There was one thing that Fifer thought was weird about Thisbe and Rohan, though. The two kept bumping elbows when turning pages, which was awkward. But neither of them moved aside to prevent it from happening again. If anyone ever got in Fifer’s way, she usually moved or gave them a look so they’d move. Was it odd not to like having people touch you all the time? It didn’t seem to Fifer like it should be. She liked having space. Maybe that was why she hadn’t enjoyed dancing with Seth at the costume party.

After a few moments puzzling over this new revelation, Fifer returned to the important task of reading. She studied long into the night, even after Florence suggested she get some rest. Eventually Thisbe and Rohan nodded off, and soon only Fifer and the two statues remained awake. Knowing that people trapped in the library were suffering, Fifer fought sleep and other distractions. She paged through book after book that Mr. Today had painstakingly written about his many-years-long process of creating the various pieces of the world that Fifer had taken for granted until now. She scanned a thousand pages for clues, finding a few sections about the tubes and where they led, but nothing on how they were created.

Just before she could fend off sleep no longer, her eyes landed on a paragraph that seemed important, even though it wasn’t about the tube system. Fifer jerked fully awake and sat up, reading it again.

Simber turned his head expectantly toward her. After a moment she looked up. “Hey, Simber, Florence,” she whispered. “I think I found something.”

Florence glanced over too.

“It’s not about the tubes,” Fifer explained, “but it’s about the remote rooms. Apparently, because the kitchenette tube doesn’t access the remote rooms, Mr. Today created a magical passageway from the upstairs secret wing that leads to each of the remote areas—theater, lounge, and library. He wanted to be able to reach them in a hurry if necessary.”

Florence and Simber looked skeptical. “I’ve neverrr hearrrd of such a thing,” said Simber in a low voice. “Though it wouldn’t be the firrrst time I’ve discoverrred something new about the mansion. Marrrcus had his secrrrets—therrre’s no denying that.”

Florence came over to look at Fifer’s book. “There’s a passageway in the mage’s living quarters we don’t know about?” she asked. “I find that hard to believe. Simber and I know every inch of those rooms. The only hidden door I know about or have ever seen Marcus and Alex use is the one on the back wall of the office that connects it with the apartment.”

Fifer found the place in the book and read, “ ‘I made a mistake with the kitchenette tube, connecting it only to my distant friends and other places around the world. I forgot to add the remote rooms to that control system. Due to the intricacies of that particular tube’s design, it made more sense to simply create a different passageway from the secret hallway to the remote rooms so I could easily access them if necessary. As it turns out, I rarely use them, preferring to take the extra time to be visible and present in the mansion. I access those rooms now via the main tubes just like everyone else does.’ ”