now seemed different. There was some sort of ruckus going on, she could tell, and she hopedsomething horrible hadn’t happened to Gunnar. But she could barely lift her head to rouse herself completely. Whatever was happening, it would happen without her.
Or so she thought until the pantry door swung open, blinding her with light. She turned her face toward the towering shadow, but she couldn’t focus. And with the gag in her mouth, she couldn’t speak.
The figure gasped. “Ms. Morning,” he said, which puzzled her. Liam had always called her Claire.
Soon her gag was off her numb wrists and ankles untied, and the figure lifted her to her feet. “Can you stand?” he whispered.
Claire nodded, but her legs buckled.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” the figure said, and he hoisted her off the ground, over his shoulder.
Claire opened her eyes a slit, letting the painful light in.
“It’s Alex,” the figure said. “And Henry Haluki. We came to take you home.”
Relief flooded through Claire’s weak body, and she closed her eyes again as Alex directed Henry to lead the way.
“Give the guards another dose from the highlighters and silence spells. All three of us can’t fit inside the tube at once,so you go first to let Simber know we’re coming,” Alex said to Henry, who did exactly as he was told.
When Henry was gone, Alex turned to the shackled, blind Liam and Bethesda, and said in a measured voice, “I’m sure someone will come along eventually for you. But even if they don’t, you won’t suffer any worse than what you’ve put these people through.” He maneuvered his way into the tube, careful not to bump Claire’s head against the glass as he squeezed into the space with her, and gave the guards one last hard look. In the voice of a man, he spoke with a measured tone. “If you ever dare show your faces in Artimé, I will not be so kind as to allow you to leave it alive.”
With that, he pressed the only button on the blackboard, and in the blink of an eye, Alex, still carrying Ms. Morning, stepped out of the tube into Mr. Today’s kitchenette. He moved swiftly to the hallway, where scores of Artiméans parted to allow them to pass.
“They’rrre expecting you,” Simber said. “You take herrr. I’ll stay herrre until we’ve got time to sorrrt out this mess.”
Alex looked at him in surprise, but then nodded. He hurried down the hall, stopping at the Museum of Large. “Meghan?” hecalled out, and she came to his side. He adjusted the limp body of Ms. Morning and whispered the words that reopened the door. Then he turned back to Meghan. “See if you can find a spell in the museum library that will open this hallway for everyone.”
Meghan nodded, going inside as Alex and Ms. Morning disappeared through the wall that for now held the rest of them prisoner.
Alex glided down the stairs, surprised that his strength hadn’t given out yet, but Ms. Morning was not very heavy, and truth be told, Alex had probably bulked up just a bit in the past several weeks from the constant hard labor. Or maybe it was simply adrenaline.
So many thoughts swirled through his mind as he rushed into the hospital wing and set Ms. Morning down on the bed that was prepared and awaiting her. The nurses swarmed around the beloved instructor, pushing Alex back. He moved willingly to the doorway to stay out of their way as they worked, and with a chance to breathe, Alex finally let his mind go. He leaned his head against the wall and watched, unseeing, the actions before him as his brain sorted out every option he could think of to free the Unwanteds from the secret hallway.
The Second Rescue
A s he stood watching the hospital workers and thinking about the trapped people, Alex realized that the very last thing he wanted to do was shut Artimé down again, even if he could figure out how to do it. It would most assuredly free them, but no one wanted to go back to that desolate world, not even for a second, now that
Or so she thought until the pantry door swung open, blinding her with light. She turned her face toward the towering shadow, but she couldn’t focus. And with the gag in her mouth, she couldn’t speak.
The figure gasped. “Ms. Morning,” he said, which puzzled her. Liam had always called her Claire.
Soon her gag was off her numb wrists and ankles untied, and the figure lifted her to her feet. “Can you stand?” he whispered.
Claire nodded, but her legs buckled.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” the figure said, and he hoisted her off the ground, over his shoulder.
Claire opened her eyes a slit, letting the painful light in.
“It’s Alex,” the figure said. “And Henry Haluki. We came to take you home.”
Relief flooded through Claire’s weak body, and she closed her eyes again as Alex directed Henry to lead the way.
“Give the guards another dose from the highlighters and silence spells. All three of us can’t fit inside the tube at once,so you go first to let Simber know we’re coming,” Alex said to Henry, who did exactly as he was told.
When Henry was gone, Alex turned to the shackled, blind Liam and Bethesda, and said in a measured voice, “I’m sure someone will come along eventually for you. But even if they don’t, you won’t suffer any worse than what you’ve put these people through.” He maneuvered his way into the tube, careful not to bump Claire’s head against the glass as he squeezed into the space with her, and gave the guards one last hard look. In the voice of a man, he spoke with a measured tone. “If you ever dare show your faces in Artimé, I will not be so kind as to allow you to leave it alive.”
With that, he pressed the only button on the blackboard, and in the blink of an eye, Alex, still carrying Ms. Morning, stepped out of the tube into Mr. Today’s kitchenette. He moved swiftly to the hallway, where scores of Artiméans parted to allow them to pass.
“They’rrre expecting you,” Simber said. “You take herrr. I’ll stay herrre until we’ve got time to sorrrt out this mess.”
Alex looked at him in surprise, but then nodded. He hurried down the hall, stopping at the Museum of Large. “Meghan?” hecalled out, and she came to his side. He adjusted the limp body of Ms. Morning and whispered the words that reopened the door. Then he turned back to Meghan. “See if you can find a spell in the museum library that will open this hallway for everyone.”
Meghan nodded, going inside as Alex and Ms. Morning disappeared through the wall that for now held the rest of them prisoner.
Alex glided down the stairs, surprised that his strength hadn’t given out yet, but Ms. Morning was not very heavy, and truth be told, Alex had probably bulked up just a bit in the past several weeks from the constant hard labor. Or maybe it was simply adrenaline.
So many thoughts swirled through his mind as he rushed into the hospital wing and set Ms. Morning down on the bed that was prepared and awaiting her. The nurses swarmed around the beloved instructor, pushing Alex back. He moved willingly to the doorway to stay out of their way as they worked, and with a chance to breathe, Alex finally let his mind go. He leaned his head against the wall and watched, unseeing, the actions before him as his brain sorted out every option he could think of to free the Unwanteds from the secret hallway.
The Second Rescue
A s he stood watching the hospital workers and thinking about the trapped people, Alex realized that the very last thing he wanted to do was shut Artimé down again, even if he could figure out how to do it. It would most assuredly free them, but no one wanted to go back to that desolate world, not even for a second, now that
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