 
Secrets in the Dark

Chimera Chronicles

Book 1

Copyright © 2012 K D Blakely

Published by Kat-Tales.Net at Smashwords

Cover art from phatpuppy.com and bookish-brunette.com

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental. All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

ISBN: 978-0-9886626-0-5

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I've learned that writing a book takes more than the efforts of just one person. There are many I need to thank for the book you are about to read. Ruth, Cheryl, Steve, Scott, Matt and all of my Stonehenge friends deserve a great deal of the credit. (Or blame, depending on how much you like this book...)

I am grateful for my Mom and Dad, who always encouraged my love of reading and writing.

I hope you have fun reading this. I certainly enjoyed writing it!
Chapter 1

What The...?

I'd never actually had my face pushed into a bowl of jello, but I was pretty sure it would feel exactly like this. My whole body was being shoved through something rubbery and clammy. Totally disgusting!

Note to self — You can't breathe jello!

My lungs heaved as if I'd run a mile, but I still couldn't get my breath. It wasn't fair! All we'd been trying to do was get away from that creep Andrew and his friends. How could this be happening?

Not breathing was bad, but not seeing made it worse. Much worse. I was lost in the dark, as if I'd gone blind. It might only have been a few moments, but each moment felt like forever.

I couldn't see my friends Faith and Olivia. Were they lost in this strange place with me? Or was I all alone?

I waved my hands in front of my face, but couldn't see them, either. Fear spread through me and leaked out in a long moan, like air escaping from a balloon. I felt it pass my lips, but couldn't hear it. I wasn't just blind. I was deaf.

My heart raced, like it was trying to beat its way out of my chest. I'd never been this scared.

So what can make you more frightened when you're already terrified? Start falling, plummeting through space, when you can't see where you're going.

This morning, the nightmare that woke me had seemed terrible. But compared to being in this place, it was no more than a stupid dream. I wished this were just a nightmare —then maybe I'd wake up.

How could this day go so wrong?

XXXXX

How could I have known it would be my worst day ever? Maybe the beginning should have been my first clue. I didn't even make it out of bed before the day went wrong.

My eyes popped open and I lay on my back, gasping like a fish. Tears were drying on my cheeks, leaving my skin itchy and tight. The dream had been really messed up, and I'd never been so glad to be awake.

My two best friends, Faith and Olivia, said they were done — they couldn't be friends with a kid anymore. They turned and left me, ignoring when I begged them to come back. I kept calling while they walked away. As they grew taller and older with every step they took.

While I remained behind. Still twelve.

Knowing it was a dream didn't make it any better. My friends really were changing and I couldn't do anything about it. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying not to feel hopeless. The weather certainly didn't help. The pale January light barely reached into my room, turning the bright pink paint I loved as dull and gray as my mood.

I sat up, scrubbing my hands over my face, and waited for my breathing to slow.

I was still thinking about the dream while I staggered to the bathroom, only half-awake. Mom would say I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. But I just couldn't see the doorframe in the gloomy light. That's why I caught my toe and stumbled, smashing my elbow against the door.

"Dang!"

This day can't get any worse. Can it?

The sound of my mom's voice calling me to breakfast answered that question. "Katherine Alice Taylor! Get down here. This. Minute."

Uh oh. Full name. How many times had she called me?

Okay, so this day could get worse.

"Coming!"

I raced down the stairs, worried about why she'd been calling. This time, Mom would've been right — I wasn't paying attention. Not good! I tripped halfway down the stairs and nearly took a header onto the living room rug.

Note to self – Always pay attention going down stairs!

"Super-OW-i-fragil-istic!" This time it was my knee that got smashed as I made a desperate grab for the handrail. At this rate, I'd be too bruised for school. Although, that might not be such a bad thing. Maybe I could get excused for terminal klutziness. I almost laughed out loud when I pictured asking Mom to write that excuse for me.

As if.

With my knee throbbing in counterpoint to the ache in my elbow, I hobbled carefully down the rest of the steps. Man, I was glad my brother Christopher hadn't seen me do that!

Then I rounded the corner to the kitchen where only three places were set at the table. My steps slowed even further, and my legs felt like they'd turned to lead. Chris wouldn't be at breakfast. He wouldn't be teasing me, messing up my hair, or calling me a klutz.

He was supposed to have returned from his honeymoon yesterday. Today he'd be in his new house. With his new wife. Not that I didn't like Ronny — exactly — but she was the last of way too many changes.

Why does everything keep changing?

"There you are, Kat." Mom sounded cross and I wasn't sure why until she said, "I never have to get you out of bed, so I didn't notice the time. Now you're going to be late for school."

I glanced at the clock in disbelief, and my stomach felt like it had fallen off a cliff. I never overslept. How could it be so late?

I mumbled, "Sorry, Mom." I wished I could start this day over. I was going to get a tardy in homeroom. That totally sucked.

My day didn't get any better after that. Mrs. Wilson liked to make tardy students stand at their desk until she marked them down. And she always took a lo-o-o-ng time. I ground my teeth together knowing everyone would be staring at me while I waited. And waited.

What a terrible morning! At least it can't get any worse.

I hate it when I'm wrong...
Chapter 2

Blood Sister Request

In 1st period, our Science teacher, Mrs. Hernandez, started in about the year we were born. I know it probably doesn't matter in most towns, but when you grow up in Santa Ramona, the year you're born changes everything. That is, if you were born twelve years ago.

"Okay class, settle down. Let's discuss possible scientific reasons behind so-called strange events. Who wants to tell their favorite story about THE-STRANGEST-YEAR-EVER? Anyone? Come on, it should be exciting to be born during such a special year. No one? How about you, Kat. Tell us your favorite story."

Me? Was she kidding? I didn't have a favorite T.S.Y.E. story!

I'd listened to the town's ridiculous stories my whole life. Over and over. Again and again. The way people talked about it, you'd think they'd all managed to live through the ten plagues of Egypt or something.

How many times had I heard about the entire town going crazy that year?

How every rose in town withered and died one night.

How dozens of people saw flocks of birds flying backwards.

How the trees lost all their leaves the first day of every month for the entire year. Only to grow them all back a week later.

And, depending on who was doing the telling, hundreds, or maybe thousands, of warty brown toads fell from the sky in the middle of Main Street. When the sky was cloudless and blue. Seven different times.

It got so old.

People kept talking about hundreds of strange events that supposedly happened that year. Too bad there weren't any cell phone cameras back then. I might've believed some if there was any proof. Instead, I was sure most were I-made-up-a-weirder-one-than-you stories.

I call all that talk having a TSYE — yeah, like tizzy. Mrs. Hernandez could just forget it!

When I didn't answer, she said, "You don't have one? How about you, Olivia? Tell us your favorite story."

Why do they have to keep talking about it? I think everyone should just get over THE-STRANGEST-YEAR-EVER. Okay, so I'd never actually seen it written that way. But it's how everyone said it. All-one-word. ALL CAPS.

Was I excited to be born during such a 'special year'? Heck no, I wasn't excited. It was a total pain.

XXXX

On the way to 2nd period, Andrew Sawyer started in on Faith.

Again.

Andrew acted offended by her very existence. It didn't make sense — she'd never done anything to him. But he took every chance he could to humiliate her.

This time, he tripped Faith when she tried to pass him in the hall.

Note to self — Avoid Andrew, no matter what.

My muscles quivered with my desire to slap the nasty made-you-look-stupid grin right off his face. I might've done it, but it would just make Faith feel more unhappy. She thought Andrew would act worse if we did something to make him angry. I thought she was wrong — how could he get worse?

Olivia agreed with me. She and Faith argued a lot about Andrew. So I wasn't surprised when I heard Olivia's teeth grinding together, so loud I expected them to break.

Faith stumbled down the hall, taking a half dozen weird staggering steps to keep her balance. She didn't fall, and she didn't smash into the lockers like Andrew intended, but she looked pretty strange. The hallway rang with shouts of laughter. I was actually amazed she'd been able to stay on her feet. All those hours of soccer practice had paid off, so I wouldn't be able to make fun of that anymore.

Andrew laughed the loudest. "What a stork. I mean dork."

Andrew and his stupid jokes!

Sure Faith's legs grew a lot this year, and at times, like now, she looked all knees and elbows. And okay, those steps had looked weird. But no way did she look like a stork.

Faith put her head down and pushed through the crowd that had gathered. When Olivia and I caught up with her, she was bent over the sink in the girl's bathroom. It was the one place Andrew couldn't get her.

I stood there, feeling useless, as Faith rubbed her hands over her eyes, muttering, "No crying in school."

Olivia growled in frustration and kicked the trashcan once, hard enough to cause a metallic clang as it hit the tile wall. She chanted, "Andrew sucks. He really, really sucks!"

I couldn't think of anything to say. Not even a good line from a song or a movie. Finally, I muttered, "Good save. I'd've planted my face in Carly's locker."

Olivia rolled her eyes at me and I glared back. It wasn't that lame. Was it? Maybe I should say something else. Yeah...like what?

The normally harsh buzz of the bell calling us to class had never sounded so good. Totally saved by the bell!

We just made it, rushing in as the second bell rang. Turns out, we shouldn't have bothered. Andrew might have been in his seat if we were late. Instead, the entire English class got to see him bump into Faith as she took her seat. Her backpack fell off her shoulder with a bang. At least people had to laugh a lot more quietly in here than they had in the hallway.

Andrew gave her a disgustingly fake apology. "Gee Faith, I'm sorry. I didn't even notice you there." He smiled his mocking my-dentist-whitened-my-teeth-way-too-much smile. Then he widened his narrow brown I-am-such-a-great-liar eyes, and piled sarcasm on his voice so thick he should be choking on it.

The teacher, Mr. Carter, bought it of course. Grown-ups always believed Andrew when he acted all goody-goody. I dug my nails into my palms. If I didn't, I was afraid I'd jump to my feet and call Andrew a dirty rotten liar. Right in the middle of class.

It was bad enough that everyone laughed at her. But after Faith scooped up her backpack and rummaged through it, she stared in misery at her pencils. They were all in jagged pieces.

Too bad we sat on opposite sides of the room — I'd have given her one of mine. Instead, her red cheeks clashed horribly with her auburn hair as she made her way to the front of class to borrow a replacement from Mr. Carter.

Andrew had been pretty mean that morning, but on the way to fourth period, he shoved Faith out of his way. He pushed hard enough to make sure she hit the lockers this time. He raised his voice so everyone in the hall could hear him, "Why is this stupid giraffe standing in the hallway like it belongs here?"

Stupid giraffe? Faith isn't that tall.

Before the laughter could start, Olivia snorted. Loudly. "Why is this ugly hippo blocking the hallway? I'd like to get to class."

My palms began to sweat as Andrew's face grew dark and tight. He glared murderously at Faith — Faith, not Olivia.

Faith couldn't miss that look in his eyes. She muttered, "I hate him!" as she lowered her head and pushed past him down the hall with Olivia and me on her heels.

As we passed Andrew, he murmured, "Watch your back goin' home. We're not gonna let stupid giraffes wander around loose."

Getting picked on at school was bad enough. Now they were going to mess with us on the way home?

Perfect.

Hopefully the smile I gave Faith looked better on the outside than it felt on the inside. "Ignore him. Who cares what he says."

Okay, that really was lame.

Faith shook her head, biting her lip, looking from Olivia to me. She rubbed her forehead like her head hurt. The defeated look on her face made my stomach ache. She lowered her hand and shook her head. "Forget it, okay."

Note to self — Do not say lame things to your friends.

XXXX

It was a minimum day. Normally that would be great. But now, I couldn't get excited, not when Andrew would be waiting for us. Faith grew more and more nervous as we gathered our stuff to leave. Her hands shook so bad Olivia grabbed Faith's backpack and shoved her books inside.

Faith hung back when we left school. Her eyes searched warily, looking for Andrew. But we wouldn't be able to see him until we stood right next to him. The weather had grown increasingly cold and miserable during the day. Now the wind picked up and whipped my hair into my eyes. Clouds pressed close to the ground, mixing with the thickening fog. How could we avoid him if we couldn't see him?

Faith grabbed her long curly hair. She dug the heels of her hands into her temples so hard her dark brown eyes pulled into narrow slits. "Help me! Keep me away from Andrew today!" She stared at us desperately.

Olivia's green eyes narrowed in frustration. "When're we gonna stand up to him? That's whatcha gotta do with a bully!"

Faith clutched her hair so tightly I was afraid she was going to rip it out of her head. "Keep me away from him. Please. I'm asking as your Blood Sister!"

That did it!
Chapter 3

All For One

What do you remember best about being eight? I remember taking our Blood Sister oath, camped out in Faith's backyard, under a tent made of blankets. It still made me feel queasy.

Now, people just call us The Three. But it started as The Three Musketeers, so long ago we couldn't remember why. What I did remember was Olivia's dad laughing when he heard about it. I got mad at him for laughing at us, but forgave him when he taught us, 'All for one and one for all'. That sounded pretty cool.

"It's what firemen do," he'd told us. "Olivia never has to worry — my guys and I are there for each other. If you girls are Three Musketeers, it should be your motto."

When you're eight, taking a motto demands an appropriate ritual. We planned a secret ceremony, and created an oath to chant together. I still remembered every bit of it, but what I would never forget was the 'blood' part!

Olivia brought a pin, I brought rubbing alcohol, and Faith supplied the campsite. After swishing the pin through alcohol, I jabbed it — carefully — into my finger. Too carefully. My finger burned where I'd stuck it, but no blood came out. Not one drop. No amount of squeezing helped.

I couldn't believe I had to stab myself a second time. Grosserific! And the second time stung even worse. No way was I ever doing that again!

After watching my example, Olivia got a little too enthusiastic. Her finger actually dripped blood.

Ugh!

Faith was much better, quickly squeezing up a single drop of blood. She shook her head at Olivia, who was trying to keep hers from getting on her shirt. "Keep it off the blanket or Mom'll kill me!"

Olivia had rolled her eyes. "Then hurry up already."

The three of us stepped into a circle and touched our fingers together, chanting the motto we'd worked on all afternoon.

"All for one and one for all,

Blood Sisters will answer your call.

This I promise, friend to friend,

To stick together 'til the end.

If l should fail a Sister's plea,

A life of doom will follow me."

Okay, none of us will become a famous poet — at least not for writing good poems. But we were eight, what do you expect? For us, it was much more than a promise. It was a vow we could count on, forever.

Like Faith was counting on us to keep her away from Andrew.
Chapter 4

Cemetery's End

Olivia sighed and shook her head, but the arguing was over. For today at least. She raised her right eyebrow. Just the one eyebrow. Her so-what-are-we-going-to-do-now look.

Where could we go? Home would take us the same way as Andrew. Not good. There was really only one place we could go where Andrew wouldn't want to follow.

I scowled at Olivia, and her eyes grew wide at my expression. She looked worried — she should. She was going to hate my idea! There was one place Andrew despised, but Olivia didn't like it much better.

"The cemetery."

Olivia stiffened and her mouth pinched up like she'd sucked a lemon. I spoke quickly, "Andrew probably won't even go in, but if he does there's plenty of places to hide."

Olivia surprised me when she just nodded and muttered, "Oh goody, my favorite."

So instead of turning left out of school, we went right. I hoped Andrew and his friends wouldn't notice. Maybe they'd pick a spot on the way home and wait for us. And wait. And wait. And we wouldn't come that way.

Cool!

It didn't take long to go the five short blocks to Main Street. There, on the far side of the street loomed the huge old cemetery. We should be safe if we could get in.

A wall of rough grey stone nearly seven feet high enclosed the cemetery. Only the very top, worn smooth by more than 150 years of rain and wind, was supposed to be safe to touch. It was the only part that wouldn't rub your skin raw like sandpaper.

The heavy metal gates at the entrance were standing open, and my breath whooshed out in relief. Once inside, we ducked down the narrow twisting driveway that ran along the north side of the cemetery, crossing the small parking lot where muddy puddles advertised the rain from the night before.

As we moved into the grounds, I felt a shudder work its way up my spine. How incredibly cliché! I wasn't the one scared of the cemetery. Not like Olivia. But today it was like we'd entered somewhere...different.

The ground ahead rose and fell in low rolling hills, covered by trees, statues of crying angels, crooked headstones, and small stone buildings. Mausoleums — houses for the dead.

I could see all of this much too clearly. Here, inside the graveyard, the fog was strangely thin. A few grey ribbons drifted here and there, no more than knee high. Unfortunately. This would have been a good time to have a nice thick blanket of fog to hide in!

Darn it.

It was quiet in here. And too still. The air felt awfully thin, like the long dead inhabitants had sucked in a tremendous breath, trapping all the oxygen deep in their graves. What would happen if everything inside that cemetery suddenly exhaled?

"I don't like this place," Olivia whispered. "It's totally creepy!" Actually, it was more of a whimper than a whisper.

"You watched The Wizard of Oz one time too many. You sound just like Dorothy." When Olivia stuck her tongue out at me, I grinned and quoted in a high shaky voice, "I don't like this forest. It's dark, and creepy."

I tipped my head back, looking at the sky. "Isn't this when the flying monkeys show up?"

Faith relaxed enough to snicker when Olivia jerked her head back, glancing nervously at the sky. You had to give Faith credit. She might be afraid of bullies, but she was never afraid of things like monsters under the bed, graveyards, or flying monkeys.

I laughed. "Sorry, Olivia, no flying monkeys."

She's right though — it's creeporific in here.

Today the normally peaceful cemetery was the perfect setting for a horror movie. Maybe it was the way the damp, gloomy weather washed the color from the grass and trees, making everything look grey. Or the constant sound of croaking frogs and the low discordant drone of insects. Perhaps it was the nasty smell of mold and mildew that rose from the wet grass with every step. Whatever the reason, it lacked only a few zombies rising from their graves to turn this into a total freak show.

Olivia was standing still, glaring at me. "Why must you always quote books and movies at us?"

"Duh. Mom's a librarian and Dad's watched every movie ever made. Lines from books and movies get quoted all the time at my house. I can't help it."

Olivia opened her mouth to argue but Faith interrupted. "Shhh! They're coming." Her eyes were large and frightened as she gestured toward a nearby mausoleum. "Hide!"

The three of us barely fit behind the small building. My arm broke out in chill bumps as I crouched down against the cold, damp stone, trying to make myself as small as possible. Just how many friends was Andrew bringing with him? The sound of several feet crunched through the gravel and splashed through the puddles in the parking lot.

"Yuck!" I recognized Carly even through the disgust that distorted her voice. "I'm cold and wet. Can't we just forget about them?"

Andrew sounded so different I didn't recognize him for a moment. Where was his loud, bossy voice? He sounded nervous. Almost...timid. "They're not here. We should go."

"Don't be such a weenie, Andy. I saw them go in here."

Oh no, that's Ray. Faith's afraid of Andrew, but Ray really scares me.

Faith made an urgent gesture to move deeper into the cemetery. She was biting her lip so hard I was afraid it might start bleeding. Olivia and I ducked down and crab walked after her, keeping low.

We hid behind the largest headstones and monuments as we moved further into the graveyard, trying to be quiet. I don't think we were totally successful. It's hard to be stealthy while your feet make disgusting squelchy noises in the rain-soaked grass.

It was especially hard if you were Olivia. I had to keep my eyes focused on my own feet. If I looked at her, I was going to laugh out loud and give us away.

Olivia couldn't stand walking over a grave. After watching the original Carrie, she'd admitted she was terrified hands would reach out of a coffin, grab her by the ankle, and pull her down under the ground. Olivia was the opposite of Faith. She wouldn't hesitate to take on a bully, but cemeteries and zombies and flying monkeys totally freaked her out.

She tiptoed ahead of me in a strange zigzag pattern, bent almost double to remain out of sight. Occasionally she sprang sideways, making a quiet, strangled sound in her throat when she realized she was on a grave.

We kept moving deeper inside, getting to the oldest part where you could no longer read some of the names and dates on the crumbling tombstones. The sound of voices stayed behind us, sometimes closer, sometimes farther away, but always following. I'd been sure Andrew would wimp out long before this. Now I was getting worried. We'd nearly reached the far end of the cemetery, as far back as we could go.

What're we going to do now?

We'd made Faith a Blood Sister promise to keep her away from Andrew, but the back wall was only a few feet away. There were no mausoleums or tall statues in the old section to hide behind. The only cover was the huge old fig tree, supposedly older than the town itself.

Its massive trunk grew in strange thick folds covered with smooth grey bark. We weren't climbing this tree, the trunk was too smooth and the branches too high to reach. And we couldn't climb the cemetery walls, not if we liked skin on our arms and legs.

Faith's shoulders were hunched and she had her hands jammed into her pockets. "Andrew's bound to turn back soon." Her words sounded positive, but her voice shook slightly, and she'd begun nervously chewing on her lip again.

Olivia must have noticed too. "Yeah. Andrew totally hates this place!" She snickered, stifling the sound with her hand. She loved knowing there was someone more creeped out by the cemetery than she was.

"Actually," I reminded them in a whisper, "he hates the mortuary next to his dad's garage even more. He can't stand any place that has coffins."

"Serves him right," Faith hissed. "Who tries to touch a dead body when you're seven years old?"

"Come on, you know his brother dared him," I reminded her. "Then Jason turned off all the lights and locked Andrew in. He left him there, with a Halloween CD playing screams and growls and spooky sounds all night."

Faith smiled weakly, "Jason was in so much trouble!"

I grinned and whispered, "Yeah, but his friends sure thought it was funny. It was all over the school for weeks."

Olivia murmured, "Remember all the cops and firefighters looking for Andrew? Dad was on the team that found him. It took six hours. All that time, Jason kept telling everyone he didn't know where Andrew was. Big fat liar."

She grinned at Faith. "You'll totally like this. Andrew was hiding in a closet, crying like a baby when they found him. He kept saying the dead body was talking to him. That it climbed off the table and tried to kiss him."

"You never told us that!" Surprise made Faith's voice squeak.

Olivia made a shushing motion before she continued, "I heard Dad tell Mom. He wasn't happy when he realized I'd heard too. I had to promise I wouldn't tell anyone. But you're not anyone, you're Blood Sisters."

Faith's grin showed how much she liked that story. But I felt almost sorry for Andrew. Almost. No wonder he hated the cemetery. What would he do to us if he caught us in here? We were running out of places to hide.

How much longer could we keep away from them? I pulled out my cell phone to check the time and whispered to Olivia, "When do you have to be home?"

"Mom wants me to help with the kidlets at 1:00. Why?"

"We should be okay, it's only 12:34 now."

"No way are we hiding in here until 1:00!" Faith's whisper was probably supposed to sound determined. Instead, it sounded like she was begging.

I ducked behind the huge trunk of the fig tree, relieved to be safely out of sight for the moment. I leaned against the massive trunk just as Faith and Olivia crowded in next to me.

"I just wish we had somewhere safe to hide!"

That was the moment everything changed.
Chapter 5

Over the Rainbow?

Through the Looking Glass?

Down the Rabbit Hole?

Well, not exactly...

One moment, the three of us crowded in against the huge tree. I felt the strange grey bark that looked so smooth chafe against my fingers while I desperately wished for somewhere safe.

The next moment, I could no longer feel the tree. Instead, the nightmarish sensations began.

The horrible feeling of having my face pushed through jello.

Being unable to breathe, or hear, or see.

Robbed of my senses, my imagination started going nuts. The darkness that surrounded me was totally black. Like a raven's eye, floating in a pool of black ink. Blackness that took on a life of its own, thick and heavy. Constricting around me like I was being smothered in a cold, damp cocoon spun from sticky black spider silk.

That's when the terrifying feeling of plunging through space began. My stomach felt like it was still twenty feet in the air above me. I thrashed around trying to feel the sides of the tree. Trying to feel anything. What a mistake! Was the sudden whirling sensation inside my head, or was my body actually spinning out of control?

All I'd wanted was to help Faith. Why was this happening?

I no longer knew which way was up. I struggled, yelling, trying to breathe. Trying not to panic.

Could I die in this horrible place —?

Fortunately, my unsettling thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flash of warmth and bright light. I tumbled into the dirt with the huge fig tree at my back. I lay there, shaking and gasping, completely disoriented.

A strange gurgling sound made me whip my head around to the right.

What now!

Olivia and Faith were on the ground next to me. I was so relieved to see The Three still together, it took a moment to recognize what I was seeing. Faith was clutching her stomach, her face a pale green. As I watched, she made another soft sound and gulped convulsively, one hand pressed to her mouth.

I had to clear my throat before I could ask, "You okay?"

"I...I think so." The raspy sound of her voice didn't inspire much confidence.

Olivia scrambled to her feet. "Just don't puke on me!"

Faith got up shakily. "Oh please! I haven't done that since we were nine."

"Try last year!"

I stood up too, concentrating on brushing dirt off my pants. Trying to ignore the two of them as they argued over the last time Faith had lost her lunch. I jumped and bit my tongue when Olivia exclaimed, loudly, "Oh, oh...shi—, I mean shoot!"

Faith's eyes flew wide with shock, and I whirled to stare at Olivia in amazement. Olivia never used swear words. As in not ever — her mom was death on swearing.

I glanced around to see what upset her. My breath gushed out like someone had punched me in the stomach. For a moment, it felt like someone had.

The cemetery was gone. Just...gone! The scent of brine, ever present this close to the ocean, was gone as well. Instead, the air smelled sweet, like flowers. I glanced up at the too bright sky. It was a sunlit blue rather than the grey, stormy sky of moments before.

"Beam me up, Scotty!" I blurted, and peered down at my feet. I did not want to see anything else! Unfortunately, refusing to look didn't help. It felt different here, warm and dry. I should probably be too hot in my sweatshirt, but I wasn't. I felt cold. That had to be the reason my teeth were chattering hard enough to break.

Faith must be cold too. She was shaking so hard she stuttered, "Wh...where are we? What is this...this place?" She stepped back, shaking her head in disbelief, and bumped into Olivia. They both shrieked in surprise, then threw their arms around each other.

I glanced down where I'd been absently rubbing my thigh. It was getting hot. Really hot. From inside the pocket where I kept my cell.

I pulled out my phone and stared in confusion as the screen flipped from one app to another. It stopped briefly on the main screen, but didn't look right. I didn't have a chance to figure out why. I was way too busy moving the phone to my other hand as it started to burn my fingers.

When I looked at the screen again, the apps were changing so fast they were just a blur.

What's up with my cell? And where are we?

Just then, my phone stopped on the main screen and I tried to read our location. It should be listed right under the time, which appeared to have frozen at 12:34 pm.

I shook my head, not believing my eyes. The location was blank. The space where 'Santa Ramona' should be was empty. Like my phone didn't know where we were.

The symbol for 'no signal' flashed at the top of the screen, which kept growing bright then dim. While I stared in confusion, the time finally changed, but not in a good way. It raced several minutes ahead, then spun back to 12:34, like it didn't know what time it was either.

How can it not know the time?

When it let out a sudden blinding burst of color and piercing high-pitched whine, I almost dropped it. I cringed and held it as far from me as possible. Then it went silent and the screen went black. I pushed frantically at the On button, but it was dead. Totally, completely dead. Like the Wicked Witch of the West, it was really-most-sincerely dead.

Maybe Faith or Olivia's phone was still working. "Hey, check your phones."

They stared at me like I'd grown a second head. Olivia snorted. "You want us to look at our phones? Now?"

"Just let me see them!"

With identical shrugs, they held out their phones. Faith held hers carefully, touching as little of it as possible.

"Yeooow!" Olivia looked at me like I should have an answer. "Why's my phone so hot?"

I held my phone out and said, "Mine's dead." I watched as they tried to turn theirs on. My stomach felt like it was doing a long slow roll. "Looks like all of them are dead."

Faith shook her head. "No way, I charged it last night."

I could hear panic growing in her voice. That was one thing to remember about Faith — although the thought of monsters didn't scare her, real life could really freak her out.

Not that I could blame her today. Not after dealing with Andrew at school. Worrying about what his friends were going to do to us on the way home. Playing creepy hide and seek in the cemetery. Going through that dark, disgusting place after leaning against the tree.

Another shudder worked its way up my spine. That made twice in one day.

Faith babbled, "What're we gonna do? How're we gonna get out of here?" She held out her phone, "We can't even call anyone—"

Olivia interrupted in a high sing-song voice, "Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters!" I almost stuffed my fingers in my ears. Olivia really shouldn't sing. She couldn't carry a tune if someone gift boxed it for her.

I interrupted, "I've got a better question." I took a deep breath then raised my head, looking only at Faith and Olivia. "How can we get ourselves back?"

We all turned to look at the tree. This was not the cemetery, but the massive fig tree was exactly the same.

I gave a quick glance around, so fast I didn't really see anything. Just an impression of strange colors, plants, and trees. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end as I realized the only thing recognizable was the fig tree.

"I've got an idea," I blurted. "Come on!"

I grabbed their hands and dragged them back to the tree. Taking a deep breath, I started to lean against the grey bark, while Faith moved next to me. Before my shoulder could make contact, Olivia threw herself against the trunk yelling, "Send us back!"

Olivia fell through first, pulling us after her. Going through the tree felt even worse the second time.

I'm stuck in a tree. I can't breathe.

My lungs screamed as I tried to inhale the thick clammy air.

I can't see anything. I can't feel my arms or legs.

My head spun dizzily.

Are Faith and Olivia still with me? They wouldn't really leave me...not like my dream. Would they?

I yelled their names — well shrieked really — but still couldn't hear myself. That's when I began plunging down.

We went down before, shouldn't we be going up now? What if we aren't going back!

I stumbled several steps before I realized we were out. And definitely back home. The salty air and gloomy cemetery made me want to do a happy dance.

"Wow," I said, "did that really happen?" I scrubbed my hands over my face, then shook my head. No way. It couldn't be real. Things like that only happened in books and movies...or dreams. That was it, I was dreaming. This whole day must be part of my nightmare! I grinned in relief and pinched my arm.

"Ouch!" I scrubbed at the place on my arm that was throbbing and stinging. I'd been way too enthusiastic. Not that it would have mattered if I'd been asleep.

So, not a nightmare. Maybe I'd gone crazy. That would suck, but at least it would explain things. I turned to the others. "Did you notice anything...odd just now?"

They both gaped at me. Like I was speaking Greek. Backwards. Olivia said impatiently, "Of course we noticed something odd. Are you nuts?"

Note to self - Apparently I'm not crazy.

Faith ran her hands through her hair, her gaze blank. She started to lean back against the tree, but her eyes snapped back to awareness and she jerked away before touching it. She took two small steps away before saying, "Something happened. But I don't have a clue what." She hunched her shoulders and slipped her hands in her pockets, a favorite position when she got nervous.

So, it was all real. I blurted, "Going through that tree was gross-i-mundo. I may never eat jello again."

Olivia said, "Jello? You've gotta be kidding! I'm gonna be afraid of the dark for the rest of my life! I was blind in there."

"I can beat that," Faith told her. "Think Disneyland Teacups. Remember?"

Olivia and I both cringed. Those teacups had been the start of a hard and fast rule — Faith was not allowed on rides that went in circles.

Olivia pinched her nose and shuddered. "Yuck!"

I didn't like being blind or deaf, but maybe not being able to smell anything in there was a good thing!

I asked, "Where do you think we went?"

Their answer was muffled by the bells in the nearby church as they pealed loudly, just once.

My mouth fell open and I sucked in a quick breath. "That can't be right!" I pulled my phone out of my pocket and turned it on. It was working again, so that was good. But something was wrong with it. It showed 1:00 pm.

It can't be that late!

"What time do you have?"

Olivia and Faith both exclaimed in excitement when their phones worked too, but they all showed 1:00 pm.

How did it go from 12:34 to 1:00? We were only — wherever — a couple minutes.

But I realized I hadn't heard any sounds from Ray or the others since we'd been back. We must've been gone more than a few minutes. At least we'd kept our Blood Sister promise. That almost made all the weirdness worthwhile.

Faith said, "Do you know where—?" just as Olivia yelled, "H-e-double-eck. Its 1:00! I have to be home!"

I had no idea I could run that fast, but Olivia's mom would be mad if she wasn't home in the next five minutes. Olivia chanted, "Be green, be green," as we neared the traffic signal on Main. Someone must have been listening. It turned green right before we reached it

It was 1:04 when we got to the corner where we'd go our separate ways. We'd never covered the five blocks between Main Street and Olivia's house so fast.

As she ran up the sidewalk to her house, she made our sign for 'call me' — pinky to her mouth, thumb to her ear. "8:30!" she yelled, then threw open the door and hurried inside.

Faith sighed, "I've gotta go, too. You know how Mom gets when I'm not home from school on time."

"Yeah, she's the biggest worrier in town."

"Actually, it's the town that makes her worry. I think it's the TSYE's fault."

