Cragbridge Hall, Volume 2: The Avatar Battle Read Online Free PDF

dance-a-boogie!”
    At one time Abby would probably be embarrassed to be walking with a crazy dancing girl, but not now. Carol had been a friend when no one else would. Abby could endure some pretty crazy stuff for that. She even started to dance a little herself.
    Until her rings vibrated.
    Not again.
    With a touch of her thumb, she turned on her rings. Immediately a small screen lit up in her contact lens. The message scrolled across the screen. This time, it was from her grandpa, not Muns.
Come to the basement immediately. You will need to bring your key to the Bridge, so take every precaution.
     
    Not exactly the way Abby would have liked to celebrate.
    • • •
    Derick looked at the message and groaned. Why couldn’t Muns leave it all alone? But Grandpa would need help. Derick’s first reaction was to wait for Abby. She had the key to bypass this challenge and lead him further on into the basement where they could stop Muns.
    He stopped himself. Why? Why did he need to be there? Abby had one of the final keys. He didn’t. They would do just fine without him. The thought made Derick feel hollow. For most of his life he had been the go-to guy on the team or the smartest one in the class. Not now, apparently.
    Then he smiled. All that would change when he earned his own key. Then he would deserve to be there. In fact, if he hurried, maybe he could complete his challenge and meet them there.
    He heard footsteps coming down the hall. He had to enter the simulator now before anyone tried to persuade him otherwise.
    Derick took the key from the locket, put it into the lock, twisted it, and the thick metal door swung open with a groan. He closed his eyes and stepped in. When he had entered before, his simulation began with a peaceful scene in the mountains. This time there was no peace about it.
    He stared at a gun barrel, part of the musket he was apparently holding. He glanced to either side and saw men in blue uniforms with their guns aimed downhill. They formed a line a few soldiers deep along the slope of the mountain. He could sense the tension in their deliberate breaths.
    “Look!” It sounded like fifty men said it at once. Down the hill, lines of enemy soldiers moved toward them. A shot fired, then another, and another. The hill filled with sparks and smoke spouting from gun barrels. A musket ball slammed into the rock wall in front of Derick, spraying fragments of lead and rock into the air.
    He ducked, still trying to process what was happening. He was obviously in some sort of battle with men in gray uniforms shooting at him. Wait. Blue and Gray. Oh, no. He had to survive a battle in the Civil War.
    “Fire!” he heard someone command. “Hold this flank.” Flank? He searched his memory. He knew what that was—the far side of the army. It was important because it kept those attacking from getting behind the rest of the army. If the flank fell, it was likely that the army would lose. Derick was in the middle of an essential position.
    He lifted his long musket. He pointed into the mob of gray coming up the mountain, but he hesitated to pull the trigger. It felt different than the war video games he had played. He could hear the men’s cries, see their breath. He didn’t want to shoot anyone even though he knew it was just a simulation.
    Derick looked down the barrel of his gun. These men had been real; they had to be willing to fire on another person for their cause. If he was going to complete this task, he had to show the same character, the same determination as the people in history. They were fighting to keep their nation together. Derick bit his lip and pulled the trigger. The musket rammed back against his shoulder. It felt like someone had just hit him with a rock. With his musket kicking back as it had, Derick was sure he had shot well above his enemies’ heads. He hoped none of the other men had noticed what a terrible shot he was. He quickly aimed again and pulled the trigger. Nothing.
    Oh.