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The following day was damp and cold, but Toby was snug. He hit the snooze bar once, twice, and was going for a third time.
“Toby,” Dad said, “better get moving.”
“I’m up.” He crawled out from under the warm covers, dressed, and collected his book bag.
He looked at his desk and remembered the Ivanhoe paper. He still had one more night, but he meant to finish last night.
He put a prominent note on his desk and ran downstairs to his usual breakfast.
Chase limped in; the change in weather was always rough.
Toby glanced down at the leg. “I heard what happened.”
“It’s no big deal.”
“Do you think...” He didn’t know how to ask.
“What?”
“Do you think the One was trying to hurt you or protect you?”
“What kind of stupid question is that?” Chase said.
“What is the matter with you?” Dad said.
“I–”
“Is this what they’re teaching?”
“No–”
“You’re letting the One get in your head. He’ll say anything.”
Toby stood up. “Has he assaulted me and robbed me?”
“No, but-”
“Has he kissed me and tried to kill me.”
Neither responded.
“Has he sent me into sabotaged tests?”
Both Dad and Chase stood there, mouths open.
Toby grabbed his book bag and walked toward the door. He pulled open the door with more force than he intended, but broke nothing. “When you can tell the good guys from the bad, please let me know.”
***
Later that morning, Toby finished algebra class and headed for the cafeteria. Without thinking, he walked into the bathroom.
“Right on time,” Raymond said.
He backed out when two sets of large hands grabbed each arm and pulled him inside.
“Going somewhere?” said one the goon with rotten teeth. The goon with acne grabbed Toby’s other arm.
Toby didn’t struggle. He noticed two goons missing, the ones from Dúnbarnaugh.
So why is Raymond still here?
Raymond came up and gave him the usual routine. “Crybabies are so predictable.”
Toby could smell alcohol on his breath.
Toby wanted to stay in the old wimpy character, but he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Why are you doing this?”
Raymond hesitated, only for a second.
The final goon stepped up and poked his ham-like finger into Toby’s chest. His ear-stud flashed when he said, “Hand over the money.”
Toby looked at Raymond. “Why are you even here?”
Raymond opened his mouth but froze up.
Ear-stud moved closer.
Toby went limp, causing Cavities and Pimples to shift forward.
Toby launched and head-butted Cavities, who hit the floor like a sack of sand.
Toby’s right hand now free, he drove the heel into the underside of the Acne’s nose, followed by a front kick into the crotch of Ear-stud.
Toby looked at Raymond and couldn’t think of anything to say. He turned to leave, and Raymond grabbed his arm.
Toby twisted his hand in a wicked wristlock and put Raymond on his knee.
Toby shoved Raymond’s hand away, picked up his bag, and walked out.
Toby was well down the hall before his heart felt like he could breathe.
He considered making a quick trip back to Dúnbarnaugh. Teacher might know why Raymond is acting this way.
Unless Teacher was giving the orders.
Toby sat by himself in the cafeteria.
He could talk to Dad about leaving again. Mom was better, but they’d lose the house, Dad’s job, Chase’s college...
Raymond and company were not going away, and fancy wrist locks were ineffective when it’s four on one.
The bell rang.
***
The bus ride home was quiet. Raymond was absent, but Pimples, Cavities, and Ear-stud stared holes through him.
Fortunately, they didn’t cause any trouble.
He got off the bus.
Alone.
When Toby got home, his father sat at the table, going through the mail.
“You’re home early,” Toby said.
“We need to talk.”
Toby opened the fridge. “What’s to tell?”
“Tell me about the tests.”
He grabbed a soda and sat down. “I’m not supposed to talk about the tests.”
His father nodded. “I know. And that rule might be why some of your cousins are dead. The rule exists to prevent cheating, not protect felons and murderers.”
Toby told about the First Test: he left out the part about shifting in time. Why volunteer for trouble?
“I didn’t realize I had completed the task, so I moved a second boulder, and the whole thing collapsed.”
“Caved in?”
He nodded.
“Were you hurt?”
“I got hit by falling rocks, but I got out as the whole thing came down.”
“You didn’t shift out?”
“I was kind of freaking out.”
Dad nodded. “Understandable.”
Toby did not expect that response.
“Have they looked into the incident?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“I moved the boulder just fine. Was presenting my thoughts on the message, and the Prime fell away. Still don’t know why. I needed a job, so I got a job resetting the first test: replace the boulders and hand-carry hundreds of gallons of water into the tanks. Here’s the weird part. All the tunnels dump the water into the same tank. You could have moved the boulder ten times. It didn’t matter.”
“I didn’t cause the cave to collapse.”
He shook his head. “Couldn’t have.”
They both sat in silence for a moment.
“I know nothing about the second test, so don’t tell me. We had no one get to the third test, but if we had, I was to bait the cavern, so at least one Ice Creature was nearby. Tell me about the Third Test.”
Toby outlined the entire ordeal.
“No one knows how she got in the cavern or where the Spiders came from?”
“No.” Toby wanted to say his thoughts, but closed his mouth.
“Go ahead.”
“You’re going to say I’m wrong.”
“What do you think happened?”
“Raymond could have shifted Lela and the Spiders.”
“Maybe, but didn’t he nearly die from Spider venom?”
“Or they make it look that way.”
“Raymond took the oath.”
“Griffin took the same oath.”
Dad nodded.
Toby told of today’s assault in the bathroom. “Why is Raymond still being a bully, but only here?”
“I don’t know. This is all too strange. Do you think we should go to the Ruling Council?”
“We?”
“You could shift us both there.”
“Wouldn’t you get arrested?”
“Probably.” Dad thought for a moment. “You said something about a kiss?”
He smiled. “Lela and me. We’ve been dating.”
“You can’t date the Keeper. You know the rules; you both know the rules.”
“Whoa, Dad. It’s okay. Nobody pays attention to that stuff.”
“Says who?”
“Lela.”
“She’s wrong.”
“Come on, Dad. How did you and Mom meet?”
“Yer mother wasn’t Keeper when I was the Candidate.”