by Kim Long
“Yeah,” Lexi said, glancing at her watch. Ron wasn’t saying anything she didn’t know.
“But look. The word, ‘Destination’ isn’t at the top of the page like with the other clues.”
“Huh?”
“Trust me. I’ve been on enough football teams to know that every circle, x, and arrow is there for a reason. I’m telling you, that there’s a word missing means something.”
Lexi stared at the envelope. “You think they gave us all these coordinates to trick us into traveling somewhere we’re not supposed to?”
Ron shook his head. “Not necessarily, though that’s what Mal thought, too.” He flipped over the blue envelope, where Destination No. 4 was scrawled and tapped it with his finger. “Look. The word ‘Destination’ is on the envelope this time instead of the clue. I think that means the envelope by itself might be enough to tell us where we’re supposed to go.”
Lexi considered the clue and then the envelope. Part of her wanted to dismiss Ron’s idea outright and get to plotting the coordinates, but something held her back. This was exactly the type of sneaky thing the tournament directors would do to throw off teams. Maybe Ron was onto something.
“Was anything written on the other envelopes?” she asked.
“Nope. They were blank.”
“Okay,” Lexi said. “So maybe it is the actual envelope and we only plot points if we can’t figure it out. Did you guys find anything about where it could be?”
Ron sighed. “Unfortunately no. We both looked for small writing, but didn’t see anything other than ‘Destination Number Four.’ Mal even snapped a photo and downloaded it to the computer. She zoomed in and checked with her fancy photography program, but she didn’t find anything, either. We were wondering if there were any other papers inside.”
“No, just the clue and the map.”
“Hmph.” Ron held the blue envelope up to the light. “I still don’t see anything.”
Lexi extended her hand. “Let me look.” She flipped the envelope a hundred different ways, but didn’t see anything, either.
Ron examined the inside of the envelope again, then turned it upside down and shook. Nothing fell out. “I don’t know.”
Lexi grabbed the envelope. “Let’s implement a scientific approach. We’ll go step-by-step. How’s this envelope different from the other ones?”
Ron pinched a corner of the envelope. “For starters, it’s blue.”
“Right.” Lexi flipped it over. “And it has ‘Destination Number Four’ on the back.”
After neither spoke in the following seconds, both grinned. “I think we already established those things,” Ron said. “You’re the one that got the envelope at the museum. Was there anything unusual about it?”
Lexi fiddled with the envelope, pressing it between her hands. The top bent back and grazed against her chest, exposing the white adhesive tape. With a flourish, she set the envelope across her legs.
“This,” she said excitedly, tapping the adhesive tape across the top. “This is different. I didn’t have to rip open the envelope to pull out the clue. This envelope was never sealed.”
Gasping, Ron reached for the adhesive tape, but then retracted his hand at the last second. “Go ahead. You do it.”
With trembling fingers, Lexi gripped a corner of the seal and peeled off the tape.
GO HERE
“You have got to be kidding me!” she said.
“Oh my gosh!” Ron whispered.
“The Eiffel Tower!” Lexi added with a laugh. A few seconds later, she added, “Mal’s gonna be mad.”
“Nice going!” Ron said, holding the envelope up to his eyes. He held out his fist for a congratulatory pound. “Now you don’t have to spend the night plotting points!”
True. Lexi fell back on her cot and covered her face with her hands as relief flooded over her. She’d get some rest after all. Uncovering her face, she stared at Ron, who was still mesmerized by the tiny Eiffel Tower drawing. She sat up and nudged his arm. “You know, it’s a good thing you guys started the clue. I totally would have gone straight to plotting points on the map.”
Ron tilted his head to the side. “Well, I don’t know about that. We already screwed up one puzzle by not reading the whole clue. I’m sure you would have caught it.”
Lexi glanced at the picture again. Ron’s castle screwup was entirely different from this. She had been in a hurry to solve the clue. There’s no way she would have taken the time to notice that the word Destination was missing. Her teammates saved her. Big-time.
Ron rose and gawked at the dining area. “Aw, man, they’re cleaning up. I’m gonna get a final plate. Want anything?”
