UPSTAIRS, ALICE WONDER’S HOUSE, 7 FOLLY BRIDGE, OXFORD, 11:02 A.M.
I pick up the pieces of the phone and put them together again, cursing my clumsiness and irresponsibility. Thank God the phone wasn’t smashed. I just need to put the battery back in and clip it together. As I press the ON button again, my heart is racing. I could be responsible for children dying in some kindergarten somewhere. It seems so random, but even though I know none of these children, I have to save them.
The phone is on, and I message back:
I will do whatever you want, just restart the bomb!
I click send and stare at the clock on the wall. It’s almost 11:03 a.m. Did I miss the time? The wait is killing me.
My personal phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out. It’s the Pillar again. Why would he be calling me while he is watching my sisters downstairs?
The other phone beeps again. It’s an MP3 file. I click it open.
Playing the file, I realize I am listening to a conversation between my sisters. Strangely enough, I don’t recognize their voices immediately. Only when they start talking about me. What is this? I hear them talking about an “event.” A secret event no one’s supposed to know about? But that’s not the harsh part. I hear them talking about “what happened to me.”
What does that mean?
I feel the haze closing in on me again. My mind is spinning. Then the phone beeps one more time. A message from the Hatter:
I will reset the bomb once you pick up the next clue. It’s a housemaid’s dress, hung in the kitchen downstairs. Good luck with confronting your sisters!
On the other hand, the Pillar keeps buzzing my personal phone. Too many things happen at once. The clock on the wall says it’s 11:04 a.m. A surging sting rushes through my body. Hate. Anger. Insanity.
I tuck the gloves and fan in the back pockets of my jeans. I have a feeling I will need them later.
I open the door and dash down the stairs. Since the Hatter can see and record everything around me, I assume he is nearby. But I can’t waste time looking for him. I don’t even know what he looks like exactly. I do this to save the children—and to confront my sisters.