by Gavin Brown
“Just give me a minute,” Spike said, brow furrowed in thought. Karim slumped down in a corner, hands pressed over his eyes.
“Whatever,” Tommy said, pulling out his phone. “I’m going to see if I can get a shot of it for Instagram, at least.” He leaned down and tried awkwardly to get both his face and a view of the boiler in the frame. It was important to get your face in the shot so people knew you were really there.
“Tommy!” Karim said. “That’s it! You’re a genius!”
“Huh?” Tommy answered. “I mean, I know I am. But … What did I do?”
Karim jumped to his feet, phone in hand.
“Huh?” Tommy stared at him in confusion. “How is Instagram going to help us?”
Spike rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone. Was Tommy really that thick?
“The camera,” she said, grinning. “We can see the basilisk through it.” Karim’s ideas might be a bit impractical at times, but Spike had to admit that he had nailed it.
A few seconds later they were all crouched around the boiler, peering at the screens of their smartphones. Spike could see the basilisk crouched in the dust behind it.
“Okay, let’s try this one more time,” she said. “Karim, you flush it out from the right side. Tommy, get ready with the box. I’ll tell you when.”
“Are we sure we should do this?” Karim held his phone at arm’s length, and Spike could see that his hand was shaking. “Maybe we should just wait for the police to come?”
“We created this problem,” Spike shot back. “We should be the ones to solve it.”
Spike moved into position without giving Karim a chance to object. Karim found an old broom handle in a closet, then approached from the right side. Tommy grabbed the box and set up on the left. Spike crouched down so that she could see the basilisk under the boiler. She checked her phone. It had one missed call—from her dad. Shaking her head in disappointment, she dismissed the notification, then turned on the phone’s flashlight. The lizard’s spiky shape stood starkly at the back of the boiler.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Spike said.
Tommy looked through his own phone, holding it awkwardly while Karim prodded behind the boiler with the broom handle. Spike held her breath as she watched the broom handle get closer and closer to the basilisk. Finally, the basilisk bolted.
“Ready … NOW!” Spike said as the basilisk’s dark silhouette reached Karim. Her body tensed as she realized that it might attack him. This really was dangerous. If Karim got hurt, his dad would find out about all this. And that could easily lead to all three of them getting pulled out of Adventure Camp this summer.
The box fell on the basilisk, but its tail was still sticking out through the corner, swishing wildly.
“Got you!” Tommy crowed, trying to hold the box as the creature struggled madly. Spike leaped to his aid and pushed the flailing tail under the box with her foot.
“Karim!” Spike gritted her teeth, holding on gamely. “Get over here!”
Karim jumped into action and helped them hold down the box. Suddenly, the box stopped shaking, though they could still hear the basilisk scratching inside.
“This cardboard won’t hold for long,” Karim said. “He’s already poking a few holes in the side.”
“Okay, just hold on!” Spike said, glancing around in a panic. She jumped up and quickly rummaged through the dim basement room.
She found a large and heavy trash bag in the corner. Spike slipped the bag over the cardboard box from one side, raising the box only a fraction of an inch so that the lizard couldn’t escape.
“Let’s go, it’s clawing its way out!” Karim cried.
Through the clear plastic, Spike could see the basilisk poking its head through the box. “That thing can really chew! We need somewhere to put it—fast!”
“The freezer in the kitchen?” Tommy suggested.
“No, I’ve got it,” Karim said. “The monster control guy’s box was sitting next to him. It didn’t get turned to stone!”
“Okay. Beast mode for real now!” Tommy said.
“Do it,” Spike said. The lizard was thrashing about, and she doubted that she or Karim could hold on to it. She hated trusting someone else with this, but Tommy had hit his growth spurt. It had to be him. “Go!”
Tommy picked up the plastic garbage bag from the top, held it closed, then ran for the stairs. Spike and Karim followed behind at a sprint.
