The Impossible Race: Cragbridge Hall, Volume 3 Read online

“Trust me,” Landon finished. “This will be better, more monumental, than any secret prize ever.”

  Abby swallowed hard.

  Decision

  Well, there it is,” Derick said. “That had Muns written all over it.”

  Abby agreed, walking beside her brother and Carol. It felt great to be out of the hot and stuffy gym, but only on the outside. Abby’s insides were scrambling.

  “I guess there’s a chance,” Carol said, “that it’s a completely different key and it just happens to look exactly like the most important keys in existence that protect one of the most powerful secrets ever.” Derick and Abby looked at Carol incredulously. “You’re right,” Carol admitted. “It was completed, stamped, and signed by Dr. Doomsface himself.”

  “Oi pessoal,” Rafa called out from behind them. “Wait up.” He jogged to catch up, his dark ponytail bouncing on his shoulders. He hadn’t been with them at the dance. He was a year older than them, after all, and had other groups of friends. “I bet I can guess what you’re talking about.”

  Everyone nodded.

  Abby looked around—the hallway was filled with other students walking. “Let’s step into a study room.” They followed her into a small room outside of the commons and closed the door behind them.

  “Do you think they really have a key they are going to give away?” Rafa asked. No one sat on the chairs around the table.

  “I don’t know,” Derick said. “But I guess we have to treat it like they do.”

  “How did Muns get a key?” Carol asked.

  “I wish we knew,” Abby said. “Does everyone here have theirs?”

  Everyone nodded. They had all double-checked. “I sent a message to my mom too,” Rafa said. “She has hers. She’s checking with Mr. Sul about those on the other council.”

  “Good,” Abby said. “We’ll also have to double-check where we hid the others, but I can’t imagine he had a way to find them.” She blew out a breath of frustration. “But if we can find who got that key, we find someone on Muns’s side.”

  “That’s assuming someone didn’t just give it to him,” Derick said.

  Whether someone working for Muns stole the key, or someone voluntarily gave it to Muns, Abby didn’t like it.

  “Back to the Race,” Rafa said. “If the winners only get one key, they can’t really change time, right?”

  “True, but they also learn the secret,” Derick said. “And that’s a big deal.”

  “Wait, let me think this through,” Carol said, lifting her hands.

  “Um,” Derick said. “You don’t usually pause to think. You just talk.”

  “I didn’t say I was going to think in my head,” Carol clarified. “I think out loud: Only the team who wins the contest gets a key and learns the secret, right? Maybe they wouldn’t even believe it. I mean, the idea that your grandpa discovered time travel and keeps the giant machine in a secret basement below the school is kind of crazy.”

  “It is,” Derick agreed, and sat down in one of the chairs. Rafa followed his lead. “But it’s also true. And chances are that they will at least be curious and check it out. Then we’ve got a group of students that we don’t know if we can trust with a lot of power. And,” he said, raising a finger, “nothing is going to stop them from sharing the secret with others.”

  “Not everyone is as good at keeping secrets as we are,” Abby said, playing with the back of the seat in front of her.

  “I’m really proud of myself for that, by the way,” Carol added. “I love to talk, and this is a juicy secret, but I haven’t told a soul.” She shook her head.

  “If word gets out,” Abby said, “it could bring even bigger trouble.”

  “The more people that know,” Derick said, “the more likely it is that some will side with Muns. Or there may be someone else like Muns who would do anything to control it.”

  Abby could only imagine what life would be like if that were the case. No thanks. This was stressful enough.

  “Plus,” Rafa said, “if the secret really did get out, the government could investigate. And they would probably come in and take everything. And who knows how they would use it. If someone was corrupt, we could be looking at world domination.”

  “I guess the main point is,” Abby said, tucking the chair in front of her all the way under the table, “that if the secret gets out, someone is going to realize that the Bridge is the greatest weapon ever invented. If someone gets in your way, you could use it to go into the past and put them on a different course or even eliminate them. Or you could use it to enter the present. You can go anywhere, no limits. You can spy and find out anything, from government secrets to vault combinations. Of course you wouldn’t need those because you could use the Bridge to go straight inside the safe, take the money, and come out again.”

