Chase Tinker and the House of Secrets

by Haberman, Malia Ann

  “Sorry,” mumbled Andy, while Mika goggled at him and tried to scoot a little farther away. She seemed worried that Andy might use his magic on her next, or that she might catch another ghastly affliction to go along with her first one.

  “So,” said Persephone, giving Nori’s mom a cheery smile, “what magical power do you have, Mika?”

  Mika pulled her eyes from Andy and looked down at her hands folded in her lap. For the first time, Chase noticed she wore black gloves. “It has not happened in years. I have tried so very hard to keep it from happening ever again. It’s—it’s my hands. They can turn into—into… things! Dreadful things sometimes. And it’s as though it happens all by itself.”

  “I wish I would’ve known,” said Nori. “Maybe then I would have understood what was happening to me, or maybe I could’ve helped you.” She jumped up and paced the room. She ran her hands through her hair again. “Oh my gosh! I’m so mad at myself for keeping it a secret.”

  Chase shook his head and scowled. “Don’t worry. Keeping secrets seems to be a family trait, right along with all the magic. A whole bunch of information was kept from me and Andy. For years, we were led to believe that Grandfather was dead. Our dad never told us anything about magic. Andy and I had some pretty strange experiences before we knew what was really going on. It seriously freaked us out!”

  “Boy, do I understand that,” grumbled Nori. “And then some.”

  Mika watched her daughter stalk across the room and back. “You have an affliction, too?” she asked, her voice raising several octaves. “I passed this awful thing on to my daughter?” Mika looked as if she might puke. Chase prepared himself to grab the bowl sitting on the table so he could toss it to her, just in case.

  “No, it’s not like that at all,” he hurried to explain. “Remember, she’s a Tinker, so it was something that was meant to happen. Besides, it’s a cool magical ability, not an affliction. And Nori’s is different than yours. We all get different powers, remember? Mine’s telekinesis, and our dad can transform and make himself look like any person he wants to.”

  Nori grabbed a book from a shelf and flipped it open. Mika’s eyes practically popped out of her head when she saw the shimmering light fill the book and then flow into her daughter. Now that Chase thought about it, the light looked a lot like the light from the Relic.

  “When—” began Mika.

  “It just started one day,” Nori said as she shrugged one shoulder. “I was at school when it happened. I opened a book and this light thing poured out of it. Instantly I knew every word in it. As if I’d actually read it. I was never so freaked out in my whole life! I looked around to see if anyone else had seen or had experienced the same thing as me, but they all looked pretty normal. Since then, I’ve been practicing to control it. I can absorb any written word in any language on any surface. Even a computer screen. And understand and remember it all.”

  “Wow!” exclaimed Andy, impressed. “That must help with homework. I’d love to have that power.”

  Chase frowned at him. “You’d love to have every power.”

  Andy nodded. “Yeah. Maybe you should let me be Keeper.”

  “I’m not Keeper, and I don’t plan on being it for a very long time! You—”

  “We need to take Nori and Mika to Mr. Hiram,” Persephone cut in. “As soon as possible.”

  Chase nodded. “But if Grandfather doesn’t know, we have to be careful how we tell him. We don’t need him having another heart attack or something.”

  “Nori’ll love the house!” exclaimed Andy.

  “The house?” said Nori.

  “It’s the coolest place ever!” said Andy with a huge grin. “There’s magic in practically every room and hallway.”

  “First things first,” said Persephone, holding up her hand. “We need to let Mr. Hiram know what’s going on.” She glanced at a clock on the wall. “It’s almost 5 o’clock, so—”

  “Oh, man!” exclaimed Chase, looking horrified. In all the excitement, he’d forgotten about the time. “I promised Mom we’d be back by three. I completely spaced out about it. She’s gonna kill me! And she’s already mad enough as it is.”

  Persephone turned to Nori. “Do you two want to come back to the house with us now?”

  “Uh…where is this house?” asked Nori, looking unsure.

  “It’s on a small island in Puget Sound,” answered Chase. “Blackberry Island.”

  “Please say you’ll come,” said Persephone.

