The Space Brigade ran toward the bus.
Shimlara threw herself down into the driver's seat, turned the key, and slammed her foot on the accelerator before anyone had a chance to sit down. They all fell around as the school bus took off, skidding across the wet road.
"Whoops!" Shimlara seized hold of the wheel and spun it back in the opposite direction. Nicola managed to pull herself into a seat just in time to see the school bus narrowly miss smashing into Mrs. Mania's limousine. She caught a quick glimpse of Princess Petronella lying flat on her back next to the limousine with the back of her hand pressed to her forehead. Nicola wasn't sure if she imagined the satisfied smirk on the princess's face.
Anyway, they were free. The bus was heading off down the Blue-5 road and it seemed everyone was so focused on the princess, they hadn't even noticed the Space Brigade leaving.
Good work, Princess Petronella.
Nicola smiled at the thought of all the praise that the princess would expect when they saw her next.
For a while, nobody said anything. They all sat in separate seats in their clammy, wet clothes, lost in their own thoughts. The only sound was the distant explosions of volcanoes. Shimlara now seemed to have the bus under control and drove it swiftly and capably. Nicola could see the Blue-5 road unfurling ahead of them like a length of ribbon. It curved to the left of the Volcomanian city ahead of them before disappearing into the fiery horizon.
Nicola pressed her hand to a sore spot on her knee where she'd fallen on the road after the policewomen had hosed them down. It gave her a strange, almost dizzy feeling thinking about it. The protesters had been trying to stand up for something they believed in but they'd been treated like criminals.
She took a deep, shaky breath.
Pull yourself together, she admonished herself.
"So let's summarize what we've learned," she said briskly.
"Will there be a quiz afterward?" said Sean, as if she was a schoolteacher.
Nicola ignored him.
She held up her hand and counted off the points on her fingers.
"We know that the prison camp is in the northeast of the Planet of Whimsy. We know that its name starts with something like Grid. And we know that it's at the bottom of a mountain."
"We also know that the United Aunts are being held in the camp, too," said Shimlara.
"Do we?" said Nicola. "How do we know that?"
"I read Mrs. Mania's mind," said Shimlara. "As she was walking toward us, she was thinking, If these journalists find out we're holding the United Aunts in the prison camp, the entire galaxy will turn against us."
"They actually kidnapped aunties," said Katie.
"Although I don't think these are cuddly, cookie-baking aunties," said Tyler.
"They're the most respected people in the galaxy," said Shimlara. "If we can rescue the United Aunts, we might be able to help end the War on Whimsy."
"I think we should just focus on rescuing your family, Shimlara," said Greta. "Which is going to be hard enough without trying to end the war as well. That's crazy. Anyway, why didn't you just find out where your parents were when you read Mrs. Mania's mind? That's what I would have done."
>
"When I read someone's mind I only hear what they're thinking at that exact time," said Shimlara sharply. "I can't read every thought they've ever thought! And unfortunately Mrs. Mania didn't happen to conveniently think about my parents."
"Oh, what's this say?" interrupted Tyler, pointing at an approaching sign. He read it out loud. "Ten V-Miles to the Underground Sea. That must be a Volcomanian mile, which isn't really helpful to us!"
"I can't wait to try out the scuba diving gear," said Sean.
"Me neither," said Nicola untruthfully. She tried to imagine what it would be like to breathe underwater.
"Why are you breathing funny?" said Sean, who was sitting in the seat in front of Nicola. He twisted around to look at her.
"I'm not," said Nicola.
"You sound like you've just run up thirty flights of stairs."