The Sphere (The Magi Series #2) (31 page)

Chapter
15:

MR. BUTTON’S SECRET CORRIDOR

Mr. Button rubbed his eyebrows.

“Mr. Hawk, you do realize there’s no way I can allow you to
leave the premises, let alone
guide
you and your friends out of the
city, don’t you?  It’s too dangerous!  Not to mention it could cost me my job.”

“Which is why we won’t say anything about you helping us,”
Elijah said confidently.

Mr. Button snorted.  “Of my many jobs as supervisor of the
barracks, keeping you all safe is my most important.”

Paul jumped up.  “You heard him, Elijah.  He can’t do it. 
Let’s just go.”  Paul glared at Elijah as if to say this was the perfect
opportunity to leave and escape punishment while Button was on the defensive. 
Elijah didn’t budge.

“I’m sorry Mr. Button, but you
have
to help us
leave.”

Elijah’s persistence made the others uncomfortable.  Becca
shifted in her seat.  Hannah rubbed her hands together.  Isaac was humming
quite loudly to himself.  Mr. Button, on the other hand, looked confused and
curious.

“May I ask what is so important that you are choosing to
argue with me about safety?”

Elijah looked at Paul who shook his head vigorously. 
Despite his friend’s warning, Elijah began telling Mr. Button his mission to
get the cube.  He told him about the book.  He told him about Olivia and her
disappearance.  He told him about the strange connection his deceased family
had with search for the sphere.  He left out no detail.  For better or worse,
Mr. Button was now part of their secret council.  And yet, Elijah felt good
about it.  He followed his instinct, and he knew it was the right thing to do.

When Elijah finished, Mr. Button had no immediate reaction. 
The room was dead still.  It wasn’t until there was a knock at the door that
the silence was finally broken.

“Come in,” Mr. Button called.  A boy with a crooked smile
and wild, curly hair marched in.  “Hello Tobias,” Button said, sounding tired. 
“I’m a bit busy at the moment.  Do you mind waiting at the door?”

“I just have to say something, Master Button,” Toby said.

“I’ve told you that you don’t need to call me that,” said
Button.  “I’m not a Master.”

“But you’re the most talented Magi
I’ve
ever come
across,” said Toby, flashing his crooked smile and winking.

Mr. Button rolled his eyes and smiled.  “You’re a piece of
work.  What is it?”

“Well, sir,” Toby began, “I’m sure it’s not my place to make
a defense, but I happened to be in the last group taken back to the
barracks—the same group Elijah would have been traveling with—and the soldier left
way before sunset.  I barely made it myself, and I was early.  I just thought
you should know before any punishments are handed out, sir.”

 “Is that all?” Mr. Button asked.

“That’s all, sir,” Toby said.

“Thank you, Toby.”

“My pleasure, sir.”  Toby smiled and nodded at Elijah as he
walked out the door.  Elijah appreciated the gesture even though it was a
little too late now, seeing that he already spilled everything.

Mr. Button turned around, getting back to his thoughts.

“I must say, I never thought I’d be put in this position,”
he said, looking tormented.

Elijah and his friends looked at each other nervously.

Mr. Button rubbed his bald head and took off his glasses. 
He didn’t say anything clearly for a moment.  He only muttered very softly
under his breath.  Then, he looked up and put back on his glasses.

“Understand this,” he said in a piercing tone Mr. Button
rarely used when dealing with students.  “I am only helping you because of a
promise made to Olivia very early this year.  I have no idea what you’re
talking about with these cubes, but before term started, Olivia came to me and
said to look after you.  She said you may be acting a bit strange this term and
I was to give you a little room to figure things out.  But most of all, she
said that if you ever came to me asking for my help to promise her that I would
do anything in my power to help.  I trust the Roses more than any other people
I know, and I’m a man of my word, so that is why I’m helping you lot.  But I
have to say, I am very…and I mean
very
uncomfortable with all this.”

“Does that mean you’ll help us get out?” Paul asked.

“Reluctantly, yes,” said Mr. Button.  “When is it you need
to leave?”

“Today,” said Paul.

“Whoa there!” Becca corrected.  “We only get one shot to
leave.  Shouldn’t we plan our every move first and then leave?”

“I agree,” said Elijah.  “There’s still more to go over,
especially when we get to Saint Phillip’s Academy.”