“No,” Lexi said, pointing to her plate. “I’m good. Thanks.”
As Ron left for the buffet, Lexi sneaked a peek at Haley. She wondered if Haley had plotted all the points or if she had found the hidden picture. It seemed weird she would have told Lexi to work on the coordinates if she knew there was a shortcut.
“They said they’re closing the computer station down in a half hour,” Mal said, interrupting Lexi’s thoughts. She returned her camera to her purse. “You should go now before everyone rushes over.”
“Yeah, okay,” Lexi said. She started walking toward the computers, but stopped. “Oh, hey. Ron and I figured out where we’re going in France.”
“Where?” Mal asked, eyes wide.
“Eiffel Tower.”
“What?!” Mal groaned and flailed onto her cot. “Yuck.”
Giggling, Lexi left a grumbling Mal and walked to an open computer station. She logged into her e-mail account, wondering if her parents had checked in. They were spending the weekend at her grandmother’s farm in upstate Wisconsin, where Internet service was spotty.
She had one new message and clicked on it.
Dear Rental Customer:
We have detected a modification to Tel-Med No. 610116271. Per the rental agreement, no alterations may be made to any rental Tel-Med without permission. At this time, we have no reason to believe the Tel-Med is not functioning properly, but we at Wren Tech take our customers’ safety seriously.
Please report to the nearest Wren Tech store or facility with Tel-Med No. 610116271 so that it may be inspected for defects. If necessary, a substitute Tel-Med will be supplied to you at that time. Please also note that, if at any time, the Tel-Med’s warning features are triggered, the Tel-Med will enter our Critical Protocol, potentially leading to deactivation. Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
John Hardek
Wren Technologies
Lexi stared at the screen, her hands twitching.
It had to be the installation of the tracking and disabling chip. That was the only possible modification. Well, other than the ugly blue RENTAL stamp. Lexi set a finger to her chin. But, like the e-mail said, the Tel-Med was still working. She slid her finger to the Delete key, but hovered over the e-mail for a moment.
Wren Tech stores were everywhere. She undoubtedly could find one—either in Poland or Paris—and have the Tel-Med checked out to be sure. Problem was, if the tournament chip was at fault and they removed it—she’d be out of the tournament. Even worse, Wren Tech could charge her for damaging the medallion! And when she couldn’t pay, they might refuse to replace it. Then, not only would she be out of the tournament, she’d also have to find a way to get back to Wisconsin. Lexi clicked her tongue as she imagined the phone call. “Uh, Mom. I’m stuck in Poland. Can I have airfare home?” She’d be grounded for life for sure.
Lexi deleted the message. No way was she going to let any of that happen. She’d teleported three times since the chip was installed. She’d be fine. She logged off. As she backed from the computer, her chair nicked Dr. Harrison as he’d been walking past. “Oops. Sorry.”
He laughed. “No problem.” Lexi rose, and Dr. Harrison patted her elbow. “So, how’s it going?”
“Great!” Lexi said.
“Good,” Dr. Harrison said. �
��Glad to hear it.” He tapped Lexi’s cap. “You know, the scientists are very impressed with you—leading racers who don’t have the standard science background. It definitely caught their attention.”
Lexi’s jaw dropped. “You mean you talked to the scientists… to Dr. Vogt… about me?”
“Of course.” Dr. Harrison stepped away.
“Even though we’re so far behind?” Lexi called after him.
Dr. Harrison paused and glanced over his shoulder. “Just keep racing, Lexi. Anything can happen.”
Lexi watched Dr. Harrison exit, barely able to keep it together. As soon as he left, she raised her hands to her chest and clapped softly, but excitedly. The scientists—Dr. Vogt—knew who she was!
Yeah, on the team in 25th place.
Lexi halted her celebration. If she had any shot of winning, she had to get her team together. She slid into her cot, stretched out, and gazed at the ceiling. Tomorrow would be different. No misread clues, lost Tel-Meds, or goofing around with swag or photos. It was time for Team RAM to make its move.
