Escaping Ordinary Read online

  Everyone laughed. Smiling, she leaned in and blew out the candles. Patch used the distraction to steal some icing from one corner. Indira winked at him as the group swirled back to life. She felt overwhelmed and thankful and hungry all at the same time. The first person to corner her was Detective Malaprop. She learned that he had received a surprisingly big role in a series called The Right Word. Through his own hilarious errors, Detective Malaprop helped children figure out the right word to use in every situation.

  Alice curtsied in for a quick hello and wished Indira the best of luck on her next book. Professor Darcy was too busy making Mrs. Pennington blush at the back of the room to greet her. Indira gladly plunked down on the couch between Maxi and Phoenix with her cake in hand.

  “You’ve been gone forever,” Maxi lamented. “It’s been so boring here.”

  Phoenix pointed his fork in her direction. “Hey. I thought you said that you had fun last week when we visited the Imaginary Sports Hall of Fame.”

  Maxi’s expression was carefully hidden behind her sunglasses.

  “Oh yeah. Except for that. That was…a lot of fun.”

  Phoenix—who had always been on the quiet side—leaned forward with a grin. It was a different side of him than Indira was used to seeing. “Oh really? What was your favorite part?”

  Maxi shrugged. “The thing with the teams and the ball.”

  Phoenix and Indira exchanged a look before bursting out laughing.

  “You didn’t pay attention to any of it,” he accused.

  Even through the sunglasses, Indira could tell Maxi was rolling her eyes.

  “Please. Our tour guide was like not even cute. And I’m amazed that a place could have that many brooms hanging around and still have such dirty floors.”

  Phoenix shook his head. Indira settled back into the couch and could not have felt more at home. This had been her refuge during that difficult first year of school. Mrs. Pennington’s meals had fought off the bitter taste of her hardest days. Patch’s accidental jokes had made her laugh when the rest of the world didn’t seem very funny at all. It was home in a way that her Story House had never been. She thought about the past six months. The Story House had been more of a game, every room acting like a piece of a larger puzzle. It was still one of her favorite places, but it could not hold a candle to the Pennington house in that moment.

  Those feelings only doubled as she watched Professor Darcy say something to Mrs. Pennington. Her adopted mother was so shocked that she dropped a pie onto the floor. The moment echoed, reminding Indira of the time that she had accidentally been the reason for Mrs. Pennington dropping one of her famous desserts on the floor of the Adoption Agency.

  “I’ll be right back,” Indira said.

  She crossed the room to help Mrs. Pennington clean up. Her adopted mother tried to shoo her back to the others, but eventually gave up and handed Indira a second rag. The two of them wiped the whole mess away before returning to the kitchen and starting in on the ingredients of a new one. They worked silently for a few minutes before Mrs. Pennington stopped what she was doing and looked up.

  “We’ve missed you terribly, dear.”

  Indira smiled. “It’s really good to be home.”

  Mrs. Pennington dusted her hands on an apron before pulling Indira into another hug.

  “I’m glad you came when you did. I’d have been too busy to see you otherwise.”

  Indira was surprised by that admission. Mrs. Pennington had always made time to see her, no matter what. It wasn’t like her mother to let anything get in the way of family. Indira was about to say something when she noticed the grin on Mrs. Pennington’s face. The pieces finally clicked together. There was only one reason Mrs. Pennington would be “too busy” to see her.

  “Your story is starting!”

  Last year, she’d learned the Penningtons were going to be in a short-story collection about life in Chicago. Indira knew they’d been waiting around for it to finally begin.

  Mrs. Pennington did a little dance. “Tomorrow!”

  Indira wrapped the woman in another hug and they danced around the kitchen together.

  “Honestly,” she said, “that’s why Patch wrote the letters on your cake! I knew if I did them I’d be a mess. Figured I might as well just blame the sloppy lettering on him instead.”

  “Do you know what kind of story it is?” Indira asked.