I nodded and said goodbye, then crossed the street towards my house, one short block away.
Chapter 6

Jinxed

My feet were dragging when I got home. I locked myself in the bathroom and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Why didn't anything about me look different?

I fell through a tree. I was blind. I landed in the dirt. In a weirdorific place. Shouldn't something be different?

Other than a smudge of dirt, my face didn't look any different. I'd look better by summer, but this was the dead of winter, and being only a few shades darker than polar bear white was totally normal.

Darn it.

Obviously my hair hadn't changed. Light brown, way too and straight. Boring really. Even so, I wasn't going to agree with my mom's suggestion to cut it.

My height was the same — short! I'd finally broken five feet. Barely. If I stood up really tall. This year, for the first time, both Faith and Olivia were taller than me.

And just like my hair, the rest of me was thin and straight. When I turned sideways I could still be described as very...slender.

So okay, I wasn't going to be a super-model any time soon. And really, who wants to be a super-model? I should be glad nothing was different. That everything about me wasn't changing, like Faith and Olivia.

With a sigh, I dropped to the edge of the bathtub and thought about my two best friends.

Olivia Larson had been my BFF since pre-school. She'd been the biggest tomboy in town — never afraid to climb trees, scale fences or ride her bike down 'suicide hill' without any hands. Lately, I'd watched in amazement as my previous-daredevil-tomboy friend began to pay attention to boys.

Olivia loved her developing figure, and kept experimenting with different styles for her thick, dark brown hair. Just last week, I'd seen her practicing flirtatious gestures in the mirror when she thought no one was looking.

Ugh!

As a reformed tomboy, she suddenly didn't enjoy doing things that could get her too dirty or messed up.

She'd even begun spending her allowance on eye shadow and mascara instead of books and candy. Not that her mother let her out of the house all made up. So we had to wait a block from her house while she 'put on her face' each morning.

Double ugh!

It was first grade when Faith Xenakis turned Olivia and me into a trio. Until recently, I'd been tallest. Now, Faith was nearly six inches taller and still growing.

Faith wasn't developing an interest in boys. No, she'd turned into Ms. I'm-all-about-soccer. She devoted hours every week, including most of Sunday, practicing with her team. I really missed the time we used to spend together.

I wasn't really sure what I liked anymore, but I wasn't willing to lose my two best friends. The Three would stay together. No matter who changed. No matter how much.

No matter what.

I did know one thing. I wasn't going to think about that afternoon. Not until I could talked to Olivia and Faith.

8:30 seemed way far away.

What I needed was something to help me keep busy. Right now, maybe I should just think about finishing my English essay. It didn't matter that it wasn't due until next week. Getting it done early was being smart. Efficient. Practical. And other words like that.

It did not mean I was being a wuss.

Working on the essay helped. A lot. By the time I was done, I didn't feel all freaked out. Instead, I'd started to feel curious about that place. It might be cool to check it out.

Then I remembered what it felt like going through that tree. I hated that part. If going back to that place meant doing that again, I really wasn't so interested after all.

"Kat, dinner."

Mom's voice was a relief. I didn't need to think about going back now. I only had to think about eating.

At the table, I felt even better once I sat at the table. Mom had a meeting that night, so she'd brought home one of my favorites — pepperoni pizza. By the time I finished eating, I was feeling pretty good.

I'd go to my room, put on headphones, and chill with my favorite tunes until 8:30, when I could finally talk to Faith and Olivia. I hated waiting so long, but Olivia's mom wouldn't let her use her phone or computer until she helped get her brothers and sisters in bed. I just would not think about anything strange till then.

That sounded like a great plan.

Too bad fate had something else in mind.
Chapter 7

The Book of Light and Shadow

It was nearly eight o'clock when Mom stopped by my room after her meeting. When she asked if my homework was done, I could virtuously say I'd finished all my homework for the week. She didn't do a good job hiding her surprise. Normally, I like to wait to the last minute to do homework, and we argue about it. A lot.

My left my room and downstairs. I could hear her talking to Dad. I was glad she hadn't stayed to talk tonight. I was too anxious to know what Faith and Olivia would say about that afternoon.

Time crawled the last few minutes. It was 8:23 when I went downstairs for a glass of juice. I was passing by the front door when the doorbell rang, and I stopped in surprise.

Who's at the door this late?

Mom and Dad were watching TV in the family room and I didn't think they'd heard the doorbell. Not over the sound of laughter from the television. I moved to the door, placed my hand on the knob, and called quietly, "Who is it?"

There was no answer.

I glanced through the peephole but couldn't see anyone. My pulse increased as I reached tentatively for the doorknob. Knowing Mom would ground me for a week if she saw me, I opened the door a few inches and peered out.

No one was there. But a package wrapped in brown paper leaned against the house near the front door. I could see my name, written in fancy script in thick black ink. I reached out, my fingers cold and shaky, and picked it up, carefully, like it might blow up in my hand. I gave another quick look around, wondering who could have left it there.

It was very dark past the glow of the low-watt light on the porch. The clouds and mist from the afternoon had thickened into a deep grey fog. The street lamps could barely penetrate it, creating patches of dim light at regular intervals that disappeared down the street.

Though it looked like a muffling blanket, the fog amplified sounds. I could hear the mournful drone of the foghorn in the bay. The sound of fast moving traffic on Highway 101, even though it was at least a mile away. Closer at hand, I heard the sound of fog singing on the electric wires.

That was all.

At first, I wasn't sure what I was listening for. With a start, I realized there should have been footsteps. Where was the person who'd left the package?

Are they hiding? Are they just...watching me?

How many times had I seen a teenager standing clueless on a porch in a movie? Right before a mask-wearing-knife-wielding maniac leaps out of the bushes. It would really suck if that happened now. Especially since I wasn't a teenager yet.

I looked around nervously, half expecting someone to jump out and grab me. The faint sound of gravel crunching close by made my knees shake and I sucked in my breath in alarm. The night air smelled strongly of salt and dirt and wet asphalt. I held that breath, keeping very still, my ears straining for any other sound.

What did I just hear?

The crunching sound came again, then grew louder. I drew back, clutching at the doorknob behind my back.

What is it?

When the neighbor's dog, Lucy, trotted out from the side of the house, along the gravel path Dad built to the backyard, I couldn't stop the giggle that erupted from deep inside my chest. I watched Lucy head toward home, and slumped against the house in relief. I let myself rest there another minute, but nothing else moved.

After assuring myself there really was no one there, I brought the package inside and shut the door, quickly turning the deadbolt.

Note to self – Be careful. The package might be something nasty from Ray or Andrew!

I held the thin package tentatively at arm's length as I climbed the stairs to my room. Andrew must be angry we'd gotten away that afternoon. Who else would leave something for me on the porch, and then hide?

I grabbed scissors from my desk and carefully cut away the brown paper and tape, exposing a blank manila file folder. I opened it warily, ready to drop it if there was something disgusting in it. Instead, there were several color copies of old parchment pages, covered with small beautifully formed letters. The top page said, "Book of Light and Shadow".

There was a sticky note inside that read:

I know where you went. Read this and share it with your two friends. Meet me tomorrow at Johnny's at 8:00 am.

There was no signature.

I was reading the note a second time, wondering what it could mean, when my computer beeped. I flinched at the sudden noise, then sighed in relief when I realized it was 8:30. Time to talk to Olivia and Faith.

My heart was beating hard enough that my fingers shook, making it hard to key in Olivia's number. Faith was already on the line. I described the package on the porch, and the words written on the note.

They asked me to send them a copy so I snuck down to Dad's office and scanned them. While I waited for Olivia and Faith to get my email, I skimmed through the pages.

I paced while they read them. I'd decided what I would do — I was going to check it out in the morning. I just hoped Olivia and Faith would go with me.

My knees went weak with relief when Olivia agreed. Faith was more reluctant. After she started to complain, for the third time, that we didn't know who would be waiting, Olivia said, "Got to go", and disconnected.

It was 9:00 pm — our curfew. Olivia's mom would be checking to make sure she was off her phone and computer.

Faith said, "See you," and disconnected too, leaving me unsure if she'd be meeting us in the morning.

My head spun with everything that had happened. Fortunately, Mom and Dad didn't seem to notice anything strange when I wished them goodnight.

As I climbed into bed, I thought those pages had given us more questions than answers. Who could have left them? How could they know we'd gone to that strange place? How did they know who I was? Or where I lived?

But more than that, I kept thinking about the words on those pages. Could they be real?

After considering possibilities that grew crazier by the minute, from Harry Potter to Invaders from Mars to some elaborate trap staged by Andrew and his friends, I finally slipped into strange, disturbing dreams. I tossed most of the night, waking often, sweating, heart pounding. But I couldn't remember my dreams when I woke.

Not that I was complaining.

Book of Light and Shadow

Creation of Chimera

The world of men has turned against us.

Though the alliance between Magickal and Mundane had always been uneasy, by the year 1536 it had been torn asunder. For 50 years, the book condemning witches, Malleus Maleficarum, was used by the church to instruct witch hunters and inquisitors. It was an evil creation, designed to help identify, interrogate and destroy users of magick.

We no longer believe it will ever end.

Intolerance and cruelty has swollen from a trickle to a flood, scouring compassion and logic from the world. In Europe, tens of thousands were burned for witchcraft. Tales of evil crones who worshipped the devil were used against innocent mid-wives and healers. In France, terror of the supernatural brought about the death of thousands more, accused of being werewolves.

Such persecutions should have caused horror in all people of good will, but fear can utterly destroy reason. It was a time of darkness referred to by many, Magickal and Mundane alike, as the Burning Times. And it was the Mundane who suffered, as most beings of magick were able to evade the inquisitors.

Though the Burning Times were started by religion, it was obvious that science, still in its infancy, was to become important to the Mundane. The Magickal world could see that when those without magick turned to science, they would turn further against us. We could see the end of our world approaching.

So it was that we finally agreed to leave the world of men. We could only pray this would bring an end to the burning.

We gathered together; undines, sylphs, salamanders and gnomes, fairies, elves, ogres and dragons, pixies, giants, wizards and witches, along with many others. Even creatures with long histories of enmity would work together, this one time. We agreed to create a world that would exist outside the space and time of men.

There we could be safe from humankind.

Our alliance continued to be exceedingly fragile, and deciding upon the name of our new land almost destroyed it before it began. After furious arguments punctuated by curses and spells, it was decided our realm would be known as Chimera. Most accepted one meaning: "A creation of imagination, especially a wild creation." The other meaning, "A monster made of many parts," was ignored. I sometimes wonder if I am the only one who has thought it the more appropriate description.

We all knew our truce could not last. Our history has proven that, over and over. It is simply not in the nature of many of our kind to get along. There were some who believed this new land would prove too small for the hundreds of us to co-exist. Despite this, we succeeded in creating Chimera; ripping land from its place in Europe, transporting it to the other end of the earth, to the far western edge of the New World. There we joined together and created an extraordinary spell that moved Chimera beyond the confines of normal time and space.

Creating the gates to reach our new home was draining, but we were triumphant. With few entrances, each confined with layers of protection, we would be safe from non-magickal intrusions. There is only one rule: Protect the existence of Chimera, whatever the cost. To ensure this, travel between Chimera and the Mundane world is restricted.

This has grown easier as time has passed.

As more creatures and users of magick moved to Chimera, magick stopped functioning properly in the Mundane world. It faded in the minds of men from a terrifying reality to myth, from myth to legend, and from legend to bedtime stories told to frighten young children. Knowledge of our existence was lost, and those in Chimera were safe.

Some of our kind chose not to leave the Mundane world. There are still vampires in Italy and the Americas, shapeshifters in the New World, and a few wizarding families in Europe.

To guard our hard-won home, we who left the Mundane world would have no contact with any who decided to remain outside. Most of us believe, after all this time, that those who stayed behind no longer remember our existence.

There are no stories of this place.

Our alliance has indeed been broken, but on this one thing we are still in agreement. To protect our creation, it must never be mentioned to any in the Mundane world. And any who learn of our existence must forever become a part of Chimera.
Chapter 8

Why is She Here?

Mornings were another way things were changing. Before this year, the three of us had risen early, out riding bikes or chatting on-line by 8:00 am. But for several months now, I'd noticed Olivia sleeping in later and later.

At first I kept waiting for things to return to normal. But lately, I'd begun to realize it wasn't going back the way it had been. To be fair, it wasn't just Olivia. At school, it was like some strange sleep virus was infecting everyone in 7th grade. I really liked mornings, so it had better not infect me!

I'd complained to Mom about Olivia sleeping late, but she just said sleeping in was normal for teenagers. "Have you forgotten when your brother was your age?"

I had forgotten. Who'd want to remember that? Chris had been a total slug. My parents had to knock on his door, yelling at him to get up every morning. Dad even had to go in and pull the covers off the bed. Once Dad got so impatient he poured a glass of ice water on his head. That got Chris up.

Note to self — Don't become a teenage slug!

Maybe this morning I should have slept in. Every time I tried to imagine who would meet us at Johnny's, my stomach started flipping around like something was doing gymnastics in there.

It was ten minutes before 8:00 am when the three of us met on our corner.

"Let's go." Faith turned to lead the way. I noticed her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were flushed. Knowing Faith, she was excited to learn about that strange place.

Olivia's greeting was a grumbled complaint. "I can't believe we've got to be at Johnny's so early. To meet someone we don't even know."

"Come on, Olivia, aren't you excited? We're going to find who sent those pages and what they know about that strange place."

"No, Faith. I'm too tired to care right now. You be excited for both of us."

Olivia really must be tired. Her hair was hanging limp around her face and she hadn't slathered on lip-gloss or eye shadow after getting out of sight of her house.

Faith raised her eyebrows, and the corners of her mouth turned down. "Aren't you the least bit interested?"

"I'm here, aren't I? This time of day, that's a high level of interest."

I sighed, feeling suddenly tired as Faith and Olivia bickered at each other, and I increased my pace. That effort didn't last long. Faith grabbed my arm and said, "Kat, what do you think about that place, Chimera?"

Olivia mumbled, "What place called Chimera?"

"From those pages last night. I think that's the place we fell into yesterday. Chimera."

I felt a chill chase its way down my back. "I hope you're wrong. Remember, 'Any who learn of our existence must forever become a part of Chimera?'"

Faith shook her head. "I'm not worried, 'cause I think it was just Andrew. You know, trying to freak us out."

I looked at Faith in disbelief. "No way did Andrew send us to that place!"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "It can't be anyone we know. No one in town could do that."

"But a stranger wouldn't know where Kat lives!" Faith stopped, her hands fisted on her hips, glaring at Olivia.

"Fine, then let's hear your great idea."

"How should I know? That's why I asked you."

"Maybe it was a ghost. Or little green men from Mars. Or Bigfoot." Olivia was smirking. We all knew Faith didn't believe in such things.

Faith rolled her eyes, and said, "Are those my only choices? How 'bout the tooth fairy?"

Olivia laughed, then Faith and I joined in. For a moment, it felt like it always had been.

Then Olivia groaned. "It's Saturday, one of the only days I can sleep in. Let's get this over with, and maybe I'll still have time to go back to bed."

XXXX

Johnny's Burger Shack was a favorite hangout for those of us in middle school. There were no fast food places in town. One had finally been built a couple miles away, down off Highway 101, but people in town preferred Johnny's. Everyone said his cheeseburgers were the best in a hundred miles. Johnny liked that so much, he'd painted it on the wall outside the restaurant.

Inside, it was like the aftermath of a disaster movie, where a rundown diner and a McDonald's got crushed together. You took a seat at one of the small booths held together with brightly colored duct tape. Someone would take your order and bring your food, but you got your own drinks in a to-go cup from the soda machine near the door.

The sound of buzzers and bells going off in the kitchen penetrated throughout the dining room. Johnny had partly automated the kitchen like a fast food place, and the high school supplied plenty of cheap labor to man the fryers and prepare some of the food. But only Johnny touched the grill.

The decorations included lots of plastic, and odd shades of purple, gold, and what Johnny fondly called avocado green. Guys from school called it puke green behind his back.

I pulled open the glass door and the three of us hesitated in the entrance. I eyed the row of booths visible on this side of the partition running down the middle of the room. I wondered if we'd have to walk all the way around to check the booths on the other side.

I felt my palms begin to sweat.

Faith poked me in the ribs and nodded toward a booth near the back where a small hand waved at us. I gasped and took a small step backwards when I saw who was seated at the table. Rowena just-call-me-Ronny Danann. The woman who married my brother Chris a week ago.

Actually, I guess I have to call her Ronny Taylor now. That sucks.

I'd never mentioned to anybody how uncomfortable Ronny made me. Her formal, stiff way of speaking was really strange, but that wasn't the problem. Mostly, when I looked at her, I was afraid I'd lost my mind. People in town thought Chris had been seeing her for the last two years.

But it had been much longer.

I was five and Chris was fifteen when I started trailing after him. My babysitter, old Mrs. Johnson, fell asleep in the afternoons and never knew I'd left.

Chris didn't like me following him, so I got very good at sneaking. He'd met someone who looked exactly like Ronny for the past seven years. And it was obvious, even to a five year old, that they'd already known each other a long time.

For most of those years, there had been nothing romantic between them. Ronny was definitely a grown-up, while Chris was just a geeky teenager. But that changed over the years. Or rather, Chris changed.

That's what made me worry I was losing my mind. Chris and I had both changed a lot in seven years, but Ronny hadn't changed at all. Not her hair, not her face, not even her clothes. She didn't look one day older.

Two years ago they'd started holding hands and kissing. I don't know if other ten year olds like to watch their brother making out, but I didn't hang around much after that.

I'd never told Ronny or Chris that I'd seen them together for the past seven years. But it creeped me out whenever I had to be near her. And now, it appeared that Ronny, my new sister-in-law, the woman who never looked any older, was the one who wanted to talk to us.

I do not want to do this!

I hung back, feeling my stomach churn when Ronny stood up and motioned us over. Faith and Olivia looked at me curiously, and I could only shrug. I trailed after them uncertainly, wondering if I should just turn and go.

I was still asking myself that as we got to the table. Ronny said, "We now are all here. Before starting, would you like to eat something? As my treat."

I'd been hungry when we came in, but my stomach was jumping too much to eat anything now. In fact, the smell of my favorites, fried potatoes and bacon, were making me feel queasy.

"Nothing for me, thanks," I said weakly, while my mind began buzzing with questions.

"I could eat!" Olivia grinned, looking slightly more awake, and Faith seconded the idea. I waited impatiently for the waitress to finish taking their order before I started to ask the questions that were now stinging my brain like a swarm of angry mosquitoes.

"How did you—" I almost burst with impatience when Ronny held up her hand and said, "Let us wait until our food is served to us. We do not want to get interrupted, and I do not want anyone to hear what I need to say to you."

The loud sounds of people filling drinks at the soda machine and the buzzers going off in the kitchen made it difficult to hear any of the conversations going on around us. I guessed Ronny was counting on those sounds to cover whatever we were about to discuss.

We sat in silence, Olivia looking half-asleep, until the waitress put breakfast on the table. Then Olivia's head snapped up and she grabbed her fork. "Yum."

Once the waitress was back out of earshot, Ronny cleared her throat and said, "You are wondering what all the mystery is about? I am sorry for that. I have much to explain, but first I need you to promise me you will not talk about this. With anyone." She paused and met each of our eyes.

I hesitated, not sure I wanted to give her any promises. Ronny looked at me intently for a moment, then said, "Before that, I believe Kat has a concern about me."
Chapter 9

T M I

I glanced at Faith and Olivia, then back at Ronny. "I...I don't know what you mean." Although I was afraid I did.

My heartbeat accelerated when Ronny frowned at me. I suddenly remembered the thought I had before falling asleep.

What if there is a place called Chimera, and there are magical beings? If so, maybe it wasn't so crazy for Ronny to still look exactly the same. But what would that make Ronny? Ronny—who'd married my brother Chris just last week.

I stared down at the table, drawing circles with my fork, not willing to meet her eyes. Ronny said, "I have seen you many times over the years, Kat. I know how you used to follow Chris." I glanced up, horrified.

She smiled at me. "Do not concern yourself. Chris did not know, and I do not intend to tell him. I hoped you would not recognize I was the same one with him all that time. But whenever you let yourself look at me, I see the doubt in your eyes."

She glanced at Olivia and Faith before continuing. "I will not tell you the whole story now, but I will tell you this. I first met Chris when he was ten years old. The same year you were all born. That year troubled him greatly. A new baby in the house meant his life would be changed forever."

I looked at Ronny curiously. Had Chris found change as hard as I did now?

Ronny shook her head. I was afraid for a moment I'd said it out loud. Then she said, "You and Chris have altered tremendously in the past twelve years, but I have not. This, I believe, is what worries you. Am I right?"

My mouth was so dry, I knew I couldn't get a sound out. I nodded reluctantly, unable to look at Olivia and Faith. What could they be thinking?

"There is no need for you to be concerned. Chris knows every part of me. And I swear I will never allow anything to bring harm to him." For a moment, a fierce gleam seemed to shine from her eyes.

She took a deep breath, and her eyes looked completely normal again. Did I imagine that strange look? She continued, "Before we speak about how all of this is possible, I must know if you read the pages I left for you?"

When we all nodded, Ronny clasped her hands on the table. It was a casual pose, but the skin stretched so tight over her knuckles it looked white and waxy. Like mine did on roller coasters.

She began to speak low and quiet, while keeping her eyes on her hands. "So, now you know how Chimera began. I was born there, a long, long time ago." At the inquisitive sound that escaped Olivia, she glanced up with a slight smile. "No, I am not going to tell you how old I am. Not now."

"You saw our rule, that any who learn of our existence must be brought to Chimera. There they must spend the remainder of their life. This rule was designed to keep our secret safe. It is better to be safe than worry, right?"

Something about that last sentence didn't sound right, but I dismissed it, wondering what she'd tell us next.

She paused a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. I heard Olivia's toe begin to tap. I'd have tried to kick her, but the table was too crowded. I'd probably kick Ronny by mistake.

"What about us?" Faith looked both scared and outraged.

"Do not worry, I have no way to enforce that rule, even if I believed in it. Listen and you will see." She sighed deeply, and sounded unbearably sad. "Once Chris and I knew we loved one another, I asked our Council to make an exception for us. Chris would not be happy leaving your family behind forever. He would never be able to tell you why he had to leave or where he would be. We could not have a good life together like that."

The world wobbled around me and I grabbed the edge of the table, afraid for a moment I'd fall off my chair. Chris might have been forced to live in Chimera? I couldn't imagine my life if Chris just disappeared without a word. And I didn't believe he'd do that. He'd have told us.

And what if he did? Then our whole family would know about Chimera. Would they have forced us all to disappear into Chimera?

Ronny hadn't noticed my momentary distraction and continued softly, "The Council refused my request. Even though my mother is one of the founding members and occupies our highest rank."

She stared at me intently. "When I told them I would live in the Mundane world with Chris, they threatened to ban me from Chimera forever. I do not think they believed I would choose to stay in the Mundane world. In nearly five hundred years of your time, no magickal being has chosen to leave. The Council was sure this threat would make me obey them."

She fell silent a moment, her eyes distant. "It took long months of searching my heart before I could make the decision to leave Chimera. To move here and be with Chris in your world. Knowing it would be forever. It was the most difficult decision of my life. But one can't cry over spoiled milk, right?"

Faith said, "I think you mean spilt milk."

The smile Ronny gave her was just a weak imitation of her early smile. "Did I get it wrong? I like using your sayings, but Chris is always needing to correct me. I make him laugh when I mangle your sayings."

She turned to me, her eyes sad and intent. "I can see you are wondering why I requested for you to come to listen to my story. The answer is simple. I need you to help me."

She sat straighter, her shoulders growing stiff and her face turning hard. "I have tried to enter Chimera but cannot get in. The Council has kept their threat. The entrance is magicked against me and I am banished from my home."

Olivia was definitely waking up now, her eyes shining with interest. "Why do you wanna go back? I'd be totally mad at them if I were you."

Ronny's hands writhed together for a moment before she answered, "Just after the wedding, my mother told me she was needed in Chimera. She had to return home immediately. She could not even stay for the reception. Something had gone wrong." Ronny looked up and the strain she was under showed clearly on her face. For the first time, I thought she actually did look years older.

"Mother was afraid someone was seeking to take over Chimera. She swore she would have word to me by the time I returned from honey-mooning. But she has never contacted me. That could never happen if all was well with her."

I was suddenly glad I hadn't eaten anything. My stomach twisted as Ronny continued, "I need to find what has happened. And you are the only ones who can help me."
Chapter 10

No Way, No How

There were several moments of silence as the three of us stared at Ronny. Finally I asked the question I knew we were all thinking. "What do you mean, we're the only ones who can help?"

Ronny leaned her elbows on the table and rubbed her eyes. She continued without looking up. "As I said, I cannot go into Chimera. And Chimera has been blocked to non-magickal beings. Or, I should say, most non-magickal beings. You three are exceptions."

"What?" Faith's voice shot up at least one full octave.

"As you could see inside our history, the different creatures that exist in Chimera do not get along. Twelve years ago, during the year you were born, several groups in Chimera began to fight."

She must have seen my confusion. Or maybe it was Faith's stare of appalled disbelief. "You must understand, the magick world fights with spells and curses. The fighting grew so intense, magick started to leak into your world. People in Santa Ramona noticed many strange things that year."

I gasped so loud Ronny looked startled. "You do not need to worry, there was little lasting effect."

It felt like my eyebrows were trying to climb on top of my head. The strange mix of emotions swirling inside me made me dizzy. Pleasure at getting a long held question answered warred with irritation for living through years of crazy stories. I blurted, "Chimera caused all the TSYE fits!"

Confusion washed over Ronny's face. "Caused a tizzy-what?"

"THE-STRANGEST-YEAR-EVER! All those crazy stories."

She continued to look confused.

"You're the reason I had to hear about birds flying backwards all these years!"

Faith rolled her eyes. "And Mrs. Rodriquez's roses."

"And Dad complaining about dozens of calls to get cats out of trees. Every month," Olivia added.

Okay, I admit it, I was starting to get into this. "And all those stupid toads on Main Street!"

Faith's grin looked like she was into it too. "And Mom talking about her boss sleeping in the bank every month because something kept unlocking the vault. He thought the bank was haunted."

Olivia laughed. "Don't forget all the fire and burglar alarms in town going off every month. It took hours to get them shut off."

"And every car on Main Street flipped upside down the same night. Even those inside garages."

"And –"

Ronny interrupted, raising her hands, a flush staining her pale cheeks. "Stop, please."

"There's more," I said. "We haven't mentioned how every sprinkler in town went off at midnight. For an entire month. Even when they shut off the water."

Ronny's face was nearly as red as the ketchup. "No, no. Please, you must let me continue."

I sat back and nodded. I was very interested in what she was going to say.

"The tree in the cemetery was planted the year Chimera was created, hundreds of years before this town was in existence. It has been our doorway, a safe barrier between our worlds. Then, twelve years ago, when the fighting in Chimera was at its worst, the pressure of so many spells forced more and more of our magick outside."

Olivia was definitely awake now. "The tree is a doorway! So that's what happened."

Ronny hurriedly motioned for us to keep our voices down as we broke into excited explanations. I wasn't sure how much she really understood, since we were all speaking at once.

"Wait. You must tell me one at a time. What happened yesterday?" Ronny leaned forward intently.

"I'll go," I said quickly. Olivia scowled but sat back next to Faith. I didn't think she'd be able to keep quiet for long — she was practically bouncing in her seat. "We fell through that tree in the cemetery. It was horrible. I thought I was going to die!"

Ronny shook her head, frowning. "What do you mean? Going through the doorway cannot make you die."

"When you can't breathe, can't see, can't feel your arms and legs, and start falling through space, it feels like you're going to die!"

Ronny's eyebrows pulled together and she bit her lip. "That is not what the doorway feels like. I thought you went to Chimera, but maybe I was wrong."

"Well, we went some other place. It was sunny and warm, and it smelled really different."

I'd been right. Olivia bounced forward and said, "The plants were totally strange. The only thing I recognized was the tree."

Faith added, "Our cell phones wouldn't work. We were totally freaked out."

Ronny gave a shaky laugh and pressed a hand to her heart. "Mother was right! You got in. I am sorry it felt so bad to you. Maybe it felt that way because you are not magick."

Ronny usually didn't show much emotion, but she was showing it now. "Mother was sure babies created that year would absorb the escaping magick. Like one of your kitchen sponges. She thought it could allow you to pass into Chimera. That is the reason I was in Santa Ramona twelve years ago, when first I met Chris. Mother requested that I observe the effects of the magick leaking out of Chimera into your world."

Her smile was wistful as she continued, "Mother asked me to keep a close eye on babies born that year. She was sure the magick would have some affect upon them. And now, when it is most important, it has happened!"

Ronny closed her eyes, rubbing them with the heels of her hands. There was a trace of moisture on her cheeks when she pulled her hands away. "You can enter Chimera. You can find what happened to my mother."

Faith cleared her throat and took a deep breath. When she spoke, she sounded calm and sure of herself. At first. "No offense, but — you believe something bad happened to your mother. And you want to send the three of us into that strange place, all alone. You do remember we're twelve, right?"

I wasn't surprised that going back made Faith nervous. Chimera was a real place. Too bad we couldn't tell her we were checking out a monster. Then she'd be fine.

Faith's breath began to hitch and her words came faster and faster. "I mean, a grown woman who can do magic is missing. And you expect us to go into that magic place all alone? Not going to happen!"

"I understand you want to be on the safe end." Ronny held out her hands. "Please, I have shown too much worry if I have made you feel so afraid."

"You said your mom was afraid, that there was, like, some kind of takeover going on," Olivia challenged.

"She handles those things often. That does not worry me." Ronny gave a small laugh. "I do not think someone kidnapped her or murdered her, like one of those crime shows my Christopher likes." For a moment she looked distracted and her smile turned positively gooey. I had to look away.

Eeow!

She pulled herself together and continued, "Mother is too powerful for that. I am only concerned that she is ill or injured. No one can let me know because I am banished. I want you to find for me what has happened. Please."

Ronny looked at Faith for only a moment, but something in her face made Faith sit back and rub her forehead, hiding her eyes. Ronny continued, "Magick is much more powerful the week of the full moon. We do not know why. Mother believed if any child born that year could enter Chimera, it would only be possible around the full moon."

She looked at us expectantly, and seemed disappointed when we just stared back. "This weekend the moon is full. After tomorrow, if Mother is right, the doorway will be blocked to you until next month."

Olivia interrupted, "So we fell through a tree into a strange place because your doorway just happened to be open this weekend? But only for people born the same year we were?" When Ronny smiled and nodded, Olivia rolled her eyes. "That's weird!"

That made me remember something. "Speaking of weird, what's up with time in there? We were only there a couple minutes, but when we got back it was almost half an hour later. How does that work?"

Ronny smiled again. "It is true that time moves strangely in Chimera. First, we believe all our magick interferes with time in some way. But mostly, it is because Chimera is outside the space and time of earth."

She hesitated a long moment, her forehead creased. Then the lines smoothed out as she came to a decision. She said hesitantly, "Perhaps this will help you understand. If I had lived in Santa Ramona my entire life, I would be nearly seventy-five years old." She chuckled at our expressions.

My mom would have told me to shut my mouth if I didn't want to attract flies.

I glanced at Olivia. She could not have looked more surprised if the ketchup bottle jumped off the table and squirted itself in her face.

Next to her, Faith leaned back in denial, shaking her head back and forth so quickly her hair whipped against the sides of her face.

"I do not look seventy-five. And in Chimera time, I am in my early twenty's. For those fully magickal beings who never leave Chimera, it is as if time has all but stopped. I am only one-half magick so I do age, but it is...was...very slow. I do not know exactly how it will work for you. But I am not surprised a few minutes there is a half hour here."

She looked at me and reached out her hand. "You must pay close attention to the time you spend in Chimera. You do not want to disappear for days."

Faith moaned, "Days!"

Olivia sat up straight. "Just what, exactly, do you want us to do?"

"I do not want you to put yourselves at risk." She smiled first at Olivia, then turned to Faith before continuing, "I just want you to go back, ask about my mother, Glenna Danaan, then tell me what has happened to her. I will know what to do once I know that."

She sat back and looked at us solemnly. After a few moments of silence, she turned to me and pleaded, "We are family now, Kat. Blood is quicker than water, right? Will you not help me?"

I couldn't bring myself to correct her muddled up saying. I wasn't sure how I felt about all this, although the fluttery feeling inside my chest didn't seem like a good sign. But I knew what I was going to do. I looked at Faith and Olivia, then put my hand on the table. Slowly, first one then the other placed their hands on mine. It was Faith who said, grudgingly, "Fine. All for one and one for all."

Ronny put her hand on top of ours briefly. I was embarrassed to see tears in her eyes.

