The Compendium Read Free

but I had fallen behind them. I wanted to take in everything around me. This is why I picked up a black piece of rubber that looked exactly like a bottle stopper.
    The road dissolved in front of me, but I didn’t go far. I found myself back in front of the rundown building. This time the bay door was closed, but daylight added detail to the neighborhood. The cream-colored stucco building didn’t have any signage to suggest ownership or occupancy. The sulfur pile seemed farther away. I scanned the face of the building for a street number, but saw nothing. I turned around and around until I caught sight of a street sign. Aspen Lane! I concentrated on the ground beneath my feet and forced the vision to end.
    “Stop!” I shouted. “We’re looking for Aspen Lane!”
    Everyone came to a halt and turned. I looked down at my hand and unclenched my fist, the rubber stopper dewy with sweat. My hand picked up dirt and debris from whatever mystery muck the stopper had rolled through on the ground.
    “I see it. It’s the next road up here,” called out Ilya, farthest ahead of the pack.
    Anticipation flooded my body and I started running toward them. Finally, we’d have some answers, wouldn’t we?

Chapter 2
    At the intersection of Bridge Road and Aspen Lane, I immediately saw my precious cream building half a block away. The yellow sulfur pile peeked out behind the structures in the distance, barely visible as the coastline curved out into the inlet.
    I suppressed the urge to run. In broad daylight–and in real life now–we had to be discreet. “It’s the plain cream building ahead, the one with the brown trim.”
    “You’re sure?” said Ilya.
    “I am. I had another vision.” I presented the grubby piece of rubber on my palm. Ilya walked over to the building while the rest of us hung back.
    “Where did you get that?” Cole frowned in disgust.
    Faith’s nose wrinkled and light glinted off the metal stud she always wore. “It looks like garbage.”
    “No, it looks like the kind of stopper we used in the lab.” Jonah leaned in for a closer look and I caught a whiff of the musky aftershave I’d come to crave.
    “I found it on the road back there,” I said with a nod towards the spot.
    Ilya returned from evaluating the entrance. “The lot is fenced around the sides and the back. If we want in, we’ll have to either hop the fence or pick the lock on the front door. There’s nobody in there. Nobody I can hear, anyway.”
    “What about those loading bays? I could try lifting the door if they’re not alarmed,” Cole said. “Anyone watching will think we’re authorized to enter.”
    “Good idea.” Jonah rubbed his whole face.
    “But there’s no way to know if there is an alarm.” Faith crossed her arms. “I can check to see if electric current is near the frame, but doors like this are probably rigged with motorized openers.”
    “If an alarm starts, will you be able to short it, Faith?” I asked.
    “I’d have to find the right circuit and melt it.”
    “We’re expecting this place to be abandoned, right? I say we go for it,” said Jonah.
    Cole nodded and walked towards the nearest bay door while we followed. He gripped the large metal handle at the bottom of the door and pulled it up as though it were made of paper. Cole stopped the door about three feet off the ground. We all froze, waiting for a wail or a siren. Nothing came.
    “Good to go!” Ilya smiled.
    “I’ll go in first. We still don’t know for sure this place is empty,” said Cole.
    Nobody argued. Cole ducked under the door into the dark open space. We waited in silence. Faith and Jonah peeked in after Cole. I looked up and down the street to see if anyone was watching. I scanned windows of the few parked cars around us. I squinted at building windows in the distance in both directions.
    “Nobody noticed us. There are a few bookkeepers in that building.” Ilya gestured to the nearest structure. “And that one,” he said pointing