The Boy Who Knew Too Much

by Commander S. T. Bolivar, III

  “Exactly! Are there any more?”

  Caroline turned back around and they searched the same metal bin, finding two more wrenches left under an oily rag. Mattie tucked them under his sweater as they walked out.

  Caroline dusted off her hands. “What would you do without me?”

  Mattie started to answer and heard Eliot hiss, “Someone’s coming!”

  Mattie froze. Who was coming? Rupert? A teacher?

  No! It was Rooney! Mattie and the Spencers recognized his long, lanky shadow walking down the hallway. He was whistling.

  “Go!” Caroline whispered, pushing Mattie and Eliot in the opposite direction. They tiptoed across the hallway and, once they were safely down the other side, Mattie and the Spencers took off, their feet slapping against the tile.

  “Who’s there?” Rooney yelled and began to run too. “Do you know you’re out of bounds?”

  “Uh, yeah,” Eliot puffed. They hit the back hallway at a dead run. Maybe it was all the panic or maybe it was sniffing all that bleach, but Mattie felt like he was flying. He was moving faster than he’d ever sped in that stolen train. Once Rooney rounded that corner, Mattie and the Spencers were long gone.

  THIS IS WHERE OTHER BIOGRAPHIES CLAIM Mattie Larimore took a turn for the worse, but as we already know, those biographies are wrong. This isn’t where Mattie Larimore took a turn for the worse, it’s only where Mattie Larimore’s story took a turn for the worse. Much worse.

  But naturally, Mattie and the Spencers had no idea what was coming. At this moment, they were nervous, but confident. They thought they had a plan—a good idea, if you will. This is a feeling you get when you do, in fact, have a good idea, but it can also happen when you have a bad idea and don’t realize it.

  Mattie Larimore and the Spencers eventually learned the difference, but it took several years. Of course by then, they had also learned just because something is a bad idea doesn’t mean it won’t be a good time.

  Unfortunately for them, this was not going to be the case.

  That night, Eliot and Mattie waited until Kent was snoring and Doyle was squeaking. Then after Mattie grabbed his backpack they crept out the door and across the darkened hallway and down the even darker stairs. It was easier than their first time sneaking out.

  Well, Mattie thought while they crouched by a row of prickly hedges to let Mr. Karloff stalk past with his belly jiggling, it wasn’t exactly easy to sneak out, but he was getting better at it. Even so, they were still a little late meeting Caroline at the wall.

  “Are you always this slow?” she asked, her arms wrapped tight around her body. It was cold and Caroline’s breath rose like smoke. “We have only fifteen minutes before Karloff comes back around. Hurry up!”

  Mattie started to tell Caroline that bossiness might be one of the reasons her friends didn’t want to hang out with her anymore, but Caroline was already gone, power walking for the back stairs. The boys followed and, together, the three of them made it down to the courtyard entrance, across the scraggly patch of grass, and down into the south meadow behind the dorms.

  It was easy until they couldn’t find the entrance to the basement. They knew it was around here somewhere, but the grass seemed taller and thicker than before. It rustled and whispered as Mattie groped around, kicking at the ground and feeling his way with his hands.

  Whump.

  “Ow!” Eliot popped up, pulling bits of grass from his hair. “Found it.”

  Mattie trotted to his side and both of them struggled to lift the metal cover. Mattie heaved it to one side and peered into the exposed tunnel. Did it seem darker down there than it did before?

  “You first,” Eliot said, nudging Mattie forward. Mattie gripped the straps of his backpack a little tighter and slid his foot around, searching for the first step.

  Ah! There it was. And then, as if the stairs had detected Mattie’s feet, small lights illuminated the steps. He could see now. Well, he could see better now. The light should’ve been reassuring, but Mattie’s stomach was still clenched as tight as his fists.

  “Mattie!” A voice whispered from behind them.

  The friends froze. Caroline looked like she was ready to run. Eliot looked like he was ready to follow her. And Mattie…Mattie looked like he was going to pass out. There was a rushing in his ears and his feet felt like concrete as he slowly—slowly—turned around.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” the voice whispered, although it almost wasn’t a whisper. It was really more of a whisper-yell. Like the whisperer didn’t want to be heard, but was also really, really mad.

