Chapter 2

The next morning, Frank was up and ready for school before the rest of the house had even stirred. He was just finishing breakfast when his mother entered the kitchen.

She stopped and stared in surprise at her eldest son. "Frank! What are you doing up so early?"

"I need to get to school," said Frank. "I've got some stuff to do."

"Okay," said Laura. "Just give me five minutes to get dressed and I'll drop you off."

"It's okay, Mom," said Frank hurriedly, rising from his seat. "I'll take the bus."

"Frank, it's freezing out there," Laura objected. "And you'll be quicker going with me anyway."

"I'll be fine, Mom," Frank insisted. He wanted to get out of the house before Joe was up. The conversation with his brother the night before had left Frank with a vague sense of unease that he didn't understand.

"Frank…" his mother began but he cut her off.

"I'll be fine, Mom. I've got to go."

Before Laura could object again, Frank was heading for the hall. "I'll see you after school, Mom," he called over his shoulder.

"Frank…" Laura tried again but he was gone.

In the hall, Frank put on his coat and grabbed his schoolbag. He was just opening the front door when a voice behind him made him stop.

"Frank?"

Frank turned and saw Joe standing on the second from last step of the stairs. He was sleepy eyed and still in his pyjamas.

"Where are you going?"

"School. See you later," Frank mumbled and was out the door before Joe could respond.

XXX

The morning passed slowly for Frank. He felt guilty for his abrupt dismissal of Joe that morning and the night before. Deep down he knew there was some truth in what Joe said and that bothered him. He wasn't mad at Joe, but he was avoiding him. It wasn't deliberate, Frank wasn't even sure why he was doing it.

"FRANK!"

The yell broke into his thoughts as he travelled down the hall to his locker and he was startled when Paul thrust his face into his.

"Man, what is with you?" Paul asked. "I've been calling you all the way from the other end of the hall!"

"Sorry." Frank shrugged. "Zoned out, I guess. What's up?"

"What are you doing later?"

"Homework I suppose, but not much else."

"No, not after school, after lunch!" Paul emphasised the last word and Frank stared in confusion at the tall, dark-haired teenager. His expression was unreadable. Paul's eyes were so dark they were almost black, and it made it very difficult to tell what he was thinking.

"I've got Science, Economics and a free period," said Frank. "Why?"

"Not anymore you don't!" Paul grinned. "Ryan and Keith found the coolest thing ever this morning!"

Frank was confused. "What are you talking about?"

Paul grinned again. "I'm saying nothing here. Just make sure you're in the school basement before lunch is over. We're in for a fun afternoon!"

"But we'll miss class," Frank protested. "And we'll probably get into trouble!"

Paul's face fell. "Who cares?" he said dismissively. "Come on, Frank, I didn't think you were square."

"I'm not square!" Frank declared hotly.

"Good," Paul smiled. "See you after lunch!"

"That's not what I…Paul!" Frank called after him but Paul was already moving back up the hall.

"See you later, Frank!" He waved over his shoulder before disappearing into the throng of milling students, leaving Frank staring after him.

"Um, Frank?" said a voice to his left and Frank turned to see a dark-skinned youth standing beside him.

"Hi," Frank replied. "Uh, Tony, right? You're new?"

"Yeah, I'm Tony Prito," smiled the youth. "We have Maths together."

"How do you like Bayport?" asked Frank.

"It's pretty cool, so far," Tony grinned. "Actually, I was wondering if you could help me."

"What can I do for you, Tony?"

"Well, I know this might seem a bit cheeky, but I was told that you're the best in our class at Maths."

Frank looked at him, wondering what was coming.

"I was out sick for a few days with that flu that's been going around, and I missed a lot of Maths," Tony explained. "It's a subject I have real trouble with and I was wondering if I could borrow your notes from those days?"

"Sure, no problem," said Frank, flattered, as he pulled open his bag and pulled out some books. "These are my notes, and that's a handout Mrs. Bryant gave us, you can photocopy it and give it back to me."

"Thanks, Frank," said Tony gratefully. "I really appreciate this."

"You know, if you're having trouble with Maths, I'd suggest having a look at this book," said Frank, as he reached into his bag again and pulled out another book. "My Dad gave it to me and it explains things really simply."

Tony gave Frank a huge smile as he took the book. "Thanks a million, Frank. This is great. I'll return them to you tomorrow."

"No problem," Frank answered. "Listen, I've gotta go. I've got some stuff to do before lunch is over and I still haven't eaten. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure," said Tony, as Frank hurried away.

Twenty minutes later, Frank had grabbed a quick lunch and sneaked down to the basement to meet Paul. He knew it was wrong, but curiosity got the better of him.

Frank was intrigued as to what Paul was up to.

"Paul?" he whispered hoarsely in the dim gloom of the basement. "It's me, Frank. Where are you?"

Hearing no response, Frank moved further into the darkening gloom. He hadn't gone far when suddenly someone pounced on him!

Startled, Frank swung out with his fist and it connected with someone's jaw.

