The Door in the Alley

by Adrienne Kress

  Mr. K threw himself against the door once more, and the frame splintered even more. A gerbil wearing a Hamsters hockey team hat took a step to the right as a piece of wood fell to the floor.

  “Little pig, little pig, let me come in!” Mr. K called, sounding out of breath on the other side of the door.

  “That’s your cue,” said Evie to the pig in the teeny hat.

  “Snort.”

  Catherine opened the door wide and looked at Mr. K with a smile. He stared back in horror. “Charge!” she cried, and the animals did just that as Mr. K cried out, “Not again!”

  The budgies flew right at his face, and he stumbled backward, trying to wave them away as they pecked at him. The rats and gerbils, meanwhile, scurried up inside his pants legs, causing him to do what looked to be an elaborate jig.* But it was the pig who was the real star of the show. The pig had no particular grace or tact. But what it had was determination. And a very fine hat that made it feel really good about itself. When it was the pig’s turn to charge, Evie was able to see from behind the flapping wings for just a moment. A look of complete fear had transformed Mr. K’s face when he noticed the pig barreling toward him. With rats up his pants and budgies in his face, Mr. K stared in horror as the noble proud pig plowed into his shins and knocked him flat onto his back. Then, with a great sense of accomplishment, the pig climbed up onto Mr. K’s torso and sat on his chest.

  “Run!” said Catherine. Evie was so immersed in watching the animals that it took her a moment to realize that the time to take action had arrived.

  She quickly followed Catherine, leaping over the fallen body of Mr. K as he continued to flail while firmly pinned by the pig. They arrived at the elevator and took it down to the main floor. Catherine dashed out to the right, but Evie looked to the left. “Catherine!” she called.

  Catherine stopped and turned. They watched as Sebastian darted into a room at the far end of the hall with Myrtle.

  “Let’s go!” said Evie, and Catherine nodded. As they rushed toward the door, Mr. I stepped out from a corridor to the right. Evie sucked in a quick breath and was readying herself to run in the opposite direction, but Mr. I didn’t seem to notice that she and Catherine were directly behind him. He turned and made for the same door Sebastian and Myrtle had just fled through. Evie watched in terror as he sneaked up to the entrance, raising his gun.

  “Oh no you don’t,” muttered Catherine. She unfurled her whip and drew her arm back, then, with an enormous heave, lashed out at Mr. I.

  * * *

  * In fact, by sheer coincidence, he managed to dance the last sixteen bars of the “The Lilting Banshee.”

  Sebastian wasn’t exactly sure what had happened. One moment he was staring down the barrel of a rather old-fashioned-looking gun. The next minute Mr. I had fallen face-first on the ground, hitting his head hard and losing consciousness, revealing Catherine holding a whip in her hand and Evie standing next to her holding a round golden ball. Catherine leapt over Mr. I’s body and grabbed his gun.

  “Where did the whip come from?” asked Sebastian.

  “You’re okay!” said Evie, rushing over to him.

  “I am. And so are you.” He smiled in pure relief and joy.

  “Do you still have the key?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  Evie then turned to Myrtle. “Please,” she said, “let us keep it and we’ll take it away somewhere they’ll never find it.”

  Myrtle looked at Catherine, then at Evie. “How can I trust you?”

  There was only one logical answer to that, and Sebastian had it. “By trusting her,” he said.

  Myrtle snorted and then sighed as Catherine came over and said, “I know you don’t approve. I know you don’t like us. But something big is going on with Alistair. He’s in danger. We need to help him. He asked us to protect the key, and he wouldn’t have if it wasn’t vitally important.”

  Sebastian agreed and approached Myrtle as well. “Yes! There must be a reason for that.”

  He looked at Catherine, who smiled at him. He turned to glance back at Evie.

  “No one move,” said Mr. K.

  —

  The cold metal of the knife’s edge against her throat was shocking, the grip on her upper arm painfully tight. But those feelings were eclipsed by the expressions on the faces she saw before her. If she hadn’t already felt scared enough, looking into the eyes of those who thought you were about to die was utterly and completely terrifying.

