Saving Professor (Part 3)

Class began. Professor was back, as always.
“Good morning,” he began. “Let’s get our your homework from yesterday.”
The class looked around at each other.
“What’s the matter? Did anyone do it?”
A shy kid named Chris slowly raised his hand.
“You gave us the same assignment as you did the day before.”
Professor looked confused.
“You never changed it,” Chris clarified.
Professor looked at the board.
“I didn’t?”
The class shook their heads. Professor was obviously confused.
“Well, then. I guess we can go on to the next section.”
Petra robotically copied down notes, not letting the material sink into her mind. She would take about five minutes running to his truck, but she needed to do that before he left. That would mean she would have to leave the classroom at about…
Petra raised her hand.
“Yes, Petra? Do you know the answer to number three?”
“Um, no,” Petra said. She swallowed, then continued. “May I go to the restroom?”
“Sure, go ahead. Are you all right? You look a bit pale.”
Petra nodded and quickly escaped the room, hoping that Professor wouldn’t notice that she didn’t take the restroom pass.
Running as fast as she could without making a noise, she made her way across the hall, down the stairs, and out the door. She imagined herself looking like an injured ostrich.
Finally outside in the brisk morning breeze, she located Professor’s bright apple-red truck parked on the far side of the lot. She took a sprint for it.
When she reached it, she was already out of breath. Making sure no one was around, she quietly slipped up into the back of the truck and opened the lid of the extra compartment.
Her heart jumped and she pulled back, barely catching herself from screaming. Then she leaned in for another look.
It was a person, a boy… Petra wondered if she should tell someone. Was this boy… dead?
Then he stirred, erasing all of Petra’s thoughts. Relief washed over her, but was just as quickly replaced by a different type of fear.
The boy turned his head and looked up at Petra.
Collier.
Petra kneeled down and spoke in a rapid whisper.
“Collier, what are you doing here?”
“Just wanted to see where Professor goes every day. You?”
“Me too!”
“What? Since when have you been into spying on teachers?”
“Since yesterday. Now hurry up. He thinks I’m in the restroom.”
Collier’s eyes fixed on something behind Petra. He froze.
“Petra. Petra. Get in!”
“What is it?” Without waiting for an answer, Petra looked behind her. And then she saw what Collier was looking at—Professor was walking briskly to his truck.
“Get IN!”
Petra scrambled into the compartment, and Collier slammed the lid down.
“How did—“ she began to ask.
“Don’t say anything!” Collier whispered.
Petra followed her brother’s orders. She studied the box she was in. Only a pinprick of light leaked in through the top corner. Other than that, it was pitch black.
Her and Collier were squished up next to each other, but they could still fit. In fact, she was surprised how large it was.
Suddenly, the truck jerked backwards.
Petra grabbed Collier’s ankle with one hand and steadied herself with the other.
The tires made screeching noise as the truck went careening out of the parking lot.
Petra’s heart raced, and she could hear Collier breathing hard.
“Collier,” she whispered, but he didn’t answer.
The truck raced along the road, jerking to a stop when a red light came. It came upon a very long red light, and Petra was already getting restless. Sweat dripped down her hair, and her shirt stuck to her back.
“Petra?” Collier’s whisper cut through the dark. “Petra, I think we stopped.”
“No, really?”
“I mean I think we’re here.”
“But we haven’t heard Professor get out yet.”
As if on cue, the door opened. The truck bobbed up as Professor stepped off. Then the door slammed shut again.
“One, two, three…” Collier counted. Petra tried to calm herself. “Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six…”
Petra took a deep breath.
“Thirty. Time to get out,” Collier said in a full voice. He pushed the lid up, and sunlight spilled in, burning Petra’s eyes. Collier climbed out.
“Come on, Petra. We need to keep an eye on him.”
Collier reached for Petra’s hand and pulled her up.
They were at a large building that Petra had seen before. It was built mainly of shiny glass windows. Petra spotted Professor walking towards the door.
“Come on, Petra. It’s now or never.” Collier jumped out of the truck.
I’d rather have never, Petra thought.