  Nori turned to her mom. “Mom? What do you think?”

  “No!” said Mika. Fear filled her eyes as she jerked her head from side to side, and shoved her gloved hands under her blanket. “If this house you speak of has magic in it, as Andy said, I do not want to go there. I don’t want to be involved with any more of it! Something—something awful might happen.”

  The kids all exchanged glances. Chase was dying to ask Mika what had happened to make her think her ability was such a bad thing, but he didn’t feel right being so nosy when they’d only just met. Maybe he could get her to tell him about it later. This seemed nothing like his dad’s hatred of magic. It was more like she was frightened to death of it.

  “But you might like magic a lot better if you knew how to control it,” said Chase. “Our grandfather, your Uncle Hiram, can help you.”

  “I said no!” she snapped, but then looked ashamed of herself for losing her temper. “I’m sorry, Chase. I did not mean to be rude,” she continued more calmly. “Thank you for inviting us, but it would probably be best if Nori and I stayed away from your magic.”

  “But it’s yours, too!” said Chase, hoping to finally make her understand.

  Nori dropped to her knees next to her mom. “I know how you feel about the magic, Mom, but this is something I have to do.”

  “But why?” said Mika, looking troubled. “I have seen nothing good come out of this…magic. It has caused so many problems.”

  “For the first time since my magical ability started,” said Nori in a quiet voice, “I feel like I’m moving on my true path. I can’t explain it, but it feels right. I promise I’ll be careful. Besides, it sounds like these guys know what they’re doing.” She looked deep into her mother’s eyes and repeated, “I have to do this.”

  Mika sighed as she took her daughter’s hand. “When you are like this, you remind me so much of myself when I was younger—always so stubborn and strong-willed. And, you have done something I was never able to do: you found Thomas.” She paused and studied Nori’s face for several seconds. “All right. If this is what you want, then go. You have my blessing. But be careful! I will stay here and rest.”

  While Nori spoke to her mom, Persephone leaned over and whispered in Chase’s ear, “We should probably teleport out in the hallway. I think Mika’s had enough surprises today.”

  Nori hugged her mom, then jumped to her feet. “Okay. So when should we go?”

  “Seeing as we were supposed to be home a long time ago,” said Chase, latching onto Nori’s arm, “we better go now.” He pulled her across the room and out into the entryway.

  “But—”

  “Say bye,” said Persephone as she and Andy hurried after Chase and Nori.

  “Bye, Mika!” hollered Andy, waving his hand over his head at her.

  “Bye, Mom!” Nori called. “I’ll see you later!” The front door slammed shut behind them. “But wait a sec, Chase. Shouldn’t we check the ferry schedules first?”

  Chase gave Nori a wicked grin as he grasped Persephone’s arm and drew everyone closer together. He glanced around to make sure the hallway was clear, and then in his best Grandfather imitation, he said, “Ferry schedules? We don’t need any ferry schedules. Tinker House!”

  In the blink of an eye, a rush of deep blue wind surrounded them, and began transforming them into the magical particles that gave them the ability to go long distances in mere seconds.

  Nori gasped. “What the—” The floor whirled away as though they were in the eye
of a tornado. The hallway and Nori’s apartment door disappeared in a swirl of blackness. Moments later, the four kids swirled back into the light.

  “—heeeeck!” Nori stumbled sideways and plopped to the ground. Holding her head as if she were afraid it would pop off her neck, she stared around at the choppy water of the Sound, the small grassy hill they’d landed on, and the other kids standing around her. “Wh-what in the world happened?”

  “We teleported, silly,” said Andy as if that should have been perfectly obvious. “Ain’t it fun?”

  “Is all my hair still attached?”

  Chase snickered as he pulled Nori to her feet. “It may not feel like it, but it is.”

  “So, are we there yet?” she asked with a goofy, lopsided smile.

  “Oh, yeah. We’re here,” said Andy, his eyes gleaming.

  “Welcome to the Tinker house.” Chase swept his hand through the air.

  Nori turned slowly to goggle at all the turrets and chimneys, the many different roofs and stories, and the windows that shimmered like millions of diamonds.

