Chase Tinker & The House of Magic

by Malia Ann Haberman

  "That was spectacular!" said Janie as she slipped her bag over her shoulder.

  "It seriously blew me away," said Chase. "I had no idea fireworks could look like that." He glanced at Persephone. "You knew, didn't you?"

  She nodded. "Mr. Hiram's been doing this for years. I didn't want to ruin it for you."

  "Why didn't he show up?" said Janie.

  "Beats me," answered Chase. "Let's get home and find out."

  As they jostled their way down the sidewalk, Chase scanned the throngs of people for Doctor Dan. He gave up when he realized that finding anyone in the jammed streets was next to impossible.

  Since the roadway out of town was well-lit by streetlamps and headlights, everything was fine until the kids reached their darkened, dirt road. They lurched to a stop.

  Andy peered into the thick, gloomy forest. "It sure is spooky," he said, edging closer to the other kids. Persephone nodded in agreement as thunder crashed in the distance.

  Janie pulled flashlights from her large bag and handed them out. "Well we can't stand here all night. We better get going."

  Hurrying down the road, Chase again had a creepy feeling they were being watched. He waved his light behind them and saw nothing except eerie, wavering shadows from the tall trees. An owl hooted softly.

  "What's wrong, Chase?" asked Persephone when she caught him looking back over his shoulder every few seconds.

  "I think we're being followed," he answered in a low voice.

  "How do you know?" whispered Andy. "Is it your spidey sense telling you?"

  "Something like that," said Chase.

  "It's probably just the thunder and lightning," said Janie, flinching as it cracked and boomed.

  "Maybe, maybe not," said Chase.

  They stopped and strained their eyes to see beyond the light from their flashlights. Crack! Snap! They jumped at the sounds of crunching footsteps approaching from the direction they had just come. The noise stopped.

  Chase took a step back. "Uh, you guys? I think we better get out of here!"

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Keeping Secrets

  They bolted down the road, their flashlight beams bobbing. Chase grasped Andy's arm and dragged him to help his shorter legs keep up. The sounds of pursuit echoed behind them, and they were still a ways from home.

  Chase's heart was about to pound right out of his chest when he remembered a small building he'd glimpsed through the trees on the way to town. "Come on, you guys," he gasped. "This way."

  Slipping into the dark woods, he shivered as the chill from the damp ground and mossy trees surrounded him. With the sticky blackberry vines grabbing at everyone's skin and clothes, Chase led the way to a small clearing. A rickety old shed was there in front of them, leaning as if ready to topple at any moment. Chase opened the sagging door. The kids' shoulders drooped when they saw it was crammed with cracked, splintery wood, a rusty tricycle, several old tires and a paint-chipped door with the hinges falling off.

  "Crap!" said Chase.

  "Oh, no!" said Andy. "We'll never fit in there."

  "Let me see what I can do," said Janie. Taking a deep breath, she scrunched her face and flicked her hands. Ribbons of silvery mist flowed from her fingertips, swirled through the building and then vanished. "Oh my gosh! It worked!"

  Brushing aside dusty webs, she climbed behind the crusty woodpile into the space she'd created, which was much larger than the outside of the shed. The others followed, wrinkling their noses at the smell of rotting wood and mold. Shutting off their flashlights, they huddled together and tried to calm their ragged breathing.

  "Won't whoever's out there fit in here too?" Andy whispered in Janie's ear.

  "I made it so it looks bigger to only us," she whispered back.

  "I'm worried the whole place might cave in on us," muttered Persephone.

  "Shh!"

  Everything was quiet for a few minutes, then they heard the crunching of breaking twigs and the rustling of leaves and brush. Chase held his breath as the door creaked open. Persephone's hand squeezed his arm. In the moment the door hung open, he could have sworn he saw a glint of blond hair as he peeked through a crack in the woodpile. The door slammed shut and the footsteps faded away.

  Chase's legs began to cramp from crouching for so long. More lightning and thunder flashed and boomed as the storm moved closer. He now understood what his last premonition had been about. If only he'd found out more while he was sleeping, then maybe they wouldn't be squatting in an old, spidery shed, hiding from some insane stalker.

