by P. J. Hoover
“How old was she?” Iva asked, stopping mid-bite.
“If I had to guess, I’d say twenty five,” Benjamin said. “But she acted older than that.”
“The High Oracle looked young also,” Iva said. “I think when women are really good at telegnosis they stay young and live a really long time.”
“What about men?” Benjamin asked.
“I don’t think there’ve been enough men good at it to make a study,” Iva replied. “Anyway, we better get going.”
Benjamin headed off to the second floor and Iva to the sixth. Jack joined Benjamin on the way up the stairs.
“So, what do you think I’ll have to do?” Benjamin asked Jack. “Grow a new limb on a rat? Dissect a frog?”
“Maybe you’ll have to grow a third eyeball in the center of your forehead,” Jack said. “They say the third eye can see everything.”
“Yeah, well, thank you very much, but I don’t really want a third eye. Anyway, I didn’t see Andy or Gary walking around with a new eyeball,” Benjamin said. Jack transferred the keys, and Benjamin headed toward the room.
“Hey, break a leg,” Jack called out to Benjamin.
Benjamin walked through the door and turned to close the door behind him. He turned back around and immediately fell into a large hole about four yards deep. The cry of pain he let out surprised even him.
Amidst his anguish, Benjamin heard the slow footsteps of someone approaching the pit. An old woman looked down at him.
“Oh, my, are you hurt, Benjamin Holt?” she asked.
Benjamin looked down at his right leg which was twisted at an odd angle. By now the pain had become so intense it was all Benjamin could think about. He didn’t even care how he did on his Science Ability Test at this point. He just needed some medical attention.
“I…think…I…broke…my…leg,” Benjamin managed to get out between grunts. There were small tears in the corners of his eyes, but he did his best not to cry. Benjamin had never before broken a bone in his body, and it really hurt.
“Oh, wonderful,” the grader said. “A broken leg. Excellent.”
“Wonderful? Excellent?” Benjamin nearly screamed back at her.
“Oh, yes,” the grader replied. “The last student I tested only broke her arm.”
“Oh … is that all?” Benjamin growled in reply.
“Unfortunately, yes, that is all.” The grader turned and began to walk away, back to the front of the room.
“Where are you going?” Benjamin said between gritted teeth.
“Why, back to the front desk of course,” the grader replied.
“But what about me?” Benjamin asked, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice.
“Oh, yes, please heal your injuries and you will be free to go,” she said. She sat down, picked up a partially completed sweater and some knitting needles and began to knit.
Benjamin stared at her, unable to believe what he was seeing. Was she serious? Heal his injuries? Heal a broken leg, the tibia bone and possibly the fibula too? But though it took him the better part of the two hours, Benjamin proudly but angrily succeeded in doing just that.
After his Science Ability Test, the written lectures exam felt like a piece of cake. Benjamin walked out of the sixth floor classroom with Heidi, Iva, Andy, and Gary.
“Did you get the question about what solar system produced a famous meteorite that landed in Tibet?” Gary asked.
“Yeah, we all better have gotten that one,” Andy said.
“I liked the question about what was the perfect genetically engineered species,” Heidi said.
They joined Jack on the bench outside the classroom. “They really asked that?” Jack asked. “Did you get it right?”
“I didn’t have either of those questions on my exam,” Iva said.
“There must have been different tests given out,” Andy said.
“Well, why did I have to get a harder one?” Iva asked. “I had to draw out the orbits of all the planets.”
“What’s so hard about that?” Gary asked. “That was on my test too.”
Iva rolled her eyes in reply.
“So, tomorrow’s the last day of Ability Tests,” Heidi said. “I only have Science left, and I mean, how hard could that be?”
Benjamin’s leg started hurting when she said it, but he decided to keep his mouth shut.
“I have science also,” Iva said. “In the morning, so I’ll be done by lunch.” As it turned out, everyone except Benjamin had morning exams on Friday.
“We could go visit Morpheus Midas in the afternoon,” Heidi suggested.
Benjamin glared at her.
