فصل هشتم

chapter-8

All the trustees were buzzing excitedly.

Mr. Lemoncello tapped the side of his water glass with a spoon to regain everyone’s attention.

“The Fabulous Fact-Finding Frenzy will consist of two rounds,” he announced. “The first elimination round I like to call ‘the elimination round,’ because it is the round in which players will be eliminated. You will be paired up in two-person teams as we endeavor to see who amongst you is most like Mike Mulligan with his steam shovel and knows how to dig, dig, dig. The top five teams, consisting of ten players total, will move on to round two. The rest of you will be sent home with lovely parting gifts.” “What’s the second round, sir?” asked Pranav Pillai.

“Ah! Good question, Pranav.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“The second round will come after the first one and last a few days, so you might need to miss some school….” “Woo-hoo!” shouted Kyle, doing a quick raise-the-roof dance move.

Everyone else stared at him. They were mostly brainiacs. Not that there was anything wrong with that. They just seemed to enjoy going to school, doing homework, and memorizing math junk more than Kyle did.

“The second round of the game,” Mr. Lemoncello continued, “is the actual Fact-Finding Frenzy! In it, our top ten research assistants will race against each other to see who can solve clues, unravel puzzles, pass through roadblocks, and overcome any and all obstacles to find the fascinating fact we’re looking for!” Kyle was super excited. This new game reminded him of that TV show where contestants raced each other around the world. It was one of his faves.

“The facts,” Mr. Lemoncello continued, “will be linked to the five new interactive Nonfictionator displays we’re creating for the library. Displays that will be revealed to the public at a grand gala featuring cake, balloons, indoor fireworks, confetti cannons, and a surprise guest appearance by the one and only Haley Daley!” Everybody cheered.

Haley had been one of the winners in the first escape game but had since moved out to Hollywood, where she was now a TV and singing star on the Disney Channel.

“Who are the five historical figures to be honored with new exhibits?” asked Stephanie Youngerman from Idaho.

“Those names will not be revealed until round two,” said Mr. Lemoncello. “We’re still tweaking the list.” Mr. Lemoncello went on to explain that the library lobby would be home base, just like the home square from his first big hit, the board game Family Frenzy, which he invented when he was still a teenager. It was the game that earned the bazillionaire his first millions.

The teams in round two would race each other—out into the field and back to the library.

“You may need to travel on planes, trains, and automobiles,” said Mr. Lemoncello. “Not to worry. Our fleet of bookmobiles will be at your disposal—as will my corporate jets, airplanes, and helicopters. So be sure your parents or guardians sign these permission slips.” He handed out tightly rolled-up scrolls of paper.

“They’re kind of long,” muttered Andrew after opening his.

“Oh, yes,” said Mr. Lemoncello. “Because they cover everything—even stuff I haven’t thought of yet!” Akimi raised her hand.

“So what does the winning team actually win?” she asked.

“Something more priceless than a million dollars, because let’s face it, a million dollars has a price: one million dollars. If you win, you will tour the country with these holographic exhibits and see North America—for free!” “Wait a second,” whined Andrew Peckleman. “I thought these new exhibits were for our library, downtown.” “At first,” said Mr. Lemoncello. “Then, in the fall, we will take the Nonfictionator and our team of fabulous fact finders on the road to libraries all over North America! Whoever wins will have an all-expenses-paid trip to see Washington, Chicago, New York, Seattle, Vancouver, and San Francisco, where you will be greeted as library rock stars! But wait, there’s more. The two members of the winning team will also be the first two people in the whole entire world—including Antarctica—to take home my new Fantabulous Floating Emoji game the instant it rolls off the assembly line!” Kyle’s heart started beating a little faster.

It always did that whenever he wanted to win, win, win!