William Wenton and the Impossible Puzzle by Bobbie Peers

Author:Bobbie Peers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

24

It was 10:12 p.m. William crept down the stairs to the first floor as quickly as he could. He was late because his door had suddenly refused to let him out. It had lectured him all about how it was too late to go out and how it wasn’t safe to run around the Institute at night. You never knew what you might run into. William had to use all his persuasive abilities before the door eventually, grudgingly let him out. Now he just hoped Iscia hadn’t gotten cold feet.

William stopped when he reached the bottom step and listened. Darkness lay like a black fog over the big hallway. He was alone. A solitary wall lamp gave off just enough light for William to see where to go.

William continued down the hallway, which led to the dining hall. He stopped next to a metal statue that resembled the Statue of Liberty and peered around.

“Iscia,” he whispered.

The only thing he heard in response was a faint echo of his own voice. Iscia had probably been here and left again when he hadn’t shown up at the appointed time. William wondered whether he ought to just go back to his room too.

A creaking sound made him turn around. A silhouette was moving along the hallway. Holding his breath, William squeezed in between the wall and the statue.

The silhouette was coming closer. It was the same old woman he’d seen before in the hallway outside his room. She was pushing a cart full of buckets, brooms, and rags in front of her. William pressed himself against the wall. No one could know he was out wandering the hallways at this hour. The woman stopped right next to the statue and looked around. He could see her very clearly now. She was very old. Her skin was gray and wrinkled, and she wore her hair up in a little hair net. A small, mechanical hummingbird sat on her shoulder grooming its feathers. She looked around, then kept moving along the hallway, finally disappearing around a corner.

William didn’t dare come out from behind the statue until the sound of the cleaning cart’s squeaking wheels was completely gone. If Iscia didn’t show up . . . should he try to find the Archive alone? No, he needed Iscia. She knew the Institute much better than he did.

“Psst,” he suddenly heard from somewhere in the darkness. William stopped.

“Here . . . up the stairs.”

William saw a narrow staircase a little way down the hallway. It was blocked with a chain, and there was a brass sign hanging from the chain that said EMPLOYEES ONLY.

“Hurry up,” the voice whispered again. It was Iscia.

She was sitting halfway up the stairs, hiding. William stepped over the chain and climbed up to her.

“You’re late.”

“I was negotiating a curfew with my door,” William explained.

“So what time does the little one need to be back, then?” she said sarcastically.

“Forget it,” William said, and continued up the staircase.

Soon they were on the second floor, peering down a long, white hallway that seemed to go on forever.

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