  No one spoke for a good long while, and per Mr. K’s instructions no one moved, either. It was a moment frozen in time. Evie wanted it to be over, and yet didn’t. Because when the moment was over, what would become of her? She swallowed hard and fought back tears. This time she wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t give this man the satisfaction.

  “Good,” said Mr. K. “Now listen carefully. I’m not an unreasonable person. I am more than willing to offer an exchange.”

  “Oh really?” asked Myrtle. She looked none too pleased, that was for sure. And Evie appreciated that.

  “Really. It’s quite simple. The girl’s life for the key. And since we’re all gathered here today, I’d also like Catherine Lind’s piece of the map. Not bad terms, eh?” said Mr. K. He tightened his grip on Evie, which made her squeak in fear. “Meanwhile, I’ll take this.” He plucked the EM-7056 from Evie’s hand so quickly she didn’t have time to fight him for it.

  Sebastian looked at Catherine and Myrtle, then back at Mr. K. Slowly he removed the key from his pocket and held it out in front of him. Evie didn’t understand what he was doing. There was no way he was considering passing over the key. Surely that wasn’t an option. She watched him stare hard at the piece of paper. Or was it?

  Her fear blossomed now. She thought it had already reached its apex, but no, evidently that had been just phase one. It wasn’t her life that mattered anymore. It was what was to happen with the key. And that decision rested in Sebastian’s hands. Literally.

  “Come on, boy, don’t waste time, now. You too, Lind,” said Mr. K.

  Evie saw Catherine stiffen. Slowly, and clearly with great effort, she reached into her coat and withdrew her part of the map. She held it at her side for a moment, still thinking hard.

  “Don’t do it!” called out Evie, and Mr. K squeezed her arm so tightly, she was certain he was cutting off her circulation.

  Catherine looked at Sebastian, and so did Evie. He was still staring at the key. He was thinking hard. Solving some problem. Trying to logic his way out of this situation. Probably trying to come up with the most effective…

  No.

  No.

  Don’t do it, Sebastian, Evie thought. Please. Don’t do what I think you’re about to do.

  “Don’t!” she called out. “Please don’t.”

  “Come on, pass them over,” said Mr. K.

  Sebastian made eye contact with her. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  And he threw the key into the fireplace.

  “No!” screamed Evie.

  Mr. K let go of her arm as he lunged for the key, and she fell to the floor. As he flew at the fireplace, Myrtle neatly knocked him in the back of the head with what looked like a water gun, and Mr. K fell hard to the floor.

  Evie was on her feet in an instant and charging past Sebastian to the fireplace. She scrambled over the felled Mr. K. “No no no no no,” she said, staring into flames. But it was too late. The fire had made short work of the key. There was nothing left of it but black ash.

  She felt a warm hand on her back as she knelt in front of the fireplace. It was Sebastian. “I’m sorry…,” he said softly.

  “Don’t touch me!” she said, whipping around and flinging off his hand. How could he do it? He knew how much it mattered to her, to her grandfather. If the key was destroyed, then her grandfather’s life was in peril. Sebastian knew that! How could he do this to her? She stood upright, and not knowing what to do, just knowing that she needed to get out of there, she bolted out of the room, tears stre
aming down her face.

  —

  Sebastian made to follow, utterly distraught at how upset his friend was. But Myrtle held him back. “Let me,” said Catherine, and she left the room.

  “I need to explain,” he said, struggling against the old woman’s strong grasp.

  “Not now,” replied Myrtle.

  Sebastian felt desperate; he needed to talk to Evie. To explain why he’d done it. So she’d understand. So she’d forgive him.

  “She needs to understand,” he said.

  “Not now, Sebastian, not now. Let her be upset. This isn’t about you,” said Myrtle.

  “But it is, it’s all about me. I can fix it…if I just explain logically….”

  “Sometimes, Sebastian, you can’t just explain things. Even when we understand the logic, the feelings win out. You have to let people feel things.”

