“So you’ve heard about it already.” Albert’s dad laughed. “But Albert—I need to hear you promise you won’t say anything about the Core, for everyone’s safety.”
Albert fidgeted. Keeping the secret from his siblings would be fine, but from his mom?
His dad shifted on the rock again. “You know, Albert, it’s strange, having you here. I’ve been waiting for years. I suspected you’d gotten the Balance Keeper gene when I caught you at the top of the stairs just a few days after you’d learned to crawl. You were always a great adventurer.”
“How did you know for sure that I would be a Balance Keeper?” Albert asked.
“The Path Hider has dreams; he sees faces and names. He came to me the moment he discovered you were destined. You were maybe five years old. Then it was just a matter of waiting until you were the right age.”
Albert smiled at that. All those summers he had sorted mail, his dad had known he was destined for something special. It made him feel significant, part of something bigger than himself. Instantly, he knew he could protect the Core’s secrets.
“I promise I won’t tell anyone, Dad. I couldn’t. Not if I’m going to be a professor like you someday.”
He felt his dad’s hand on his shoulder. “That’s the spirit, Albert. You’ll be the greatest Balance Keeper I’ve ever known. I can feel it!”
“Thanks, Dad,” Albert said. He felt the weight of his Tile around his neck. He was more determined than ever to harness its power, and discover for real what it could do. He was going to succeed here, if it took everything in him to do it.
“Someday, when you’re ready, I’ll get to show you my Realm,” his dad said. “You’re going to love it.”
“I can’t wait!” Albert replied, thinking about the adventures they would have together. He would get some one-on-one time with his dad and be something great. Did it get any better than this?
The next morning was Saturday—the only day off in the Core. Albert met Birdie and Leroy in the Main Chamber.
“It’s totally humiliating,” Birdie was saying to Leroy, as Albert approached. “Hoyt’s out of control.”
“He’s just a bully,” Leroy said. “The best thing we can do is ignore him.”
“No, the best thing we can do is kick him in his smug little face,” Birdie growled.
“What happened?” Albert asked.
“Hoyt got a little creative last night, apparently.” She sighed, and pointed at Leroy’s Hydra shirt. Someone had taken a pen to it and written the word stinks right below Hydra.
Albert gritted his teeth. “Did you do anything about it?”
Birdie nodded. “I told Leroy I wanted to give the guy a piece of my mind. A piece of my fist, actually, but . . .”
“It will only make it worse,” Leroy said. “I’ve dealt with lots of bullies before. Back home.” He looked down at his toes, embarrassed. Albert couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to pick on a guy as nice as Leroy.
Hoyt’s bullying had just been with words until now. This was something different. He was crossing the line. Albert forced himself to stay calm. “Tomorrow we’ll prove Hoyt wrong about us.”
They walked farther into the Main Chamber. There were some kids playing diving games in the river. Core Creators, the adults who made all sorts of goodies that could be purchased in the Core Canteen, were letting other kids test out some sort of new paper airplane that shot little balls of fire. An orange-and-black CoreFish swam past in the river, letting everyone take rides on its back. There was a lot to do here, but Albert had heard the Library was the place to be in the off-hours, so they moved on.
The Library was three stories high, with rows and rows of dusty, old books. A rocky tower stood in the center, where kids and adults climbed up and down, challenging one another to reach different platforms first. Off to the left, there were two zip lines where some of the Balance Keepers were lined up to race one another. Albert waved to the Ecco boy, James, and was pleased to see that he looked like he had recovered from his run-in with the Jackalope. Maybe that meant they’d go up against Ecco instead of Argon in the next simulation.
“I’m calculating fifty-seven things to do, in this room alone,” Leroy said. He wandered off toward the rows of bookshelves, but Albert’s mind was still on his conversation with his dad from last night.
“Come on.” He waved Birdie along with him, across the library.
The Core Phone Booth was nothing more than a hole carved into the wall. An antique device hung in the corner, larger than Albert’s torso. “What happened to cell phones?” Albert asked.