  “Oooh…wow! Some house!” she squeaked out. “It’s—it’s more like an out-of-this-world-castle-mansion…thing. Or maybe like something out of a science fiction movie, especially with all those dark trees and clouds looming.” She paused and squinted. “And why’s it glowing like that?”

  “Cool, you can see it,” said Chase, grinning at her amazed face. “It’s enchanted to look like an old beach house to anyone else. So that’s another thing that proves you’re one of us.”

  Andy grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the house. “Come on, Cousin Nori. You’ll like the inside even more than the outside.”

  Nori stumbled along behind Andy, unable to take her eyes off the towering, shimmering building for even one second. “Am I still awake?” she murmured, giving herself a hard pinch. She rubbed the red spot and winced. “Yep, definitely not sleeping. Looks as if I’m about to enter the bizarro Land of Oz.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Uncle Hiram

  Chase shot Nori a sideways look as they tromped through the knee-high grass. He wasn’t sure if she’d even taken a breath since seeing the house. He knew exactly how she felt. A thrill still rushed through him every time he saw the enormous house from the outside, and it always boggled his mind whenever he tried to comprehend how much amazing magic lived within its walls.

  As they walked up the front stairs and crossed the wrap-around porch, the reddish-brown, arched door he and Andy had walked through on their first day there swung open by itself. Chase led the way inside.

  The huge foyer was as overwhelming as always, with its four towering, gold-and-silver-leafed trees, silvery-blue marble floor, which resembled a flowing stream, and zigzagging staircases leading to the many upper floors.

  They all jumped back when the hat stand bounced down the stairs and skidded to a stop in front of them. It hopped over to Andy and yanked his baseball cap off his head. “Hey! I’m still wearing that, you nutty hat-holder!” he hollered as he snatched back his hat. With a dejected sigh and a loud sniffle, the hat stand drooped like a wilted flower and wandered off.

  Chase, Andy, and Persephone stared at Nori as they waited for her to say something. She shook her head and raised her eyebrows at them. “Weird,” she murmured.

  Chase grinned. “Come on! The best is yet to come.”

  They hustled Nori down a long hallway, through the formal sitting room, down more hallways, and into the spiral staircase room. As usual, the soccer-ball-sized red and black checkers were playing a lively game by themselves.

  “Wow!” said Nori, staring first at the checkers and then at the staircase going up and up and up. “I think my whole apartment building would fit in here. With room to spare.”

  Persephone nodded. “I always have the urge to yell as loud as I can just to see how long the echoes will last.”

  “This is incredible!” Nori spun in a complete circle. “Where do all these doorways lead? And what’s up there?”

  Chase was about to tell Nori about the attic and the painting of tiny doors, but he was interrupted by his mom’s snapping voice behind them. “You’re late! And after you promised not to be!”

  Chase’s sudden gasp caused him to choke on his spit. “Urgh—ah—gak!”

  “Uh-oh,” muttered Andy as the four kids spun to see Anne standing in one of the doorways with her arms crossed, a deep frown marring her usually smooth brow, and a steely glint in her eyes. Chase took a moment to thank his lucky stars that she didn’t have any magical powers, because if she did, she would most likely be using them on the kids right about now. He also remembered that in all the hullabaloo with finding Nori, he’d totally forgotten about the birthday present they’d planned on buying.

  “After everything that’s gone on—” Her gaze landed on Nori. “Oh, I see you’ve brought home a friend.” Her voice became politeness itself, while her eyes continued to shoot daggers.

  The kids exchanged glances, waiting for someone to explain them out of this mess. Persephone nudged Chase forward. “Okay. Okay. I’ll tell her,” he muttered. He cleared his throat and fiddled with the zipper on his jacket. “I’m, uh, sorry we’re late, Mom. We weren’t out getting into trouble or anything. Honest! But Nori’s not a friend—I mean—well, yeah, she is, sort of, now. We kinda just met her, but…she’s also our cousin.” The last few words tumbled out a little quicker than he’d wanted.

