فصل هفدهم

chapter 17

“Excellent escape plan, Charles,” said Mr. Lemoncello on the video screens.

“Thank you, sir,” said Chiltington, smoothing out his khaki pants. “And just so you know, I saw an ant crawling up the side of this seat. That’s why I almost kicked it.” “How very thoughtful of you, Charles.”

“Mr. Lemoncello?” said Akimi.

“Yes?”

“How come the sewer started smelling like a pine tree?” “Because I enjoy the odor of pine trees much more than the stench of horse poop. How about you?” “Definitely.”

“Now then, will everybody else please join us upstairs in the Electronic Learning Center? I have a very important announcement to make.” Kyle heard feet clomping up the stairs and soon Andrew, Bridgette, Yasmeen, Sean, Haley, Rose, and Kayla hurried into the room.

“Are we all here?” said Mr. Lemoncello.

“Everybody except Sierra Russell,” said Kyle.

“Ah, yes. I saw her downstairs reading When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. We’ll reach her later. It’s nearly noon and I’m eager to move on to the next round of our competition.” “What competition?” asked Yasmeen Smith-Snyder.

“The one we are about to begin.”

“Sir?” said Sean Keegan. “I have stuff to do today.” “That’s fine, Sean. You are, of course, free to leave. If any of the rest of you do not wish to stay and play, kindly deposit your library cards in the discard pile.” A tile in the floor popped open and an empty goldfish bowl atop an ornate column rose up about three feet.

“Just drop it in the bowl there, Sean. Attaboy. Follow the flashing red arrows in the floor to the nearest exit, where you will receive a lovely parting gift along with my everlasting admiration for your essay-writing abilities.” Bright red arrows danced across the floor. Sean followed them.

“What happens if we decide to stay?” asked Akimi.

“You will be given the chance to play a brand-new, exciting game!” “Is there a prize for the winner?” demanded Haley Daley.

“Oh, yes.”

Now Miguel shot up his hand. “Mr. Lemoncello? What do we have to do to win?” “Simple: Find your way out of the library using only what’s in the library.” “Awesome!”

“Lame,” mumbled Kayla Corson. “I’m outta here.” She plunked her library card into the fishbowl and followed the blinking arrows out the door.

“Does anyone else want or need to leave?”

“Sorry, sir. I have soccer at two,” said Rose Vermette. “See you guys later.” She dropped her card into the discard bowl.

The instant she did, bells rang, confetti fell from the ceiling, and every electronic console in the game room started ding-ding-dinging.

“Congratulations, Rose!” cried Mr. Lemoncello, who had put on a pointy party hat. “For sticking to your prior commitments, you will receive our special Prior Commitment Sticker prize: a complete set of Lemoncello Sticker Picture Games and a laptop computer to play them on! Enjoy.” Charles Chiltington stepped a little closer to the security camera as Rose Vermette skipped out of the room.

“Sir, might we assume that the prize for winning your brand-new game will be even better than a laptop computer?” “Yes,” said Mr. Lemoncello, taking off his party hat. “You may so assume.” “I’m in,” said Chiltington.

“Me too,” said Kyle.

“Me too,” added Akimi, Miguel, Andrew, Bridgette, Yasmeen, and Haley.

Sierra Russell wandered into the room. Her nose was buried so deep in her book she didn’t even notice Mr. Lemoncello’s gigantic face on all the video screens.

“Is something going on?” she said, mostly to her book pages.

“You bet!” boomed Mr. Lemoncello.

Sierra’s head snapped up.

“Oh. Hello, sir.”

“Greetings, Sierra. Sorry to interrupt your reading. Just have a quick question: Will you be staying or leaving?” “Well, sir, I’d like to stay. If that’s okay?” “Okay? It is wondermous, another word I just made up. Now then, to read you the rules of the game—because every game needs rules—here is your friend and mine, Dr. Yanina Zinchenko!” The video screens switched to a close-up of the librarian with the red hair and glasses.

“Your exit from the library must be completed between noon today and noon tomorrow,” said Dr. Zinchenko.

Mr. Lemoncello’s head popped into a corner of her screen.

“Tomorrow’s my birthday, by the way. Mark your calendars.” And he ducked back out of the frame.

“Our security guards will continue holding your cell phones,” said Dr. Zinchenko. “You may not use the library computers to contact anyone outside the building. You may, however, use them to conduct research.

“You may also request three different types of outside assistance: one ‘Ask an Expert,’ one ‘Librarian Consultation,’ and one ‘Extreme Challenge.’ Please be advised: The Extreme Challenges are, as the name implies, extremely difficult. If you pass the challenge, your reward will be great. However, if you fail, you will be eliminated from the competition.” Kyle figured he’d avoid asking for one of those—unless he extremely needed to.

“To use any of these ‘lifelines,’ ” Dr. Zinchenko continued, “simply summon Mrs. Tobin.” Chiltington raised his hand.

“Yes, Charles?”

“Would you mind telling us what the prize will be for the winner?” The video screen switched to an image of Mr. Lemoncello, who had done some sort of quick change. Now he was wearing sunglasses and had a silk ascot tucked into his shirt collar. He looked like a flashy Hollywood movie star. From 1939.

“Fame and glory! The winner will become my new spokesperson and will star in all of my holiday promotions.” “We’ll be famous?” gushed Yasmeen, fluffing up her hair and smiling at the security camera.

Haley stepped in front of Yasmeen. “I’ve done some modeling work. For Sherman’s Shoes in Old Town.” Yasmeen stepped in front of Haley. “I was an extra in a hot dog commercial once.…” “Well, I’m a cheerleader; Yasmeen isn’t.…”

While the two girls continued primping and posing for the camera, Dr. Zinchenko came back on-screen to quickly rattle off some final words.

“Your library cards are the keys to everything you will need. The library staff is here to help you find whatever it is you are looking for. The way out is not the way you came in. You may not use any of the fire exits. If you do, an alarm will sound and you will be immediately eliminated from the game. For safety purposes, you will be under constant video surveillance and you will be recorded. In the unlikely event of an emergency, you will be evacuated from the building. Creating an incident that requires evacuation will not count as having discovered a way to exit the library. Any questions?” “Just one,” said Andrew Peckleman, adjusting his goggle-sized glasses with his fingertip. “When exactly will the game begin?” Mr. Lemoncello’s face reappeared on the screens.

“Good question, Andrew! Oh, my. It’s noon! How about … let’s say … oh, I don’t know … now!”