by Kaiya Adgie (7th)
If you missed part 1, click here.
PART 2
Ellie, Chloe, and Evie were at the park with Mrs. Williams, who knew a lot more than she let on.
“Long time no see,” she said.
“We saw you at school a few hours ago,” Evie responded.
Mrs. Williams sighed. “I know where the key is hidden. It was hidden there for a good reason—so three sixth graders don’t go looking for it!”
Ellie hid behind Chloe.
Mrs. Williams smiled. “I can tell you where the key is, but you have to do something for me.”
Chloe was skeptical. “What will we have to do?”
“Write a 1,000-word essay by the end of the week,” Mrs. Williams replied.
Chloe frowned. “Oh yeah. You’re an English teacher.”
“Guilty as charged!” Mrs. Williams said happily.
“Of course we can do that,” Ellie said, no longer whispering. “We need to find the key.”
Mrs. Williams frowned. “But I found it first. Would it count as you finding it if I showed you where it is?”
“PLEASE, just show us,” Evie said.
Mrs. Williams sighed, bent over, and looked under the bench she was sitting on. She reached beneath the wood chips and pulled out the key.
Chloe grabbed it from her hands, and all three of them ran away.
“By the end of the week!” Mrs. Williams called after them.
They ran back to school to open the door. It was still there—old, rotting, and beautiful as ever.
Evie smiled. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…”
Ellie and Chloe drumrolled on the floor. Evie put the key in the hole and twisted it.
“The opening of the secret door!” she announced.
The door creaked open, revealing a tunnel reaching down under the school.
“Wow,” they said in unison.
“Let’s go!” Evie said, practically bouncing.
“Hold your horses,” Chloe warned. “That thing looks like it’ll take hours to get through. You think our parents won’t wonder where we are?”
“Yeah,” Ellie said. “They may even call the police!”
Evie thought about it. “How about me and Chloe call our parents and tell them we’re gonna sleep at Ellie’s?”
“Okay,” Chloe said. “That sounds fine.”
“Um… okay,” Ellie said. “But I’m kind of worried about lying. And what do I tell my parents?”
“That you’re going to my house!” Chloe said.
“That’s a pretty good plan,” said Evie.
“Okay,” Ellie agreed.
The three of them called their parents and started down the tunnel. A ladder led into the darkness.
They climbed down silently. Ellie whimpered. “I’m scared,” she whispered. “What if we get caught? What if whatever’s down here is dangerous? What if we don’t come out of here? What if… what if—”
Evie, who was below Ellie on the ladder, tugged at her leg. Ellie screamed.
“Relax,” Evie said. “Nothing is going to happen.”
“Um,” Chloe interrupted, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that!”
Suddenly, the ladder broke beneath her. She was the lowest down—and there was still a long way to fall. Fog began to form around them.
“AAAAH!” Evie screamed (even though she was supposed to be the brave one).
“We’re gonna die!” Ellie cried.
“Jump,” Chloe said.
The other two turned toward her.
“WHAT!?” Ellie screamed.
“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?” Evie cried.
“Trust me,” Chloe said calmly.
Ellie brushed the tears from her eyes. “We do.”
Chloe smiled. “Then you’ll jump.” And with that, she disappeared into the abyss.
Evie was speechless. Finally, she said to Ellie, “If we survive, you owe me ten bucks.” Then she jumped.
Ellie looked up—it was a long way. She sighed, took her feet off the ladder, and screamed as she fell.
She landed in a heap beside Chloe and Evie.
“I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m dead,” she whimpered, curled into a ball.
Chloe and Evie smiled down at her.
She opened one eye. “I’m… not dead?”
Evie laughed and pointed to Chloe. “This genius saw the bottom—it was only a few feet! And look around!”
The floor glittered with sparkles, and a huge TV loomed before them.
“Are we in a movie theater?” Ellie asked.
“Yes!” Evie said. “Er… well… I think so.”
“It’s a secret movie theater!” Chloe added.
Ellie was puzzled. “This was what was in the secret room?”
Evie laughed. “I know, right? What a plot twist!”
“Wait,” Ellie said. “Why would Mrs. Williams say this is dangerous?”
“Probably just because…” Evie began, but her smile faltered and turned into full-fledged panic. “We have no way out!”
Chloe, who had been admiring the TV, spun around. “WHAT? But there has to be a way out! Could there be a secret room in the secret room?”
Ellie suddenly brightened. “That’s a great idea! Everybody look around for secret doors on the ceiling!”
They searched until Chloe pointed. “I found it!” she said, spotting a part of the ceiling with a doorknob.
They opened it and found a dimly lit tunnel with a ladder leading up.
“WHOA,” said Evie. “This time we actually get light! C’mon, let’s go!”
They scrambled up the ladder, which seemed to take forever.
When they opened the door at the top, they were back in the park. Mrs. Williams was waiting for them.
“Did you have fun?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Evie said. “But it’s good to be home.”
“You are truly a great teacher,” Ellie said. “Thank you so much for helping us find the room.”
“You’re welcome,” said Mrs. Williams.
They started to walk home.
“Do you think we’ll ever use that movie theater?” Evie asked.
Chloe thought about it. “I’m not sure we need to,” she said. “I think we’ll be too busy having more adventures.”
The End