Balance Keepers #1: The Fires of Calderon by Lindsay Cummings Page B

dad Albert didn’t know.
    “I had no doubt you’d deliver that letter to the Path Hider,” Albert’s dad said. “And yes, I know about Farnsworth. He’s a Canis Luminatis. A rare breed.”
    He glanced up at Trey, who was dutifully standing beside the desk. Alfin had returned to his shoulder.
    “There are those who didn’t think you’d get the job done,” Albert’s dad continued. “But I knew you would. You’re a Flynn. You were made for this.”
    Trey’s face reddened with embarrassment, as if he had been one of the naysayers.
    “You all did well by arriving at the Path Hider’s tree,” Professor Flynn said, glancing at each one of them in turn. “The Path Hider’s location is the only way into the Core—it’s the train station, if you will. You came from different places, some farther than others, but once you reached the Path Hider, you were at the outer gate of the Core. From there, it’s twelve miles down and a mile to the east. Very few people know about this place, and the ones who do keep it a secret. You should already feel proud to be here.”
    Albert did feel proud, but he was still having trouble believing the man in the green jacket was his dad. All this time, he’d thought his dad was Bob Flynn, Postman. And now he was Bob Flynn . . . Well, Albert didn’t know what his dad was.
    Albert’s face must have given away his thoughts, because his dad piped up.
    “Yes, Albert. It’s been hard to keep it a secret all these years.” He smiled at the three of them. “But it was necessary. A Balance Keeper should never discover the Core until it is his or her time.”
    “We keep hearing about Balance Keepers. But what is a Balance Keeper?” Leroy asked, leaning forward and placing his pointy elbows on Professor Flynn’s desk. “And is my dad here?”
    “Yeah, what about my parents?” Birdie chimed in.
    Professor Flynn raised an eyebrow. “I’m glad you asked. Leroy, it was your father who was a Balance Keeper, long ago. He and I were in the same unit. He chose to go back home after many noble years of service here.”
    Leroy leaned in even farther. “So he knows I’m here?”
    “Oh yes,” Professor Flynn answered. “If you ever reach the status of professor—and that’s a very, very big if —then you never forget, even if you leave and don’t come back. A Core professor never loses the memory of his or her experience here. Not so with everyone else. The Memory Wipers take care of that. Your father, Leroy, was a professor, but he won’t be joining you.”
    Then he turned to Birdie. “Miss Howell, your grandmother was the Balance Keeper in your family. Your grandmother was quite a woman—very brave and strong willed—though she had a quick punch when her temper flared up.”
    “I hardly knew her.” Birdie nodded. “But my mom always said I was a lot like her. Won’t my mom be looking for me?”
    “Your mother, as well, had the Balance Keeper gene, but she chose to stay on the surface and live a normal life, as some do,” Professor Flynn answered. “She knows exactly where you are.”
    “I guess that’s why she was the one who suggested I go into the woods and find some big, ugly tree,” Birdie said, running her hands through her ponytail.
    Professor Flynn nodded and shifted in his chair. As he did so, Albert caught a glimpse of a white Tile on a black, corded necklace hanging around his neck, like those he’d seen people wearing in the Main Chamber. But his dad cleared his throat and shifted again, and the Tile disappeared under his green coat.
    “In the Core,” Professor Flynn began, “you three will become a team. You will function as a training unit and learn all the skills you need. This training will take time and perseverance. You must commit yourselves entirely to the task.”
    “To what task?” Albert asked. “You do realize how confusing this all is, don’t you?”
    Professor Flynn nodded knowingly. “We find that it’s best not to say too much at