Crewel

flag. I remove Sebrina’s card and tread noiselessly back to where I found it. I have to check the card twice to recall her sequence, since my first discovery was a complete accident. I’m slipping the card back into the cubby when I hear boot steps approaching. The steady clip of the approaching footfall sounds like Jost. I’ve been gone long enough that he might worry, but I’m not about to wait around and find out. Stealing to the side of the unit, I press against it and peek around the corner.
    Clear.
    I take a deep breath and move to the next set of shelves. The steps have faded away and after checking the next aisle I dart quickly back toward the rift. I’m only a few shelves from it when I see it shimmering and fading. I barely glimpse Jost on the other side as hands reach out from the other side and pull on the tear. I abandon my cautious pace and run towards the opening. It’s closing rapidly, but I think I can make it. I’m nearly there when a hand catches my wrist. I scream, struggling against my captor, but he holds me back and covers my mouth with his hand. Then he pulls me into the dark, still room, away from my escape.

 
     
     
    23
     
    I kick hard against the man holding me in the dark repository, and he falls back with a groan, dropping his hold on me. Without missing a beat, I dash to where the rift has closed and tug frantically at the air, hoping to find a remnant of the studio. Meanwhile I hear my abductor racing in my direction.
    I abandon my search and flee to a nearby shelf. It’s hard to see in the dark, so I press against the shelf and creep along it. The man’s footsteps slow to a walking pace. He’s searching for me now. My only hope is the door to the repository. I could weave myself out of this moment and freeze the repository, but that won’t protect Jost, and I have to get back to him.
    Snaking from row to row, I stay close to the shelves, afraid to step too far out and reveal myself. At the last row, I spy the door. I wish I’d studied the map more closely so that I’d know where it led. This room is connected to the research labs somehow, so it’s possible I could walk right into a room of scientists. My only hope is that they’ve gone home for the evening, but I can’t count on that. And to get to the door, I’ll have to move directly into the centre aisle and make myself vulnerable to my attacker, who will definitely alert anyone in the area. It’s a no-win situation, but waiting around will drive me crazy. So taking a deep breath, I bolt for the door.
    I’m not fast enough. The man steps from the shadows at the end of the adjacent shelving unit and catches me around the waist. Clasping his hand over my mouth, he hisses into my ear: ‘Stop fighting me, Adelice.’
    I go limp in his arms, and he drops his hold. Whirling on him, I shove him hard in the chest. He stumbles, and I barely make out the annoyance flashing on his face in the dark.
    ‘Remind me not to save your ass in the future,’ Erik says, regaining his footing.
    ‘What are you doing here?’ I demand in a low voice.
    ‘Rescuing you,’ he says, rubbing his chest.
    ‘Who closed it?’
    ‘What?’ he asks, confused.
    ‘The opening back to the upper studios,’ I whisper.
    ‘Is that how you got in here?’ he asks, matching his volume to mine.
    I nod, and begin moving back to the spot where I opened the rift. Erik follows behind me, but there’s nothing left of the gap. I have no idea what to do to save Jost, but every second I waste here leaves him in their clutches.
    ‘So is this your big plan?’ he asks.
    ‘It was,’ I say with a sigh. ‘But I guess it’s time to move on to Plan B.’
    ‘Which is?’
    ‘There is no Plan B yet,’ I admit.
    ‘What exactly was Plan A?’ he asks.
    ‘Get information,’ I answer.
    ‘That’s all?’
    ‘Yes.’
    He grimaces. ‘You need help with your plans.’
    ‘But we have to get back. I left Jost on the other side.’
    Erik stiffens as I say his name, and I’m reminded of the rigid distance the two boys usually keep from each other. ‘Well, it won’t take them long to figure out you’re here,’ he says, tugging me back toward the repository’s door. ‘And you wasted a lot of time hiding from me.’
    ‘You could’ve called out to me,’ I say in an aggravated voice.
    ‘I’m trying to keep a low profile.’ Erik glares at me, anger burning through his eyes, but his swift pace shifts to a sprint. ‘Come on.’
    ‘We’ve got to get