Bubble Gum and Monsters

by Mark Francis

  Chapter 9

  Class finished, and Daea ran to the Childaar room. The newest Lego sets that Daea and Eli ordered had arrived. She’d spent the whole class dreaming of the things she would build. Eli was quick on her heels. Usually he stayed after class to talk to the teacher, but today he was as excited as his friend to get out.

  When they got to their home, fifty packs awaited them. Daea started ripping them open.

  “Hey. Don’t mix the pieces. I want to build the sets.”

  Daea kept ripping. “It’s more fun putting them all together and building whatever you want.”

  Eli stacked the remaining packages behind him. “Leave these alone. They’re mine.”

  Daea started to crawl over the Sight to reach the unopened boxes, when Chuck walked into the room. “Put those away. We have a mission.”

  “Really? We just had that Kanata Stomp a couple of days ago,” Daea said.

  “Don’t whine, and start getting ready,” the Sight said. “It looks like an Operation in Rockcliffe.”

  “Do you think you and Jesi-Sera could do it alone?”

  Jesi-Sera entered the room and answered, “Ye know better than that. Let’s go.”

  It was just after dusk and the moon was full. It was a few degrees below freezing. Only the toughest of leaves held onto the tree branches.

  To avoid entering the A-team’s territory, they took the Queensway to the Vanier Parkway, which they followed to Hemlock Road.

  Rockcliffe Park is a well-to-do neighborhood on the east side of Ottawa. The houses are large and the yards manicured. Mature maple and elm trees line the streets. The roads aren’t square, but rather meander through the community.

  The Suffering didn’t lead them to any place in particular, but rather washed evenly throughout the streets and yards.

  “Anything we need to know?” Jesi-Sera asked Chuck as she parked the SUV.

  “I’d say we should split up and look for things out of the ordinary. After that, it’s usually best to stake out the location. In Rockcliffe, that usually means someone’s house. After the stakeout, we should have an idea what the problem is and how to fix it.”

  Jesi-Sera got out of the vehicle, stretched, and inspected the neighborhood. “It is nice here.”

  Chuck said, “It looks nice on the outside, but it’s amazing how dark things get behind some of these doors.”

  “Aye, it would take a lot to surprise me. Some of the Operations we had to do in London’s high end areas were horrific. Goodness help us when royalty was involved.” Jesi-Sera turned to the team and said, “Unless we find something sooner, meet back here in thirty minutes.”

  Daea buttoned up her jacket and put on her tuque and gloves. “So, we just walk around looking for something strange?”

  “Yes. But you and Eli will go together,” Chuck said.

  The rookies ran down the street. Daea kicked a mound of leaves blown up against the curb and Eli ran through them. As they rounded a corner, they encountered a school. The Suffering didn’t encroach on the yard. Six children milled around a jungle gym in the park.

  Daea approached the oldest kid, who looked about nine or ten years old. “Hey,” she said to the well-dressed young boy. He had black hair and a fair complexion.

  “Hey, yourself.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Umm.” The boy looked around. “Not much. You?”

  “Yeah, nothing much either. We’re new in town, and just checking things out.”

  The boy extended his hand and said, “My name is Aiden.”

  Daea shook his hand. “I’m Daea.”

  All the kids in the yard moved toward the newcomers. Aiden asked, “So what are you doing in town?”

  “We are—,” Daea began.

  Eli cut her off and finished, “Exchange students.”

  One of the other kids in the group, a small pretty girl named So-E, joined the conversation. “Where are you from?”

  Eli answered, “We’re both from Los Angeles.”

  “Ahhh,” the kids said in unison.

  “Yeah, and I’ve even met famous movie stars like Annaliese Aguirre, Patricia Kortney, and Basil Milborne,” Daea said.

  The kids were impressed.

  “Want to play something?” Aiden asked.

  “Like what?”

  He kicked some leaves. “I don’t know…”

  So-E said, “I know, let’s play hide and go seek.”

  Daea beamed. “I love hide-and-seek! Can I be it first, please?” It was decided, and Daea stuck her face in a large tree and counted to one hundred as fast as possible. When she finished, she yelled as loud as she could, “Ready or not, here I come.” She opened her eyes and surveyed the empty park. She walked away from the tree, making sure not to go too far.

