“OF COURSE NOT!” Einstein snarled back.
“You know…” Nightingale softened her voice. “We may be orphans, but we still have each other, just like a real family. We have to fight for each other, okay? We can’t leave anymore of our family behind.”
Einstein lowered his head and took a deep breath.
“What do you say, Da Vinci?” Nightingale turned to him.
“Sure, let’s go.” Da Vinci never said no.
“Beanie?”
“I promised Caterpillar I’ll do my best to bring Achilles back.”
The three of us turned to Einstein, he didn’t say a word.
“Or…” I said before he could answer. “The three of us could just go?”
“I DIDN’T SAY NO!” He shouted.
“GREAT!” Nightingale jumped up with excitement. “You’re the best, Einstein!”
“Kids, I want you to listen to me very carefully.” D said, facing us. “I’m glad you have decided to go in to find your student. However, it’s different in there, not like what you’re used to. Focus on what you believe and not too much on the rigid right or wrong answers. The good, as well as the bad are both your creations, but even in a bad situation there are always ways to turn it around. Don’t be afraid to be alone. You have to believe in yourself, no one can judge you but you.”
I wasn’t sure if anyone understood what D was trying to say but in this moment where I needed it the most, I had no confidence at all.
The sinister face on the wall unhinged its jaws and opened its mouth wider and wider until it was the size of a large opening. I tried peeking through but it was too dark for me to see anything. Einstein stepped in first and quickly vanished into the darkness. The rest of us quickly followed behind him. As soon as I entered, a thick and freezing white fog engulfed me. I was shivering and frightened, so I began nervously calling everyone’s name over again and again until Nightingale finally found me and grabbed my arm. I breathed a sigh of relief and moments later the boys were able to find us as well.
“Let’s stay together.” Nightingale held on to my hand.
“Seriously.” Einstein said. “What kind of creepy campus is this? It smells and it’s scary. Whoever’s assigned to this school must be cursed. I’m so glad that they sent me to the School of Technology.”
“Wow, listen to yourself.” Nightingale teased him. “All you do is criticize and complain!”
“Well, I never complain about my handsomeness!” He grinned.
“Certainly not my wisdom!”
“Or my talents!”
I chuckled.
“See!! And you never heard me complaining about how funny I am!!!”
We all burst into laughter. While enjoying this rare moment lightheartedness, the fog began to dissipate and it started to get warmer. It happened so quickly that we didn’t even notice it at first.
“Hey! Something’s over there!” Da Vinci pointed to something in the distances. There, about a quarter mile away, we saw a white glimmer flickering about.
“That must be the White!” Nightingale screamed and sprinted off, while the rest of us rushed after her. However, while we were racing toward to it, the light gradually dimmed.
“HEY! WHERE IS OUR STUDENT!?” Nightingale shouted anxiously.
“go-straight-and-find-the-door-with-a-blue-s...”
“WHAT DID IT SAY!?” Einstein screamed. “WHAT DID IT SAY!?”
As we got closer, the light completely disappeared and all that left was a cloud of white fog.
“What did it say?” Einstein asked Nightingale again.
“It said… go straight and find the door with a blue…”
“A blue what?” Einstein interrupted.
“GOD, Einstein! Why did you have to yell?” Nightingale huffed. “I didn’t hear the last word!”
“Did you hear it, Beanie?”
I shook my head.
“Da Vinci?”
He also shook his head.
Einstein bit his bottom lip and groaned. We were all very disappointed.
We continued along the narrow and winding road, no one said a word until a small old house appeared in front of us, blocking our path. It was black with two doors, one with a light blue triangle on it and the other with a dark purple star.
“COOL! Blue one it is!” Einstein exclaimed, while Da Vinci and I nodded in agreement.
“NO!” Nightingale protested. “I believe the White said to find the door with a star.”
“But you said you didn’t hear the LAST WORD!” Einstein shouted back.
