Contents
Chapter Twelve
Overview
Holland and Gabe arrive at the Professor’s dark, undecorated house seeking the Professor’s sacred notebook for clues to the Alchemical Heart. Despite tension over breaking in, they head through the backyard. They find a door already open; the lights flip on, revealing they aren’t alone and plunging them into chaos.
Summary
Holland and Gabe reach the Professor’s unnervingly dark home in a pristine, Halloween-ready neighborhood. Gabe warns against lingering, but Holland insists the Professor’s sacred notebook could help locate the Alchemical Heart. The undecorated porch and silent house amplify Holland’s worry that something is wrong.
Gabe pushes to leave at the first sign of danger, but Holland argues for a nonviolent entry, refusing his gun and pointing out the low neighborhood risk. She reveals the notebook is kept in the Professor’s library at the back of the house, and she knows the spare key’s hiding spot.
As they move through the backyard toward the office’s French doors, Holland reflects on Gabe’s unsettling presence and her desire for safety over fear. She retrieves the spare key from beneath a garden gnome, reiterating they are not breaking in.
Gabe discovers the French door already ajar, undermining Holland’s plan and confirming someone else is inside. The house lights suddenly blaze on, and in the next instant everything descends into chaos, signaling an unexpected confrontation and escalating danger.
Who Appears
- HollandProtagonist; seeks the Professor’s sacred notebook to find the Alchemical Heart, insists on a nonviolent entry despite danger.
- Gabe CabralAbductor-ally sent by January; protective yet controlling, ready to use a gun; discovers the door already open.
- The ProfessorAbsent but central; her dark, undecorated house and hidden notebook drive Holland’s plan and the break-in attempt.