by Ally Condie
“Just some kids from school,” Opal said quickly. “One of them was Logan.”
For the first time, his name didn’t make her mother smile. Mrs. Walsh examined the bike tracks running down the sidewalk. “What were you doing?”
“Practicing our talents. There’s still going to be a pageant, right?”
“I don’t know.” Mrs. Walsh’s voice broke. Her gaze shifted to Mr. Murphy. She walked over to the old man, putting a hand on his shoulder and leaning in to say something.
“Psst. Opal!”
Opal looked behind her. Nico, Emma, Tyler, and Logan were bunched next to the battered stage. Emma waved her over. “Come on.”
Opal shot a quick glance at her mom before hurrying to join her friends. “What’s up?”
“My movie debut got cancelled,” Emma said glumly. “The projection equipment is smashed, and that’s gonna cost a fortune.”
“All this carnage is expensive,” Tyler said. “I bet they have to cancel the festival now. They’re not gonna spend money on new radish banners when the streetlights need fixing.”
“Can we imagine gold coins inside the Darkdeep?” Emma suggested. “That’d solve a lot of problems.”
“Until they all disappeared,” Nico reminded her. “What good would that do?”
“I don’t think it would work anyway.” Tyler shoved his hands in his pockets. “Inanimate objects haven’t come out of the Darkdeep. Even that chicken nugget was rolling around.”
“The figments were definitely animate last night.” Opal shuddered. “And they lasted forever. I wish there was some trick to make them disappear.”
“Yeah, about that.” Nico scuffed his shoe on the pavement. “I might’ve done something to make the Sasquatch vanish.”
“What?” the others blurted in unison. It would have been funny if everything weren’t such a mess.
“When Bigfoot picked me up, I … I talked to it.” He shrugged self-consciously. “I said I was sorry and asked it not to kill me.”
“So you begged for your life.” Logan snorted derisively. “What, you think it felt bad for you and dissolved itself out of pity?”
Opal cringed, but Nico didn’t take the bait.
“No, not like that.” He chewed his bottom lip, his eyes getting a faraway look. “I felt something … change. I wasn’t afraid for a second. Up close like that, I could see how much the Sasquatch didn’t belong there.”
No one spoke. The wind whipped shredded strips of canvas across the mangled grass.
“So we just, like … apologize?” Tyler said finally. “To the figments?”
Nico’s features bunched as he shook his head. “No, that’s not it. But … I don’t know.”
“We bring the figments into being,” Emma said. “It makes sense you connected with one.”
Logan crossed his arms. “What are you saying? We should tell these monsters we love them?”
“Be serious, Logan.” Opal pressed her hands together, thinking. “Maybe it was the way you looked at the Sasquatch, Nico. How you really saw it.”
Tyler grunted. “We’re supposed to have staring contests?”
“No,” Opal snapped, growing frustrated. “I just meant that Nico paying closer attention to the problem might be part of the solution.”
“If he did anything at all,” Logan muttered.
Rain spattered across town square, but no one moved. The weather matched their mood.
Emma shivered. “The bigger question is, how’d they escape? I thought figments couldn’t leave the island.”
“And where are they all coming from?” Tyler added with a frown. “We might’ve created last night’s monster squad by diving in to avoid those orcs, but there were dozens of figments on the island when we got there. If we didn’t make them, who did?”
“Maybe the Darkdeep doesn’t need us anymore,” Emma whispered.
A squeal of feedback reverberated across the square. Everyone jumped.
“This is Mayor Hayt,” a female voice boomed from the lone undamaged stage speaker. “I want you all to know I’m doing everything in my power to determine the cause of this criminality. The perpetrators will be caught and held accountable. And we will hold our wonderful radish festival, as soon as possible.”
A faint cheer went up from the crowd, but Opal’s heart sank. The last thing they needed was an official investigation with the Darkdeep running wild.
“I need your cooperation in two crucial ways,” Mayor Hayt continued. “First, if you have any information about this atrocity, please come forward to the authorities. A substantial reward is being offered courtesy of the Nantes Timber Company.”
