Breakthrough
By Lynne Roberts
Copyright 2014 ynne Roberts
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Contents
Chapter 1. Out of Order
Chapter 2. Juggling Time
Chapter 3. Down the Slide
Chapter 4. Yoghurt and Bananas
Chapter 5. Fountain Terrace
Chapter 6. Keep off the Grass
Chapter 7. Market Day
Chapter 8. Times Change
Chapter 9. Ben to the Rescue
Chapter 10. The Seventh Gate
Chapter 11. The Last Ball
Chapter 1. Out of Order
‘I’m going to get you for this Ben Patterson.’
The shout rang in Ben’s ears as he ducked into an alleyway. The pounding of feet followed him, echoing from the graffiti splashed walls as Ben dodged around garbage cans and splashed through puddles. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest so hard he thought it would burst. He panted for breath as he ran out onto the crowded footpath.
Pushing past two women with shopping baskets, he sidestepped a line of people queuing for a bus and bolted towards the intersection. If he could only get to the bank where his father worked he would be safe. They wouldn’t dare to touch him there.
Ben risked a glance behind him and yelped with fright. Not only was Jamie Jones in hot pursuit but he had been joined by his older brother, Sam, who was only a few steps behind him. Sam, who had hands like baseball mitts and a shoe size larger than his IQ. Sam, who had won every fight he had ever been in. Sam, who even the teachers were afraid to cross. Ben moaned and made a final effort to increase his speed. The ‘Cross’ sign hung enticingly before him. If he could get across before the lights changed he might make it.
As Ben panted up to the crossing the red ‘Don’t Cross’ light flashed. Ben looked for a gap in the traffic and dived forward. A strong arm hauled him back.
‘Wait for the signal, young man.’ A portly gentleman with a battered trumpet case in one hand smiled at Ben.
‘Better late than never, you know,’ he advised.
Ben looked back over his shoulder. Jamie and Sam were nearly at the intersection, their chests heaving and lips pulled back in a snarl. Ben gave a gasp and wriggled out of the man’s grip. He turned down the side street and began to run again. His side hurt with a stitch and his face felt so red and hot he thought he was going to explode. His back hurt where his school bag bounced up and down from his shoulders. His legs were two lumps of rubber, barely holding him upright.
‘Quick, in here,’ came a cry.
Ben looked up in hope then moaned in despair. Tessa Gordon, the bossiest girl in the class, was standing on the steps of a large office block.
‘Come in here, hurry,’ called Tessa.
Ben looked around desperately then raced up the steps past Tessa and dived into the lobby. On one side was a bolted door with a large padlock and a sign DANGER: NO ENTRY. On the other side there was an elevator with a large OUT OF ORDER sign pinned to it.
Tessa ran into the elevator.
‘Come in here,’ she ordered.
Ben had no choice. Jamie and Samuel were fast approaching and his legs had gone wobbly. He tottered into the elevator beside Tessa and she pushed the button to shut the door.
‘I thought this was out of order,’ said Ben stupidly.
‘Yeah, but the door works okay,’ replied Tessa. ‘I found out the other day when I was exploring. It’s a brilliant hiding place as no-one bothers with a lift that’s out of order.’
The elevator doors resounded with a loud bang as Jamie and Sam started thumping with their fists.
‘Come out of there, Ben, you little squit,’ howled Sam.
‘We know you’re in there,’ added Jamie, ‘You can’t go anywhere so you might as well open the door now.’
‘Now look what you’ve done,’ Ben raged at Tessa. ‘I’m trapped. They’re going to tear me apart.’
‘They’re not tearing anyone apart,’ said Tessa calmly. ‘I’ve pushed the lock button so they can’t get in.’
‘Oh great,’ said Ben sarcastically. “That’s wonderful, that is. They can’t get in but we’re stuck here. I don’t fancy living in an elevator for the rest of my life. Especially with you,’ he spat.
‘You are so ungrateful Ben Patterson. I should have let you keep running. They were only going to catch you up in another three seconds then I could have watched the fight from the steps. Not that it would have taken long – I bet Jamie and Sam could tear you apart in about two minutes flat.’
Tessa and Ben stood glaring at each other while the thumping on the door continued.
‘It’s your own fault anyway,’ said Tessa scornfully. ‘I know Jamie made you do his Maths homework for him, but to give him all the wrong answers on purpose! You must have known he would get you for it.’
‘It was worth it, though.’ Ben grinned. ‘Did you see his face when Mr Barker gave him detention every night for a week?’
‘He called him a moron.’ Tessa sighed blissfully at the memory.
‘I forgot about Sam though,’ Ben added gloomily. ‘He’s mad because Jamie is in the same cricket team, and he’ll miss the practises for their first game. One of them I could stay away from, but avoiding two of them is going to be impossible.’
He noticed that the banging on the doors had stopped.
‘Do you think they’ve given up and gone away?’ asked Tessa.
‘Not if I know Jamie,’ replied Ben gloomily. ‘He never gives up. He’s like an elephant, he never forgets He stills moans about me pushing him out of my tree house when we were only six years old.’
‘More like a gorilla than an elephant,’ giggled Tessa.
They stood in the elevator wondering what to do next. Ben looked around him in the dim light. The walls were some sort of pale green metal, scratched and scarred at ground level by the boots and shoes of impatient passengers. Bright orange spray paint boldly announced that ‘Billy loved Angela’ and that ‘School Sucked.’ There was a pervading smell of damp concrete and boiled cabbage. In one corner a depressing collection of torn newspapers and crumpled soft drink cans lay piled against a heap of old clothing.
Even the control panel was depressing. There was a hole where the top floor button should have been and the numbers had worn off the other five buttons. The only functional control appeared to be the buttons marked ‘open door’, ‘lock’ and ‘close.’
As Ben stood staring around, the heap of old clothing in the corner began to move. A wrinkled hand waved out of the pile followed by a shock of frizzy white hair and a wrinkled face. Tessa and Ben pressed against the wall in fascinated horror. Finally, with a last upheaval that dislodged the torn newspapers and a tattered sack, an old woman stood smiling vacantly at them.
‘Oh no, it’s Mad Molly,’ hissed Tessa.
‘How did she get in here?’ demanded Ben.
‘I’ve no idea. Perhaps this is where she sleeps. But don’t worry, she won’t hurt us. My Mum says she is harmless.’
Certainly Molly looked harmless enough. She stood staring at Tessa and Ben while one skinny arm disappeared under her layers of clothing to scratch.
‘Do you think she’s got fleas?’ breathed Ben.
‘Bound to,’ nodded Tessa. ‘After all, look at the way she lives! My Dad says she sleeps in the doorway of his
shop sometimes. And I’ve seen her in the park hanging round the rubbish bins. I saw her pick up an old sandwich once and eat it.’ She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
‘She must be really old. My Mum says she was hanging around when she was my age. And no-one has ever heard her talk. She just sort of grunts if you speak to her.’
‘Well I’m not going to speak to her if I can help it,’ retorted Tessa. ‘She’s filthy. I can smell her from here.’
‘Sh, she’ll hear you,’ whispered Ben, as he and Tessa moved as far from Mad Molly as they could.
‘It’s gone very quiet out there,’ said Tessa. ‘Perhaps Jamie and Sam really have gone home.’
‘I might as well have a look,’ said Ben. He reached across to press the ‘open door’ button. Before he touched it he heard a grating noise and he spun around to look at the door. To his horror there was a long metal spike poking through the crack.
‘It must be a railing from the front steps,’ gasped Tessa. ‘They are going to lever the doors open. Quick, do something!’