“That means they knew,” said Jaime. “The Morningstarrs, I mean. They knew people would be too curious not to set the cane and start the timer. That we’d have to do it.”
Maybe Theo should admire this, admire them for their ingenuity and their cleverness and their insight into people, their ability to plan a building’s implosion long before implosion was invented, their completely impossible ability to predict the future, but he couldn’t, not with his home collapsed in front of him. “The Morningstarrs were jerks,” he said. “If they were so smart, they would have figured out a different way. They would have known people lived here, that this was someone’s home. They would have anticipated every possibility. They could have made it so the building could stay. But they didn’t.” He searched for a stronger word, a better word, but he was too angry. “Jerks,” he said again.
They watched the firefighters pick through the rubble, the cops take statements, the reporters report. They didn’t ask Jaime or Tess or Theo any questions. What would kids know about this anyway? It was obvious that someone was going after Darnell Slant’s buildings, the reporters said. But how did they plant all those explosives in the first place without being seen? How did the implosion occur so neatly, to the point that it left the sidewalk intact? Why was there so little debris? What kind of new technology had done it?
Theo almost laughed.
A clock had done it.
But that wasn’t exactly true. Theo stuck both hands in his hair, watched the too-small curls of smoke twisting up toward the stars. What if the Cipher really was alive? Then it wasn’t still and static, just a series of clues waiting for someone to follow them. It shifted, it responded.
If they hadn’t set the clock, what would it have done? What would it have asked them to do?
What if they weren’t discovering the Cipher as much as building it for themselves as they went along? Goading it and challenging it?
“We need to see what’s behind that door,” Theo said.
“There are way too many people around right now,” Tess said, her voice dull as a butter knife. “And our parents and Jaime’s grandmother and father will be worried. They might have heard about this already.”
“We’ll be grounded for life,” said Jaime.
“Wouldn’t be the worst thing that happened today,” said Theo.
“Jaime, how about you come home with us now and go back to Hoboken in the morning?” Tess suggested.
“Yeah, that way my mom won’t have to go too far to arrest us all,” said Theo.
“Sounds good,” said Jaime. “But . . . I don’t want Mima to wake up alone.”
“Right,” said Tess. “Okay.” And her eyes got that glassy look again, because this was good-bye. Not forever, but still. Good-bye. Good-bye, Jaime, good-bye, 354 W. 73rd Street.
Good-bye.
Tess threw her arms around Jaime and hugged him. Theo patted Jaime on the back, and Jaime slugged him on the shoulder. They went their separate ways, Jaime traveling to one Underway station and the twins to another. The twins took a train across town and then over to Queens. The Guildman in his glass box wore the same inscrutable expression every Guildman wore, paying Theo and Tess and Nine no more mind than he paid anyone. The people swaying in their seats with the rhythm of the train read books or listened to music or stared off into the distance thinking about whatever it was people thought about: work, bills, the chicken they would make for dinner. It was like any other ride on the Underway and also unlike any other ride because Theo wasn’t the same. He had been betrayed. He had seen a man carried off by Rollers. He had seen two others swallowed whole. He had watched his home crumble. That had to mark a person, but no one looked at him any differently. Their eyes flicked to his hair and then skirted away. To them, he was not a human whose life had changed forever, he was a kid who needed a haircut.
They got off the train. Their steps slowed; no one was in a hurry to get to Aunt Esther’s, not even Nine. They would probably be grounded for a month. Or a year. It might be a while before they could get back to the building with the shadow door. It was just as well. Theo had a sinking suspicion that opening that door wouldn’t be an end to anything, but yet another beginning.
Tess unlocked the door in front of him and swung it open cautiously, as if she were afraid Mr. Stoop or Mr. Pinscher were lying in wait. But the only thing lying in wait was Aunt Esther, who sat in her chair in the living room. The house was quiet.
“Well!” she said. “Hello, you children! How was your evening?”
Theo sat on the couch. “Somewhat eventful.”
“Hmmm,” said Aunt Esther. “We had a few adventures here ourselves.”
“I can imagine,” said Tess.
“Can you?” said Aunt Esther, knitting needles clicking.
Tess said, “I imagine Mom is furious that we took so long.”
“Furious isn’t the word. Sleeping is the word. She was so exhausted that she and your dad lay down for a nap a few hours ago and that was that. I don’t think they’ll wake up till tomorrow.”
“So, you guys didn’t hear the news?” Theo said.
“The only thing I heard was snoring,” said Aunt Esther. Nine nudged her knee and Aunt Esther scratched the top of Nine’s head. “Well! I think we’ve all had enough adventures for one day. I’ve made the beds in the attic and you should be comfortable enough. I shall wake you all in the morning. Or rather, Lancelot shall. He’s been practicing his pancakes. I rather think he likes it here.” Aunt Esther held up her knitting, which appeared to be outfit for a very small octopus. “And I rather hope that you two come to like it as well.”
As Aunt Esther had predicted, the smell of pancakes woke Theo and Tess.
Also, the sound of yelling.
Tess and Theo got up, rubbed the sleep from their eyes, and wandered downstairs in their pajamas. Their parents were in the living room, hands around mugs of coffee, shouting at the TV. As soon as they saw Tess and Theo, Mr. Biedermann quickly shut it off.
“Heeey,” said Mrs. Biedermann, drawing out the word. She put the coffee on the table, hugged Tess tight. And then she did the same thing to Theo. “I’m so glad to see you two.”
“What were you watching?” said Tess.
“Oh, nothing,” said their dad, again, too quickly. “Who wants pancakes?”
“Dad?”
Mr. Biedermann put his coffee cup on the table, rubbed his forehead. “You guys might want to sit down. Something happened last night.”
“Our building imploded,” said Theo.
Mrs. Biedermann’s mouth hung open. “You knew?”
“Jaime told us. He has a cell phone. He gets news and stuff. It must have happened right after we left. We missed the whole thing.”
“Oh!” said Mr. Biedermann, her eyes moving from Theo to Tess. “Are you okay?”
Nine shambled over to Tess, pressed her big body against Tess’s leg. Tess didn’t say anything for a minute. Then she said, “I’ll live.”
“So is that what was on the TV?” Theo said. “The news?”
“Oh, that jerk Slant was going to have a press conference and I just want to arrest him right now for being such a schmendrick!” their mother erupted.