"Ouch!" he heard an indignant cry. "Take it easy, Hardy!"

A flashlight was turned on and Frank blinked against the sudden glare. Squinting up, he saw the huge outline of Ryan Aston. Ryan was a long time friend of Paul's. Built like a barn door with blonde hair and brown eyes, Ryan was something of a bully. He was in the year above Frank and Paul; Frank didn't like him much, but tolerated him for Paul's sake.

"You nearly took my eye out!" he growled at Frank.

"Serves you right," said Paul's voice from somewhere to Frank's left. "Jumping him in the dark like that, what else did you expect? Nice right hook by the way," he added to Frank.

Frank grinned. "Thanks."

"Come on," another voice piped up. "Before someone hears us."

"Keith?" said Frank, peering at the figure beside Paul.

Keith chuckled. "Who were you expecting, the tooth fairy?"

Frank laughed. "She'd be a hell of a lot prettier than you, that's for sure!"

Keith laughed good naturedly. He was also in the year above Frank and Paul. Keith was Frank's height, with dark hair and startling blue eyes. His good looks made him something of a favourite with the girls, and the boys often teased him about it. Frank liked Keith; he joked a lot and laughed often, and he wasn't half so touchy as Ryan.

"Let's go!" snapped Ryan in a surly voice moving forward with the flashlight. Frank scowled at his retreating back.

"Ignore him," Paul whispered as he set off after Ryan. "His bark's worse than his bite!"

Frank highly doubted that, but didn't comment as he moved after the others. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," said Keith, and Frank could hear the excitement in his voice.

Frank could feel his own excitement rise. He'd never done anything like this before, and the rebellious feeling was both liberating and terrifying.

Five minutes later, they arrived at the boiler room.

"What are we doing here?" asked Frank looking around.

Paul laughed. "Frank Hardy, you are one of the most impatient people I know!"

"I'm not," said Frank, a little piqued. He prided himself on his patience, it was one of the things his father said made a great investigator.

"Nosey then," said Paul as he began to tug at a large crate with Ryan. "You can just tell your dad's a detective."

Frank didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted.

"Here," Keith broke in. "Let me help."

Frank watched as the three boys heaved and tugged at the crate. When they were done, his mouth fell open.

"What's that?" asked Frank, shocked, as a small door that reached only to his waist was revealed behind the crate.

"Secret exit from the school," Keith answered, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "It was built during World War Two. Apparently, the principle was a bit paranoid and was afraid that the school might be bombed, so he had this escape route designed for the kids and teachers."

"How did you find out about it?" asked Frank as he continued to stare in amazement at the door. "I've never heard anything about this before!"

"It's not common knowledge," Keith admitted. "But my brother started work with a construction company a few weeks ago, and he heard something from one of the men whose father was supposed to have helped build it. Ryan and I have been searching for it ever since."

"And we hit the jackpot today!" said Ryan triumphantly. Frank winced. He thought Ryan talked like someone who watched too much TV.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Paul demanded, clearly not listening to the conversation as he dropped to his knees and turned the handle on the door.

The door swung open and they all crouched down and peered into the dark tunnel.

"It's pretty small," said Keith, a little apprehensively.

"So?" said Paul. "Here, Ryan, pass me the torch."

Ryan passed Paul the torch. Switching it on, he aimed the light into the dark recess of the tunnel. "Come on. I'm guessing it'll take us at least twenty minutes to crawl through this tunnel before we come out."

"Wait! We're going in there!" said Frank incredulously.

"Of course we're going in there, what else did you think we were doing?" asked Paul, amused.

"Paul, that tunnel is years old, it could be really unsafe," Frank argued.

"It's not that old! Besides, if it was built as an emergency exit during the second world war, then it was probably built to be really secure. Relax, Frank, we'll be fine."

"I don't know…" Frank was unsure. His gut was telling him that this was a really bad idea.

Paul shrugged. "Suit yourself."

With that, he crawled through the door and into the dark tunnel. Several seconds later, Ryan followed suit.

"You coming?" Keith asked Frank.

Frank didn't answer. He stared at the tunnel feeling torn. He didn't want to go into that cramped little tunnel, but he also really wanted to fit in with the gang.

"Frank?" Keith prodded.

Frank made a split second decision. "I'm coming."

"Cool." Keith smiled. "You go ahead of me, I'm going to pull the door shut behind me."

Frank took a deep breath and plunged into the inky black of the tunnel. He could vaguely see the flicker of Paul's torch up ahead, and tried to control his breathing.

It's fine. Twenty minutes and we're out.

As he crawled along the dirty, cramped passageway, he heard Keith enter the tunnel and close the door.

To Frank, it sounded as though a cell door had slammed behind him.

XXX

Joe Hardy frowned to himself as he trudged through the snow. The heating had broken down at school during lunch, and so all the kids had been let home early. Normally this was something that Joe would have been delighted about, but today it bothered him.

