Chapter VIII: Two brains are better than one

-Don't be scared... in fact, if... we need you to help us with something... you could help us solve this clue, it's very important, it's part of something dark that if we don't protect the city it won't go back to the way it is- says Aiden

-we need your help... come on... please... yes... don't abandon your best friend, I'll tell you everything else at home - says Madysin

-that's good, but I can't do it alone- answers Emma, looking at the track

-because you're not working with Hobson, they're both smart, and it's not for nothing, but by focusing them well, they're a nice couple," says Lenz.

-Of course not," say Emma and Hobson, blushing

-Lenz is right, not the cute couple thing, but they can work it out together," says Aiden.

-Yes, two brains are better than one, right? says Madysin

-Okay... how about we meet... in... in... I don't know your house - says Hobson all nervous

-no... no... at my house no... my father won't stop questioning us and I'm not very good at lying to them... but we can meet at the park library after school if... if... you want to," says Emma blushing and nervous

-yes... yes... okay- says Hobson

The bell rings and the girls say goodbye to the boys, while the boys pick up their things and put on their bags, Lenz says:

-that's Hobson! You're a real casanova and you already have a date-

-it's not a date! It's just a gathering of friends," says Hobson.

-yes... a meeting, as you say hahaha- says Lenz

-ummm... now that I see you and Emma if you make a nice couple- says Aiden to Hobson

-You see I was right," says Lenz.

After class, Emma and Hobson met in the library to begin their research. Emma looked closely at the clue and didn't take long to figure out what the symbols meant, at which point she tells Hobson:

-I have it, I know what these symbols are... I explain... look at this periodic table I have in my hand and look at the symbols-

-They are in the same order, as I did not see before," says Hobson

-exactly!, each symbol is paired with each element of the periodic table, you just have to identify them-

After a few minutes, both identified the elements that corresponded to each symbol, now there was only the last part of the clue "one more is one less", after a few minutes of analyzing and calculating they didn't get anywhere, Emma tells Hobson that she wishes the clue was as easy as a sum, to which he looks at the periodic table, takes out a calculation and telling him that he is a genius, he gives Emma a kiss on the mouth without warning, apparently they had already solved it. As night falls, Bry makes a video call to Ezekiel from his bed, who was working out:

-but look who's calling me, I already knew you had feelings for me-

-Don't get your hopes up... I'm going to talk about your little girlfriend, which is disgusting to say, well totally, don't you think it's strange that your little girlfriend goes out every night with the little group of nerds? I mean, don't you think she's getting too close to the newbie? What's his name, ah yes Aiden-

-Yes, you're right, but why are you so interested? Do you like the good topknot?

-that's none of your business, now tell me are you going to do something or not, I'm just trying to help... we can't let the newbie change things-

-I'll get our good friend Hobson to tell us what's going on.

-and you just want to know what happens? I see you don't have a brain-

-I told you to relax... I'm not stupid, I know what I'm doing, okay?

-do as you wish... goodbye-

Ezequiel cuts the video call and keeps on exercising, on the other hand Aiden together with the others were in the room of the traps, Emma and Hobson explained to the others that they had solved the way to pass: it turned out to be a mathematical enigma, the sentence "one more is one less" meant to add the atomic weight of the element to the corresponding symbol and to subtract the atomic weight of the following symbol, so each result would give a number that at the end only some gave an ordered sequence of numbers that was the way to follow. All were perplexed by such an explanation, although they did not understand it and were almost happy that they had solved it, all began to go through the path of plates and suddenly, when Hobson was halfway through, he sneezed and dropped his Tablet with which they were guiding themselves to the plate in front of him, That plate was one of the ones they were not supposed to touch, to everyone's surprise the plate didn't activate and after a few seconds Hobson took his Tablet but the unthinkable happened, the floor started to shake and one by one the plates started to fall off into the lava.

The boys began to run desperately towards the entrance of the next room, one by one they arrived at the entrance but Hobson, as he was not a very good runner and stayed last, he put all his efforts to arrive and suddenly the front plates fell down leaving no other choice but to jump, the others shouted at him to jump, With fear and no physical ability Hobson grabbed air, hit the ground running and took the biggest jump of his life, but he only made it inches from the shore and luckily he was about to fall into the lava Aiden held his hand, pushing as hard as he could to get him out but in the process everyone went backwards into the next room and had the entrance sealed off; On the other hand, it had started to rain and in the library Mr. Graham was ordering some books when suddenly some soldiers entered the library followed by Mayor Palk, who rang the library bell and said to him

-whoa, whoa! How do you do, Mr. Graham?

-What are you doing here Palk? I don't think you came with your platoon just to read a book, what do you want?

-One of the soldiers grabs the old man and sits him on a chair while the others start throwing the books on the floor. After a while one of them finds the book that was not moving and calls the mayor, who comes over and examines it and discovers the lock, then looks at the old man and says:

-what was the entrance here... so many years and finally I discover it, but this is only a part, tell me something Mr. Graham you must know where the guard and his key are, right?

-I don't know, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you.

-let's see if this refreshes your memory Mr. Graham- suddenly the mayor grabs the old man and throws him against one of the tables, grabs him and hits him in the face several times, then sits him down again and says:

-and now? A memory has come to you, old decrepit, come on, tell me, who is the guardian?

-that I don't know- says the old man complaining about the pain

-Graham, Graham, Graham... you are a very stubborn old man, what are you going to do I am going to give you one last chance... come on, tell me who is the guardian, I promise I will not do anything to them, you have my word-

-I won't tell you anything, Palk, and I'm a very stubborn old man, but I know very well what part I'm on.

-well, you won't tell me anything... guards kill him... make it pleasant-

The guards throw Mr. Graham to the ground and start kicking him to the point that they make him cough blood and it was a matter of minutes before he died. Before leaving, Mayor Palk bent down and told him: -there is only one side here... either you are with me or you die and look what you chose... I hope it was clear to you-. On the other hand, the boys got up and realized that they were trapped in the second room when they saw that it only had a small bridge in the middle where they were standing and that at the end of the middle there was a rock podium with what appeared to be a scroll also rolled up in rock, it was a very strange room; in the library, Mr. Graham was dying when suddenly a person in a black raincoat entered.