.

  The man stuck his head out the window and stared at her, aghast. She understood the feeling; she was pretty aghast herself. What on earth had possessed her to just launch herself out through a third-story window like that? Well, fear for her life, she supposed.

  The window was far too small for him to crawl through, so she turned and continued her journey, holding her body flat against the building, inching her way along its side until she made it to a drainage pipe covered in ivy. She looked up. The roof wasn’t so far away, and it did look a lot safer than her tiny brick ledge. Evie turned back to the man and almost fainted. She grabbed on to the pipe tightly, just as her feet slipped out from beneath her; then she steadied herself and stared at the gun sticking out through the window, aimed directly at her.

  “Come back, girly,” said the man. “I don’t want to have to shoot you.”

  “You really shouldn’t feel any obligation to, you know,” she called back, pretty certain that such a reasonable suggestion would be lost on him. Sure enough, the man cocked the gun instead.

  The decision was made. She turned and began to climb as quickly as she c
ould, using the ivy as a kind of rope ladder and pulling herself up the drainage pipe.

  There was a loud explosion from behind her as the man fired his gun, but Evie didn’t look back. She just let her adrenaline take her upward at an impressive speed until she was at the roof, pulling herself up by her hands and rolling onto the flat surface. A wave of relief washed over her.

  Evie sat up quickly and looked around. There was a fire exit down at the other end of the roof by one of the Gothic towers. She got to her feet and made her way over to it, suddenly feeling the ache in her muscles and the hitch in her lungs. She was also realizing just what a dangerous thing she’d done, and fear coursed through her veins as she reached for the door handle. Fortune was on her side again; it too was unlocked. She yanked the door open.

  And then fortune decided to switch teams.

  The melted man was right there below, rushing up the stairs to get her. She slammed the door shut and ran in the opposite direction, looking around frantically as she did. And then she saw it.

  The clock tower.

  “Oh. Well, in that case, I have to go.” Sebastian stood up, but was yanked fiercely down back into his seat by the redheaded young woman. “Ow!” he said, staring at her with confusion.

  “You can’t leave now, you’ll fail the class!” she whispered.

  “But that doesn’t matter to me,” replied Sebastian, starting to feel more than a little trapped. What good was staying here when Benedict Barnes wasn’t around? It would make so much more sense for him to find Evie at the office and help her search for the key. He stood up again.

  “Now,” said Derrick the TA with a grin, “I thought we might have a bit of fun with this quiz and do it game-show-style. Be a little competitive and a little theatrical and—where exactly do you think you’re going?”

  Sebastian was slowly making his way down the front of the first row of seats. He was working so hard to be as quiet and unnoticeable as possible that he didn’t realize that Derrick the TA was speaking to him. It was only when the silence grew ominous and he could hear the clock on the wall ticking with existential angst that he looked up and realized everyone was staring at him.