  Quiet streets filled with large houses surrounded the school yard. House lights shone as people finished late dinners and began their evening routines. Through the windows, she saw lots of people watching big TVs.

  Daea spotted a plump boy from the group move from behind a garbage can and make a run for home base. He was no match for Daea, who easily outran him to the tree. She then proceeded to catch all the kids except for Eli and Aiden.

  The caught children gathered around the tree to see if she could find the last two hiders. A parent yelled out their door and So-E grumbled that she had to go.

  Daea walked to the road in front of the school. To the left she could see a well-lit intersection, and to her right the road disappeared around a corner. She walked to the left and heard a crackling noise behind her. Aiden dropped out of a tree and began to run. The other kids clapped and cheered. He was fast and had a head start, but the girl closed the gap and easily touched the tree before him.

  Daea ran back to the road and walked down the dark street. She kept turning around to make sure Eli wasn’t going to surprise her from behind. She spotted a strange brick house. It was dark and looked as though no one was home, but there were three cars in the driveway and four more on the street. She crossed the road. Eli crouched in a shrub watching the house.

  “This is weird,” she whispered. “What’s going on in there?”

  “I have no idea,” Eli replied.

  The children from the playground began to walk toward them.

  Daea said, “We have to get those kids out of here.”

  Eli looked at his watch. “And we have to get back to the car. We’re five minutes late. Race to home base?”

  Daea yelled, “Go!”

  The spectators cheered as Eli and Daea ran toward the tree. Daea was quicker off the start, but Eli caught up to her. The girl squeezed through the fence gate, and Eli jumped it like an Olympic hurdler. They were neck and neck down the homestretch. At the last moment, Eli stretched out his hand and touched the tree. The kids in the yard roared with delight.

  Daea, gasping for air, laughed and patted Eli on the back. “Good game.”

  As they said their goodbyes, Aiden took out his phone. “I was wondering if maybe I could get your numbers and we could hang out?”

  Eli said, “Actually, we don’t get a lot of free time. Also, our school doesn’t let us have phones.”

  The boy looked disappointed. “Well, it was nice meeting you. Hopefully we can have a rematch someday.”

  Everyone agreed and they parted ways.

  Jesi-Sera looked annoyed upon the rookies’ return. “Where have ye been? You’re ten minutes late.”

  “We were playing hide-and-seek,” Daea began.

  “And I won,” Eli finished.

  The team leader said, “This isn’t the time to be playing games. We need to complete the Operation. Look at the Suffering. It’s rising fast.”

  In unison, Daea and Eli said, “Sorry.”

  Did you find anything?” Chuck growled.

  “Yeah, there is a house with seven cars in front of it, but no lights on inside,” Eli replied.

  “Show us,” said the Sight.

  The
team drove to the dark, empty brick house. After they exited the vehicle, Jesi-Sera said, “Chuck, ye scout it out. We’ll wait here.”

  “On it.” The older boy disappeared in front of their eyes.

  Jesi-Sera turned to Eli and Daea. “Ye two have to learn to manage your time better. Chuck and I were getting worried.”

  “But we found the house,” Daea said.

  “We make plans for a reason. Ye may not realize it yet, but we young vampires can be hurt. It isn’t all fun and games out here. We have an important job. Could you imagine the world without us? And it’s not like we have a surplus of Childaar. Our resources are thin so we must be wise. Aye?”

  The rookies hung their heads and said, “Aye.”

  Daea took the older girl’s hand. “I’m sorry, Jesi-Sera. It’s just we were having so much fun playing with the other kids. We lost track of time.”

  “I’m sorry too,” Eli said.

  Jesi-Sera smiled and asked, “Was the game close?”

  Daea made a hand gesture with her thumb and forefinger with very little room between them.

  Chuck appeared. “This house is locked up tighter than the Royal Mint. All the doors and windows are locked, and they have a security system to prevent intruders.”

  Jesi-Sera took a deep breath. “We have to find some way to find out what’s going on inside that place.”

  Eli asked, “Chuck, do you think you could get an animal in there?”

  “Maybe some insects, but they are so unreliable and hard to talk to. I’d be lucky to be able to even give them directions, let alone understand their results.”

  “Why don’t we smash a window and just go in?” Daea asked.

  Jesi-Sera shook her head. “No, that’d pop the mission. Keep the suggestions coming.”

