Down and down the elevator went, passing through a tunnel of slick stone that glittered black from natural coal.
“You’ll be cleaning the Watcher’s room this morning,” Professor Asante said. “It’ll be good discipline. A little hard work always does the job.”
Albert’s muscles were screaming, and he knew his friends were exhausted, too. This wasn’t going to be fun. The elevator jolted to a stop.
“Go on, then, don’t just stand here.” Professor Asante pressed a button, and the door slid open. “Tussy will be waiting for you inside.” She waved them away with her abnormally large hand. “See you in class in one hour. Don’t be late. Off you go.” The door slid shut behind them and carried her away.
They turned and stepped away from the elevator. Before them was another tunnel with blue flames, the same as most places in the Core.
“Good riddance,” Birdie huffed. “She is totally creeptastic.”
“At least she doesn’t wear a snake across her shoulders like Lucinda does,” Albert said.
“She almost ruins my appetite,” Leroy said, “and that’s saying something.”
The three of them headed down the tunnel, which, as usual, stopped at a closed door. Albert turned the handle and pushed.
Tussy sat just inside on a stool, reading a fat leather book. Her hair was up in a bun, revealing the cuts on her face. Albert wondered if this girl ever wasn’t hurt.
“Ah, my favorite troublemakers,” Tussy said, closing the book. She stood up and waved them toward her. “Follow me.”
The trio followed Tussy down a narrow hallway, their footsteps echoing like the beats of a drum. Albert sighed. This was going to be another lame detention, scrubbing floors until his hands were chapped and raw.
But then the hallway opened up into a wide cavern. And Albert felt his jaw drop toward his knees.
There was a huge boiling lava pool across the room. It glowed with a color so intense that Albert half wondered if someone had stolen the sun and placed it in this very room. Orange and yellow bubbles popped and oozed at the surface, and the room was so hot that Albert’s head spun.
About ten adult Core workers sat in the chairs around the lava pit with clipboards in their laps. Some of them were wearing worker’s scrubs and sticking long thermometer-shaped instruments into the lava. Albert expected them to melt to nothing.
But when they pulled the tools out, everything was intact.
“Seventeen cranks to the north,” one of the men said, squinting at the thermometer.
All the people in chairs nodded and mumbled things, and then started scribbling away onto their notepads.
“What is this place?” Birdie said, her voice just a whisper.
Tussy smiled. “This is the Watchers’ Cavern. These are the people that keep things on the surface in check. They’ve been working with Professor Asante and me to try and decipher the Means to Restore Balance in Ponderay.”
Leroy rubbed his glasses on his shirt. “So they’re, like, Core Researchers?”
Tussy burst into laughter. “Of course not. They’re Watchers. Big difference. They can sense things about the Core, things that normal science can’t. They’ve studied it for years. They’re able to observe the surface world and the Realms. They can tell us how bad an Imbalance is getting.”
“Through lava?” Albert asked. “And giant thermometers?”
Tussy smiled that sharklike smile. “Those are called Readers. They’re able to monitor the Core’s activity. How hot it’s getting, how hard it’s working. And that’s not lava over there.” Her voice lowered, and she stared at the glowing, bubbling pool with a gleam in her eyes. “That’s the Heart of the Core.”
Suddenly, Albert felt like an invader. This place was sort of sacred, like the Cave of Souls and the Cave of Whispers.
Tussy motioned for the three of them to follow her to the corner of the cavern, where a gleaming stalactite stuck out of the rock like a giant fang.
“You’ll be cleaning, as usual detention requires.” She gave them mops and let them fill up buckets of water from a rusted old sink in the back of a supply closet. “Keep your heads down. And stay quiet. Don’t bother the Watchers. They’re under a lot of stress right now, and the last thing they need is three young Balance Keepers spying over their shoulders.”
She turned to leave, when a loud SQUELCH! erupted from the center of the room.
Suddenly the Watchers were on their feet, gathered around the edge of the pool.