  "Isn't he gone yet?" Andy whispered. "How long have we been in here anyway?"

  "Feels like forever," grumbled Janie, rubbing her legs, "but maybe about twenty minutes or so."

  "I'll go see if it's safe," said Chase. Although, if he had his choice, he'd rather be lounging in a comfy chair in front of the fire in Grandfather's study.

  "Good idea," said Janie.

  "And be careful," said Persephone firmly.

  He gave her a small, lopsided smile. "Hey, what else would I be?"

  Creeping to the door, he opened it just enough for him to slip out. Pressed against the side of the building, he strained to see anything the least bit suspicious in the darkness. He swallowed, pushing down the panic that rushed through him at the thought of running into whatever crazy person was after them, but everything looked okay.

  He snuck to the edge of the forest, while trying to blend in with the shadows. He checked up and down the road. No one was in sight. The wind riffled eerily through the trees. It swirled around him as he stood for a moment listening to the sounds of the night before he turned and hurried back to the shed.

  "Whoever it was seems to be gone now," he said as he swung open the door. "So let's get the heck out of here in case he comes back."

  Stepping outside, Persephone brushed at her hair and clothing. "Yuck! I feel like I'm crawling with bugs."

  "Same here," said Janie.

  "Come on. We need to go," said Chase, losing patience as he watched Janie picking cobwebs off her jacket and Andy hopping around. "We'll worry about spiders and whatever later."

  "Easy for him to say," Andy whispered to Persephone. "He didn't have one crawling in his pants."

  Keeping a lookout for any sign of their pursuer, they flitted through the trees and down the road. Chase stuck out an arm and stopped everyone when he heard rustling and snapping twigs. With his heart thumping at least a hundred miles a minute, he flashed his light toward the noise. Several pairs of green, glowing eyeballs blinked in the brightness as a family of raccoons sprang from the bushes. They loped across the road and disappeared into the darkness.

  "Whew!" said Persephone. "For a second there..."

  "Yeah," said Chase, mentally swiping his hand across his forehead. "I know what you mean."

  He heaved a deep sigh of relief when they finally reached the end of the road and saw their friendly, glowing house across the yard.

  "Man! Was that scary or what?" said Andy. "Who would want to chase us, anyway?"

  "Good question, shrimp," said Chase, staring back down the dark, sinister-looking road. He didn't mention anything about the glimpse of blond hair he'd seen. It still seemed too crazy that it might have been Doctor Dan.

  "Maybe someone wanted to kidnap us and hold us for ransom," said Janie, looking worried. "Grandfather is kind of rich, you know."

  "Wouldn't it be easier to take just one of us and not the whole bunch at once?" said Chase.

  "Yeah, I guess." Her hands shook as she scraped sticky webs from between her fingers. "It was too scary for words, though. I sure won't be walking down that road at night ever again. And where was Grandfather? He said he'd be there. If he was with us we could have teleported!"

  "At least your power came in handy, Janie," said Persephone.

  "I should've frozen him," said Andy, cramming his hands into his pockets as he stomped along, "but I was so scared, I forgot I had a magical power."

  "That's okay, Andy,"
said Chase. "I would've levitated the creep to the top of a tree, if I'd've thought of it, that is."

  Janie stepped between them and patted the boys' shoulders. "I'm sure you guys will remember to use a little magic in the next crisis we have."

  "I sure hope so," Chase muttered to himself.

  The pouring rain started seconds after they entered the kitchen. Thunder boomed overhead, making the doors and windows rattle. It felt as if the storm had followed them home, like a big, growling dog nipping at their heels.

  "Cool! We got here just in time," said Chase, quickly closing the back door. He glanced at the clock and saw it was a few minutes until midnight. "We should probably let Grandfather know we're home."

  "Let's go see if he's with my mom," said Janie, plopping her bag on the counter before heading for the swinging kitchen door. "Oh my gosh! Maybe she had a relapse and that's why he missed the show."

  The door to Clair's room was open and rosy light spilled into the hallway. The kids heard voices coming from within. Chase jerked up his arms to stop the others. "Let's listen to this," he whispered.

  They nodded and tip-toed closer.