Mr. Button stood up and walked toward the door.

“Mr. Button?” Hannah called.  “Are you leaving?”

“I need to pace the grounds, sweetheart,” he said, looking
defeated.  “The more I hear of your plan, the more I want to stop you, so I
think it’s best that I leave you here.  Send for me when you’re ready.  And you
better have a plan for what I’m supposed to tell your parents if they come
looking.”

“Tell them the truth,” Paul stated.  “That we’ve all been
mauled by rabid polar bears.”

“We don’t have polar bears here, idiot!” Becca said.

“And the plot thickens…” Paul said tapping the tips of all
his fingers together.

Mr. Button managed a sheepish smile and walked out, his
shoulders a bit lower than usual.

“Okay,” Elijah said, returning to their plan.  “So we need
to get to the Saint Phillip’s Academy library.  We’re going to need food.”

“Not to mention uniforms,” said Adam, chiming in.

“Oh yeah,” Elijah commented.  “We’ll need to blend in.  I
think I actually still have my uniform.  Adam, do you have yours?”

“I might.  But I’m pretty sure I’ve grown out of them.”

“This is great,” said Paul.  “So you all brought four extras
I presume?”

“What?”

“Well, let’s see,” Paul said sarcastically.  “We have six
kids and two uniforms.  I’m not so good in math, but I’m pretty sure we’re
short four uniforms.  That is unless you boys went to school naked.  If that’s
the case, count me out of this mission immediately.”

“Why do we all have to go inside?” Becca asked.  “It might
not look as suspicious if only a couple of us go in.”

“That’s true,” Elijah replied.  “That would draw more attention
than we want.”

“So who’s going?” Paul urged.  “Are we picking straws? 
Drawing cards?  Taking volunteers?”

“I think Adam should come,” Elijah suggested.  “He’s the
only other one here who’s been to the academy.  He and I can get in and out
pretty quick since we know where we’re going.  Plus we already have our
uniforms here.”

Adam smiled just enough to let Elijah know he was honored to
be his first choice.  Adam rarely showed much emotion.  He always looked deep
in thought.  But Elijah knew better than to think Adam didn’t have feelings
like so many other kids thought.  Only those who knew him best could see his
subtle expressions, even through his dreadlocks.

“Fine,” Paul said.  “So what do the rest of us do?  Play
footsies?”

Elijah thought for a moment.  “We’re going to need a place
to lay low and collect ourselves,” he answered.  “We’ll need to make camp.  Just
outside the academy.  We can have a lookout if we need it.  Paul, you can be in
charge of that.”

Paul nodded, the idea seeming to be an acceptable
substitute.  Elijah knew Paul needed action.  If he wasn’t going inside the
building, he needed something else almost as risky.  Elijah didn’t even think
they would need a lookout since they were going to be inside, but it was a way
to satisfy Paul.

“Hannah, what would you like to do?” Elijah asked.

“I can make camp,” she said without hesitation.  “I don’t
mind, really.  I’ll make it homey but also easy to leave in case we need to
make a quick getaway.”

“I’ll help Hannah,” Isaac said.

“You don’t get to eat the food just because you’re helping,”
Hannah said.  “I’m putting you to work.”

Hearing a rare snap from Hannah was too much for the
tension, and they all started laughing.

“I guess that leaves me with the lookout job with Paul,”
Becca said.  “Hm…on a dangerous mission again and having to work with Paul. 
Where have I done this before?”

“Behave, you two,” Elijah said, suddenly feeling like a
teacher.  “Now let’s go over the plan.  We’re only out to retrieve a book.  At
least, that’s what we think.  I have no idea what’s going to be inside the
book, so be prepared to change plans at a moment’s notice.  Adam and I will
sneak inside the academy.  We will only be inside for an hour at the most.  If
we’re gone for more, then assume the worst.”

“What should we do?” Isaac asked.

“We go in after them,” Paul said without a moment’s
hesitation.  “You’re not going to play any of that save yourself junk again are
you?”

Elijah shook his head.  “No.  We’re in this until the end. 
If we don’t get the information, then the rest of you need to.”

Elijah walked them step by step through the layout of Saint
Phillip’s in case they had to go in.  He told them about the three floors
containing the classrooms, laboratories, and the top floor being teacher’s
offices.  He even explained where the dormitories were, off the main building.

