The Octopus Effect (11 page)

“What?” shouted Alysha. “Why not?”

“Because Mr. Wanderby is the one who would report such a thing,” Miss Fanstrom said. “As far as most know, all is well.”

Simon sat down on the nearest bleacher seat. “
You
know. You and Greygor.”

Miss Fanstrom nodded sadly. “Yes, we do. But there are rules for these things.”

“Forget the rules—our lives are in danger!” Alysha yelled, kicking the bleachers.

Miss Fanstrom wagged her finger. “Tut, tut, Miss Davis. Behave yourself! You are a young lady—I expect better self-control.” She looked away, and her tower of hair wobbled. “I understand your fury; I truly do. But everyone, even Keepers and principals, has restrictions.”

“It's not just
our
lives at risk,” Owen said. “How can you not tell someone?”

Miss Fanstrom nodded solemnly. “I have, Mr. Walters. I have told you three.”

Simon locked eyes with her. “And I'm the Keeper, now. It's my responsibility.” He looked away and shook his head sadly. An idea struck him, and he straightened, eager; he opened the backpack and put his hand on the Book. “Can I contact the other members of the Council?”

“If you'd like,” Miss Fanstrom said.

“Can I have them organize a group to go after Sirabetta and Wanderby?”

“You can ask them to.”

Simon smiled. “And, as Keeper of the Order of Physics, I can get the other Physics members to go after them, too, right?”

“Yes.”

“Wait,” Owen said. “Mr. Wanderby and Mermon Veenie were both secretly in league with Sirabetta. What if there are more traitors?”

“Owen, you're being . . .” Alysha trailed off, a thoughtful look on her face.

“Hard to accuse him of being too cautious now, isn't it, Miss Davis?” Miss Fanstrom said. “After all, do you know who supplied Sirabetta with her tattoos? Or whose help she seeks from the Order of Biology? In short, who can you trust?”

“Do you know who is good or bad and who we can trust?” Owen asked.

Miss Fanstrom frowned. “I face more limits than just rules, Mr. Walters. There is much going on that is beyond even my knowledge.”

Simon groaned. “Oh, that's just great! So anyone can be against us, right?”

Miss Fanstrom just looked at him.

Simon sighed; her silence was an answer. He rubbed his forehead. “If somebody's going to stop Sirabetta, it has to be us, then?”

Miss Fanstrom still said nothing.

“I'm only twelve,” Simon said, his voice almost pleading. “I'm not ready.”

“Weren't you eleven when you stopped her before?” Miss Fanstrom asked.

“Yeah, and she can't even use her tattoos anymore,” Alysha said. “And Wanderby wasn't so tough. I'm sure we can handle this!”

Owen groaned. “You know, every time you say that, people get blown up.”

“I'm afraid I must agree with Mr. Walters. If you choose to undertake this mission, you must be prepared for threats from anywhere and anyone.”

“And if I don't accept the mission?” Simon asked.

Miss Fanstrom nodded her head. “A wise question, Mr. Bloom. Only a fool rushes headlong into certain danger without considering his options. Unfortunately, you risk much if you do nothing. If Sirabetta is restored to adulthood, her tattoos will probably function again. She'll likely come after you and the
Teacher's Edition of Physics
or another science-based
Teacher's Edition
and its Keeper. If she succeeds, she'll abuse that power, attack other Keepers, and steal their Books. I fear her efforts to remake the Union will damage or destroy life as we know it.”

“Wait . . . what
exactly
is the mission you're suggesting?” Alysha demanded.

“Another wise question, Miss Davis. You can, of course, try to contact the entire Council and see what they want to do. You can try to rally the entire Order of Physics, or as many of them as you feel you can trust. Or . . .”

She trailed off, and Simon finished her sentence for her. “... or we can go to the Order of Biology ourselves to stop Sirabetta from turning herself back into an adult.”

“That's a bad idea,” Owen said. “She could have the whole Order against us!”

“Gilio wouldn't side with her,” Simon said. “Neither would Flangelo.” Indeed, Flangelo from the Order of Biology had been a great source of information to the kids when they'd first found the Book. His Bio power—the ability to turn into a sparrow—was of limited use in a fight, but he still risked his life to help them.

Simon sighed. “I guess we'll just have to wing it with the rest.”

“Wing it?” Owen groaned. “How many times do we have to almost get killed before you give up on this whole ‘wing it' thing?”

“I'm just wondering if he meant ‘wing it' as a joke about Flangelo,” Alysha said.

Upset as he was, Owen still managed a chuckle at that. “Fine, let's say we go to Bio. How do we get there? And where is there?”

The kids turned to Miss Fanstrom, who cleared her throat. “What do you think?”

“Obviously, you or the Narrator could tell us if you
wanted
to,” Alysha said. “But if you're going to keep this hush-hush stuff going, Simon can probably ask Gilio.”

The top of Miss Fanstrom's hair bent forward toward Alysha, as if nodding.

“This is the dumbest idea ever,” Owen said. “What about school? It's Tuesday morning; are we supposed to go to the Order of Biology, save the universe, and be back in time for dinner?”

“Tut, tut, Mr. Walters. I am your principal, after all. I believe a special field trip aimed at furthering your science education can be arranged. You'd be amazed how much influence even a brand-new principal has with parents.”

Simon nodded his head. “That's it, then. That's what I have to do.”

“What do you mean ‘I'?” Alysha asked.

“I can't ask you guys to go with me; we could get killed!”

Alysha snorted. “Yeah, 'cause last time was warm and fuzzy? It's risky, but it's like Miss Fanstrom said. Someone has to do it . . . and that's us. Of course I'm going.”

