"I like that room!" said Andy as he munched on his candy. "I hope I remember where it is."
"Isn't it a weird power, though?" asked Janie. She touched her nose as if to make sure it hadn't lost its adorableness.
"Depends on how you look at it," said Chase. "You'd never go hungry because you could always turn your boogers into food."
Persephone punched his arm. "Ew! Disgusting!"
"Hey, you guys! Get a load of this room," Andy hollered from down the hall.
Moments later, they all stood inside the doorway with their mouths hanging open.
"Holy moly," breathed Janie.
The pitch-black walls, ceiling and floor were dotted with hundreds of softly glowing, blinking eyeballs. They looked as if they were floating in the darkness.
"Dude, they follow you wherever you go," said Andy as he tip-toed around the room and tried not to step on any of the eyes. "What do you suppose it means?"
"I don't know," said Persephone.
"Eyes," murmured Chase. It took a moment for him to realize he was seeing Persephone in front of him and—Andy in back. "Whoa baby!"
"Uh, Chase?" said Andy. "You have eyes in the back of your head."
Chase reached back and touched the eyeballs. Talk about weird. He could see his hand waving behind himself. Janie and Persephone walked around and studied his extra eyes.
"How do they look?" he asked, making the eyes wink and blink.
"Like your regular eyes," said Janie in wonderment.
"Let's get out of here," said Persephone, crossing her arms and shivering. "This is way too creepy."
When they left the room, Chase's spare eyes disappeared. As they continued on their trek through the house, he couldn't stop checking to make sure the back of his head was eyeball free.
During the next hour, they explored the Laughing Room, where Chase laughed so long and hard, his stomach ached for hours afterward; the Replicating Room where they made dozens of clones of themselves until they were packed like sardines in a tin can; and the Goo Room where the whole room was slick and dripping with yellowy-green goop. They spent at least twenty minutes oozing around trying to figure out how to change from puddles of slimy goo to back into themselves.
But they all thought one of the best rooms by far was where they were able to change into any bird they wanted. Like the other rooms they'd visited, this one was far from ordinary. Its high walls were painted with colorful pictures of birds and towering trees, while thick, green grass carpeted the floor.
It took Chase a while to get the hang of it, but after several wild loops around the room as a sparrow (he thought it'd be easier to start small), he began to enjoy the awesomeness of the wind blowing across his arms—no—his wings. He sure wouldn't mind having this power.
"That was too cool for words!" exclaimed Andy when they finished flying. He spread his arms wide, pretending he was a bird again, swooping and diving. "Did you see me, Chase?"
Chase grinned as he limped along. He'd also had a little trouble with his landings. "Yep, I saw you. And I saw Persephone waddling around too."
"Hey, penguins are my favorite birds," said Persephone. "It's not their fault they can't fly." She shot him a sideways glance. "At least I didn't crash into anything."
Chase gave an embarrassed shrug. "I guess I need more practice."
A little farther down the hall, Janie stopped in front of another door. Clasping the brass handle, she tried to give it a quick twist, but it wouldn't budge.
"It's locked," she said, stepping back and gaping at the door. "I've never seen any locked doors around here."
"Are you sure?" asked Chase. "Maybe it's just stuck." He bashed his shoulder against it and jiggled and tugged on the handle. "Hmm. We need to ask Grandfather about this one."
While they pondered the stubborn door, Janie's cell phone rang. "Hello?…Yes…Okay… We'll be right there."
"Who was that?" asked Chase.
"Grandfather," she answered, slipping the phone back into her pocket. "Mrs. Periwinkle wants us to run some errands for her in town."
After a few wrong turns and some backtracking, they found the kitchen again. Grandfather and Mrs. Periwinkle were there eating turkey sandwiches. The kids crowded around and dug into the pile of food.
"Hey, Grandfather," said Chase around a huge bite of sandwich. "How come one of the rooms on the fourth floor is locked?"
"That room has a dangerous power you children aren't ready for," he answered briskly. "It's best you stay away from it."