The halls stood empty. The fluorescents were off and fire lights still flashed, giving the whole area a menacing and unfamiliar feel, like a spaceship after an alien attack.
“Faster!” Karim yelled. “It’s breaking through!”
Spike could see it as well, the basilisk attacking the heavy clear plastic of the bag from the inside. The creature turned its head to her for a moment, but she glanced away just in time.
“Shake it!” Karim yelled.
Spike watched as Tommy shook the plastic bag while he ran, sending the basilisk tumbling around inside. The remains of the cardboard box were now a shredded mess.
They quickly reached the petrified monster control guy, who still had a small cage at his side. Karim held the opening of the trash bag against the cage’s door. Spike took the other end of the bag, shaking it madly. The creature lost its grip and tumbled into the cage.
As the basilisk lay stunned in its confines, Karim pulled the bag away and slammed the cage door shut. The locking mechanism clicked into place automatically.
The three looked at one another, panting from the effort. Spike could feel sweat dripping as she pulled in ragged breaths. From inside the cage, the basilisk hissed and scratched, furious at being trapped.
“We’d better get out of here before someone sees us,” Spike said.
“Don’t worry,” a woman’s voice said behind them, and all three kids jumped. “Your secret’s safe with us.”
A man and a woman appeared behind them. Both were wearing black uniforms with a stylized A on the chest.
Tommy and Karim looked on in shock, but Spike wasn’t so easily shaken. “Who are you?” she demanded.
“We’re here to pick up this little pest,” the man said, grabbing the cage. “Your friendly neighborhood monster control bureau failed, so they called in the real professionals.”
“Not too shabby,” the woman added, inspecting the cage. “We’ll have to keep our eyes on you.”
“What?” Tommy blurted out. “Who … are you?”
“Best get a move on,” the man said, tapping his phone. “I just gave the all clear, and the school staff will be coming back in soon.”
Spike knew when it was time to make a graceful exit. She turned and ran for it, Tommy and Karim close behind.
“That … was … so … cool!” Tommy said between massive gulps of air.
Was this the greatest moment of his life? He paused for a second. He still felt awesome. Maybe even more awesome than before. Was this the greatest moment of his life?
Karim was staring blankly, silently shaking his head back and forth. He didn’t seem excited, just more scared than ever.
“You okay?” Tommy asked. Karim probably needed to do more bicep curls or something. That would get his confidence up.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” Karim said. “It’s just … That was crazy. My dad’s going to kill me. If we get caught—when we get caught.”
“We’d better find a way out of here,” Spike said.
“We can sneak out through the lower parking lot,” Karim suggested. “If we don’t get there soon, we’ll be in huge trouble.”
Spike drew a deep breath, and the trio went into the hallway. A moment later they were slipping out the back door. The other two had an easy time slinking behind car to car, but Tommy wasn’t a frail little thing like them. He had to run hunched over. Sneaking was absolutely the worst.
They looped all the way around through the parking lot, eventually rejoining the crowd from behind. Tommy was breathing heavily, but everyone’s attention was o
n the school, where the two monster hunters in dark sunglasses and smart black uniforms were strutting out of the building, holding the basilisk in its carrier as though they’d been the ones to capture it.
“There you are,” a voice said from behind them, dripping with hostility. “What excuse do you have this time?”
The three spun around. Sally “the Sheriff” Smithfield stood there, glowering at them from behind her thick-rimmed glasses.
Spike’s stomach clenched. Their school’s guidance counselor, aka the Sheriff, had been trying to throw the trio in detention ever since they got caught putting an acidic toad in Donna Ford’s backpack. “She said I had a boy’s haircut” hadn’t been a good enough justification, apparently. Spike still thought it was a reasonable response. Being smart and tough didn’t make her some kind of smelly boy. Ugh.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Karim bluffed, but his voice quavered slightly. Spike really needed to give him some lessons in lying with conviction.
“Can I ride in the fire truck?” Tommy asked in an innocent voice. “I wanna ride in the fire truck!”
