Chapter 15 - Max's First Attempt

The night was black and cold as Max bolted through the thick of the woods. She had cut it too close that time, for Jeremy had caught her watching from the thicket and was now chasing her. She couldn't be caught, not this time. If Jeremy found her, then he would tell Odd and she would never be able to enjoy another moment with him again.

She could hear the distant sounds of Jeremy's footsteps a ways behind her, so hopefully she could out run him and, after he gave up and left, she would head back towards the clearing in the middle of the woods.

Finally, Max stopped and hid inside a thick bushel. Apparently, she had lost Jeremy a long time ago, because she could no longer hear him. After waiting three minutes to make sure the coast was clear, Max emerged from the bush, and sprinted back in the direction of the clearing.



When Max finally reached the tiny clearing, she had difficulty locating the strange object in the ground. She began to move towards the center of the territory, and felt around the cold ground for something metallic and circular.

At last, her hand landed upon the brass disc embedded in the grass. As Max felt around the object, she could feel tiny handles near the outer edge and in the middle. Max then realized that this was an entrance to an underground waterway!

What in the world was a waterway doing in the middle of the woods on a school campus? Max was determined to find, and she clasped her hands around the handles.

Suddenly, just when she was about to pull, Max heard a voice coming from the woods. As she looked up, she could see the blinding light of a flashlight, coming nearer and the voices growing louder.

Startled and frustrated, Max cursed under her breath, bounded out of the clearing and dashed straight back towards the campus. She would have to come back another time, hopefully with better luck.



“Hello? Who's there?!” Jim bellowed as he stomped through the woods with his heavy flashlight.

“Who's there? Show yourself!”

Just like before, no one answered.

“Hmph. I could've sworn I heard something” Jim grumbled to himself. Convinced that Jeremy had been mistaken when he informed about someone sneaking around in the woods, Jim headed back towards the campus.

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