CHAPTER TEN
After breakfast the next morning, Team RAM took its place in line to teleport to Paris. Due to overbooking of the telepods at the station, the start of the race had been postponed to 9:00 a.m. so the teams could leave one right after the other.
As they waited their turn, Lexi rubbed the logo on her Brewers cap for luck and turned to her teammates. “You know, this is already a good sign. If they had let some of the teams leave at seven a.m. and then made us wait for traffic to clear, we’d be really behind. Now, we’ll all be together—for a little bit, at least.”
“Yeah… at the Eiffel Tower.” Ron groaned. “With tons of American tourists. I’m not going to sell anything.”
Mal flipped her ponytail and adjusted the addition to her wardrobe—a steel-gray, fringed poncho. At least jeans (with decent pockets) had replaced the skirt and leggings. “Tell me about it. I’m not going to even bother with photos.”
Lexi smiled at her gloomy teammates. This was exactly what she needed to hear. Things were already looking up!
Ron stretched. “I wonder if I have time to run back and grab another bagel. My energy is seriously low this morning.”
Mal yawned. “Me too.”
Lexi couldn’t help it. She yawned, too. “Yeah, I know. It’s because of the time change.” She checked her watch. “Right now it’s around nine a.m. here, so it’s two a.m. back home.”
“No wonder I had a hard time sleeping,” Ron said. “It was like I was tired, but couldn’t get comfy.”
“What time is it in Paris?” Mal asked.
“Same as here.”
“Good. Maybe our bodies will get used to it,” Ron said. He backed out of line and did a few jumping jacks. “I’ll get the blood flowing. I’m sure once we get started, we’ll feel better.”
The line moved, and Team RAM reached the telepod. They landed in France and let Mal loose at the counter to impress everyone with her fluent French. Sure enough, they checked in quickly.
Mal ripped open the envelope and slid out the clue. “Holy cow! We get to skip the Eiffel Tower!”
“What?” Ron said. “Awesome, but why?”
Mal tipped her head toward Lexi. “Because of you.” She flashed a piece of paper to her teammates.
Congratulations!
You solved the Madame Curie worksheet correctly. You may skip the Eiffel Tower puzzle and proceed directly to:
VERSAILLES
“Wait. Is that right?” Ron wondered. He shuffled through his pack and pulled out the Kraków clue.
Did you choose the correct answer? MAYBE YES, MAYBE NO. If not, you’ll be told at your next destination and given another chance to get it right along with another puzzle to solve. If your answer was correct, you’ll proceed directly to the next stop.
“Hey, yeah,” he said. “It says right here that if you get the right answer, you’ll be able to skip this stop.” He gave Lexi’s shoulder a light fist pound. “Way to go, Magill.”
Lexi thought back to her worksheet. It seemed like she had completed it ages ago. She glanced at the check-in counter. A tournament monitor had shooed the Stargazers to the side and was handing them a blank copy of the worksheet. Their calculation must have been wrong.
“I wonder how many other teams got it right,” Lexi said. Probably a lot. It was a science problem after all. But at least they vaulted over one team.
Mal nudged her teammates to the exit.
Lexi halted. “Wait. What are you doing? Should we ask someone how to get there?”
Mal didn’t slow. “I already know. We take the train. I was on it a few times with my parents. It’s right across the bridge.”
As Team RAM waited on the platform for the train, Ron tapped the clue. “The city on here, this Ver-sail-es—it’s pronounced Ver-sigh? Have you been there?”
“Yep. It’s King Louis the Fourteenth’s palace.”
“Great,” Ron said. “Another puzzle involving a king and a castle.”
Lexi and Mal laughed. “Don’t worry,” Mal said. “I think we’re experts by now!”
Twenty minutes later, Team RAM exited the train at Versailles with a horde of teams and tourists. Signs everywhere identified how to get to the palace, and they followed the massive group down the tree-lined corridor of shops and residences.
“Hey, hey!” Ron shouted. “Another McDonald’s!”
“Later,” Mal said, yanking Ron’s elbow before he could cross the street.
“Yeah, look!” Lexi said, pointing to a white stone barrier at the end of the road. “That must be it. Everyone’s going in.”
