He took a step forward, to where one of the cables trembled in front of him. When he reached out and wrapped his fingers around the cable, it seemed to get angry, shaking harder like it wanted Albert to let go. But Albert started to climb it anyway, one hand over the other. Beside him, Birdie and Leroy began the climb on writhing cables, too. At first, they seemed to make good time. It was hard work, but not nearly as hard as it would have been up in the rest of the world above. For some reason, Albert felt like he weighed five pounds instead of eighty-seven. If he wanted to, he probably could’ve let go and bounced all the way back to Herman.
“I feel light as air!” Albert called out.
Leroy, whose face was covered in a sheen of sweat, called out from a nearby cable. “I think I ate too many pancakes this morning, because I do not feel light as air, Albert!”
“Me either!” Birdie cried out, though that didn’t stop her.
She climbed past Albert and Leroy in a flash, almost as fast as Hoyt had done.
Birdie was nearly halfway to the silver bell at the top when the Melatrix came rising out of the depths of the Pit. It was heading straight toward her.
“Look out!” Albert shouted. His grip loosened on the cable and he slid down a few feet as he tried to kick the Melatrix, but it was too quick as it passed. The Melatrix avoided his feet like it had a mind of its own. It shot past Albert and increased its speed. Then it hit Birdie right in the back with a loud smack! Her hands weren’t strong enough to hold on. She screamed, and Albert and Leroy watched, helpless from their cables, as Birdie tumbled through the air toward the ground.
When her body crashed into the floor, it seemed to suck her in for a moment, like the ground was inhaling. When it spit her back out, Birdie shot upward, and managed to grab ahold of Leroy’s cable.
“That was awesome!” She grinned. But when Hoyt and his team started laughing, Birdie’s face grew bright red.
“Don’t worry about them, Birdie,” Leroy said. “Just do what you’ve been doing.”
“Nice try at the deflection, Albert,” Professor Flynn spoke from his platform. “But the Melatrix represents a crazed King Firefly, and here’s a hint: Kings are no fools. You have to trick them. Another thing—always prepare for the worst. A surprise attack could come at any moment!”
“Let’s try this again,” Albert said. He climbed higher, looking upward at the silver bell. “Leroy! What’s the best way to reach the top?”
“Well, you’re on the cable with the least amount of danger right now!” Leroy said. He looked shocked that he’d known the answer, but it had to be his Tile, working its magic as he looked all around the Pit.
“Okay! Here goes nothing!” Albert said. He wanted to win so badly that he almost didn’t see Professor Flynn move his cage forward so fast that it sliced through Albert’s cable. The cable instantly went slack, and Albert was falling toward the floor.
“Jump!” people screamed from overhead, cheering him on.
It was like instinct. Albert felt his hands take over on their own, like something was telling them what to do. He let go of his useless cable without thinking. His eyes closed, and for some reason, he pictured Spider-Man, swinging from his web over New York City. Albert felt like he needed to stretch his arms a little to the left, so he did. That’s when he felt something skim his fingertips. He opened his eyes and closed his hands around a cable just in time.
“Well done!” Professor Flynn said. “Quick reflexes, Albert! Very impressive!”
Albert was shocked. It was like something inside of him knew what to do. Was it the power of his Tile?
“That was wicked!” Leroy shouted from across the Pit.
The Melatrix was at Leroy’s back, trying to knock him from his spot on the cable. Albert turned just in time to see Birdie scurry up from below, wiggle off one of her boots, and launch it at the Melatrix.
“Get away from my teammate!” she warned. The second the shoe hit the Melatrix, the Melatrix bounced away and started floating in circles around them, like it was a shark trying to think of another way to come at them. Albert couldn’t help but laugh at her ferocity.
“A surprise attack!” Professor Flynn shouted. “That’s the spirit, Birdie! That’s how it’s done!”
Birdie cheered as Leroy started to climb higher. Farnsworth yipped from the sidelines and snapped at the Melatrix as it bounced by. Albert looked around for what to do next. If Leroy was climbing, he should do his best to keep the Melatrix away from him.