  Mrs. Pennington blushed. “Well…there’s supposed to be a romantic interest. I’m afraid I’m a bit out of practice. It’s nice that Mr. Darcy is here. I’ve been brushing up on my technique.”

  The words romantic interest made Indira’s stomach churn. Not for long, though, as she looked back and found Mr. Darcy trying to lock eyes with Mrs. Pennington from across the room. It was like watching a bad scene in a movie. He considered her seriously before sweeping off dramatically in the other direction. Indira couldn’t help laughing.

  “Well, you deserve it, Mom. I can’t wait—”

  Indira’s sentence was cut off as Patch went sprinting past with a still-lit candle. Mrs. Pennington hustled after him. Left alone for a moment, Indira’s mind drifted to the task that was waiting for her. Underglass’s words echoed: Always room for improvement.

  She knew she had work to do. Training would improve who she was as a character. It was nerve-racking and exciting all at once, but all of that could wait for tomorrow.

  Tonight she’d enjoy the family she couldn’t ever dream of improving.

  Gavin Grant convinced the group to play board games. David and Phoenix argued the whole time, both of them too competitive for their own good. Maxi wisely played them off one another and ended up winning the game in a landslide.

  The rest of the night was measured in cake and laughter.

  Indira couldn’t seem to get enough of either.

  David’s alarm woke Indira up. She was still half-asleep as he rolled out of his trundle bed and stumbled toward the bathroom. When he returned, his whisper of a mustache was clean-shaven and his clothes neatly ironed. Indira wondered if he was taking the boot camp idea a little too literally.

  “Looking sharp,” she mumbled.

  He shrugged. “Just trying to make a good impression.”

  “Don’t worry, D. You will.”

  He nodded. “What about you? Shouldn’t you get ready?”

  Indira glanced at the mirror hanging on the opposite wall. She adjusted the collar of her shirt before looking back at David. “Ta-da! I’m ready.”

  He rolled his eyes, but the two of them descended the stairs together. Mrs. Pennington fussed over them for a few minutes, even forcing bag lunches into their hands. Indira gave her mother one more massive hug. It was harder than expected to walk out the door.

  On the porch, she paused and took a deep breath.

  Adventure was in the air.

  The sun hadn’t risen, but the futuristic version of Fable glowed brightly enough for them to find their way. Everything hummed and blinked and buzzed with digital life. Indira led David back to the front doors of Protagonist Preparatory. He was quiet. She could see him chewing his bottom lip nervously, and she thought she knew how he felt. Last year, she’d been a nervous wreck too.

  “You’re going to be all right, D.”

  He looked down at his feet. “I know I sounded confident, but what Underglass said hit pretty hard. It made me feel like—I don’t know—like I’ve been holding your story back.”

  “Hey. Not true.” She set a hand on her brother’s shoulder and waited until he looked up and met her eye. “I was there, David. We both heard Underglass. It’s a team deal. I get better. You get better. If we both improve, there’s nowhere for the story to go except up. You’ve got this.”

  He nodded. “Right. You’re right. Okay. Do me a favor and don’t get caught up in any world-altering conspiracies.
Maybe have some fun instead?”

  “Trust me,” Indira replied with a smile. “I’m all about keeping a low profile this time.”

  The two of them hugged. David slung a bag over one shoulder and headed for the front doors. She thought she saw added confidence in each step. Seeing that was like a weight slipping off Indira’s shoulders. He was going to love boot camp. She could just feel it.

  Besides, she had enough to worry about on her own adventure. She glanced through her papers to find her assigned pickup location. She had some time, but it never hurt to get there early. Maybe she could even sneak in a nap.

  The location listed on the document was GROUP PORT B33.

  Indira found it in the upper corner of her map. After tracing the route, she tucked the map back in her bag and started walking. It felt surprisingly nice to be alone. Her time in the Story House had been so chaotic. One scene after the next. Most of her breaks were spent getting to know the other characters or rehearsing lines. It was relaxing just to walk and breathe and exist for a second.