  “We used it to rescue people,” Derick added, “but others could assassinate, or kidnap, or fight wars. Really, they could do almost whatever they want.”

  “To sum up,” Carol said, “if the secret gets out, we get a bunch of awful, nasty, icky, no-goodness.” She grimaced and shook her hands.

  “This has to be part of Muns’s backup plan,” Derick suggested. “Maybe if he gets the secret out to the winners, then he can bribe them to do what he wants.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair.

  “Or he can be a meanie-bucket and kidnap their family members and make them do it,” Carol added.

  “And whoever wins will be some of the most talented people at a school for the most talented people. The best of the best,” Abby said.

  Rafa cleared his throat. “If that is Muns’s plan, then someone on the Race committee has to be working for him undercover, certo? Right? How else would they get a key in that box?”

  “Yeah,” Derick agreed. “We can get a list of them easily enough. I think it’s the two students who announced it, a handful of teachers, and then the students whose challenges were picked. They can’t participate because it would give them an unfair advantage.”

  “I’ve got it,” Carol said, looking at the screens in her contact lenses. “Straight off the school site. I’m sending it to you now. Let’s go all private eye and check into every one of them for anything suspicious. I’ll take all the boys close to my age,” she volunteered.

  “Surprise,” Derick said flatly. “I never would have seen that coming.”

  “If they’re evil, I don’t want anything to do with them,” Carol defended herself. “That’s a personal rule, ‘Don’t flirt with evil people.’ But if they’re not, well then, there might be some possibilities.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

  “Maybe we should divide them up equally and try to find out more about them,” Abby said. “I just wish Grandpa and Mom and Dad were awake. They’d know how to handle all this.”

  “I do too,” Derick said, and rubbed his eyes. “But they aren’t, so we have to do our best. We could ask Mr. Sul about it too. He’s an administrator.”

  “I’ll have my mom contact him about that too,” Rafa said. “He’s probably worried about the same thing we are. He’s probably already looking into it.”

  “I hope,” Abby said. “But in the meantime, let’s look into the list of people.” They agreed and divided up the list. “And we’ll continue working on Grandpa’s challenges to see if the Bridge can be used to see the future. If we’re able to know what’s coming, that could make all the difference in the world.” Abby looked at her brother, thoughts of what the girl from the future had said flooding her mind. Thoughts of her brother’s death.

  “And one more thing,” Derick said, not meeting his sister’s gaze. “There is a way we can control this situation.” He exhaled slowly. “We could control who learns the secret by making our own team and winning the competition.”

  “Oh, yeah!” Carol said, pumping her fists and jumping up and down. “Let’s do this!”

  “That could be exactly what Muns wants,” Abby said. “This is probably all a trap to get us to do just that.”<
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  “But even if it’s a trap,” Derick said, “I don’t think we have a choice. We have to try to protect the secret.”

  “I think he’s right,” Rafa said. “I don’t think sitting back and watching will do anyone any good. We have to actively try to stop this.”

  “But just the four of us couldn’t win,” Abby said. “There’s no way.” They would be going up against the brightest and most talented students in Cragbridge Hall.

  “You’re right,” Derick said. “But I happen to know a group of really talented students who have been asking for some answers for a long time, and they may even deserve to know the secret.”

  Rafa nodded.

  “The Crash,” Abby said.

  Stoop

  Derick gazed out over Cragbridge Hall from the top of a three-story building. It was still a few minutes before twilight. Perfect. He moved to the edge and stepped off.

  Falling only for a moment, Derick spread his four-foot wingspan and let it fill with air. His beak cut through the wind and his body glided through it, his wings moving with the currents. Usually, this was where he came for his peace, his time. He didn’t visit his parents or his grandfather often like Abby did. He didn’t like to see them helpless and pale. He soared over the school, letting the wind, the sheer joy of flying, calm him. This. This could quiet his mind. Even if students made noise below, it felt like they were a world away.