Note to self — Don't make Ronny grateful in public!

She cleared her throat, but her voice sounded thick and hoarse. "I do not know how to thank you!" She turned to Faith and assured her, "I would not ask you to go if you would be in danger."

She continued quickly, "There are things you must remember. You are not magick users and cannot create your own spells. But be very careful what you wish for in Chimera! You may have enough magick to activate simple spells that already exist there."

Ronny tapped her forehead, as if coaxing out an elusive thought. "I can think of just one more thing. Do not forget to watch the time. Just ask the first person you meet about my mother, then return."

"Are you going to the cemetery with us?"

"I do not know how long you will be, and I am afraid if I wait inside, it will attract too much attention. I would prefer not to do that if possible."

"Okay, we'll call you when we get back."

She had to clear her throat again before she could continue, "I will be at home with Chris. Thank you all for your help." She jumped to her feet and hurried out before I could think of anything to say.

Faith sounded stunned. "What did we just agree to?"

We all jumped when Doug Geller's head popped above the partition on the other side of our table. He said, "You're going to show me how you got into Chimera, and we're all going to look for Ronny's mom."
Chapter 11

See You On The Other Side...

Faith jumped at Doug's sudden appearance, knocking over her soda. As she scrambled to clean it up, Olivia frowned at him and complained, "You were listening to a private conversation. No one invited you!"

"Just a minute," he ordered.

Typical!

He sprang out of his seat and rounded the end of the aisle, heading for our table.

When he took the seat Ronny vacated, Olivia continued belligerently, "Look at the mess you made." She pointed to the orange soda making a puddle on the floor and to where Faith was still wiping at the orange stain on the knees of her jeans.

"Hey, don't blame me. I'm not the one klutzy enough to knock over my soda," Doug countered, laughing.

While Faith bared her teeth in a snarl, I sighed, resigned to the argument about to erupt. After growing up two houses apart, with parents who were best friends, I'd spent a lot of time with Doug. I knew him better then my own brother.

I watched him square his shoulders and shove his dark brown hair out of his eyes.

Yep, he's ready for a fight.

He was totally stubborn and competitive. Even though he was shorter than most guys on the basketball team, he was one of the best players. He couldn't stand to lose. I'd seen him intimidate guys a foot taller. He could freeze most people with one glare from his dark blue eyes.

I'm glad that doesn't work on me!

Even so, I knew there was no way we'd discourage him now. Just to be contrary, I asked, "What makes you think you'd be able to get in?"

He snorted. "You're kidding, right? I was born here the same year you were. You got in. Why wouldn't I?"

"Fine," I said. Darn! I sounded like I was pouting. Hopefully I didn't look like it. "You can go with us."

I ignored Faith and Olivia's protests, knowing it made more sense to have him go on our terms. "Just don't forget, we're the ones Ronny asked to solve this. And we get to decide what to do. Understand?"

"I agree. Unless you start to do something stupid."

I rolled my eyes, but turned to Faith and Olivia. "That's the best we can do. He'll just follow us or tell someone if we don't let him come."

"Fine," Olivia snapped. She pressed her lips together tightly and breathed in loudly through her nose.

"Fine," Faith repeated. But she sagged back against the booth in relief. I knew she'd prefer to be completely surrounded by people the next time we entered Chimera. None of the things that scared most kids bothered her. But give her something new, or make her deal with bullies, or even give an oral report in class, and she got more nervous than a mouse in a cage full of hungry cats.

And I could tell the idea of going back to Chimera had her really nervous.

Now that I knew where we'd gone and more important, knew how to get home, I was actually excited about the idea of going back. I just hoped it would be easier to get through that tree next time.

"We should go today," Doug said.

I sighed loudly. "Faith can't go tomorrow, so if we don't go today we'll have to wait 'til next month," I told him.

"Like I said! We should go today. We don't want to wait a month."

Urrrgh! He's already trying to take over.

"Yeah, what a shame," Faith muttered next to me.

Trying to keep Doug from butting in again, I asked quickly, "When do you want to meet?"

Faith sighed, resigned. "I'll be ready in thirty minutes."

"Let's meet next to the cemetery," Olivia said.

"Thirty minutes. By the cemetery. I'll be there," Doug assured us.

"Oh goody." I hoped there was enough sarcasm in my voice. Sometimes Doug could be totally oblivious.

XXXX

It was 10:00 am when Olivia, Faith, Doug and I met across from the cemetery.

"Should we take some lunch?" Faith asked. "What if we're there a long time?"

"We can come back and get whatever we need," Olivia said reasonably, a hint of irritation in her voice. "Come on, let's go."

"Yeah, let's go!" Doug definitely sounded bossy.

"Don't push it." I knew I sounded impatient, but I didn't care. "I just spent several minutes on the phone with Ronny, vouching for you. I told her you promised to do what The Three say." Doug rolled his eyes at me, then turned to follow Olivia across the street.

We hadn't gotten far into the cemetery when I stopped. I turned around slowly, trying to find whatever was making me so uncomfortable. The skin on the back of my neck was twitching.

Doug said, "What's the matter with you."

"I swear we're being watched."

"So what?"

Faith stopped and said, "That's not good. What if it's Andrew or the others?"

"Who cares if they're out there?" Olivia asked, sounding annoyed. "As long as they don't see where we go."

I turned around again to look, but didn't see anyone. "You're right. It just makes me nervous, that's all." When we reached the tree without seeing them, I relaxed.

Olivia leaned against the tree first. This time, I got to watch her disappear. It looked completely and totally freaky, like the tree was swallowing her up. Faith and Doug followed her quickly, and then it was my turn.

The feeling of plunging through something cold, thick, dark and damp was just as nasty as the last time. In fact, it felt even worse than I remembered. Did it really take this long last time? I felt panic creeping through me. Sweat broke out on my forehead, then chilled in the cold darkness.

Note to self — Wear a coat next time.

Then I realized we hadn't warned Doug. For a moment, I forgot the terrible feeling of being blind, deaf and tumbling through space. I was glad I could feel the smile spreading across my face.

Serves him right— No one asked him to come.

"Holy Cow!" Doug yelped as we suddenly fell onto the dirt road in Chimera.

"I thought your mom told you not to watch The Simpsons."

"Don't have a cow, man," he told me, turning to look around in amazement.

Faith made a gulping sound and I looked at her quickly. Then looked away. She was a pale sweaty green. Her stomach hadn't liked this trip through the tree any better than the last one.

The four of us climbed to our feet, the huge fig tree behind us. This time, I was able to look around with interest. The sun was higher in the sky than at home and it was much warmer. The air was sweet, like a room spray made of strawberries and cinnamon toast. So different from home! A tingly sensation chased from my feet to the top of my head.

I murmured, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

Doug's grin practically stretched ear to ear. "I don't believe this!"

The dirt road we stood on stretched into the distance, looking narrow and indistinct where it finally veered to the left and out of sight. On the right, open fields were covered with strange brightly colored flowers, unlike any I'd ever seen.

Some were larger than dinner plates, while others were too small to make out individual shapes. Huge sections of the field were layered in shades of yellow, orange and purple. There were even colors I couldn't name. It looked like a crazed painter had splashed an entire paint store over the meadow.

I don't know how long I'd been staring at the flowers in amazement, trying to find even one I recognized when Olivia asked, "How'd they do that to the rocks?"

That's when I saw them. In places, unbelievable rock formations thrust out of the grass. As if the sculptor decided to create the most bizarre shapes ever. Rocks were bent, twisted, curved, and braided. Some as thin as paper, delicately carved into patterns and shapes I didn't recognize. More than one balanced on a tip no bigger than a needle. There was no way a rock should be able to stand like that.

"I like it," Doug said suddenly. I blinked, feeling like I'd been staring a long time.

I wanted to show Doug something...

"Oh! Check this out!" I pulled out my phone and grinned. Doug's eyes grew wide as he watched the screen going haywire. Olivia and Faith held theirs out as well.

He immediately pulled out his phone, just as mine gave that strange whining sound and died like last time.

"What?" Olivia's hands were on her hips, and she glared at him. "You think we messed up our phones just to fool you?"

"Well..." He paused and shrugged with a grin. I rolled my eyes as Olivia started to snap back at him.

Faith interrupted, "Shhh, listen!"

After several moments of quiet, Olivia asked, "So what is it I'm supposed to listen for? I don't hear anything."

Faith shoved her hands in her pockets. "Exactly!" she said. "'There's no sound."

We were all quiet again, then I said, "That's creepy. I've never, ever been anywhere there wasn't some noise."

Doug sounded like he was talking to a group of little kids. "Well, there's no wind. And this road isn't paved. It doesn't look like cars normally drive here. I don't think it's strange"

How can he be so thick?

"Doug!" Frustration made my voice come out like a growl. "There's no sound! No birds, no crickets, no frogs, no wind, no cars, no ocean, no airplanes, no stereos. Nothing! Nada! Zip! Zilch!"

"That's not all," said Faith, sounding worried. "I don't hear any people. Ronny said there would be people we could ask about her mom."

"I guess we'll have to start searching for someone," I said, trying to sound matter of fact rather than nervous. "Should we go straight or use that path to the right?"

"We should go straight," Faith said.

"I say we should go to the right," Doug declared, and actually started to turn that direction.

Olivia, Faith and I all looked at him, then spoke together. It sounded like we'd been practicing it. "Straight!" It sounded so great, we gave each other a high-five.

Doug rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, we can go straight," He muttered something else under his breath and I was glad I couldn't hear it. I didn't think he was giving us a compliment.

The road was made of smooth hard-packed dirt. When I scraped my foot against it, there wasn't even the smallest puff of dust. It made very little sound beneath our feet. On the left, a low stone wall bordered the road about six inches wide, just higher than my knees. Beyond the wall, towering out of waist-high grass, were a dozen enormous apple trees, covered with the largest red apples I'd ever seen.

"Hey Faith, you wanted lunch," Doug said. "Why don't we stop and pick some apples?"

Faith shook her head at him. "You watch The Simpsons, but not The Wizard of Oz? You never steal apples from trees in a magic forest!"

Doug laughed at her and moved over to the wall. I could tell he was going to jump over and pick an apple from the nearest tree.

Faith was right. Who knew if something was dangerous. But I couldn't think of anything that would make him listen. I muttered, "I wish we had something to help us figure out what's safe in here!"

A sudden intense gust of wind whipped around us, tossing leaves and dust into the air. It was so strong I covered my eyes and held my breath. Dirt and twigs stung my hands, and the exposed parts of my face felt raw as it swept past with a high-pitched shriek. It certainly wasn't quiet now!

I sucked in my breath to yell that we should get back in the tree when the wind died as abruptly as it began. My ears rang in the sudden silence, and I pulled my hands away from my eyes.

As the dust settled, I saw Doug had one foot resting on top of the low wall. But he was just standing there frozen, staring down the road. Before I could look that way, I heard an odd sound to the right. It was the first sound I'd heard in here besides that terrible wind, and it gave me a sinking feeling in my stomach.

I turned, dimly aware that Faith and Olivia had turned also, but I didn't pay them any attention. I was too busy looking for the source of those furtive rustling noises coming toward us through the colorful meadow.

Then Doug gave a quick exclamation and yanked his leg back onto the road. He pulled a slingshot out of his pocket and scanned the ground. "I need a rock!"
Chapter 12

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad...Fox?

Faith gasped and pointed into the field. Where she aimed her finger, black-tipped triangular ears and a long red muzzle peeked above the grass.

She threw herself in front of Doug and poked her finger at him. "You're not going to shoot that fox! No way! My nickname is Fox. That's my favorite animal."

"Okay." When Faith didn't immediately move back, he glared down before repeating, "Okay! I won't shoot your precious fox."

Faith looked down at her hand in surprise where her finger was still shoved against his chest. "Okay then," she said, a light flush spreading up her neck. She dropped her arm and moved back. She looked back at the spot where the fox had been, then sighed. There was no sign of it.

"So what's with the sling shot?" Olivia asked.

"I got it for Christmas. I figured this would be a good place to try it out."

I jumped as a high-pitched hooting sound came from one of the trees far to the left of the road. Olivia's eyes were wide when she said, "I totally wish I knew what that was."

As the words left her mouth, small shapes began moving towards us — two on the road, one through the air to our left, and one in the field to our right. We were being surrounded.

They ones on the road were still too far away to tell what they were, but the one on the right was definitely a fox.

Note to self — Find out if foxes attack people.

I took a step closer to Doug and his slingshot. "Where did those come from?"

Faith moved next to me as the small what-the-heck-are-those-things grew closer. She grabbed my arm, but didn't take her eyes off the things approaching us. "What do they want?"

Even Doug sounded uneasy. "You're sure you didn't see any animals in here before?"

Only Olivia didn't seem disturbed. She grinned and pointed in the tree next to us. There, a small gray-brown owl, only a few inches high, had touched down on a low branch, watching us with large yellow eyes. "Oh you cute thing," Olivia breathed, then laughed as it fluttered over to land on a branch just above her head.

"That owl is staring at you," Faith said, moving closer to me, away from the spot where the small bird perched. Her shoulder pushed so hard against me, she almost knocked me over. "Why is that owl staring like that? In the middle of the day! Owls come out at night, don't they?"

"Pygmy owls are diurnal." She grinned at the confusion on Faith's face. "They hunt during the day."

"Why didn't you just say so," Faith grumbled.

"How do you know it's a pygmy owl?" Doug asked skeptically.

Olivia, Faith and I laughed. It was Faith who answered, "Owls have always been Olivia's favorite. She knows all about them. Naturally."

"What do you mean, naturally?"

"Olivia Willow Larson. OWL."

"I get that's your name, though why that would make you like owls..." He trailed off at the expression on Olivia's face. "Forget it. Anyway, foxes are mostly nocturnal," Doug said, and pointed back to the field on the right. There, the orange fur and pointed ears of the fox were visible, staring directly at Faith. "That fox is staring at you, Faith."

"Okay, I'm getting a bit freaked out here," I said in amazement as Faith moved closer to the side of the road, staring at the fox with fascination.

"Isn't anyone worried about this?" I gasped as one of the creatures on the road suddenly rushed toward us. Then, the racing beat of my heart changed from fear to pleasure as a large cat jumped onto the low stone fence only a few feet from me. The others watched as it walked towards me and stared intently into my face.

Olivia grinned at me. "It's Siamese. Your dream cat."

As if the cat heard her, it blinked its blue eyes in pleasure, then stretched elegantly, first one paw then the other, and jumped off the wall. It walked straight to me.

The others hesitantly drew closer, watching as I smiled down at the cat. It rubbed its head against my legs, gazed into my face and meowed. I stooped down and laughed at the loud rumbling purr that came from its chest when I stroked the soft fur on its back.

I glanced up at the others. "It's not wearing a collar. I wonder where it belongs." It sat at my feet and looked like it was waiting for us to do something.

"Um, do you think the other animals are as nice as the cat?" Olivia asked, then looked up startled at a flutter of wings. The tiny owl swooped down onto her shoulder, hooting wildly. It sounded...happy.

"Okay, now I'm the only one freaked out by all this," Doug complained.

Faith and Olivia were too busy looking at their favorite animals to react, but Doug and I both looked up at the sound of a bark. Only a few feet away, a Jack Russell terrier had all of its attention focused on Doug, its tail wagging so hard it was having trouble standing still. Brown patches of fur circled both eyes and wrapped around both ears, and short white fur covered its body.

"Jack Russell's are my favorite. Remember Rusty, Kat?"

I nodded, feeling my throat tighten at the memory of the feisty little dog that was Doug's best friend until last winter. When, shortly after its sixteenth birthday, it lay down for the last time and never got back up. Doug hadn't said his name once since then. Now he said wonderingly, "Rusty looked like that."

Faith said, "How can that happen?"

My voice sounded weak when I answered, "Magic? Ronny said to be careful what we wished for. Were any of you wishing about animals?"

Olivia was staring at me. I mean really staring right at me. "What?"

"You wished for something to help us figure things out in here. Could they be here because of your wish?"

Faith said, "You don't really think that's what happened. Do you?"

"Better hope not," Olivia told her, grinning. "I wish for stuff all the time. And when I get mad, they're not very nice wishes. I don't even mean them. Most of the time."

"I wish I had a million dollars," Doug said, and laughed. He waited a moment then said, "So, wishing for money doesn't work."

"I wish I had an X-Box," Olivia said. None of us were surprised when that didn't come true.

Note to self — You can't get something electronic in a place where cell phones won't work.

"Okay, so not all wishes work," Doug said. "I guess if they are here for us, they'll go where we go."

"They'll come," Faith said confidently. "Race you," she yelled and took off. Olivia and I scrambled to catch her, the small owl fluttering off Olivia's shoulder with an indignant squeak. After a minute we stopped, laughing, and waited for Doug to catch up. We perched on the stone wall, watching him trudge up the road. When he reached us, he was rolling his eyes and muttering something about 'girls' under his breath.

Whatever he'd said could not have been nice. I was about to ask him to repeat it when I felt something rub against my legs. I looked down and smiled with pleasure at the cat.

I glanced over and saw Olivia looking at the little pygmy owl, who was back on her shoulder. To the right I could see the fox slinking through the grass, and the little dog had practically glued itself to Doug's side. As I watched, its tongue lolled out and it looked like it was grinning. It suddenly jumped up, dancing in place and gave an excited bark.

Doug held out his hand, and received a quick lick on his fingers. Then the small dog gave a tremendous leap that reminded me of Rusty. Doug instinctively reached out and caught it, and got his face licked as well. Doug laughed and hugged the dog, asking, "What's your name, boy, huh? You're not wearing a collar either."

Olivia said, "What do you think we ought to do now? There still aren't any signs of people in here."

I said slowly, "We should probably ask Ronny. We could ask her about these animals, too."

Faith asked, "How long have we been in here?"

I shrugged and guessed, "Maybe...an hour. Maybe less."

"What time is that in Santa Ramona?" Doug asked.

"I don't know, but it gets dark early, and I have to be home before dark," Olivia said.

Faith stood up. "You realize I won't be able to do this on Sunday's. My coach isn't going to buy going to a magic place through a tree as an excuse to miss practice."

"The rest of us could come tomorrow," Doug said.

Olivia and I glared at him. "We're not coming without Faith," I told him. I heard Faith give a quiet sigh. Actually, she might prefer to miss the next trip through the tree.

"If we come back, we can check the calendar for the next full moon." Olivia stood up and began brushing off her pants. I was glad Doug didn't argue, though it surprised me — he'd given in way too easy.

He gave the dog a last pat. "I hope I see you again, boy. We're going now, but I'll come back. I promise."

The terrier barked and licked Doug's face, then jumped out of his arms. It ran back the way we'd come.

"It's like he understands me," Doug said, surprised.

I shrugged and grinned. "This is a magic place." I joked, "Maybe he does."
Chapter 13

We'll Be Careful

Going back through the tree, though it was just as disgusting as before, didn't seem to take as long. Less creepification was a good thing!

We stumbled out of the tree into the cemetery. It wasn't dark yet, but twilight wasn't far off.

"I'll check on the next full moon," Doug said, sounding way more enthusiastic than the statement called for. "So we'll all know when we can go back."

That wasn't like him. He was definitely up to something.

"Before we go home we have to talk to Ronny." The others nodded, and I pulled out my phone, using the speaker so everyone could hear.

"Hi, Ronny. I'm sorry it's late. We've a lot to tell you."

Ronny said, "Did you find out about Mother?"

"No, that's part of what we need to tell you."

"It is almost dinner time, so I know you cannot meet with me tonight. Tomorrow is another day, right? Can we meet then?"

I bit my lip, knowing she wouldn't like what I was about to say. "Uh...Faith has soccer practice tomorrow. Can we meet Monday after school?"

There was a short pause. For a moment I was sure she was going to argue about waiting so long. Then she sighed. "Can we meet at 4:30 at Johnny's?"

I got everyone's nod of agreement. "Yeah, we'll meet you then. Bye."

XXXX

School crawled by on Monday. Doug had promised to meet us, so when the final bell rang, Faith, Olivia and I grabbed our stuff and headed out. We got there a few minutes early, and remembering how Doug had listened last time, we picked a booth where no one could overhear us.

Ronny got there a few minutes later. As she took her seat, I asked, "Could we wait until Doug gets here? To talk about what happened."

Before I could say anything else, the smell of fries and burgers made my stomach growl loud enough that everyone at the table heard it. Olivia and Faith laughed, while Ronny smiled at the blush crawling up my face. She held up her hand and asked a waitress for sodas and fries for each of us.

Then the waiting began.

I actually forced myself to wait a couple minutes after the fries were delivered. My mom would have been proud of me, being all polite, waiting for Doug to show up. But when it got to be 4:40, I decided it was his fault for being late and said so. As if that were a signal, we all started chowing down. By the time the fries were gone, Doug still hadn't shown up.

I looked across the table, intending to ask Olivia if she remembered Doug saying anything about being late, but got distracted. Everyone was waiting so...different.

Faith's eyes were bouncing around, looking all around the restaurant. Although her hands were folded quietly on the table, her shoulders were hunched and she kept shifting around in her seat. Sitting still was always hard for Faith.

Olivia was drumming her fingers on the table. Although she did stop occasionally to check herself out in the mirror by the exit. Johnny had put it there as a joke with a sign over it saying, "Check your face and shirt for mustard."

Ronny held so still she might have been a stone statue rather than flesh and blood.

I was the only one acting anxious. I kept picking up my phone and checking for a text or voicemail from Doug. I was really starting to worry — Doug was usually early, never late. He said he hated missing anything. I tried calling and texting him, but the call went straight to voicemail and he didn't text me back. I was going to start bouncing off the walls if he didn't get here soon.

The next ten minutes were some of the longest I'd ever spent. Occasionally one of us would try to start a conversation, but it kept dying out as the door opened and someone other than Doug came in.

Finally I said, "I can't stand this waiting. Will you tell us more about how you met Chris?"

Ronny looked down, twisting her wedding ring on her finger. Her voice was very quiet as she started speaking. "I met Chris by mistake. I was only here to find out what all the escaped magick was doing to Santa Ramona. But I came across this ten year old boy, crying because his dog had been hit by a car."

My breath caught in my throat and my voice came out strangled. "That was Lucky." I grew up on stories about Lucky, our miracle dog who survived against all odds.

"Yes. Lucky was dying and Chris knew it. I could see how much he loved that dog." She shook her head before continuing. "I should not have done it. It broke all our rules. Magick does not even work well outside Chimera, so I knew I might not be able to do any good. But I could not stand there and do nothing. And I was able to reduce the worst of the damage."

She smiled wistfully. "I was not at all sure it would be enough. I kept worrying about that little boy, knowing how heartbroken he would be if he lost that dog. I could not help myself. I had to find out what happened."

She smiled at me. "I came back the next week and found Chris in the same place by the road. He had been waiting for me every day, hoping I would come back. He kept insisting I saved his dog."

I spoke up, "Even the vet said it was a miracle. Lucky should not have survived those injuries."

"Fortunately, no one believed your brother when he told of the lady he'd never seen before. Who made the bleeding stop when she put her hands on Lucky and whispered words in a language he'd never heard."

It was strange hearing the story I'd grown up with this way. It was a family legend. How the day I was born was a lucky day. The same day our dog Lucky beat all the odds and lived. Now I understood why Chris always said it was magic. All this time I'd thought he was telling me his own stupid THE-STRANGEST-YEAR-EVER story.

Note to self — I have to apologize for all my teasing. Darn it!

Ronny continued, "I could not convince him I had done nothing special. He was very smart, your brother, even so young. I had never been around children before, and I enjoyed our time together. He asked me to come back, so I did. He liked to guess what I was: magick, paranormal, alien. It was fun watching him grow up, trying to catch me out."

She smiled again, and this time she looked younger than ever. "When he grew to be an adult, I not only loved being with him, I loved him. So much, I knew my life would be long and empty without him."

I sat up in my seat as I realized something, blurting it out without thinking. "You gave up your magic to be here with Chris."

Her smile dimmed. "Yes. I had to give up many things to be with your brother. Do not think of it later and worry. Being with Chris is worth it. But it is true I have very little magick here, and that will fade with time. And I will begin to age the same as everyone here."

The sound of the bell over the door interrupted her. As Doug finally walked in, I felt a surge of annoyance. How could he make us sit here waiting so long!

"Why didn't you tell us you were going to be...so...late...?" I trailed off as I got a good look at him, while next to me Faith choked on her orange soda. Doug's shirt was dirty and torn, his lip split, and his hair matted with sweat.

"What happened to you?"

Doug threw himself into a chair and let out a groan. "Ray's gang got me. Man, they sure don't like you three. They saw me go into the cemetery with you, and wanted me to tell them how we disappeared."

He looked at me and apologized. "I should have listened — you knew we were being followed, and I said they wouldn't be a problem."

That was a good thing about Doug. He could be bossy and act like he knew it all, but he was usually willing to admit if he was wrong.

Ronny sounded worried when she asked, "What did you say to them?"

Doug laughed. "They'd just started pushing me around when Olivia's dad moved the fire truck out behind the station. He asked what we were doing there. You should have heard them stuttering before they took off. Don't worry — I wouldn't have told them anything."

His cocky smile pulled at his split lip. It had to hurt, but that didn't wipe the grin off his face.

Boys!

I asked, "So what did you tell them?"

"I kept saying we were really good at hiding. It wasn't my fault they couldn't find their own heads without a map."

Faith gave a surprised giggle. When we turned to look at her, she shrugged and said, "Couldn't find their heads without a map! I wish I was brave enough to say something like that."

I turned to Ronny and told her, "We need to know what you want us to do. We looked around Chimera for an hour yesterday. We never saw anyone, so we couldn't ask about your mom."

Ronny's eyes widened and all the color drained from her face. Her voice sounded strangled. "That is impossible! You must have seen someone. There are always people there."

I shook my head. "There was nothing for a long time. No people, no animals, no birds. I didn't even see a bug."

"You did not see any living thing?"

"Before we left we did see four animals. A cat came over to me. An owl landed on Olivia's shoulder. A fox followed Faith around, but seemed too nervous to get very close. And a Jack Russell kept jumping all over Doug. Other than those, we never saw anything. Except trees and grass of course."

"A black cat I understand, and an owl does not surprise me, but there are no foxes in Chimera. And I don't know anyone named Jack Russell."

"Oh no," I said quickly as a surprised laugh escaped Olivia. "A Jack Russell is a dog. And the cat wasn't black. It was Siamese. My favorite!"

"This is not right. There are no Siamese cats there," Ronny insisted. "And no cat in Chimera would come up to a stranger! They stick to their own witch or wizard."

The four of us started speaking at once, describing how the animals appeared, our voices coming out in a jumble. Ronny's face creased in confusion, then she shook her head. "I do not know what to think. Nothing you say makes sense. Please — start from the beginning."

She held up her hand as we started to speak again. "One at a time. Please."

I blurted out, "We went through the tree onto a dirt road. After a while, the road split, one part disappeared to the right behind some hills. The—"

Ronny interrupted, "You are speaking too fast, Kat. Slow and steady wins with grace."

I stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what she meant. Faith muttered, "Slow and steady wins the race."

Wow, no wonder Chris has to correct her all the time.

I grinned and continued, speaking slower. "The main path curved to the left. We went that way. We passed a field covered with strange flowers. On the left, there were giant apple trees. That's—"

Doug was the one who interrupted this time. "So, we were arguing about that. It's okay to eat the apples, right?"

Ronny looked at him, startled. "No, they are not safe. We call them Sleeping Beauty apples, and they are poison. My aunt thought it was funny to put a sleep spell on them, like your story of Snow White. No one has been able to reverse the spell."

I glanced at Doug, who was looking a little green. Good thing he got interrupted.

Ronny propped her chin on her hand. "You were definitely on the Mountain Road, but you say no one was there. I do not understand what can be happening."

Doug opened his mouth to speak, but Ronny held up her hand. "I think...I think you should go see Ghalynn. He is an elf who lives away from most of us. He and I are friends, of a sort, and I believe he will agree to help you."

I would have felt better if Ronny had looked, or at least sounded, a bit more certain.

"Is he a nice elf?" Faith asked timidly, her voice higher than normal. "I've heard there are nice elves and dark elves. What kind is Ghalynn?"

Ronny's laughter rang through the room. When heads began turning in our direction, she stifled her amusement and lowered her voice. "Nice is not the word I would use. Irritating, frustrating, rude and short-tempered would be closer. But he is not a dark elf. Set your mind to ease on that. I am sure he will help, once you get him to listen."

She pulled a piece of paper and a pencil out of her purse. "I will draw a map to his cabin, and give you an introduction."

"I guess that means we're going back." Faith's shoulders slumped as we watched Ronny quickly sketch Chimera. I recognized the tree and the road leading away from it.

I took the map with her introduction on the back and folded it into the pocket of my jeans. "We'll try to find him the next time we go."

Doug spoke up, "If your mom is right, the last Saturday in February will be the next time we can get in there." He glared at me as he said, "They said we have to wait and go together, so we can only go that Saturday."

Ronny nodded, "I hate to wait that long, but I agree. Since you did not see anyone near the tree, there is something strange happening in Chimera. You should stick together."

I said, "So we need to find Ghalynn. Anything else?"

Ronny sat forward. "Not now. But I am curious what is happening between you and this boy, Ray," Ronny told Doug.

He said, "Ray's dad is the Mayor. My dad says the Tate's are always Mayors or on the City Council. They're big dogs in this town."

Ronny interrupted him, smiling. "I did not know they allow dogs on your Council. The Mundane world keeps surprising me, even after all these years."

Doug chose to ignore her, while the rest of us just stared, not sure what to say. "Um, Tate Road, next to Main Street, was named for them. Ray seems to think it makes him better than the rest of us."

Faith spoke up. "Ray's best friend is Andrew. Andrew thinks you shouldn't live in Santa Ramona unless you're rich or important. Anyone else, like Mom and me, should just get out."

"It sounds like you must avoid Ray and also this Andrew as well," Ronny said, worried. "It is clear," her glance went to Doug and lingered on his torn lip before she continued, "they are not afraid to hurt others, and they are watching you now. Please, do not get hurt on my account."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful," Doug replied cheerfully. "They won't hurt us."

I wondered if those would count as 'famous last words'.
Chapter 14

Initials...Who Knew?

I couldn't wait for the end of February for both Chimera and Chris. I'd talked to Chris briefly on the phone, but couldn't wait to talk to him in person when he got back from his current research trip. He said he was glad I finally knew the truth. I said I was glad I wasn't still waiting for him to tell me about it. Because he should have told me himself! After that, he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Go figure.

I was relieved we were able — mostly — to avoid Ray and his friends the first three weeks of February.

Faith spent a lot of energy avoiding Andrew. But I couldn't stand being around the real leader of the gang. I found myself gritting my teeth every time I caught sight of Ray's short spiky black don't-mess-with-me-I'm-tough hair between classes.

He bowled through the halls with his friends as if he owned the place. He was tall and broad, and everyone moved out of his way without him saying a word. He didn't even need to glare at anyone out of his freeze-you-where-you-stand pale grey eyes to totally intimidate them.

He gave the three of us an evil grin each time he saw us. His chipped front tooth made him look like a wannabe pirate. I'd heard his mom wouldn't let him fix it until he was done playing sports. Probably because his father loved to brag how Ray wasn't afraid to get 'a little rough' on the basketball court.

Would he be proud that Ray liked to get 'a little rough' in the hallways, too? This week, the last week in February, we weren't always able to avoid him.

Tuesday, I was late getting out of gym. I threw on my clothes quickly, ignoring the sweaty hair that stuck to my head and the shirt tails that flapped loosely when I took off at a run. Mr. Gordon didn't like his History class interrupted by someone coming in late.

Of course, that would be when Ray caught me.

I wasn't even surprised when I heard him bellow, "I've always known you were a stupid troll, Taylor. You don't even know how to dress yourself."

While Andrew and Polly laughed, a group of passing cheerleaders looked at me with scorn. I felt the blood rush into my cheeks and knew my face must resemble a tomato.

I snapped, "At least I don't need a bunch of reject friends to help me find my class." I scolded myself all the way to History. That had been so lame. Why couldn't I ever think of something cool to say?

I almost didn't tell the others. But being able to share stuff, even embarrassing stuff, is what best friends are for. And like good friends, Faith and Olivia tried to hide how lame I'd been. Instead, Faith said, "No Kat, its perfect. They are a bunch of rejects."

"Yeah," Olivia said, "We'll call them Ray's Rejects." Olivia and Faith high-fived each other like they were actually excited about the idea.

You know you have great friends when they turn something stupid into something good.

After that, I was Ray's favorite target, and Wednesday was his day to make me miserable.

First, he tripped me in the hall between classes. It was partly my fault. I'd been thinking about Chimera, excited there was only a week to go. I didn't notice Ray lurking in the hallway like my own personal boogeyman.