  Mattie knew that whisperer. “Carter?”

  Branches snapped like teeth as Carter shuffled out of the trees. There was a girl close behind him, and Mattie squinted as she stepped closer. Yuck. She was the same girl who had laughed at Mattie before and now her hand was wrapped around Carter’s.

  Even in the shadowy light, Mattie could tell her eyes were huge. She was horrified.

  That made two of them.

  “What are you doing?” Carter demanded. “You’re not supposed to be out here.”

  “Technically, neither are you,” Caroline said. Carter glared at her, and Caroline glared right back. Actually, Caroline looked like she was trying to will Carter to burst into flames with just the power of her mind, but Carter didn’t seem to notice.

  He wheeled around on Mattie. “I thought you wanted out of here, Mattie. I thought you didn’t belong at Munchem—”

  “I don’t!”

  “Well, it looks like you do to me.” Carter crossed his arms and smirked like he was trying not to laugh.

  “C’mon, Carter,” the girl said. “I’m bored.” She tugged on Carter’s sleeve, but he shook her off.

  “Not now, Amy,” Carter said, still glaring at his brother. “Good kids don’t break the rules, remember?”

  Mattie pulled the straps of the backpack and felt the wrenches dig into his back. He did remember that good kids didn’t break the rules, and he did indeed want to go home. But maybe more than anything, Mattie wanted Carter to stop looking at him like he was a very stupid puppy who had just piddled on the carpet.

  “I have to break the machine before you get turned into a clone!”

  Carter’s eyes bugged. “There is no machine!”

  Mattie let go of the backpack straps and balled his hands into fists. “It’s under the school and Rooney is using it to make bad kids into good kids and if you don’t shape up, you’re going to be next and I’m not going to let that happen!” And, with that, Mattie took off running down the stairs. Carter swore and took off running after him, and then everyone else followed.

  Well, everyone except for Amy, who was now stomping toward the school, vowing never to speak to Carter Larimore again.

  Mattie was the first down the stairs. Caroline was faster than Carter, so she was right behind Mattie. And Carter was right behind her—or he was until Eliot kicked him and ducked ahead.

  “Now you’re both dead!” Carter fumed.

  You’ll have to catch me first, Mattie thought and, just like before, he went down, down, down into the basement. The stairs turned into a ladder and the ladder turned into stairs and everyone skidded to a stop when they finally hit the floor.

  The whole basement smelled like burned hair.

  “Phew!” went Mattie.

  “Ugh!” went Caroline.

  “Ouch!” went Eliot because Carter had finally caught up to him and had thumped him on the head.

  “What the…?” Carter sounded scared and horrified and amazed all at the same time.

  Mattie knew exactly how his brother felt.

  The basement was even more crowded with pipes and tubing and wires. Cables hung in loops from the ceiling and, somewhere, water went drip, drip, drip.

  Mattie’s stomach did a little flip and he clutched the straps of his backpack a little tighter. The machine wasn’t running, and if the machine wasn’t running then Mattie couldn’t drop the wrenches into the ge
nerators. Well, he could drop them into the machine, but what if someone noticed them and took the wrenches out? Mattie’s entire plan would be pointless.

  “I think we might have a problem,” Caroline muttered, and Mattie knew she was thinking the same thing.

  Which meant that Mattie was going to have to come up with another plan. He took the wrenches from his backpack, stuffed them into the front of his sweater, and tried to think.

  But unfortunately all Mattie could think about was how his knees were starting to shake and how all of his plans might fail and how Carter’s mouth was hanging open because for once he couldn’t argue with Mattie.

  At least that was satisfying.

  Or it was until Carter faced him.

  “Mattie,” Carter said in a low voice—usually the low voice he used whenever he was irritated or tired or irritated and tired and about to thump Mattie for annoying him. “Get back to the meadow right now or so help me—”

  Mattie ran. He ducked under the new set of pipes and shimmied under another set of cables. He scuffed his knees, and someone grabbed his ankle, but he kicked.

  And then he kicked harder.

  “Ow!”