  "Are you sure?" asked Grandfather. His voice was filled with worry.

  "It was them," Clair said, sounding hoarse and weak. "From what I can tell, they're still collecting magic…" Thunder boomed, drowning out half her words. "…lost Shard."

  Grandfather said something they weren't able to hear because of the sound of the loud, pounding rain coming through the bedroom window. Then, "…a long time…dangerous."

  "We have to…safe…was followed...Mar…angry…escaped," murmured Clair, her voice fading in and out. "I don't want them to…" BOOM! The lightning and thunder flashed and roared. "…didn't mean…I planned…toward the…my journey…but I…Ben or…so confused. The kids can't know…" BOOM! Thunder shook the windows.

  "Don't worry. I've taken care of that with a powerful enchantment," said Grandfather. His voice was louder now, moving back and forth as if he was pacing the floor. He heaved a deep sigh. "It looks like our Dark Enemy will never stop until—"

  The kids looked at each other. "Dark enemy?" mouthed Chase.

  Clair's croaky voice took up where Grandfather had left off. "—until either we or they are de—" She stopped, as if afraid to finish the sentence. "Anyway, I'll do what I can to keep…" More rumbling thunder drowned out her quiet words.

  "It's late," said Grandfather. "The children will be here soon and it's best if they know nothing of what we've been discussing. Why don't you get more sleep and we'll speak again when you're feeling better."

  The kids dashed back to the kitchen. When Grandfather arrived, they were huddled around the cookie jar, munching and chatting.

  "Ah, children, I'm happy to see you weren't caught in the storm," said Grandfather, strolling through the doorway. "How was the show? I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend."

  "It was magnificent, Grandfather!" exclaimed Janie. "We didn't want it to end."

  "Awesome!" said Andy, a little too loudly. "The jumping dogs were the best."

  "Everything was great!" added Chase, hoping their enthusiasm didn't sound too forced as he glanced at Persephone, who was nodding vigorously.

  "Isn't it wonderful what a little magic can do?" said Grandfather, with a tired, yet sad-looking smile. "I'm off to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Don't stay up too late."

  After he was gone, Janie continued to stare at the closed kitchen door. "I don't believe it," she said. "He didn't say a word about my mom. She's wide awake and he didn't tell us!" She crushed the cookie in her hand.

  The other kids glanced at each other. From the looks on their faces, Chase had a feeling they were all thinking the same thing. No one knew why Grandfather had kept quiet about Clair. It didn't make any sense.

  "Yeah," said Andy, scowling, "we need to hear about our dad too!"

  "He must have his reasons," murmured Persephone.

  "But what the heck can they be?" said Janie.

  They all slouched at the counter and nibbled on their cookies.

  "Um...Janie?" said Chase, remembering something he wanted to do while he had the chance. "Can you take me back to the locked room? I can't remember how to get there."

  "You want to break in," accused Janie.

  "Maybe…" he said, staring at the ceiling.

  Janie snorted. "Yeah, right." She hopped off the stool. "Okay, let's go."

  Surprised at how easily she caved in, Chase followed her from the room. Persephone and Andy looked at each other, shrugged, and traipsed out behind them.

  "How do you remember where to go?" asked Chase as they climbed staircases and sped down hallways. "I spend half my time lost."

  "I guess I have a better sense of direction than you. It comes in handy around here." Janie stopped in front of a dark-brown door with a brass handle. "This is it. Have at it. Get yourself turned to stone or something equally as bad. See if I care." She flicked her hand and stepped back.

  "I'm sure it'll be okay," said Chase. He pulled something from his pocket and knelt down.

  "What's that?" asked Persephone, looking over his shoulder.

  "A lock-pick." He squinted into the key hole. "A friend of mine gave it to me."

  "Nice friend," said Janie, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. "Who do you hang out with, thieves and hoods?"

  "Sometimes," he answered, sliding the pick into the lock.

  She raised her eyebrows. "You do? I was only kidding."

  Frowning and squinting, Chase jiggled and fiddled with the keyhole. "Almost got it," he murmured.

  The door began to glow faintly. It shimmered and glistened, growing brighter and brighter until it was an eye-popping, fire-engine red. Right after that, two long, spindly arms and two long, fat legs sprouted from the wood.