  Eventually, the path led to her assigned location. At a distance, Indira noted it wasn’t an actual building. Instead, she walked into an open park that was sectioned off by a circle of black spheres. Each one was about the size of her shack back in Origin, the town where Indira had lived before being invited to Protagonist Preparatory. The spheres were raised slightly in the air by a framework underneath, almost like massive golf balls on equally massive tees.

  Indira had never seen anything like them.

  It took a few seconds to figure out that the spheres were numbered. She followed the natural sequence and realized her assigned number would lead her nearly all the way back around to the beginning. She cut across the park and made a line for the sphere labeled B33.

  The sound of her approaching footsteps was masked by the rather loud banging of tools. Someone had popped open the side panel of the structure that held the sphere in the air. Indira saw that the person’s entire upper body was wedged underneath like a car mechanic. She heard something that sounded vaguely like a swear word, a loud metallic rattle, and finally a relieved sigh.

  Indira stared down, a little distracted by the stranger’s odd-looking boots. She thought maybe she was losing her mind, but the longer she watched…

  “Are those your bones?” Indira asked.

  The person let out a yelp of surprise. It was followed by a bang. Indira winced as the stranger struggled out from underneath the sphere. The girl had short hair and a sharp look to her. Black streaks stained her face and hands. Her narrowed eyes examined Indira like one might inspect a strange zoo exhibit. After a moment, the girl tapped her boots.

  “These?” The color of the boots flickered before flashing an image that Indira could only assume was an X-ray glimpse of the girl’s feet. “These are my X-boots. More for show than anything. I made them for a project last year.”

  Indira nodded, impressed. “So is the portal broken or something?”

  The girl shook her head. “Nah. I got here a few hours ago so I could take the whole thing apart. Wanted to look at the guts, you know? I’m almost done putting it back together. It’ll be just a few more ticks.”

  Indira watched the girl snatch a metal part and disappear into the underbelly of the machine again. She stared in confusion. “So you just…took the whole thing apart. For fun?”

  “Of course,” the girl replied. “How else was I supposed to figure out how it works?”

  “Why does it matter how it works?” Indira asked. “As long as it works.”

  The girl made a frustrated noise. “Until it breaks and you’re stuck in enemy territory without a clue. Why risk not knowing how something works? That seems silly.”

  Indira supposed that was true. She’d gotten into the habit of just kind of rolling with the punches. Her instincts had always worked well enough. Why bother with schematics or blueprints or machine parts? Indira could hear the girl rotating some kind of tool that made a loud clicking noise. After a few more seconds, she slid back out into the open, looking pleased with herself.

  “Good as new.” Her eyes landed on Indira’s lunch. “I’m starving. You mind?”

  Indira blinked once before offering her bag. “Sure.”

  The girl snatched the lunch out of Indira’s hands. It took her two seconds to find the BLT wrap that Mrs. Pennington had hand-rolled. She waved the wrap at Indira, who nodded permission. She’d barely removed the tinfoil before digging in. When she noticed Indira staring, she shrugged.

  “Sometimes I forget to eat,” she said. “Too focused on work. This is pretty good. Could use some more lettuce, though. Hey. Who are you, anyway?”

  “I’m Indira Story.”

  The girl’s jaw dropped. She pointed at Indira with the remaining half of the BLT.

  “You’re Indira Story. The Indira Story?”

  Indira nodded politely.

  “Wow.” The girl took another bite. “I’m eating Indira Story’s sandwich.”

  Indira nodded again. “You’re pretty much devouring it. I’m guessing you’re Gadget?”

  It had taken her a few minutes to piece that together, but after getting a good, long look at the girl, Indira had figured it out. She wasn’t wearing all the fancy hardware she’d been wearing in the photo Underglass had provided, but she definitely acted and talked like someone named Gadget would. Plus, she was wearing the earrings shaped like launching rockets that Indira had noticed in her file. She’d found the first member of her team.