There was a muted round of applause. Mayor Hayt waited a beat. “Second, we need to let our cleanup crew get started. So please clear the square, and be sure to attend to your festival duties. We’ll get this straightened out. Thank you.”
Another feedback screech, and the mayor’s voice was gone.
“We’re the perpetrators she’s talking about,” Tyler groaned.
Emma punched his arm. “Figments did this, not us. We stopped the destruction.”
“Whatever helps you sleep.” Tyler rubbed the spot she’d hit. “But we definitely have information.”
“Not enough.” Emma took out her phone and scrolled through more blank photos. “We don’t have any evidence. If we say a bunch of imaginary creatures rampaged through downtown, they’ll think we’re lying. Or commit us to an insane asylum.”
“Or think we did it.” Logan’s cheek twitched. “I saw Sheriff Ritchie photographing the ATV tracks. Not many people around here have Trailbreaker Extremes.”
Emma giggled. “Your dad’s going to flip out if he has to reward someone for turning his son in.”
Logan didn’t share her amusement.
“We won’t let that happen,” Opal assured him. “You’ve got four alibis lined up.”
“Unless it’s enough for a new quadcopter,” Nico muttered, but he smiled to show he was kidding. Logan grinned back sourly.
“Real talk: we could take the mayor to the houseboat right now.” Tyler’s voice was growing desperate. “Just show her the freaking Darkdeep and get out of this mess. Anyone who sees it will believe everything we say.”
No. A voice spoke inside Opal, both foreign and familiar at once. The Darkdeep must be kept secret. It felt like ice water sweeping through her veins, but all she said was, “I think taking people there is a very bad idea.”
There was a tense silence before the others nodded one by one. Even Tyler. He sighed with his whole body. “So we’re back to square zero. Again.”
“We still have one clue,” Opal said. In her mind, she could see the lonely skeleton at the bottom of the ravine. “We didn’t finish looking into Roman Hale.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “Right! He left something in the timber company’s warehouse.”
“I’ll swipe my dad’s keys.” Logan shook his head, as if surprised by the words coming out of his mouth. “We can four-wheel out there if I’m not already on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.”
Tyler exhaled, his cheeks puffing. “Our parents are going to notice we’re gone this time. Last night’s demolition derby guarantees it.”
“No choice,” Nico said. “We have to figure this out.”
“Going rogue.” Emma stuck out her hand. “Let’s try this again.”
Opal put hers on top of Emma’s. Nico’s came next, then Tyler. They all looked at Logan.
“Fine,” he snarked. “But you guys should know that I’ll inform on all of you to lighten my sentence.” He shook his head as he placed his hand on top of theirs. “To a life of crime.”
“To a teensy day of crime,” Emma corrected. “To save Timbers.”
“To save Timbers,” they all repeated.
When they broke apart, Opal felt a single word, sung deep within.
Something she knew was her thought, her want.
Yes.
27
NICO
Nico slammed back against the chain-link fence.
Two Dobermans were charging straight for him, razor-sharp teeth exposed.
So this is how I go out. Chewed to pieces by Nantes Company guard dogs.
Logan dropped onto the gravel next to him and whistled. “Cecil! Peanut! Heel.”
The animals slid to a stop, heads tilting in confusion. The lead dog whined and pawed the ground. “Good boys,” Logan cooed, and their ears went up. They trotted forward and licked his hand, tails wagging happily.
Nico started breathing again. “A little warning next time,” he grumbled.
Logan shot Nico a wink. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. Plus, Peanut’s all talk, aren’t you, boy?” He ruffled the dog’s black fur. The animal preened under his attention.
Three more sets of sneakers hit the ground. Tyler. Emma. Opal. The dogs paid no more attention, satisfied by Logan’s presence. He sent them off with final head pats. “Let’s go. We’re lucky the motion sensors are turned off during the day. Those aren’t as easy to win over.”
Logan led them across the crowded timber yard toward a massive gray warehouse. They crept from piles of felled trees to stacks of treated lumber, zipping around giant bladed machines that could slice Nico in half without a hitch. Reaching the last bit of cover—a large drill lashed to a flatbed truck—they hunkered down and peered at an oversized steel door.