It felt like half the school was there, laughing, as I sprawled over the dirty beige linoleum. I'd never realized how messed up the floor was until my nose ended up an inch away.

Yuck!

To add to my humiliation, my books and papers went skidding out of my backpack in an untidy mess. I kept my eyes down, not wanting to see any of the faces around me. Hearing the laughter was bad enough.

I saw Ray's black tennis shoes move up next to me, uncomfortably close, as I gathered my stuff. I refused to look up as he said — loudly, "What a klutz, Taylor. You're a menace. You could have hurt me, falling down in front of me like that."

I was so angry I would have hit him. If I were bigger. And stronger. And if I could get away with it without being suspended. Instead, I gritted my teeth and fought back angry tears. No way was he going to see me cry! I ignored him, and felt my muscles go limp with relief when the bell called him away to his next class.

By the time I gathered everything up, half of my papers were scrunched or smudged with footprints. I almost screamed in frustration when I saw my English essay — it was beyond salvaging.

As I took off for class I muttered, "I hate Ray Tate! I hope he chokes on a bug!"

Too bad wishes don't work in Santa Ramona.

Later that same day, Ray tripped me in the cafeteria. I hope no one else ever has to wash their lunch out of their shirt and hair in a school bathroom. I was so angry I actually did see red for a moment. It was weird, I had no memory of leaving the cafeteria or going to the bathroom. One moment my tray was smashing into my chest. The next I was staring at myself in the mirror while water ran in the sink. Just as well really. I could picture the humiliating scene in all its gory detail.

Thankfully, I was wearing a black hoodie that day. It hid most of the carnage. The hamburger hadn't been too bad, but the ketchup and chocolate pudding smeared all over my chest could have been seriously embarrassing.

And you should never mix those things together. They smelled even worse than they looked. I know this because I had to smell damp cotton, chocolate, hamburger and ketchup the rest of the afternoon.

Fortunately, the next two days were better. I was careful to hide or go the other way anytime I saw Ray. I was getting lots of exercise taking back routes around the school to any of the classes I didn't share with Olivia and Faith.

I understood a little better now, how Faith felt the first day we ended up in Chimera. I'd do almost anything to keep away from Ray and his Rejects. I slunk around school trying to see everywhere at once. Sometimes if I caught a glimpse of Ray down the hall, it made my knees shake.

I dreamt about tripping him, knocking him into a vat of sticky strawberry jelly, and covering him with permanent glow-in-the-dark happy face stickers.

When I wasn't worrying about Ray, the rest of that week was pretty good. With our next trip only a few days away, all of us were getting excited. Well, all except Faith. She kept thinking about all the things that could happen in there. The rest of us got to share secret glances and whisper "Chimera" when we passed in the halls.

There were two extra reasons I was looking forward to Chimera this time. One was Ray. I wouldn't have to watch my back all the time to be sure he wasn't about to do something.

The other was being able to talk about whatever we wanted. We had to be careful what we said at school, and Ronny had asked us not to put anything about Chimera in writing. We could only make a few cryptic comments on Facebook. It made me realize how much I liked to text and chat about stuff when I couldn't do it!

At least in Chimera we'd be able to talk without being overheard. It seemed impossible to have a private conversation! Someone, parents, teachers, brothers or sisters, or one of the Rejects, always seemed to be hanging around.

It was driving me crazy. When I mentioned this to Doug, he had the nerve to laugh. He actually reminded me how my mom was always telling me to learn patience. The superior tone in his voice when he added, "Patience is a virtue," made me grind my teeth together.

Conceited Turkey!

XXXX

I was thrilled when we approached the large fig tree Saturday morning. 10:00 am seemed pretty late to start, but Olivia had refused to meet any earlier.

We'd agreed to go to the cemetery in pairs so the Rejects wouldn't notice us. I felt like Nancy Drew as Doug and I snuck through town, doing everything we could to avoid being seen. We beat Olivia and Faith by only a minute.

They approached at a run, motioning Doug and I to go ahead through the tree. Once again, I struggled through the dark, clammy center, hating the feeling of cold jello, of struggling to get air into my lungs, of endless falling...

Is it really worth going through this?

I tripped as I left the tree, landing on hands and knees.

As the others emerged into Chimera, most of them didn't fare much better. Olivia actually sprawled face first on the ground and spat out a mouthful of dirt before climbing to her feet.

Note to self — There's gotta be a better way. Ask Ronny!

Doug asked Faith and Olivia, "What happened? Why did we have to hurry?"

"Andrew tried to follow us!" Faith panted.

"I'm pretty sure we lost him," Olivia stated, resting her arms on her bent knees as she tried to get her breath back. "But we totally wanted to be sure, so we ran the last part."

"Well, they can't follow us now," I said.

The sudden frown on Doug's face worried me. I asked anxiously, "What?"

"They were born the same year as us. What's to stop them from coming in here?"

Olivia's eyes popped wide open. "You've got to be kidding!"

"No, no, no!" Faith shook her head and hunched her shoulders. "That would be so unfair."

I stared at Faith, feeling queasy. "You're right, it's not fair. But Doug's right too. They'll be able to get in."

"We can never let them see us come in here! They could do anything to us in here. There's no one to stop them."

"There's us," Doug said, standing taller.

Faith only shook her head. Her eyes looked scared, and I was pretty sure she was imagining the Rejects doing something nasty to us. I hoped she was wrong.

Knowing we only had a couple hours in here, I said, "We should find Ghalynn's cabin, okay?"

We hadn't gone far when the four animals approached us. The cat ran straight up to me, while the dog barked and went bounding over to Doug.

At the edge of the meadow, the fox's bright orange face peeked above the grass. It looked like it was keeping a watchful eye on the dog. The little pygmy owl landed on the stone fence to the left of the road and hooted at Olivia.

I laughed out loud. "It's so cool. It's like they were waiting for us to come back." I reached to pet the beautiful Siamese cat, grinning when it gave a rumbling purr. "And we each got our favorite animal."

"That must just be a coincidence," Faith said, voice sad. She glanced at the small red fox whose ears and nose twitched as it looked her way.

"No way is it a coincidence," Doug said. "You've called yourselves Cat, Owl and Fox for years."

How does he know that?

Doug snorted with laughter, making me feel stupid. He choked out, "You all look soooo surprised. What, like it's supposed to be a secret?"

When I glared at him, he rolled his eyes. "It's not like you hid it. You've called each other those names since, what, second grade?"

He laughed again. "I always thought it was 'cause of your initials. Faith O'Keefe Xenakis. FOX. Olivia Willow Larson. OWL. Katherine Alice Taylor. KAT. But last time you said you like those animals. Well, I've always liked Jack Russell terriers, and look what's here. It can't be a coincidence."

"It's weirder than that," Olivia told him. "Your name is Douglas Oliver Geller. DOG."

"You know what? It's not weird." Faith shivered. "It's creepy."

Doug shook his head. "Oh come on. It's totally cool!"

I pulled out my phone, and made sure it was dead, wishing I knew what time it was. "None of us know how things work in here. Maybe it is just a coincidence."

When Doug smirked I continued, "And maybe it means something. Either way, we should get to the cabin — Ghalynn can explain it."

"Good idea!" Olivia sounded relieved.

Faith gulped. "Ronny did say he'd help us. If we can get him to listen. Even though he's annoying, impolite, bad-mannered and whatever else she called him."

I grinned at her. "I think it was irritating, frustrating, rude and short-tempered." Even though that sounded a bit scary, I wanted to get there and find out about Ronny's mom and our animals.

As we started walking again I looked around. I'd forgotten how different everything was in here. Strange flowers, rocks, huge glistening poison apples on the trees. And how quiet everything was — our footsteps were the only sounds I could hear.

XXXX

"How long'll it take to get to the cabin?" Olivia asked, fanning herself. We'd stripped off our sweatshirts long before. Chimera felt positively hot compared to home.

I glanced at Ronny's map. It showed the road we were on curving to the left before a short side road split off toward the hand drawn cabin. There was no way to tell how far it was. "Sorry. Can't tell from the map."

It felt like we'd been walking at least an hour when we came upon a small hand lettered sign.

"Can you tell what it says?" Olivia peered at the sign, cocking her head first to the right then to the left.

Doug groaned. "You're kidding, right?"

"I'm barely passing Spanish and it uses the same letters as English. I have no idea what that says," I told her.

"What's the use of having a sign no one can read?" Faith asked.

"Just because we can't read it doesn't mean the people who live here can't. Besides, what makes you think they speak English?" Doug mocked her.

Faith rolled her eyes. "Ronny said we'd be able to talk to them. So, they gotta speak English."

Olivia rolled her eyes too. "Yeah, Doug!"

I grinned and rolled my eyes. "Duh!"

We gave each other high fives. Doug turned away, keeping his muttering about "girls" too quiet to offend us.

I pulled a pen and paper out of my backpack. "I'm gonna write down those symbols. We can ask Ronny about them when we get back."

"Maybe we won't have to wait 'til then," Doug said. "Maybe Ronny's elf can tell us what it means."

"One more reason to get to the cabin," I said, stowing the drawing in my backpack.
Chapter 15

The Cabin

Even from the outside, the cabin appeared to have been abandoned in a hurry. The door was half **open and one of the shutters hung at an odd angle**. I called Ghalynn's name several times, but there was no answer. Doug finally pushed the door open, over Faith's protests, and we crowded into the opening.

The cabin was one large room, with a neatly made bed on the left and a small kitchen on the right. The space on the left was mostly tidy, except for the thin layer of dust over everything.

In the kitchen area, a plate lay on a small wooden table. On it was part of an apple and a few curled peelings. The half-eaten apple had obviously been there a long time. It was brown and shriveled almost past recognition.

Next to the plate were several crumpled papers, covered with drawings and strange words. The words reminded me of the sign near the cabin.

I had really counted on finding Ghalynn. I didn't know how much I'd counted on getting some answers until I knew he wasn't there. That he hadn't been there for a long time.

Olivia stared around, and then said, "At least he wasn't attacked."

"How do you know?" Doug said. He really knew how to get that just-how-stupid-are-you tone in his voice.

"Duh. First, there's no sign of a struggle. Second, his knife is lying on his plate. If he was attacked, don't you think he'd have grabbed the knife?

Faith said, "I think you watch too much CSI."

"You're just jealous 'cause your mom won't let you watch," Olivia shot back. "I'm right. You know it."

"Okay. You're probably right," Faith told her.

Doug said, "Maybe he's dead."

"What?"

"He ate a poisoned apple!"

"If he died from poison, he'd be dead on the table."

"What're you doing now?" I asked as Olivia began looking through the papers on the table.

Olivia said, "Look at this," and held up one of the pages. It was a small ragged map, and it was obvious from its grimy, creased appearance that it had been handled frequently. She put the paper down on the table and pointed to some markings, "Do you think he's gone there?"

When Olivia asked this, the cat jumped on the table and put her paw on the map while the dog gave an excited bark.

Olivia jumped at the cat's sudden appearance, and put her hand on her chest. "Did you see the animals come in?"

I shook my head. "I wasn't paying attention."

"I only see two of them. Where's your owl and my fox?"

Doug glanced out the door, "They're out there, near the cabin. It doesn't look like they're gonna come inside."

I reached for the map, and the cat moved aside. It lay down, its eyes half closed, an inscrutable cat expression on its face.

"You know, that's a really smart cat," Faith said, and we all laughed when it sat up and gave what sounded like a pleased meow.

Olivia pointed to the map. "I think this is the cabin, here." She pointed at a roughly drawn building. "There's the path to the cabin from the road. The road goes back to this tree — that's got to be where we came in. The other direction, past the cabin, leads towards the mountains. See, it looks like it goes up to that cave."

The map had a number of symbols that reminded me of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. They looked like they'd been strung together into words.

"I hope Ronny can read it." I glanced quickly around the cabin. "So, what now?"

"We haven't seen anyone, and Ghalynn isn't here. We should take the copy you made of the sign and this map back to Ronny," Olivia said.

I nodded in agreement. "Can you think of anything else we should do while we're here? Since it'll be a month before we come back."

Doug said, "Let's come back tomorrow. Who wants to wait a whole month?"

Faith said sweetly, "I have a soccer game tomorrow, but don't let that stop you."

Doug made a face. "I forgot."

"The three of us could come," Doug started, but Olivia shook her head, and I told him, "No way! We come together. All of us."

Looking at Doug's mutinous face, I added, "Let's make a pact. We only come here together. No one comes without the others!"

"I swear," Faith said quickly.

"I swear," Olivia said, a little more slowly.

We turned to look at Doug, who hesitated. "Don't you think each of us should be able to come and check things out whenever we can? There's only a few days each month we can get in."

"I wonder if that's true," Olivia said. "We took Ronny's word that we could only get in during the week around the full moon. Maybe we can get in other times."

"Uh, no, you can't." Doug looked everywhere but at us.

"What do you mean?" I asked him. I tried to keep the suspicion out of my voice but didn't think I'd been very successful. I'd suspected he'd been up to something.

"Ronny's mom was right. We can only get in near the full moon."

"And how do you know that," Olivia said. Her eyes narrowed and her brows drew together as she glared at him. Olivia could look pretty intimidating when she wanted to.

"Well, I... Um..." He took a deep breath and the rest came out really fast. "I tried to get in the week after we were here last time. I couldn't get in."

The three of us glared at him now. I said, "I can't believe you tried to come in here without us!" Well, actually, I could believe it, I just didn't want to.

"I wouldn't have done anything." His voice was almost belligerent. I knew that meant he was feeling guilty. "I just wanted to check it out. I would've let you know, but there was nothing to tell. I couldn't get in!"

"Sure," I said, unable to completely ignore my feeling of betrayal. It sat like a heavy lump in the pit of my stomach. "But from now on, we only come here together. Promise. All for one and one for all."

"Just because you three want to wait doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to come when I have time."

"I knew this was going to happen." I clenched my hands into fists and glared at him. "You're breaking your promise already. You promised to do what we said in here."

"That was a big mistake," Doug muttered. Then he sighed. "Okay, fine. I won't come in here on my own."

As soon as he said it, the dog barked and looked like he was grinning, his tongue lolling out. The cat began to purr.

Olivia said slowly, "I could almost believe they're listening and approve."

The dog barked again and his whole body quivered with excitement. I bent down until my eyes were on the same level as the cats. "Can you understand us?"

The cat stretched and climbed elegantly to its feet. It made a full circle, then sat down and meowed once.

"Do that again if you meant yes," Olivia said, excitedly.

The cat stood again and turned in a small circle before sitting down with a meow.

"Do you belong to someone who lives here in Chimera?" I asked quickly.

The cat blinked but didn't move or make a sound.

"Do you belong to Kat?" Faith asked.

I turned to her. "That's a silly question."

Faith pointed. "Not that silly." I turned to watch in amazement as the cat got to its feet, made another full circle and meowed.

When I realized the cat had said yes, I fell into the single chair by the table. I felt all warm and tingly inside. "You belong to me?" How embarrassing, my voice actually squeaked with excitement.

The cat circled and meowed again. We laughed when the dog barked twice, trying to get Doug's attention. Doug crouched down and patted the dogs head. "Are you mine?"

The dog gave two excited barks and jumped up and down, his body wiggling so fast he was almost a blur.

Faith moved outside the cabin, near the doorway. "You're here for me?" she called to the fox hiding beneath the bushes at the corner of the cabin.

It moved several feet closer and bowed its head. Faith turned to us where we crowded behind her. "Did you see that?" she asked excitedly.

We all nodded. My eyes felt like they might pop out of my head. Olivia pushed past Faith to face the tiny owl perched in a nearby tree. "You're my owl, aren't you?" she said and the owl hooted back to her.

She quickly turned back, her face shining with excitement. "How cool is this!" she said. "I love this place."

"Me too." But that reminded me. "We should go back, we've been here awhile." I folded the map and slipped it into my backpack, taking a last look around.

I scooped the cat up and buried my face in its fur. "I'm so glad you belong to me," I whispered.

Note to self — Bring cat treats!

I carried the purring cat while we made our way back to the tree. I was only a few feet away when I stopped. I looked at the cat in my arms while disappointment welled up inside. "Oh no, you can't go with me."

The cat closed her eyes and continued to purr. "My father's allergic. I can't take you." The cat continued to purr as it stretched and jumped gracefully from my arms, rubbing its head against my ankles.

Doug asked the dog, "Can you go home with me?" The dog whined and moved back a step. "I get it. You have to stay here." The dog barked twice and grinned at Doug, tail wagging.

Faith waved toward the meadow and called, "Bye Foxy." Then she disappeared through the tree.

"Bye Pyg," Olivia said, and laughed as the little owl hooted at her, and she too disappeared. I'd never get used to seeing that!

"Bye, pretty kitty," I said, looking back as I took my turn going into the tree.

XXXX

I couldn't wait for the long, cold, suffocating darkness to end. I tried to hold still and kept my eyes closed tight. It felt better somehow, choosing not to see, rather than trying to see and feeling blind. It was easy to tell when to open my eyes. Santa Ramona would have felt cold under ordinary circumstances, but after the tree it felt almost warm.

I jerked my phone out of my pocket and glanced at the time. We'd been gone four hours. I told the others, "I'm going to call Ronny." I forgot to use the speaker, and wondered what they could make of my side of the conversation.

"Hi. We're back safe but we really need to meet with you.... No, we still don't have any news about your mother.... No, Ghalynn wasn't there.... No.... Ronny! We have stuff to show you. Can we get together?...Okay....Right. See you in twenty minutes."

I ended the call and said, "She'll meet us at Johnny's in twenty minutes. Let's stop by the library. There's a copy machine there — we can each get a copy of the map."
Chapter 16

You And What Army!

Ronny's smile was strained when we got to Johnny's. "Meeting like this is becoming a custom. You must be getting tired of it. If we have to do this too often, you will begin to think the grass is always cleaner on the other side."

It took a few seconds for me to get that one — oh, always greener on the other side. That was pretty close for Ronny, so I decided to ignore it. "I'm sorry we don't know anything more about your mom. We still haven't seen anyone in Chimera."

Ronny made a choking sound. "No!"

I said quickly, "It looked like Ghalynn has been gone a long time, maybe weeks. But we have a clue how to find him."

Doug said, "He might be dead. He ate a poison apple."

A fleeting smile crossed Ronny's face. "Not all apples in Chimera are poison." She was silent a moment. "It might help me to understand if you tell what happened from the beginning."

We took turns describing the weather, the road, the lack of sounds, the four animals. I showed Ronny the drawing I'd made of the sign outside the cabin.

She laughed and almost sounded like her normal self. "I had forgotten that sign. I used to tease Ghalynn about it. It is written in Standard and says 'Keep Out Or Else'." She chuckled and pushed the note back to me.

"Or else what?" Faith asked, nervously.

What would an irritating, rude, short-tempered elf do to people who didn't keep out?

Ronny smiled, dimples showing at the corner of her mouth. "It is meant as a joke."

"Riiiight," Faith said, rolling her eyes. "It's a joke. Excuse me." She got up and stalked over to the soda machine, refilling her cup with orange soda.

Hopefully Doug won't do anything to startle her this time.

And hopefully Ronny was no better at recognizing sarcasm than she was at getting quotes right. I said, "Um...the cabin was open when we got there. There was no sign of Ghalynn, and he hadn't been there for a long time. There was a shriveled up half eaten apple on the table, and this map."

I held up the map. "We think he was looking at it before he left, and he might've gone to that cave. You can see where he drew a line along the road between it and his cabin. Is there something interesting about it?"

"I have not heard anything about this cave," Ronny answered, looking disappointed. "It used to be the lair of an old dragon, but no one has seen it for years."

"A dragon?" Doug was suddenly very interested.

"There are few left. The one that lived there must be dead by now."

I could see Doug wanted to keep talking about a maybe-dead-dragon, but I was interested in the very real map in my hand.

Ronny said, "Most of these symbols are Runic. But they are not in the correct order and I do not know what they say." She pointed to another group of symbols inked near the cave opening. "This says 'Sleeping Dragon Cave', but you can see where Ghalynn added 'Cave of Prophecy'."

When her finger touched the map there was a sudden bright turquoise spark, and Ronny let out a startled gasp. "There is something hidden here by magick." She made a strange gesture with her hand and muttered a long string of words I couldn't understand.

She leaned back in surprise as new words started to appear at the top of the map.

"Invisible ink," Doug said. "Cool!"

I was busy watching Ronny's face. Her eyes were wide and filled with horror. "It says, 'Get to cave. Critically important. Find what is hidden there, or all may be lost.' What does that mean? And why would Ghalynn write those words and hide them on this map?"

She pushed the map back to me, then started speaking quickly. Her words kept running into each other. "I cannot imagine where everyone is. Or why Ghalynn would write this. Or visit a cave for several weeks. It makes no sense."

She paused for a moment, struggling to regain her composure. Her voice was much calmer when she continued. "I do not understand what has happened, but there does not appear to be any real danger. So I would like to know if you would go to that cave to look for Ghalynn." She gazed anxiously into our faces, waiting for our decision.

"Well, I love caves," Olivia told her. "My family has gone to several. I'd love to explore it."

Doug said, "Of course I'll continue." He shot a look at Faith. "I like going to Chimera."

Faith grimaced, and then sighed. "We agreed, all for one and one for all."

I added, "Besides, I want to visit the animals again. They were able to communicate with us. That is the coolest part of Chimera so far."

I was confused when I saw Ronny's jaw drop. I didn't know people really did that — I'd only seen it in cartoons. Ronny kept staring at me, her mouth half open. I felt like telling her she was going to swallow a fly.

Before I could actually say it, she shook her head and asked, "What do you mean, you could communicate with them?"

We took turns describing what happened with the animals at the cabin. Ronny kept shaking her head, repeating, "That is not possible." When we'd finished, she said, "I do not understand. Never have I heard anything like this. They are acting like familiars, but you are not magickal beings."

"What are familiars?" Doug asked.

"Witches and wizards, and other magick users, can have an animal that interacts with them. This relationship is not like an owner with a pet. While the familiar cannot speak, it can communicate with its chosen person. Familiars provide magick users with information, protection, and companionship."

She looked at me and shook her head again. "Never in the history of Chimera, in nearly five hundred years, has a familiar attached itself to someone other than a magick user. It goes against everything I know about magick."

I shrugged and glanced around the table, hoping someone would know how to answer her.

Doug said, "We'll come up with a reason to be gone most of the day next month, and we'll explore the cave then."

Ronny smiled wistfully. "You do not know how much I wish I could be the one going! I do not know how to express my gratitude."

She gathered her things, saying, "I need to get home. Contact me if you need anything. Otherwise I will talk to you after the full moon in March."

Once Ronny left, Doug glanced around, then groaned. "Reject alert. Quick, let's go."

Cool. Even Doug calls them Rejects!

XXXX

The next two weeks were uneventful. Thankfully. Chris and I had made up. It was easier to forgive him for hiding the truth, now that I was starting to realize how hard it was to keep a secret from most people you knew.

Sometimes I really wanted to be able to talk to someone about Chimera. So one evening when Faith and Olivia were busy at home, I asked Mom if I could go watch Doug's basketball practice at school. I wasn't really interested in basketball, but I hoped we'd get to discuss our next trip to Chimera while we walked home.

It took a while to clue into how rough Ray was playing around Doug. As they ran up and down the court, Ray knocked against Doug when they passed each other, sometimes a knee, sometimes a shoulder or an elbow. He was careful to make sure the coach was looking somewhere else before he did it.

My hands clenched into fists and my jaw was so tight my teeth hurt. Someone needed to stop this! I stood up, intending to get the coach to pay attention, but Doug shook his head at me. I didn't like it but settled back, not willing to go against his wishes. Not yet, anyway.

Ray and Doug had never gotten along well, but I'd never seen Ray acting like such a creep. A couple times, he almost knocked Doug completely off his feet.

When practice was over, I waited outside the locker room for Doug. When Ray came out first, I ducked around the side of the building, biting my lip as he stopped just outside the door. I realized he was waiting for Doug when he yelled, "Hey, Geller, there's no one around to protect you now. What're you freaks doing in the cemetery? Why can't we find you?"

Doug walked out of the locker room calmly. He didn't seem afraid of Ray. How did he do that? "Have you been playing hide and seek in the cemetery again? Aren't you a little old for that?"

"Listen up, buttface, or I'll make you sorry. Answer the question."

"What question?"

"Spill, Geller. You really don't want me to make you."

Doug laughed. "Yeah? You and what army, Tate?"

Ray stepped forward and balled his hands into fists. "I don't need an army. I can get it out of you all by myself. And I'll like it, but you won't."

It was obvious Doug was going to refuse again. And this time Ray looked like he was done talking. So I made a quick decision, hoping I wasn't going to regret it. I walked around the side of the building, noting Doug's look of dismay. He shook his head furiously at me, but I ignored him.

I tried to whine like Olivia's little sister when I said, "I'm tired of waiting, Doug. Aren't you ready to go yet?"

Ray turned and said, "Go home, Taylor. We're busy."

"No way! Mom said Doug has to walk me home."

"Your boyfriend's busy. Buzz off. Or better yet, you tell me about the cemetery."

"Geez, everyone knows a cemetery is a place full of dead people."

"Funny, Taylor. I can make you tell me."

"Yeah? I'm shaking in my boots. Oh wait, I don't have any boots." I snuck a glance at Doug, who looked like he was going to explode. Ray didn't look much better. Maybe it would be smarter to calm things down. "Why are you so interested in the cemetery?"

He gave me an ugly grin and said, "You're up to something. I wanna know what."

"None of your business!" I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping I looked more intimidating than I felt. I was grateful when Doug moved up behind me.

_Good to know he's got my back. Since I'm working so hard to watch his!_

"This whole town is my family's business. We don't like it when people sneak around. So tell me." Ray's voice kept growing louder and angrier. That last sounded like a growl.

Note to self — Probably a good time to start treating him like a rabid bear.

"Fine, I'll tell you." Doug gasped and grabbed my arm so tight it hurt. I ignored him. "I was helping Doug's mom at the museum a couple months ago. One of the old books says there's a witch buried in the cemetery. Her headstone is supposed to give a clue where you can find her magic book. I'm trying to find it."

"That's such bull," Ray spluttered.

"I want to be a witch." I tried to look scary when I said that. I narrowed my eyes, stuck out my jaw and glared. Really hard. Maybe it would freak him out.

"You are a witch, Taylor!"

Okay, so he sounded mad, not freaked out. But there really was a story about a witch buried in the cemetery. Most kids knew about it — it was one of the stories whispered around campfires on the beach each year. Teenagers had been checking out the cemetery for years without any luck.

I suddenly wondered if that story had anything to do with Chimera. I'd have to remember to ask Ronny if she knew anything about it.

Ray glared at me for a long moment, then stated in a threatening voice, "You better watch it, 'cause we got our eye on you. We can make you sorry you were born."

With that, he turned on his heel and stalked away.

Doug gazed at me, amazement written all over his face. "Where did that come from?"

"I recently read that book at the museum. Thinking about Chimera and witches and magic reminded me."

"It was quick thinking, but you shouldn't have done it — Ray could've hurt you."

"I was hoping he wouldn't really hurt a girl. Plus, it would've been two against one. He wouldn't like those odds." I grinned. "Now we just need to keep clear of him and his Rejects when it's time to go back."

XXXX

That night, I lay in bed thinking of the differences between home and Chimera. It was like the Wizard of Oz. Kansas and Santa Ramona were ordinary, like they were in black and white. Chimera and Oz were full of beautiful, strange sights and colors. And our familiars were like the Scarecrow and Tin Man and Lion.

Fortunately, my last thought that night didn't keep my awake, nor, thankfully, did I dream about it. My last thought before sleep claimed me was to wonder if I'd end up like Dorothy some day, wandering around my own personal Oz, looking for someone, anyone, to help me get home.
Chapter 17

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...

Well, Morning

The Saturday near the full moon in March started out cold and rainy. In spite of the rain, I was excited. Chimera would be open, and we'd convinced Olivia to get there at 9:00 am.

We snuck into the cemetery by two's — Doug and I first, then Faith and Olivia. No one had seen the Rejects that morning, but Faith kept wringing her hands like a heroine in an old-fashioned horror movie. Twice she stopped and asked, "Can't you feel someone watching us?"

"There's no one there," Olivia said impatiently. "Let's get into Chimera. Then we don't have to worry about them."

"Right," Faith muttered. She moved up next to Olivia and waited while Doug and I leaned against the tree and fell, slowly, through. I kept my eyes shut again, but it didn't help.

Bleech! Won't this ever get better?

As I stumbled into Chimera, the first thing I saw was the Siamese cat sitting on the wall. I ran up and stroked its back. "I wish I knew your name," I said as I buried my face in its fur. "Can I call you Shadow?" The cat purred loudly and rubbed her head against my chin.

The others joined me and we started walking away from the tree. The dog ran up to Doug, barking and panting, his whole body quivering with excitement. Doug stopped, going down on one knee, and laughed when the dog flipped onto his back. Doug reached down and rubbed the furry belly, making the dog wriggle his back into the dirt. "Can I call you Rusty?" he asked. The dog sat up quickly and gave a loud bark. We all laughed — the dog obviously liked that idea.

"Rusty's going to need a bath," Olivia said, and laughed when the dog made a mock growl in response to her words.

"Don't worry," Doug assured him. "I won't make you take a bath."

He got up, giving Rusty a pat on the head. Before we could continue, Faith said, "Wait."

She went to the side of the road and sat in the dirt with her hand extended toward the fox hiding in the meadow. It approached her slowly, sniffed her fingers, then let her gently scratch the top of its head.

It followed along on the edge of the road as we started forward again. At the sound of wings, Olivia patted her shoulder with a grin. The little pygmy owl soared down to land on it with a quiet hoot. It clicked its beak and settled down, its eyes half closed in contentment.

"How can you let it sit there like that Olivia?" Faith asked. "I'd be afraid it would poop all over me."

"It's magic." Olivia answered calmly. "It's not going to poop on me or my friends!" Then she got a malicious grin on her face. "But I wish Pyg could poop on the Rejects someday. I'd really like to see that." We all laughed at the thought of Ray and Andrew covered in owl poop.

I pulled out the map and traced my finger along the marked path. "We need to walk past the cabin on this road until we get to the hills."

"Let's move," Doug said cheerfully. "I feel like a million bucks today." He glanced slyly at Olivia. "Maybe 'cause I'm thirteen now."

"Do we really have to hear about that again?" Faith asked, rolling her eyes.

"March is almost over, so enjoy it while you can." Olivia sounded jealous. She hated that Doug was already thirteen — she couldn't wait for her birthday. It was no surprise when she said grumpily, "Don't forget, the rest of us will be thirteen this year too!"

"Birthday, smurfday," I said. I knew I sounded grouchy but I didn't care. Why did everyone want to be a teenager? I remembered my parents talking about Chris like he had a disease any time he did something stupid during his teens. Mom said, "Well, he is a teenager," on a regular basis! The thought made my stomach roll.

Why would I want people talking about me like that?

I stuffed the map in my pocket. "Come on, let's hurry."

It didn't take long before I felt too hot. "Wait, it's really hot in here. Some of this has to come off." I stopped, removed my backpack, and stripped off my jacket. I stuffed it in my pack and shrugged the straps onto my shoulders. The others took the opportunity to do the same.

Fortunately, we'd stopped after the curve in the road near the cabin. We heard a shriek of wind and excited voices behind us, but couldn't see them. I felt my heart sink down to my toes as I realized who else was in Chimera. At least they wouldn't be able to see us, either.

"Oh no," Faith breathed. "That's Andrew!"

"Carly and Ray, too," Olivia whispered.

The apple trees gave barely enough cover to block us from view. I followed Doug as he snuck back down the road and ducked behind the low wall. He motioned for Faith and Olivia to come too. I carefully peeked over the wall. Ray, Carly, Andrew and Polly were milling about, looking around in amazement.

Olivia snorted. "Polly's got her mouth open like a fish."

"Tell me we didn't look like that!" I whispered back.

"There's no way I looked like that!" Olivia insisted.

"They were following us." Smugness radiated through Faith's voice. "I knew it!" She didn't actually say 'I told you so', but her voice pretty much said it for her.

"We'll listen next time," Doug said, glaring at the newcomers.

"What's that?" Olivia gasped, pointing at an animal that trotted up to Carly.

"It's a baby cow," I said. "Darn! One of them must have wished for help in here."

Faith frowned, "So, Carly likes farm animals?"

"That's not it!" Doug said. Even through his whisper, I could hear excitement. "What's her name?"

Why would Doug care about Carly's name?

"Carly Whitney," Olivia answered, her voice uncertain.

Doug scowled. "No, her full name."

"I don't know." I told him quickly when no one else answered him. "What about you, Faith?"