Petra jumped out after him. The two of them quickly made their way to the front of the parking lot, dodging behind cars as they went. Through a van’s windshield, they studied the door.
“Great, there’s a code,” Collier said. “Petra, you have better eyesight than me. Can you see what he’s punching in?”
Petra strained to watch as Professor entered four numbers in the keypad. A light lit up and the doors opened.
“Okay, let’s get up there.”
Petra and Collier ran up to the keypad.
“Petra, type it in.”
“I couldn’t see whether it was 8694 or—“
“It doesn’t matter! Just type whatever in!”
Petra gulped and punched in the number ‘8694.’ A red light came on above us, and the keypad lit up, showing the words “Try Again.”
Exasperated, Petra sighed and tried ‘8691.’
To their delight, the doors opened.
“Now in! We can’t celebrate every moment. We don’t have time to lose!” Collier rushed Petra.
They entered the doors and came to another set that was already opened.
“Uh-oh,” Petra breathed.
In the next room was a desk with a lady behind it. Professor was writing on a clipboard, then he handed it back to her.
“Now if you could just sign here,” the lady said, giving Professor another piece of paper.
Petra turned to Collier.
“What are we going to do?” she asked.
“I don’t know. We need to get past her.”
“But how?”
Collier thought for a moment.
“Okay, I know how. I used to do this when I didn’t want to be caught getting late to class. We’ll have to sneak in front of her desk when she’s not looking. Take your shoes off so you won’t make any noise. Then from there we should be able to get past fine.”
Taking off her shoes, Petra asked, “When will we know it’s time?”
“Right now,” Collier ordered. Petra looked up and saw Professor leaving. “I’ll go first, you follow me.”
Petra followed Collier as they crawled in front of the desk. Then he shot across the floor into the hall behind the door. Petra tried following him, but she dropped her shoe and tripped her knees over it.
Panic filled up inside her. Collier dashed behind a wall, out of sight.
Petra heard wheels roll around, the footsteps approach her. She looked up into the face of the main desk lady.
“Hello, darling,” the lady said. “May I help you?”
“Um, yes,” Petra managed to say. “I was just, um, visiting my father. Bringing him lunch.”
“I don’t see any lunch,” the lady pointed out.
“Yes, that’s because I got hungry along the way and ate it. But I bet he still wants to see me.”
“I bet he does,” the lady laughed. “Now what’s your father’s name?”
“Ummm… Mr... Mr. Stein.”
“Oh! Our new Vice President?”
“Oh… yes. I guess.”
“Oh, he’s a very wonderful man. And he has a very wonderful daughter, too!” she added, smiling at her. She picked up her phone. “Now I’ll just give him a quick call to let him know you’re coming. That way, the guards will let you know that they can let you pass.”
Before Petra could object, the lady dialed into the phone. When she spoke, she wasn’t calling Professor at all; instead, she was speaking on the intercom.
“Mr. Stein, you have a visitor. Your little daughter is here to see you. Guards, please let her through.”
Then the lady hung up and told Petra, “Now you go right in. His office is 15B. If you get lost, just ask anyone. They should show you the way.”
Petra nodded, the scuttled behind the corner. Collier grabbed her.
“What was that?” he demanded.
“Relax, Collier. Now no one’s going to bother us. We have permission.”
A tall man came walking down the hall. He nodded and smiled at Petra and Collier.
Petra turned to Collier.
“See?”
Collier nodded.
“We need to find the elevator. What room did she say Professor’s in?”
“15B.”
“That’ll probably be on the fifteenth floor.” Collier located the elevator and pressed the ‘up’ button. The doors immediately opened. There was already a man inside. Petra and Collier smiled grimly at him.
“Which floor are you going to?” the man asked without any trace of expression.
Collier looked at the buttons.
“We’re going to floor… Wait, that’s weird. It stops at fourteen.”
“Yes, young man, there are only fourteen floors.” The man peered at Collier curiously.
“Oh…” Collier looked at Petra, who shrugged.
“Who are you going to see?”
“Our father. Mr. Stein.”
“Then you come with me.”
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Collier and Petra slowly followed the man out. He pulled two blindfolds out of a drawer, and blindfolded the kids.
“Come with me.”