The Magic Factory

“You guys okay?” Walter asked, looking bemused.

“Crumbs, I do hope you’re not having a barney,” Simon said.

“It’s Oliver,” Hazel told them. “He’s had a bad dream or something.”

“Not a dream,” Oliver explained. “A vision or a premonition or something. I’ve had them before. I know who attacked the school.”

Esther gasped. She grabbed Oliver’s elbow and steered him through the door—its light now glowing red—and out to the benches beneath the kapok. Everyone followed, crowding around Oliver.

“Who attacked the school?” Esther asked him.

“Lucas,” Oliver stammered. “The man who killed my guide. He was behind the attack and he’s planning another. With an army, this time, and a bomb. I need to get back to Armando’s factory. I need to stop him.”

“How do you know all this?” Hazel asked. She looked very confused.

“I saw it in my dream!” Oliver exclaimed. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to leave. Now.

He tried to shove his way through the group, but they butted their shoulders together, preventing him from getting past. Hazel looked perturbed. Simon, Walter, and Esther gave each other worried looks.

“You’re not leaving the school,” Ralph told him sternly, “and risking expulsion just because of a dream.”

He pushed down on Oliver’s shoulders, forcing him to sit. Oliver relented, sinking to the bench with a huge exhalation. He felt like the wind had been knocked right out of him.

“It wasn’t just a dream,” Oliver said. “It was a premonition. I’ve had them before.”

Esther took a seat beside Oliver. She rested her hand gently on Oliver’s arm. It was comforting.

“Start at the beginning,” she said, softly.

Oliver felt some of the tension in his body release. “ I dreamt that Armando died. Then he did. Now the man I think killed him is trying to destroy the school.”

His thoughts were so jumbled it was almost impossible to articulate them in ways his friends could comprehend.

“And you know this because of a dream?” Hazel asked, folding her arms, looking down at him.

“Yes,” Oliver said tersely.

“This is crazy,” Walter said.

“Absolutely ludicrous,” Simon added.

“You can’t leave the school,” Ralph implored.

Oliver grew increasingly exasperated. Why wouldn’t his friends just believe him?

Esther hushed everyone. “Ralph’s right,” she said diplomatically. “Even if you wanted to leave, you wouldn’t be able to. Your timetable won’t let you.”

Oliver grabbed his timetable and waved it. “No schedule,” he said. “Professor Amethyst switched them off, remember? It’s another sign from the universe.”

No one looked convinced.

“I need to go and now’s the time to do it,” Oliver added with determination.

“But we need you here,” Esther said, her voice sounding pained. “To protect the school.”

Oliver felt his heart clench at the thought of Esther feeling scared and vulnerable without him there.

“Can’t you see?” Oliver said. “The only way I can protect the school is by leaving.”

“But what if there’s another attack from the inside?” Esther asked.

“Then you’ll fight them,” he said. “I’ve seen how strong you are.”

But Ralph was having none of it. He folded his arms, looking down at Oliver like a bossy teacher.

“No way,” he said. “This is not happening. Timetabled or otherwise, Professor Amethyst won’t let you leave the school.”

“Professor Amethyst doesn’t need to know.”

“If he finds out you’re planning on following your own path then he’ll expel you.”

Oliver narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t stupid. He knew leaving the school wasn’t allowed. It wasn’t something to do lightly or on a whim. He could be trapped outside forever, at a huge personal sacrifice. But it was a risk he felt compelled to make.

“Then let’s make sure he doesn’t find out,” Oliver said with a warning tone in his voice.

Ralph looked shocked by his tone.

“How are you planning to stop Lucas?” Esther asked. “You have nothing to guide you but your instinct. No timetable to warn you if you go off course. You’d be blind.”

“I don’t know yet. But the universe is guiding me. I can’t not follow her lead.”

Oliver looked from one skeptical face to the next. His frustration magnified. They didn’t believe him. Didn’t trust him. Whatever he had to do to stop Lucas and save the school, he was going to have to do it alone.

Just then, the sound of footsteps caught everyone’s attention. The group stepped back and through the clearing between their bodies Oliver saw a figure moving away. It was unmistakably Edmund.

“Oh no!” he cried, jumping up. “Edmund overheard us. I bet he’ll tell Professor Amethyst. How will I get out now? He’ll be watching me like a hawk!”

Oliver realized then that leaving the School for Seers was going to be even harder than he’d bargained for. Not only were his friends not on his side, but now his enemy knew what he was planning. He would have to formulate an escape plan and keep it to himself. It was the only way he’d be able to leave and stop Lucas. But that only made things feel even more tense for Oliver. He’d figured stopping Lucas would be hard enough without the added hurdle of escaping from the school.

“Maybe,” Esther said gently, “that’s the real sign from the universe. Maybe she’s telling you not to leave.”

Oliver looked at her twinkling eyes. He didn’t want to lie to Esther, but nothing could change his mind. He was going to come up with a plan to leave and he was going to do it without them. Whatever plan he came up with it would have to be failsafe. He had one shot at this.

“You’re right,” he replied, sighing heavily to mask the awkwardness of his lie. “Sorry, guys, I just freaked out, I guess.”

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

“So you’re not leaving?” Hazel confirmed.