Ivy and the Fluorescent Lightbulb

Chapter 15.2 - So We Meet Again

Ivy perked up. Oak! she thought with a grin.

"Didn't you say we were all supposed to meet you today to finish our class project?" Oak continued.

We? Ivy thought with a smile. They must all be here!

"Look Oak," Uncle Taner said, "Right now's not a good time—"

"Okay, I'll just drop the stuff over there, then."

"Oak, wait—"

Uncle Taner tried to dodge in front of Oak as he entered the room.

Oak at first didn't notice Ivy—he was too preoccupied with setting down a large globe filled with what looked like various craft supplies.

Uncle Taner, seeing that Oak didn't spot Ivy, hurried forward and ushered him out. "Okay, you dropped your stuff off. Give me an hour, and I'll get with you all. I gotta run for a few nanoseconds."

"What? But everyone else is going to get here soon—"

"Grab a snack, read a book or something," Uncle Taner said, guiding Oak into the hallway. "As long as you stay out of my circuits, I don't care. I'll let you know when I'm done."

"Well, okay then," Oak reluctantly said. "You know, Mom's really gonna stop me from visiting you if you get into trouble again."

"It's not like that, Oak. Trust me."

Oak stopped, not walking along with Uncle Taner. "If It's not like that," he said with a stubborn glare, "then why are you rushing me out like you rushed out that government official in the cellar last week?"

"Oak—"

"There's something in there, isn't there?" Ivy spotted the top of Oak's head as he tried to lean past Uncle Taner. Uncle Taner shifted to block his view.

"Oak," Uncle Taner said, his voice stern and menacing. His voice seemed to echo through the space, and even the small hums of surrounding machinery fell silent for a second."When I tell you to go," he slowly said, "you go."

Ivy shivered. Why does he sound so threatening? she thought. There was a few seconds of tense silence, then an almost inaudible: "Yes, sir," that wafted into the room.

Ivy could hear quiet shuffling from in front of Uncle Taner as Oak left the hallway. As Uncle Taner turned around to go to her, however, Ivy spotted Oak peeking from around the corner, his head slowly popping out from behind an adjoining wall. His face brightened into a smile as the two made eye contact. Glancing at Uncle Taner, he made a gesture to the outside, then ducked away.

Uncle Taner, oblivious to what had just happened, stopped in the doorway and watched Ivy. "Okay, let's go," he said, his voice so low Ivy had to strain her ears to catch it. Ivy stared at his face. It was tense and serious, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his mouth razor thin.

She gulped. "Was that Oak?" she said.

Uncle Taner only turned around. "You saw him for yourself, so there's no need to ask," he said. "Let's go."

Ivy hesitated, then quickly jogged to catch up to him, remembering the way he reacted to Oak a few moments ago. I didn't remember Uncle Taner being so...intimidating..., she thought as she kept a distance between herself and him. But he's also my only chance of getting this lightbulb back...

Ivy anxiously scanned the area as they walked outside. I wonder where Oak went, she thought.

Uncle Taner swiped open a screen in front of himself and pressed a button, causing his car to roll from somewhere around the side of his building. The car's door quietly slid open. "In we go," he said, gesturing to Ivy.

Ivy hesitantly sat in the car, watching as Uncle Taner piled in after her and closed the door, busily typing into the hologram in the center of the vehicle.

"I knew it," a boy's voice said from a side row. "I knew you were hiding something!"

Ivy turned and looked.

There was Oak, comfortably sitting in the back seat of the car. Next to him sat Carbon, Syndria, Kronalia, and Augaley, all grinning.

Oak smiled. "Hi, Ivy!" he said. "I was hoping you'd come back."