“I saw this in a museum once. It’s, like, an original phone,” Birdie said.
Albert pulled the Medallion Hoyt had thrown away out of his pocket and pressed it into a little slot in the cave wall, right beside the copper phone.
“Hold this to your ear,” Birdie said. She helped Albert figure out the weird phone, and that was when he heard a voice speaking to him.
“Recipient of your message, please?”
Albert recognized the voice. The Path Hider.
“Hey! It’s me, Albert,” Albert said. “Um . . . What’s up?”
There was static on the other end of the line, then the cranking of gears. Albert imagined the Path Hider down in his room of pipes and gears, hiding the paths to the Core. “Who is this?”
“I delivered you a letter a few days ago, remember? Albert Flynn?”
“Ah, the sneaky boy who opened my envelope,” the Path Hider said. It sounded like he was talking into a tin can. “Never mind that. Who would you like to call? Your Medallion gets you three minutes.”
“My mom, in New York City.”
Albert thought he heard the hiss of steam on the other end of the line, then the cranking of more gears. He gave the Path Hider the number.
“Just a moment,” the Path Hider said.
In seconds, the phone started ringing.
Albert’s mom answered. “Hello?”
“Mom! It’s me! Are you okay?” Albert was so happy to hear her voice.
“Hey! Everything’s . . . fine. Just fine. How’s my champ doing out there in Herman?” his mom asked.
Albert smiled. “I’m great, Mom. Herm—it’s great here.” It didn’t feel right to flat-out lie.
“Are you taking showers? Brushing your teeth twice a day?”
“Oh yeah, of course I am,” Albert said, glad that Birdie couldn’t hear how embarrassing the call was becoming. “Listen, Mom, I heard about the ash falling. Are you guys okay?”
In the background, Albert’s little half sister was singing at the top of her lungs. She sounded like a squawking bird that had just had its tail feathers plucked out.
“It’s a little gloomy, if you want to know the truth,” Albert’s mom said. “They say it will clear away as soon as we get some wind coming through the city. I’m sure it’s not a big deal. Just enjoy yourself—especially that clean air—and I’ll let your dad know if things get too smoggy over here.”
Albert could tell his mom was trying not to worry him. She had a way of making things seem better than they really were, for his sake.
Now Albert’s little brother started wailing in the background.
“I have to go, honey. Make sure you’re wearing clean clothes, and eating all your vegetables. Tell your father hello for me, and be sure to make your bed. . . .”
Her voice cut off suddenly.
“Please insert another Medallion,” the Path Hider’s voice chimed in.
“But I don’t have another,” Albert said. He looked at Birdie, who just shrugged.
Albert hung up the phone. “Looks like New York’s okay, for now.”
“Come on,” Birdie said. “Let’s go check out the Core Canteen, even though you just spent our only Medallion. We can dream a little. I love shopping!”
Birdie pointed to the corner of the library, where there was a small room carved into the cave wall. There were shelves inside, lined with all sorts of things you’d exp
ect to see at a camp store and more: glass jars full of colorful candy, T-shirts, ropes, knives, hats, compasses, and fancy backpacks. There were colored eggs with who-knew-what inside, necklaces for holding Tiles, and strange tools that were designed especially for the Core and the Realms. And there were whole sections of the packed little store that were devoted to each of the teams. Albert and Birdie made a beeline straight for the Hydra section.
Lucinda was standing behind the counter, her black snake still slithering across her shoulders. It hissed when it saw Birdie and Albert coming.
“I see you’ve made it past the first few days in one piece,” Lucinda said, then leaned closer. “How are you holding up?”
“We’re getting our butts kicked, if you want to know the truth,” Birdie said.
“Is that true, now?” Lucinda said. “Medallions are the only coin of the Realm,” she said. “You better start winning.”
Birdie had her eye on a blue wristband that doubled as a light source. It had the word Hydra written on it in white letters, and a sign said the wristband would light the way through the darkest corridors in the Core. Albert was looking at a baseball cap for Leroy that said Hydra across the front. He was also licking his lips as he looked at all that colorful candy.