  Derick knew he could only fly so far; the airspace was monitored. To have real security for the school, they couldn’t have people able to simply skydive in. They also couldn’t have avatar birds flying out. Sophisticated software tracked the robot birds’ speed and altitude constantly; if their flight path neared the edge of campus, they received an instant warning. And if they continued, the avatar would shut down and drop from the sky before it could leave the walls. Because the school had realistic-looking animal robots, they had to protect them. If they didn’t, there were many groups willing to exploit their possible uses.

  The current shifted and Derick struggled to correct. His peregrine falcon dipped and bobbed for a moment before regaining full control. He was definitely still learning, but he loved to practice.

  “Good recovery, rapaz,” Rafa complimented. Derick saw another falcon tip smoothly to one side and arc through the air toward him. It had a white underbelly with dark spots. With its wings open, it looked like it had brown stripes on the underside of its wings and tailfeathers. The top of its body was dark. His Brazilian friend was in another avatar suit controlling another peregrine falcon. Derick could hear his voice because their real bodies were only feet away from each other. “You’re improving fast.”

  “Thanks,” Derick said. “I’m nothing like you yet, but I’m trying.” No student was as good as Rafa. He grew up working with the avatars. They weaved back and forth on the currents, Rafa giving an occasional tip.

  Derick knew the science of it. That was all part of the learning process. Because of the shape of the wing, more air pressure pushed up against the bottom of the wing than on the top. That’s what gave him lift. And it was why engineers modeled airplane wings after birds’ wings. Same principle. But Derick didn’t think about the science as he flew. It was more about the feeling.

  Out of nowhere two more falcons swooped down beside Derick and Rafa. Then another flew in a full loop while a final falcon dove through it. It took spectacular timing and grace, but they were all part of the Crash, the club of students that was the very best at avatars. They were used to doing the amazing.

  “Y’all started early,” one of the falcons said in a Southern drawl.

  “Hey, Malcolm,” Derick said. “I was just getting in some extra practice.”

  “Good,” a Latina responded. Maria. It had taken some practice, but now Derick could recognize everyone by voice. Of course, the robot animals themselves didn’t talk. He could hear the students’ voices because they had joined him and Rafa in the same room in the lab in their high-tech suits, harnessed to fly. “I think today’s the day,” Maria said.

  “The day for what?” Derick asked.

  “You’ll see,” another falcon said, flying in next to them. It was Piper. “Let’s go to the tower.” Piper flew out, leading the group.

  “Okay,” Derick submitted. “But Rafa and I have something important to ask all of you.”

  “Oh, really?” Malcolm answered, pulling out ahead of Derick and just to the side of Piper. “That’s really funny, because we’ve been asking you important questions for over a month now. And you’re always stalling.” They flew toward the center of the school.

  “Yeah,” Nia, another member of the Crash, agreed. “When are you going to tell us exactly what went on back in the lab?”

  “Um,” Derick stalled.

  “You know,” Piper said. “The day a bunch of soldiers invaded campus and an avatar bull tried to kill you. And somehow your grandfather, your parents, and four teachers ended up in comas. I’d think you’d remember something like that; I know I have a tough time trying to forget.”

  When things had looked the bleakest, Derick had called the Crash in to help and they had saved his life. Derick and Rafa had told them how Rafa’s mother was a key inventor of the avatars and that others had been after her. That part was true, but they hadn’t mentioned anything about the Bridge and the secret behind it. The Crash suspected Derick hadn’t told the whole story.

  “Ever since then, there’s a lot more security around this place,” Piper said. “Like the tower.” Usually the Watchman was the highest point of the school—a tower rising from the top of the commons building. But over the past month, security had built a steel tower and installed equipment meant to protect and control electronic transmissions and to strengthen their monitoring of the airspace. Each falcon landed on a beam near the top. It took Derick three tries; he kept missing and overcorrecting. Finally, he stood with his talons curled around the top of a beam nearly six stories in the air.

