Once the twins were done with their story they all sat for a long time, not saying a word.
In a sudden burst both twins asked the same question.
”So do we look from here or from Mei's safe house for the hall to the fourth greenhouse?”
Mei was impressed by the twin’s clear thinking and could sense that they were more at ease with her and Frankie now that they realized they were all in the same situation. She wondered whether they had begun to sense Frankie's and her thoughts as well.
“I could go back to my place to look while you look from here,” Mei volunteered. “Before I go back we'll be sure your CC and computer are connected. That will give the computers an opportunity to work on the problem with the weather and we can keep in touch at the same time,” said Mei.
The twins agreed and in no time their CC, whose name was DITTO, was part of the group.
Frankie and the twins found the task of looking for the next hidden hall a bit daunting. Every inch of the main hall wall was hidden behind ornate furniture and collections. Frankie shrugged his shoulders at Mei as he organized the twins, assigning each one an opposite side of the hallway to investigate. Mei shrugged back with a smile. She would have loved to stay just to look at each of the amazing paperweights or hold each of the hundred antique dolls but that wasn't possible. She instead began working her way back to the shimmering door, careful not to knock over any of the hundreds and hundreds of objects.
She turned and gave the twins a questioning look. “How do you two get around here without bumping into everything?” she asked sympathetically. “I hope you have a place you can go and play without worrying about breaking things."
Mei’s question touched on the twin's inner unhappiness. They didn't like having to be careful everywhere they went and resented that no one but themselves or their parents were ever there, for real, to appreciate any of their surroundings. They missed having playmates that weren’t just projected images.
Mei, sensing the twin's unhappiness and loneliness, worked her way back to them to give them a hug.
“I’m sure you must get bored with having to be careful around everything all the time, said Mei, trying to ease their unhappiness. "Do you have any big space to play in?"
“Our only free space inside is our beds and even those have posts and lace all around them. We'd play outside the Grand house more often but Mommy doesn't like us getting our clothes dirty. Mei shook her head and gave them each a kiss on the forehead and began working her way back to the shimmering door.
Frankie was glad the twins were beginning to warm up to Mei and relieved to see that his first impression of them was wrong. He hoped being left with the twins would give them a chance to warm up to him too.
The twins started to look into each nook and cranny, eagerly pulling Frankie from one side of the hall to the other. He directed their enthusiasm to examining the most accessible places in the hall where there might be enough space for a hidden doorway.
In the meantime Mei began the thirteen minute walk back to the safe house, broom in hand to ward off any stray cobwebs. She wanted to not only begin looking for the second hidden hall but also check in on Maow and Poo and Larry.
Mei knew that NORA would have told her if her father had been in contact but she still tested the link to her CC just in case. The signal was as strong as before and NORA didn’t seem to mind her question. Mei thought about asking Larry to tell her some more spider jokes but didn't feel in the mood to laugh by herself.
After a few minutes of walking in silence Mei was beginning to get a little claustrophobic and thought maybe she was hearing things. She knew the hallway was empty but she could hear small clicking noises. I sure don't want to run into a mouse or a bat for that matter. Frankie's broom made her feel confident enough to keep moving forward.
The clicking suddenly became louder and out of the dim light Mei thought for sure she saw a big rat coming towards her. She was about to scream. Wait that’s not a rat, it’s Maow! she thought as relief washed through her.
Mei could sense Maow’s relief as well.
I am glad I finally found you. Larry asked me to go catch up with you. The snow has slowed down a little since the three computers were linked together. We're supposed to check Frankie's greenhouse to see if the same thing is happening there and then he wants to talk to you about something. He wouldn't say what.
“Well he could have just called through NORA but I’m glad to have you for company anyway Maow. I'm on my way to look for the other hidden door from our safe house hallway. Frankie stayed behind with our new found friends to look for a hidden door in their hallway.
Maow gave Mei an approving look and began to purr as she circled Mei's feet.
“I'll check Frankie's greenhouse and see if the weather has calmed down,” said Mei. That changed Maow’s thoughts to the salads stored in the greenhouse bench.
Can you get some more tuna salad while you are there? thought Maow. Mei could swear Maow had a smile on her face.
“Just a small spoonful. I have a new box of food for you back in our greenhouse that you really should be eating.”
I’ll have both! Anything new to eat always got Maow excited. She raced down the hallway ahead of Mei to hurry the process along and they arrived at Frankie's safe house in no time.
Mei climbed the stairs to check Frankie's greenhouse. Sure enough the leaves weren't falling as fast as the last time she looked. That's a good sign.
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The Greenhouse Effect Page 8