“I think it said Star.” Nightingale insisted.
“Seriously, Nightingale.” Einstein crossed his arms. “This is not the time to be stubborn. You know you heard the word BLUE! That’s what you told us in the first place! Look at this star, it’s PURPLE!”
“This color could be dark blue too! I’m pretty sure the last word didn’t sound anything like TRIANGLE!”
“But you didn’t hear the STAR either! You know this is not dark blue! It’s purple! COME ON! Let’s just go for the door with the blue, please?” Einstein begged.
“NO! I think the door with the star is the right one!”
Nightingale ignored his objection and pulled open the door with the dark purple star. Einstein howled with displeasure. Da Vinci and I just stood there watching, didn’t know what to do or what to say.
As soon the door was opened, a strong gust of wind blew us a few steps back. A miniature tornado came twirling out and then transformed into a phantom like creature in a black cloak surrounded by black fog. Nightingale made a short regretful shriek.
“GAME TIME, kids?” It spoke in a deep and frightening tone. We were all shaking in fear.
“What kind of game!?” Nightingale bravely asked.
“I can’t tell you just yet. Whoever wants to play, come with me.”
“I’ll go.” Nightingale responded without any hesitation. She hated the fact that she just made a mistake and needed to fix the situation.
“Wait!” Einstein stopped her. “If she goes in alone, how do we know if it’s a fair game? How do we know that you won’t cheat?”
“Fine.” Black snapped back. “I’ll let one of you stupid kids accompany her.”
“Great.” Nightingale grabbed my hand. “Come with me, Beanie.”
Her hand was trembling and so was mine.
Game 1.
Behind the door, we found ourselves standing on the top of a cliff surrounded by a green and orange sky. It was a breathtaking view and I would have enjoyed the moment if only Black wasn’t here with us.
“You see that?” Black pointed another Black off in the distances. “You have to catch it and put it into the punishment cage before it reaches the finish line. If you lose, you’ll be the one goes in.”
“Where is the finish line?” Nightingale asked.
“I am. You have to catch it before it reaches me.”
“OKAY.” Nightingale seemed pretty confident.
I also had a lot of confidence in Nightingale. It was the perfect game for her because she was a talented racer and plus… she never lost!
“When do I start?” She looked at Black.
“NOW!” It roared.
The Black in the distance took off running while Nightingale sprinted towards it like a hungry lion chasing its dinner. When it reached the cliff, it jumped off, opened its cloak like a pair of wings and began flying away like a giant bat. Nightingale raced towards the cliff at an incredible speed and jumped off with her arms held closely to her body. She was able to jump on its back before Black flew too far away. It made a series of barrow rolls and spins but couldn’t shake her off. It then dove into the forest below and flew frantically through the gaps between the trees and branches. Nightingale was snagged by one of the branches and fell off. Without hesitation, she jumped up and began chasing it through the forest.
Black and I watched them racing towards us. I held my breath.
C
atch it. Catch it. Nightingale, catch it!
Just when you thought Nightingale was going to lose, she performed an impressive triple jump and tackled Black to the ground. It remained motionless on the ground.
“YES!!!!!!!!!!!” I shouted.
“You won!” I rushed over to hug Nightingale and she gave me a sly wink.
“Congratulations.” Black said. “Now you just have to take off its cloak and put it into the punishment cage, then you win.”
Black pulled out a sword from its chest and forcefully stabbed it into the ground. The sword began to bend, twist and then transforming into what appeared to be a giant birdcage made of vines with sharp thorns. On top of the cage sat a figure of a head with a demonic face, horns and a menacing smile.
Nightingale didn’t want to wait any longer, so she quickly pulled off the cloak from the motionless Black. However, instead of a monster like we were all expecting, it was a beautiful creature with stunning long green hair and a pleasant smell.
“Wait…” Nightingale froze. “I know this smell…” She squatted down next to it and moved the hair away from its face.
“NO!” She screamed.