  Anne’s mouth dropped open. “Huh? What? I don’t understand. You don’t have any other cousins besides Janie and James.” She propped her hands on her hips. “Okay. Joke’s over. What’s going on? If this is a way to avoid punishment…”

  Chase hurried over and grasped her arm. “No. It’s no joke. We really believe she’s our long-lost cousin.” He pulled Anne across the floor to stand in front of Nori. “Mom, meet Nori. Nori, meet my mom, Anne. Mrs. Tinker.”

  “Uh…hi,” said Nori quietly.

  Anne blinked, too surprised to even say hello back. “But—where’d she come from?”

  “It’s a long story, so we can’t explain everything now,” said Chase. “We have to talk to Grandfather. Do you know where he is?”

  “His study…I think,” she murmured, still looking bewildered. “Does your grandfather know about this?”

  “We don’t know,” Chase answered. “That’s what Nori’s here to find out. So come on, you guys, let’s get with it.”

  “Can Nori stay for dinner?” asked Andy excitedly.

  “I think we’ll worry about dinner later, Andy,” said Anne as Chase led them through a secret doorway shortcut that magicked them to a long, wide hall.

  “Oh my gosh!” screamed Nori when they suddenly flipped upside down to walk on the ceiling, which was actually the floor in that particular hallway.

  “I guess we should’ve warned her first,” Andy whispered to Persephone as they strolled past a fireplace with a roaring fire, an old-fashioned sofa, a pool table, and a piano playing jazzy music all by itself. It never felt as if you were upside down once you were in the hallway, but that first step was always a shocker.

  A minute later, they were back to normal again.

  “If it isn’t one thing, it’s another around here,” said Anne, patting her hair.

  “That’s what makes it so cool!” exclaimed Andy.

  “I think I’d settle for a little more normalcy myself,” Anne grumbled as they passed by the floor-to-ceiling aquarium, which was filled with dozens of fish of all colors and shapes.

  “Wait!” Nori lurched to a stop. “That—that fish is plaid and it’s shaped like a big fluffy mitten,” she said in awe. She pointed to a blue and orange fish plastered to the side of the glass. Its round eyeballs followed their every move. “And the one behind it looks like a zebra-striped bowling ball! And—and—”

  Persephone clasped her arm and guided her away while Nori continued to stare back over her shoulder at the odd sight. “Don’t worry,” said Persephone. “You’ll get u
sed to it. Sort of.”

  A few more hallways later, they were huddled in the one outside Grandfather’s study.

  “Okay, you guys, hang here for a minute while I fill him in on what’s going on without anyone freaking out,” Chase whispered. “I’ll call you in when I’m ready for you.” They all nodded, including Anne, who still looked confused and unsure about everything, like she’d just found out the world was square instead of round.

  As Chase peeked around the door frame, he was reminded of the day Grandfather had needed to explain magic to Doctor Dan. And that didn’t turn out so badly, now did it? But he knew he still had to ease into things, because Grandfather’s weak heart didn’t need any more shocks.

  He sucked in a deep breath to calm his own pounding heart. “Uh, Grandfather?” he called. “Got a minute?”

  Grandfather waved him into the room. “Chase. I’m glad you’re here. I have a few things regarding the rescue mission that I need to discuss with you.”

  “Um…can I tell you something important first?”

  “You have something more important than rescuing Janie?” asked Grandfather, raising his eyebrows.

  “Well…not more important. It’s…different…you see...” But then he blurted out way too loudly, “We found some more magical Tinkers!”

  “What’s that you say? More magical Tinkers!” said Grandfather sharply, right as Andy’s voice hollered from the hallway, “You weren’t supposed to tell him like that, Chase!”

  “I’m sorry. I guess I kind of blew it,” said Chase, looking ashamed of himself. “I got way too excited! Okay, you guys might as well come on in.”

  Andy, Persephone and Anne, with Nori trailing, shuffled into the room.

  “And the plot continues to thicken,” Grandfather said when he saw his daughter-in-law with the kids. “Anne, I’m surprised you’re a part of this. Whatever this is.”

  “Oh, I’m almost as much in the dark as you are, Hiram. Believe me,” answered Anne as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot.