The first step in gaining access to the library attic was finding the library attic in the first place.
There didn't appear to be an obvious door on the fourth floor other than the one leading to Mr. Bigglesbee's room, and there weren't any other obviously-cleared paths to follow. It was agreed, however, that the entrance had to be on the fourth floor. If it were on any other floor, it would have been spotted by students.
The group split up, with Gavin and Jud heading clockwise around the oval and Jupiter and Harriet moving counter-clockwise.
"Do we even know what we're looking for?" asked Jud as he stepped over a pile of books.
Gavin squeezed himself between a book-covered table and an overstuffed, book-covered chair. "A door."
"Could you be more specific?"
"A door with a lock that fits this key." Gavin held up the skeleton key and waggled it in his fingers.
They trudged on for a few more seconds before Jud grunted and kicked at another chair. "This is pointless."
Gavin, who was in the lead, stopped and turned back to his friend. "What is wrong with you?" he asked. "I mean I know you're usually negative and all but you're acting more negative than normal. What gives?"
"Nothing gives."
"Come on, Jud. You're moping around like somebody just punched your puppy in the face."
"That's just cruel," responded Jud.
"But true," argued Gavin.
Jud sighed. "Fine," he said. "This little jaunt of ours... I feel less than useless."
This caught Gavin by surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"What have I contributed? You squeezed your head through the drop slot. Jupiter's been barking orders left and right, even Harriet's had some good ideas. Me? Nothing. I don't have anything to offer."
Gavin shook his head. "That's not true. You have a lot to offer. You're a part of this team."
"Is that what we are? Not just four teenagers getting themselves into trouble?"
Gavin held up the key again. "We're onto something, Jud."
"You're onto something. I'm just tagging along as usual."
"No way," argued Gavin. "You have an incredible ability-"
"That I can't use more than once," finished Jud. "Let's face it, if it were actually useful at all, I'd be at Lord Thumbledown's. Not here at St. Hibbard's."
"If you look at it like that, then we're all useless," said Gavin. "We're all here."
Now it was Jud's turn to shake his head. "After what you did down there?" he said, pointing to the library floor. "If the teachers saw that, they'd transfer you in a heartbeat. Your talent is something special." Gavin opened his mouth to argue, but Jud cut him off. "You know I'm right. You don't belong here."
Gavin closed his mouth. Those were not the words he wanted to hear. All his life he'd wanted to belong somewhere and he was starting to feel at home at St. Hibbard's. To think that he was in the wrong place, that he didn't belong, was not pleasant. He shook it off. "I disagree. Maybe if I could do my entire body, but just my head? That's a St. Hibbard's skill, not a Lord Thumbledown's. It's an unimpressive skill for the unimpressive school." He smiled.
Jud snickered and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's find this stupid door of yours."
They continued their search, inspecting the wall as they traversed the oval. The problem was, it was all bookshelves. There just wasn't any other door up there. He was about to give up, when Jud grabbed his arm.
"Back up," said the morose boy. "Look at the floor."
Gavin turned and retraced his steps until he stood next to Jud, who was kneeling and inspecting the floor under his feet. "What is it?" asked Gavin.
"These scratches." Jud indicated a line of rounded scratches in the wooden floorboards. "They're scuff marks. Like something's been dragged over the wood repeatedly."
Gavin looked around and spotted a small side table. Pointing, he said, "Maybe that table?"
Jud shook his head and stood, eyeing the bookshelf along the wall. "Not heavy enough. No, these scratches were made by something moving back and forth in an identical pattern multiple times. As if..." He approached the shelf and began pushing and pulling different books. Gavin realized what he was doing.
"You're looking for a secret door," he said.
Jud paused, smiling, then tipped a book out. There was a soft click and the bookshelf swung forward an inch. "Found, I'd say," stated Jud proudly.
"And you say you don't contribute anything. How'd you know?"
Jud gestured at the book he'd tipped forward. "A Light in the Attic, by Marcus Bigglesbee."
"Wait, isn't A LIght in the Attic a Shel Silverstein book?" asked Gavin.
"Yup," responded Jud. "Watch your toes." He grabbed the edge of the bookshelf and swung it wide, revealing a solid wooden door with a single keyhole.
"Nice work, boys." Jud and Gavin jumped to find Jupiter and Harriet standing next to them. "I figured it had to be something like this," continued Jupiter.
Gavin took the key and gingerly placed it in the lock. It slid in perfectly. A single twist and they heard a deadbolt slide open on the other side. He grabbed the knob. "Everyone ready?"
"Just go already," urged Harriet impatiently.
Gavin opened the door.