  “But it’s so painful knowing I’ve hurt her like this.” Sebastian realized only then that tears were streaming down his face.

  “That’s what happens sometimes. But as I said before, this isn’t about you. It’s about her. And you just have to feel the pain for now.”

  “I did it to help her,” Sebastian said softly.

  “Yes, you did,” Myrtle answered. “And deep down she knows that.”

  Sebastian stopped trying to pull free and wiped his face.

  “Come, come,” said Myrtle, turning him around to face her. She brought him in for a hug, and he let her.

  “I did it to save her life,” he said into her shoulder.

  “Of course you did. And she’ll understand that.”

  He nodded into the woman’s sweater and squeezed her tighter.

  “Where are my animals?”

  Sebastian broke out of the hug and turned to see Hubert holding a giant butterfly net. Behind him stood two animal control operatives wearing white hazmat suits and carrying two massive cages.

  “What are you talking about, Hubert?” asked Myrtle with a sigh.

  “They’ve been set free! All my animals! These gentlemen are trying to help me round them up!” The old man looked even more frazzled than usual.

  “We’ll help with that too,” said Sebastian, and then he had a thought. “Hey, do you think those two animal control guys would mind taking away these men for us?” He gestured at the prostrate Mr. I and Mr. K in disgust.

  Hubert looked at them for a moment and then nodded enthusiastically. “Of course. Of course, they’re human, and human is a subspecies of animal, and they seem frightfully unpleasant. Have they had their shots?”

  “Uh, well, Hubert, we can’t actually do that…,” said one of the men.

  “Can you at least take them to the police station? As a favor? To…to Hubert?” asked Sebastian.

  “Yes! As a favor to me!” said Hubert enthusiastically.

  The men looked at each other for a moment. “Okay, sure, Hubert. As a favor to you.”

  Hubert smiled, and with remarkable speed Mr. I and Mr. K were caged up and dragged off down the hall.

  “That’s that, then,” said Myrtle, watching them go.

  “That’s that.” Though Sebastian really didn’t feel like anything was resolved, not really. Not at all.

  “Come on,” said Myrtle with a firm pat on his back. “Let’s have a spot of tea.”

  Evie lay on the soft deep-red quilted comforter and stared at the warm wooden ceiling. Silent tears spilled down her cheeks, and though she knew she should be grateful and happy, she wasn’t sure how she could feel that. Slowly she pushed herself up to sitting and looked at her small room. It was a world apart from her old one at the Wayward School. Still small, but instead of claustrophobic, it was cozy, with its lush red and gold pillows, wooden armoire and desk, and large, sparkling-clean window that opened onto the leafy street below.

  There was a knock on the door, and Evie hastily rubbed the tears from her face and stood up. She put her small suitcase on the bed and opened it. “Just unpacking!” she said loudly.

  “Can I come in?”

  It was Sebastian. Evie looked at the door for a moment and then with a sigh said, “Okay.”

  Sebastian opened the door and took a few tentative steps into the room.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said quietly.

  “It’s okay,” she said. She couldn’t look at him. Even though she knew he had only done what he’d thought was right, it still hurt too much. It was a full day later and it still stung like it had happened a moment ago.

  “So this is neat,” said Sebastian. “Uh. You getting to live at the society headquarters. Be their ward.”

  “Sure is,” replied Evie. She grabbed the picture of her parents and placed it carefully on her bedside table.

  “And you get to go to school here too. Get to be taught by the members and everything. Which should be amazing.”

  He was telling her things she already knew, awkwardly making small talk. Evie couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. Just a little bit. He was so uncomfortable and was clearly feeling guilty.

  “Hope so,” she said, folding her sweater and then walking by Sebastian to her armoire and placing it inside. Finally she turned. He looked so sad—almost pathetic. “Sebastian, what do you want?”

  He sighed and shook his head. “I just…I want to be friends again. I want you to forgive me.”

  “I do forgive you,” she said, though the lump in her throat was growing.

  “I mean really forgive me,” he said, his voice cracking. “I mean, I just made what I thought was the logical choice.”

