The Final Formula Read Online Free PDF

building in the dark? Where’s your sense of adventure?”
    “A little caution is a good thing.”
    I blew him a raspberry before picking my way through the ruin of a fallen wall.
    “Looks like the explosion was on this side of the building,” James said.
    I agreed. On the other end of the building, the stone outer walls still stood. Here, that wasn’t the case. With cleanup already begun, I couldn’t be certain, but it looked like the walls had been blown outward. Had the Elements been inside? Odd. If I were going to burn down the place, I’d do it from outside. It’d be easier to avoid falling chunks of roof and smoke inhalation.
    I climbed down into the debris field that had once been an auditorium or gym. In places, I could see sections of hardwood floor. Careful of my footing in the low light, I threaded my way around man-sized chunks of cement and twisted I-beams.
    “I’m no expert,” I said, hopping across a foot-deep pothole, “but this seems like a bad location to take out the building.” I gestured toward the rest of the structure. “It didn’t take down very much.”
    James cleared the pothole in one long stride. “Maybe the building wasn’t the target. A room like this would be a good place for gatherings.”
    “Good point.” I remembered nothing, of course. At the time, I’d been in my bed waiting for my head to explode. Had there been an assembly that evening? Had the Elements heard about it and decided to take us all out? Why? We’d co-existed for over a decade and a half. What had changed?
    We reached an archway that might have supported double doors, and stepped through to a concrete floor. The fire had destroyed everything that would burn, leaving a cavernous space open to the night sky above.
    I crossed my arms and followed James through the blackened rubble. Ash rose in a cloud around our feet, occasionally drifting high enough to tickle my nose. I searched for something familiar, but found nothing I recognized. Nothing. If I hadn’t retrieved those few memories, I would believe the tattoos on my arms were fakes.
    “Look. There’s a basement.” James turned right and picked his way to a square hole and a set of cement steps that disappeared into darkness. Without further comment, he pulled out his flashlight and started down. For someone who’d been hesitant about coming in here, he had overcome his reservations. Give him a leather coat and a fedora, and he’d be all set.
    I pulled out my flashlight and followed.
    The basement had survived the blaze better than the upper floors, possibly because of the block walls. A door-lined hallway stretched before me, and for the first time, my memory stirred. I stopped to analyze the feeling.
    “Addie?” James halted a few feet away, his voice pitched low.
    “The labs were down here,” I whispered.
    “You remember something?”
    “Maybe.”
    Heat had warped the metal doors lining the hall. Most hung askew, hinges broken and painted metal surfaces gorged by prying tools. We weren’t the first to find this place.
    I chose a room at random and walked inside. Three rows of black graphite benches occupied the space. I ran a hand over the pitted surface. I could almost smell the reagents and hear the excited chatter of the apprentices. Shelves lined the walls, most empty or piled with worthless clutter. Nothing of value remained, but that didn’t upset me. I’d been right; I’d been here before. I hurried out to try another room.
    I was close, so close. Terrified the sensation would slip away, I ran from room to room searching for something I knew. Had one of these labs been mine? Would I know it if I saw it? I searched quickly, my anxiety driving me.
    “Addie, slow down,” James called.
    I ignored him and sprinted toward the last room I’d yet to explore: the one at the end of the hall. I pushed on the door, but found it jammed. I took a step back and threw my weight against it. The door resisted, then broke free without warning. I