***
The attic wasn't much to write home about. The newly opened door revealed a short flight of four steps that led up to a small space about three feet high, covered by bare rafters on the ceiling with nails poking through from above.
The students piled in anyway, Harriet was able to stoop over, but the other three ended up on their hands and knees. There were a couple of old-fashioned chests against one wall and a pile of framed photographs leaning against the other. Jupiter turned on her flashlight, and located a light switch inside the door. She flicked it on and a single bulb sparked to life in the center of the room.
"This is what it's all been for?" asked Jud.
"It's got to be important," insisted Gavin.
"I'll look through the photos, you three get into those chests," declared Jupiter, crawling her way over to the pile of photographs.
Gavin looked and Jud, who shrugged. He then tossed Harriet a look. "You should get on your hands and knees like the rest of us," he said. "You don't want to bang up against any of those nails."
Harriet twisted her neck around to look up, then proceeded to drop to her knees. "Good idea," she said.
The three friends crawled to the first chest, relieved to find it wasn't locked, only clasped shut. Gavin undid the clasps then opened the lid. Inside was a random stack of papers that had spread out to fill the entire trunk.
"Seriously?" asked Jud. "This is going to take forever."
Gavin rolled his eyes but chose not to respond. Instead, he pointed to the second chest. "You go open that one," he said. "We'll handle these."
Jud eagerly crawled away, leaving Gavin alone with Harriet.
"There's a lot to go through," she said, picking up a few pages and flipping through them. "I don't even know what we're looking for."
Gavin had been silently voicing the same thought. He picked up a page and was surprised to find it was brittle and old. "This is parchment," he said. "Ink and parchment." He set it down and grabbed another. "This one, too."
Rifling through the pages in her hand, Harriet pulled one out. "This says something about administration. And... what is this?" She showed him the page.
He shook his head. "No idea. But all the pages are like this. They look official."
"Hey, look at this!" called Jupiter. She held up a black and white photograph of seven people smiling in front of the front doors of St. Hibbard's.
Gavin tried, but couldn't really see anything from where he was. "What is it?"
"This is supposed to be Mrs. Gruber," she said, pointing to one of the people in the image.
"A young Mrs. Gruber?" asked Harriet.
"No, that's what's weird. She looks as old as ever. Except it doesn't really look like her. And this photo was taken..." she flipped the picture over and read the back. "Over sixty years ago."
"That doesn't make any sense," said Harriet. "Are you sure it's her?"
"Everyone's listed on the back. She's the third one listed. Ophelia Gruber, Headmistress."
Gavin cocked his head, confused. "Is that Mrs. Gruber's first name? Ophelia?"
Nobody knew. She was just Mrs. Gruber.
"That Thumbledown guy called her Aquatica," remembered Jud.
"Maybe the one in the picture is her mother," suggested Harriet. "Or grandmother."
"Yeah, I guess." Jupiter didn't sound convinced. Suddenly she gasped and flipped the pic back over. "Look who else is here! Lord Thumbledown himself! It's definitely him."
"That makes sense," said Gavin. "He was involved in St. Hibbard's founding, I think. Also the timing's right. Anyone else we'd know?"
"I don't recognise anyone," she said, flipping the photo back over to read the names listed. "Wait! Oh, wow! Armond Bigglesbee!" She flipped the picture over once again. "Yes, he's so young!"
"Cool," said Gavin with a smile. "I'd heard he'd been here forever, but I hadn't realized how true that was."
Jupiter went back to look through the other photos and Gavin and Harriet returned their attention to the papers they were going through.
"You know," said Harriet. "I think I know what all this is."
"What?" asked Gavin.
"It kinda looks like the original school charter. From when it was founded."
"Uhm, guys?" Jud called out.
"Except..." continued Harriet.
"Guys!"
"Just a sec, Jud," snapped Gavin. "Go on, Harriet."
"Well," she said hesitantly. "Some of the information here... I mean it is definitely this school. Except, well..."
"Guys! What's this doing here?" Jud held up a long red, velvet banner with the words 'Welcome to Lord Thumbledown's School of Heroics' embroidered on it.
"That was in the trunk?" asked Gavin, confused.
"There's more. Plaques and trophies and banners. It's all Thumbledown stuff."
"Maybe they don't have enough storage over there?" suggested Gavin.
"That's not it," said Harriet. She pressed a page of parchment into his hands. "Look."
He looked down and read the page, then looked back up at Harriet, his eyes wide. She nodded.
"That stuff's in that chest because this place didn't start out as St. Hibbard's Very Special Academy," explained Harriet. "It used to be Lord Thumbledown's School of Heroics."