  “What if we rang the doorbell and Chuck snuck in?” suggested Eli.

  Jesi-Sera smiled at the boy. “Hmmm, and what would we say?”

  Daea stuck her hand up and blurted, “We could sell chocolates, like for a school fundraiser. I’ll go buy some at the corner store.”

  Chuck replied, “The chocolates schools use for those events are different than what you buy at the store.”

  “What else do schools do to fundraise?” Jesi-Sera asked.

  “Pledge donations,” Eli said.

  “True, but we don’t have the proper papers for that. Anything else?”

  Chuck’s gold eyes flickered in the night. He grinned and said, “Bottle drive.”

  Jesi-Sera nodded. “That works. Chuck and I will go to the door. Daea and Eli, one of you sit in the driver’s seat to make it look like a parent in the vehicle.”

  “Me,” Daea shouted.

  “No, me,” Eli said. “Besides, Daea isn’t tall enough.”

  “Like you are?”

  “Rock, paper, scissors,” Jesi-Sera told the kids.

  It was agreed, and Daea threw rock and Eli scissors. The girl pumped her fist in the air and hopped into the driver’s side seat. Eli got in the passenger side door. Chuck used his Unnoticeable to vanish.

  Jesi-Sera pressed the doorbell repeatedly until a light turned on in the house. Then another light lit up the hall, and finally the outside light turned on and the door opened. She engaged a stylish woman in conversation. The Charm pointed toward the vehicle on the street, and the woman stuck her head out to take a look. A man appeared in the doorway. Jesi-Sera talked to him and he nodded, and walked back into the house. He returned with boxes of bottles. He left and then came back with more boxes and bags of cans. Daea saw the man and woman putting on jackets and shoes. Jesi-Sera waved her arms, but the adults insisted on helping.

  “Uh oh,” Daea said.

  Eli nodded. “We have to get out of here.”

  “Yeah,” Daea agreed. “Can you work the pedals while I steer?”

  The boy scrambled into the lower compartment.

  The girl moved the shifter to D, for drive, and the car jolted. The couple and Jesi-Sera were halfway down the long driveway. “Let’s go!”

  Eli pushed down on the gas pedal. He pushed too hard. Daea was thrown back, and Eli tumbled around the car floor. The SUV surged forward and smashed into an expensive car in front of them.

  “Uh oh,” the rookies said in unison.

  The shocked man and woman dropped their things and ran toward the vehicles. Jesi-Sera looked mortified. She was quick on the couple’s heels to inspect the damage.

  “What should we do?” Eli asked, getting up off the floor.

  “Hide?”

  “Where?”

  “Run?”

  Before they could do anything, the couple was at the door. Their brows furrowed when they saw the kids sitting in the front seat. The couple demanded answers.

  Jesi-Sera gave the rookies a hard stare, then smiled and explained to the adults that the kids should not have been horsing around. She wrote some information down on a paper and said that insurance would cover the damages. The couple changed their attitude; they even helped load the rest of the cans and bottles before returning to their house.

  “What was that?” Jesi-Sera yelled once they were all back in the vehicle.

  “Eli pushed down too hard when we drove away.”

  “Daea doesn’t know how to drive.”

  “Ye shouldn’t have been driving at all.” The leader drove the vehicle around the corner. She sighed and said, “Just so ye know, to pull onto the street like that, ye don’t even need to press the gas. The car will move slowly while in gear.” She parked the vehicle. “Shall we find Chuck?”

  They got out and crept around the big brick house and found the patio door in the back ajar. Chuck suddenly appeared beside them.

  “They are having a meeting downstairs,” he whispered.

  “What kind of meeting?” the Charm asked.

  “It seems like some members of the wife’s law firm are trying to start their own. They say that there is no room for advancement in the company.”

  “Why are they being so secretive?”

  “I don’t know. It’s all rather boring business talk.”

  “Did ye look around the rest of the house?”

  “A little. There’s nothing suspicious. It is a big house for just two people.”

  “No kids?”

  “No.”

  “Any ideas?” Jesi-Sera asked the team.

  “I’d guess that someone in this group is the key,” Chuck said.

  “Aye. Why don’t ye go back into the house and see what ye can learn about these individuals. I’ll take Eli and Daea and look around the back.”

  Chuck nodded and disappeared.