If he could just get to that next vine, he could smack the Melatrix off course. But to get to the next vine, Albert would have to swing through a ring of fire. It hovered a few feet above him between two cables, a big, wide mouth of blue flames. His arms were exhausted. His hands were burning from gripping the cables so tight, but he readied himself to swing.
“Yes, Albert! Try the fire!” Professor Flynn ordered.
Albert knew he couldn’t just swing from one cable to the next—who was to say these blue flames were cold like the rest had been so far?
“Rock back and forth!” Birdie said from below. She’d managed to swing from one cable to another. Albert watched Leroy fall behind her. His foot hit Birdie’s hands on the way down, and they both crashed into the Pit floor together.
The two of them started arguing like Albert’s siblings, forgetting the simulation around them for a moment.
Albert was on his own. Come on, Tile, he thought. Work some magic for me here!
He started swinging the cable like Birdie had advised, back and forth, until he had some good momentum going. When he felt like he was ready to go for it, he swung backward one more time, away from the blue ring.
On the forward swing, he let go, stretching his body like Superman, so he could squeeze through the center of the ring untouched.
He was almost there, almost about to sail through when, SMACK!
The Melatrix hit him square in the face.
Albert tumbled through the air and landed on the floor of the Pit. He could hear Hoyt’s team laughing and jeering at him from above.
The floor sucked Albert down and then spit him back out. He tried to grab a cable on the bounce back up, but his hands were too sweaty. He fell again and bounced back up, and by now, Leroy had scurried up a vine. He grabbed ahold of Albert’s arm as he flew upward.
They hung from a cable like two monkeys on a tree branch.
“Thanks, dude,” Albert said.
“No problem,” Leroy groaned. “Now grab on. My arm’s about to pull out of its socket.”
In the next hour, Leroy and the Melatrix went head-to-head seven times (Leroy lost six), Birdie got a bloody nose from Leroy’s foot slipping on a cable and kicking her in the face, and Albert caught his shirt on fire from the blue flames, which turned out to not be cool after all. The possible-Tile-magic-event didn’t happen for Albert. Instead, things got increasingly worse.
The entire Argon team finally left, shaking their heads. In fact, it seemed everyone who had been watching grew tired of their mistakes and went off to do other things in the Core.
Just when Albert was about to die from embarrassment, Trey blew his silver whistle, and the Pit shut itself down. The cables went slack, the Melatrix popped again, and the fire rings went out.
As the trio slid from their cables down to the spongy floor, Albert saw Farnsworth’s eye lanterns go out. Even he was disheartened from the mess they’d made of the day.
“That was horrible,” Leroy said, collapsing onto his back on the Pit floor. “That Melatrix had a serious problem with me.”
“My nose hurts,” Birdie groaned from his right. (It came out like, “By dose hurzz.”)
“Useless Tile.” Albert sighed.
Professor Flynn motored down to them in his floating cage. He pulled to a stop and parked just above Albert’s head.
“Don’t let today’s obstacles get you down,” he said. “Everyone messes up a few times on their first day. Tomorrow, you’ll be ten times better. And the c
hallenge really begins once Argon gets in there with you.”
At the mention of Hoyt’s team, the three of them groaned. Leroy muttered something about his mom’s homemade spaghetti.
“Get to your feet and brush yourselves off,” Professor Flynn said. “Trey will escort you to Lake Hall for some lunch. Core food will make everything better, especially the pecan pastries. I love those in particular.” Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out three Medallions, and turned to Trey. “I hesitate to even give these to Argon, since they didn’t find it suitable to stay and support their new Balance Keeper comrades, but they did win them. Make sure they get them.”
“Yes, sir,” Trey said, and pocketed the Medallions.
Then Professor Flynn pressed a button on his cage and moved up and away, leaving Albert, Birdie, and Leroy to lie in their misery.
“That was . . . ,” Albert started.
“Totally not Medallion-worthy,” Birdie finished for him.
“Food,” Leroy whimpered. “I . . . need . . . food.”
