Thunder rolled ominously through the low clouds like a bowling ball down a never-ending alley. Goose bumps raced over her arms when a white fiery vein of lightning hit a Franklin rod on the school’s roof.
“We can’t stand here,” said Anni. “That probably woke half the school.”
Lexi knew Anni was right. They couldn’t stand outside. Together, they picked up the broken lock and used the chain to brace the door shut from the inside. Anni found two flashlights stashed by the door.
Lexi felt safer inside, and her breath steadied once they closed the door. She’d been in the tower hundreds of times and knew it like the back of her hand, but when she flipped on her flashlight, they both got a shock.
Crates stacked upon crates filled the clock tower’s interior. Lexi could only assume that someone must have filled the tower sometime at night, when no one was looking. Only a narrow path led to a spiral stairwell that wound around the perimeter. Their flashlights barely lit the way.
“Anni, who did this?”
“No idea…Let’s go up a floor. Maybe we can see better from there.”
They climbed three flights until they were above the majority of boxes, but even then, there were still more crates stacked on the upper platforms. The girls sat on the wooden floorboards and pointed their flashlights around. No discernible marks explained the ownership of the crates other than a single stamp of the letter M.
“Murdrock,” said Anni, but Lexi wondered privately if it could also stand for Moon.
“Moving in before they even sign. Before the school is even theirs—”
“Anni…” Lexi didn’t want to talk about the Murdrocks buying and taking over Teddy’s school. “When you picked up Mabel’s key, what happened?”
“You didn’t hear it? It sounded like a mix of thunder, and a low…I don’t know, but I’m starting to think you’re right. Someone wanted us to find this. I almost wonder…”
Lexi didn’t realize it until now, but Anni was right when she said us because she never would have gotten this far without her friend. The CUCLOCKEYBEE clue was made in such a way that only Anni would know how to find it. Was this Teddy’s way of telling her that she could trust Anni with her secret? Or was this something worse, like a trap?
Anni turned the key over in her hands. “I don’t get it. How could Teddy set this up? Egbert wouldn’t do it. He doesn’t care enough.”
“Someone else had to do it. It could be Egbert. He’s not that bad.”
Anni rolled her eyes. “That’s because you’re too nice.” She unfastened the chain and put it around her neck. “This key used to clip on the back of Mabel’s locket. She used to tell me it could unlock all kinds of doors and even secrets.”
“Really?” Lexi squirmed. “She said that?”
“Yeah, she did…”
Lexi’s thoughts drifted back to something Teddy had said: “There are secrets, hidden from both you and me, that only Mabel knows. One day, you will know everything; even death can’t stop that.”
“Umm, hello…Earth to Lexi?”
“Oh, sorry.” Lexi wondered if all of this was related to what Teddy had said nine months ago right before he left. He had warned her things would change—something she tried to forget about. Denial had been her best defense up until now.
Anni opened her mouth but was cut short by the grinding of the metal door chain below. She grabbed Lexi’s flashlight and switched it off. Lexi felt her heart start racing again. This time, she thought, they were going to get caught.
Voices drifted up from the clock tower’s door. Lexi froze, grabbing Anni’s shirt.
Slowly, without making a sound, Anni stood up. She tugged Lexi’s arm and they mounted the stairs. Quietly, they climbed another two flights until they were on the topmost platform.
Lights flashed below in broken arches as the mumbled voices faded outside. Sounds of the chain scraped the floor again as the door swung open and closed.
Lexi wanted to turn on her flashlight. She knew there was a door that led to the clock tower’s gear room, but they needed light to find it. Anni must have known it was there, too, because she took Lexi’s hand and, together, they ran their hands over the wall.
Lexi found the door latch first, and they squeezed inside. A blast of warmth hit her face. Anni shut the door behind her and locked it. The gear room was still warm, even though the clock had stopped working.
“Let’s wait here until the storm stops,” said Anni, unfolding a furniture pad on the floor.
“That could take all night,” mumbled Lexi as she scanned the tidy room.
The gear room was filled with massive cogs and pendulums nearly two stories high. Something unexpected caught Lexi’s eye. A small metal disk was laid into the floor beneath the largest pendulum. Almost involuntarily, she moved toward it. “I’ve seen this before…” It wasn’t the disk that drew her, but the engraved symbol on its surface.