  Apparently, he’d kicked Carter. That wasn’t going to end well, but Mattie kept going, scrambling along on his hands and knees. The wrenches thumped against his chest. Mattie went right. Mattie went left. Mattie went left again, but it was the wrong left.

  Caroline caught up with him and grabbed his sleeve, hauling him toward a set of yellow drainpipes. They squeezed under the bottom pipe and popped up on the other side.

  “Look familiar, genius?” Caroline asked.

  Mattie ignored her even though it did indeed look familiar. This was close to where they’d come in the first time. The generators were only a few steps away.

  Mattie jumped to his feet, took the wrenches out of his sweater, and looked over the side of the first generator. It was just as he’d remembered from the meetings at Mr. Larimore’s company. The engineers had explained that the motor was controlled by an electronic box at the top, but the actual mechanical gears were located farther down a metal shaft. If he dropped the wrenches—

  “Mattie,” Carter panted. “Don’t do this. You’ll get caught and Rooney will think I put you up to it.”

  Mattie looked at his brother. Carter had dust smeared completely down his front and was wheezing. How he had fit under those pipes was beyond Mattie. “Don’t you dare—”

  Mattie dared. He tossed the first wrench and then the second and third.

  Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang. The wrenches banged down the sides of the generators, falling deep into their gears.

  “I’m going to kill you, Mattie,” Carter said, starting toward him. “Forget getting out of Munchem. I’m going to bury you here.”

  Mattie ignored him and peered into the generators. Hmmm. He couldn’t even see the wrenches now. What if they fell straight through?

  WHAT IF IT DIDN’T WORK?

  Mattie looked at Carter again and realized he might die for nothing.

  Bang! Something metal smacked against something hard and everyone crouched down. Did a pipe fall? Or maybe a metal panel? Whatever it was, it was way heavier than Mattie’s wrenches.

  “What was that?” Caroline mouthed at Mattie, but Mattie couldn’t answer. Mostly he couldn’t answer because he didn’t know, but also he couldn’t answer because Carter had lunged for him and Mattie had to duck. Carter caught him anyway and they grappled around on the concrete until Caroline yanked on Carter’s sweater. He looked at her, and she put one finger to her lips. Everyone was confused….Then they heard a soft scuff against the concrete.

  Mattie swallowed. The banging must’ve been the door from the other entrance swinging open. And the scuffing? Someone was walking through the basement.

  Scuff. Scuff. Scuff.

  Someone was walking toward them!

  Mattie leaned down (not exactly a difficult thing considering Carter was practically sitting on his head) and peered between two cables. Shiny brown shoes attached to long, thin legs attached to…

  Headmaster Rooney.

  Mattie squeaked. Carter pinched him, and Headmaster Rooney stopped.

  Everyone held their breath.

  “Who’s there?” the headmaster demanded. “Mrs. Hitchcock?”

  Mattie’s eyes bugged. They were in so much trouble. They only knew two ways out of the basement: through Rooney’s office and through the meadow. They couldn’t go back through the office. They’d get caught for sure.

  But they couldn’t go back the way they came either. They’d run right into the headmaster.

  We are so busted, Mattie thought. This was terrible. He hadn’t broken the machine. He hadn’t saved his brother. He’d actually gotten everyone into even more trouble.

  “Just wait,” Eliot whispered. “The Rooster has to go to bed sometime, right?”

  Mattie had no idea. It had never occurred to him the Rooster did anything besides prowl the hallways at Munchem and yell.

  “I heard that!” the headmaster shouted. He spun in a tight circle, looking and looking. “Who’s there? You better come out right now or I’ll come in there and drag you out!”

  Carter shifted his weight and Mattie’s cheek smushed into the floor, coating it with dust.

  This is how it’s going to end, Mattie thought while he tried to spit grit from his mouth. He couldn’t say he was surprised. Although reform school and machines and clones were new developments in Mattie’s life, being sat on by Carter happened more regularly than Mattie wanted.

  “I know you’re there!” Headmaster Rooney shrieked. His face was turning pink, pinker, red. “Show yourself this moment!”

  On top of Mattie’s head, Carter sighed heavily and then stood up. He dusted off his sweater. He straightened his shirt. He looked at his brother.

