Island of Fire (The Unwanteds) Read Online Free PDF Page B

know,” he mused. “Maybe. Like what?” He pictured the lounge, the theater, the mansion, the library. “Books could be dots, maybe.” But then he shook his head. “No, Mr. Today wouldbe more clever with his clue if he meant books. Maybe there was something in his office.” Alex felt a sharp pang of sadness. “If Samheed were here,” he said, “he might remember.” But no one else remaining had ever set foot in Mr. Today’s office as far as Alex knew. Not even Mr. Appleblossom. It was depressing.
    “What about the black-and-white tiles in the entrance to the mansion? Or statues in the hallways? Or—”
    Alex slapped his forehead. “No. Now I remember why I don’t think the dots are inside Artimé. It’s because we can’t magnify or focus on anything that doesn’t exist. Which seems to be our biggest dead end.”
    “Right,” Sean muttered. “Sorry. I’m not thinking straight.” They lapsed into their thoughts.
    Sky closed her eyes, thinking hard. And then her lids popped open and she turned toward Alex and gripped his leg.
    He looked at her, alarmed. “What is it?”
    Her hands flew through the air, speaking a language Alex didn’t know.
    “Whoa,” he said. “Slow down.”
    But Sky wasn’t slowing. Her face was wildly animated, her golden-orange eyes bright, her actions exaggerated—allindicating that something very important was happening, but Alex couldn’t figure it out.
    “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry, I can’t understand—” He bit his lip, frustrated, then glanced at Sean. “Any idea?”
    “No,” Sean said quietly, his eyes intent on the girl. “But now she’s getting frustrated with us.”
    Sky rolled her eyes and gripped her hair, pulling her head down to her bent knees, shaking her head from side to side. Finally she sat up again and faced the two. She took a deep breath, and then calmly held up a hand, first to Alex, then to Sean.
    “Stay here?” Alex guessed.
    The Silent girl nodded wildly.
    “Okay,” Alex said, relieved to have gotten something right. “We’ll stay here.”
    Sky pointed to herself, then pointed away, then pointed to herself again, then at the roof.
    “She’s going to leave and come back,” Alex interpreted. “Right?”
    The Silent girl rewarded Alex with a beautiful smile that made his stomach flip. She touched her nose and pointed at him, nodding. And then, after one more reminder to the boys to stay put, she scrambled down Florence to the ground.

A Little Help
    S ky returned a few minutes later, just as the eastern edge of the morning sky turned orange. She was carrying something on her shoulder, gripping it tightly with one hand as she maneuvered her way up the statue. Alex reached down to help her up.
    She held the miniature mansion that she’d found the first day, a replica of the true mansion, and she handed it to him with pride.
    “Oh!” Alex grinned and took it, careful not to tip it. “Did I ever show you this?” he asked Sean. “Sky found it our first day here inside a cupboard in the shack. I think it’s a model thatMr. Today made as he was planning what Artimé would look like. Can’t you just picture him sculpting this little miniature mansion and dreaming about creating it?”
    Sean squinted in the dark. “Sweet,” he said under his breath. He looked into the windows, opened and closed the doors. “There’s a mini Florence and a mini Simber,” he said with a hint of glee in his voice. “And look! A platyprot wandering the hallway. This is the best toy ever.”
    The Silent girl waved her hand in front of their faces. They looked up. She stared at them as if they were stupid, then pointed to the mini mansion. She tapped the air several times and shrugged.
    “Dots? Oh! Now we can see if there are any dots. I get it.” Alex smiled at Sky. “Good idea.” He said it almost like it was a silly thought. Like the girl had made a big deal out of nothing.
    She glared as Sean and Alex explored the miniature, pointing