Team RAM scurried forward and through a tall golden gate topped with a crown and elaborate swirls. The palace before her was immense—the size of several city blocks. Made of red brick and stone columns with gold embellishments decorating the roof and balconies, there were so many arched windows, rectangular windows, yellow-framed windows that Lexi couldn’t count. It was like nothing she had seen before. She couldn’t imagine how the interior looked. This thing was huge—it had to be larger than the castles in Germany.
They hustled to the tournament booth and grabbed the clue.
DESTINATION NO. 5
Welcome to the Château de Versailles!
Proceed to the back of the palace to the gardens of Versailles, where the Labyrinthe de Versailles, also known as the Versailles Fable Maze, awaits!
The original hedge maze contained over three hundred animal statues and thirty-nine fountains, which portrayed fables as told by Aesop. This reconstructed maze follows a similar design, but is much smaller in scale. The goal is not to find a way out, but to assemble clues located among thirty-nine statues to figure out your next destination.
YES! You may find yourselves going in circles!
YES! You may feel frustrated!
But remember, success often comes after many failures.
Now for a hint:
You don’t have to visit all thirty-nine statues in the labyrinth! Thirteen of the thirty-nine statues have all the information you need to determine your next destination. But which thirteen should you visit? We think you can figure it out. You’ve collected all of the information you need to do so! Good luck, and enjoy your time in the gardens!
*** YOU ARE REQUIRED TO STAY WITH YOUR TEAMMATES WHEN YOU ARE IN THE MAZE. YOU MUST VISIT THE STATUES TOGETHER AS A TEAM. IF YOU SPLIT UP, YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.
“Hmph,” Ron said, sticking his hand into the envelope. “Let’s see what else they gave us.” He slid the rest of the envelope’s contents into his hand. A Trek Tracker sticker with a picture of a mouse fluttered to the ground, and Lexi snatched it up.
“There’s a map in here. And some kind of list,” he said as Lexi slid the sticker into her notebook.
“Wow,” Mal said, finishing the clue. “We have to visit thirty-nine statues and then decode all the clues? This is going to take a while.”
Ron raised his eyes from the clue
and sighed. “For sure.”
Mal glanced at their surroundings and fiddled with her camera. “At least it’s a beautiful garden.” She snapped a photo.
Nodding, Ron turned in a circle and shifted his backpack.
Lexi held her breath. A lot of people were coming through the gate. She couldn’t let Ron drop everything and start selling. They had to stay focused.
“They’ve done this before,” she said.
“Huh?” Ron spinned to face her.
Lexi swallowed hard. “On Day Two—usually a Sunday—they make a longer, weirder puzzle. One time it was in a zoo.”
“A zoo?” Mal laughed. “Really?”
“Yeah. But at least it’s different, and if you look at it, it’s not science-y. I bet it’ll throw a bunch of teams offtrack. If we figure it out fast, we can probably make up some time.”
Ron rubbed his jaw. “You don’t say?”
“I do like fairy tales,” Mal said. “And fables. Or folk tales.” She giggled. “Well, you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, me too,” Lexi said.
“Okay,” Ron said. “Let’s go.”
Team RAM followed the stone path, maneuvering through fountains, ornamental statues, and pruned greenery on the way to the maze’s entrance. Mal stopped for a few seconds once or twice to snap a photo, but Ron didn’t make a move to sell swag, so Lexi held her tongue and marched forward.
As they turned a corner, a plaza came into view. Several teams huddled around benches at its borders, seemingly working on the puzzle. The hedge maze stood straight ahead, and Lexi glimpsed three black shirts running toward the entrance, which was guarded by tournament monitors.
“Over here,” Ron said, pointing to a shady area under a tree. “Let’s take a look at what we’re supposed to do.”
Starting with the map of the maze, Ron placed the papers on the ground. Right away, Lexi could see why the clue said that the goal wasn’t to find a way out of the maze. There were hardly any dead ends. Instead, a path would fork into two, with each path going for some distance before forking again or rejoining a previous trail. Any path taken would, for the most part, eventually twist its way to the exit.