Lucinda frowned. “Oh, goodness. Stop drooling. Here.” She reached into a leather pouch at her waist, and produced a Medallion.
“Have you been to the back corner of the Library yet? That’s where everyone plays Tiles,” Lucinda said. “But you have to put up a Medallion to play. If you win a game of Tiles, you walk away with two Medallions: yours and theirs. And with Medallions you can buy things—snacks, sodas, better packs, custom boots, Hydra gear—whatever you need, Lucinda has it.”
Birdie reached for the Medallion, but Lucinda pulled it back.
“You two are lucky I have a soft spot for underdogs, but I charge interest. It’ll cost you two Medallions.”
Albert and Birdie looked at each other and nodded. Who knew how long it would take them to win a simulation? This might be their only chance to get some Hydra gear and candy.
“We’ll take that deal,” Birdie said.
Lucinda dropped the Medallion into Birdie’s hand. “The Tiles room is on the far wall over there, behind the pillar all those goofballs are climbing on. There are some Tile masters in that group, some real sharks. Watch your back.”
They found Leroy and dragged him into the Tile room, which had enough space to fit about twenty people or so, kids and adults. The Tiles stations were stone pedestals with flat tops about two feet square, and all but one of them were occupied by people playing Tiles. Albert recognized the game as the very same one Pap played with his porch buddies.
Ellery and Jack had a game going, and waved them over. Albert, Leroy, and Birdie watched as Ellery and Jack concentrated like they were in the middle of a serious chess match for a good five minutes.
Finally, during one of Jack’s turns, Ellery spoke.
“So, you found your way to the Tiles Competitions,” Ellery said. “It’s like a way of life down here.”
Now it was her turn again. Ellery leaned forward, moved a Tile across the board, and stacked it on top of another one. It was kind of like dominoes, but the Tiles were stacked into levels of five. It looked confusing. Albert had never been any good at Tiles when Pap tried to teach him. There was a lot of memorizing symbols and logic involved. It just jumbled his brain and frustrated him.
He’d never thought Pap’s information would be useful.
“I know this game.” Birdie smiled. “It’s like mah-jongg. I always lose. Albert, are you any good?”
“Define good.” Albert laughed. “Because sure, I’m good, if losing to your grandpa every single time you play is your definition of good.”
Birdie just rolled her eyes. Leroy, on the other hand, observed with great curiosity, saying nothing as the game unfolded.
With one more triumphant move, Ellery won and the game was over. She leaned forward and took both Medallions from the center of the board.
“Aw, man,” Jack said, scratching his head as if he was still thinking of moves he should have made. He ran his arm across the tabletop and pushed all the Tiles that had stacked up into a rectangular opening on one side of the playing surface, then stood up and walked over to where Albert was standing.
Ellery held up the two Medallions in victory and got up out of her seat, too. “See you guys later! I’m going shopping!”
Jack’s Fury team partner, Peter, settled down in Jack’s old spot. He had a mega black eye.
“Stupid Belltroll raptors,” he said. “They pack a mean punch. All right, who’s playing me?”
Leroy scooted forward. “I’ve never played, but I’ll give it a try.” Albert was a little surprised at Leroy’s enthusiasm, but he supposed that if he had a Synapse Tile, he might be inclined toward stuff like this, too.
Birdie placed their one Medallion on the center of the tabletop, and Peter did the same. A new rack of Tiles rose on both sides, one in front of each player, and the match commenced.
At first, Leroy wasn’t doing so well. Albert watched, holding his breath. Peter’s stacks were twice as high as Leroy’s. For a second, Albert wondered if maybe this was a big mistake. They were going to be in debt to Lucinda if they didn’t win!
But then, halfway through the game, Leroy smiled. “Time to bring on the heat!” He stacked Tiles on top of one another, strategizing like a whiz. Albert was amazed. Leroy played like Einstein.
“Go, Leroy!” Birdie clapped her hands.
“I feel like I’m actually good at something for once!” Leroy grinned.
When the match was over, Peter groaned and shook Leroy’s hand.