“Stay here,” Tussy said. There was shock in her eyes, something Albert hadn’t seen from her before. She rushed over, and Albert couldn’t stop himself. He followed, Birdie and Leroy on his tail. What he saw made his heart sink all the way to his toes.
Swirling through the brightness of the Heart of the Core was a vein of black sludge, as dark and slick as oil, and as foul-smelling as the garbage piled on the streets of New York City. A Watcher stuck one of the Readers into the dark bubbling substance. It melted the tool away, sucking it under in an instant.
Everyone gasped.
“Impure,” one of the Watchers said.
“Impossible,” another echoed.
“Inconceivable,” said a third.
Tussy turned to Albert and his friends, her face a mask of calm. But her eyes told the whole story. “Go back to your dormitories.”
“But what about detention?” Albert asked, shocked.
“Detention is the least of your worries now.” She looked over her shoulder as the black goo snaked its way through the golden Heart of the Core.
Whatever that meant, it wasn’t good.
CHAPTER 16
The Creatures of Ponderay
Tussy dismissed them from detention then—at least that much was good. Birdie and Leroy headed back to the dorms to get some more rest, but Albert knew he would just have nightmares if he fell asleep.
He wished more than ever that his mom could know the world of the Core. When Albert had had nightmares as a little boy, his mom would rush to his room and stay there until the bad dreams faded away. He could almost imagine her voice now, whispering to him that everything would be okay. Suddenly all Albert wanted to do was talk to her. His dad had said she was fine, but with the Heart of the Core turning black, Albert felt an overwhelming need to check on his mom.
He found the Medallion his dad had given him and tucked it into his pocket. Then he sat up, snuck past a sleeping Leroy and Farnsworth, and left Cedarfell behind.
It was still pretty early; the Library was quiet and still. Albert’s footsteps echoed across the hard floor as he made his way inside. Lucinda’s shop wasn’t open yet, and the torches weren’t fully lit.
There was one person who would be awake, though.
The Path Hider. He hid the paths to the Core, but he also monitored all phone calls in and out.
The Phone Booth was a simple hole in the wall, at the very back of the Library. Albert slipped inside and smiled when he saw the phone. He’d forgotten it was an old-fashioned kind, with separate ear and mouth pieces. There was a slot in the cave wall where Albert inserted the Medallion. Then he pressed the earpiece to his ear and waited.
Static buzzed on the other line. At first, Albert thought the Path Hider wasn’t going to answer. But just before he put the phone down, he heard him speak.
“Recipient of your message, please?” the Path Hider asked.
“Hey,” Albert said. “It’s me again. Albert Flynn. Um, how are you?”
Albert heard gears whirring and steam hissing on the other line.
“Young Mr. Flynn,” the Path Hider said. “What are you doing up so early? Preparing for the oncoming doom of the Core, I presume?”
“What? No, I was actually just hoping to talk to my mom.”
“Of course,” the Path Hider said. “Destination?”
“California,” Albert said. He gave the Path Hider his mom’s cell phone number. “If she doesn’t answer, is there any chance you’d refund my Medallion?”
&
nbsp; The Path Hider cleared his throat. “Money spent is money spent.”
Albert sighed. “I figured you’d say that.”
“Do come and visit with me sometime soon. There’s much to discuss, much to learn. Perhaps you could bring Lucinda along with you.”
Albert wasn’t too keen on the idea of hanging out with some creepy dude in a miner’s cap and a woman who had a fascination with giant hissing snakes, but he shrugged and said, “Yeah, maybe sometime.”
“Your three minutes start now,” the Path Hider said, and the static changed to a ringing.
Albert leaned against the wall and waited. After three rings, his mom picked up.
“Hello?”
“Mom!” he gasped. “Are you okay?”
“Albert!” his mom said. “I’m so glad you called.”
Hearing her voice washed the tension away from Albert’s shoulders in an instant—the sound was so warm and familiar.