  Jesi-Sera turned to her teammates. “Spread out and look for clues.”

  It was a big yard. There was a swimming pool and a poolside deck. An enormous barbeque dominated the patio. Daea walked to the detached garage, Eli snooped around the garden, and Jesi-Sera looked in the windows.

  The young girl couldn't open the locked garage door. She checked under the doormat and found the key. The Suffering stirred. The garage was a disaster filled full of sports equipment, garden and lawn tools, old furniture, and boxes upon boxes. Daea was inspecting the boxes when she heard something move. She scanned the room.

  A red flicker ran outside. She exited the garage and saw a small body scamper over a stone wall into the alley. The Childaar jumped the wall, but had to twist to avoid hitting a small girl on the other side. The little girl scrambled to escape.

  “Wait,” Daea said softly. “I won’t hurt you.”

  The girl’s eyes widened, then she fell to the ground and began to cry. She was much younger than Daea. Her matted black hair was full of knots and tangles. Her face was grimy and her clothes dirty.

  In her hand was a raggedy old doll. The thick plastic of the doll’s head had taken the years of wear and tear well. Its brown hair had kept some of its fullness, while its stuffed cotton body had lost much of its plump. Sewn to the body was a pair of red overalls.

  Daea
sat beside the girl on the cold, hard ground. She placed a hand on the girl’s leg and said, “It’s going to be alright. I am here to help you. My name is Daea. What’s yours?”

  “Eva,” the girl said as silent tears streamed down her face. She had an East European accent.

  “Do you like dolls?”

  The girl looked at the stuffed toy in her hand and said, “They’re my favorite.”

  “I like dolls too. At my home, in Los Angeles, I have four. When I was a kid I used to have tea parties with them.”

  The little girl’s lips almost smiled.

  Daea continued, “One time, three summers ago, we had a four-hour tea party. Mr. Tiger thought it went too long, but Mrs. Tiger had a great time. Mango, a big parrot, told stories to everyone. Me and Bob the Snake just listened and laughed the whole time. Mango even told us a joke. Want to hear it?”

  The little girl nodded.

  “Knock knock.”

  “Who’s there?”

  “Duane.”

  “Duane who?”

  “Duane da bathtub, I’m dwowning.”

  Eva smiled but didn’t laugh. “That’s funny.”

  Daea laughed. “I like it.” After a moment, she asked, “Why are you here, Eva?”

  The girl sat on the ground in silence.

  “I want to help you.”

  The girl looked at Daea for a long time. “It’s my home,” she answered and began to cry again.

  “But where are your parents?”

  “My mom is sick, and I don’t know where my dad is.”

  “Where’s your mom?”

  “In the hospital.”

  “Don’t you have any other family to take care of you?”

  “Not in Canada.”

  “There must be somewhere for you to go. You can’t live alone out here.”

  The Suffering eased but continued to churn.

  Jesi-Sera and Eli jumped onto the wall. The girl looked frightened and began to move. Daea patted her leg. “It’s OK. They’re my friends, and we are going to get you help.”

  Daea waved her hands. “Take it easy. We’ve got a new friend.”

  Jesi-Sera dropped to the ground, and Eli plopped down atop the wall.

  “What have we here?” Jesi-Sera asked. “Why, aren’t ye just a wee little thing? A little dirty, but so pretty.”

  “My name is Eva.”

  “Eva, well that is a beautiful name. My name is Jesi-Sera and”—she pointed up—“that’s Eli.”

  The boy smiled and waved.

  Daea turned to Jesi-Sera and said, “Her only family in the country is her mother and father. Her mom is sick in the hospital and she doesn’t know where her dad is.”

  The little girl snuggled up to the Charm, who embraced her. “You’re OK, Eva. We’re going to make sure you get the help you need.”

  Daea saw Chuck approach from down the alley. He looked at the girl. “Good. Problem solved. If we hurry, I’ll be able to watch the end of the hockey game.”

  Jesi-Sera frowned. “No, not problem solved. We still have to help this girl.”

  “You know what I meant.”

  “It’s not just about solving the problem. It’s about making a difference in the lives of people.”

  “You’re right.” He lowered himself to face Eva. “My name’s Charles, but you can call me Chuck.”

  The little girl looked at Jesi-Sera, who gave her an approving nod. “I’m Eva.”