Trey blew his whistle. Their orange platform sank down to greet them. As they stumbled on and soared away to the top of the Pit, Albert couldn’t keep his mind off one thing.
For a moment there, it seemed like his Tile had done something for him. It was like it took over and made him a Core master for a few seconds, and then it had fizzled out.
And if he could figure out how to access that power, and exactly what that power was, his team might have a chance.
CHAPTER 11
Lake Hall
Trey led the trio through the tunnels and out into the Main Chamber.
“Don’t worry too much,” he said. “Like Professor Flynn said, it gets easier.”
“It better,” Albert said. “Or we’re in big trouble.”
“Everyone’s first day is tough. But I assure you, once you three learn to work as a team, the magic will begin to happen.”
“Let’s hope so,” Albert said.
Leroy and Birdie were so exhausted, they hardly spoke a word. Even Farnsworth looked tired, the glow of his eyes faded to a soft and sleepy sky blue. They parted ways to get cleaned up in Treefare and Cedarfell, and hoped food would improve their moods.
Birdie and Trey were waiting for Leroy and Albert outside Cedarfell when they reappeared a half hour later. Birdie’s ponytail had its usual curl back, and there was a big smile on her face.
“Everyone back to normal?” Trey asked. They all nodded their heads and followed him through the tunnel, Farnsworth and Alfin leading the way.
Lake Hall was a five-minute walk through the Core. They marched down a set of winding stone steps that looked like they belonged in a dungeon. At the bottom of the stairs a wide, brightly lit cave opened up before them. The first thing Albert noticed was a glass window that spanned one side of the cave. Magma flowed behind the glass in swirls of blazing orange and red.
“Is that . . . ,” Birdie started to ask, with her mouth hanging open.
“Magma from the earth’s core,” Trey said, matter-of-factly. “Scientists don’t have their information about the Core all wrong. We just let them find what we want them to. The Path Hider is clever when it comes to dealing with those in the world above. Not to worry. The glass hasn’t shattered or melted in a thousand years.”
He led them down a final couple of steps to the ground level of the cave, where a huge lake spread out before them. There were numerous floating docks on the surface of the water, each with a circular table sitting on top. The other Balance Keepers, in their colorful team shirts, sat at high-backed chairs around the tables, talking and laughing. The Core workers sat at other tables, chattering away like old friends. Some of them were adults; some were children even younger than Albert. The most ornate table, a carved wooden one off to the right, held the four Professors and their Apprentices. To the far left, there was a dock without a table. Instead, golden bowls lined its edges. Some of the companion creatures, now including Farnsworth and Alfin, were there slurping food from their bowls. Trey talked as he led the trio to the edge of the lake.
“Take a turtle and go to your table. It’s the one closest to the window and the stage, with some of the other young Balance Keepers.”
“Aw, man, I was hoping we’d get to swim across.” Birdie sighed.
But Albert had something else on his mind. “Wait a second. . . . Did you just say, Take a turtle?”
Leroy chimed in. “Did you just say, Closest to the window? Where the lava might bust through?”
Trey nodded. “We can’t have you all wet while you eat, can we? And Leroy, stop worrying. You’ll be fine.”
Trey bent down to the water and touched it with his fingertip. Several bumps appeared on the surface of the water, moving toward them. As Albert looked closer, he realized they were four turtles the size of small boulders, with glittering green shells.
Trey stepped onto the first turtle to arrive, and it bobbed softly on the water’s surface. Its head turned sideways and an ancient eye blinked at Trey. Albert, Birdie, and Leroy followed suit, and before they knew it, the turtles were swimming, taking them to their tables. The ride was surprisingly smooth, like standing on a sliding walkway at an airport.
“Turtles, I am a fan. You’re excellent swimmers,” Birdie said as hers reached the dock. She hopped off and the turtle dove, disappearing into the deep.
When Albert and Leroy arrived, they took their places at the last empty chairs of the table. There were fifteen other kids sitting with them, eight boys and seven girls. Hoyt and his two teammates were among the group. It seemed like Albert couldn’t get away from these guys.
