Rebecca had ushered Jake and Lucy into the house while Zack who was wet and with his trousers torn was still trying to climb down from the fountain.
‘Hurry up Zack,’ shouted his mother. ‘I’ve got a bone to pick with you.’ When he finally got back on to the lawn Zack realised he was in big trouble this time and ran up the steps to the house neither looking left nor right, totally oblivious to all the gadgets who were hiding in the rockery and trying not to laugh at the eldest boy’s predicament.
When she got him into the kitchen Rebecca slammed the door and said: ‘Right Zack. I don’t want any lies, no excuses and no trying to blame Lucy or Jake. You are the troublemaker around here and I know that very well.’
Jake was standing behind his mum pulling funny faces at Zack trying to make him laugh.
‘And you can wipe that smile off your face Zack,’ said his mother getting angrier and angrier. ‘This is not a laughing matter. Now I want you to tell me exactly what you were doing climbing on the fountain when you know it is expressly forbidden. And I want you to tell me the truth.
‘Just look at you, you’re wet and you’ve ripped your trousers. Your father is going to have something to say about this when he gets home. Now tell me Zack, what is this all about?’
Zack remained silent.
‘I’m waiting,’ said his mother.
‘I’ll tell you what it’s about,’ piped up Jake.
‘Thank you Jake, but I want to hear what your brother has to say. Well Zack?’
Zack looked sheepishly to the ground. ‘It was a dare,’ he said. ‘Jake dared me to climb the fountain and you can never turn down a dare.’
‘That’s not true,’ shouted Jake. ‘That’s not true.’
‘Yes it is.’
‘No it isn’t.’
‘Yes it is.’
‘Will you two stop it,’ Rebecca screamed at the top of her voice.
Little Lucy was about to start crying, scared of all the shouting, and she tugged at her mother’s skirt. Rebecca bent down to her daughter who with tears welling up in her eyes began whispering in her mother’s ear.
‘Oh no, that’s done it,’ thought Zack.
‘Mummy,’ whispered Lucy. ‘Zack was trying to make the starship fly but it didn’t fly very well and it landed in the fountain.’
‘What starship was that darling?’
‘It was Jake’s starship, like my starship… the starship that plays music.’
Rebecca closed her eyes slowly and sighed deeply. ‘Go to your room Zack,’ she said quietly. ‘Just go to your room.’ And then she slumped down in an old chair in the kitchen.
‘But what about my iPod mum? It wasn’t my fault,’ said Jake. Rebecca closed her eyes again, hoping it would all go away.
Then Lucy tugged at her mother’s dress: ‘Mummy, mummy, when are Jenny and Sam coming back?’
*
Gadgets: The Great Escape Page 22