  “Nice to meet you, Eva. Want to meet my best friends?”

  Buddy and Whiskers emerged from the dark. Eva’s eyes widened as the large dogs approached.

  Chuck said, “It’s OK, they won’t hurt you.”

  Buddy licked Eva’s hand. The little girl laughed. Whiskers nuzzled her hand and rolled on his belly. Eva rubbed his exposed underside, and Buddy licked the tearstains off her face.

  The team walked the little girl out of the alley and back to the SUV.

  “Anything else happen at the meeting?” Jesi-Sera asked.

  Chuck shook his head. “No, it was so boring. All they talked about was projections and revenue growth.”

  They got into the vehicle. Buddy and Whiskers got their heads over the backseat and continued to shower Eva with dog kisses.

  Jesi-Sera drove the team to the Civic Hospital. Holding the girl’s hand, the Charm escorted her inside. Before they got to the entrance, however, Eva turned and ran back to the vehicle. “I want you to have this,” she said, giving Daea the raggedy old doll.

  “I can’t take it, Eva. It’s yours. You keep it. Maybe someday we’ll meet again, and we can have a proper tea party then.”

  Eva gave Daea another hug, then ran back to the Charm and entered the hospital.

  The Suffering returned to its normal, wispy state.

  When Jesi-Sera returned she said, “Apparently, Eva was afraid and didn’t know what to do after her mom was taken to the hospital, so she ran away. The hospital staff assured the girl that she has nothing to be afraid of. Her mother was asleep at the moment and couldn’t be disturbed, but a doctor said that she will be fine. They said they will contact the proper authorities and that Eva will be taken care of until her mom is discharged.”

  Eli and Daea high-fived, and even Chuck smiled.

  “Brilliant work, team,” Jesi-Sera said. “Let’s go home. We have lots of time to relax before class. Daea and Eli, I’m sure you’re excited to get back to your Lego. And Chuck can watch the end of the game.”

  Daea said, “I think we shouldn’t have school on days after successful missions.”

  Chapter 10

  The first big snowfall of the year had started during the day. Daea told their teacher that she couldn’t work because she was too excited to see the snow. After class, she paced around the Childaar room awaiting sundown.

  Large, heavy, wet snowflakes still fell when the team finally got outside. The night was beautiful as flakes fell through the illumination of the city lights. The temperature wasn’t cold, so the snow was perfectly sticky.

  They built gigantic snowmen in the Museum of Nature’s yard. Eli methodically planned routes to maximize the amount of snow they could roll, and the combined strength of the Childaar allowed them to lift the heavy balls on top of each other.

  Chuck pointed across the street. “The Suffering is rising. We have a mission.”

  They finished their snowmen using rocks for eyes and mouths, and broken tree branches for arms. By the time they finished, the Suffering had developed enough for Chuck to identify it as an Operation in Vanier. They returned to their room to prepare. Daea made hot chocolate and gave everyone a travel mug to go.

  Vanier neighbors Rockcliffe Park on the east side of Ottawa, but they are very different places. While the latter is known for its big houses and snaking roads, the former is modest and conventional. Vanier is special in that its residents predominantly speak French.

  They drove east on the Queensway to the Vanier Parkway, and then turned onto Montreal Road, Vanier’s main thoroughfare. The heavy snow relaxed into light flurries. Trucks and snowplows were already busy clearing the streets. The dark Suffering contrasted with the white snow as it rolled through the freshly laid blanket. They stopped at a strip mall on St. Laurent Boulevard. The building contained a convenience store, tax office, dollar store, shwarma restaurant, and courier depot.

  Everyone jumped out of the vehicle. Chuck popped the back, releasing Buddy and Whiskers.

  Jesi-Sera surveyed the area. “Any ideas?”

  Chuck stopped petting Buddy’s belly and barked at his pets. The dogs bounded off.

  Eli and Jesi-Sera patrolled the parking lot, and Daea walked to the store to buy a snack.

  Inside the shop, a group of teenage boys crowded the candy aisle.

  “Move it or lose it,” the girl said as she tried to push through the group.

  A boy wearing a Blue Jays cap laughed and stood in her way. When she tried to go around him, he moved over to keep blocking her. “Lose wh
at?” he asked.