“This is the back entrance,” Logan said quietly. “There’s usually not much activity in the afternoon, especially around lunch, but if we run into anyone let me do the talking.”
Nico held his tongue. Though it sucked having Logan Freaking Nantes running the show, everything he said made sense. Nico had to be a team player. Too much was at stake.
To be fair, he hasn’t been as awful lately.
Nico straightened, surprised by the admission. Logan was a sworn enemy. He’d gone out of his way to make Nico’s life miserable for almost a year. Nico’s whole future in Timbers was in jeopardy because of the Nantes family, yet here the two of them were, huddled shoulder to shoulder, plotting to break into a warehouse together. Lunacy.
“You have a map or something?” Tyler shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t wanna get lost in there.”
Logan gave him a level look. “My family’s run this company for four generations. I don’t need a map of our own warehouse. Besides, it’s not as full as it used to be. Not since …” His gaze flicked to Nico, then shot away.
Nico felt his cheeks burn.
“We should hurry,” Opal said, changing the subject. “And there’s no reason for everyone to go inside.” She turned to Tyler and Emma. “Will you two keep watch? I’d hate to get nabbed sneaking back out.”
“What if those dogs come back?” Tyler said.
“They won’t bother you now,” Logan assured him. “They’ve seen you with me. Plus, I wasn’t kidding about them being all talk. Let Peanut sniff your hand and you’re fine.”
“Easy for you to say,” Tyler muttered. “Stick my hand in its mouth? I like my fingers.”
“We’ll climb that.” Emma pointed to a gigantic yellow machine tipped by steel claws. “There’s an open window, so we can hide inside. Plus, we’ll see more if we’re higher up.”
“Just don’t be seen,” Logan warned. “And don’t touch the controls. We’ll meet back here in”—Logan glanced skyward as if estimating—“fifteen minutes. If there’s trouble, whistle when you see us at the door.”
“I can’t whistle,” Tyler hissed.
Emma slugged his shoulder. “Come on. I’ll teach you.”
They split up, Nico, Logan, and Opal crouch-running to the door. Logan unlocked it and they slipped inside, shutting it firmly behind them.
The warehouse was dim and gloomy, the only light spilling in through dingy windows set up high near the ceiling. Towering rows of shelves flanked a wide central aisle. These held sawed boards and planks of every description, as well as drills, machine parts, and other things Nico couldn’t identify. Logan moved confidently, as if he knew what everything was and how it was used. Against his will, Nico’s respect for him grew.
Logan strode quickly past row after row. At the far end they reached a sliding wall with a zip-flapped door. “This is where employees can store things,” Logan said. “Some lumberjacks don’t have anywhere to keep their personal tools, so my dad provides a room for them. Not for valuables or anything, but stuff the workers need.”
He opened the door and they stepped inside. This room was smaller, lined with shelves like you might see in a supply closet. The rows were labeled by letter and number. Logan walked to the very back section, where a faded yellow sign read: UNCLAIMED ITEMS.
Logan tapped the sign. “Roman Hale’s property would’ve been moved here after he was fired. Hopefully it’s still here. After ten years, unclaimed items are sold at public auction.”
“So where would his stuff be?” Nico asked.
Logan rubbed his chin. “You have the number from his file?”
“Yep.” Opal whipped out her phone. “Section 318-B.”
Logan walked slowly down the aisle, stepping through shafts of pale sunlight. He stopped halfway and reached up to remove a small grime-covered chest from the top shelf, accidentally dumping a river of dust onto his head in the process.
He set the chest down and sneezed like a machine gun, then hawked onto the concrete floor. “Gross. That’s definitely been there a while.”
Opal knelt and opened it while Logan wiped dirt from his eyes.
There was a latch but no padlock, which disappointed Nico. This wasn’t the type of container used to store precious things.
A single cloth-wrapped bundle was nestled inside.
Nico peered down over Opal’s shoulder. “What is it?”