“Well, why should we sit around doing nothing just because you have Telekinesis in the afternoon?” she asked.
“Because you should feel sorry for me, that’s why,” Benjamin said.
“We can all have dinner together,” Iva suggested. “We should be back by six o’clock. What time do you get out of your test?”
Benjamin snarled. “Not until five,” he said.
“Yeah, and telekinesis lasts the whole time,” Andy said. “Don’t expect to get out early.”
“You’re not making me feel any better,” Benjamin said.
“Well, at least you get to sleep in,” Heidi said. “I mean, my science test starts at nine o’clock.”
“Yeah, well, break a leg,” Benjamin replied.
Benjamin and Jack found room fifty five on the third floor. Just as Benjamin felt the weight of the keys leave his pocket, Ryan Jordan rounded the corner; he stopped when he saw Benjamin and the small Nogical sitting on the bench in the hallway.
“Hi,” Ryan sneered it more than said it.
“Hi,” Benjamin replied back.
“Did you bring your pet along to help you cheat,” Ryan asked, nodding his head toward Jack.
“Unlike some people, I don’t need to cheat,” Benjamin replied. “Have you stolen any more pizza from Julie Macfarlane lately?” he asked.
“I know you did that,” Ryan replied. “You think that just because you can teleport a marble it makes you special.”
Benjamin remembered what Heidi had said about Ryan still liking Iva. “Iva seems to think it makes me special,” he said.
Ryan sneered in reply. “I have no idea why she hangs out with you and your dorky friends. I’ve never seen such a pack of losers.”
“If we’re such losers, then why are you always losing to me and Andy in Kinesis Combat?” Benjamin asked.
“I could take on you and your buddy Andy together,” Ryan bragged.
“You could take us on, but there’s no way you could win,” Benjamin said.
“That’s because you always have the Nogical helping you cheat,” Ryan said. He turned to room fifty-four and walked in. The door slammed behind him.
“He’s still mad about Iva,” Benjamin said.
“Yeah, but he also knows something else is going on,” Jack said.
“You think so?” Benjamin asked.
“Absolutely,” Jack replied.
“He and Jonathan always listen in on our conversations,” Benjamin said. “Or at least they try.”
“Just watch what you think,” Jack said.
Benjamin shook his head, trying to clear it of any thoughts of Ryan Jordan, Iva Marinina, or the Alliance. “So you’ll be waiting for me after the exam, right?”
“Of course. Haven’t I waited during every exam?” Jack asked.
“Yeah, you have. I guess I’m just starting to get uneasy,” Benjamin said. “I mean, Iva has me all paranoid about making sure we find the last key soon.”
“Good. One of you guys should be paranoid,” Jack said. “I’ll keep my eyes and ears open.”
Benjamin got up from the bench and headed for room fifty-five. He walked in, and, as with Ryan, the door slammed behind him.
The two hours were excruciatingly hard work. Every object in the room came flying randomly at Benjamin just when he would let his guard down. He had bruises on his arms and legs, and
his hand was cut where some scissors had hit him. Scissors and telekinesis! What was this grader thinking?
Every five minutes, the grader challenged Benjamin to a telekinetic dual. Benjamin knew the grader wasn’t using his entire strength each time; however, each duel became harder. Benjamin wasn’t sure if this was a result of his mind being more sluggish with each challenge, or a result of the grader increasing the strength he used each time. Whatever it was, by the time the grader announced the exam over and disappeared, Benjamin hardly even cared.
He remained sitting for nearly five minutes, trying to regain some of his mental strength. He was beat. Yet as he sat there, he smiled. Two hours of telekinesis was nothing to scoff at. What would Derrick and Douglas think? Actually, how would they have done? Benjamin thought that the two of them together could easily have done as well as Benjamin himself.
Thinking of the twin boys made Benjamin realize how much he missed his family. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small toy car they’d given him. In just a couple days, he’d be able to return it to his brothers. Since the fountain experience in Xanadu, he’d thought of his siblings constantly. He looked forward to returning to Virginia, to the comforts of his own home. He would miss Lemuria and his new friends terribly, but he would see them all again next summer.