  Daea slowly removed her tuque and gloves. She looked the boys straight in the eye and asked, “You want a piece of this?”

  The boy recoiled and stammered, “Uhhh, no. Sorry, I was just teasing you.”

  Daea pushed by him, grabbed a large bag of ketchup chips, and stormed back through the group. “Don’t you all have something better you could be doing than loitering in this store? Go make a snowman or something.”

  The shopkeeper’s jaw dropped when the boys left. He thanked her for the help. Daea rejoined the team, which was discussing possibilities.

  “I might be a Charm,” Daea said through a mouthful of chips.

  Eli turned to Daea. “Really? What happened?”

  “I told those boys to do something better than hang out in the store and they listened to me. They all left.”

  Jesi-Sera looked at the boys down the road. “Perhaps the force of your personality drove them away. Don’t read too much into what just happened.”

  Eli asked, “Would you like to be a Charm?”

  Chuck said, “If I were you, I’d want to be a Hardy.”

  “But Charms are more often team leaders,” Eli replied.

  Chuck shrugged.

  “I don’t know which I would prefer,” Daea said.

  Jesi-Sera patted the girl’s back. “Whatever ye are, ye are an invaluable member of this team.”

  Jesi-Sera brought everyone together. “Let’s spread out.” She pointed to Daea and Eli. “Ye two will be together again. We will meet back here in twenty minutes—don’t be late.” She pulled a silver whistle out of her pocket. “I will blow this if I need you back sooner.”

  “Can I have a whistle too?” Daea asked.

  “Sorry, luv, it’s the only one.”

  Daea and Eli walked behind the mall. They spotted some Crawlies under a trash bin. Eli shot them with a rolling fireball before Daea could engage.

  “I win,” Eli said.

  “I wish I could shoot from afar. I have to get in close to do anything.”

  “Well, if you are a Charm, you’ll get Speedness and be able to close in quick, but if you are a Hardy you’ll keep being a slowpoke.”

  “Just imagine my kung fu with Speedness,” Daea said as she moved into her tiger pose.

  “True,” Eli agreed, “but as a Hardy you would also have Powness and Formness.”

  The Smart faced the girl, fists at his waist and shoulders square. They sparred in the parking lot behind the mall until they heard the whistle blow. Jesi-Sera’s eyes narrowed when they rounded the corner. “Find anything?”

  Daea pointed. “Just some Crawlies. We cleaned them out.”

  Buddy and Whiskers had returned. Whiskers pawed at Chuck’s pockets. The Sight took out a couple of treats and gave them to his pets.

  Jesi-Sera said, “The dogs found Eva’s scent down the road.”

  “Eva?” Eli asked. “But I thought we solved that Operation last week?”

  “It seems like she has something to do with this one as well. It’s rare for missions to be linked, but it can happen.”

  The team walked down the road to a series of townhouses located between two large cemeteries. The snow had stopped, and the night was dark. The moon hid behind thick clouds. Brick townhouses, in various states of disrepair, lined both sides of the street. Garbage spread across the yards. The Suffering was twitchy and anxious.

  Buddy barked at one of the homes. Chuck pointed. “That’s the one.”

  Jesi-Sera looked at the house. “Hmm, how should we do this?”

  Daea smirked and said, “Why don’t we pretend to have a bottle drive.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Jesi-Sera said, “I don’t think we need to be too elaborate. Why don’t we see if Eva is home and if she wants to come out to play?”

  They walked up and rang the doorbell. A middle school aged boy opened the door. He looked at them and asked, “Quoi?”

  Daea gave the boy a funny look. “What?”

  Jesi-Sera stepped up and said, “Bonsoir. Eva est à la maison?”

  “Qui?”

  “Is Eva here?” Daea asked, pausing on each syllable.

  Three kids in the background ran down a set of stairs into the basement. Television light reflected from a side room.

  The boy yelled into the house. “Qui est Eva!”

  “The new girl,” a voice shouted from the TV room.

  The boy yelled up the stairs, “Eva! Porte!”

  He left the door open and unattended and ran down the stairs to join the other children. Jesi-Sera hurried her team into the front entrance and closed the door.

  Eli looked at Daea. “Haven’t you learned any French? Don’t you pay attention during class? If you just looked through a French dictionary and some books, you’d be fluent within hours.”

  “I like English,” the girl replied.

