Doug shoves in next to us. “I don’t know where we are. Anyone want to clue me in?”
We both say it at the same time. “Mariana Trench.” Doug puts his hand to his throat. “That’s deep.”
Zoe nods. “The deep-EST. Thanks to Arcade.” She smacks me in the shoulder with the back of her hand.
Doug presses both hands to his cheeks. “How long till we get crushed under the pressure?” He looks at me. “There’s a lot of pressure at the bottom of the ocean, right?”
Zoe points up. “I think as long as we’re under the golden dome, we’re protected. So nobody get any crazy ideas about opening those doors.” She walks in a little circle in the golden tube. “Sure seems like the loneliest place we’ve traveled to. Lonelier than the Moon, even.”
I gaze out into the dark waters. “Maybe because on the Moon we could see Earth. And that was home. I can’t see home here. Can’t see anything, actually.” I close my eyes tight, and open them again, hoping to see something, anything, swimming out there in the murky water. Nothing. “I’m glad you guys are here or I’d be freaked out.”
“Come on, sea creatures. You gotta be down here. Swim on by, we’re ready for ya!” Doug presses his hands and nose against the transparent door. Still nothing. Just light rays shining from our golden tube into the pitch blackness.
“I’ve read about this place. It’s called Challenger Deep. There’re all kinds of stories about what might live here. From little sea cucumbers, to alien jellyfish, to Megalodons.”
“Megalodons? You serious, Arcade?”
“Well, maybe they’re stories, and maybe they’re truths. More people have been in space than have been down here.”
Zoe rubs her arms. “I can see why. It’s eerie.”
“Nothing but darkness, pressure, and isolation . . . it doesn’t feel good, guys.” Doug slips an arm around my shoulder and grips hard. “Is your token back yet, Arcade? I’d like to get outta here. I’d go to Everest any day over this.”
“Did you know you could drop Everest in here and water would still cover it?”
Zoe gives me the stink-eye. “Thank you, Arcade, for that comforting tidbit of information.”
I tap my chest, as if that’s going to bring Triple T back from the mold.
What exactly does bring it back?
I sit on the floor of the tube and throw out inquiries. “Zoe, what do all our adventures have in common?”
“In common? Arcade, I don’t know! They’ve all been so different! Scary, random, crazy, emotional, informative—”
I jump up. “That’s it!”
“Scary, random, crazy, emotional, or informative?”
“All of those!”
Doug palms the top of my head. “The pressure’s getting to him.”
I push his hand off. “On every adventure, I’ve learned something.” I point to Zoe. “From the very first adventure, on Bone Crusher, when I said our new life in New York City was like a rodeo . . .”
“And clearly it wasn’t.” Zoe rolls her eyes.
“Exactly! And every trip since. I learned something.”
“Okay, I’ll agree with that.”
Now Doug palms Zoe’s head. “You agree with Arcade? I think the pressure’s getting to you now.”
She pushes his hand off.
“And, check it out, what does the plaque say?” I point to the golden dome. ‘Knowledge and belief of truth is the sovereign good of human nature.’ I think I’m starting to figure out the truth about myself.”
“You’re figuring out the truth about yourself?”
“Yeah, Doug, that’s what I said.”
“What is it, Arcade?” My sister was staring right into my eyes.
“I read a lot of books and ask questions so I can uncover truth. And the main reason I want to know truth is so I can help people. And it’s not weird that I’m that way. God made me that way. The truth about me is . . . I’m an -EST.”
“Oh really?” Zoe crosses her arms. “What kind of -EST are you?”
“I’m God’s B-EST. And I need to share with others that they’re God’s B-EST too.”
“Look! A cucumber!” Doug points to something dark floating by in the water.
“That could just be the shadow of your finger, Doug.” I laugh.
“Oh. That’s too bad. The thought of a cucumber is making me hungry.” Doug shoves his hands in his hoodie pockets. “So, what have you learned about the deepest place in the world, Arcade?”