At school, Joe was busy and had plenty of distractions to stop him from thinking about Frank. He didn't know what was going on with his older brother, but he knew one thing for sure; Frank was afraid.

Joe just didn't know what he was afraid of.

Joe sighed as he jerked his schoolbag higher on his shoulder. His bag was extra heavy because he had books for Biff Hooper in it. Biff was his best friend, and out sick with the flu at the moment. Joe was bringing him his homework so he wouldn't fall behind.

As he passed the park, Joe thought he glimpsed movement in the bushes up ahead and stopped. He backed up a little and ducked behind the nearest tree. Anything that was hiding in bushes was up to no good.

Joe peered around the tree and his mouth dropped open in shock as a tall, dark-haired boy emerged from the bushes. He was closely followed by another, much larger, boy.

Joe frowned and ducked back behind the tree. He recognised that bigger boy. It was Ryan Aston. Ryan was a notorious bully; Joe had even had a run in with him once. It was two years ago, just before Ryan had finished Grade School. He had been humiliated by a smart-mouthed comment of Joe's, but hadn't dared touch him because of Frank. Everyone knew that you didn't touch Frank Hardy's brother. Then one day, when Frank was out sick, Ryan had cornered Joe in the playground. It was only the sudden appearance of a teacher that had saved Joe from a beating. Joe had never told Frank about it because he didn't want him to feel guilty.

No, Joe decided, he most definitely did not want to run into Ryan now, and silently told himself that the best idea was to remain hidden.

Joe peered out from behind the tree again. The two boys had now been joined by two other boys. All were much bigger than Joe.

Great! he thought. Reinforcements!

Just then, one of the second two boys turned his face in Joe's direction and Joe felt a shock of recognition.

Frank!

Forgetting his plan to stay hidden, Joe stepped out and yelled. "FRANK!"

Frank looked over and dropped his schoolbag in shock. "Joe! What are you doing here?"

Joe marched over to his brother. "The heating broke down at school so we were let home early. What are you doing here?"

"We got off early too," Frank mumbled, avoiding his brother's eyes.

"And so you decided to use the free time to hide in bushes?" Joe challenged.

Frank heard the others snicker behind him and felt his face burn in embarrassment. "You can talk! You were behind that tree spying on people! What a sneaky thing to do!"

"I wasn't sneaking!" Joe yelled in anger. "Which is more than I can say for you! You're cutting school, aren't you?"

"So! What are you going to do? Tell Mom and Dad?"

"He won't if he knows what's good for him!" Ryan sneered as he stepped up beside Frank.

"Don't you threaten me!" Joe said furiously as he flung his schoolbag on the ground, his hot temper getting the better of him. He was too angry to feel fear. Besides, he knew Frank would never let anyone hurt him; no matter how mad he was at Joe.

Sure enough, as Ryan growled and stepped towards Joe, Frank's arm shot out and stopped him. "Leave him alone!"

"Or you'll what?" Ryan snapped at Frank.

"Ryan!" said the tall, dark-haired boy in warning, as he placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

Ryan stepped back but glared murderously at Joe and Frank.

"Frank, what's wrong with you?" demanded Joe. "Only idiots cut school!"

"We're not idiots," said the dark-haired boy angrily, his dark eyes flashing.

Joe ignored him and watched his brother carefully. Frank seemed to be undergoing some sort of internal struggle.

"We need to get out of here," said the other dark-haired boy. "Anyone could see us here."

"Keith has a point," said Ryan. "Paul, let's go!"

"Okay. Are you coming, Frank?" said Paul, stepping up beside Frank.

Frank looked in confusion between Paul's expressionless face and his brother's angry one. Paul sighed. "Fine, suit yourself. Never thought you'd prefer a kid's company to ours though."

"I'm not a kid! I'm going to be twelve in April!" Joe shot back before he could stop himself.

"Whatever," said Paul dismissively, as he shrugged. "Come on, guys."

As he started to walk away, Frank called after him. "Paul, wait!"

Joe stared at his brother. "You're not going with him, are you?"

"So what if I am?" said Frank defensively.

"Frank, don't," Joe pleaded, his voice low and urgent. His gut told him that these guys were trouble and that they would get Frank in trouble.

"Why not?" Frank hissed.

"Because this isn't like you!"

The other three boys howled with laughter.

"Awww, listen to the miniature shrink," Ryan taunted. "Should have known Mr. Goodie-Goodie Hardy wouldn't be taking any chances."

The three boys walked away, still laughing.

Frank's embarrassment grew. "Joe, shut up! You have no idea what I'm like."

Joe's face flushed in anger. "Fine!" he yelled. "But if you go with them, I'll tell Mom and Dad! This is a stupid thing to do and you know it!"

Frank exploded. "Why? Because I'm supposed to be the good boy and never get in trouble? I'm sick of it, Joe, and I'm sick of you! Why do you have to be such a drag? I wish I didn't have a brother!"

Snatching up his schoolbag, Frank whirled around and hurried after the others, leaving Joe staring after him in shocked silence.