  "Uh-oh," said Andy.

  "Oh, geez!" Chase stumbled back, but before he had a chance to even think about scrambling away, he was grabbed by the scrawny arms, thrown face down across one of the legs, and thoroughly spanked. "Ow! Ow! OW! Hey, stop it!" he yelled, flailing his arms and legs. "Let me go you crazy door! Owow! Stop!"

  The long limbs zipped back into the door. Chase tumbled to the floor and lay there panting and staring at the ceiling as the bright-red faded away. Was it possible for him to be any more humiliated?

  The other kids hurried to help him, but he waved them back. "Don't come any closer. I want to stay right here and forget this ever happened."

  Great, he thought, if I ever had any chance of Persephone liking me, that spanking just ruined it.

  "You gotta say this for Grandfather," said Janie, with a huge grin, "he has a sense of humor."

  "Oh yeah, he's real funny," Chase said as he climbed to his feet and rubbed his sore butt. It looked like he'd be doing a lot of standing for the next few days.

  "That was a bust," said Andy, staring at the locked door. "If I were you, I would think of those as early birthday spankings." He glanced at Persephone, who had her hand covering her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter. When her eyes met Andy's, she completely lost it.

  Chase crossed his arms and glared as the other three cracked up. "I'm happy you guys are having a good laugh," he said, watching Andy cling to the wall to keep from falling.

  "Sorry," said Janie between giggles, "but you looked so funny. And Grandfather did tell us to stay away from here."

  He certainly didn't have to take this. He stomped off.

  "Wait!" she cried, starting after him. "You're going the wrong way. And didn't you want to talk about the dark enemy?"

  This made Chase pause. "Yeah," he said, turning. "Do you know anything about it?"

  Janie shook her head. "No, I've never heard of it, but maybe we can figure something out."

  Walking back, Chase glowered at Andy and Persephone as they continued to giggle. "Dorks," he muttered.

  The four kids huddled on the floor and tried to remember what they had overheard.

  "Your mom said it's t
hem and something else about collecting magic," said Chase. "Magic from where?"

  "You know, we aren't the only magical beings," answered Janie. "I mean, the world is filled with elves, leprechauns, vampires, witches, wizards."

  "All that's real?" exclaimed Chase. "Are you sure?"

  "Sure I'm sure. Why would we be the only ones with magic? And maybe this dark enemy, or whatever, is stealing their good magic and using it for evil. It's possible they want ours now."

  "She mentioned something about a lost shard too," said Persephone, while Chase looked like he was still having a hard time believing vampires and elves truly did exist.

  Janie nodded. "It must be the missing piece that broke off after Jedadiah found the Relic."

  "And these enemy guys have it?" said Andy.

  "Looks like…" Janie's voice trailed off.

  "I think Mr. Hiram sounded really worried," said Persephone. "And Clair said she didn't want us to know something." She crossed her arms. "Curiouser and curiouser," she quoted as she reached up to fiddle with her tiny diamond nose-ring.

  "Yeah," said Andy. "And they're not going to stop until—uh...I don't know."

  Janie pounded her fist on the floor. "I just don't get it! Maybe if we'd heard the whole thing, it would make more sense."

  Chase propped his elbow on his bent knee. "We have to do something!" he burst out. "We can't let some dark enemy, or whatever, come and take our magic from us." He remembered Doctor Dan and his rotten behavior. "And I'm pretty sure Doctor Dan might be one of them."

  "That's crazy!" scoffed Janie.

  He shook his head. "Think about it. He was a huge jerk about the ice cream. You didn't see him, but he was staring daggers at us on the beach, and I know I saw a glint of blond hair when the shed door opened. Seems awfully suspicious to me. Wait! Here's something else. A couple days ago, I found him in the spiral staircase room staring straight up the stairs. He said he was lost."

  "He probably was," said Janie. "You're always lost."

  "But I've been here a week." Chase snorted. "Lost. Yeah, right. Snooping around is more like it. I bet he knows all about our magic. And I bet he'd love to get in the attic."

  "He does have those cold, mean eyes," added Persephone, shuddering.