I put an arm around Doug. “That’s easy. No one should have to handle darkness and pressure all alone.”
Doug sighs. “Oh, man, that’s the truth.”
“So I’m going with you to see the social worker. And I’m going to stay by your side until this whole adoption thing is worked out.”
Doug breathed out a sigh. “I think instead of being afraid of heights all this time, I’ve just been afraid that I’ll fall and no one will care enough to catch me.”
Zoe came in and gave Doug a hug. “We care, Doug.”
Our golden capsule begins to ping again, and I feel a plunk on my chest. Triple T is back from the mold, its mission accomplished, I guess. Light swirls throughout the room as the transparent doors turn gold again and the elevator rises.
There is no coin slot this time. I suppose it’s because we never left the elevator, the submarine, the capsule, or whatever this is.
And WHAT IS UP with that mysterious gold dome?
The elevator returned us to our cold New York City street. Doug, Zoe, and I walked silently down the blocks that lead to 88th Street. As usual, there were lots of people walking by us on both sides. Some were alone.
I smiled and waved, and I even stopped to help an elderly woman open her umbrella as some rain began to fall.
“Would you like me to walk you home?”
The lady gave me a shocked look, but then smiled. “Thank you, young man, but I live right around the corner.”
I nodded. “Okay. Take care and watch your step. These streets can be slick.”
She grinned. “Thank you and bless you.”
Zoe pulled up her hood to protect her hair from the mist. And then an umbrella appeared above her head, in the hands of Michael Tolley.
“Zoe, we have to talk.” Michael gently took Zoe’s hand. “I really like you. I’m so sorry for calling you stubborn.”
“Stubborn-EST.” Zoe glanced over at me and winked.
“What?”
“You called me the stubborn-EST, Michael.”
Michael dropped his chin. “I did. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. You were right.”
“I was?”
Zoe laughed. “Yeah. I’m an -EST. God made me that way for a reason. It’s a gift. I just need to learn how to use it to help people.”
That made us all laugh. And then it started to pour.
CHAPTER 29
Friday Morning Freak-Out
Knock! Knock! Knock!
I rolled over in bed, shoved my glasses on, and checked the clock.
Five a.m.? I hope I’m dreaming . . . again.
A few minutes later, someone shook me. “Arcade, honey, you have visitors downstairs.”
Ignore that. You’re dreaming.
“Arcade.” Mom pulled the blankets off me. “The Tolley brothers are downstairs and they say it can’t wait. Please go down there and try to keep the noise down.”
“Mom, why didn’t you tell them to come back later?”
“Because they said it can’t wait.”
I sighed and rolled out of bed. “Okay.”
My room was cold. So were my feet. “It’s Friday. Gotta wear some crazy socks!” I shuffled over to my dresser and searched my sock drawer. “Oh, man, I forgot all about these!” I pulled on a pair of socks that had tropical fish swimming all over them, with a prickly puffer right on the top of both feet. “Perfect for Friday mornings with the Tolleys.” I grabbed a blanket and draped it around my shoulders. Loopy had made himself cozy i
n my warm blankets. “Goofy furball.” I headed downstairs.
“Hey, Arcade, glad you’re up. We need some help with our Civil War persuasive speeches. We gotta give them today in Harris’s class.”
“Yeah. Casey’s got the north position, and I got the south. And we got good arguments on both sides.”
I rubbed my eyes. “Sounds like you’re prepared. Why do you need me at five a.m.?”
“Why do we need you? Dude, the Civil War was a difficult time in history. People might get riled up. Get mad at us for having an opinion different from theirs.”
“It’s just an assignment, guys. You’re only presenting a side. It doesn’t mean it’s your actual opinion.” I pushed my glasses up higher on my nose. “Plus, since when do you care what people think about you?”
“We always care.”
I scratched my head. “Really?”
“What, you think just because we’re tough guys we don’t have feelings?”
Yeah. Maybe. I mean, sort of.