“We’re trying to drive farther north. Aunt Suze’s house is flooded from all the rain.” The line crackled and cut off for a second. “But it’s fine, Albert. We’re fine. Are you okay? Are you having fun?”
Albert instantly recognized the tone in her voice. She was trying to make things seem better than they actually were, for his sake. He drew a blank. What was he supposed to say to her? I called you because I’m having nightmares like I did when I was a little boy and I miss you so much it hurts. Oh, and I’m afraid for your life, because if I don’t figure out how to beat Argon in the Pit, then I might not be able to save Ponderay and the surface from the Imbalance in time.
“I’m fine, Mom,” he said instead. “I just wanted to make sure you guys were safe.”
“We’re going to be all right,” his mom said. It was like she was saying the words more to herself than Albert. She was afraid, and that made Albert scared, too.
“I saw the news reports,” Albert said. “You have to get out of there, Mom. Fast.”
There was a buzzing noise on the line, the signal for a minute already having passed.
“We are, Albert,” his mom said. “We’ve been driving for two days.”
“But they said the largest hurricane in over a century is about to hit,” Albert said.
His mom’s voice was deadly serious. “It’s already here.” She paused, and Albert heard her take a deep breath. “Are you sure you want to hear this, Albert? I don’t mean to worry you.”
If you only knew, Mom. “Yes, I just want to know what’s going on out there,” Albert replied.
“Well, just last night, three navy ships off the coast of San Diego went down. The waves are getting so big that they’ve started evacuating everyone, Albert. The entire state of California is emptying out by the minute. The rains are heading as far north as Oregon.”
Oregon? That’s where Birdie’s family lives, Albert thought.
“I’m scared,” Albert admitted. A lump formed in his throat, one that he couldn’t just swallow away. Just last night, that happened? It had to do with the Core’s heart turning black, he just knew it. Things were getting worse, and fast. He imagined the news report he’d seen in the hospital, of the streets filled with honking cars and buses, people trying to get to safety before it was too late, but that was a whole day ago. And now with his dad in Ponderay, miles from safety . . . Albert sighed. It wasn’t just his family at risk. There were millions of other families out there whose lives were on the line. And if the Imbalance got any worse, then it would spread to the entire world before long.
“I have to go,” his mom said. “They’re rerouting traffic again.”
Albert wanted so badly to tell his mom the truth, but the secrets of the Core had to remain locked away. Instead, he simply said, “Stay safe, Mom. Please. I love you. So much.”
A bleating siren sounded in the background, followed by more honks from cars. “I love you too, Albert. Make sure to call me on Christmas, okay?”
“I will,” Albert promised. “I’ll see you soon.”
“I’m counting down the days,” his mom said. She started to say something else, but the connection was lost.
“Please insert another Medallion to continue your conversation,” the Path Hider said.
“I’m all out.” Albert sighed. “And she’s gone anyway.” He rested his forehead against the cool cave wall. “Hey, you’ve been around a long time, haven’t you?”
“Depends on how you look at it,” said the Path Hider.
“Is there any chance we’re not going to fix the Imbalance this time? I mean, the Core has always been saved, but maybe someday, we won’t be able to fix the problem. Maybe someday, an Imbalance will win.”
The Path Hider took a while to respond. When he finally answered, his words left a strange, empty feeling in Albert’s gut.
“There’s always a chance that evil will prevail. Only time will tell, Albert Flynn.”
With that, the line went silent.
Albert made a quick stop back at the dorm, and then he and Leroy headed to Professor Asante’s classroom. Birdie was already sitting right in the front row with an open notebook in her lap and a sharpened pencil poised for the attack. When she saw Albert and Leroy arrive, she waved them over.
“It’s so empty in here,” Birdie said, looking up at them. “Normally we’d be fighting for a spot.”
She was right. It was only ten or so Pure kids besides Hydra and Argon. It just felt strange, not to have a classroom full of kids and chaos. Albert sat down beside her and looked over his shoulder. Behind them, Hoyt was flipping through the pages of his book. Normally, he’d be busy shooting spit wads at the backs of people’s heads.