He put the police car back into his pocket. Slowly, Benjamin got up and headed toward the door. Well, that was it. No more exams for this year. He opened the door, looked out at the bench, and stopped in his tracks. Jack was nowhere to be found.
CHAPTER 31
Benjamin Loses the Keys
Benjamin stared in disbelief at the empty bench in front of him. He looked left. He looked right. He looked up. Benjamin even got down on all fours and looked under the bench. The Nogical was nowhere. The hallway was totally empty in fact. Benjamin’s heart began to race as he thought of the precious keys the Nogical had stored inside his mind. Had Jack decided to take the keys? Had someone come and kidnapped him? Every thought possible went through his head. He tried communicating with Jack through telepathy, but got no reply.
Benjamin started pacing in the hallway, not sure what to do. Jack had to be around somewhere. Or else maybe he’d had to go run an errand or something. That was it. There’s just no way Jack would have left without an excellent reason. Benjamin walked all the way to the end of the hallway. Just as he walked back to the bench, the door to room fifty-four opened, and Ryan stepped out. He stopped when he saw Benjamin.
“Man, what are you doing?” Ryan asked. “Isn’t your exam over?” Ryan followed Benjamin’s gaze down the empty hallway. “Are you waiting for someone or something?”
“Uh, no,” Benjamin replied. “I’m just resting for a minute.”
“Was the exam a little too hard for you?” Ryan asked.
“Oh, no, it was actually pretty easy,” Benjamin replied. Even with Jack missing, he didn’t want to give Ryan an inch.
“Well, you probably had an easy grader,” Ryan said. “I’ve heard that some of the graders are much harder than others. I had a really tough grader, but I still think I did great,” Ryan boasted.
“Yeah, I’m sure you did,” Benjamin said.
“Well, good then. You won’t be too upset then when I skip a few years of telekinesis and you’re only in year two of it. I’m sure your friends Gary and Heidi will probably have to repeat first year,” Ryan said and walked off.
Benjamin didn’t even bother responding. All he could think about were the missing Nogical and the missing keys. Where could Jack be? Benjamin thought about it a while longer, but then figured he might as well go down and meet the others for dinner. Jack would be sure to turn up in a few minutes, and he’d know to find Benjamin in the dining hall.
Benjamin took his time walking to the dining hall, hoping that Jack would suddenly appear and explain where he’d been. By the time he got there, a half hour had passed since the end of his exam, and Jack was still missing. Sweat broke out on Benjamin’s forehead, but did his best to keep his worrying under control. Apparently, though, the Alliance bond had other ideas, betraying him almost immediately.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Andy asked after one look at Benjamin.
“Oh, nothing,” Benjamin said.
“No, really,” Andy persisted. “I can tell something’s bothering you.”
Just then Heidi walked in with Iva, and they joined the three boys. Heidi stopped before even sitting down and looked directly at Benjamin. “No way,” she said. “You lost them?”
“I didn’t lose them,” Benjamin said. “Jack has them.”
“But where’s Jack?” she asked. “You don’t know.”
He glared at her.
“Of course I can read your mind,” Heidi said. “And no, I’m not eavesdropping. I mean, it’s exploding with anxiety right now.”
“You really don’t know where the keys are?” Iva asked. “How could you be so careless?”
“Careless,” Benjamin said. “I wasn’t being careless. If anything, I was being very un-careless. I mean careful.”
“So, why don’t you have the keys then?” Iva asked.
“Well, Jack was supposed to be waiting for me at the end of the exam. He’s waited after every one so far, but, when I got out of Telekinesis, I couldn’t find him anywhere,” Benjamin said. “I’m sure he just had to go somewhere for a minute or something.”
“You’re exam was over a half hour ago, wasn’t it?” Iva asked. “So tell me, where is Jack now?”
“I don’t know,” Benjamin admitted, “but I’m sure he’ll turn up.”