Chase raised his eyebrows as his eyes met Janie's. A dangerous power? Now that sounded interesting. What power was so bad Grandfather needed to lock the door?
Hmm, maybe I can find a way to break in and see, Chase thought as he chewed his pickle and ignored Andy's you-can't-fool-me-I-know-you're-up-to-something look.
When they finished eating, Mrs. Periwinkle handed Janie a list. "Here's everything I need you to do. Now don't get to goofing off and forget stuff."
"You can count on us," said Janie, tucking the list into her pocket. She headed out the back door, followed by the other kids.
As they crossed the yard, a dirt road wide enough for a car appeared in front of them and cut through the large thicket of trees. The afternoon was warm and a light wind had the clouds dancing across the sky. With a wave to Mrs. Periwinkle, they set off for town.
"So, what do you think Grandfather's hiding in the locked room?" Chase asked right away.
"Maybe it's a black hole and if you're sucked in, you're never seen again," said Andy. "Or…or…maybe it's filled with gigantic, man-eating tarantulas. I know! It's where he keeps the dead bodies."
"You watch way too much TV, Andy," said Chase, with a roll of his eyes. "It's definitely something he doesn't want us to know about, though."
"Or, as Grandfather said, it's a dangerous power we're not ready for," said Janie. She narrowed her eyes at Chase. "You know, I bet you're one of those guys who can never leave things alone."
"I want to know what's going on, is all," said Chase, kicking a rock and sending it flying into the trees.
"Maybe we should sneak in and check it out for ourselves," said Persephone.
"That's what I thought!" said Chase, excitement in his voice. "We can pick the lock and break in."
"I knew it!" said Andy. "I knew you were thinking something like that."
Janie shook her head. "I don't know. I'd hate to see the wrath of Grandfather. He said he wants us to leave it alone."
"We'll go without you," said Chase, shrugging. "Unless you plan on tattling."
"I would never do that! I'm not a tattle-tale. Anyway, remember, curiosity killed the cat."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, frowning.
"It means you might find out something you wish you hadn't," she said as she stomped down the road, her nose in the air.
CHAPTER TEN
Ice Cream and Fireworks
It wasn't long until the dirt road met with a smooth paved one. They passed several homes, crossed a covered bridge with a swift stream flowing beneath it, and walked by a tall sign that read:
Welcome to Islandtown
The friendliest town on the island.
"The only town on the island," muttered Janie as more buildings came into view.
Islandtown looked like a town from the old west. Most of the shops had hitching posts out front and many had swinging, saloon-style doors; the sidewalks were made of wood and the storefront windows were painted with gold, old-style lettering. Even a few sleepy-looking horses were tethered between some of the cars. Chase thought the only things missing were giant tumbleweeds rolling down the streets.
As they strolled down a shaded sidewalk, he began to have a funny feeling he'd been there before, but he knew that was impossible. The strange feeling stayed with him the whole time they were in the general store arguing about what color yarn they should buy for the sweater Mrs. Periwinkle was knitting for Grandfather, and while they were in the grocery store shopping for
pickles and brussels sprouts.
Ambling in and out of shops, Chase finally decided that, as usual, the feeling had to be just a figment of his over-active imagination.
"Hey, let's get some ice cream," said Andy when the kids paused in front of the ice cream parlor.
Chase squinted at the huge ice cream sundae painted on the window. It was a long canoe filled with three huge scoops of vanilla ice cream coated in chocolate sauce and topped with nuts and bright-red cherries. It sure looked familiar…
Looking over his shoulder at them, Andy pushed open the door.
Chase suddenly knew why the town felt so familiar. He'd dreamed this exact thing last night. "Andy, wait!"
He jumped forward and shoved his brother aside. At the same time, his arm crashed into someone coming out. SPLAT! The next thing they knew the person was covered in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream. Chase looked straight into Doctor Dan's cold, furious eyes.
Chase gulped as he watched the goop dribble down the doctor's shirt and jacket.