Spike grimaced. Tommy had long ago learned that if he acted like an idiot, he wouldn’t get in trouble. Somehow Spike knew she couldn’t get away with the same trick. She’d mouthed off one too many times for that.
“Why is it I’ve only just seen the three of you, when everyone else has been here for over half an hour?” the Sheriff demanded. “Well, Colleen?”
“Don’t. Call. Me. That,” Spike shot back through gritted teeth, glaring at the Sheriff. “The name is Spike.”
The Sheriff glared right back. “Whatever made-up name you want to call yourself, Colleen,” she said with a sigh. “Several students have been turned to stone. It’ll be a long, long detention if I find out you’re involved.”
Spike stared her down silently. She knew better than to talk back to authority figures. Even if you were innocent, they’d figure out a way to twist what you said and get you in trouble. It was even worse when you were totally guilty.
“And don’t you two get poor Tommy mixed up in any of your trouble,” the Sheriff said.
“We wouldn’t dream of it,” Karim answered. “Tommy is a perfect little angel.”
Spike couldn’t help but add, “Yes, he’s an adorable, rosy-cheeked little baby cupid.”
Tommy shot her a furious glance, but his expression was back to normal when Sally turned to look at him.
“Can the firefighters spray me with a hose?” Tommy asked. “It’s hot out here!”
“I’m watching you,” the Sheriff said, eyeing Spike and Karim. “So watch yourselves.”
A few days later, Karim was growing more and more convinced that his friends were insane. That was the only explanation for it. Some wiring in their heads had gotten fused from watching too many live adventure streams, and Tommy and Spike had lost their senses of self-preservation.
That explained them, anyway. The only thing that Karim couldn’t explain was why he kept going along with their shenanigans. Though he had to admit, watching a professional adventure streamer like Mad Mackenzie did make it seem fun.
“I still can’t believe the Sheriff didn’t nab us,” Karim said as he flicked through the streams on Tommy’s iPad and pulled up Mad Mackenzie’s. The video opened with Mad Mackenzie in her garage, showing off her latest gear.
“It’s a good thing school guidance counselors aren’t allowed to dust for fingerprints or administer truth serum,” Spike said as they watched Mad Mackenzie explain how to sharpen a magical dagger properly.
“We’re going to have to be more careful at school,” Karim said. “The Sheriff will be watching us, and if my dad thinks I’m playing around with monsters …” He didn’t need to say what would happen. Spike and Tommy had heard plenty about Mr. Khalil’s stance on adventuring.
Tommy was on a weight bench on the other side of the garage, and Karim could hear him grunting as he bench-pressed weights into the air. Karim and Spike said they would work out with Tommy in his family’s garage, but like usual they ended up getting bored and watching adventure streamers.
“If you’re out there adventuring this season, be careful,” Mad Mackenzie warned on-screen. “This is the craziest one we’ve had in a long time—monsters are turning up in places they don’t belong, outside their usual habitats. Could it be some sort of environmental issue? Or does something else have them riled up? In any event, be prepared. Like I always say, keep your weapons sharp and your wits sharper. Until next time.”
The weights slammed as Tommy returned the barbell to the rack.
“What is it, Elissa?” Tommy grumbled loudly. “We can tell you’re there. Can’t you see I’m hanging out with my friends?”
Karim and Spike both turned to see Tommy’s younger sister standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the lights from the kitchen.
Usually Karim would be right there with Tommy, annoyed that Elissa was spying on them. But as Elissa stepped into the light, Karim could see that her cheeks were stained with tears. She gave a sad sniffle.
“Are you okay?” Karim asked. “What’s wrong?”
Tommy’s sister had been known to throw a tantrum now and then, but he’d never seen her like this. She looked really upset.
Tommy could see it too. “I’m sorry, Lissa,” he said, standing up. “What’s wrong?”
She ran down and grabbed her big brother in a tight hug. Also unusual. As far as Karim knew, Elissa and Tommy were more the squabbling type of siblings than the hugging type.