Anni joined her. “What is that?”
“I think it’s the last clue. It looks like a bee.”
“Hmmm,” said Anni. “It doesn’t look like a bee to me.”
Lexi lifted the disk from the floor. It came away easily in her hand, but beneath it was a small burlap bundle nestled inside the floorboard. Anni pulled out the small package and untied the twine. Within the burlap was a folded patch of velvet fabric.
Lexi recognized it instantly. “Can I see that?”
Anni handed her a delicate, aubergine cloth. Gold and copper threads poked out of a duplicate embroidered image of the bee that was on the metal disk.
Lexi’s fingers traced the metallic stitching. “I know where I’ve seen this before…” She paused. It was strange, but for some reason it all led back to Mabel. But maybe that was the point! If she explained that this belonged to Mabel, then perhaps Anni might begin to understand why she had to keep her secret. Lexi wasn’t sure, but excitement filled her.
“Okay, so…I’ve seen this before…I’m not saying it’s hers, exactly but…”
“Eggs! Lexi, just say it already.”
“I saw this in Mabel’s room once,” Lexi blurted. “I think it’s a piece of a tapestry she had in her trunk.” Thoughts swirled in Lexi’s head. This was it. This would explain so many things. No! Wait! She couldn’t just tell her. She had to show Anni. That would be better. “I think I know what we’re supposed to do! See, this bee…it means something. You’re not going to believe me if I tell you, but…but if you come with me, I can show you.”
“Okay. Where are we going?”
“Edgewater. Mabel’s apartment.” Elated at the idea of finally being able to tell Anni everything, Lexi said, “It’s hard to explain, but if we leave school now, I can show you.”
“Leave school? I love that idea, but you’re forgetting Egbert lives there. Oh, yeah,” Anni laughed. “And I kind of promised a flying rat that I wouldn’t leave the school.”
“Wait…” It felt as if all her relief and happiness was draining away. “You what?”
“Yeah, it’s possible I’m going crazy.” Anni laughed. “When I was looking for you this morning, I imagined a flying rat told me not to leave school, oh, yeah, and he said he delivered a message to you. I forgot to tell you because of the doll and everything.”
“A rat told you to not leave school, and he delivered a message to me?”
Anni smiled and nodded mischievously. “I know…cuckoo, right?”
Lexi shot her a nervous smile. This wasn’t where she wanted to start, with a description about Brat—about what he was. How could she explain that without telling Anni everything else? The fact that she was avoiding talking about it made her feel like a liar.
“Anyhoo…when should we leave? We’ll need to be careful and not get caught. Can you imagine the trouble we’d be in?” Anni laughed. “It sounds like the kind of thing I’d do anyway, so I’ll take the blame if we do.”
Lexi only half-heard what Anni said, but she caught the last bit. There was no hesitation in her voice when s
he said, “No.” Enough was enough. They were going to Mabel’s tonight. Egbert or not, Lexi decided this was her chance to be brave like Anni and show her the things she knew were hidden inside Mabel’s apartment. At least that would help her start the conversation. The rain outside stopped, and the room fell eerily silent as she continued, “Anni. Promise me. If we get in trouble, you have to say it was my idea.”
“What? I get in trouble every day. I’m used to it. What’s another—”
“No. If you don’t agree, then we aren’t going.”
Someone didn’t want Anni to leave the school, but who? Running down the street to Mabel’s didn’t really count; it was only five buildings away. Even if Egbert was there, his room was at the other end of the hallway, and he had left everything in Mabel’s room exactly the way she left it three years ago. Lexi knew this because she saw it herself.
“Lexi, come on.”
“No.” Lexi was firm. “I’m serious. Swear on Mabel’s key that you’ll let me take it.”
“Ugh, fine.” Anni pulled out the key, held it up, and said, “I swear, on this key, that, even though I don’t like it, I’ll let you take the blame. Happy? Can we go now?”
“I don’t have pockets.” Lexi handed Anni the velvet cloth. “Hold on to this. Keep it safe,” she said, buying herself a second because talk was a lot easier than action. “Let’s go.”