“My plan is to find Master Roddick first,” Elijah said. 
“It’s risky to go all the way to the top floor, but he might be able to make
things go more smoothly.  Then, we can search for the book in the archives. 
The only thing is, I’ve never been in the archives before, so that’ll be new to
me.  Have you?” Elijah asked Adam.

“Yes,” Adam said.  “But that will be tricky.  You have to
have a signed permission by a teacher to get in.”

“That’s easy,” Elijah said.  “Master Roddick can sign one
for me.”

“Okay then,” Becca said.  “Then what?  Let’s say everything
goes perfectly and we get out without being detected.  What do we do next?”

“We leave,” Elijah said.  “Come back here.  Plan our next
move.  I don’t want to plan anything beyond then because I have no idea what
we’re going to find.  We might have to stay there.  For all we know, all the
cubes are at the academy.”

“That would make it easy,” Paul said.

“Okay then,” Elijah said.  “Isaac, go into the dining hall
and grab some food to pack.”

“Sure!” said Isaac enthusiastically.

“Now remember,” Paul said.  “Pack for a week.  Not three
months.”

“I’ll help him,” said Hannah.

Isaac darted off and Hannah followed behind.

“Adam, let’s go get our uniforms and meet back here,” Elijah
said.

“I’ll go with you,” Paul whispered to Elijah.  “I don’t want
to be stuck here with
her
.”

“I heard that!” Becca said.  She turned to Elijah.  “I’ll go
pack for Hannah and me and then find Mr. Button.

They all split up and left the quarters.  Over an hour
later, Becca returned with two packs of clothes.  Elijah, Paul, and Adam followed
soon after with their packs of clothes, plus two Saint Phillip’s Academy uniforms. 
Elijah carried an extra bag.  Finally, Isaac and Hannah returned with three
packs full of supplies and food.  They piled everything on the floor of Mr.
Button’s quarters.

“I don’t know about you,” Paul said as he looked over the
piles, “but this looks like we’re going on a vacation around the world.”

“Why don’t we just take one change of clothes,” Elijah
suggested.  “That way we can cram all the clothes into one bag.  We’ll just
change once.”

“Gross,” Isaac said.  “We’re going to be gone a while, aren’t
we?”

“It’s only a couple days there and then a couple days back,”
Elijah said.  “We can handle it.”

Paul grabbed everyone’s clothes and dumped them all in a
pile.  “Sift through what y’all want to bring.”

“Real classy,” Becca responded, looking disgusted at the
pile.

As Paul shoved the clothes into one bag, Mr. Button walked
in.  “Are you ready?”

Elijah and his friends nodded, putting on their cloaks and
gear.  Surprisingly, Mr. Button did not walk them out of his quarters. 
Instead, he walked to the very back of his room and easily moved what had
appeared to be a very heavy statue, revealing a narrow passageway with stone
steps leading up.  Elijah looked amazed.  He and the rest of his friends
gathered their things and followed Mr. Button to the passageway.

The steps were very narrow.  They were carved out of the
mountain stone, steep and uneven, spiraling upward until it leveled out.  They then
walked through a long, narrow passageway, which reminded Elijah very much of
the prison passageways in Malpetra.  They hunched over for what seemed like an
eternity, until eventually, they found themselves standing in a thick fortress
of trees.  They had to duck down under the low-hanging branches of some very
large Whitebark pines which covered the mouth of the passageway.

“Where are we?” Elijah asked, stretching out his back.

“Just on the other side of the mountain,” Mr. Button
answered.  “I took you through a passage that only the barracks supervisors
know about.  It’s an emergency exit outside the city gates.  As you saw, this
passage leads straight into my quarters.  I must insist that you only use it to
return and never again.”

“What’s this?” Paul asked, pointing to the stone around the
mouth of the passageway entrance.  Mr. Button looked at it.  On the left side
of the entrance was the number
3
carved into the stone, no larger than a gold coin.

Mr. Button furrowed his brow and scratched his chin.  “I
don’t know.  It’s probably been there since they manufactured the passage.”

Paul fingered the number.  “But it’s new.  Look.  There’s
fresh powder from the rock.”

“Maybe one of the past supervisors did it.  Or someone
passing by who didn’t know what this was,” Button insisted.  “Anyway, my point
is, only use this passage to return.  Do you know your way?”