“Nice game. You’re a pro at this, Leroy.” Peter headed for the door.
“Did you guys see that?” Leroy asked his pals. “I just . . . crushed him. I don’t think I’ve ever done as well at any kind of game in my whole life.” He looked really proud of himself.
“You were incredible, man!” Albert said, nodding his head. “And we won another Medallion!” Birdie clapped her hands again. She held the Medallion up so that it glittered in the light of the blue flames on the walls.
“Who’s next?” Albert called out. “Our man Leroy is new at Tiles, but he thinks he’s all that.”
Players came running to beat the new kid. By the time the next hour had passed, word had spread throughout the Core about Leroy the Tiles whiz. The room was packed with people watching. Farnsworth arrived from his daylong nap and barked with excitement. Petra wasn’t far behind. Grey, Aria, and Terran even came to cheer Leroy on, though Albert noticed that they were looking a little worse for wear these days—Grey had a nasty snakebite on one hand, Aria’s hair was singed on one side, and Terran looked like she’d lost half an eyebrow. Still, they were as enthusiastic about Hydra as ever.
“This guy’s in our Realm!” Grey clapped Leroy on the back.
“Just wait—someday he’ll be a part of the First Unit!” Aria said, her green eyes glittering.
Leroy beamed. Albert watched, cheering his friend on as Leroy won nine matches in a row, and even came close to beating Carissa, who wasn’t only the Belltroll Apprentice, but also a Tiles champion.
As the last game of the night came to a close, Albert wondered: What would it be like to play Tiles like Leroy, and be really, really brilliant at something like this? He leaned forward, chewing on his thumbnail, trying to make sense of the game. He looked at Leroy’s Tile dangling from his neck, and wished he could understand the secret of how his own Tile worked.
As Leroy picked up a Tile and moved to place it across the board, Albert’s eyes went blurry. He rubbed them, confused for a second. Oh man, I hope I don’t need glasses.
But when he opened his eyes, the blurriness was gone. For just a few seconds, as Albert looked at the Tiles board, he saw everything. All the chances to win by picking up a Tile, replacing it with another, moving one left, another right.
Then, just as suddenly as the knowledge had come, it went away. The game was as confusing as it had been moments before.
“Birdie,” Albert whispered. “I think something weird just happened.”
“Yeah!” She nodded, still watching the game. “Leroy is owning everyone at this. That’s what’s weird!”
Albert shook his head. Leroy placed the final Tile, and the room erupted into cheers. Soon people started filing out, taking the fun into the main part of the Library. Albert stood alone—he couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that what had just happened was significant.
“Albert?” Birdie and Leroy were waiting for him, huge grins plastered on their faces. Birdie had a handful of Medallions that glittered like stars. “Come on. We’re going shopping!”
Leroy beamed. His face fell when he looked a little closer at Albert. “You all right, man?”
Albert shook it off. “Yeah, I’m okay. I guess.” He smiled weakly and followed his friends out of the room.
CHAPTER 14
The Copper Peak
The next time Albert saw the Pit, it had been transformed into the most dangerous-looking course yet. A jagged copper mountain stretched all the way from the floor to the ceiling, filling the center of the simulation. It was shaped like a volcano, narrower as it rose, and slick along its sides. Barrels hung precariously from swinging cables, surrounding the copper formation.
That wasn’t the only thing different, though. The observation deck was packed; it looked like the entire Core was in the stands.
“Team Hydra!” Professor Flynn said into his MegaHorn. “Welcome. I’ll explain the crowd in a minute, but for now, you should know that there are real dangers here, more than in the past two simulations.” He was more serious than usual. “The First Unit reported last night that there is indeed a very serious Imbalance in the Calderon Realm.”
Albert felt his stomach drop all the way to his toes. A serious Imbalance? That means if something goes wrong, a training team might have to enter the Realm!
He wasn’t sure if that made him excited or scared. Maybe a little bit of both.
“Looks like they’ll be calling on Argon in no time, boys,” Hoyt called out, as he and his team came in late.