Anni beamed. “Awesome!” She stashed the cloth in her pocket.
Together they slipped out of the gear room and headed down the corkscrew stairs. They carefully opened the tower’s main door and stared across the school grounds.
BONG! The clock tower rang and echoed across the night sky.
Both girls jumped.
Then they screamed.
A PROMISE MADE
“Don’t move a muscle,” said Rufous Finnegan. “You’re not getting away with this.” He walked around one side of the clock tower and into view.
“Eggs,” Anni muttered as she folded her arms. Lexi trembled beside her.
“It’s my fault,” said Lexi. “I wanted to come out here, not Anni.”
Anni shifted her weight. She knew Finnegan wouldn’t believe her.
“Sure it was,” said Finnegan. “And flying unicorns exist, too.”
“It was,” said Lexi. “I wanted to see why the tower was locked. Anni begged me not to come out in the rain.”
“Whatever,” said Finnegan. He pushed the clock tower door back in place and picked up the broken chain. “This’ll need a new lock. There’s important stuff in there.”
“Yeah,” said Anni. “Whose boxes—”
“None of your beeswax,” Finnegan barked. “You two follow me.”
Anni tried to lag behind so she could speak with Lexi privately, but Lexi kept pace with Finnegan, who kept cursing under his breath about having to fix the lock that night.
“What are you doing?” whispered Anni.
“Shush,” Lexi whispered back and sped up.
Rain slapped Anni’s face. Her mind was awash with conflict; she knew what she had promised, but that was before they got caught. Lexi looked a bit annoyed, but also like she might burst into tears. Surely she couldn’t think that anyone would believe her. It was silly, stupid even, considering Anni’s own track record. But still, Anni regretted her promise even more because she was about to disappoint Lexi by breaking it.
“Hurry up, you two!”
BOOM.
Thunder rolled through the gray sky as lightning highlighted the clouds in the distance. The rain fell harder once they reached Waterstone Academy’s front door.
The foyer was dark and, if it was possible, the halls were colder inside than out. Finnegan made them take off their mud-caked shoes before he escorted them to two separate seats by the Headmistress’s office. Cold seeped up through the stone floors into Anni’s socks and chilled her all over.
Anni was ushered to a frigid metal bench next to the Headmistress’s door and across from a huge statue of the school’s founder, H. S. Waterstone. Finnegan deliberately made Lexi sit in the hall on a tufted chair, facing away from her best friend. Anni shivered, mulling over the events. The way she saw it, she was the instigator, and for once in Finnegan the Minion’s life, he was right: she had convinced Lexi to follow the clues.
Even if anyone else believed Lexi, there was no way Egbert would. Relief started to take root in her mind. Anni folded her arms and assuredly reclined against the metal bench.
BOOM!
“Goodness, listen to that,” said Vivian Sugar, exiting the Headmistress’s office and rubbing her folded arms for warmth. “It’s getting worse out there.” She looked between Anni and Lexi. “I’m relieved you are both safe. The Headmistress was beside herself when she discovered you were out there in that thunderstorm.”
Quickened footsteps clattered down the hall accompanied by huffing, puffing, and the smallest tinkling of bells. “Hallo, hallo. Running late, but I’m here, I’m here at last. Bertie couldn’t make it—out of town, you know, that sort of thing. No matter.”
Within seconds, a short, plump woman stopped before Vivian and smiled at her as if they were long lost friends. She stared at Vivian. Vivian stared back with a polite smile. “Oh bother, so sorry. I’m Zelda, Zelda Scurryfunge, Bertie’s—I mean Egbert’s—relation. Charity called me in Bertie’s stead—I mean, Egbert wasn’t available on such short notice.”
“Hello, Zelda. How nice to meet you. I’m Miss Sugar, Waterstone’s school counselor.” She extended her hand to the frazzled-looking Zelda. “Funny,” she continued after a second’s pause, “has anyone ever told you that you look an awful lot like that mystic on the Internet? What’s her name? Dahlia, something…Dahlia Sunshine, yes that’s it! You could pass as her twin sister. They do say we all have twins out there in the world.”
