“Where the heck can it be...?” He plopped down on his bed as a sudden realization hit him. Blackshire! It had to be back in Blackshire. As if he didn’t have enough anxiety and stress to drive him totally crazy, this had to happen. If his dad or anyone else found out, they’d kill him.
“Okay. Okay. Calm down, Chase,” he said to himself while raking his hands back and forth through his hair several times. With all the clones throwing rocks and garbage everywhere, the chances of anyone finding it were pretty slim, weren’t they? In fact, he was probably freaking out for nothing, because even if someone did find it, they would have no idea it was magical. He hoped. At least I can be thankful it didn’t have a forbidden power enchanted into it, he thought glumly.
He took a deep breath. Either way, he’d have to take care of it later. He was already way late. Andy was awake and they were all getting together for a late dinner of pepperoni pizza, onion rings, and chocolate-chip-mint ice cream. Andy’s favorites.
Rushing through the house, Chase skidded around the corner and into the Healing Room just as Andy said, “I’ll have some real cool battle scars like Dad and Aunt Augusta!” He was propped up in bed, pillows all around him and a tray on his lap.
“Like Dad?” said Chase, looking puzzled as he hurried across the room and dropped into one of the chairs placed around the bed. Everyone else was already there, including Mrs. Periwinkle, rocking in her chair and knitting. “What the heck are you talking about?”
“Dad’s scars from when he was captured and tortured,” said Andy as he scratched at his bandages. “He showed them to me so I would feel better about mine.”
“Dad has scars?” Chase realized he hadn’t given much thought to what his dad had gone through while he was kidnapped. He’d been too busy being angry and frustrated by all the lies and secrets.
“Sure. Show him, Dad!”
Chase looked over at his dad, who was piling pizza slices onto plates and passing them around to everyone. Ben shrugged as he concentrated on making sure the stringy mozzarella didn’t end up on the floor or the bed.
“Aw, come on, Dad!” Andy coaxed.
Anne elbowed him. “Better show him, Benjamin. Andy won’t stop until you do.”
Sighing, Ben stood and pulled up his shirt.
Chase’s eyes widened. “Holy—whoa!” His dad’s back was a crazy, criss-crossing, twirling, lumpy…mess. When he turned, Chase saw the scars also traveled along his sides, across his stomach and up his chest. How had he withstood the incredible pain he had to have gone through in order to look that way?
For the first time, the sacrifices his dad had made in order to keep all of them and the house safe and out of the Marlowes’ hands really hit Chase. They had to be the cruelest beings on the planet. And Janie had wanted to be a part of them. It had never entered his head that she would ever turn to dark magic. Man, he’d been so wrong about her. But still, every time she entered his thoughts, the stabbing pain in his gut was almost too much for him to bear.
As he stared at his dad’s disfigurement, Chase rubbed his own chest. Even with the ointment, his injuries continued to burn like crazy. It looked as though they would all have some scarring. Maybe his wouldn’t be as awful as Andy’s or their dad’s, but the marks would still be there, forever. A constant reminder of Janie. It was a good thing no one had the ability to see the one branded onto his brain: murderer.
Without meeting anyone’s gaze, Benjamin yanked down his shirt, dropped back into his chair, and took a huge bite of pizza.
Grandfather cleared his throat in the sudden silence. “Well, I have to say that I’m quite thankful you’re all home, safe and sound.”
“So, Chase, you owe me five bucks now,” said Andy, looking smug.
“Oh, yeah, your bet,” said Persephone. “What was that all about?”
“Chase bet me Maxwell wouldn’t ever learn how to use his power.”
“Maxwell’s my hero,” said Nori, smiling as she reached out to pet the brave ferret, who was curled up in the middle of the big bed. “He saved the day.”
“He sure did,” said Persephone. “He was blasting those lightning bolts everywhere!”
“Janie was definitely shocked when he shot them at her,” said Chase, instantly regretting bringing up her name.
“I can’t believe she wants to stay with them,” said Persephone sadly. “Even if she is related to them.”
“The lunatic probably didn’t even care that she almost killed Andy,” said Nori with an angry snort.
“I’m sure she didn’t mean to,” said Andy.
“You want to believe she still has some good left in her,” said Persephone as she picked at her half-eaten slice of pizza, “because that’s the kind of person you are.”
“Look, Andy…” Chase began. Janie’s dead, he almost blurted out. Oh, man! What was he thinking? Just saying it as if they were only discussing bugs or bacon sandwiches would be the completely wrong way to go about it.
“So we’re just going to leave her there?” asked Andy. “I know she almost killed me, but she’s still our cousin.”
“She wants to stay with them, Andy,” said Persephone.
“I’m sure she didn’t make the decision lightly,” said Benjamin. “She most likely battled with it for a while.”
“Yeah, and the dark side won,” muttered Nori.
Chase looked around at the glum faces. We need to lighten it up in here, he thought. For Andy’s sake. Then the scarf Mrs. Periwinkle had been knitting for the past two months caught his eye. The thing was close to fifty feet long. “Hey, you guys, when Mrs. Periwinkle finishes with her scarf, let’s go to Seattle, tie it between two skyscrapers and use it as a sling-shot. We can fling pumpkins and watermelons across the Sound.”
Persephone forced herself to smile. “I thought maybe we should wrap a big, green bow around the Space Needle.”
“Maybe Chase can take it and tie knots in it to hang out the window for when he wants to sneak out at night,” teased Nori.
Andy giggled. “So he can meet his girlfriend.”
Chase threw a pepperoni at him. “I don’t have a girlfriend, dork.”
“That’s because he’s the dork,” Andy whispered to Persephone behind his hand.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure someday you’ll have a lovely girlfriend, sweetie,” said Anne reassuringly.
“Mom! Let’s not talk about that right now,” said Chase, turning several shades of red. “Or ever.”
Nori jumped to her feet. “Well, guys and dorks, this has been loads of fun, and I hate to leave when the conversation is getting so...interesting, but I have to get home and check on my mom. She’ll be wondering why I’ve been gone so long—” She slapped her hand across her mouth.
Persephone narrowed her eyes. “Your mom didn’t know about our rescue mission, did she?”
Nori shook her head, looking sheepish. “I didn’t want to worry her.” Her gaze slid around from face to face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep that from you, too.”
“Sheesh!” Chase exclaimed. “You’re as big a secret-keeper as Grandfather, for cripes sake!”
“Along with the stubbornness, it does seem to run in our family,” said Grandfather with a knowing nod.
Anne slumped back in her chair. “Oh my, if something had happened to you…I don’t know how we would’ve told her. I should’ve spoken to her myself.”
“I think if it was up to my mom,” said Chase, pushing himself to his feet, “you’d be grounded for life.” He shoved his last bite of pizza into his mouth. “Come on. I’ll take you back,” he mumbled. “Oh, wait. Andy, I need to borrow your baseball card, I, uh, left my enchanted car upstairs.”
Benjamin pulled the card from his pocket and handed it to his son. “Hurry back, okay?”
Chase nodded as he grabbed Nori’s arm. He really did want to hurry back. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t mind hanging out with his dad. Weird. Maybe there was hope for their relationship, after all. But h
e knew if he asked Persephone about it, she would just say he was growing up, and it was about time.
“Nori’s apartment,” he murmured.
He closed his eyes while the familiar tornado-like rush of wind, the compressed-in-a-box, stomach-in-your-throat teleporting magic took hold of them. His family’s voices faded away as he and Nori vanished into the darkness.
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Chase Tinker and the House of Secrets Page 25