Seven Wonders Complete Collection by Peter Lerangis

Author:Peter Lerangis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-02-18T05:00:00+00:00

Seven minutes later we pulled to a stop at a sprawling building with broad stone steps.

“Who’s the dude on the horse?” Cass said, gazing out at a statue of a heroic-looking horseman with a Native American standing by his side.

“Theodore Roosevelt,” Dad said as he stepped out of the taxi, clutching the bag with both Loculi. “He and his father played huge roles founding this place.”

We left the cab and began climbing the steps, passing a school group about my age. They were taking selfies near the Roosevelt statue, making faces and goofing off. One of the girls looked at me and turned away, giggling. She was annoying, but she was normal. For a moment I imagined Dad and me as normal people visiting the museum. The thought of it was . . . well, amazing.

Fat chance that would ever happen now.

I looked left and right. I didn’t know what I was looking for. The Massa could be anybody.

“Buddy, dollar for a cup of coffee?”

I gasped and jumped away from a stringy-haired man in tattered clothing, who was standing at one of the top steps, holding out a cup to us. “Easy, Jack,” Aly said, fishing coins out of her pocket and dropping them in his cup.

“Bless you,” the man replied, then winked at me. “And take care of that anxiety, kid. It’ll kill you.”

Easy. Aly is right.

Dad led us into the front hall of the museum, which contained a gargantuan skeleton of a dinosaur raised up on its hind legs. “Looks familiar,” Cass murmured.

I nodded. It resembled a slightly smaller version of the skeleton in the Great Hall of the House of Wenders, back on the island. As we stepped to the end of a long, snaky ticket line, I craned my neck up to see its head.

I almost missed the man wearing a dark robe, who disappeared into the exhibit hall behind the skeleton.

I jabbed Dad in the side. “Look!”

“Massa?” Dad asked.

“Where?” Cass said.

“You are too hyped up!” Aly said.

“Normal people don’t wear robes!” I shouted.

I bolted toward the front of the line, barged past the ticket taker, and raced into the exhibit hall. It was a high-ceilinged room with a balcony, and in the center was a circular display of enormous elephants. The floor on all sides was crowded with families and school groups. I ran to the right, leaping to see over people’s heads.

There.

I caught a better glimpse of him now, his robe swinging as he walked. I thought he was heading out the other side, but he seemed to change his mind. Picking up speed, he made a full circle and headed back out the exhibit entrance.

Had he seen me?

“Excuse me . . . sorry . . .” I pushed my way through, nearly trampling a two-year-old in my path, and stumbled into the hallway outside the room.

Elevators lined both walls, but only one car was open—and it was closing, jammed with people. I saw a bearded face, a flash of the robe’s material, before the door shut.

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