"Why don't you kids watch where you're going?" Dan snarled. He grabbed his messy tie and waved it wildly. "Look what you've done to my brand new suit and tie!"
"We're really sorry," said Chase as he rubbed sticky droplets from his face.
"It's my fault," said Andy, backing away. "I wasn't watching where I was going."
"You shouldn't be allowed out if you can't handle yourselves in public!" snapped the doctor.
"It was an accident and he said we were sorry!" said Persephone. She looked ready to clobber Doctor Dan with her shopping bag.
"Just keep out of my way!" snapped Dan as he shoved the kids aside and flung the smashed cups into the trash. Leaving a trail of melted, gooey ice cream, he stomped down the sidewalk.
"And I was thinking this was one of the friendliest towns," said Chase as they entered the store. "I guess every town has its jackass."
Persephone giggled. "He did look pretty funny."
Andy grinned. "Thanks for saving me, Chase, or I'd've been the one wearing all that ice cream."
"No problem, shrimp," said Chase, smiling back at him. "Besides, we all know chocolate chip mint would've gone much better with your shirt."
When they were finally on their way back home, Chase remembered something important he wanted to ask his cousin. "Hey, Janie, you don't happen to know what magical power my bedroom is, do you?"
"Oh, Grandfather didn't tell you? You're in the Premonition Room. It's like seeing into the future, but Grandfather told me foreseeing the future is never exact because circumstances can change." She sent him a sideways look. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason," he said quickly. "I want to learn as many rooms as possible, is all."
He didn't know why, but he wasn't ready to share that it looked as if he actually had two premonitions that really had happened. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of his dreams coming true. If this kept up, how would he know what was imagination and what was real? He glanced at Andy out of the corner of his eye. I wonder if Andy dreamed anything freaky last night, he thought. Probably not. Andy pretty much sucks at keeping secrets.
"Why do you think Doctor Dan acted so mean?" asked Andy, breaking into Chase's thoughts.
"I don't know," said Chase. "But I don't trust the guy. Maybe it's because his creepy blue eyes are too close and squinty."
"I always thought he was nice," said Persephone. "Until today, that is."
"Maybe he just doesn't like kids," said Andy, shrugging.
"As long as he helps my mom, I'll ignore any flaws the man has," said Janie. "Even if he's the biggest jerk on earth."
It began to rain as they crossed the lawn to the house. Laughing, and scrambling to be the first to get inside, the kids dashed up the back stairs and into the kitchen. As he brushed raindrops from his hair, Chase hoped the summer wouldn't zoom by too fast. He wasn't looking forward to going back to New York. And, he also wasn't going let Doctor Dan, rainy weather, or anything else for that matter, ruin the best vacation ever.
Over the next several days Chase wondered if maybe going back to New York wasn't such a bad idea. To his dismay, Grandfather had taken charge. Like a drill sergeant, he made Chase and Andy practice their magic day in and day out, and they had to help with the chores. On top of that, Grandfather insisted on decorating the house for the 4th of July. Using his telekinesis, Chase had to string red, white and blue twinkling lights all along the outside railings, and hang balloons and streamers in the main first floor rooms. Maxwell loved the balloons. He had a great time bouncing about popping them until Grandfather enchanted the whole bunch and made them all pop-proof.
And, although he complained, with so much practice, Chase's telekinesis had improved a lot. He'd gotten much better at whisking stuff across the room without breaking anything. He was even pretty good now at lifting larger things, like people and couches.
The one thing that bothered him the most, though, was that Aunt Clair wasn't healing as quickly as they had hoped. Grandfather didn't want anyone bothering her about her ordeal, or the boys' dad, but every day they peeked in to see how she was doing, just in case. Doctor Dan had been by three times to check on Clair and each visit he ignored all four kids, which was totally fine with Chase.
He hadn't yet told anyone about his nighttime premonitions and he might've had at least two the night before last. In the first one, Maxwell had been dragging off Chase's sneakers, but in the second, Chase, Andy, Janie and Persephone had been running through the woods, trying to escape from someone chasing them. Feeling as though his lungs would burst from the exertion, he woke up with his heart pounding so hard it felt as though several people were clog dancing across his eardrums.