Faith's face was red and she looked like she was going to burst into laughter. That or she was choking on something. "Yeah, I do. Her middle name was her mom's name before she got married. It's Osmond. She's Carly Osmond Whitney

"Yeah, right." Doug rolled his eyes. "At least her animal fits — her initials are COW."

"Ray's full name is Raymond Alexander Tate," Olivia snickered, "do you think that means..."

"Oh. My. Gosh." I was stifling nearly hysterical giggles, trying so hard to keep quiet that I could barely catch my breath. "That's an R.O.U.S."

"What?" Doug asked.

"Rodents Of Unusual Size," Olivia, Faith and I whispered together, and cracked up at the look on Doug's face. Remembering the need to remain hidden, we gave each other a low hand slaps.

"Watch Princess Bride," I told him and laughed again.

Then Ray bellowed, "Get away from me," and aimed a kick at the huge black rat, nearly the same size as Shadow, trying to climb up his leg.

"They don't know anything about the animals," Olivia breathed, grinning.

"And we're not going to tell them," I said, a wave of satisfaction warming me from the inside out.

"What's Polly's name?" Doug asked slowly, watching the cute pink pig that had started wandering up and down the side of the road, looking at Polly.

"I know that one, too," Faith said. "Polly Isabelle Grant. She's not nice at all. She belongs with Ray and Andrew."

We were too far away to hear what was being said when they weren't yelling. When Polly saw the pig, she reached out toward it. Before she could touch it, Ray grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any stranger, I noticed the last animal. All of us watched, transfixed, as the small donkey headed straight for Andrew.

"Oh man, he's not gonna like that," Doug said.

That was an understatement. He'd taken a lot of teasing about his name before he buddied up with Ray.

"What were his parents thinking?" Olivia asked. "I mean, Andrew Steven Sawyer!"

"I think a rat and a donkey are just perfect," Faith said, grinning. I had to use both hands over my mouth to stifle my laughter.

"Oh no!" Olivia bit her lip and held out her hand toward Pyg as, with a soft hoot, the small owl took off from her shoulder and flew off toward Ray and the others.

"Come back," she called in a small voice.

The same trees that provided us cover from the Rejects meant we couldn't see exactly what happened. But the sudden exclamations of anger from both Ray and Andrew were loud enough we could hear every word.

"Where did that stupid bird come from," Andrew yelled. "I got bird poop on my head."

"So what! It's on my face," Ray screamed back, frantically wiping at his mouth. "If I ever see that stupid bird again, it's dead!"

A faint flutter of wings was all that announced the return of the owl. It landed on Olivia's shoulder, then hooted happily.

Faith said admiringly, "You're a smart bird! You remembered."

"Remembered what?" I asked.

Olivia answered, "I said it wouldn't poop on my friends, but I wished it would poop on the Rejects. And I was right. I'm totally glad I got to see that."

We watched as Ray and the others walked away from their animals — straight toward us.

"We need to get out of here," Faith said. "And we can't lead them to the cave!"

"You're right! Let's go," Olivia said, grabbing Faith's hand.

We moved quickly, looking for a place to hide. If necessary, I knew we could leave the road and hide in the woods, but there was a wide field we'd need to cross, and the woods looked too dark and cold and overgrown with thick brush. Like a real live Fangorn forest. I was beginning to worry when I heard Ray give a shout.

"They found the cabin," Doug said, sounding relieved. "Maybe that'll keep them busy."

"How're we gonna keep away from them? They know where this place is now." Faith sounded scared. "I don't want to play hide and seek with them in a cave!"

I swallowed. "We can't risk leading them to Ghalynn. I don't think he'll help us if the Rejects do something nasty."

"Don't worry Faith, next time we'll make a plan to keep away from them before we even come in." Doug's jaw was set with determination.

"So, how much farther is the cave?" Faith asked.

"I don't know," I told her, peering at the map. "An hour, maybe?"

Faith said hesitantly, "We could get closer — so we know where it is. For next time."

"Might as well. We can't go back while they're behind us."

We followed the path drawn on the map, frequently checking behind us. When we didn't see the others, we began to relax. Finally, we came to a bend in the road and saw the beginnings of the mountains in the distance.

"Oh look," Olivia said, pointing into the field to the left. The entire field looked like it was moving in gentle mystifying undulations.

How could everything be moving so different?

The grass was moving in odd swirls and ripples, sometimes in many different ways at the same time. The rocks were moving too. They swayed side to side, but in different rhythms and directions. A few large plants, the size of small trees, with huge heart-shaped red leaves appeared to be moving up and down, like they were on opposite ends of a teeter-totter.

It was like something out of Alice in Wonderland. Everything in the field appeared to be dancing to a strange and haunting tune. But with all that movement, there was not a single sound.

I kept forgetting how freaky things could be in here. The sight was...mesmerizing.

"Let's stop and watch," Faith said in a dreamy voice.

Doug agreed, sounding almost stupefied by the sight. All of us settled down to watch the strange field. Rusty barked at Doug a couple times, then began to chase a stick.

I smiled lazily when Shadow got tired of trying to get me to pet her. She started batting her paws at a leaf at the end of a thin branch.

The fox finally allowed Faith to pet it, absently, while she stared at the moving field.

The tiny owl nestled contentedly on Olivia's shoulder, occasionally hooting with pleasure as she carelessly stroked the feathers on its chest.

I thought idly how different the field looked than anything at home. And that thought made me uncomfortable. Home. How long had we been here? I said, "I think we need to go if we plan to be home by dinner." I suddenly couldn't understand why we'd been sitting there so long. And it had been a long time. I felt stiff and sore as I climbed to my feet.

Doug whipped his head around to look at me, eyes wide. "Sorry, boy," he said as he stood up, moving slow. "We've got to go." The dog's ears and tail came up and it quickly turned to face the way we'd come.

The others looked like they were waking from a long sleep as they climbed to their feet. No one said anything as we turned to leave. Apparently, no one else felt like talking about what had kept us there so long either.

It felt way too freaky.

Note to self — Don't stare at moving rocks!

XXXX

I guessed we'd been gone at least three hours, Santa Ramona time, and would need at least two more to get back. I could only hope we wouldn't run into the Rejects.

We made good time on the way back. When we got near the cabin, I began to breathe easier. It was silent. Too silent for Ray and the others to still be there.

"I want to check it out," I said, and took the short path to the cabin. I peered inside and gasped. Anger swelled inside me like a huge balloon. I had a momentary picture in my head of something actually bursting, like when a balloon gets too full of air.

The Rejects had left a trail of destruction in the cabin. Some of the kitchen cupboards were empty — their contents thrown all over. Most of the cups and plates were broken, and the shattered bits glimmered across the wooden floor.

Faith whispered, "They're out of control. They think they can do anything they want in here."

"Ronny's going to be pissed!" I heard Olivia's quick sound of protest. Darn, I'd cussed. "Sorry Olivia." My hands balled into fists. Not only were the Rejects coming in here now, they were destroying things that belong to Ronny's friends. "I just wish I didn't have to tell Ronny about this."

"You wished!" Faith said, looking around.

I sucked in a breath, waiting for some sign that my wish had worked. Nothing happened. I let my breath out in a sigh. We didn't fall through a tree, get hit by strange winds, have animals appear, or anything even a bit unusual. "I guess there's no spell for that."

Note to self – Figure how this wishing stuff works!

While we checked through the cabin, the dog sniffed around, periodically growling low in its throat.

"Rusty sounds as upset as we are," Olivia said. "I don't think he likes the Rejects."

I laughed. "I love our animals. They have good taste!"

I was a bit reluctant as we made our way back to the tree. I was in no hurry to tell Ronny what happened. We each took a moment to say goodbye to our animals. Shadow got an extra-long goodbye. I was trying to postpone going back, and Shadow didn't seem to mind the extra attention. Reluctantly, I took my turn through the tree.

As we emerged into the cemetery, Olivia exclaimed, "Oh no! It's dark. I'm supposed to be home before dark."

It was hard to be careful and fast as we made our way through the cemetery. I kept worrying that we would bump into the Rejects. Even though we hurried back home, we weren't fast enough. Faith texted that we'd have to wait another week to meet with Ronny, at least for her to be there. She'd been grounded for being late.

Both Faith and Olivia had curfews earlier than mine. The next day at school, I asked Olivia how she'd managed to avoid being grounded.

"I told Mom we were helping your sister-in-law," she said, looking smug. "She thought we were at Ronny's house."

"You lied? What if she checks with Ronny?" I asked.

"She won't. And I didn't lie to her. We are helping Ronny. Maybe I didn't tell Mom where. But it is the truth — we're helping Ronny!"

Somehow, I didn't think her mom would see it that way, but I wasn't going to argue. Olivia had assured us more than once that everything she said would be the truth. She just wouldn't promise it would always be the whole truth.

Faith kept telling her it didn't count as truth if you left out whole bits of it, but Olivia didn't see it that way. I just hoped Olivia's mom never found out. I had a feeling Olivia would be grounded for a lot more than a week.

XXXX

Waiting for Faith to be un-grounded seemed really long. When Saturday morning finally got there, we hurried to Johnny's. I worried the whole way there. I was going to hate telling Ronny about the Rejects entering Chimera and messing up Ghalynn's cabin.

For once, I really wished I'd been wrong. Ronny was really upset. I'd never seen her like that, like flames were going to shoot out of her eyes. Maybe my face showed how uncomfortable I was, but I was glad when she said she wasn't angry with us. I never wanted anyone that angry with me!

"Promise you will be careful around those other children." She said this through clenched teeth, making it harder than ever to understand her. "And please, do not lead them to the cave or to Ghalynn. I do not know if he will be willing to help if he knows human children destroyed his belongings. It is as you say, 'when the cat's away, the mice will eat your cheese'."

First Faith then Olivia started giggling. Doug had a hard time controlling his voice as he told her, "It's 'when the cat's away, the mice will play'."

"Oh, then that saying will not work, will it. They were not playing."

"It works fine," I told her. "It's not supposed to mean playing in a good way. It means doing things that aren't right because no one's watching."

"Thank you. I will remember. And you keep away from those children."

We assured her we had no intention of getting anywhere near the Rejects. I told her, "Listen, there's a story about a witch buried in our graveyard. Kids have been looking for her grave for years. Supposedly, if someone finds her magic book, they'll be able to do magic. Does that have something to do with Chimera?"

The sound of Ronny's laughter filled the diner. There was a moment of silence as people around us paused their conversations to listen. It was a joyous musical sound. Her face brightened as she laughed and she looked more like her normal self.

Between fits of laughter she said, "That is our legend. One of my mother's sisters — I guess she was my middle aunt — went missing over three hundred years ago. It is rumored she died, or perhaps was murdered, and buried near the entrance to Chimera. In what is now your cemetery."

Ronny's voice took on a storytelling cadence as she continued, "She was a powerful witch, whose book of spells was extensive. Everyone in Chimera would like to find that book. It would be of great value to any magick user."

My interest was all over my face. Ronny smiled at me, but it felt more like a pat on my head than a real smile. "If a Mundane were to find the book, it would do no good for them. Only a magick user would be able to use her spells."

I felt a twinge of disappointment. Not that I'd really believed I would find it. But I'd loved the idea that if I did, I could become a powerful magic user. That thought was even more appealing now. Maybe there'd've been something in that book to stop the Rejects.

As we got ready to leave, Ronny hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear, "It is very important that you get to the cave and find what Ghalynn meant in his note. But it is even more important that you stay safe. Please take care of yourself, I do not want you hurt on my behalf."
Chapter 18

Where's GPS When You Need It?

All during April, I got nervous whenever I thought about getting into Chimera unseen. We planned to meet at Johnny's before we went to the cemetery. Doug was sure we'd be able to come up with something. I didn't have his confidence, and had been getting butterflies in my stomach whenever I thought about it.

The Saturday of the full moon, once I got to Johnny's, I was so nervous I only ordered a couple pieces of toast. None of us said much at first. The others didn't seem to have trouble with their appetite, but the more toast I ate, the heavier it felt in my stomach. I finally resorted to breaking off bits and rolling the pieces between my fingers, turning them into little toast pellets.

I looked at the growing mound of squashed brown pellets and sighed. It was stupid to be mutilating an innocent piece of toast. I tossed it on my plate and said, "You know, Andrew's been spending a lot of time at his dad's garage. It gives him a really good view of the cemetery. We should take the back exit. We could cut behind City Hall and enter the cemetery from the side road."

"That could work," Doug said, sounding surprised.

Like it's a surprise I could come up with a good idea.

Faith drummed her fingers on the table. Olivia and I shared a quick glance. Faith only did that when she was really nervous. Like the time she had to give an oral book report on the teacher's favorite book. The same book Faith thought was so boring she hadn't been able to finish it. Now she said, "Do you really think we can get in without them following us?"

"Well," Olivia put down her fork, then carefully blotted her lips. "Even if they don't follow us, they could still get inside Chimera while we're in there." She dug in her bag for her favorite lip-gloss and said, "What do we do then?"

She didn't give us a chance to answer. "We have to decide what to do if, when, we see them in there." Olivia twisted her head from side to side, trying to look at her lips in the back of her spoon.

Doug had been watching Olivia go through this beauty ritual like he was wondering what planet she was on.

Nice to know I'm not the only one.

He shook his head and pulled out his copy of the map. "According to this, there's a couple small roads on the right. If we notice them following, we should take one of those side roads, then cut back across the fields to lose them."

"That sounds good. I guess," Faith gave a twisted smile, clearly doubtful.

He grinned at her. "It'll work. You'll see."

We left out the back, making our way behind City Hall and the fire station. At first, we thought our plan was working. We didn't realize we were being followed until we got near the cemetery.

This time Faith recognized the feeling of being watched. "Ugh! How do they know when to follow us? Don't they have anything better to do?" I watched as she absent-mindedly slipped her left hand into her pocket.

Just one hand this time. Was only half of her nervous?

"We're gonna have to implement our strategy," Doug said, as we hurried into the cemetery and headed for the tree.

Olivia asked, "Did we ever decide which road to take?" When I shook my head, she said, "Two's my favorite number — let's take the second road."

I said, "I'm not sure how to do this. First, we need them to follow us off the main road. That means we have to let them see us. Then we have to sneak back through a field. That means we can't let them see us. That makes my head hurt."

"Simple, we wait until they follow us, run ahead, then cut through the field when they can't see us. They won't know where we've gone." Doug's voice positively oozed satisfaction.

Faiths didn't. "I just hope we don't get lost!"

Olivia sounded cross as she leaned against the massive tree, "Don't jinx us!"

XXXX

Once again, I hated those few moments of darkness. In fact, I hated them a little more each time. I really didn't want to fall on my face like Olivia had last time, and leaned back as I stumbled out. Only it was too far back. I ended on my butt.

I gritted my teeth when Olivia and Doug burst out laughing. I was half-tempted to wish something not very nice. Before I could either make a wish or get up, Shadow ran up and jumped in my lap. So, maybe I shouldn't be upset after all.

I climbed to my feet, Shadow in my arms, and we all took a moment for a short reunion with our familiars. Then I told Shadow we needed to head out. As we started walking, I kept a close watch on the side of the road, looking for Olivia's second road to the right. For a moment, I thought of Peter Pan — second star to the right and straight on till morning.

Straight on till morning would not be good in here!

Faith had been in enough trouble coming home thirty minutes late. Being here until morning would be a total disaster for all of us.

On the map, the second road turned away from the mountains and the cave. Away from Ghalynn. And with any luck, this plan would keep the Rejects away from us.

My heart was beating fast when we turned down the second road. We decided to walk until we could barely see the beginning, then wait for the first sign of Ray and the others. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long.

We could hear them before we could see them. Pyg chose that moment to leave Olivia's shoulder, where he'd perched since we entered Chimera. I heard Olivia mutter, "Now what?"

It didn't take long to get her answer. We heard Polly scream and Andrew curse, while Ray yelled, "Not again! Some stupid bird pooped on me again!"

"What about me," Andrew yelled back.

"It's not in your eyes, is it?"

As the owl swooped back onto Olivia's shoulder, she said, "Good job, Pyg! Let's just make sure he never realizes you're the bird delivering the droppings!"

Faith snickered. "Delivering the droppings!"

I grinned. "How 'bout providing the poop?"

"Dealing the dung," Olivia said.

"Furnishing the fertilizer." Faith's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Or making the manure."

Not to be out done, Doug said, "Shoveling the sh—"

Olivia interrupted him, her hands over her ears. "Don't say it! I can't hear words like that!"

"What, will your delicate ears fall off?"

The blazing red blush on Olivia's face made me jump to her defense. "It's one of our rules — no cussing around Olivia. If we start using words like that, she'll slip and repeat them at home. Then she'll be grounded 'til she's thirty."

"Sheesh," Doug said, rolling his eyes. "You girls have way too many rules."

After that, we waited for the Rejects in silence.

XXXX

As they drew closer, I could hear Ray yelling at his rat. "Get away you filthy flea magnet. I'll bash your head in."

Thank goodness they hadn't figured out their animals could communicate. I hoped the rat was smart like our animals. Maybe it would learn to keep its distance.

Note to self – Think how to keep Ray disgusted with rodents!

Just then, I caught a glimpse of Ray near the beginning of the road. Faith saw him too. To get his attention, she yelled, "Oh no!"

Ray whipped his head around. He bellowed, "There they are," and turned down the road toward us.

Doug muttered, "Alright," as Andrew, Polly and Carly followed Ray. Behind them, their animals trailed dejectedly after them.

We were committed now. I yelled, "Run!"

Good thing we had a head start. The Rejects were gaining by the time we hit the first turn in the road. At least, according to the map, there were a lot of hills and twists, so they shouldn't be able to see far ahead. There had to be a spot we could leave the road, out of sight of Ray and the others.

XXXX

After a few short turns, we hurried down a hill toward the perfect area. The Rejects were out of sight and there were plenty of bushes to the left of the road that should hide us.

"Do we have to go in there?" Olivia asked, eyeing the brush with distaste. "Couldn't we pick a spot without so much...stuff?"

Oh right, she hates to get dirty these days.

Doug just ignored her. He left the path and crossed the field at an angle that would take us back toward the main road. I heard a dog barking behind us, but didn't pause. We had to get away from the road!

We followed Doug quickly, threading through the trees until we knew no one could see us. Finally, Olivia threw herself down, panting and gasping. I sank down gratefully next to her.

At first, I only heard the sound of panting as we settled down to rest. Then I heard the anxious braying of a donkey. It was Andrew's animal, and it sounded upset. It reminded me of the excited barking I'd heard when we left the road.

What was up with that?

"The donkey sounds upset. I wonder if Ray tried to hit it with something. Have you noticed how mean he treats them? Pretty soon they won't want to help the Rejects at all." Olivia sounded gleeful. She looked back the way we came and brushed a strand of sweat-darkened hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. "Do you think they'll be able to figure out which way we've gone?"

Doug sat up and glanced back where the road was now out of sight. "I wonder if they can tell where we left the road. We'd better keep going. In case." Doug jumped up impatiently. The rest of us climbed to our feet, some quicker than others, and followed Doug through the trees toward the main road.

The going wasn't easy. I really missed having a trail.

In some places, the bushes grew so thick they were like a wall, full of stiff twigs that poked at my skin and tore at my clothes. When the twigs broke, they released a bitter, pungent smell, like stinky cheese.

Whenever we had to force our way through some of those bushes, I held my breath.

I rubbed absently at my cheek where a scratch throbbed, watching as Olivia stumbled over a small rock. She grabbed at a branch to keep her balance, and I was glad it was her this time. I'd already tripped enough, and was ready to be done with trampling through bushes and stubbing my toes on things hidden in the tall grass and dead leaves.

Someone needs to take a weed whacker to this place!

I had no idea how long we'd been walking... stumbling...staggering through the trees. It felt like hours. I tripped again and almost landed on my knees. I decided it was a miracle when I kept on my feet. My poor, aching, tired feet.

If this keeps up, I'll be crawling.

I had blisters growing on my blisters. Every step stung, and I really wanted to stop walking. For the next week.

At least I wasn't wimping out like Olivia. She kept asking, "When're we gonna stop?" Although you couldn't really call it asking — she was whining. I kept expecting Doug to let her have it.

It was Faith who finally had enough. "Maybe if you spent some time outside, you wouldn't be such a wuss. It's just walking. No one's asking you to run laps like soccer practice!"

That kept everyone quiet as we kept walking. And walking. It might not be like running laps, but the pace Doug set was wicked. Basketball-king Doug and soccer-queen Faith were barely perspiring. I had sweat drenching my face and stinging my eyes. I could feel it dripping off my nose, and I could swear an entire river was pouring down my back.

At first, no one except Olivia suggested stopping — we were too worried about being caught by the Rejects. Now, no one suggested stopping because we didn't want to discuss the real problem. We should've crossed the main road a long time ago. After the hot, dusty minutes, hours — whatever — pushing through trees and brush, I had no idea where we were.

Doug stopped in a small clearing, finally looking as sweaty and out of breath as Olivia. Okay, and me too. I leaned back gratefully against a tree, my knees quivering and my feet throbbing. I was half convinced I'd fall down if I didn't have something to lean on.

"I don't think...I can...walk one more step," Olivia panted, and threw herself on the ground. The others sank down next to her. I was last, letting myself slide down the tree, afraid I wouldn't be able to get back up once I was down there. As I moved down the tree, it made a loud groaning sound and I sat much quicker than expected. I rolled away from it quickly, grateful when nothing else happened.

"Anyone know where our animals are?" I asked as I slumped onto my back, letting myself go limp. "I haven't seen them since we left the path."

"You're right," Doug said, sounding surprised.

"That's not important right now! Where's the road? We should have reached it a long time ago." Faith's voice sounded pinched and she was glaring out of eyes scrunched half shut. "We've been wandering in circles."

"No, we haven't. I've been watching landmarks." Doug sounded tired and discouraged.

Now there's a bad sign.

"Do you think we could actually get lost in here? There'll be no one to help." Faith shuddered and looked like she was going to cry. "I'd rather meet up with Andrew than get lost in here!"

I refused to think about really getting lost. I sounded angrier than I meant to when I said, "We just haven't reached the road yet!"

"But we should have. I wish we could just magically appear on the road!"

For a moment everyone paused, waiting to see if that wish would work. It didn't, of course. Wishes never seemed to work the way you wanted in here.

Doug's tone was fierce as he told Faith, "We're not lost. And stop being so scared. We _don't_ want to see the others."

"I don't know that! I wish you knew just how wrong you are." Faith snapped back at him.

I was right. Wishes never worked like you wanted in here.
Chapter 19

I Take It Back!

A sudden distant howl shattered the stillness I had started to take for granted. We all leapt to our feet.

"What was that?" Faith whirled around, trying to figure out where the sound came from.

Doug's face was a mask of anger. "If this is because of your stupid wish, Faith, it's not going to work."

"If this is because of my wish, I take it back!" She sounded freaked out.

"It sounded pretty far away," I told her. I was amazed how calm I sounded. Because the idea of something running around this place, howling, was totally creeporific.

"It was one of the animals with the Rejects," Doug said dismissively. He might as well have said 'you'd have to be really stupid to think it was something else'.

Olivia was only a couple feet away from him, but that didn't stop her from shouting at him. "You're so full of it! The Rejects have a pig, a cow, a rat and a donkey. When have you ever heard one of those howl?"

The eerie sound came again, off to our left, louder than before. Or was it...closer? My heart stopped a moment, then resumed, racing like I was being chased.

"Could the Rejects be trying to scare us?" Faith was staring uneasily to the left.

"No, they're behind u—" Another howl cut Doug off. This one was not far away. From our right. Was there more than one...something...out there?

I opened my mouth, ready to suggest we leave, but new sounds had everyone's heads jerking to the left. These sounds were close. Loud, splintering noises — like small trees being crushed by something huge, moving just out of sight.

Faith's shoulders were hunched so tight, they were up around her ears. She said, "I wish those sounds would stop!"

Another howl shattered the stillness.

Why don't good wishes work in here! Note to self — Give up making wishes! It's pointless.

I kept my voice quiet, not wanting anything out there to hear me. "Okay, that's not their animals. But couldn't it still be Ray and Andrew trying to scare us?" How crazy was that. I was hoping Ray and Andrew were trying to freak us out!

"It can't be them." Olivia's voice was just above a whisper. Though her voice was steady, her hands were trembling. "There's no _way_ they could sound like that."

More trees crashed loudly to the ground on our right, cracking and shattering as they fell.

We were nearly surrounded! With Ray and his friends behind us, and the sound track from a horror movie playing on both sides, there was only one way out of here.

I pointed the way we'd been going, my hand shaking wildly like a stop sign in a hurricane. "Let's go. That way!"

The sound of a large tree smashing to the ground just outside the clearing made us all jump. Dust and dirt billowed up, filling the air and making my eyes water. To my right, Faith and Olivia were coughing loudly.

From behind me, Doug choked out, "Hurry." He grabbed my arm and started towing me across the clearing. I yanked away from him, but kept jogging by his side. I could hear Olivia and Faith following behind.

After several minutes, I had to stop for breath. I was panting so hard I could barely talk. "That...was not...Rejects!"

Doug's voice was impatient. "They could've done something to scare us. Nothing else has been alive in here."

I snorted. "What, our familiars are CGI?"

Doug rolled his eyes. "Come on, what else could it be?"

"Lions and tigers and bears?" Faith suggested.

Olivia glared at him. "Try ogres and goblins and trolls!" Doug and Faith both rolled their eyes at that.

My voice shook, but I wasn't sure if it was fear or anger. "Doug. This is a magic place. Those sounds could've been made by anything. But that was not the Rejects. And whatever it was, it didn't sound friendly."

"Don't start acting like a bunch of girls," Doug muttered.

Olivia's lips pulled back from her teeth. She looked like she wanted to bite him. "Don't call us a bunch of girls like that's a bad thing! Of course we worry when strange things start howling. And breaking trees. Right next to us!"

Faith stepped next to Doug. "The last thing we need is for you to act like a know-it-all." She jabbed her finger at Doug's chest. "Pretending there's nothing to worry about doesn't make it true."

"Stop. Poking. Me." Doug spoke between gritted teeth and took a deliberate step back.

Olivia moved next to Faith, standing shoulder to shoulder with her. They were all going to start arguing, and that was a bad idea. We were causing ourselves more trouble in here than the Rejects.

"Stop it!" When they looked at me, I said, "Don't we have enough problems without fighting with each other? I just wish we had something to help us find the road."

Something rubbed against my leg and I almost jumped out of my skin. When I looked down, Shadow was sitting at my feet. Where had she come from? I hadn't seen her for a long time. Not since we'd left the road. She meowed loudly and when I squatted down, she touched her paw to my face. Then she moved a few feet away and meowed again. When I just looked at her, she meowed more insistently.

Then all of the animals were there.

The owl hooted at Olivia from a nearby tree. The fox perched on a rock at the edge of the clearing. I could swear it grinned at Faith. Rusty tugged at Doug's pants, then moved next to Shadow. He barked once when Doug didn't move.

Olivia laughed. "They want us to follow them!"

Rusty barked again and wagged his tail, looking from Olivia to Doug. "Alright," Doug told him. "We'll follow you."

Shadow and Rusty turned and moved the direction we'd been going, while the owl swooped after them, hooting wildly. We stared at each other in amazement, then Doug shrugged and followed.

XXXX

We followed them less than a minute, still lost in the woods. Then we stumbled onto the road. Literally. All I'd seen was woods and more woods, before I tripped over something with my right foot. When my left foot came down, it was on the smooth dirt path. With a shock, I realized I hadn't seen it until I was actually standing on it.

How had that happened?

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Faith's voice sounded exhausted. Even the soccer-queen had been having a hard time in the woods. Her face was scratched and dirty, and half of her hair had been pulled out of her braid. "So, did we learn anything today?"

"Yeah," Olivia said. "Be careful when you leave the road."

"That's not the worst thing." I felt my lips twist into a frown. "The Rejects aren't the only things we need to worry about in here."

Olivia frowned at Doug. "You need to stop making fun of us when we're scared. We need to stick together if something goes wrong."

"Yeah," Faith agreed softly. She looked down at the finger she'd poked into Doug's chest.

Doug just ignored them. "It's getting late and we don't have enough time to check out the cave today." He ignored my stifled protest. "We have to head back. We'll get there next time."

Faith's voice came out so high it hurt my ears. "Next time?" She cleared her throat and sounded a bit more normal. "You want to come back here after what happened? You're nuts."

I told her, "Don't think about it now." I got how she felt — I'd been scared too. But we'd made it back to the main road okay, and I wasn't ready to give up. "Look, we'll ask Ronny. She might know what happened."

Faith shook her head, but grumbled, "Better be good."

Olivia said. "Now we know we can get help from our animals if we get lost."

"I have a better idea. We never get lost again," I said.

Faith nodded. "I'm good with that! I just wish the Rejects would have a harder time than we did. Maybe they won't be so eager to follow us around."

Olivia grinned. "Great wish!"

XXXX

We made our way back to the fig tree, then took a couple minutes saying goodbye to the animals. They might have saved us today. I picked up Shadow and stroked her fur until she purred so loudly we could all hear it.

Doug squatted down and told Rusty he was the most wonderful dog ever.

The owl perched on Olivia's shoulder, closing its eyes in pleasure as she gently stroked its feathers. She said, "Thanks for pooping on the Rejects, Pyg." The owl hooted softly, and then flew over to a low branch on the tree.

Faith sighed in pleasure as the fox came close enough for her to rub its head.

Doug told her, "I know Ronny calls them familiars and they've helped us a lot. But you should be careful. A fox is a wild animal. I'd keep my fingers away from those teeth if I were you."

Faith and the fox both turned their heads, and looked at him at the same time. They looked so similar I stifled a laugh.

Faith stood up with great dignity and told him, "This fox would never bite me. Not. Ever. Of course, I can't say if that is true for you." She sniffed and turned her back on him. "We should go now."

After we made the long dark passage through the tree, I took a deep breath of the salty air blowing off the ocean. The evening was growing dark and cool. The frogs and crickets in the fields beyond the cemetery were very loud tonight, like they were practicing for some crazy bug symphony.

We were definitely back in Santa Ramona.

I remembered being hot and tired and lost in Chimera. Of being scared that we'd never find the road again. Of hearing howls and trees splintering around us.

I'd never really understood why Dorothy wanted to leave Oz so much. Tonight I thought of the famous last line from that movie and finally got it.

_There's no place like home._
Chapter 20

So, Is No News Really Good News?

That night I lay awake, unable to sleep.

The broken blisters on my heels and the soles of my feet throbbed. My nose and shoulders blazed from sunburn. The scratches on my legs stung and my muscles ached.

My parents yelled a lot when I got home, an hour past my curfew. Even worse than their anger, I could tell they'd been really worried. I'd never been more than a couple minutes late before.

Mom grounded me for the rest of the weekend. "Give me your phone. You are not allowed to use it or your computer this weekend. Don't try to contact your friends. You can wait for school to talk to them. And if you ever put me through something like that again, you'll be grounded until next year!"

I was glad we hadn't planned to meet Ronny until after school on Monday. Hopefully, the others weren't grounded.

XXXX

The weekend took for-ev-er. I couldn't wait for school on Monday so I could finally see my friends. I did not want my phone taken away ever again.

You know things are bad when you actually like doing your History homework, just to have something to do.

When I got to school, I cornered the others. "Is everyone going to Ronny's after school?"

Olivia grinned. "Since we're helping your sister-in-law, and we promised before we got in so much trouble, Mom said I could go for one hour before I have to go home." Her grin slid into a pout. "Then I'm grounded for the rest of the week."

Faith said, "Bad news — I'm grounded for the next three Saturdays, and more bad news — I'll be ungrounded by the time Chimera opens again." Olivia and I both laughed at the sour expression on her face.

There was no way to miss the buzz in the halls between classes. Who knew you could miss so much being out of touch for one measly weekend. Everyone was talking about Ray and the others. How they'd shown up on Main Street at midnight. How they were all scratched and sunburned. How their clothes were torn.

How the Police Chief had been preparing to search for them when they showed up, claiming to have been lost in the hills south of town.

I couldn't believe it. They didn't get back home until five hours after we did? Were they lost that whole time?

During lunch Olivia said, "Dad said the Fire Department was on alert — they were going to help search. Dad's totally glad I'm not friends with Polly — he thinks she's on drugs."

"Drugs?" Faith's eyes looked ready to pop out of her head. "Why would he think that?"

"Polly tried to tell everyone she was late because she got lost in another world after going through a tree." While the rest of us looked horrified, Olivia started laughing. "Dad said Ray and Andrew got really mad! They kept telling her to shut up, and to stop making up stupid stories. Who's ever going to believe a word she says now!"