Karim and Spike stood frozen for a long moment as Elissa sobbed.
“Mom lost the case, Tom-Tom,” Elissa said between heaving breaths.
“It’s okay.” Tommy looked down at his sister in confusion. “She’ll have other cases. She’ll be sad for a few days, but then she’ll be home more than she has been lately. That will be nice, right?”
Karim felt bad, but he had to admit he was a bit conflicted. Mrs. Wainwright had been representing a bank robber suing a bank. The robber slipped on the marble floor and threw out his back while trying to escape with a magical artifact he’d stolen from one of the safe deposit boxes.
“Mom’s lost cases before. Money might be a little tight for a while, but don’t worry. We’ll be fine. Christmas isn’t for a while, anyway!”
“But … but … Adventure Camp!” Elissa could barely get the words out. “Dad said that since Mom didn’t win the case, they can’t afford to send us to Adventure Camp this year.”
Tommy’s face fell. Karim and Spike looked at each other. For the past four years they’d gone to Adventure Camp together. They had spent every summer learning knots, climbing, swordsmanship, monster tracking, and mystical botany.
Tommy turned to his friends as his sister continued to sob. “I’ve been plenty of times; it’s no huge deal if I can’t go this year. But I’ve been telling her about it for ages now. This was supposed to be her first year.”
Karim’s dad despised the whole thing, but even so, it had been Karim’s favorite time of every year since they started. He remembered being an eight-year-old like Elissa, so excited to go for his first time and learn adventuring skills. He was so excited—but also scared—that he didn’t sleep for two days beforehand. As a result, he ended up panicking on the ropes course. He had to be tied to one of the counselors and then lowered from a tree. Now Adventure Camp seemed safe and fun, but the idea of real adventuring still made him want to hide in his room.
The three escorted Elissa back into the house, doing their best to comfort her. Eventually, she calmed down enough to give her brother a final hug, then trudged upstairs to finish her homework.
“I wish I could help,” Spike said. “But Luis takes all my money from selling OrgoLocoLemonade and puts it into my college fund.” Luis was Spike’s dad, but for some reason she always called him Luis. Karim figured it had something to do with him divorcing her mother and moving across the country. He couldn’t imagine how hard that must be.
Karim shook his head. He was still amazed that Spike was able to start a successful lemonade brand by making up fake, dangerous ingredients and promising that they weren’t in it. Karim had been astounded by how much people would pay for “tachyon-free” and “certified zero theta radiation” drinks.
Tommy sighed. “This is why we need to be adventurers for real. Adventurers usually come with sweet loot at the end, right?”
“That’s kind of the point, isn’t it?” Spike said. “That and proving that we can take it on. I’m tired of people telling us what we can’t do.”
“What about because it helps people?” Karim ventured.
“Yeah, sure, that too,” Spike said.
“Right. I guess so,” Tommy added.
That’s when the doorbell rang.
“Tommy! Get the door,” a deep voice roared from the living room. “They’re in the middle of the rose ceremony, and I have to make sure Sophia chooses right!” The bellowing was Tommy’s dad, better known as Big Tom.
Tommy shook his head. His dad’s obsession with his dating shows was ridiculous, but at least it meant Dad was distracted. The few times when Dad tried to have “fun father-son time” had been even worse. Wearing tight shoes at the stinky bowling alley was not Tommy’s idea of fun.
Spike tiptoed up to the door and peered through the peephole. “He’s got a weapon!” she whispered.
Tommy leaned in and took a look for himself. A scrawny young man was standing outside, holding a rusty battle axe. By the time he stepped back, Spike had found Big Tom’s welding mask. She was holding it in a two-handed grip, ready to use it as a club.
“We shouldn’t open it,” Karim said. “Should we call the cops or something?”
“He may be older than us, but he’s a scrawny pipsqueak. I could totally take him.” Tommy gripped the doorknob, and Spike gulped as he opened the door.