  “And like that guy,” Malcolm pointed a talon at a security officer standing on the corner of the roof of the building, looking down at the commons below. He was only one of many. A security bot rolled on its one wheel along the wall near the guard.

  “Have you finished the challenges I gave you?” Derick asked.

  “Some of them,” Nia said. “I studied George Washington for several hours yesterday, but I don’t see what he has to do with anything.”

  “The challenge is about having the same kind of character as great people in history before I can tell you the secret,” Derick said. “Plus, the secret’s not completely mine to tell. When my grandfather wakes up, he’ll know how to handle this. I’m just trying to get you ready.”

  The falcons all looked at each other. “The same answer,” Malcolm said. “My mama would tell me to find friends who don’t keep secrets from me.”

  “Actually, what I’m going to ask of you may help answer some of those questions,” Derick said.

  “It doesn’t sound like you’re going to tell us anything,” Maria said. “Let’s do this first.” The Crash practiced as a club a few times a week. They had taught Derick well and he was having a lot of fun, but he noticed they were giving him harder and harder challenges. Perhaps that was their way of getting back at him for not answering their questions.

  One of the falcons turned its piercing eyes toward Derick. “Would you like to know one of the coolest things about peregrine falcons?” Nia asked.

  “Right now, I’m just thrilled to be in one and able to fly,” Derick said.

  “Well, I’m not sure all of what you were doing was flying,” Piper said. “Some of it was flopping, and a little of it was falling.”

  “Falcons can fly up to sixty miles per hour,” Malcolm explained, “but that’s not in a stoop.”

  “What’s a stoop?” Derick asked.

  “A stoop is when a falcon dives for its prey,” Piper explained.

  “And then they can go up to 200 miles per hour,” Maria said, then whis
tled. “That’s fast! Shall we give it a shot?”

  “200 miles an hour? Is that safe?” Derick asked.

  “It’s not about being safe,” Malcolm answered. “It’s about hunting, getting food. It’s about being focused and not holding yourself back at all. It’s about really being a peregrine falcon.”

  “So amazing,” Derick said. He could only imagine what it would be like to dive at that speed.

  “And for you, it’s about keeping a secret from us,” Maria added, a bit of a kick to her voice.

  “I would try to defend you,” Rafa said, “but I think you can stoop.”

  “Just dive and don’t hold back,” Malcolm instructed in his Southern drawl. And then he leaped off the tower and dove. Two others joined him.

  Derick stared in awe as they rocketed toward the ground. Every fraction of a second they increased in speed. They fell faster and faster. At the last moment, they pulled up just above the ground, then glided up into the sky. It looked easy and graceful, but Derick knew it would be terrifying.

  Then Rafa and Piper stooped together. Again, the same reckless speed and again, they tilted their wings and ran parallel to the ground at the last second. Both birds glided in wide arcs until they had turned around and looked up at him.

  Derick looked down. This was crazy. It was awesome and amazing, but also crazy. Then the chanting started. “Stoop. Stoop. Stoop. Stoop.”

  So much for flying being a way he could relax and find peace.

  Derick wasn’t one to back away from a challenge, nor was he one that was easily scared, but his mouth was definitely dry. “All right, Hayabusa,” Derick whispered to his robot falcon. He liked to name his avatars. Hayabusa was the Japanese word for peregrine falcon, but also the name of a motorcycle that had been the fastest in its time. The second fastest had been named “Blackbird.” The company had named their bike “Hayabusa” because falcons hunt blackbirds. “Let’s give this a shot.” He leaned forward and dove.

  He had jumped off high dives before. He had jumped off cliffs into lakes. He had felt the tug of gravity, but this was different. This was embracing it, letting it drive you toward the ground with all it had.