"The rumor I heard makes total sense now," Faith said, grinning. "Polly's grounded — not like the rest of us, 'cause she was late — but for embarrassing her mom by telling stupid stories to the cops."

I really enjoyed my lunch after that.

XXXX

When school let out that afternoon, I limped to the house where Ronny and Chris lived. I knew the others thought I was slow because my feet still hurt. But that wasn't it. Or, at least not all of it. I was nervous.

What's Ronny going to do when I say we had to turn back?

And did we really need to meet at that house? What would my friends think of it? The thought made me cringe. It was like some weird new age place, not a regular house.

I remembered the first time I saw it. There'd been sun catchers in the windows, crystals scattered on end tables, and incense burning in every room. Now I knew Ronny was some sort of witch, maybe it made sense, but it still looked weird.

I watched the other's faces as we entered the house and felt something inside relax. Everyone was gazing around, looking interested, not all freakified. Olivia actually let out her breath in a pleased 'ahhhh' sound.

Who knew?

I looked around, trying to see what Olivia was seeing. The sun catchers filled the living room with sparkles of light. The pictures of fairies and elves adorning the walls shimmered and glowed where the sparkles touched them. It actually looked...magical.

Ronny came in and placed a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the coffee table, then took a seat on the recliner.

After grabbing a cookie, the others took seats on the long green couch. It took up one whole wall, covered with dozens of colorful pillows and blankets. Doug kept crossing and uncrossing his legs, perched carefully on the edge. Faith moved a few of the pillows out of her way and sat back, her hands held primly in her lap. Olivia was the only one who seemed relaxed. She leaned back against the pillows, her legs tucked up next to her.

I sat cross-legged on the area rug near Ronny's chair. She leaned forward and patted me on the head. I couldn't imagine why I was getting the puppy dog treatment until she said, "I heard you got home late and were grounded. You need to be more careful. Chris and I do not want you to get into trouble on my account."

I was proud of how calm I sounded. "We'll be more careful in the future." I thought about how much I'd hated being grounded. "Seriously, we'll be much more careful!"

That had come out a bit too fervent. I cleared my throat and started again. "I'm really sorry we didn't make it to the cave like we promised. The Rejects followed us. We took a side road to get away from them."

I was embarrassed to feel my hands start to shake and clasped them tightly in my lap. "So we, um, cut across this field? To get away? We were just going to cut back over to the main road. But we got lost. For a long, long time. I...I wasn't sure we were going to get back. We—"

The expression on Ronny's face made me stop. "You went off the road? Oh Great Creator! I did not warn you. I never thought you would leave the road." She leaned forward and placed her hand on my shoulder. It felt like her hands were shaking as much as mine.

She continued, "You cannot leave the roads in Chimera. Ever. You will always get lost. It was enchanted that way, accidentally, hundreds of years ago. A spell went wrong and none have been able to fix it."

She shuddered. "It can take a long time for most to find their way out, even with magick. Some never do." She gently shook my shoulder. "Promise you will not do that again."

"I'm not sure I'm going back," Faith said. "I thought we'd never get out. Even if something didn't kill us first."

"Kill you first? What was going to kill you?"

"Something started howling and crashing through the trees near us. It was horrible."

"We didn't actually see anything," I told Ronny. "I can't tell you what it was, but it was coming toward us through the woods. It was howling and breaking trees. Actually, I think there was more than one. I was really scared."

"So. Howling and breaking trees sounds like ogres or trolls, but these are creatures that avoid people. They should have avoided you." Ronny shook her head. "This does not make sense. At least, no more sense than anything else happening in Chimera. What is wrong with my home?"

"What do trolls do?" I asked her hesitantly. "If they catch someone."

Ronny was clearly distracted as she answered, "They eat them." She didn't seem to notice Faith's horrified gasp as she continued, "I do not understand why they should be the only creatures you have encountered. Other than your strange familiars of course."

Faith had practically chewed a hole through her lip while Ronny was speaking. She said, "I'm not okay with getting eaten. No way am I going back there!"

Ronny smiled at her. "I would not be okay with you being eaten either. But you do not need to worry. You cannot be hurt by anything in Chimera as long as you stay on the roads. The roads are enchanted — I promise you will be safe."

She continued in a low intense voice, "I am of course grateful, but I am curious how you were able to find your way back to the road. How did this happen?"

"You're not gonna believe it." I grinned at her puzzled look. "I wished for a sign. And our familiars, which you say shouldn't exist, led us back to the road." I laughed at the expression on Ronny's face.

"This is very puzzling, but I am thankful you are well. You could have been lost for days. Or worse. Much worse. I never want you to risk your safety for me. Promise to be careful."

She looked at us, an apology clear in her eyes as she said, "I fear I have put you at risk, and I will think hard whether there are other things you must know. I take everything in Chimera so much for granted. I may not think of everything I should tell you."

She looked back at Faith. "And if you decide you cannot continue, I will understand."

I believe Ronny meant that, but her relief was obvious when first Faith, then the rest of us, told her we'd continue.

Chris came in then. He walked over to Ronny and placed his hand on her shoulder. I watched as she reached up and touched his hand. There was nothing sappy about it, but I had to turn away. It looked...private.

Chris said, "Sorry again, Kitty-Kat." I ground my teeth at the hated nickname. "I didn't tell you about everything because I didn't want to risk having you forced to live in Chimera."

I sighed, "I know. I told you I forgave you."

"I just wanted to make sure we were okay before I left."

"You're leaving again?"

"Yeah. Ronny will stay here until we know what has happened to her mother."

That made me sad. I knew Chris had been looking forward to traveling with Ronny. They both had been excited about it. Ronny looked at him, and her smile looked brave and sad at the same time. This time, when he stroked her cheek and bent to kiss her, all of us looked away. That is, all of us except Olivia. I saw her watching them, looking wistful, like when she read those stupid romance novels she liked now.

Her mom would kill her if she knew about them. Well, not literally, but she really wouldn't like it.
Chapter 21

Well, What Do You Know...

Over the next few weeks, Ray, Andrew and Polly made it clear how mad they were. Only Carly hung back.

"Why are they so ticked off? They've always been mean, but now it's like they hate us," Olivia complained.

We'd had to duck into the girl's bathroom to get away from Ray and Andrew three times that week. Today, one of them actually shoved at the door like they planned to follow us in. It took the three of us leaning all our weight on the other side to keep the door closed. We finally relaxed when Mrs. Adams reminded them the boy's bathroom was farther down the hall. Andrew gave her a lame story about joking around with Ray's cousin Carly.

"Well, you need to stop playing in the halls and get to class." Mrs. Adams told them. I ground my teeth at the indulgent "boys will be boys" sound in her voice.

After that, we stuck together at school and around town. Doug refused to join us most of the time. He said he'd feel like a sissy. The rest of us weren't too surprised when Doug showed up at school on Wednesday, a week before Chimera would open, with a black eye.

"That looks bad. What happened?" I said, feeling my heart beat faster.

"Don't fuss, Kat." Doug flushed red and he wouldn't meet my eyes. He sounded irritated. "I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it."

"Doug! We need to know what to watch out for." I hadn't been making a fuss. Why was he mad at me?

He shuffled his feet and muttered, "Ray cornered me after school. He blames us for the trouble he's in. For getting home so late last time. His story about getting lost in the hills didn't go over with his dad. He—"

Faith interrupted hotly, "That's so unfair. If they didn't keep following us all the time, they wouldn't have gotten lost. It's their fault! Why don't they just leave us alone?"

"Why don't you go ask them," Doug snapped, and then took a deep breath. It looked like he was counting. "Look, it's not just Ray. Andrew's parents grounded him, Polly's in trouble for lying, and Ray's mad at Carly because she didn't get in trouble. Her parents told her she had to stay with her cousin, so they're mad at Ray too."

"But why are they angry with us?" I asked. I closed my eyes and felt my shoulders slump. The Rejects had been bad enough before. What were they going to be like now?

"They all blame us. They think we got them lost on purpose. To get them in trouble."

"But we didn't—" Faith began.

I grabbed her hand. "Faith, think about it. It's something they'd do. They probably think everyone would be like that."

"Yeah, that totally sounds like them," Olivia said, sounding disgustedehH.

Doug didn't say so, but I thought Ray had scared him this time. I asked again what happened.

"Look, I'm okay. I got a few bruises, that's all. Just forget it."

"Fine," I told him curtly. I turned my nose in the air and stomped away. He might not always get sarcasm, but no way could he miss that I wasn't happy!

XXXX

I asked Ronny if we could stop by after school. It hadn't taken much to convince the others we needed more information about Chimera.

When we got there, Ronny welcomed us in. As we were seated she said, "I have been giving much thought to this. I am afraid I may have forgotten something important, but I will tell you what I can."

She sat forward and looked at me intently. "First, remember to stay always on the road."

She shifted her gaze to Olivia. "Second, never go into the center of Chimera."

Olivia looked startled, "How will we know we're near the center?"

"It is covered by a thick gray mist." Her eyes became distant. "I should explain that most inhabitants believe the center holds the source of our magick. It must never be entered. No one — not even beings of great magick — have come back once they enter the mist."

"Let me tell you about Chimera as I know it. There are many hundreds of us living there, so Chimera is always busy. It is enchanted so that the air smells of flowers and the sun shines every day. Rain happens only at night, and then just enough to keep the plants strong."

She fell silent for a moment, and I thought she was remembering the home she'd given up to be with my brother. She rubbed her arms absently, and then continued, "I grew up in our village, called Mystic. It is filled with thatched cottages and houses made of stone. Like something from your stories. There are even areas that would be very attractive to your paranormal investigators. Did I say that right? Like Chris?"

When I nodded, she continued, "The abandoned farm and the mansion in the south are both said to be haunted. I have not told Chris. He would have wanted me to find him a way in. That I cannot do since I am banished." She shuddered, then smiled weakly. "But I will get to see much of your world. Chris has great plans to travel to haunted locations."

I could see the effort it took for her to keep the sadness off her face. It sounded like a fairy tale when she first told us how she'd left her home, knowing she could never go back, in order to be with the person she loved. Even if that person was my brother.

But now, seeing how sad talking about her home made her, it didn't seem like some happily-ever-after fairy tale anymore. It felt too real. I knew how I'd feel if I had to move away from my home and family. Knowing I'd never be able to go back.

My thoughts must have shown all over my face. Ronny grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "Do not feel sad for me, Kat. I love your brother and will never regret my decision. I just miss my home."

She glanced around the room. "Let me start over again. Stay on the roads. Do not go across the fields or near the center. You can tell where that is because of the fog."

She looked at Doug. "I also recommend you avoid the swamp. It is filled with dangerous paths to nowhere. And will-o-the-wisps will lead you to drown." In the short pause Ronny took, I could actually hear the sound of Faith swallowing.

Ronny continued, "The right half of the forest should be safe, but the left half has always attracted beings of evil. I do not know what kind of spells may exist in there. Please remember, you may have enough magic to trigger spells, so think before you wish for anything."

She gave an encouraging smile to Faith. "Ghalynn should be able to help if anything has changed. That is all I can think of."

Each of us thanked her, with varying levels of enthusiasm, as we agreed to meet again after our next visit to Chimera.

"The thought of will-of-the-wisp things and evil creatures living in the forests makes me more nervous." Faith chewed on her lip. "Who knows which of those creatures are still roaming around in there."

"You heard Ronny," Doug scowled at her, clearly impatient. "We stay on the roads and we stay safe. I've gotta go now. See ya tomorrow." He gave a quick wave, then hurried ahead as the light changed.

Faith mimicked in a high nasal voice, "Stay on the roads and stay safe." Her voice dropped to normal. "Yeah, right."

XXXX

Time passed slowly the last week in May. Why does waiting for something good make time take longer?

One week before the full moon, I sat alone in my bedroom, thoroughly bored. Olivia had to watch her sisters and couldn't have company, Faith was at soccer practice and Doug was at Math Club. It seemed like we were doing more and more stuff separately these days, and I didn't like it.

I threw myself backward on my bed and growled. "Why does everything have to keep changing!"

My mom chose right then to walk by my room, and listened to what I said. Even though it was obviously meant just for me! A good reason to keep my door closed in the future.

She looked at me through the for-the-very-last-time open doorway. "You shouldn't feel that way, Kat. Change is inevitable. Well, except from a vending machine." She grinned at her own joke and I rolled my eyes.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

"Really. You're going to love turning sixteen and being able to drive. There's so many things to look forward to, and none of them are possible if things don't keep changing."

She sighed at the mutinous expression on my face. "I'll remind you of this conversation next year. You'll see."

"Yeah, we'll see how much I change my mind."

Note to self — Get ready to enjoy it. How often do you get to prove your mom is wrong?
Chapter 22

And Then There Were Five

The next morning, Doug called me. He sounded strange. "Something's come up and we've got to talk. Mom and Dad are gone, and you need to get over here. Right now."

"Um, okay. I guess," I was confused by his intensity. "What's up?"

"Tell you when you get here," he said, ending the call.

I stared at my phone a moment before putting it in my pocket. Doug had sounded so...odd. After telling Mom where I was going, I hurried to Doug's. It didn't take long — he only lived two houses away. Though I only took a couple minutes, Doug was on his porch, pacing.

"There you are!" After ordering me over, he didn't sound glad to see me. In fact, he wouldn't look me in the eye. I stood there waiting, and he finally grabbed my elbow and towed me into the house. I was shaking my arm, trying to make him let go when he stopped abruptly in the living room.

I started to tell him off, but noticed Brady Truman sitting on the couch. I was surprised. I didn't know he and Doug were friends. He was drinking the same brand of orange soda that Faith liked. I had to fight back a spurt of laughter. His hair nearly matched the orange color of the soda can. What a total ginger!

I jammed my hands on my hips and turned back to Doug. I scowled at him as I remembered him dragging me through his house. "So, you gonna to tell me what's up?"

"Did you know Brady and I have been friends for a while?" He paused and I shook my head. "Well, we're in Math Club."

I began tapping my foot, hoping he'd get to the point already!

He began to speak faster. "We had a club meeting yesterday. On my way home, I didn't know it, but Brady followed me. To ask me to be his partner on a club project."

_Urrrgh. What's the point of this?_

I rolled my eyes. "How nice for you both."

"Uh, okay, well, Ray grabbed me when I cut through the park right by his house." He cut me off before I had a chance to say anything about that. "I know, I know, it was stupid. Ray wanted to have another — discussion — about getting into Chimera."

He paused when I gasped and cut my eyes towards Brady. Brady smiled back at me, dimples showing at the corner of his mouth, looking relaxed. His hair stuck up in short clumps and his clothes were slightly rumpled. He'd make a great absent-minded professor when he grew up. All he needed was a sweater-vest and a bow tie.

I turned to Doug and frowned. "We promised not to discuss that in front of anyone." My voice was tight and high. It sounded like someone else was talking. I was really disappointed. No, I was really angry! How could Doug betray us like this?

"Don't say it!"

"Say what?" I demanded, glaring.

"Whatever it is you're thinking. Give me one more minute, and it'll all make sense."

I crossed my arms over my chest and nodded once. I was so mad I wasn't sure I could speak even if I wanted to.

"I told Ray I didn't know what he was talking about. You know, my standard line." Doug smiled, but when I kept frowning he continued quickly. "Ray was really ticked off. I was amazed — I'd never heard some of those words. If his mom heard him, she'd have washed his mouth with soap."

"I was impressed as well," Brady said, grinning. Even through his thick glasses I could see excitement shining in his eyes.

Doug shot him a grin before continuing, "So, then Ray tried to clean out the gutter with my head. I told him blood would make the gutter harder to clean, but he wouldn't listen."

I sucked in a breath as my eyes shot up to the bandage on the side of Doug's head.

He reached up and touched it carefully. "I'm okay. Let me finish. So not only was Ray swearing and pounding on me, he was shouting about the tree, and Chimera, and how his friends were gonna make us all suffer the next time."

Brady said, "I think Ray wants to kill you." He turned to me. "Ray kept telling Doug he'd tried to show that place to Polly's brother. He wanted to prove Polly hadn't been lying. But neither of them could get in and Robert accused Ray of making a fool of him."

Doug smirked. "Ray hasn't figured out that Chimera only opens at the full moon."

Brady laughed. "It seems that Robert's been making fun of Ray all week. So Ray blames you for getting them lost, and for not telling them how this Chimera works."

I burst out indignantly, "That's not fair! He and his friends weren't invited. We don't have to tell him anything!"

I hated when Doug looked at me like I was two years old. Even his voice sounded like he was talking to a little kid. "This is Ray we're talking about, Kat. What does fair have to do with it?" I wanted to stick my tongue out at him, but then I'd look like I was two.

He continued, "I thought Ray and I were alone, so I told him the same things you just said. And I told him to stay away from us from now on. That last bit might've been a mistake. I think he was ready to do something I'd regret"

"You think?" Brady asked, grinning.

"I didn't know Brady heard the whole thing. When Ray tried to smash my head in, Brady stepped up with his phone open. He told Ray he'd already entered 9-1-1, and all he had to do was press 'Call'." Doug and Brady grinned at each other, although none of this sounded funny to me.

Doug said, "Dude, I couldn't believe it when Ray backed down."

"Actually, I couldn't either," Brady said. "I was sure I was going to spend my afternoon explaining everything to the police."

Doug looked back at me. He looked apologetic. "Brady told me he wanted to talk about Math Club, so I asked him over. At first, we talked about our project. I started hoping he'd missed what Ray said about Chimera." Brady's grin now looked more like a smirk as Doug continued, "Then he said he wanted to join us."

I groaned, and Doug held up his hand. "I said 'join who'? He told me he'd seen Ray beating up on me during basketball. And how we go into the cemetery around the full moon each month. He's smart. He put that together with what Ray was screaming today and figured it out."

Brady shifted on the couch and cleared his throat, looking embarrassed. "It was easy for me. I'm good with puzzles. I won Top Young Scientist in Southern California last year. After the work I've done with puzzles and codes, figuring this out was...easy. I would prefer to join you. I believe I could help. But if you don't want me to go with you, I'll go on my own."

"We've already got the Rejects wandering around in there. Now you could be there too?" I shook my head, disgusted.

Note to self — Watch out for anyone born in TSYE!

"Let me go with you. That will eliminate three different groups tripping over each other," Brady said calmly.

I could recognize a lost cause. Doug and I took turns trying to explain that Ray would be his enemy too. But Brady insisted he didn't care. He was fascinated by the whole idea of Chimera. He kept insisting, "I want to go with you."

"I have to talk to Ronny," I finally told them grumpily. I pulled out my phone and asked Doug, "Do you trust him?"

"Yeah," Doug said slowly. "I do."

"Okay then." There was a pause as I waited for Ronny to answer. I decided not to let Doug and Brady hear what Ronny had to say.

"Hi Ronny, its Kat. Something's come up. A friend of Doug's overheard a fight between Doug and Ray...No, he's fine...No, there's nothing Doug could do. His friend figured out everything...Yes, everything. He wants to help, but I didn't want to take him without checking with you first."

When I paused to listen to a question from Ronny, Doug mouthed, "What's happening?"

I frowned at Doug, then answered, "Yes, Ronny, we trust him." I gave Brady a challenging look. "We'll take him next Saturday, and bring him to meet you Monday after school. We'll tell him everything we know, so you won't need to go through it all again." I nodded a couple times as I listened to her, then said, "Okay, thanks. Talk to you later."

I shut my phone with a snap and turned to Brady, frowning. This whole situation was making my skin feel twitchy. "Once you're in, you're in. No sharing any of this with anyone else, got it? And you have to agree to follow our rules."

"I understand," he said quickly.

"You need to swear you won't tell anyone," I said. "Swear it!"

Brady leaned forward and stared straight into my eyes. "I swear it."

I believed him.

So I explained who Ronny really was and what we'd learned about Chimera. Brady interrupted me a few times with strange exclamations. "Not scientifically plausible." "Irrational." "Inconceivable." "Highly improbable." Each time, I stared at him until he apologized for interrupting.

He hung on each word when I described our familiars, and laughed out loud when I described Olivia's owl dive-bombing Ray and Andrew.

He sounded eager when he agreed to meet us Saturday morning at 9:30. I explained that was a little later than the last two months. We hoped the Rejects would get tired of waiting and be gone when we got there.

Brady got up to go and Doug reminded him to watch his back. Ray or Andrew would be looking for him.

Brady laughed. "Same goes for you!"

"I gotta go," I told them. I knew I had to give Faith and Olivia the news. When I did, I wasn't surprised that Faith liked the idea of having another person along. The reaction I didn't expect was Olivia's.

"Brady Truman? He's a total nerd! How can you even think of letting him there with us?"

"Look, Olivia, he found out about it and plans to go with us or without us. It's better to have him with us. Right?"

"I guess it doesn't matter what I think since you already told him he could go. Oh, just forget it! See you at school." I was left looking at my phone, not quite sure what had just happened.
Chapter 23

Say What?

The next Saturday was clear and warm, and there was no sign of the Rejects when we got to the cemetery.

"Watch your step," I told Brady, and stepped into the tree. The cold heavy center was still filled with terrible silence and darkness. It swallowed me up, tumbled me down, then spit me back out. I hit the ground and rolled out of the way, watching as one by one the others stumbled onto the road in Chimera.

"You told me the tree felt like jello," Brady exclaimed from the ground next to me. "But it feels viscous, not gelatinous." He looked around in interest, unaware we were all staring at him.

On the other side of me, Olivia sneered, "Nerd." At least she kept it under her breath. I didn't think Brady heard her.

He said, "I understood this place in my head, but it feels significantly different to experience it. It must be at least 7 degrees Centigrade..." at our quizzical looks he continued, "...um, about 12 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than Santa Ramona. And the scent of the air is quite dissimilar."

"There's no cars," Olivia said shortly, raising her eyebrows so high they looked like they were crawling into her hair.

I remembered arguing with Doug about that and decided to change the subject. Brady was looking at his arm where a large bulky watch hung loose. I pointed to his wrist. "Hey Brady, what's that?"

"It's my dad's."

"O-kay... I've never seen you wear a watch. Why are you wearing it here?"

"Well, it's kinetic." He sighed when he took in our confused expressions. "Self-winding." His face lit up as he explained, "It uses the motion of your arm instead of a battery. It seemed logical it might work here, where electronic items can't." He held it up to his ear. "It's still ticking, but I don't know if it will work on Chimera time or Santa Ramona time. It might help once we know."

"Won't your dad get mad that you took it?" Faith asked.

"Oh no, he doesn't like it — too big and heavy."

He looked like he was going to tell us more, but got distracted as our familiars approached. He watched intently when Doug and I bent down to welcome Rusty and Shadow. I looked up in surprise at an odd high-pitched squeaking and the rapid fluttering of wings. Brady grinned as a black bat the same size as Pyg swooped around him.

Faith jumped, then cowered down and covered her head, letting out a squeal that didn't sound much different than the bat.

"What's the matter?" Brady asked, startled.

"Duh! It's a bat!" Faith's voice was high and tight and positively dripped with sarcasm.

"Um...so?" Brady asked, his eyebrows mashed together so tight, he looked like he only had one.

"So, I don't want it stuck in my hair." She shot him a look that clearly said he was crazy.

Brady shook his head in disbelief. "Bats don't get caught in people's hair!" He sounded exasperated when he continued. "Why does everyone say that? Bats have a sophisticated ability to sense where they are and what's around them. Like sonar."

Faith took her arms down slowly and asked, "Really?"

"I've researched bats. Two years ago, I wrote a report on them for my science project. They're totally awesome. Some pollinate flowers, like bees. Others eat hundreds of insects every night. If you've got insects, install a bat box. I could help you if you'd like."

Faith stared at him in astonishment. "I'll, uh, let you know."

Olivia asked suddenly, "What's your middle name?"

"My middle name? Why?"

I was surprised when Olivia insisted, "Just tell us!"

"It's Albert," Brady said in confusion, looking a little embarrassed.

"Albert?" Faith asked, like she'd never heard that name before. I'd heard it, but it was really old. No one named their kid Albert now.

"After Einstein, okay? Geez."

"Brady Albert Truman?" Olivia laughed. "I knew it!"

When he only stared at her, puzzled, she explained how initials seemed to work with familiars.

Brady's frown was so deep, his eyebrows looked like they were trying to tie themselves in a knot in the middle of his forehead. "You described this situation, and I thought I got it. But it's rather extraordinary, isn't it. Maybe magic does exist."

"Um, bats like caves, don't they? Maybe it'll help us at the cave." I smiled, but I really wanted to roll my eyes like Olivia.

Rather extraordinary? Note to self — Don't ever talk like a nerd!

"Where's our familiars?" Faith asked, looking at Olivia.

As if they heard her, they were suddenly there. The fox poked its head over the wall, nose twitching. "Hey Foxy," Faith called and moved slowly to avoid startling the shy animal.

We all laughed when the owl swooped over and landed on Olivia's head, hooting excitedly.

We each took a few minutes to welcome them, while Brady looked on with wide eyes. "I didn't believe this, not really. They should not exist." He shook his head wildly, "What am I saying? This place should not exist."

This time I did let myself roll my eyes. "Come on, let's go," I said.

No one moved. "You're right." Doug punched Brady's shoulder. "Let's go!"

I say let's go and everyone just stands there. Doug says let's go and everyone starts moving. What's up with that?

Our familiars sometimes followed and sometimes ranged out ahead. It was fun to watch Brady's face. He kept stopping to look at the strange plants and rock formations. Even funnier, he kept muttering things like 'not empirically possible', 'breaks all known scientific principles', and 'what would Einstein say'.

We all started pointing out the strange features in the fields as we passed. The cabin was just a little way ahead when we heard the Rejects. In front of us.

"They're already here," I whispered, feeling my heartbeat accelerate. I'd been hoping they'd give up when they didn't see us.

"Let's listen to what they're planning," Doug said. "We need to get close enough to hear them."

Faith grumbled under her breath as we crept around the back of the cabin after Doug. We leaned carefully against the wall, out of sight of the window. Ray was talking. His voice carried to us clearly. "...don't know if they're coming today."

"They come here every fourth Saturday," Carly was sulking. I wondered what Ray had said to her.

I didn't like Carly much, but I felt sorry for her when Ray sneered, "I don't know why I listen to someone as stupid as you."

"Just because you're my cousin doesn't give you the right to be mean to me, Ray." She sounded like she was about to cry.

"If you hang with me I get to treat you however I want." I was surprised — Ray didn't sound angry. He sounded...indifferent.

"You know I wouldn't be here if Mom didn't make me hang out with you!" Ray'd better be sure Carly wasn't near anything breakable. She sounded angry enough to break it over his head.

Faith keeps saying Carly's nicer than the rest of the Rejects. Maybe she's right.

"Put up or shut-up," Ray said, and laughed. It was a mean, ugly sound — like you'd expect from something monstrous on TV, not a boy you saw every day at school.

I risked a quick glance through the window and saw Polly put her hand on Ray's arm. "Come on, Ray, stop arguing with Carly. I'm getting bored. Let's go home and play video games."

"You go," he said. "I'm gonna make them tell me what's going on!"

"What if they're not coming today?" Andrew looked frustrated. "I say who cares. We're here. Let's look through this dump again, maybe we'll find something worth taking."

Afraid of being caught listening outside the window, I whispered to Doug, my voice quavering a bit though I tried to stop it. "Should we try to sneak by and go 'you know where'?"

"Not yet," Doug murmured. I wanted to argue. My jaw was clenched tight to hold back the words that were scratching at my throat to get out. Only fear that Ray would hear me kept me quiet.

Ray must have decided to ignore Andrew. "I was throwing rocks at that stupid rat — the one that keeps bugging me. It finally ran away. Maybe it's learned its lesson." Ray laughed and Andrew joined in.

Then Ray said, "Why are you such a wuss, Dandy Andy? When're you gonna make that stupid donkey leave us alone?"

"Are you kidding? I've yelled and I shook a branch in its face. It just keeps coming back. I could try rocks next time."

Ray laughed again. "Hey Carly, no whining if we throw rocks at that stupid baby cow the next time it comes around."

"Those animals aren't hurting either of you. Why can't you just leave them alone!"

"Cause they bug me. That's why." Ray sounded disgusted. "None of them come close enough for me to hit anymore. I was hoping for some target practice today."

Doug and I looked at each other and grinned. I felt like doing a happy dance, but was afraid of being discovered. Ray and the others still didn't understand how familiars could help. And if they were throwing rocks to keep them away, it didn't sound like they'd get any help in the future.

"They're all so stupid," Ray grumbled. "How'd they find this place? And how do they keep us out most of the time? One of them is gonna tell me. Or else."

"Someone must have told them about it," Polly said. "Cause Ray's right, they're stupid."

Olivia bristled and started to straighten up. I caught her arm, afraid she'd go in and argue. She scowled at me, then leaned back against the cabin with her arms crossed over her chest, a sour look on her face.

All this time, Andrew had been ransacking the cupboards in the kitchen. His search grew more uncontrolled the longer it continued. I flinched as I listened to the sounds of things being knocked over and thrown, punctuated by the distinctive sounds of glass breaking and wood splintering.

Guilt squirmed through my stomach. How could we just stand here while they destroyed Ghalynn's house?

I felt even guiltier when Faith, terrified as she was by Andrew, whispered, "Should we...I mean, do you think that...you know...should we try to stop them? Or something?"

"No." Doug's voice barely qualified as a whisper. "We need to find out what they're going to do next!" He was utterly determined.

I peeked inside when the sounds stopped. Andrew was standing in the middle of what used to be Ghalynn's kitchen. The cupboards were empty, the contents strewn over the floor. Andrew was looking around, obviously trying to find something else to destroy. That's when he noticed a small cupboard nearly hidden at the far end of the kitchen.

Two quick steps brought him to it, and he ran his hands over the surface, searching for a handle. When he couldn't find one, he grabbed the edges of the cupboard door and pulled. There was a metallic shriek, and the hinges protested as he wrenched the door open.

Andrew hefted a glass jar filled with a deep turquoise liquid in his hand, and then threw it to the wood floor. The glass shattered and the liquid spread, gleaming in the light from the open window. He began heaving out jars filled with different strangely colored fluids. They crashed onto the dusty wood, shattering into pieces. The contents splattered over the floor and walls. Odd smells rose from the mess. What started as flowers and spices that didn't go well together quickly grew more and more disgusting.

I was glad I was outside the cabin.

Some of the colorful puddles began to change, turning repulsive brown or bilious green where they touched. Some were developing a scummy black foam on top. The cabin floor was filling with a nauseating brew that steamed and bubbled with the stench of rot and mold and sulphur.

As the liquids mingled, swirling clouds of violently colored vapor began to billow through the room. Where some colors mixed, the vapor twisted into monstrous shapes.

Andrew and the others were choking and coughing. Ray managed, "Forget this! They're not coming." He turned and stumbled towards the exit, the others following behind.

There was nowhere to hide. I threw myself flat on the ground, and my friends pressed close around me. We peered after the Rejects as they moved in the direction of the fig tree.

That's when Pyg took off after them.

"Oh no," Olivia breathed. They were far enough away that they couldn't have seen where Pyg came from. But this time, Andrew must have seen Pyg coming.

Andrew stooped to get a rock as Pyg flew overhead. None of the owl droppings hit Andrew, but Ray's head got really messed up. Ray shouted and Andrew heaved the rock at the owl. Pyg shrieked in pain as the rock clipped his wing.

Olivia had to clap her hands over her mouth to hold back a scream, and made little whimpers of distress as the owl flew awkwardly into the trees next to the road.

"Go get him," Ray yelled. "I'm going to kill it."

"No way! I'm not getting off the road," Andrew told him. "I hit it, what more do you want?"

I couldn't hear Ray's response as he turned to go. They headed for the tree and didn't turn back. As soon as they were out of sight, Olivia hurried to the edge of the road where Pyg had disappeared. She called and we all waited anxiously for a sight of the little owl. Olivia was vibrating with tension.

When Pyg hooted mournfully and flew onto Olivia's shoulder, she gently grasped the tiny bird and checked it carefully. "No blood. Thank goodness! Pyg, you should never do that again. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Olivia's face was pale when she glanced at me. "When that rock hit Pyg, I couldn't breathe for a second. It felt like that rock hit me, too."

I'd've hugged her, but she still had the now blissful owl clasped carefully in her hands. "I hate Andrew!"

Brady sat down and cleared his throat. "Can we discuss what just happened here?"
Chapter 24

When You Wish Upon A...Map?

Brady cleared his throat. "Ray's focused on getting information from us. I believe he necessitates extreme caution when we're in here."

"Yeah, like I've been saying," Doug told him.

I said quickly, "I don't agree. We need to watch out for Carly." When Brady started to speak, I continued quickly, "Carly's the one who figured out how often we come here. She's smart and she's watching us."

