Cragbridge Hall, Book One: The Inventor's Secret (28 page)

Hope swelled inside of Abby. It hadn’t been her. There was one more person out there with a key. “It wasn’t me. This is the first time we’ve made it this far, but we need to get to the Bridge as soon as we can. My parents are trapped in time.”

“What?” Mr. Hendricks said.

“Somehow they were put on the
Titanic
,” Abby explained. “And we only have”—she checked the clock on her rings—“less than an hour to save them before it goes down. It’s already hit the iceberg.”

“Then let’s hurry,” Mr. Hendricks said. He led Carol and Abby down the dark corridor. They walked fast but didn’t dare run, through the twisting, dark corridor. The cave finally opened into a large room.

In the middle of it was one of the most unusual sights Abby had ever seen—what looked like a massive metal tree. A machine jutted up from the ground, with several thick supports anchoring it to the granite floor. It had a thick metal core, which, as it rose toward the ceiling, branched off into what looked like thousands of silver limbs that spread through the top of the room and disappeared into the ceiling. In the “trunk” was a console, complete with a screen and a shelf with three keyholes.

The real Bridge.

Abby stared at it. This was the invention that had now caused them so much trouble. It was one of her grandfather’s great accomplishments—one of the greatest accomplishments in history. Abby imagined that the branches of the Bridge connected it to all of the booths in the school.

“Kids?” a deep voice asked aloud.

Abby looked across the room and saw two figures in the dark. As they walked closer, she recognized them: Coach Adonavich and Coach Horne.

“Not just any kids,” Mr. Hendricks said. “One of them is Abby Cragbridge. And they have one key between them.”

“Hello, Abby and Carol,” Coach Adonavich said. Coach Horne repeated the greeting.

The girls said hello back.

“And do you have a key as well?” Coach Horne asked Mr. Hendricks.

“I do,” he answered. “You?”

“No,” Coach Horne said. “My locket was stolen over a month ago. I told Oscar about it, and he saw the theft as a warning that something might be about to happen. Ever since, I’ve been extra vigilant in trying to detect any signs of strange happenings around here. When I noticed a strange wound on Coach Adonavich, I followed her. She led me to the basement.”

“I let him in past the simulator,” Coach Adonavich said. “I’ll vouch for his trustworthiness, as Oscar Cragbridge did when he gave him the locket.”

“Or so he says,” Mr. Hendricks said, stepping toward Coach Horne. “Does anyone else know that Oscar gave you a locket?”

“No,” Coach Horne said. “But he did.”

“Even if someone stole it, how do we know it wasn’t because you traded sides in this whole adventure?” Mr. Hendricks asked.

“You don’t,” Coach Horne said. “But frankly, you don’t have to believe me. I submit we destroy the keys. We have to assume that someone with bad intentions has my key, and we cannot risk someone gaining access to three of them.”

“Or you and those you work for already have three, and you want to destroy the others,” Mr. Hendricks suggested.

“Listen!”
Abby burst out. “I don’t have time to talk about this. We have to save my parents.”

“Your parents?” Coach Adonavich asked.

“They’re trapped on the
Titanic
,” Abby explained. “And it sinks in a few minutes.”

“I don’t believe it,” Coach Horne said. “I know they are just kids, but this could be a trick to keep us from destroying this danger.”

“She’s Oscar’s granddaughter,” Mr. Hendricks said.

“Yes, but another girl is with her,” Coach Adonavich said. “I would never suspect betrayal from Carol, but you never know if Oscar’s granddaughter was being coerced to come here. For that matter, they arrived with you, Mr. Hendricks, and no offense, but I don’t believe any of us can afford to completely trust anyone.”

“Point taken, and none of the offense,” Mr. Hendricks said. “Abby, can you show us your parents using this Bridge? I’ve tried it, and I know it works like any other Bridge booth. There is nothing special about it—until the keys are in place. You work the console here.” He pointed to the center of the Bridge, the trunk of the metal tree. “The image, however, only appears behind it—not all around us like in class. I believe that is because if we are to enter the past, we want a place to both enter into and exit from.”

Abby moved to the Bridge and turned on her rings.

Mr. Hendricks stopped her. “You cannot sync to this Bridge,” he explained. “Perhaps it was invented before the rings. You have to use the console.”

Abby placed her fingers on the screen, and it flickered on. She quickly began punching in numbers—the date of the
Titanic
image Derick had shown her.

In moments, the space behind the Bridge filled with the ghost of a scene of chaos. The massive ship groaned, its front end dipping into the water. Passengers piled into lifeboats over the side. Other lifeboats floated in the ocean around the scene, some only half filled.

The ship groaned again. The front end sank deeper, and the back of the ship rose farther out of the water. Those who could not fit in the lifeboats were trying not to fall into the icy ocean as the vessel tipped. Passengers clambered over the deck gates that separated the first- and second-class areas from the crew portion, trying to get away from the water.

“Where are your parents?” Coach Adonavich asked.

Everyone in the damp basement gathered closer to the Bridge to see the scene.

“I’ll check where we found them before—at the back end of the ship,” Abby said. She used the controls to push the point of view to the stern. She searched the faces—a woman clinging to the railing, tears streaming down her face, a man screaming that he deserved to have space on the lifeboat—he had investments, family, and employees he was responsible for. Another man held tight to the rod and moved as best he could along it, shouting, “Loretta!”

They searched face after face, terrified expression after terrified expression. Finally, they found Abby’s parents clinging to the same rail.

“I don’t believe it,” Coach Horne said. “That’s them. Who would ever—”

“We don’t have time to worry about that now,” Mr. Hendricks said. “We have to get them out.”

“Wait a minute,” Coach Adonavich said. “We need to consider whether this will send repercussions throughout time. We all heard what Dr. Cragbridge said.”