She unwrapped the moth-eaten fabric. The three of them stared in silence.
“Huh,” Nico said finally.
It was a smooth stone cylinder roughly two feet long and six inches wide. Opal lifted it in her hands, spinning the object to examine it. “Heavy,” she murmured.
Logan straightened with an irritated grunt. “Well, that’s disappointing.”
Nico had to agree. This was a useless piece of rock.
“Wait!” Opal caught a sunbeam on its weathered surface. “There’s an engraving. Some kind of dull image.” She traced the pattern with a finger. “It’s the hand torch!”
“From the tunnel!” Nico agreed. “And the necklaces.”
Opal smacked her head. “We haven’t paid enough attention to that.”
“We’ve been a little busy,” Nico reminded her.
“What’s going on?” Logan glanced back and forth, not enjoying being left out.
“This symbol is carved into the floor of the tunnel,” Opal explained, her voice growing excited. “It’s also on the necklace we found on Hale’s skeleton, and in some houseboat pictures, too. The image ties him to the island. And the Darkdeep, probably!”
Logan frowned. “But this stone thing is useless.”
“Wait.” Opal angled the cylinder and squinted. “There’s writing! But it’s not in English. ‘Accipere Victus.’ Anyone understand that?”
“Latin?” Nico guessed. “Greek?”
Opal and Logan both shrugged.
Opal continued to rotate the artifact in her hands. “There’s a tiny crack,” she murmured, “right here, in the center …” She pressed a fingernail into it, and a thin line appeared. Opal chewed her lip, thinking. Then she gripped both ends and spun them in opposite directions.
The cylinder divided in half.
“Bingo. It’s a tube.” She eased the sections apart.
Another object slid out, but Nico caught it. “Whoa,” he said. “Good thing it fell handle first.”
He was holding some kind of antique dagger. The blade was long and thin, sharpened on both sides and ending in a wicked point like an ice pick. It had an odd double guard, and the hilt was carved with the same torch insignia.
�
��Not cool,” Logan said. “Workers aren’t allowed to store weapons in here.”
“But what’s it for?” Nico hefted the knife. “Why hide an ancient dagger in a stone tube?”
Logan waved a hand vaguely. “To … you know … fight things.” Then his eyes widened. “Maybe we can use it against the figments!”
“Can I hold it?” Opal asked. Nico handed her the dagger. She flipped it upside down and ran a finger along the tarnished handle. The bottom of the hilt stuck out oddly, and was notched and serrated in a bizarre pattern. Opal suddenly squealed. “Nico, this part looks like a key!”
“Jeez, it could be.” Nico blinked. “Maybe we should go back to the tunnel. The carving is in that weird open space, and we’ve never really looked around.”
Opal nodded, eyes shining. “We definitely could’ve missed something.”
Logan ran a hand through his dust-caked hair. “The tunnel? With those things roaming through there? That doesn’t sound like a great idea.”
Nico met Logan’s eye squarely. “What’s happening is our fault, Logan. Me, Opal, Tyler, and Emma. We started this. If there’s a way to stop the Darkdeep, it’s our responsibility to find it and shut it down.”
Logan’s eyelid twitched. His fingers trembled slightly.
“But you didn’t start anything,” Nico continued. “This is our mess. None of us will think less of you if you bail. But I think Timbers is in serious danger, including this warehouse, your dad’s company, our homes, everything.”
Logan’s jaw clenched. Something clouded his eyes.
“I’m sorry about your quadcopter,” he said suddenly.
Nico gawked.
“I never said it to you, but I am.” Logan spoke in an even voice, but the intensity of his gaze pinned Nico to the floor. “And I’m gonna tell my dad to leave yours alone. I don’t know if he will, but … what’s happening isn’t right. Your dad was just doing his job.”
Logan glanced at Opal, who stared back at him.
Nico realized his mouth was still hanging open. He closed it. Swallowed. There was an awkward silence.
Logan cleared his throat. “What I’m saying is, I’m in. Let’s find out what this dagger is for. Let’s save our freaking town.”
Opal actually clapped her hands. “Awesome!”