Right then, Zoe came down the stairs. Thankfully, she wasn’t wearing her reindeer onesie. She was dressed for a run, but it had to be thirty degrees outside.
“Oh, hey, Kevin, Casey.” She shot me a funny glance.
“Hi, Zoe.” Casey Tolley grinned, revealing his chipped tooth. “You look really nice today.”
Zoe gave a smirk. “Well, it’s early, but . . . thank you?”
Kevin chimed in. “Michael really likes you.”
Zoe turned toward them and put a hand on her hip. “Why are you guys here at the crack of dawn?”
“Tryin’ to get help from our favorite bookworm. Not sure what to do about a school assignment. We’re caught in the middle of two opinions, and our teacher forced us to choose one.”
“And it’s a lot harder than choosing what flavor donut to eat in the morning, if you know what I mean.”
Zoe nodded and then looked at me. “Well, you can always count on Arcade for an opinion. And if you want the exact opposite viewpoint, just ask me.” She smiled, but then . . .
“Arcaaaade . . .”
Kevin Tolley’s eyes zoomed in on my chest. “What kind of a goofy nightlight you got there, Arcade?”
OH. NO. THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!
I pulled my blanket in front of my chest to try to block the spectrum of light that was shooting out from the Triple T Token. It was no use. This was happening—WITH THE TOLLEYS!
Kevin and Casey stood there, frozen, their eyes following the dazzling light show on the floor, the walls, and the ceiling.
“Guys, stay right there. Zoe, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?’ I grabbed her arm and we ran out of the room. The light followed.
“ZOE, I don’t know what to do!”
Zoe crossed her arms. “That’s ridiculous. You’ve been doing this for awhile now. You simply grab the token and pull it off the chain.”
“Not that! I mean—the TOLLEYS? They can’t go on an adventure!”
She held her hands out. “Why not? Amber went. Carlos went. Celeste, Derek, Doug, and Scratchy went. Jacey and Michael went.”
“But . . .”
The light shot out past the kitchen and filled the dining room, living room, and entryway.
“But what?”
“But WHAT? They’re the TOLLEYS! They’ll ruin it! They’ll tell people! And maybe they’ll even try to take it from me, like the Badgers did!”
Zoe leaned against the wall and stared out at the light. “When we were way down in the Mariana Trench, weren’t you telling me that the reason you think you have this dazzling truth detector is so you can learn things in order to help people? Was that whole-EST business just a bunch of baloney?”
“Well, no, but—”
“So here you go, Arcade. Two people came at five in the morning for your help. Are you going to deny them because they’re . . .” Zoe snapped her fingers as she searched for the word.
I looked down at my puffer fish socks. “Prickly?”
Zoe laughed. “Yes! Prickly.”
The light kept getting brighter and brighter. I stepped out from our kitchen area. The beams swirled together and began to form the shape of an elevator, right in front of our door.
“WHAT IS THAT?” Kevin and Casey backed up into me.
“Um, it’s a long story that I don’t have time to tell you right now, because in just a second a golden coin slot is going to appear and I’m going to have to throw this arcade token in.”
“REALLY? COOL! And then what’ll happen? Is the place gonna explode?” Casey grabbed on to his brother’s shoulder.
“Dude, is this some crazy new virtual gaming system? Because if it is, it’s off the hook!”
“No, it’s much better than that,” Zoe said. “You guys ready for an adventure?”
Casey pointed a thumb my way. “You comin’, Arcade?”
The coin slot rose up from the floor, shimmering, glowing, like a fourth of July cone fountain. The flickering lights formed the words GET TRUTH right in midair.
“Yeah, I’m down.”
I pulled the token from my chain and reached for the slot. I turned back to look at the Tolleys.
I can’t believe I’m doing this!
I dropped the token in.
“Give us some truth about making hard decisions.”
I pressed my hands together and pulled them apart.
The elevator and the golden dome shined brighter than ever.
“Are we in some kind of museum?” Kevin pointed to the dome. “What’s with all the statues and signs?”