Simon exhaled with relief; he was terrified at the thought of doing this alone. Then Alysha, Miss Fanstrom, and he looked at Owen.

Owen avoided their gazes. “What can you tell us about the Order of Biology?” he finally asked.

“Biology is the study of all living things,” Miss Fanstrom said. “So their domain is filled with things that are alive.”

“That tells me a lot, thanks.” He grimaced but still didn't look up. “So we can expect huge, vicious creatures and weird, creepy plants? Oh, and Order members with powers over all sorts of life, too, right? And they'll probably all want to attack us!”

Miss Fanstrom cleared her throat. “Tut tut, Mr. Walters. You three are hardly helpless, are you?”

Owen was silent for moments. At last he kicked the ground and looked at Miss Fanstrom. “You know, I hate it when you say ‘tut tut.' That's almost as bad as Alysha saying it'll be easy or Simon wanting to figure it out as he goes along.”

The others said nothing.

“What does ‘tut tut' even mean? Who says that?”

Still, they waited.

“Okay! You happy?” Owen shouted. “We'll go to Biology and get turned into newts or whatever. But I am
not
going to have fun while we do it!”

“I think we guessed that,” Alysha said.

Simon and Miss Fanstrom's hair nodded in agreement.

The kids had to wait until after school to ask their parents. Simon wasn't surprised by how Steven and Sylvia Bloom reacted to the idea. They were working in their home offices when he called them together and brought it up.

“. . . so it's for school, and my principal says it's really important,” he finished.

“Sure thing, pal,” said his dad.

“No problem,” said his mom.

Simon nodded. “Okay. You have to sign this—” They signed the form before he could finish his sentence. “Okay, thanks.” He frowned as he took the paper back.

“Everything okay?” Steven Bloom asked.

“You're not coming down with something, are you?” Sylvia Bloom asked, placing her palm on Simon's forehead.

“No, just thinking about the field trip,” Simon said.

“Great,” his parents said at the same time. “Do you need a ride?”

Simon shook his head. His parents each gave him a quick hug and went back to their home offices, leaving Simon to go to his room and pack some things.

At the same time, Owen's mother was surprised to hear about the immediacy of the trip and her son's willingness to go on it. “Really? You
want
to leave town?”

“Yeah, Mom,” Owen said, mustering a smile. “It'll be an adventure.”

Owen's mother stared hard at him for a long moment and then signed the permission slip so quickly that she tore a hole in the paper. “Go. Have fun. Have”—her voice caught for a second—“an adventure.”

Alysha's parents were the toughest to convince. “Missing school?” Max Davis asked. “Only three students going?” Jana Davis asked. “And on such short notice? What is this trip about?” they demanded to know.

Alysha did some fast and smooth talking, trying to stick as close to the truth as possible. “Guys, the principal hand-picked me for this. She says I could contribute so much to the trip.” She paused a moment and unleashed her last-resort weapon: “And I'll bet it'll be great for my grades!”

Soon enough, Alysha was allowed to go, too. The permission slips said the trip was to upstate New York—Miss Fanstrom didn't want the parents taking their kids to the airport. Instead, their parents dropped them and their bags at the school Tuesday evening (except for Simon, who used his friction control to skate over). The Davises and Ms. Walters met the principal and stared at her hair in shock. But after a few minutes of conversation, they were convinced their children were in safe hands.

As soon as the parents' cars pulled away, Miss Fanstrom's plastered-on smile faded away. “I am sorry we had to deceive your parents. I'm even sorrier that you have to face this alone. But I believe you will succeed. Be strong, be bold, and above all, be smart. Remember: you have formulas, but you also have your wits and your courage.”

“Can we call the Order of Biology to tell them we're coming?” Simon asked.

“Not with a telephone. When you see the Order's domain, you'll understand.”

The Book spoke into Simon's head.
Keepers can communicate via their Books.

That's useful
, Simon thought back. “Give me a second,” Simon said aloud. He placed his hands on his Book and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he opened them again. “We just need to take a Gateway to a certain place, and the Order of Biology's domain will do the rest.”

“What, like the woods and the Breeze?” Alysha asked.

Miss Fanstrom chuckled. “Pardon me. But be ready for something . . . different,” she said. “Now, let's see about Gateways.” She whipped out her notebook computer from her briefcase and opened it in a smooth and swift motion.

Simon felt a slight buzz from his Book, and it flashed a quick burst of blue at the computer. Miss Fanstrom's notebook computer gave off a quick gray flash, as if in response. But that meant—“Miss Fanstrom? Are you a Keeper, too?”

Miss Fanstrom smiled. “All that need concern you three right now is that I'm your principal. And I'm not shy about giving detentions, so be still.” She tapped her computer screen a few times and nodded. “Regrettably, the Craftmen's Guild hasn't had a chance to install a teleporter device or Gateway access at this school, yet. The closest Gateway, in fact, is outside Dunkerhook Woods.” Miss Fanstrom looked at the cloudy evening sky. “Might I recommend an aerial approach?”

 

The three friends left most of their bags in Miss Fanstrom's office. They didn't know how long they'd be gone, but they didn't want to be weighed down with too much luggage. Owen and Simon stuffed their backpacks with necessary items, and Alysha used a small duffel bag, taking more clothing than the boys.

Together the three put on their raincoats and flew to Van Silas Way. They landed on the street, where the trademark Union rainstorm was already in progress to keep their arrival hidden from Outsider eyes.

Simon gazed up at the majestic woods rising up in front of them. “Ready?”

“I felt pretty bad, lying to my mom like that,” Owen said.