"They're all a problem," Olivia said. "We need to pay attention to each one of them. And to any strange things in here. Who knows what's important. Like that smoke!"

We all looked back at the cabin where vapor still poured from the door and window. It moved slowly, writhing and coiling into grotesque, almost recognizable shapes.

"I don't believe in 'strange things'," Brady told her. "I do math and computer science. I do logic puzzles." He ignored Olivia's snort. "Logically there must be rules to this place. Once we know the rules, we'll know what's important."

"Okay, maybe there are rules. But strange things can happen! Maybe not at home, but they happen in here," I said.

Brady shook his head in frustration. "I do not have to believe in strange—"

Doug interrupted, "Brady's actually right about rules. Ronny told us there are rules here."

A slow smile lit Brady's face. "Rules are good! Rules make it a logic puzzle. We just need to know the rules and how they work." He thrust out his hand. "Let me see the map, okay? Maybe it'll make more sense to me now."

After digging in his pocket, Doug pulled out a creased square of paper and tossed it to him. Brady smoothed it out, grimacing at the jagged tear in the middle of the page. He turned it around slowly, squinting in concentration, then pointed to the upper right corner. "What are these words?"

I shrugged. "Ronny didn't know. They're in a language she called Standard Runic, but she said they aren't in the right order. They don't spell anything."

"Let me see," Olivia said, and gazed down at the map.

"Like a code!" Brady's voice cracked with excitement. "Can I have my own copy? I'll try to decode it before we come back next time."

Doug narrowed his eyes skeptically, but said, "Keep mine."

"Thanks. I always thought it would be cool to have a treasure map. I just wish there were markings to show where Ray and the other are, like the Marauder's Map. Then we could always tell where they are in here."

Olivia made a choking sound and bent over, resting her hands on her knees, shaking her head.

"Are you sick?" I asked, alarmed.

"No," she gasped. "I'm fine. I guess I...stopped believing. In wishes." At my blank look, she straightened up and said, "Brady, its obvious things get totally strange in here." She scowled when we only acted confused. "Ronny told us about triggering existing spells, remember? Well, Brady just did."

Olivia rolled her eyes, and then stabbed at the map with her finger. There, four small red dots were moving down the road close to the elaborately drawn tree.

I grinned. "We can see the Rejects now. That's so cool!"

Faith said hopefully, "Maybe it'll work at home, too."

"Doesn't look like it," Olivia said, nodding at the map as one after another the red dots touched the tree then disappeared. "Our genius only wished we could tell where they are in here."

An embarrassed flush stained Brady's face a deep red.

Unexpectedly, Faith spoke up for him. "I don't think it would work outside Chimera anyway. Santa Ramona doesn't show on that map."

"Faith's right," Doug said, frowning at Olivia. She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, and turned away.

"Well, that's that," I said, kicking angrily at the dirt road with the toe of my shoe. "It's getting too late now. We'll never make it to the cave and back now. At least next time we can use Brady's map to keep away from the Rejects. No matter what else happens, next time we've got to get to the cave and find Ghalynn!"

As we made our way back to the tree, Olivia stopped sulking long enough to ask, "So did we learn anything?"

Faith grinned. "Bats won't get stuck in my hair."

"Hah! I learned I can make things happen by wishing." Brady looked down at the map and shook his head. "Wishing! It's scientifically impossible. It's just...it's inconceivable."

In a terrible imitation of Inigo Montoya, Olivia quoted, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." Olivia shouldn't sing or do impressions! Dropping the accent, she said smugly, "It can't be impossible if it happened."

I grinned at him and ignored Olivia. "You keep forgetting. This place runs on magic, not science."

"Wishing," Brady muttered. Then he continued, "It's kinda disturbing, you know? We need to be very specific when we wish for something in here."

I was tempted to say I wished we were already back at the tree, but Brady might not find that very funny. The walk back seemed longer than usual, maybe because I was so disappointed we hadn't made it to the cave.

I might have wished it anyway, but I was afraid it could go really wrong.

XXXX

As I'd promised, we took Brady to Chris and Ronny's after school on Monday. When I introduced him, Ronny stared at him intently for a moment, then nodded and asked him to enter. Brady's eyes were wide with amazement as he stared around at the pictures and decorations, or maybe it was amusement. Brady had made it clear he didn't believe in all this magic stuff.

Ronny sat forward and asked if we had anything to share about our last trip to Chimera.

After filling her in on what happened, she sat back with a sigh and her eyes looked miles away. "There is still no sign of anyone there," she said sadly, speaking to herself.

Brady cleared his throat. "It might help if I knew more about that place."

Her eyes snapped into focus. "Perhaps it will help if I give you our history. This is our story as my mother told it to me when I was young." She settled back and closed her eyes. Her voice changed, becoming deeper and slower.

**"On the day of Chimera's creation, we gathered together by the hundreds. I know not what the humans would have done if they had come upon us; all of mankind's dreams and nightmares gathered together in one place. But we had chosen our location well, far from human villages, rarely visited by men.**

**Beings of magick who agreed to leave the human world stood in a far-flung circle. The land was flat, as it was important there be no hills to disrupt our spell.**

**Reaching out together, our magick flowed across the ground, pooling in the center. Then we pulled with every bit of power we possessed, the effort so great some perished.**

**Several of our number, much stronger in magick than others, exerted greater force. They reached deeper, pulling greater portions of the land.**

**We tore it from the human world, placing it in the opening we had created, suspended between normal space and time. The jagged roots of that ground, where magick had pulled in unequal measure, forced parts of our new land up. This is how our hills and mountains were formed, where none previously existed.**

**Thus, from that piece of earth, was our world created."**

Ronny opened her eyes, which looked slightly damp. "I grew up hearing that story from my mother."

Brady pushed his glasses up, but not before I saw the intense curiosity in his eyes. "Why didn't they just create the land when they created that opening?"

Ronny's face went blank and she blinked. "But we cannot create something that did not already exist. It's the first rule of magick."

"Then how did you create a place?" Brady asked, running his hands through his hair. He really shouldn't do that. It stood out in strange spikes all over his head. Like he'd stuck his finger in an electric outlet.

"Creating a pocket out of time and space is empty. You are not creating anything."

"Cool story," Faith said quickly. "Better than the stories my mom used to tell, like Hansel and Gretel."

Ronny made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat, rather like a cartoon cat trying to cough up a hairball. "Hansel and Gretel is one more story designed to make children fear witches. Like Little Red Riding Hood was designed to make them fear werewolves!"

Doug interrupted, "I thought it was a wolf."

"What wolf could talk and put on clothes? It was meant to be a werewolf. My Aunt thought it was really amusing, but I never did." Ronny took a moment to unclench her fingers before she said, "I am sorry. I know I sound angry and I do not mean to. It is just, those stories are about beings I care for."

"You know werewolves?" Faith sounded breathless.

Olivia and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. We must have looked like we were trying out for a synchronized eye rolling contest.

"What's the matter?" Doug asked, sitting on the edge of his seat.

Olivia raised one eyebrow and shook her head. "She used the 'W' word! We're in for it now."

Faith didn't even bother looking at us. "Very funny!" Keeping her eyes on Ronny, she leaned forward, a dreamy look stealing over her face. "My favorite stories are about witches and vampires and werewolves."

Ronny smiled at Faith and chuckled. "I know all three."

"So what kind of creatures do you know?" Doug asked, leaning forward on the edge of the couch. He needed to be careful. If he sat any further forward, he'd end up on the floor.

She ticked each name on her fingers, like she was reading off a list. "Elves, fairies, goblins, trolls, ogres, dwarves, brownies, unicorns, gryphons, dragons as you know, merpeople, dryads and centaurs. Also elementals – salamanders, sylphs, undines and gnomes."

She wiggled her fingers like all those names hadn't added up correctly. Her next words confirmed it. "I have forgotten some." She sighed and said, "I guess it is good they cannot hear me."

There was a moment of intense silence. I wondered if any of the others had felt their heart pound at the thought of all those creatures running around Chimera. I cleared my throat and asked tentatively, "All of those are real?"

"Oh yes. Some are friendly but others are dangerous, even to those who can wield magick. Some are quite intelligent. Others, well, they are not. For instance, a unicorn is no smarter than your regular horse, though its innocent nature blazes from its horn like the sun.

She smiled as Faith laughed delightedly. "Not all creatures are so pleasant. For instance, trolls and ogres have no intelligence, but have deadly instincts. Sadly, the dragons used to be an intelligent race, but there has been too much in-breeding. Over the years, they have begun to die out, and not many remain. Most of those are quite dim-witted."

At Faith's small squeak of dismay, Ronny said, "That is not a bad thing. They no longer do so much looting as before, or destroy our homes with their fire when they are angry."

Doug frowned in disappointment, and then his face cleared. "Can you ride on dragons?"

"Ride on dragons?" Ronny's delighted laughter pealed out. When she saw Doug's embarrassed face, she fought for control. "Ride on dragons." One last giggle burst out, then she said, "Absolutely not! Why would you think of such a thing?"

"I saw it in a movie. It looked excellent!"

Ronny laughed again, quietly. "Your movies can be very entertaining. No, a dragon would not fly while you were on its back. It would reach back, pluck you off, and eat you."

"Ugh!" Doug's mouth twisted in disgust, and he collapsed back against the couch.

Like he actually thought he'd get to ride a dragon?

"Sounds like a lot of things like to eat you," Faith muttered. Fortunately, Ronny did not hear her. She turned to Ronny and spoke up, "I've read about elementals. They represent earth, air, water and fire, right?"

"Yes! Most people do not know. Gnomes are linked with earth. Salamanders with fire. Sylphs with air. Undines with water. No one knows the intelligence of elementals. They are very much different from other magickal creatures."

Freaky!

Faith sighed and looked dreamy. "I really love stories about magic."

"I am sorry, but few stories about magick in your world are correct. Some parts are not completely wrong, so it is possible the stories started out true. But the Mundane change stories each time they repeat them. Over hundreds of years, the stories change too much. You win some, you lose the rest."

Faith looked puzzled until Olivia muttered, "You win some, you lose some."

I managed to stifle a giggle at the look of indignation on Ronny's face when she said, "You even call them Fairy Tails. Fairies do not have tails."

Now there was no holding back the giggles. Olivia and Faith's joined mine as they burst free. I just shook my head helplessly at Ronny's questioning glance. It took some effort, but I managed to say, "Someday I hope you can tell us the parts that are right."
Chapter 25

Sanctuary?

I did a happy dance as school let out for summer. Avoiding the Rejects for the next three months should be a piece of cake. Okay, so maybe not a whole piece of cake. Maybe more like a mini-cupcake. But definitely easier!

I was only disappointed about one thing. Somehow our school had found the money to have a summer session, but Faith wouldn't be there with Olivia and me. Instead, she'd be at soccer camp, and would have tournaments most Sundays. So Saturday would still be the only day we could enter Chimera each month.

The week before Chimera would open, we were on Main Street when we saw Andrew a block away. We avoided him by ducking into the library. I laughed exultantly and told Olivia and Faith, "We're getting good at this!"

"It's just luck." Faith stared down at her hands, her shoulders hunched. Her voice dropped, "Luck can run ou—"

"Girls! You're supposed to be quiet in the library." The voice was soft but very firm. I sighed and shuffled my feet as a wave of heat flooded my face. It was the pits trying to hide in the library when your mom's the librarian.

"Yes, Mrs. Taylor," Faith and Olivia chorused in a loud whisper.

"This is the fourth time you've come in here this month. You stand around the windows, talking, disturbing the other patrons. The next time you girls come in here, I expect you to spend at least ten minutes looking at books."

She must have seen the mutinous expression on my face because she added sternly, "I mean it."

"Yes, Mrs. Taylor," Faith and Olivia chorused again. Years of practice had made them really good at it.

"Um, we'll go now, Mom," I said, tugging on Olivia's arm. We escaped back onto the street. I laughed out loud and felt a giddy sense of relief. We'd had a double escape — we were safely out of the library and there was no sign of Andrew.

I really hoped Faith was wrong — that our luck wouldn't run out any time soon. We only had one week until we could go back to Chimera.

XXXX

The cold, dark space inside the tree seemed even worse than usual. I knew I was in Chimera when I tumbled onto the ground. As I got to my feet and dusted off, I noticed Brady was wearing the self-winding watch again.

I pointed at his wrist. "So, does that keep Chimera time or time at home?"

"When we got back last time, my watch was four hours earlier than the time at home. I intend to track the variation and extrapolate the time differential between Santa Ramona and Chimera."

At my blank look, he sighed. "I should be able to tell what time it is at home by how long we've spent in Chimera."

"Oh. Cool!"

He couldn't just say that the first time?

Olivia was the last one through the tree. She'd been grouchy and tired all morning, but as soon as she stumbled out of the tree, she caught her balance and stretched. As I watched, a pleased smile broke over her face. "Wow, I feel terrific."

The rest of us ignored her — we were really tired of all the grumbling we'd heard that morning. Brady pulled the map out of his pocket, and spoke in a clear voice. "I wish I could see where the others are." We all held our breath, then sighed when nothing showed up.

"It could mean they're not here yet," I said.

Olivia lifted her eyebrow. "Yeah, Brady. I hope your magic map isn't broken."

I couldn't be sure if Brady noticed the sarcasm in Olivia's voice. He didn't act like it. "I've been working on deciphering the information on this map. It contains multiple substitution codes, so it's extremely difficult. See the top of the map, these three words?"

I craned my neck to look. Where he pointed, I could see a number of strange symbols scribbled on the map.

Brady continued, "They say 'Cave of Prophecy'. I can't wait to find out what a Cave of Prophecy is."

"What about the rest of it?" I asked.

"I haven't gotten there yet," Brady admitted. "The substitution codes change in each section of the map. I don't understand how they could do all this without computers. It's just not credible."

"Computers are great, but they carried slide-ruler thingies with them to the moon, right?" This time the sarcasm in Olivia's voice was obvious. I saw the tips of Brady's ears turn red as he ducked his head, staring intently at the map.

I said quickly, "They wouldn't need computers if they used magic." As my gaze moved to Doug, I saw he had a funny look on his face. "What are you thinking?"

"Brady understands their language. It could help. I think we should have him read the signs in here."

"So, what, we're going to spend our time looking for signs so Brady can try—," I stomped on Olivia's foot, making her stutter, "uh, so Brady can read all of them? Seriously?"

Doug frowned at her and sounded like he was looking for an argument. "Yeah, that's right."

"I haven't been paying attention," Faith said apologetically. "Have there been signs in here?"

I shrugged. "I haven't seen many, but I'll start looking."

Our familiars moved out ahead as we started walking. We hadn't gone far when Brady stopped, pointing to the left side of the road. I'd been looking for a large wooden sign, but he was pointing to a small carving in the low rock wall.

He knelt down and traced the symbols cut into the stone with his finger. We all gathered around to watch. He rubbed the back of his neck and said, "This doesn't appear to be a coded message. I think it says 'Mile One'. That could be how far we are from the tree. I'll keep checking to see if I can confirm that hypothesis."

Behind his back, Olivia rolled her eyes. When I frowned, she shrugged and turned away, an unrepentant grin on her face.

Brady found two more markers before we got to the cabin. At the third one, he sighed. "There's nothing here but mile markers." His shoulders drooped, disappointment all over his face.

None of us saw anything different until we were past the cabin. This time, Faith pointed at a tree with a number of words burned into its trunk.

As we waited excitedly, discussing what the sign might say, Olivia grew impatient. "Hurry up, Brady. You're taking all day!"

It took him a few more minutes to work it out. Our familiars sat down at the side of the road, watching him intently. I thought Olivia would explode before he exclaimed, "I got it! The Mountain Road goes straight ahead. The road to the left is the Beach Road."

"Are you kidding me? That's it?" Olivia snorted and shook her head. "We stood here for ten minutes to find out the side road leads to a beach?"

"More like five minutes," I muttered. Olivia could be the queen of exaggeration when she didn't like something.

Brady looked like a puppy who'd been scolded for proudly killing an old slipper. Everything about him seemed to flatten and shrink. Even his hair seemed to go flat. If I'd been closer, I'd've poked Olivia.

Doug rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, his whole body stiff with impatience. "Let's move."

The next two gave more directions. And now it wasn't only Olivia who was tired of waiting around. Faith was obviously impatient at the thought of waiting for Brady to decipher another sign. "Maybe we should just keep going," she suggested. "None of these are any help. They're like road signs at home, and we already know what road to take."

"Let him do the next one," Doug said. I quickly supported that, and even though she had a sour look on her face, Faith reluctantly agreed. Olivia's breath huffed out so loud, she might as well have shouted.

We'd just passed the sign for 'Mile Four' when we came to a fork in the road that didn't show on the map.
Chapter 26

Rock and Roll...

"Which way do we go now?" I asked.

Considering we were in a magic land, it wouldn't surprise me if a scarecrow suddenly told me people liked to go both ways. Instead, Doug pointed to the side of the road.

"There's a sign there. Maybe it tells which way to go. You're up, Brady!"

Olivia threw herself down in the middle of the road. "Well, this will take awhile. Might as well be comfortable."

Doug pretended Olivia hadn't spoken, and told Brady, "This one looks pretty long. Can you do it?"

Brady took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He walked up to the sign, careful to keep his feet on the road. The animals followed and sat watching him. He leaned forward, teetering for a moment before he caught his balance and traced several symbols with his fingers. Then he paced back and forth at the edge of the road. Now the familiars were lying down, watching through half shut eyes. I thought they looked like they were falling asleep. At one point, he smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand.

Note to self — Hitting yourself in the head is totally stupid.

"Oh come on, Brady," Olivia complained as Faith dropped down next to her.

"Look, it's not easy, figuring this out. The symbols on each sign are slightly different."

"Maybe we should just pick one direction and go with it," Olivia said impatiently, her face scrunched into a scowl. She scooped a handful of dirt off the road and let it trickle through her fingers.

I could tell Brady was supposed to think she was so bored even watching dirt fall was better than watching him figure out the sign. I knew Faith got it, but wasn't so sure Doug and Brady did. I also knew it meant Olivia was only moments away from doing something more obvious to show she was tired of waiting.

"Eeny, meeny, miney, moe," Faith said, pointing first right then left as she spoke.

Brady glared at both of them. "This is important! It says something about a warning and the road to the left going somewhere perilous."

I noticed our familiars looking from one fork to the other, appearing uncertain.

Why doesn't this show on the map? Which way—

A shockingly loud, drawn-out howl sounded to our left. I really didn't want to see what could make a noise like that.

"I changed my mind. Let's go right," Faith said, her eyes widening. She climbed quickly to her feet.

"Going left is dangerous and something's howling that way? I'm totally going to the right." Olivia stood up, dusted her hands on her jeans and started walking without waiting to see what the rest of us did.

We all began to follow her. Brady came last, still protesting. "Wait. There's more. It could be important..." He trailed off as he realized no one was going to stop.

A muscle jumped in his cheek and a wave of misery darkened his eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's just like home," he said bitterly. "No one listens to me there, either." There was a short pause as I tried to think of something to say, then Brady's gaze focused past me. He was glaring at Olivia. "But somebody's going to listen here!"

He quickly passed the others, intent on Olivia. With surprise, I saw him grab her arm and turn her toward him. I hadn't expected that from him. Doug yes, not Brady. Olivia shoved at his hand, yelling, "Let go of me."

As she pushed him away, his watch came loose and he barely caught it before it hit the road. "You could have broken it," he yelled back. "How would I explain that to Dad?"

"Then don't grab me!" She was still shouting, hands on her hips, her eyes scrunched tight in anger. "And you said your dad didn't like it, anyway."

Brady took a step closer to her. "Just because he doesn't wear it doesn't mean he wants it broken!"

Olivia stepped toward him. "What's so important about a big old watch he never wears?"

Brady took another step. They were now so close, their noses were practically touching. And they were both still yelling, right into each other's face. "He bought it in honor of his grandfather. He disappeared a long time ago, and no one knows what happened to him. Is that good enough for you?"

"Fine. I'll be careful with your stupid watch. Just don't grab me!"

Without another word, Olivia whirled around and continued down the road. Brady hesitated only a moment before running after her.

A short way ahead, a large rockslide covered the road. It was only a couple feet high, which shouldn't be hard to cross, but it was at least ten feet wide. I hoped I could climb across it as good as the others. A curse of being short was having short legs. I'd really hate it if I had to ask Doug for help!

Olivia had nearly reached the rockslide when Brady caught up to her. She'd lifted her foot to start climbing onto the rocks when Brady shouted, "Wait! I figured it out. Olivia, STOP!"

He raced the last feet between them and grabbed Olivia's arm, pulling her around to face him again. At the same time, our animals started making loud sounds of distress.

"What's the matter with you? Stop it!" She smacked his arm with her fist. It looked like she hit him pretty hard, but Brady didn't even flinch. Olivia was shaking her arm back and forth, trying to get away. "You're upsetting our animals, and you're totally getting on my last nerve!"

Olivia sounded just like her mom when she said that. Normally it would have made me laugh, but I could tell Brady was scaring her. I didn't understand why he was holding onto her like that.

For a moment, he didn't answer, still out of breath from sprinting after her. Then he managed to pant out, "The sign was a warning...left path leads to perilous forest. Right path...this path...leads to certain death. That rockslide...I think it's dangerous."

A look of surprise crossed Olivia's face and she jerked back. I saw the heel of her shoe brush against a rock. As if that was a trigger, dozens of boulders hurtled down the mountain, landing with a thunderous crash on the rocks already covering the road. Brady yanked Olivia out of the way just as one of the largest rocks landed right where she'd been standing.

For a few moments it was hard to see — a thick cloud of dust rolled off the hillside, billowing over the roadway. Small bits of rock and dirt pelted my face and shoulders. I wrapped my arms protectively around my head, coughing and choking. I couldn't stand being unable to watch, and carefully moved my hand away from my face.

I peered around in disbelief, aware of my heart pounding frantically in my chest.

I could barely make out Olivia and Brady through the haze, and the rock fall had disappeared completely from sight. Somehow, not being able to see the stones that continued to bounce and crash down the mountain made it more terrifying.

Staring at Olivia, who was standing there as if frozen, a single thought kept repeating over and over in my head...What if Brady hadn't been here?

What if he hadn't been here!

Olivia turned and stared at him for a long moment. Then she suddenly threw her arms around him. "I could have died. Those rocks would have killed me! You totally saved my life!"

As I looked on in amazement, Olivia and Brady blushed bright red, then jumped apart, avoiding each other's eyes.

Brady cleared his throat, his freckles invisible for once against the deep flush staining his face. He said, "Death was a possibility, but serious injury was probable."

I felt my heart begin to settle back to a normal rhythm. Not sure what the others would think about my idea, I said, "Um...Brady'd better check all the signs, no matter how long it takes." Doug and Faith nodded in agreement. "So Brady, the road to the left leads to a perilous forest? What about the cave?"

No one mentioned how much the map shook in his hands as Brady checked it. "There's a forest near the cave, but we're still a pretty long way away."

I felt discouraged. Everything was taking too much time. "I guess we'd better go back where the road split and go the other way."

That's when it became apparent we weren't going to make it to the cave. Not this time. Olivia had twisted her ankle when Brady pulled her away from the rocks. "I'm sorry!" She gasped, looking apologetic. "We have to go home."

She was limping badly, obviously in pain. She was moving so slow I was worried we wouldn't even make it home today. We hadn't gotten far when she burst out, "I wish cell phones worked in here. Or anything remotely civilized. I don't want to walk all the way back to the tree."

She pulled out her phone and looked at it hopefully, like she thought that wish would help. Then shook her head and shoved it back in her pocket. "I don't know why I even bring it in here," she muttered.

I wasn't surprised her wish didn't work. The good ones never did. Ronny kept saying our wishes had to trigger an existing spell, but there seemed to be a lot more bad spells than good ones in here.

Well...except for Brady's wish on the map. Seeing the Rejects on it was cool.

And of course, when I'd wished for help, we got our familiars.

So good wishes could work. Occasionally.

XXXX

It was a long, slow walk back. We finally had to take turns helping Olivia. She kept muttering under her breath, and none of us wanted to know what she was saying. I was glad when I saw the huge fig tree in the distance.

"Nothing else'll go wrong now," I told her. "You'll be home soon."

"Don't say that. You're the one who always talks about jinxing things. I just wish I could rest."

"Oh no!" Brady had been scanning the map while we walked. We'd been so busy reading signs and almost getting smashed by rocks, we hadn't even seen the Rejects enter Chimera. I didn't know where they'd been, but I could see the little red dots heading back toward the tree. Toward us. And they could go a lot faster than we could with Olivia. No way could we beat them back to Santa Ramona.

"Behind the fence," Doug said.

We climbed into the field and lay down, pressed up against the back of the low stone wall. The others grumbled they couldn't see the road since we'd left it, but I had a small space I could reach between two rocks in the wall. I could get my finger through and as soon as I touched the road, I could see the road through that space.

I held my breath as the Rejects went past, sure they'd discover us at any minute. I thought Carly might have seen us. She glanced over as they walked by and did a strange double take. She bit her lip, then faced forward and kept walking. My palms were sweating as I waited for her to tell Ray we were there, but they kept moving away towards the tree.

Maybe Faith was right about Carly.

Though it had been a scary few minutes, it ended up a good thing. Olivia's ankle had a chance to rest, and after that, it was easier for her to walk. Olivia was so relieved she started babbling. "I was worried what I was going to tell Mom if I had to go to the doctor."

It was getting late by the time we got to the tree. We paused only long enough to tell our familiars goodbye. After we were all back in Santa Ramona, Faith said, "Did we learn something this time?"

Olivia said, "Wait for Brady to read the signs!"

The others laughed but I sighed, knowing I couldn't put off what I had to do next. I had to call Ronny.
Chapter 27

There's No Place Like Home?

Ronny was horrified when I told her what happened. I knew how much she wanted us to reach the cave, and tried to apologize for failing again, but she wouldn't let me.

A soft moan escaped her before she reached up and rubbed her forehead. "What can be happening to my home? I never thought you could get on the right hand road. It was blocked by magick years ago. No one can go down that road. It has not been used since the accident that killed my father, and that was forty-three years ago. It created an energy hole, which causes rocks to fall whenever someone walks by. I am so sorry."

She looked so upset I quickly assured her, "We're okay, Ronny. We'll let Brady interpret all of the signs from now on. Don't worry." It bothered me to see her so upset. Although it had been scary at the time, everything turned out okay. Olivia was barely limping now.

"I cannot promise it will not happen again. I do not know why some of the magick is failing. And I may not remember to tell you everything important. I have taken it all for granted for so many years." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Maybe this is not a good idea."

"Look, we should've let Brady finish translating. He tried to get us to listen. Really. We'll be careful in the future."

She jerked her head up and pinned me with her eyes, like I was a butterfly displayed on a science room wall. "Promise! Promise you will be careful. Or you have to stop."

"We promise, Ronny." I looked at the others, "Right?"

I was afraid Faith would say we should stay out of Chimera. But she only hesitated a moment before she agreed.

XXXX

The month of July passed more slowly than any time I could remember. Ever! Santa Ramona was no different, but it seemed...boring. There were only a few things that stood out that month from the day-to-day parts of my life.

In mid-July, Faith, Olivia and I had to duck into the library one more time. I knew Mom was serious about us spending at least ten minutes looking at books before we left, so I began pulling books off the shelf at random, flipping through them, trying to keep track of how long we were there.

I wished I could find a book to help me embarrass the Rejects. I was tired of hiding from them all the time.

The next book I pulled out made me laugh out loud, and I clapped my hand quickly over my mouth to stifle the sound. When I got myself under control, I spoke the title out loud. "Insults Unlimited."

"What?" Olivia hissed.

"Tell you in a minute." I opened the book and gasped at the long lists of words that could be combined into crazy insults. I motioned to Faith and Olivia that we could leave as I took the book to the front to check it out. I planned to memorize a bunch of insults to use on the Rejects.

XXXX

It was during the last week before Chimera opened that Santa Ramona got...weird.

Wednesday night, all nine of the town's VW beetles turned upside down. The Police Chief said he'd prosecute whoever was responsible, and asked the town to report any suspicious behavior. But no one had seen anything.

On Friday, the electricity went off all over town. It stayed off for two hours and three minutes, or as they reported later, exactly 123 minutes. I thought I'd go crazy. No TV, no radio, no computer. The next morning, as I was getting ready to leave for Chimera, Mom was listening to the news. Normally I'm not interested, but this caught my attention.

No one knew why the electricity had gone out.

And they didn't know why it suddenly came on again.

I asked Olivia and Faith if they'd heard what was being said about the power. They didn't understand why I found it so interesting. "But no one knows what caused it. Don't you think that's weird?" I asked.

"Who cares, as long as it never happens again," Olivia said. "In addition to no TV, Mom forgot to reset the time on her alarm clock and got up late. She hates getting up after all the kidlets. I was really glad to get out of there!" She grinned and moved next to the tree. "See you on the other side!"

One by one, we followed her into the tree. Faith was the last one through. As she stumbled out, she said, "Hurry. The Rejects are coming!"

We didn't stop to welcome our familiars, but started quickly down the road. Brady pulled out the map and looked at it quickly. He passed it to Doug.

Brady said, "So we take the second road to the right—"

"No way!" Faith exclaimed.

Olivia said, "Are you crazy? We did that before and got totally lost. We're not supposed to leave the road!"

"I'm not suggesting that. Stop assuming!" Brady said. "If we take the second road we can turn towards the mountains, and then take the second road to the left—"

"What's up with you and second roads?" Olivia asked.

Brady glared at her, took the map back from Doug and all but shoved it in her face. "Look at the map." He stabbed his finger on it. "Using the first road would take us out of our way."

"So if we take the second road where do we go?"

"According to the map, we'll reach the mountain road closer to the cave. That should keep us away from the Rejects."

Faith said, "Stop arguing and hurry up! We need to go before they get here."

Doug turned to Olivia, "We can take whichever road you like. As long as we stay on the road, no matter what."

Olivia shrugged. "Whatever."

As we turned onto the second road, I couldn't help thinking about the last time we'd been there. Doug was right. There was no way I was going leave the road again!

Other than our familiars, the only hint something else was alive in here was the horrible howling we'd heard twice.

I frowned, considering this. We'd never actually seen anyone in here. Just how likely was it that we'd find Ghalynn at the cave? I asked, "So, what do you think we'll find when we get to the cave?"

"I don't think we'll find anything," Doug said. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by his answer. "I just want an excuse to keep exploring this place."

I definitely wasn't surprised by Brady's. "I wish we'd find more signs in there. I could learn more of their language, and decipher everything much more expeditiously."

"Is that all you boys think about?" Olivia looked ready to fight about it. "We're supposed to look for Ronny's mom."

"I just wish we could find something in the cave to tell us where everyone has gone," I said.

"They could be hiding in the cave," Faith said, but she didn't sound like she believed it. "We don't know what happened. There must be a reason we haven't seen anyone."

The road began twisting and turning, making conversation more difficult. I remembered that from last time. Then the low rolling hills started. As we reached the bottom of one of the hills, I pointed to the left. "That's where we left the road last time, isn't it?" My voice had dropped nearly to a whisper, but I wasn't sure why. Maybe because just looking at that field creeped me out.

Doug nodded, "Yeah, that's the place."

Faith bit her lip and shoved her hands into her pockets. "Check the map. Where are the Rejects?"

Brady pulled the map out of his pocket. It was already showing signs of wear — the edges were getting tattered and there was a new tear where it had been folded one time too many. On it, the red dots were hesitating near the place where this road left the mountain road.

"You don't think they'll follow, do you?" Faith asked.

"No, they're staying on the Mountain Road," Brady told her. We watched as the dots began to move past this road.

"No Rejects to bother us today. Yoo hoo!" Olivia told Faith, and they exchanged a high five. I glanced around and saw everyone smiling or laughing as we started moving again.

Too bad all our time in Chimera couldn't be like this. We didn't have to rush. We didn't have the Rejects chasing us or things howling at us. We weren't lost.

I'm having a good time!
Chapter 28

Don't Go There!

The road continued to twist and turn over hills that were growing in size. Sometimes we could see the road crossing in front of us in the distance. It would be a much shorter walk if we could cut straight across, but no one suggested it.

It felt like we'd been walking a long time. Finally, I said, "I wish there was something interesting to see on this road. At least the mountain road has strange rocks and signs and poison apple trees to look at." I finished talking as we climbed to the top of the tallest hill so far.

I stopped, staring where the road should have been at the bottom. There was no sign of it — all I could see below was a thin yellow mist. It wasn't a nice color, like lemon or sunflower. Instead, it was a filth yellow-brown.

"Well, that's certainly interesting." Olivia said, sliding her eyes over to look at me.

Note to self — Next time define "interesting".

"Do you think we'll be able to see where the road goes once we're inside that?" I asked.