Birdie leaned in and whispered, “When Hoyt got here, he didn’t say anything at all about the last Pit competition. I figured he’d be shouting our loss to the world.”
“Maybe he’s changing,” Albert said.
“Was that a joke?” Leroy asked. “Because if it was, I so missed the punch line.”
“Not at all,” Albert said. He looked back at Hoyt, and their eyes met.
Albert stiffened. Here it comes.
But Hoyt just stared back at Albert. Then, amazingly, he turned his attention back to the book in his lap without saying a word.
Two adult Core workers entered the room and sat down. Normally adults weren’t in class, but Albert guessed, because it was an emergency term, anyone was welcome to learn more about the affected Realm. Sometimes, people felt better about things when they could learn as much as possible.
“This morning was intense,” Birdie said. “Have you guys come up with any theories yet?”
“I have a theory,” Leroy mused, adjusting his hat, “that the Heart of the Core is sick. And that black stuff was a virus. I think it’s going to get worse as long as the Imbalance stays around.”
“He’s probably right,” Birdie sighed.
Albert nodded in agreement. “Whatever’s going on, it’s giving me the heebie-jeebies. And Hoyt’s behavior isn’t helping. I feel like he’s just waiting to pounce on us.” Albert felt a shiver run through him, which made him think of the phone call with his mom. He relayed the information to his friends.
Birdie’s and Leroy’s faces paled when Albert mentioned the sinking ships, and how the rains were spreading all the way north to Oregon, but there wasn’t time to discuss the matter any further.
Tussy came into the room, pushing Professor Asante in her wheelchair. Her leg was still in its cast, and students had to dodge out of the way so they didn’t get whacked in the face.
“All right, class, settle down!” Professor Asante said, clapping her large hands. “Although I dislike the reason we have to have this session today, I do love the subject matter.” She snapped her fingers, and Tussy pushed her toward a giant black curtain similar to the one they had seen in Professor Asante’s office.
Everyone seemed to sit up a little straighter. They were all dying to know what secrets lay behind it, especially what was causing that eerie blue glow. Albert had come u
p with all sorts of theories for what it was hiding: another Realm, another Pit, maybe even some sort of icy cold lava lake they could swim in.
Professor Asante smiled, holding her tattooed arms wide. “Ponderay is a magnificent Realm. Today you’ll witness that firsthand.”
Tussy pulled a thick black cord at the far side of the curtain. Slowly, the curtain swept aside.
A giant, glowing blue aquarium appeared.
“Wow,” Albert breathed.
Giant was an understatement. The aquarium took up the entire wall, and the water it held was a glittering, silvery blue, so bright and beautiful that Albert wondered if it was real.
But of course it was. This was the Core, and incredible things were an everyday appearance.
“The creatures that thrive in this tank are very rare. They weren’t stolen from Ponderay. They were brought here because of illnesses or injuries, and will be rehabilitated into the Realm as soon as the Imbalance is solved.”
Professor Asante snapped again, and Tussy went to work, passing out books to the students and workers in the room. There were the Ten Pillars on the cover of the book. It seemed to be the sign of Ponderay.
“Flip to page seventeen,” Professor Asante said. “First, we’ll study the Hammerfin.”
Albert didn’t need to look at the drawings in the book—Hydra and Argon knew the Hammerfin all too well already. Still, he read through the stats.
It was like a hammerhead shark on the surface world, only three times larger.
It could smash a pillar with the force of a wrecking ball.
Suddenly, Albert was excited to get a chance to actually study the thing up close in an environment where he wasn’t just trying to stay alive.
“You’ve seen the artist’s rendering.” Professor Asante smiled. “Now let’s witness the real thing.”
Almost as if in response to her words, a black-blue blur shot across the aquarium, coming into view. People gasped. Some screamed.
“I can’t believe we were in the water with that thing,” Birdie whispered.