  “But don’t you see how it’s important to speak the language of the place you are in?”

  “That’s why I have you, Eli. Remember?”

  Before he could respond, Eva appeared at the top of the stairs with her doll in hand. Her sad face brightened upon seeing the Childaar. She ran down the stairs, hugged Daea, and reached to touch the rest of the members.

  She looked at Jesi-Sera and asked, “Why are you here?”

  “What is this place?” Daea asked.

  “It’s a foster home,” Chuck said. “Kids whose parents can’t care for them get put in places like this.” He lowered himself and through gritted teeth asked, “Are you OK?”

  “Yes. I have my own bed and we get fed three times a day. The foster parents treat us well. The other kids have been leaving me alone. I start school next week.”

  “How’s your mom?”

  Holding Jesi-Sera’s hand, Eva looked down and said, “I don’t know. They won’t tell me anything. They keep saying that everything will be alright and that it just takes time. I’m worried.”

  Jesi-Sera looked at the group. “What do ye think? She isn’t in danger here?”

  “What about your father? Have you heard from him?” Daea asked.

  The little girl shook her head.

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “About six months ago. He disappeared shortly after we arrived in Canada.”

  “Do you know anything about where he went? Did you contact the police?” Eli asked.

  Eva shook her head. “No, my mom said that she didn’t want to make any trouble.”

  The Suffering continued to rise.

  Chuck shrugged. “I’d say this has something to do with her dad.”

  Jesi-Sera nodded and looked at her watch. “We’d better get moving. You’re sure you’re alright, Eva?”

  The girl nodded and gave everyone a hug before they left.

  “We don’t have a lot to go on here,” Eli informed the team as they walked to their vehicle. “Just a name and vague description.”

  “It’s a start,” Chuck growled. “I’ve worked with less.”

  Jesi-Sera nodded. “Aye. Me too.”

  “Do you think her dad is in trouble?” Daea asked.

  Jesi-Sera replied, “Or is the dad the trouble?”

  Midnight neared; the Suffering whirled turbulently through the snow.

  Jesi-Sera looked at the group and said, “Let’s brainstorm. Throw out any ideas you have.”

  “Eva’s dad is an Eldaar,” Daea said.

  “I didn’t mean brainstorm bad ideas.”

  Chuck scratched behind Buddy’s ear. “Eva’s dad is in the area?”

  Daea shot her hand in the air. “Eva’s dad is a prince from another country but has to hide from his wicked father—the king.”

  “Be serious. We’re running short on time, and we don’t want this Operation to pop,” Chuck snarled.

  Daea stuck her tongue out at him. “I was being serious.”

  Eli kicked at the swirling darkness that surrounded them. “Could we look online?”

 
Jesi-Sera shook her head. “No. I’ve seen Childaar think they are above such a rule, but every time things turned out worse for them than had they not used the Internet.”

  “Yeah,” Chuck agreed, “don’t ever go online.”

  Eli nodded. “I know. It’s just that this would be a lot easier if we could.”

  “Could we go to the police?” Daea asked.

  Jesi-Sera asked, “Chuck, how are your relations with the city police?”

  “Not great. I know the A-team has connections, but I’ve got nothing.”

  “Well, let’s drive around a bit and see what we see,” said the Charm.

  They got in the SUV and patrolled the dark streets. Buddy and Whiskers managed to get into the backseat, crowding the young kids.

  Daea pointed. “What’s that?”

  “Where?” Jesi-Sera asked.

  The young girl pointed at a building with a group of adults outside. Even though the temperature had dropped, there was a sizable crowd. Clouds of cigarette smoke swirled above the group, which stood knee deep in Suffering.

  “That’s a homeless shelter,” Chuck replied. “It provides food and beds for the less fortunate.”

  Daea sat straight in her seat, examining the crowd. “Maybe Eva’s dad is there.”

  “Let’s check it out,” Jesi-Sera said as she parked the vehicle.

  Jesi-Sera and Chuck led the team into the building.

  The leader turned to Chuck and asked, “Any idea how Contaminated this place is?”

  He shrugged. “Fairly, I’m sure.”

  “What’s Contaminated?” Daea asked.

  Eli sighed. “Do you willingly try to not learn anything? This is Childaar 101.”

  Daea gave him a pointed look. “Just tell me.”