“It won’t,” Mr. Hendricks said. “The deed has already been done. They are back in time but belong in the now. We’re merely trying to put things right, make restitution. But we must be very careful to not interact with anyone other than Abby’s parents if we can help it.”

The ship slanted even more, creaking as it took on more water.

“Please,” Abby pleaded. “Let us use your keys.”

Mr. Hendricks walked to the console and pushed his key into one of the three holes. “Abby?” he said, motioning for her to join him.

She did, and she put her key into the second hole.

“Only one more,” Mr. Hendricks said.

Coach Adonavich stepped forward and filled the third hole.

The
Titanic
disappeared, and Grandpa appeared, surrounded by blackness. “Hello,” he said. “Apparently you have felt it necessary to use the full capacity of the Bridge to go back in time. I need to explain a few things and warn you. First, you must all turn your keys simultaneously. Because one person could turn two keys but not three, this ensures that at least two different people, and hopefully three, agree to the need for traveling back in time. The more heads in these decisions, the better.”

He coughed and went on. “After you have turned the keys, you will notice a difference in the Bridge. The way into time is as big as this room. You can simply step in. However, be sure to move the perspective to a stable location, one you’ll be able to remember and find on the other side. You will, I assume, want to come back. You cannot see the Bridge portal from the past, so again, it is important to remember where it is. As long as you leave all three keys turned, you can travel in and out of the Bridge. Please be careful. Those from the past can mistakenly travel to our time if you leave the way open. Depending on the situation, it could be valuable to let someone into time, then turn the keys back to their original position to keep anyone else in the past from crossing over. To allow the time traveler back, turn the keys once again.

“Also, might I stress, you shouldn’t change
anything
unless it is completely necessary. Our past has made us who we have become. We should not change that. If you are here trying to correct a large wrong that I started, I thank you, and I apologize.” He disappeared, and the panicked crowd on the
Titanic
instantly reappeared.

Coach Horne spoke up. “Before you turn the keys,” he said, “you’re sure we should do this?”

“Yes,” Mr. Hendricks answered. Abby was glad he was there; she didn’t have to do the persuading. She nodded in agreement.

“Oh, I’m so nervous,” Carol said. “This is historical and terrifying all at once. Kind of like the first time I had my ears pierced, except on a much,
much
bigger scale.”

Mr. Hendricks gave a nod, and the three of them turned the keys.

The image from the Bridge warped as though a transparent wave had washed over it. A gush of frigid, moist air rushed into the room. The
Titanic
sank more, its stern lifting higher in the air, but this time it was perfectly clear, no longer a ghost of the past. The image was vivid, real. It was as though the terror of the sinking ship was happening in the same room.

In fact, it was.

The group looked on in awe as the scene stood out in full color, and in reality, before them. Abby moved the perspective as close to her parents as she could. Moving another reality felt strange. It was no longer like watching a movie, but like shifting the entire angle of the room only feet away. And that room was huge. Everyone on the ship seemed completely unaware that they were being watched, or that an escape was right before them. Abby walked toward her parents.

“Wait,” Coach Horne said. “Maybe I should go.”

“No,” Abby said. “I’m going.”

“Perhaps you should go with her!” Mr. Hendricks nearly yelled, competing with the wind and confusion of the ship. “You can make sure that she comes back okay.”

“Why not you?” Coach Horne asked, pointing her finger at Mr. Hendricks.

“Because I’ve taken it upon myself to make sure that the keys are turned off, and then turned back on, at the precise moment. I want Abby to return alive.”

“Why not leave that job to Coach Adonavich and me?” Coach Horne asked.

“Because I’m not sure I can trust anyone else to do it!” Mr. Hendricks shouted.

“Perhaps it would be better if I went,” Coach Adonavich said. “Abby can stay here, and then—”

But Abby didn’t wait for the adults to figure out who should go in and who should watch the keys. The
Titanic
was nearly at a seventy-degree angle. It wouldn’t be easy to leave the basement of Cragbridge Hall and board a boat on such a tilt. She focused on a railing. She should be able to grab on and be close to her parents.

Abby held her breath and jumped from the sturdy Cragbridge basement toward the railing. That one movement sent her back over a century in time.

32

Rescue

Ms. Entrese peeked around the corner into the lecture hall, then turned back to the gorilla and rhino. “He’s in there,” she said. “He’s tied to a chair and surrounded by at least six guards. He’s ...” She paused and swallowed hard. “He’s watching the
Titanic
sink.”

Derick had suspected that was the case earlier, but hearing it confirmed made him feel sick. Perhaps it would have slowed him down, if he were not so connected to his avatar rhino anatomy. Derick suspected that rhinoceroses had much stronger constitutions than humans.

Derick watched Rafa’s avatar gesture for Ms. Entrese to stop. He pointed at the ground.

“You want me to wait here?” she asked.

The gorilla nodded. Back in the lab, Rafa said, “Give me two minutes. Then Derick, you come in with everything you’ve got.”

Derick nodded with his rhino and watched as the gorilla gave him a thumbs up.

“Two minutes exactly,” Rafa said.

“How am I supposed to know how long it’s been?” Derick asked. “I’m a rhino. I can’t sync in and check the time.”

“Count the seconds,” Rafa said. “It’ll have to do, but I think I’m going to need all the help I can get. Start ... now.” He crawled into the room.

Derick began counting in his mind—
one thousand one, one thousand two.
He tried not to go too fast. He didn’t want to rush because of his nerves.
One thousand three.

Derick brought his head low and peeked into the room. It was a decent-sized lecture hall with several hundred seats and a platform up front. There on the platform stood a bed, a series of simple chairs and several guards. And his grandfather, flanked by several men. Derick was sure they had guns.