  “Go back to bed, Mattie,” Carter whispered.

  “What?” Mattie whispered back, but Carter didn’t answer. He walked past the other kids and climbed over the pipes and cables that hid them. He walked straight up to Headmaster Rooney like this had always been the plan. And, as Mattie stared, his brother turned himself in.

  MATTIE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. He didn’t know what to do. Headmaster Rooney was shouting at Carter, and Carter was nodding. He was agreeing with him! He was going with him! The headmaster and Carter were—

  Eliot yanked Mattie backward, toward the pipes and the tunnel. “We have to go!” he mouthed.

  But Mattie had to do something. Carter and the headmaster were past the smokestacks now. They had to save him!

  “We have to go!” Caroline whispered, tugging on Mattie’s sweater. “Carter didn’t want you to get caught!”

  “We can’t leave him!” Mattie tried to release himself from Caroline’s grip. She wouldn’t let go, though, and they wrestled on the floor until Eliot helped his sister and, together, the Spencers dragged Mattie toward the tunnel.

  But not before Mattie saw Carter and Rooney disappear around the corner of the machine.

  “If you get caught then Carter will have gotten in trouble for nothing!” Caroline gave Mattie a jerk.

  Maybe a harder jerk than necessary. Mattie stumbled after his friends as they squeezed under the pipes, crept up the stairs, climbed the ladder, and reached the second set of stairs again.

  Sneaking around required a lot of effort, Mattie thought as he wheezed up the last flight. They popped out on the south meadow where Caroline took several seconds to listen for anyone who might be waiting outside.

  “It’s okay,” she said at last. “No one’s there.”

  They panted up the last three steps and then collapsed on the grass. Mattie rolled onto his back and caught his breath as he stared at the stars. The grass smelled like damp dirt and dried leaves and something sweet that Mattie couldn’t name.

  He felt like crying. He’d gotten Carter into so much trouble.

  Mattie sat up. The Spencers sat up. Everyone looked at everyone. />
  “I didn’t mean for Carter to get caught,” Mattie whispered. Tears were pooling in the corners of his eyes. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

  The Spencers nodded. “It wasn’t your fault,” Caroline said, even though they were all pretty sure it was. “Maybe Carter will get off with a warning?” she added, even though they were all pretty sure he wouldn’t.

  “We’ll think of something,” Eliot said and stood, brushing grass bits from his pants.

  They were lying, Mattie realized, but for some reason the lies didn’t bother him, not like he would’ve expected. He needed the Spencers and their encouragement because it made the dark feel a little better.

  Or it did until they heard another rustling.

  Caroline’s head whipped to their left. “Was that you?” she whispered.

  “Who’s there?” a voice rang through the dark. “Come out at once!”

  It was Mr. Karloff! Mattie jumped to his feet.

  Eliot grabbed Mattie and Caroline. “Run!”

  Mattie ran. Eliot ran. Caroline ran faster than both of them. They took off up the hill, charging toward the garden.

  “Where’s the break in the wall?” Eliot panted as they raced along the stone wall. “Where’s the—oof!”

  Caroline shoved her brother over it. Eliot tripped, tripped again, and righted himself. Mattie jumped over the break in the wall and dragged himself through a rosebush.

  “Ow! Ow! Ow!”

  “You just wait until I catch you!” Karloff shrieked.

  “See ya!” Caroline turned left and raced for her dorm. Mattie and Eliot turned right and raced for theirs. They tore through the courtyard and vaulted over the mossy benches. They skidded across the flagstones, past the angry angel, and—

  Crash! Crash! Two more tiles hurtled to the ground, splintering in the grass as Mattie pounded past.

  “It’s like the school’s trying to kill us,” Mattie gasped. Eliot didn’t answer. Eliot was too busy running with all his might. His knees pumped like pistons, and his cheeks puffed in and out. The boys pushed through the narrow doorway. They dashed up the stairs. They dashed down the hallway. They only stopped when they reached the door of 14A. Mattie knew they had to be quiet. They didn’t want to wake the others, but Mattie couldn’t stop panting and Eliot couldn’t stop wheezing. The door whined softly when they opened it.