Nightingale was born on the streets to a homeless woman. She wasn’t raised by anyone in particular because she was passed around from one adult to another who took advantage of her and used her to beg for money from strangers. Life on the streets was all she knew. She was always hungry, dirty and constantly got bullied. People called her dumb, ugly and told her she would never amount to anything.
Finally, one day a social worker found her and sent her to Laketuh House. There she met Moon and she was the very first friend Nightingale ever had. She was kind, caring, patient and even taught her how to read and write. Moon was even the first person to tell her that she was smart and beautiful. She was playing a very important role in Nightingale’s life, like sisters they shared everything together and like a mother figure she took care of her like no one had before. Nightingale wanted to make her proud and let her know that all her hard work wasn’t in vain.
That was why she never wanted to lose, it was never because she was arrogant or conceited. She wanted to be always on top because she thought that it was the best way to repay Moon’s kindness and make people care about her.
“Beanie!” Nightingale turned back at me and angrily shouted. “Why is she here!? You told me she was fine!”
“She… I…” I stuttered. I was in shock as well. “I saw her in the other place! She was not like this!”
“You’re cheating! This is not Moon!” I yelled at Black. “She’s fake, it’s a trap!”
“SILENCE!” Black roared back. “This is a new Tuher and this was her first mission. Obviously she didn’t have enough ability or talent to win. Hurry, put it into the cage and be on your way.”
“Wait.” Nightingale sniffed. “If I go into the cage, will you set her free?”
“Well…” Black flashed a sinister smile. “So you don’t want to win? Then forfeit the game and take her place in the cage. I guarantee you that she’ll be set free.”
“NIGHTINGALE! NO!” I screamed.
“Sorry Beanie, I just can’t risk it. I don’t think I can live with the thought that the real Moon might be locked up in this horrible cage forever.” She gently stroked Moon’s face and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m so sorry…”
“Win for me Beanie.” Nightingale lowered her head and began to sob. “Tell Einstein I’m sorry, I messed up. It’s my fault.”
Black opened the door to the cage. Nightingale looked in and started to tremble violently. Before going in she whispered in my ear and said “Beanie, promise me, don’t let Da Vinci play, it’s not a normal game. He’s not strong enough, he’ll lose. Einstein will understand.”
As soon as Nightingale stepped in, Black slammed the door and the cage locked with a click. As she turned towards me, her face began to shrivel and her body began to twist until she resembled an old sickly woman. Just when I thought she was going to disintegrate into dust she froze, with her mouth slightly open and her body in a terrifying position. Her fingers trembled ever so slightly as if she was using all her strength to move them. I knew she was trying to wave, to say goodbye to me....
“You did well, Nightingale!” I held back my tear, forced a smile and gave her a thumb up. “We’ll bring you back! Don’t you worry!”
Da Vinci and Einstein were quite excited to see me walk out the door, but the excitement didn’t last too long.
“Where’s she!?” Einstein demanded. “She LOST? I don’t believe it! What happened in there!!?? Say something, Beanie!!!!!”
Einstein shook my shoulder furiously. I didn’t say a word and could only look back at him with a sad expression. He looked into my eyes and stopped.
We entered the door with the blue triangle and as we stepped through a large forest came into view. We venture in and pushed forward, but we really had no idea where we were going. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a cold gust of wind encircled us. Frightened, we stood close and held on to each other’s hands. The wind swirled and swirled until it transformed into another Black.
“Hello, kids. Didn’t take long for you to find me again, huh?” It sneered.
“Please, we don't miss you at all.” Einstein said.
“This time, it’s a team game. I’ll need two of you.”
“I’ll do it.” Einstein didn’t sound too enthusiastic about it but still volunteered without hesitation.
“I’ll go with you.” I remembered the promise I made Nightingale.
Game 2.
We entered a large and empty room and ahead of us, floating in midair were two black objects that resembled two triangle shaped tennis rackets.