  Eli sighed again. “Sometimes the Suffering infects adult Kinedaar. These people are the Contaminated.”

  “Animals can be Contaminated too,” Chuck added.

  “What happens to a Contaminated person?”

  Eli explained, “At low levels they become more selfish and rude, and at the higher levels they are outright evil.”

  “Like a criminal?”

  Jesi-Sera nodded her head. “Aye, lots of the people we would call ‘bad guys’ are Contaminated. Even some we don’t think of as bad. The worst Contaminated I ever encountered was a doctor.”

  “How do you cure them?”

  Chuck grimaced. “You have to beat it out of them.”

  Daea’s eyes widened. “What?”

  Jesi-Sera added, “That’s partially true. There is another way, but it requires lots of time and resources for rehabilitation. I hate missions versus the Contaminated. I feel absolutely awful afterward.”

  Chuck bared his teeth. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “So Eva’s dad is a Contaminated,” Daea said.

  “We don’t know that yet. We don’t even know if he’s here,” the Charm replied.

  The two adults working at the counter looked surprised when the kids walked in. Jesi-Sera told them that they were trying to help their friend find her father and wondered if he was at the shelter. She gave them his name and description. They knew exactly who he was but seemed hesitant to speak.

  Jesi-Sera charmed the workers, and they learned that he didn’t stay at the shelter but frequented it. They explained that he ran a gambling operation. He travelled around the city preying on tourists and the unfortunate. He played a game called Three-card Monty. He dealt two aces and a queen and then shuffled them facedown. The players had to guess which one was the queen. If they guessed correctly, they won money. If they didn’t, they lost their bet. He would make it seem easy at first, but then start to cheat. He made the game impossible to win by replacing the lone queen with an ace from his sleeve.

  The shelter staff said that they have tried calling the police, but he’d be gone by the time they arrived. Jesi-Sera asked if he was there at the moment, and the counter workers didn’t know. They said if he was, he’d be out back by the alley either running his scam or threatening people for the money they owed. They warned the kids that they should not try to find him.

  The young vampires walked to the alley. They saw Eva’s dad behind a small collapsible table talking to a group of people. He was big, intimidating, and had the voice of a carnival barker. He played with a frail woman who placed her money on the table. He counted his shuffles and told her to watch the queen, even turning it over at times to show her where it was.

  Before the woman had a chance to guess at the card, Chuck cracked his knuckles and said, “I got this.”

  The Sight walked straight up to the table and kicked its underside, sending cards and money flying. He told the man that the game was over and that they had business. The man seemed shocked at first, but the shock turned into anger. Chuck whistled. Buddy and Whiskers emerged out of the shadows. The dogs flanked Eva’s father and growled. The man took a step back and raised his hands, explaining that he was only playing a game and that people had a choice to play or not. Chuck didn’t respond and slowly walked forward. He gave the man a straight punch to the stomach.

  “That’s for taking advantage of people.”

  The man sputtered that they didn’t have to play.

  Chuck punched the man again. “And that’s for cheating.”

  The man protested that he didn’t cheat. Chuck gave him a hard backhand across the face. The man acknowledged that he did cheat but wouldn’t anymore.

  Chuck gave him another slap. “How about you stop this game altogether?”

  He agreed and said he would.

  Chuck gave the man one last punch in the gut. “And what are you going to do? Who are the important people in your life?”

  The man’s eyes flashed with realization. He fell to the ground and began to cry. He explained that he had a wife and daughter in the city but that he had failed them. Between sobs, he said that they would hate him if he returned after abandoning them.

  Jesi-Sera walked over to the man lying on the ground. She rubbed his back and told him that things would be alright. She said that his wife was ill in the hospital and that Eva was in a foster home.

  Eva’s dad retched. A stream of inky black Suffering exploded from his mouth. He promised to find them both and take care of them from then on. Jesi-Sera smiled and said she knew that he would. He continued to retch, and the Suffering spewed onto the ground. The overall level of Suffering, however, had lowered and calmed.

  “We did it,” Daea shouted, giving Eli a high five.

  Jesi-Sera patted Chuck on the back. “Thanks.”

  The Sight dusted off his hands.

  The team walked back to the SUV and returned to the museum in silence. For the rest of the night, everyone sat in the TV area and watched sports.