“Yo, Flynn. I thought you’d still be in the Pit trying to make it through the easiest simulation ever.”
“Cool it, Hoyt,” someone said behind Albert. He turned around, and was surprised to see Aria, the First Unit girl. Grey and Terran arrived beside her on their turtles. The three of them stepped off onto the floating dock and took their seats beside Albert, Birdie, and Leroy. The First Unit was sitting with them? Albert felt a wave of pride.
Aria rolled her eyes at Hoyt again, who was still snickering across the table.
“You’re just jealous because Albert doesn’t have a pea brain, like you,” Birdie said, a look of sheer determination on her face. Hoyt’s face went as red as a candied apple.
“He’s not a Pure,” Hoyt shot back. “None of them are. If I were the First Unit, I wouldn’t be so keen on having these duds as my trainees.”
“I’d watch what you say about us, Hoyt,” Grey quipped, not missing a beat. “In the end, we’re all in this together. And don’t forget that Aria, Terran, and I report directly to Professor Flynn.”
“And if you don’t watch it, I’ll tell Greymark to pay you a visit,” Terran said. She pointed at the companion dock, where a massive gray wolf with yellow eyes gnawed on a bone the size of Hoyt’s entire body.
“Whatever,” Hoyt mumbled.
Albert and Leroy exchanged satisfied glances.
This is as good as it gets, Albert thought. The First Unit, standing up for me and my team? I’m starting to really like this place.
Hoyt and his boys shook their heads and went into their own private conversation. They were on the far side of the large table, so Albert and his friends could speak quietly and not be heard.
“Thanks,” Albert said to Terran and Grey. Then he leaned past Birdie to shake Aria’s hand. She had skin like a china doll, and her eyes were as green as emeralds.
“Hoyt has a crush on Aria,” Terran explained. “He saw her win the Pit Races last year and hasn’t stopped teasing-slash-flirting with her since.”
“I’d like to show him one of my ninja moves. Or two. Or three,” Leroy said, bunching up his fists.
Aria burst into laughter. “You’re funny. What’s your name again?”
“I’m uh . . . uh . . .” Leroy looked like he was about to melt into a puddle right there in his chair.
“His name’s Leroy Jones,” Al
bert said for him. He gave Leroy an encouraging nod. “He’ll be fine once we feed him, right, Leroy?”
“Yeah,” Leroy said, and mumbled something about his mom’s spaghetti back home.
“We are excited to have you as our trainees, by the way,” Terran piped up. “We used to be Hydra, you know, before we became the Calderon First Unit.”
“The team names rotate,” Grey added. “When a team has completed all three terms of training and graduated to First Unit status, a new team of First Terms gets the name. It’s kind of weird you’re Hydra now, actually. I still feel like the name is part of me.”
“It’s like we’ve inherited your legacy,” Birdie said. “That’s encouraging! We might be even better someday!”
“Ha.” Grey chuckled. “We’ll see about that. You’ve got some work to do after today’s Competition, but I’ve got a good feeling about you three.”
Albert smiled. Maybe there was hope for them yet, though if he didn’t get some food in his stomach soon . . .
There was a rustling noise overhead, and Albert looked up. The air was suddenly full of white birds that sparkled like diamonds. Their wings spanned ten feet or more, and they held baskets in their talons.
“I hope those things aren’t delivering babies,” Leroy said.
“Not babies, silly,” Aria said. “Food! And they’re called Whimzies.”
“Whimzies,” Birdie said, watching the birds circle closer. She grinned.
One of the Whimzies swooped down and dropped an oval basket in the middle of the table. Albert could smell cheeseburgers, and BBQ, and spaghetti with meatballs. Another Whimzie swooped down and left a second basket. It was full to the brim with desserts in every color of the rainbow.
Smaller birds came, swooping down to leave white plates before each person. Then, most magically of all, bottles full of bright pink juice appeared beside each plate, as if they’d just popped right out of the table.
“Try the Core Juice,” Grey said, removing the cap and taking a sip. “You never know what you’re going to get, but it’s usually good. Looks like I got berry blast.”