So I was going to live. But what about Zoe and the other girl? They were probably wandering around looking for each other.
Just then, the door with a unicorn on it burst open and Zoe and another girl came out panting. They were dirty and bruised and their clothes had rips in them. Their hair was messy and knotted up.
"Laura!" Zoe exclaimed.
"What happened?!" I asked.
"Tripping around in the dark and hitting your head on stone 24/7 is not a walk in the park," Zoe said gasping for air. "Chen and I ran into each other in the maze and we worked together to get back to see if anyone else had come. Laura this is Chen, Chen this is Laura." I smiled at Chen.
"There's a way out," I said. I showed the two girls the three papers. Chen was a Chinese girl, with long dark hair. She looked like she didn't understand too much of what we were saying.
"So his treasure is inhere?" Zoe said looking astounded.
"Yeah but I know nothing about Sebastian Gunderman and his crossword is all about him," I said.
"I know..." Chen said thinking hard. She finally gave up and held up her thumb and pointer finger and held them an inch apart.
"Tiny?" Zoe guessed. She turned to me. "She's a foreign exchange student from China." I nodded.
"Yes, tiny," Chen said. "I know tiny about Sebastian Gunderman."
"Can you help us fill out this crossword?" I asked.
"I think... so," she said. She took it out of my hands and studied it. The first question was: 'What is my favorite kind of syrup to put on my pancakes?' Chen filled it in with 'Left Farms Maple Syrup.'
"So the first direction must be left!" I said excitedly. Zoe started on the the sudoku. The second question on the crossword was, 'What was my first painting that I sold called?' Chen filled in 'Straight down the Pipe.' So we had to go straight.
Chen finished the crossword in about an hour (I had to help her with some of the words). As I had predicted each one had left, right, or straight in it. Zoe finished the sudoku. I looked at the two papers. I knew we had to go left, but which door? I turned to the doors on the left wall. The first number was three on the sudoku. I counted down three doors and ended up at one that and odd squiggly triangle on it. I walked cautiously through the door with Zoe and Chen right behind me.
The ceilings were about 7 feet tall and made of plain stone, but so was the ground and the walls. It was a strange maze and we walked along the corridor until we reached different path. One was going right, one left, and one straight. From his first painting we had to go straight. I double-checked the sudoku and sure enough the second number was one which meant we went straight on the first opportunity.
We continued on in the maze until we reached a steel door. We had finished the crossword and the sudoku. This door must lead to the treasure or we messed up and this door is just a trick and there's nothing behind it but another maze.
I opened the door crossing my fingers. Inside was beautiful art. The room shined from its dazzling beauty. Elegant roses and lillies danced in the moonlight and exquisite tropical birds nested in a dank jungle.
"Oh my... ," Zoe couldn't finish her sentence.
"They're so realistic, no wonder they're famous. They look as if they are a picture taken by a camera," I said. Chen opened her mouth then shut then opened it again. "There is candle," she finally said grabbing a white and gold candle. I smiled and looked around. A ladder leading up to the ceiling was there.
"And here's our way out" I said wandering over. I climbed up the ladder. The ceiling was made of dirt. I punched a square of dirt up and it flipped open. Sunlight streamed through. We had been in the tunnels for hours.
As I crawled out, I realized that we had destroyed a perfect square of dirt in Kirk Park. I helped Chen and Zoe out. I closed the grass "lid" and put a large stick over it to mark the place. Then we took off before anyone could ask why we had just come out of the ground.
Luckily it was Sunday and we had no classes. I had a feeling Professor Mueller was going to be furious when he saw us. And... that we have the two other scrolls. When he kidnapped me last night he probably was going to find the other two puzzles to get the treasure. Oh boy is he going to be mad.
We ran down the streets to the Chicago Police. We told them our story and they amazingly believed it. They said they'd send a patrol car over to the school as we caught Martin, Mueller, and the cat creature.
As we walked out, Zoe asked, "Who is the cat creature? Surely it's not real?"
"I don't know," I answered, pondering over that question. We walked slowly back to Buckthorn. Chen fidgeted with the candle. It looked exactly like the one in Martin's painting, with the gold lettering spelling out Houdini Gunderman.
The three of us walked in through security and through the circular door. We were sleepy but we needed to confront Professor Mueller.
"Alright here's the plan," I said talking low. "We go into his room. I have the candle. You two sneak through the two classrooms next to Mueller's and grab something heavy. There are doors that lead from the classroom you are in, to Mueller's classroom. When you see Mueller and Greenbranch occupied with me, you'll sneak up behind them and hit them on the head hard. They have the painting which means they can control Houdini too so do it fast before I get kidnapped again. Then, once they're knocked out, I'll tell the cat to take them where the art is. Then we'll take a cop car down to Kirk Park and show them Mueller and Martin and the art. Got it?"
"Uh Laura, there are so many flaws in this plan..." Zoe said.
"Well we're going to try," I said firmly. Zoe nodded reluctantly. We inched up to Professor Mueller's classroom. Zoe and Chen went into the classrooms. Professor Mueller was in there throwing books at valuable items, and Martin was watching joyfully.
"How did that Peck girl get those scrolls before me?" he yelled furiously. He cussed until his bookcase was empty. I burst through the door.
"You," Mueller growled. he reached for the painting of the candle but he only moved an inch before he flat on his face. Seconds later Martin was knocked out too. I thanked Zoe and Chen and then held up the candle. "Houdini Gunderman, I summon thee."
I heard the pounding of feet. This mystery was not yet solved.