I shrugged. “I haven’t figured that out yet. Can you guys read any of the signs?”
Kevin looked up and squinted. “Nah. Too high. Looks like there’s a person up at the top, though.”
Casey tried to find footing to climb the wall. “Are we gonna shoot out of that hole?”
Zoe chuckled. “We haven’t yet. But there’s always a first time.”
“Are we gonna miss class today? Cause I’m good with that,” Kevin said.
“Well, in all my travels, we return right where we left and at the same time.”
“All your travels? Where you been, Arcade?” Casey stopped trying to climb and turned around to listen.
“Let’s see . . .” I rested my hand on my chin. “Holland, Egypt, Africa, the moon . . .”
“The moon?! You’re makin’ that up.” Casey moved in closer. “Sounds like historical fiction, if you ask me.”
“Dude, how could I make this up?” I raised my palms to the ceiling and turned in a circle.
DING!
CHAPTER 30
The Decision Maker
The doors open up to a dimly lit office. It’s not fancy, but there are many pieces of furniture—a couple of couches, chairs, and three desks. The biggest desk sits in the middle of the room. There’s a small window in the corner. A tall man stands with his back to us, looking out.
“What should we do, Arcade?” Kevin Tolley steps back into the elevator. “What if he sees us?” Casey is standing next to Kevin, squishing him into a corner.
Are we invisible?
I rub my arms, take a deep breath, and step out.
“Excuse me, sir, we’re sorry to bother you.”
The man startles and turns. I can hardly believe my eyes.
“Oh, hello, young people.” The man looks around the room. “Where did you come from?”
He appears tired and troubled about something. And I’ve read my history, so I know it’s a lot of somethings. I decide to just tell him the truth.
“My name is Arcade Livingston, and I’m from New York City.”
His mouth turns up in a grin. “A New Yorker, huh?”
“Yes, sir. And I have this golden token that takes my friends and me on adventures in a golden elevator. It teaches us about travel, testing, and, lately, truth. We never know where it’s going to land. But today it brought us to your . . . uh . . . office.”
He looks around. “I know, it doesn’
t look like much. But many truths have been revealed to me within these walls.”
Zoe walks around the room, smoothing her hand along the surfaces of the desks. “This is unbelievable.” She looks up at the man. “We’re sorry to have bothered you. You look busy.”
He holds up one hand. “It is no bother. What can I do for you?”
“Well,” Casey speaks up, “our friend Arcade here is a bookworm, and we—”
“Books?” The man’s eyes light up. “I love books too. I always say that my best friend is a person who will give me a book I haven’t read.”
Man, why don’t I have a book with me?
“Yeah,” Casey continues, “so since Arcade is smart and all, we asked him to help us make a decision about something. Something really hard. And then this mysterious elevator brought us here.”
“You know something about making hard decisions, don’t you, sir?” I walk around the room, in awe. “I’ve read about them.”
His eyebrows raise. “You have?” He comes over and touches my sleeve. “Your clothes look very comfortable.”
“Oh. These are my pajamas. I’m so sorry. I didn’t have time to get dressed.”
The man with the dark features surveys our group carefully. “It’s interesting timing that all of you should show up. It confirms a big decision I am about to make. I’ve been thinking, praying, and obtaining counsel. Would you like to watch me sign a proclamation?”
He walks over to a hat rack, pulls out a tall top hat, and places it on his head. Kevin goes ballistic.
“It’s YOU! I knew you looked familiar!”
“And I know what you’re about to do!” Casey hits himself in the forehead. “I’ve been studying all about it! This ROCKS, man!”
“Rocks?” The man tilts his head.
“He means,” Zoe says, “that this is a wonderful moment in history.”
He nods. “I never in my life have felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do signing this paper. But not everyone will agree. Our struggles will not end here.”
“Then how can you do it?” Casey comes in closer. “How can you make the decision when you know people will disagree with you?”
Abraham Lincoln sits down at his desk, picks up a pen, and dips it in ink. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
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