Benjamin tried not to think too much about the missing keys during dinner. He had faith that the little Nogical would reappear as soon as he could. Benjamin half-heartedly asked about the afternoon’s visit to see Morpheus Midas.
Gary was on the edge of his seat as he told Benjamin the Ammolite chess set had been sold. “Morpheus didn’t even know who was buying it,” Gary said. “They guy who came in to the store was just an independent buyer, hired by the person making the purchase.”
“Well, it must have been someone with a lot of money,” Heidi said. “That thing wasn’t cheap.”
“You know, I wonder if the guy from the Bangkok Chess Open bought it,” Gary said. “You know—the telegen who beat everyone.”
Iva turned to Gary. “Think about his face again,” she commanded.
“What?”
“The telegen from the chess tournament,” Iva said. “I could kind of see it in your mind. Think about his face again.”
Gary complied, and Benjamin immediately received an image of a man with a full beard and dark hair. It was the man he’d seen in the hallway a couple days before.
“That’s the guy I saw in Fortune City,” Iva replied. “I noticed him watching me just before I was called in to see the High Oracle.”
“The telegen from the chess tournament was in Fortune City?” Gary asked.
“Right,” Iva replied.
“And I saw him on Wednesday before one of my exams,” Benjamin added. “He walked away once I noticed him.”
“So you’re telling me there’s some telegen who just happens to be in Bangkok the same time we are and then just happens to be in Fortune City the same time Iva is,” Gary said. “And that he’s following Benjamin around the school.”
“It doesn’t stop there,” Andy said. “I saw that same guy when we were leaving the map library the other night. You know, the night you and Heidi went on your date to Xanadu.”
Benjamin reached out to hit Andy, but Andy moved out of the way.
“Do you think he could have been the one who trashed our room?” Gary asked. “Do you think he’s the guardian Iva was warned about?”
“I’d say it has a high probability,” Iva replied.
“Morpheus said he thought the guy was from Atlantis,” Gary said. “Remember?”
Andy nodded. “I think we should go back and talk to Morpheus again.”
“When?”
Iva asked. “If you haven’t noticed, we’re running out of time this summer.”
“Maybe tomorrow,” Benjamin said. “It could just all be a coincidence. Anyway, I’m not leaving this school until Jack gets back.” He pushed back his chair and got up from the table. “I’m going back to the room to take a nap. That way when Jack does show up, he’ll know where to find me.”
“Are you sure?” Andy asked. “We’re going to go to the main lecture hall for the holocam they’re showing tonight. A movie might take you’re mind off the keys.”
“No, I’m tired,” Benjamin said. “You guys have fun.”
“Well I’m going to the library to do some more research,” Gary said.
“Really?” Andy asked. “You aren’t going to the holocam either?”
“Great idea, Gary,” Iva said. “I think I’ll join you.”
“You’re going to the library?” Andy’s mouth dropped open with disbelief even as he asked it.
“Count me in, also,” Heidi added.
“But don’t let that stop you from going, Andy,” Iva said.
Andy looked torn for only a moment. “I won’t then,” he said. “It’s supposed to be a really popular one.”
They split off in three different directions—Iva, Heidi, and Gary to the library, Andy to the lecture hall, and Benjamin back to the dormitories.
When Benjamin lay down in his bed at seven o’clock, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. After five hours, his eyes popped open.
“Whoa,” he exclaimed. Jack was directly in front of his face, grinning.
“Bet you thought I wasn’t coming back, didn’t ya?” Jack asked.
“Well, now that you mention it, I was starting to worry,” Benjamin replied.
“You didn’t look too worried here sleeping,” Jack said. “Let’s go out and talk.”
Benjamin got up quietly, trying not to wake Andy and Gary, both of whom were snoring. He crept out of the dorm room, closing the door behind them.
“Okay, Jack, do you want to tell me where you’ve been?” Benjamin asked. “I mean you were supposed to be waiting for me on the bench, right? Or did I get confused? Was it supposed to be seven hours later in the dorms?”