Part Three

As soon as Eli stepped onto the glowing platform, a trail of lights appeared ahead of him. He followed them into the next room, watching as each light illuminated the way forward.

The platforms felt like a pathway leading him to the starting area of a game. It reminded him of those moments before a video game began, when everything was ready and he was about to enter the first level.

Only this time, there was no controller in his hands. No pause button. And no way of knowing what would happen if he lost.

The next room—the arena, Eli told himself.

The sight before him was beautiful, almost unreal. He stood there, astonished, taking in the strange world around him. The air smelled of peppermint, chocolate, and almonds, filling his senses with a sweetness that seemed almost too good to be true.

Licorice vines twisted across the floor, curling around the edges of colorful tiles. Some tiles glowed softly, while others remained dark.

Eli looked around in disbelief.

“Is this some kind of candy factory?” he muttered.

A sign flickered to life above him.

SOLVE THE RIDDLES TO OPEN THE PATH.

Eli stepped closer and studied the words.

“Riddles? You want me to solve riddles?”

No answer came. The house remained silent. It spoke only when it pleased, offering instructions when it wanted Eli to act and nothing more. It was as though the house had a mind of its own—and Eli was expected to follow its rules.

He glanced down at the peppermint tile nearest his foot. Carefully, he reached out and touched it.

A soft chime rang through the chamber. With a low rumble, a door appeared in the chocolate wall.

Eli jumped back.

“Whoa!”

He stared at the newly opened doorway, then at the tile beneath his hand. So touching the peppermint tile had opened the door. But was that all there was to it?

He tried a caramel-colored tile beside it.

Another chime sounded, and a narrow path lit up across the floor.

Eli frowned.

“Okay. So the tiles do something.” He looked from one tile to the next, trying to work out the pattern. “But what am I supposed to solve?”

Then he heard it.

“Eli…?”

He went still.

It was faint, almost swallowed by the strange hum of the chamber, but he recognized that little voice immediately.

“Noah?”

“Eli… Eli, help me! Please help me. Let’s go home.”

His heart lurched.

“Noah! I'm coming! I promise I’ll get you out!”

He hurried toward the glowing path, but stopped just before stepping onto it. The sign had told him to solve riddles, yet he hadn't answered a single one.

Maybe the tiles weren't simply buttons. Maybe each one meant something.

Eli took a breath and forced himself to look carefully. He couldn't afford to rush in blindly. Noah was counting on him.

Somewhere beyond the candy walls, his little brother called his name again.

Eli clenched his fists.

“Hang on, Noah. I'll figure this out.”

Then he followed the glowing path, his heart pounding like a drumbeat in a video game level he couldn't pause.

A peppermint-striped door suddenly lit up, casting a soft red-and-white glow across the candy-covered walls.

Eli turned toward it.

Words appeared above the door, shimmering as though they had been written in melted sugar.

PEPPERMINT IS TRUTH, CARAMEL IS TRICK.

Beneath the message, another line appeared.

Choose the flavor that comes next in the pattern:

PEPPERMINT. CARAMEL. PEPPERMINT. _____

Eli stared at the sequence.

Eli studied the words again. Peppermint. Caramel. Peppermint.

He recognized the pattern almost immediately.

“Oh. that’s easy. Caramel,” he whispered.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then a sweet chime rang through the arena. The peppermint-striped door shimmered, and its surface dissolved into sparkling flecks of sugar. With a soft rumble, a door opened, revealing another passage beyond it.

Eli let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

“One down,” he murmured.

Then he remembered Noah.

“Hang on, little guy. I'm coming,” he whispered to himself.

Sweat trickled down his forehead. His heart was still racing, and anxiety twisted in his stomach. He was nervous, frightened, and unsure of what awaited him, but he couldn't let his fear stop him. Noah was counting on him.

He stepped through the doorway, wondering what the next challenge would demand of him.