Episode 10:
Truthfully, this wasn't an uncommon instance in Rita Logan's life. She had seen more spooky houses, mysterious swamps, and hidden passageways than anyone her age. So, this locked door didn't seem such a great obstacle, but as they say, looks can be deceiving.
Matt used his exception all cool gizmo to pick the lock, but that seemed to only send the door into lockdown mode. Several clicks reverberated through the small space. Each click seemed in time with Rita's heart.
"What was that?" She asked.
Matt smiled sheepishly. They had been under the impression this place was just a normal, aging tower with normal locks and zero security. They should have guessed something like this would happen. Rita had told them about the the front door without a lock and the holographic images inside the living room.
"Minor setbacks," he said. "Nothing to worry about. We've got it covered."
Noah's expression was classic, a cross between you're crazy and maybe he was adopted. "There is no 'we' in this equation. There There's only you."
"Cosmo said these could get him into any normal door."
"Then I guess we're dealing with something that is not normal." Rita retrieved the flashlight from the dusty messenger bag and trained it on the door. It appeared to be made of wood, but when she knocked on it with her flashlight, it echoed like it was hollow metal. "That is definitely not a normal door. It's extra thick, not to mention made of something that sounds like metal and looks like wood."
Matt grabbed the flashlight and shined it on the hinges. They were gleaming and new and wired for electricity.
"This thing is booby trapped," he said. "Who would go to this much trouble to secure a door in a crumbling death trap?"
"That, my brother, is an excellent question." Noah climbed out the big hole in the side of the stairwell. He wandered around the courtyard trying to catch a signal on his phone. He was so distracted he didn't notice the short girl with the pageboy haircut carrying a pile of books toward the back of the dark tower. She was walking swiftly as if she knew she was expected and was already late.
Noah turned into the girl's path and they crashed into each other. Her books went flying along with his cell phone. The girl lost her balance but Noah's quick reflexes had him reaching for her arm. He grasped it and jerked her back up right.
"You all right?" he asked, dropping the girl's arm like a hot potato. Not because she was ugly but the opposite. She possessed what he called Nerdy Chic. She wasn't a style icon but she had feminine touches in all the right places balanced with her natural girl librarian outside.
He reached down to retrieve her fallen books but she pushed his hand out of the way as she gathered them back in her arms. Noah noticed all the books were published by the same company, Legacy Press. He'd never heard of the publisher and made a mental note of it.
"I'm fine," she said, obviously nervous. "My fault entirely." She spun around to make a speedy exit and stepped squarely on Noah's phone. It made the piercing sound of breaking glass. Her eyes showed shock and apology as she mumbled goodbye and disappeared behind the tower. Noah quickly followed curious about the mysterious girl but somehow, with only a few steps she had effectively disappeared.
Noah grabbed his broken cell, shoved it into his jacket pocket, and walked back to the gaping hole in the side of the tower's front stairwell.
***
In the meantime, Rita watched Matt examine the door. At that moment, if he could have dissected the door with his eyes, he would have done it.
"It's just a door, not a bank vault," Rita said.
"I'm not so sure about that, " Matt said. "Hollow metal, shattering lock and booby trapped hinges, whatever is inside this tower, someone really doesn't want us to see it."
"We got in once," Rita said.
"You had the element of surprise. Now they're onto you."
"Whomever they are."
"Right."
Rita pressed on the wall beside the door. She tested the firmness wondering if this wall was as strong as the one she'd accidently fell through earlier. While Matt was fascinated with the door, Rita picked up a loose board near the haphazard wall of tables in chairs and began to poke at a weak spot. It wasn't long before she had a small hole in the wall. She reached hear hand through and unlocked the door from the other side. Matt was leaning on the door when it suddenly wasn't holding his weight any more. He landed on his hands and feet inside a dusty corridor.
"How'd you do that?" he muttered.
"You couldn't open the door. I had a better idea."
Rita was known for her ability to think outside the box. Today, this just seemed the most logical conclusion to her. Noah peered in from the outside. He saw the open door. "Nice Good thing you didn't need my idea."
"What was your idea?" Rita asked.
"I was going to search for the model number etched in the door, but I crashed into someone in the courtyard and her shoe did a number on my phone." He displayed the broken pieces. "Dad is going to kill me. I wish I knew how to fix it. I'm not due for another upgrade for over a year."
"Bad luck," Matt said. "Phoneless on the first week of school." He shook his head. "You'll be a social outcast. You'll be unconnected." He gasped melodramatically. "You'll actually have to use the library. "That's inhumane, bro."
"Some of us do get through life without a phone."
"Who? Do you know them? Are they old? Do they still use rotary phones you have to plug into a wall?"
Rita shook her head. "There's something wrong with you, Matt."
He smiled mischievously. He knew he was weird and was perfectly okay with the label.
"You can borrow my phone for anything you need," Rita said. "Not that the library is the entrance to the Underworld or anything."
Matt chucked. "Speak for yourself. Mrs. Worth, the librarian? She's scary. I mean, if you dressed up like her for Halloween, I'd be mighty frightened. She's like my kryptonite. I can't go near her without getting the shivers."
"That's only because she stood up to you in the 4th Grade and forced you to do your homework in study hall."
Matt shivered. "I still have flashbacks."