He'd thought about telling Grandfather, but he still wasn't sure whether it was a premonition or not. He didn't want to worry his grandparent for nothing. And besides, he knew he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself if anything happened. After all, he'd hung out on the streets of New York City all his life.
He also liked to distract himself by imagining the best ways to break into the locked room, but it was almost like Grandfather had the power to read minds and knew what his grandson was up to. Maybe that was reason why Grandfather had been keeping him so busy.
Chase stretched his neck and tried to focus on the babble of voices around him. He had way too many things to think about these days. Maybe what he needed most was a brain transplant. Yeah, maybe that would help—
"Hey, Chase! Snap out of it!" said Persephone, waving her hand in front of his face.
"Huh?"
"Where should we sit? We want a good spot so we don't miss any of the fireworks show."
Chase, Persephone, Janie and Andy were standing on a low hill overlooking the beach as they searched for a place to spread their blanket. People and flickering bonfires dotted the silvery stretch of sand. The gray smoke from the fires drifted out over the water. Like fog, it swirled around the boats moored in the small bay.
"What about there?" said Andy, pointing to a space next to a large umbrella propped in the sand.
"Looks good to me," said Chase.
They trotted down the hill and zigzagged past holiday celebrators, picnic sites, driftwood and lounge chairs. Tossing aside several rocks, they rolled out their blanket and flopped down onto it.
"Whew! Good thing we're here early," said Janie. "Or we might not have found a place to sit."
"It looks like it might rain," said Persephone, frowning at the darkening sky.
"Nah, it'll hold off," said Chase.
He was popping open a can of soda, when out of the blue, a strange prickling sensation on the back of his neck made him whip around. Staring down at them from the top of the hill was Doctor Dan. His eyes were so icy-cold Chase felt like he'd just been turned into a giant snow-cone. He swung back to face the other kids.
"Don't look now," he said quietly, "but the doctor's in the house and he's not looking very friendly."
They glanced over thei
r shoulders.
"Where?" asked Persephone.
Chase looked up the hill again. The doctor was gone. "He was right there," he said. "And looking like he wanted to come down here and strangle us."
"The guy can't be holding a grudge because of a little ice cream, can he?" said Janie, helping herself to the bag of popcorn Persephone had ripped open.
"I dunno," said Chase. He checked the hilltop one more time. "But I sure wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley."
As the sun went down, turning the clouds to shades of orange, yellow and red, deepening to purple and dark blue, more people crowded onto the beach.
"Where the heck is Grandfather?" said Janie, craning her neck. "He'll miss the fireworks if he doesn't hurry."
"Why don't you call him?" asked Andy.
"I can't," she said. "I think Maxwell stole my phone. I've searched the places he hides things, but I can't find it anywhere."
"That ferret's a menace," said Chase, looking disgusted.
She sighed. "Yeah, sometimes. But I love him anyway."
The show started at 10:00. Right away the kids knew these weren't your ordinary, everyday fireworks. These were magical fireworks.
"Wow!" exclaimed Andy.
Chase had to second that as rockets blasted into the sky and burst into colorful shimmering sparks that made huge, lumbering dinosaurs, dancing bears in pink tutus, ice-skating penguins and enormous birds that swooped toward the ground, making everyone scream, before vanishing into puffs of smoke. At one point, at least ten rockets exploded at the same time and turned into a rollicking circus of elephants, tigers, clowns and acrobats.
Besides the explosions, the only things Chase heard through the whole show were "oohs" and "aahs" and "wows." When it finally ended, everyone sat quietly for at least ten seconds before bursting into wild applause. People began talking and raving.
"I've never seen fireworks like those in my whole life!"
"Absolutely amazing!"
"I wonder how it's done. If there were such a thing as magic…"
The kids smiled at the loud remarks as they waited for most of the mob to leave before gathering their belongings and hiking up the hill.
Chase Tinker & The House of Magic Page 9