  “You know my name,” Gadget said, still shocked. “And I’m eating your sandwich.”

  Indira laughed now. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Footsteps sounded. Indira turned in time to see the other two assigned members of their group enter the park. Phoenix came first. She couldn’t help noticing that he looked a little taller, a little more confident. Her plan was to act as normal as possible. Things didn’t need to be weird between them just because of the secret mission Underglass had given Indira. Her plan to play it cool was a little more difficult when she saw that flash of fire in his eyes.

  The other boy walked in Phoenix’s shadow. Indira recognized the golden curls and wide eyes. The first time she’d seen Allen Squalls had been as a picture on a missing-person poster. Back then, he’d sported a wide and crooked grin. Time under the thumb of Brainstorm Ketty had thinned out that smile into something far more nervous. Indira waved at both of them.

  “You’re at least forty-five seconds late,” she joked.

  Squalls nearly yelped. “It’s totally my fault. I knew we should have been walking faster. If you want to send me home, that’s totally understandable. My bag is already packed. I can just head back right now—”

  Phoenix shook his head. “She’s just kidding, Squalls.”

  “Definitely kidding,” she said quickly. “I’m Indira.”

  She held out a hand at the same time that Allen offered her a fist. Both of them awkwardly switched and the final result was Allen holding Indira’s fist and shaking it up and down. Phoenix grinned at the exchange before nodding past Indira.

  “I’m guessing that’s Gadget?” he asked.

  The girl had set Indira’s lunch aside and was carefully positioning tools back in her utility belt. Indira grinned. “I can’t imagine what gave her identity away….”

  Once introductions had been made, Indira realized everyone was waiting for her. She’d kind of forgotten that she was the leader of the group.

  “Oh. Right. Do we just get inside?”

  “What does your packet say?” Phoenix asked. “Mine ended with meet here.”

  “Same,” Squalls added. “No directions after that.”

  Indira rummaged through her bag and flipped her own informational packet open. Naturally, there were more directives on her sheet than theirs. The additions were remi
nders from Brainstorm Underglass. Lead them. She eyed the next step on the outline and read it aloud.

  “ ‘Your team will board the B33 device. You will set your destination for the town of Ordinary, located in the southeastern corner of Plot. Upon arrival, you will receive more information about your mission.’ ” When the rest of the crew didn’t react, Indira decided to take charge. “Well. You heard the instructions. Let’s get moving. Everyone inside.”

  But the final piece of advice from Underglass echoed. Lead them, but don’t forget that you’re on a team. That was the reason why this tutorial had been created for Indira. She needed to invite the rest of the team to be heroes too. She took a deep breath before looking around at her new crew.

  “Gadget.” She pointed at the girl. “You know how these machines work. Why don’t you get us all loaded up and set our destination to the right location?”

  Gadget looked a little surprised. “Right. Of course. I’m on it.”

  It took her a few seconds to open a hatch in the sphere. Allen made a careful inspection of the interior and muttered something about safety regulations. Phoenix gave him a playful shove inside. Indira was glad to see a connection already forming between the two of them. Spending time with someone like Phoenix wasn’t the worst way to kick-start Allen’s recovery.

  Indira crawled in after them. The interior reminded her of a ride she’d been on in her own Story. The scene had taken place at a county fair, and Indira had accepted a dare to ride a roller coaster known as the Terminator. She hoped this ride would be smoother than that one. There were six seats in total, all arranged in a circle that faced inward. Indira reached overhead to pull a harness down, which clicked neatly into place. Gadget was leaning over a central console, tapping buttons rapidly, as the others pulled their own harnesses down.

  “Sequence initiated,” Gadget announced. “Our coordinates have been set for Ordinary. Who’s ready to be chopped into a million pieces and reassembled in a new location?”

  The girl raised her own hand excitedly. Phoenix just stared at her. Allen actually let out a horrified groan. “Chopped up? What do you mean chopped up? I thought we were teleporting!”