A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull Page B

scared.
    But they weren’t here. Nobody was here. He wondered if Matt and Tim would blame themselves for his disappearance. They would probably assume the blow from the baseball had given him a brain clot or something. He imagined them searching for his body. He wished he could somehow tell them that he was alive. He wished he could hop on his bike and meet up with them, maybe catch a movie, or throw a ball around, or organize a homerun derby.
    Someone knocked softly on his door.
    “Come in,” Jason said.
    Holding a candle, Hermie entered and shut the door. After setting the candle down, he sat on the floor. “Weird light,” the boy commented. “Do you dabble in Edomic?”
    Jason glanced at his cell phone. “It’s from the Beyond. It won’t last much longer.”
    “Thanks for not saying anything about the river. I didn’t have permission to be there.”
    “No problem,” Jason said.
    “What were you thinking, shooting an arrow at the raft?”
    “Going off the waterfall seemed like a bad idea. I wanted to rescue them.”
    The boy huffed. “Are you trying to be some kind of hero? Is that why you’re poking around the upper level?”
    “I’m no hero,” Jason assured him. “I just want to get home.”
    “Want to get to Harthenham, I’ll bet.”
    “What’s that?”
    Hermie folded his arms. “Come on, you’re really going to pretend you don’t know.”
    “I really have no clue.”
    The cell phone died.
    “There went your light,” Hermie said.
    “That was all the juice in the battery. Do you know how to get into the upper level?”
    Hermie snorted. “I’m smart enough to stay away. I just help clean up around here and run errands. Here is that book you wanted.” He held out a thin book bound in creamy leather entitled The Life I Have Known and Other Stories . “You’d have to be a little thick to miss the clue.”
    Jason accepted the book. “Thanks. Why not save me time and show me the hint?”
    He held up both hands. “I’m not a part of this. The dog can help you get around. Anyhow, thanks for not mentioning how we met before. I could get in trouble. I’ll keep quiet about you shooting folks with arrows.”
    “Fair enough.”
    Hermie picked up his candle and went to the door. “Get some sleep.” He slipped out without waiting for a reply.
    Jason was left in darkness.
    He had hoped Hermie might help him. It would be nice to have a friend. But the boy had only seemed concerned with making sure Jason would keep their previous encounter confidential.
    Jason reclined on his cot. This would be his second consecutive night in an alternate reality. Thanks to the loremaster, at least he now had reason to believe others had crossed over from his world to this one. That gave him a little hope that somewhere, somebody might know how he could get back. With luck the answer might be nearby, waiting behind the forbidden door.
    Back home his parents would have called the hospitals and notified the police by now. He might even be on the news! They would probably search for him all over the zoo—the last place he’d been seen. He wondered if any evidence would implicate the hippo.

CHAPTER 3
THE WORD
     
    J ason awoke the next morning in darkness. Rolling over, he saw a line of flickering light at the base of the door. He fumbled out of bed, splashed his face with water, ran his fingers through his hair, grabbed the book, and left the room. A guttering lamp in the hallway accounted for the unsteady illumination.
    The big white dog lay outside the door. It rose and guided him to breakfast.
    “Good day to you,” greeted the loremaster.
    “Good morning.”
    “I see Hermie brought you The Life I Have Known . Help yourself to some food. I’m off to man the front desk.”
    “What’s the dog called?” Jason asked.
    “Feraclestinius Androbrelium Pathershin the Seventh.”
    “No, I meant his entire name.”
    “To abbreviate, I call him Feracles. Come by if you need anything.”
    The loremaster left.