‘Are you going to clean up that mess down by the sports books, or will they walk back onto the shelves of their own accord?’ Miss Javros asked us.

‘I’ll go, Miss Javros,’ said Becky.

We all followed a few minutes later. Then we hung around for the next twenty minutes waiting for a noise, or anything else that might indicate that Bryce was back close to the entry point of the secret room. At 4:42 we had taken up our positions. Luci had gone back towards the tables at the front to fend off Miss Javros, in case she decided to head down our way.

4:43.

4:44.

4:45.

None of us moved. Bubba had his head down, backside up, listening for the slightest sound.

4:46.

4:47.

‘What time have you got, Becky?’ I asked.

‘Four forty-eight.’

‘Me too.’

4:49.

4:50.

Luci headed back down, a ‘what-is-going-on?’ look on her face.

I shrugged.

4:51.

‘Okay, let’s ring. Bubba, make the call,’ I said. We all turned to Bubba.

‘I was really hoping it wouldn’t come to this,’ he said, looking very anxious. ‘You see, I was supposed to charge the battery, but–’

4:52.

‘Stay here, Bubba. Keep listening. Mitch, have you got the number?’ Luci asked me.

I handed her the slip of paper that Bryce had given me. Bubba was looking upset.

‘Don’t worry, Bubbs. Knowing Bryce, he won’t be far away.’

‘Luci, most of the school’s locked. Where will you make the call from?’ asked Beck.

‘Right here. I’ll just have to pretend it’s Mum I’m ringing. C’mon.’

4:53.

We went down to the front desk.

‘Miss Javros, can I please make a call to Mum? I can’t remember where she was picking me up from,’ Luci explained.

‘Well, you know you’re not really allowed to use the library phone. Have you got some coins for the call?’

I scrounged around in my pocket for some money while Luci made the call.

4:54.

Why did Bryce keep doing this to us? What could possibly have happened? He was normally so precise and good at details. If he said 4:45 then he meant 4:45. Maybe there was another trap further into the room. Maybe this one was more lethal. I looked over at Luci’s worried face.

4:55.

Suddenly her face lit up. ‘Br – um, Mum? Is that you?’

There was a pause.

‘It’s Luci. Can you hear me? Where are you?’

4:56.

Another pause.

‘I don’t think we can meet in the usual spot,’ Luci was saying.

It seemed that Bryce was okay. But where could he possibly be? It sounded like he was miles away rather than in the room next door to us.

4:57.

Miss Javros was looking curiously at Luci as she switched off her computer and collected her things.

‘Are you sure? Ascot College?’ Luci asked.

‘Give me the phone, dear. I can drive you to Ascot. Let me talk to your mother,’ Miss Javros said, her hand out for the phone.

4:58.

Luci turned slightly away from her.

‘Okay, so normal spot, at five o’clock. Thanks, Mum. Look after yourself.’ She put the phone back onto the receiver. ‘It’s okay, Miss Javros, no problems.’

‘Well, all right then. Time for lock-up.’ We raced back down to the sports end as the lights started to go out.

4:59.

‘Bubba, any–’ I said. But there was no Bubba.

We raced over to the panels, but they were shut.

‘What did Bryce say?’ I asked.

‘I don’t know, it was hard to hear him. I’m sure I heard him say something about Ascot College. He wasn’t here. I mean, in there. He was somewhere else.’

‘So what do we do? We can’t stay here. And now Bubba’s gone in. They could be in there all night!’ Becky said, panic-stricken.

‘I want this area tidied – now!’ Miss Javros yelled.

5:00.

We packed up the magazines and slid the boxes back onto the shelves.

‘What is it with these school year boxes, anyway?’ Miss Javros asked.

‘Miss Javros,’ said Becky. ‘Something awful–’

‘They say there’s something awful and spooky in one of them,’ Luci interrupted, staring at Becky.

‘And where’s Bubba? Wasn’t he with you?’ Miss Javros asked.

‘I think he slipped out while Luci was on the phone,’ I suggested. And, I thought to myself, he really had.

There was no possibility of us staying another minute. Miss Javros was keen to get going. And Luci, for better or worse, had decided that now wasn’t the time to be talking about secret rooms. I could only hope Bryce had said something on the phone to make her think that things were okay in there. But now there was the extra complication of Bubba. And what about their parents, who would probably be waiting outside for them?

‘So, how do we get out of this little mess?’ Becky asked.

We were walking slowly towards the car park, where a few cars were waiting.

‘I mean, we say to Bryce’s dad, “Oh, sorry, Bryce is in this secret room somewhere–”’

Becky never got to finish her sentence. Two figures were racing across the ovals towards us, one a few metres ahead of the other, yelling and waving their arms.

‘I don’t believe this,’ Luci muttered, shaking her head. A minute later Bryce and Bubba arrived, puffing and out of breath.

‘You have some explaining to do,’ I said to Bryce.

‘I tried ringing,’ he panted.

We all turned to look at Bubba. Luckily for him, he wasn’t ready to speak.

A car horn blared.

‘C’mon, it’s time to go. We’ll call you tonight.’