  Evie scoffed at that. “Yup, it was logical.” It was. She couldn’t think of anything else he could have done. But it didn’t make it hurt any less. Yes, Sebastian had saved her life, but he’d placed her grandfather’s in mortal peril. It didn’t matter how much Catherine had promised when she’d chased her down the hall yesterday that they would find and rescue him. Evie knew she had failed her grandfather. Failed to protect the key, failed to protect him. And now the key was gone forever. “Look, Sebastian, this is hard, and I’m upset. But I do forgive you, and I’m sure in time I’ll be less sad about this. We’re still friends, I promise.”

  “Well, okay,” said Sebastian. “But I want to explain why—”

  “Sebastian, I don’t want to hear it, okay? I get it. You thought you were saving my life, and you thought that by destroying the key all this would be done. It would be over. No more bad men hunting anyone down for their bits of maps and stuff. And I get it. You saved a lot of people, not just me, and you sacrificed one person for that. My grandfather. And right now that’s all I can think about.”

  “But if you’ll just let me—”

  “Sebastian, seriously, now’s not the time.”

  “Yes it is. I know people don’t want me to explain, but I need to. The key—”

  “Is not actually gone, is it?” The voice that spoke was unfamiliar, and both kids turned abruptly to stare at the doorway.

  Standing there ever so casually was a slender man in a black leather jacket with a patch over one eye. He smiled as he walked into the room, closing the door behind him.

  “Uh…who are you?” asked Sebastian, but Evie knew this wasn’t the time for questions. It was the time for action.

  “Help!” she screamed. “Help us!”

  Her cry was drowned out by the sound of exploding glass. She covered her head as the window sent thousands of shards in their direction. When she looked up again, she saw Mr. I dangling outside the window holding on to a thick black cable. She turned, and the man in her doorway was holding Sebastian tightly, a pistol pointed at his temple. A reversal of sorts of what had happened the day before. Only this time Evie had nothing to sacrifice to save him like he had for her.

  “Mr. I tells me you have a very impressive memory,” said the man as he marched Sebastian over to the window. Evie was working on instinct now and lunged at him, but the man easily pushed her back to the floor. Her hand landed on a piece of glass and she winced in pa
in.

  “How could he tell you anything?” said Sebastian, struggling hard against the man.

  “He can’t talk, but he can sign. And he can hear. And he overheard you at the zoo,” said the man as he hoisted Sebastian up and held him out the window. Mr. I reached out to grab him.

  “Stop it! What are you doing!” yelled Evie over what she realized was a loud whirring sound coming from outside.

  “Your little friend is the key,” said the man, handing over the still-struggling Sebastian and stepping over the ledge.

  Evie sat in shock and stared at him as he smiled one more time. Of course. Sebastian’s memory. His perfect photographic memory. He knew what was written on the key. He had destroyed it because he remembered it.

  And then the man stepped out the window and leapt for the cable. Evie was on her feet immediately and over to the window. Sebastian, Mr. I, and the man were slowly being raised into a large black helicopter hovering over the building.

  “Sebastian!” she cried out.

  “It’s okay! They can’t hurt me! They need what’s in my brain. Not even a neurosurgeon could get that for them!” Sebastian smiled at her, but she knew he was just doing it to make her feel better.

  As he was drawn higher and higher up, Evie called after him, “I’ll save you! I’ll find you and I’ll save you! I promise!”

  But she didn’t think Sebastian heard that, and all she could do was watch as he got smaller and smaller and then vanished into the helicopter.

  She dashed back into her room and out into the hall, almost falling over the pig in a teeny hat. It looked up at her, and somehow its expression made her all the more resolute. This time she wouldn’t fail. This time she would absolutely save him. And she ran down the hall for help, the pig close on her heels.

  Sebastian sat squashed between Mr. I and Mr. K, being stared at by the one eye of the third man sitting across from him. He was being taken to who knows where, the only thing keeping him alive an accident of birth that had for some reason given him a remarkably interesting memory.