“Ah, uh. Well, ah, I’m afraid I don’t know her. Nope, nope, no relation, I’m afraid. It’s just me, Zelda…Zelda Scurryfunge. You know, I help Egbert with the girls from time to time. Helping them with things, girl things.” Zelda laughed and looked anxiously at Anni. “Anni? Is that you? Goodness, what did you do to all your long, curly hair?”
“I cut it.” Anni didn’t want to say she had tried to copy Vivian’s hairstyle out loud.
“Hallo, Lexi.” Zelda smiled. “So, is Charity here yet?”
Another cold wave of blue light coursed through the black halls.
BOOM. CRACK.
“She’s waiting for you. Inside,” said Finnegan.
Zelda jumped as if Finnegan had surprised her. Then she stared at him as if part of her brain had short-circuited.
“Egbert’s not coming?” asked Anni.
“No such luck,” said Finnegan. “He wants to talk to you first thing in the morning.”
“It was my idea,” said Lexi.
Finnegan sneered. “I’m sure it was.”
“Oh Finnegan, let the girl tell her side! Anyway, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be guarding a gate or something?” asked Zelda.
“No. I’ll be in the meeting, too.”
Anni’s mouth went dry. No Egbert. This wasn’t possible.
“Nice to meet you, Vivian,” said Zelda. “I’ll just nip inside, then.”
Finnegan opened the door for Zelda, closed it behind her, and leaned against it, staring at Anni the entire time.
Vivian traded glances between Anni and Lexi and finally said, “All right, you two. Who’s willing to tell me what is really going on? Should I be concerned?”
“Let me explain,” said Finnegan. “They were caught running across the grounds in an electric storm past midnight and vandalizing school property. I think that about sums it up. Isn’t that right, Lexi?”
Anni hated how he was taunting her, like it was unimaginable for Lexi to come up with an original idea.
“Rufous,” said Vivian with a deep exhale. “I think I’ve got this. Why don’t you join the Headmistress and Ms. Scurryfunge? I’d really appreciate a moment alone with the girls.�
�
And this was exactly why Anni liked Vivian, unlike the rest of Waterstone’s staff.
Finnegan glared at Vivian before he went back inside the Headmistress’s office, but the door didn’t close all the way. When Vivian went to speak with Lexi, Anni peered through the crack in the door. She heard Zelda say, “Charity, you really don’t look well.” The Headmistress took a bottle from her desk drawer, put two drops of a mint-green liquid into a glass of water, and swallowed it. Her face went from a near-white pallor to an instantly flushed and healthy hue.
It almost looked exactly like the same medicine Lexi took because of the way it glowed phosphorescent within the water, like it was alive. It probably wouldn’t have caught Anni’s attention, but years ago, she got very sick when she tried Lexi’s medicine. Mabel made her promise she would never do it again because it was specially made for Lexi’s asthma, even though she never saw Lexi have trouble breathing.
“Anni?”
BOOM! CRACKLE! BOOM!
Anni flinched as an electric flash of blue light filled the halls and lit the grounds.
Vivian sat beside her. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m especially glad you’re not out there right now, but can I ask what was so urgent that you couldn’t wait until morning?”
Just then, Finnegan opened the door. “Lexi, the Headmistress would like a word.”
As Lexi passed them on her way into the office, she shot Anni a concerned look.
Anni desperately wished she could read Lexi’s mind at that moment, because then she would know what to do. Aside from Lexi, Vivian was the only other person Anni confided in. She was the only adult at school who was nice to her and listened without judgment. Now that they were finally alone, this was her chance to tell the truth, this was the moment to do it, before things got out of hand, before Lexi got into more trouble.
“Anni,” said Vivian gently, “you must be freezing.” She tucked a warm blanket around Anni’s shoulders. “I don’t want to get between you girls, but if there’s something you want to say…”
Whether it was the blanket or Vivian’s reassuring arm wrapped around her cold shoulders, warmth radiated into the marrow of Anni’s bones; she felt like a puddle of melted butter. The truth was, Vivian’s tenderness reminded Anni of Mabel, and right at that moment she was missing Mabel so acutely that her chest physically hurt.
Anni Moon & The Elemental Artifact: An Elemental Fantasy Adventure Series: Book For Kids Ages 9-12 (Anni Moon Series) Page 4