“The rules of this game are very simple. It’s just like playing tennis or badminton on your planet. All you have to do is hit the ball back and whichever side misses the last one loses.” Black handed us two white round rackets.
“Easy!” Einstein grabbed one of the rackets. “But where’s the net?”
“We don’t need that here.” Black laughed.
“I have no problem with it.” Einstein lifted up his chin. “Let’s do it.”
“Oh. Before it starts, there’s a slight difference to this game than what you’re used to back on your planet.”
“What’s that?” I frowned.
“Every time a ball hits a racket, it becomes two balls.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Einstein asked.
“It’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it.”
IT WAS A BIG DEAL.
Before we could truly grasp what this ‘slight difference’ meant, hundreds of balls were flying all around us at incredible speeds. Einstein and I were failing miserably trying to hit every one of them coming at us, our opponents, however rarely missed. Our focus and concentrate soon waned as the game got more chaotic. At times I didn’t know if I was hitting the balls back or just trying to dodge them. Black lied, it was nothing like tennis or badminton.
“Ouch!” Einstein fell on the ground after a ball bounced off his knee.
“Are you all right?” I quickly glanced over at him.
“I… ouch, ouch, ouch.” Three more balls just bounced off his head. “I think I broke my ankle.”
“Can you still play?” I growled.
“No…”
“What we going to do? This is too crazy!”
“You know…” He limped over to me. “I think we… ouch, ouch... We’re going about this the wrong way.”
“What do you mean?”
“We shouldn’t try to hit every ball, because it will just become more balls and the game will never end.”
“So!?”
“Just focus on one ball and don’t miss it.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. Do it, Beanie.”
Einstein was right, as soon as I began focusing on one ball it became a game of one-two-four. I hit one ball, it turned into two and as predicted our oppo
nents returned both as they turned into four balls. Instead of trying to hit all four balls back, I just focused on one and ignored the rest. This cycle repeated itself and the game became more manageable.
“All right.” Einstein pushed himself up. “Let’s finish this game and get out of this stupid place.”
“Please don’t be so cocky, they’re really good.” I cried.
“They’re good, but they’re also predictable.”
“Now, listen to me carefully.” Einstein lowered his voice. “We’ll do a smash shot together. Once I give you the signal, I want you to pretend to hit the ball really hard, but actually just hit it up in the air softly. They’ll be caught off guard and that when we’ll do our kill shot together by hitting the two balls towards the ground as hard as we can. Judging by their overall strategy, I don’t think they’ll be able to hit the all the balls back. You got me?”
“Let’s do it!”
After two more rounds of one-two-four, Einstein moved closer to me.
“NOW!”
I did what Einstein wanted, instead of hitting the ball back as hard as I can I changed my hitting angle at the last second and gently directed the ball upwards. When the two balls reached their peak, Einstein and I jumped up together and smashed the balls downward towards our opponent. Four balls hit the ground forcibly and bounced up frantically in all directions before rolling pass the two back rackets. I bet they had never seen a shot like that before.
“YESSSSSS!”
As we came down from our jump, Einstein landed on his bad ankle and was about to fall over but I was there to catch him. We hugged and screamed with excitement, all the pain and bruised on our bodies were temporarily forgotten.
“Very Impressive.” Black said. “You two can leave now.”
Da Vinci and I put our arms around Einstein and together we slowly limped forward as we continued on our mission. Even though Einstein was hurt, he still couldn't stop bragging about the outcome of the last game over and over again.
“Hey, Einstein… there’s one thing I don’t understand…” I rubbed a bruise on my cheek. “I could have done that last shot by myself. We didn’t to need hit two balls back, right?”
“Yes. But…” He grinned. “I can’t let you have all the fun. I wanted to beat them too.”
Our win immediately bought us some good fortunate as another White suddenly appeared in front of us. It flickered and whispered, “Turn right here, keep going, when you see a well with clean water, jump in.” Then it vanished.