"I don't see any way around it." Olivia looked worried as she scanned both sides of where the road should be.

"It doesn't look like this stuff goes very far past the road on the left. See?" Doug pointed where I could see just a tiny strip of road showing. "We could just walk around it."

"No way!" I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "You know Ronny told us not to leave the road. Don't you remember the 'you can get lost forever' part?"

"We'll only be a couple steps away. How could we get lost?"

Brady cleared his throat. "We need to get closer and inspect it. It may be easy to get through. Or it may be easy to stay on the edge of the road. We need more data to decide."

When we neared the bottom of the hill, I got a whiff of something rotten. As we got closer, my steps slowed. The smell was much worse here — a mind-numbing-puke-inducing reek. Just like the fabled Bog of Eternal Stench. That made a hysterical giggle burst from my lips.

If I touch it, will I smell bad forever?

I came to a halt a few feet away, breathing through my mouth. I was afraid I'd lose my breakfast if I inhaled through my nose. I couldn't stand the thought of walking into that stuff — maximum grossitude!

The fog moved like something alive. It covered most of the road, and the area on the right was completely hidden from view. But to the left, the woods were mostly clear. Mostly. When thin tendrils of the mist weren't hiding the view as they advanced then ebbed.

A small ripple within the fog caused it to swirl closer, and a thin wisp brushed up against my arm. It was deathly cold. It stuck a moment, stinging, like the time my finger got stuck to a metal ice tray in our freezer. Even worse, it left a disgusting greasy smear on my skin. I jumped back, but not before I'd gasped at the feel of it.

Big mistake.

I thought it smelled bad before. But when I sucked some in, my throat felt greasy. The stink of something rotten almost knocked me down. Like last summer, after a week of record heat, when I waited too long to take out the trash.

I'd only wrestled the overstuffed garbage bag halfway across the yard when I dropped it on my feet. It burst open, spilling slimy table scraps dripping with spoiled milk and disgusting goo onto my shoes.

I'd never forget that nauseating smell — rancid meat, sour milk, putrefying fruit — not if I lived to be a hundred. I'd thought I'd never smell something that gross ever again.

But this was worse.

I smelled my arm frantically, and then sighed in relief. It still smelled normal. I yelled, "Don't touch it. It's grossiferous. We do not want to go in there!" The others stopped, watching as the dirty yellow mess writhed and pulsed across the road.

Faith stepped next to me and shuddered. "It feels...bad here."

Bad? What a wimpy word!

As if something heard Faith, there was a sudden skittering sound, a scuttling from inside the fog. The mist began to swirl in dizzying eddies, full of pale shadows and murky shimmers of light.

It almost looked as though there were...faces...in there. Faces peering at us, and then slowly disappearing from view.

No, not bad. Creepulsive. Creeporrific! No way am I going in there!

I wasn't the only one who felt that way. Olivia sounded alarmed, "We have to go in there?"

I was relieved when all four of our familiars raced in front of us, blocking the way. Rusty began barking at Doug in obvious warning.

"Guess not," Doug told her. He backed up and asked Brady, "Where are the Rejects?"

Brady's eyes tracked back and forth, looking for the four small red dots. Then his mouth fell open. He looked at Doug, raising his hands defensively. "They must have doubled back. They're coming right toward us."

"Can we go back to the first road?"

"No, the Rejects are behind us. Besides, that road goes back to the tree, remember? We don't want to do that."

Doug sounded like his teeth were clenched together. "So what do you suggest? We can't make it to the second road without going through that!" He thrust his finger at the seething vapor.

Olivia snapped, "Stop yelling, Doug. The Rejects'll hear you."

He turned on her, a sneer twisting his lips, but his voice was controlled. "Want to go through the woods again?"

"Are you nuts?" I asked. "We're not leaving the road! Although if you want to get lost in there, be my guest."

"That's cold," Doug said, and had the nerve to smirk at me. My teeth ground together as I tried to think of a good come back. I don't know what I would have answered, but Brady interrupted.

"Look, it's too late to go back, we'd run into the Rejects. We have to go ahead!" Brady pointed to the left where the edge of the road could still occasionally be seen as the fog surged then receded. He pointed to the map. "It doesn't look like this stuff covers much of the road, probably a few feet."

"How can you tell?" Doug raised his eyebrows, both of them, and gave Brady a make-me-believe-it look.

"The map is totally blank where the fog is. See?" Brady pointed at the map.

Olivia frowned in confusion. "How can fog hide what's on the map?"

I said, "Maybe it's magic." And I was suddenly sure I was right. It was magic — evil magic.

Faith said, "I don't remember it looking like that."

Brady pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Part of the map, on the right, was always blank. But I know the road showed last time."

"I really don't want to go in there," I said, feeling sick.

Brady had been staring intently down the left side of the road. "We can make it, we just need to keep our toes on the road. We'll be able to do that! It'll be no problem." He watched a long strand of mist drift across into the woods on our left. "Uh...most of the time."

"If we face it we can see if it comes toward us, and can keep away from it." Doug sounded excited at the idea.

"Keep away from it? What if we have to step back?" I gulped. "We'd be off the road." This was a very bad idea.

"We'll form a chain. That way if someone loses sight of the road, the others can pull them back."

We stood there a moment, looking at each other, but no one had a better suggestion. The Rejects were behind us, coming our way. There was nowhere else to go.

Doug grabbed my hand and I reached for Faith. Olivia came next with Brady at the end. I tightened my grip, and worried I was holding too tight, but neither complained.

Doug turned sideways, inching down the edge of the road. It was bordered by strange grass, growing in straggly tufts. Some had long blades, like green steak knives. I found out the hard way the pointed tips were razor-sharp and stung when they stabbed you.

As I watched, one of them reached out and stabbed Doug's ankle. Deliberately. He yelled, but didn't stop. Since we had to shuffle along sideways, we had no way to avoid them. After I saw one stab me, I refused to look anymore.

I followed closely after Doug, trying to keep my toes on the edge of the road without taking my eyes off the shifting, swirling fog. No way was it going to touch me again! It was harder than it looked — to keep up with Doug while watching the road, my feet, and the fog at the same time. I ground my teeth together as I felt another long sharp blade dig into my leg.

Doug had already taken half a dozen steps when he had to jump off the road to avoid a thick finger of mist. It was weird — I could see him, but the moment both his feet left the road, he began twisting his head side to side with a nervous expression on his face. His gaze went past me twice before I realized he couldn't see us.

I called to him, but it was obvious he couldn't hear me. I could see his lips move, but the sound was so muffled I had no idea what he was saying.

I squeezed his hand and saw his face relax. He took a small step back, but his next step had him heading directly toward the bit of fog retreating back to the road. I tugged his hand urgently and he changed course. I squeezed his hand twice, hoping he'd take it as encouragement.

The fog finished retreating, so I could see when his toes touched the road. His voice sounded hoarse when he said, "Freaky! I couldn't see the road. I couldn't see you either."

Before I could answer, a new surge of the murky vapor made me take a hasty step backwards. Instantly the road, the stinky mist, and all of my friends disappeared. All I could see were woods. That was bad, but it made it look like something had cut my hands off at the wrist. That made me feel a bit sick. I could have cried with relief when I realized I could still feel Doug and Faith holding my hands.

Please don't let me have a stupid expression on my face. They can see me standing here!

No wonder people got lost off the road. You could be standing right next to it and never know. Unless you accidentally stepped on it.

I felt Faith tugging on my right hand, while Doug pushed on my left. I moved toward Faith, and when my toe touched the edge of the road, I could suddenly see it. I could also see the churning fog only an inch from my nose. I held my breath, ready to step back again, but it retreated.

"Thanks guys!"

Doug didn't waste time. He started along the edge of the road and I followed quickly. The sooner we got away from here the better!

Doug and I had both reached the edge of the fog. I would have fallen to my knees and kissed the ground, but I still had hold of Faith's hand. She had almost reached me when Olivia was forced to step off the road. I could tell she was yelling something, but had no idea what. Faith and Brady had to wait until the fog began a slow retreat. Then they hauled Olivia back to the road.

Olivia looked pale and was breathing too fast, but that could have been because she'd been yelling. She didn't say anything, just started moving as fast as possible, careful to keep her feet touching the road.

Then it was Brady's turn.

It looked as if he'd make it with no trouble until the last two feet. Then, as if something realized we were getting away, the mist didn't just drift across the road, it surged straight at him. It moved so fast he didn't have a chance. It wrapped around his face, then it started to drag him across the road! He struggled convulsively, fighting it. He finally jerked back from it, barely keeping his feet on the road.

He wrenched his hand from Olivia's, rubbing wildly at his face. "It's burning!"

He stumbled back another step. I groaned as I realized he'd left the road and didn't have anyone holding on to him. "He can't get back."

Olivia told Faith, "Don't you let go, no matter what!"

Olivia held Faith's hand in such a tight grip her knuckles showed white. She stepped off the road and grabbed Brady's arm with her other hand. Faith yanked so hard, Olivia stumbled back on the road, dragging Brady after her. He paused a moment, grabbing something off a bush before his feet touched the road.

"We're even!" Olivia told him, as we all moved out of reach of the fog.

Brady was gasping and shuddering. I'd never realized just how many freckles he had, but now they really stood out against his sweaty white face. "It attacked me!" He gulped noisily. "Vapor is inanimate. Water particles suspended in air. It doesn't have a brain!"

He swallowed and looked at the ground. He sounded like he was pleading with us as he continued, "How could it attack me?"

There was a moment of utter silence. None of us knew what to say. Brady's shoulders hunched in misery as he glanced back at the mist, but he sounded defiant. "I believe in science! This place isn't rational. How are you supposed to predict the actions of a place when it isn't rational? Look at this," he said indignantly, and held out his hand, covered with berries.

"Yeah?" I asked. "So why do a bunch of berries make you mad?"

He cupped his hands together and let us peek inside. The berries were glowing, neon green. "This should not exist," he insisted loudly.

I tried to speak calmly because he looked like he was going to lose it. "This is a magic place, Brady. It may not work like home, but there are rules. We'll figure them out."

Olivia smirked. "You could just get rid of those."

"No," he said slowly. "These deserve some analysis. I just wish I knew what was up with that mist."

"Something's in that stuff," Doug told him. "You could hear it moving around. Maybe it controls the fog."

Faith said uneasily, "Our animals sure didn't want us in there."

"Oh! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Olivia smacked her forehead hard enough, the palm of her hand had to sting.

I could tell my voice sounded alarmed, but couldn't help it. "What's stupid?"

"We're stupid!" Olivia glared like we were supposed to understand. And I didn't get it. When I only stared at her, she rolled her eyes. "Duh! We could've asked our familiars to help us!"

The small owl flew over and landed on her shoulder, hooting quietly. Olivia turned her head to look into its yellow eyes. "You could have helped, right?"

It chirped wildly, all but bouncing with excitement. There was no need for it to speak English, I could understand every sound. And Olivia was right. We'd been stupid. That bird was saying, Of course we could help!

Faith asked hesitantly, "Do you think something in there could've hurt us?"

"I don't know," I said slowly. I didn't like thinking about this, and hoped what I was about to say wouldn't freak her out. "There are things in here that can hurt us. We already know that! Getting lost off the road, falling rocks, poisoned apples. And we know there's stuff still alive in here — something was howling, right? So...I think, maybe."

Brady raised the map he'd been looking at while I spoke. "Reject alert! Let's go."

"Just great." Faith hurried down the road away from the fog. We followed close on Faith's heels. I, for one, was glad to leave the mist behind us.

It didn't take long before the sounds of unhappy animals — a cow bawling, a pig squealing and a donkey braying — came from behind us. The Rejects were apparently getting the same warning our familiars gave us.

"I wonder if they'll finally listen to their animals," I mused.

"Have you noticed how their animals follow them around?" Doug asked, watching Brady split his attention between the road and the map.

"Yeah. I feel sorry for them," I said. "The animals, I mean. Not the Rejects!"

"Ray keeps chasing them away," Olivia said and giggled. Not a laugh, not a chuckle, not a snicker. A girly giggle. I rolled my eyes. The Three did not giggle!

Brady held out the map. "Look!" I saw one of the dots was missing.

"One of them is miss—" Brady interrupted me, pointing, unnecessarily, at the map. The missing dot suddenly reappeared next to the others, coming out of the blank spot on the map.

Why can't we see the Rejects on the map in the blank spot? What does that mean?

The sudden sound of yelling made me jump. It was Ray, and the longer he yelled, the angrier he sounded. Doug was right, Ray knew a lot of cuss words. I glanced at Olivia. She'd clapped her hands over her ears so she wouldn't hear anything she'd get in trouble for later.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as the dots began to hurry back down the road the way they'd come.

Brady glanced at his watch and said regretfully, "That took a hecka long time. You still have a curfew, Olivia?"

"Yeah, dinner's at 6:00. I can't be late."

"I don't think we can make it to the cave and back home by then." Brady must have heard my dismayed groan, because he added, "Sorry, Kat!"

"It's like something's trying to stop us," Olivia said.

I felt frustrated tears sting my eyes. "I wish it would stop it. We've got to get there next time." Everyone stared at me, and I clapped my hand over my mouth. I'd wished!

I heard a sound, growing louder, a rumbling that shook the trees around us like an earthquake. The ground shook under our feet, then we all flinched at the sound of glass shattering. But there was no glass, anywhere! Then it fell completely silent.

"Do you think you broke a spell?"

My voice shook slightly. "Guess we'll see next time."

Faith shivered. "We should tell Ronny about the fog."

I agreed, reluctantly. I knew they were right, but I couldn't believe we had to turn back. Again.

XXXX

Time really did move strangely in Chimera. The day had gone so fast! It was after 4:00 when we got to Ronny's. She asked excitedly if we'd had any luck at the cave.

Could she really think we'll find Ghalynn there?

The others were quiet. Obviously, they wanted me to be the bearer of bad news. "We didn't make it. I'm sorry! We had to take a detour to avoid Ray and the others. Don't worry, we stayed on the road. Well, most of the time—"

Ronny made a choked sound, and I hurried to assure her. "We didn't forget our promise. None of us," I turned to glare at Doug, "or at least most of us, have no intention of leaving the road again."

The flush that crept up Doug's neck made me grin. He spoke quickly, "So what's up with that gross yellow fog? It blocked the road—"

"What yellow fog?" Ronny demanded. "And what do you mean, it blocked the road?"

"Show her the map, Brady. That blank space."

Brady pulled the map from his pocket and pointed to the blank spot where the road disappeared for a short distance.

"What is that?" Ronny grabbed the map from Brady, staring at it intently. She pointed to the space where nothing showed on the map except blank paper. "This is not right. Where is the road?"

Beads of sweat broke out on her upper lip and a shiver rippled through her shoulders as she stared at the spot where the road disappeared. I looked back at the map and sucked in a surprised breath. Was that blank space really bigger than it had been a couple hours ago?

Ronny turned to me. "The fog was yellow?"

"Absolutely. Yellow and sticky. And it smelled disgusting!"

"It smelled bad?"

Olivia's voice was low, almost a whisper. "There were faces." She shivered and rubbed her hands up and down her arms like she felt cold, though it was warm in Ronny's house.

Ronny's voice was faint. "Faces?"

"Freezing cold, too," I added.

One of Brady's knees was bouncing nervously. He cleared his throat. "It felt greasy and cold. I couldn't breathe."

Ronny jerked, and her chair scraped loudly on the floor. "You found stinking, greasy, cold, sticky, yellow fog? And where it covered the road it erased the map?" When we nodded, she said, "I do not understand this. Not any of it!"

She got to her feet and paced up and down the room. "I wish I could believe you were pulling my feet."

Out of the side of her mouth, Olivia muttered, "Try leg."

Finally Ronny stopped, not looking at any of us. I wasn't sure she even remembered we were there. "How could this happen?" she muttered. "Chimera has always had fog at the center, but it has never covered the road."

"So, maybe the fog grew. So what?" I asked curiously.

"The fog hides the center of our power. It is dangerous. People who go in do not come back. But it is gray. Not yellow. And there are no faces in it." She shook her head, a frown creasing her forehead. "It has never smelled like anything but clean damp earth. Why would it change so much?"

We'd promised to help her. I was starting to feel guilty about always bringing her bad news. It made my chest ache. "Don't worry Ronny, we'll go back next month."

Ronny sat down with a sigh. She said, "Go straight for the cave and please be careful."

She looked so sad when we got ready to go, I couldn't stand it. The promise spilled out before I could stop it, "Don't worry. I promise we'll get to the cave."

Note to self — Do not blurt out promises you might not be able to keep!
Chapter 29

Are You Afraid of The Dark?

At the end of August, Faith and Olivia met me on the corner. Olivia was laughing, looking very pleased with herself. "Mom's really proud we're helping someone new to town finish getting settled in.

"You shouldn't lie to your mom," Faith told her. Though she didn't actually stick her nose in the air, she sounded like she had.

"You know I don't tell lies," Olivia said impatiently. "I always tell the truth. I just don't tell every little thing we're doing. You don't tell your parents exactly where you're going!"

"Yes, but you're making your mom think you're with Ronny all day. That's like a lie." Faith insisted. I had to go with Faith on this one. Olivia had turned telling part of the truth into a fine art. She never, ever lied. But the bits she did say made people think something different than the truth.

"You're going to really get into trouble for that someday," I told her. "And you'd better not ever do it to me." Olivia pressed her lips together, a mutinous scowl on her face, so I dropped it.

Note to self — Practice 'I told you so'. Olivia's going to earn it someday!

Doug and Brady met us on Main Street, and we all kept watch for the Rejects the rest of the way to the cemetery. I was finally able to relax when there was still no sign of them when we reached the tree.

Brady was last through the tree. He almost leapt out, grinning ear to ear. "Wow, I wish I felt like this all the time! I could beat you at basketball today, Doug."

"Yeah, right, hot-shot." Doug gave one slow disbelieving shake of his head. I could understand his confusion. That had been really weird. No way could Brady do better than Doug at basketball!

Our familiars came up then. I scooped up Shadow and buried my face in her soft fur. "Hey kitty-cat, I missed you." I laughed when her loud rumbling purr began. After a moment, Shadow sprang down to the road and began walking ahead, her tail held up like a banner.

We started following her, the other animals ranging out around us, and Brady started in again on how great he felt. "Seriously. I feel terrific. Excellent. Fantastic." Every few feet he started in on it again. Finally Olivia said, "Okay, we get it, you feel great. Can we talk about something else now?"

Brady got that hurt puppy look on his face. Doug told him, "Ignore them. I felt that way a couple months ago."

Brady immediately perked back up. "We should be paying attention to things like this. Scientifically, there are no coincidences. There is only cause and effect. Anything we experience here may be important." He pulled out the map and held it out in front of him, asking to see the Rejects, but nothing happened.

A look of impatience crossed Olivia's face but she didn't make a smart comment. I wondered what that was about. She said, "Fine, we'll pay attention to everything. Now, can we go? Or do you want to wait till the Rejects decide to join us?"

That's when I realized she'd been nicer to Brady lately. I thought back and almost said, "Ah ha," out loud. I clenched my teeth tightly and managed to keep it in. Thank goodness. But it was obvious now I thought about it. Olivia had been nicer ever since he saved her from the rocks.

I guess even Olivia thinks you should be nice after someone saves you from certain death.

All of us were peeking at the map in Brady's hands as we made our way down the road and past the cabin. I knew I wasn't the only one wondering when Ray and the others would make their appearance.

This time, no one complained when Brady asked to double check the sign at the fork in the road. It only took a minute before he said, "Like I said last time, it warns about danger to the left, but doesn't say what kind."

"What does it say exactly?" Olivia asked, sounding almost patient. For her.

Brady sighed and quoted, "'Warning. The road to the left leads to the Perilous Forest. All who enter beware. The road to the right leads to certain death. Good luck.' It doesn't say anything else."

"All who enter beware?" Faith asked. She sounded pretty calm. For her.

As in, not completely freaked out yet.

I decided it was time to make sure it stayed that way. "It's not like we're going in the forest, we're going to the cave."

Faith opened her mouth, probably to tell me why that didn't make it less dangerous, but Brady interrupted. He sounded positively bold and daring. Not like himself at all. "Even if we did go in the forest, after some of the things we've been through, we could handle it."

"Great," Faith said sarcastically, but didn't argue. She hunched her shoulders and shoved her hands in her pockets.

Listening to Brady and Faith kept my mind off where we were, but I suddenly realized we'd walked further down this road than ever before. Would there be something new to deal with? More falling rocks? Strangely mesmerizing fields? Poison fruit? Fog? Or would we finally get to the cave safely?

According to Brady's watch, we'd only been walking a couple of hours but I would have sworn it was longer. "Any sign of the Rejects?" I asked.

Brady asked to see the Rejects again. When nothing showed up, my muscles relaxed and I could suddenly breathe easier. My stomach growled. I guess I'd been too nervous to realize I was hungry before. "Maybe we should stop for lunch. Once the Rejects come in, we won't be able to take the time."

We moved around another bend, looking for a good place to stop. I came to an abrupt halt, awestruck by a strange pyramid shape to our left. It was huge. Taller than a two story house, and covered with strange markings etched deeply into the surface. It was thin, only an inch or so wide. Although it looked like stone, it was glowing.

Brady walked around it, then carefully reached out, skimming it with his fingertips. He jerked his hand away. "It's hot," he said, startled, and held up his hand. His fingers were red and I could see blisters rising. He took a step back, and tripped over one of the loose rocks on the ground. As he fought to keep his balance, he knocked one into the structure.

It may have looked like stone, but it sounded like metal. Like a huge bell. It gave a deafening peal that kept reverberating on and on. We all jerked around in different directions as the sound of matching bells sounded in the distance all around us.

A large dark shape showed briefly above the trees, way to the right. Ahead of us, a plume of red mist streamed into the sky, and then slowly dissipated. The sound of howling came from trees on all sides of us, then died out, leaving only silence.

My stomach chose that moment to growl again, loud enough for all of them, human and animal alike, to hear. Rusty started barking, and I chose to believe it wasn't doggy laughter.

"So, let's stop and eat here." I perched on the stone wall next to the road, and pulled off my backpack to get my lunch. I felt Shadow's head stroke against my legs and looked down to smile at her.

"Want some?" At her trilling meow, I offered some of the chicken off my sandwich. She ate it daintily from my fingers, while a loud purr came from her chest with each bite.

Rusty was thrilled when Doug sat and offered a bite of his peanut butter sandwich. We all laughed as he tried to lick the peanut butter out of his mouth. He had a doggy grin on his face, and danced around begging for more when he was done.

"Uh oh," Brady said, looking up from the map he'd been studying. "Guess who just came in."

"Let's go!" I jumped to my feet. "We're ahead, but we can't risk them catching us."

"How do they keep turning up wherever we are," Faith asked, sounding frustrated.

Doug sat back, staring at Faith in surprise. "That's a really good question. Any ideas?"

None of us had an answer, then Faith frowned. "Well, I'm going to figure it out."

Our animals danced around as we packed up the remains of our lunch. When I was ready, I started down the road. Brady called, "Slow down. Keep an eye out for signs."

I gritted my teeth in frustration. I wanted to speed up, not slow down! The Rejects were coming, and they wouldn't be walking slow, looking for signs. But remembering the rock fall, I reluctantly started paying more attention.

It didn't take long before we left the rolling hills behind and entered the mountains. We slowed our pace as the road grew steeper and rockier. Singing was not giving me enough exercise. I was puffing a lot more than Faith, Doug or Brady. I tried to keep up, but was mortified to realize I was falling behind. I was about to give in and ask the others to slow down, when Olivia beat me to it.

"Hey, you guys...some of us aren't...Olympic level...athletes. Some of us...can't keep up...this pace. Can you please...slow it down?"

"Sure." Doug sounded surprised. He wasn't out of breath, not even a little. If I had enough energy, I'd stomp on his foot — maybe that would slow him down — but I was way too tired. He said, "I didn't realize we were going too fast. Next time let us know. Before I can't tell what you're trying to say through all the panting."

"I'm not...panting," Olivia huffed.

"Then you're doing a great imitation of a dog."

"Shut up!"

"Then stop arguing," Doug said, smirking. "You'll have more breath for walking."

"Fine!" I was sure Olivia had meant to sound annoyed, but she only sounded breathless.

After another fifteen minutes, according to Brady's watch, we were still well ahead of the Rejects. We'd been climbing rapidly, and after several hairpin turns on what was now more trail than road, we saw a dark opening in the mountainside.

I was the first to notice the odd shape of the cave opening. "Perfect name," I said, fanning my face with my hands. We were all looking hot and sweaty now. "I wish it was cooler," I said, without thinking.

Lightning flashed and a sudden crack of thunder sounded overhead. Clouds gathered around us as if someone hit fast forward on a movie about a storm. Seconds later, a cold rain began to fall. Just where we were standing.

"Well," Olivia said, pushing her heavy wet hair off her face. "That's certainly cooler, Kat." The words sounded nice, but her tone sounded as happy as Shadow looked. Her ears were flat and water was dripping off her whiskers. Her eyes were half-closed and glaring straight at me.

"Sorry!" I told everyone, and watched them turn to trudge up the path, which was rapidly turning to mud.

Note to self — Stop wishing!

As we slogged around the last turn on the path, Brady said, "I see why it's called Sleeping Dragon Cave."

Faith's voice was hushed. "I can't believe we finally made it. We've been talking about this place for months."

"It's really dark in there," Doug said. "Looks like Ghalynn's not here."

"We've got to look. There might be a clue where we can find him," I said quickly, afraid he was going to suggest leaving without checking out the cave first.

"Of course we're going to check it out!" Olivia sounded surprised. "After all the work to get here? Oh hey, did anyone remember to bring a flashlight?"

"I've got one," I said, slipping my pack off my shoulders.

"That might not work," Doug reminded us. "It runs on batteries."

"No problem," Brady said, and pulled a small glowing baggie out of his pocket. It let out a surprising amount of light. I recognized the berries he'd grabbed off the bush by the fog."

"And if that doesn't work," Doug said, "I brought matches and candles."

"Logical," Brady said admiringly.

We entered the cave slowly, staying close together. I was relieved when Brady's lightberries worked. He lowered the bag near the floor, and then held it high so it shone around the walls of the cave. The rough gray stone glistened oddly where the light touched it, casting strange sparkles through the large space. The berries provided just enough light to see that most of the large space was still shrouded in darkness.

I turned on my flashlight. It wasn't totally dead like our phones, but the light was very weak, even with the new batteries I'd put in that morning. The beam began to flutter on and off, making it harder for everyone to see.

"Yuck," Olivia said. "Turn it off, Kat!"

I turned it off regretfully and shoved it inside my backpack. "I guess we're using your lightberries, Brady."

Doug said, "Don't worry," and lit us both a candle.

Olivia suddenly started to sing something about champions. At least I thought that's what she was doing. She sounded like a cat being mauled by a bear.

Olivia broke off her screeching and said, "We made it. High five." She slapped her palm against each of ours. Even Brady and Doug held up their hands.

"Come on," Doug said, practically shaking with excitement. "Let's check this puppy out."

The cave was shaped in an almost perfect half circle, with several tunnels leading off into darkness. "I'm glad we have our animals," I said, grinning. "They'll let us know if anything is dangerous in here."

We moved slowly around the main cave. "This doesn't look like any cave I've ever seen!" Olivia stated. "It's way too smooth and round." Now that she said it, I could see what she meant. I wondered if someone had used magic on it.

Not everyone saw what she did. Doug made a disbelieving sound, and Brady quickly said. "It just looks like something wore down the rocks until the whole area became round and smooth."

At the back, a tunnel was blocked off. At first, I thought it was full of rocks that had collapsed. Then Faith spoke, her voice filled with disgust. "Eeeow! Those are bones."

They were obviously old, clean and dry, and none of them looked human. At least not like the ones on TV. But still, they were bones.

"Maybe there really was a dragon here," Doug said. His eyes were shining with excitement in the light from his candle.

"Dude, you'd better hope there's no dragon in here now," Olivia told him. At her words, Faith glanced around, worry clear on her face.

Brady carefully poked at a place where a few bones had spilled out of the tunnel. He dislodged some, and then others began pouring onto the cave floor. He leaped back with a sound of disgust, then we all had to back away to avoid the rapidly spreading pile. Finally, the avalanche of bones came to a stop, settled, and grew silent.

Doug suddenly darted over to the edge of the pile. "Don't touch them," I yelled.

He reached out and snatched something off the floor. It was a heavy leather wristband, covered with intricate patterns burned deep into the leather. In the center, a small blue-green stone gave a brief flash of light when Doug picked it up. He looked it over and before any of us could protest, fastened it on his right wrist. For a moment, it looked too big, but when he pulled his hand away, it fit him perfectly.

"Cool!" he said. "Maybe the legends about dragons are right. Maybe they do collect treasure."

"You're not suggesting we dig through all that!" Faith's voice was high and her eyes looked too wide in the flickering light from the candles.

"Not today," Doug told her. "But I'm definitely coming back here sometime!"

"How do we know if there's something dangerous in the other tunnels," Faith asked, voice shaking.

"Fangface can show the tunnel we should check next."

I was amazed I could still get my jaw to work, it had dropped so far open. "You call your bat Fangface?"

Brady grinned at the bat clinging to the side of the cave. I could swear the bat was grinning back.

That had to be a trick of the flickering candlelight, right?

Brady said, "I decided, since we're in a magic place and none of the other rules seem to apply, I should accept that vampires might exist. I saw a vampire movie where the executioner called the main vamp Fangface. It was funny."

He called out, "Hey Fangface. Can you check out the tunnels and show us the best one?"

Olivia snorted. "You expect it to understand all that?"

"Sure," Brady said. "I've decided that's one of the rules in this place." He smiled widely as the bat gave a squeak and flew into a passage on the left.

Doug told him, "Let's finish checking this room. There might be a something interesting on the walls or the floor."

We worked our way around, watching Fangface flying in and out of the three open tunnels on the left of the cave. We found a fourth tunnel on the right side of the cave, but it was not much bigger than a closet.

It didn't take long to explore the main cave. I was disappointed. There was no sign of Ghalynn, and worse, no sign he'd ever been there. What were we supposed to find here?

Fortunately, we didn't need to wait long for Brady's bat to come back. Brady called, "Hey Fangface. Which way should we go?" The bat squeaked, flew around Brady's head and flew back to the first tunnel. Brady followed, and we crowded after him into a dark narrow passage.

The tunnel went on a long way.

Mostly I didn't mind. In fact, I really enjoyed some parts, like where the roof of the tunnel sparkled in the light of my candle like it was covered with hundreds of stars. But occasionally, it grew so low and narrow I had to bend almost in half or turn sideways to make it through.

The worst was a thankfully short section where we all had to drop belly down in the dirt and squirm forward like worms to keep from smashing our heads into the low ceiling. I'd heard of claustrophobia before but never understood it. Now, I was stuck with Brady and Faith in front of me, and Olivia and Doug behind me. I couldn't turn around if I wanted to.

What if the tunnel keeps getting smaller? Could we get stuck?

"Next time I'm bringing my bike helmet," Faith grumbled, just in front of me. "I'm going to crack my head open on these stupid rocks."

All of us were bumping against the rough uneven surface. I could tell that by the grunts and yelps which accompanied our slow forward progress. Good thing we were only twelve, not sixteen. I wouldn't want to do this if I was any bigger.

That thought made me pause. Would we still be coming to Chimera when we were sixteen?

"What's the hold up, Kat?" Olivia shoved at my foot.

I started moving, but continued to think about coming into Chimera for four more years.

Well, why not? It's interesting here.

Just ahead of me, Faith disappeared from view. I hurried forward, and emerged into a small circular cavern.
Chapter 30

That's a Clue?

A Clue to What!

"Hey!" Olivia exclaimed as she crawled out behind me. "Look at this. Brady, what does it say?"

Brady was walking back and forth in front of the cave wall, holding up his candle. The wall was covered with pictures and symbols. He kept muttering, "This is different. This is really different."

He finally turned and said, "Parts of this seem like clues. The kind you get in a scavenger hunt. Did anyone bring a paper and pencil?"

He grinned when Faith held them out. "Hey, Doug, hold the berries up so I can see to write this down, okay? It's going to take a while to figure this out. I'll have to write it down and take it home to work on it." Doug held up the baggie, while Brady handed his flickering candle to Olivia.

As Brady lowered his head over the paper, I wandered around, occasionally lifting my candle and shining it into different parts of the cave.

It didn't take long to circle the small space, and I could tell Brady wasn't done yet. "There's nothing else in here. Why don't some of us go through one of the other tunnels?"

Olivia and Doug said they'd go too. Doug handed the berries to Faith. She held them up close to the wall, while Brady continued to hastily scribble down the symbols.

We made our way out of the long winding passage. I'd forgotten how bad some of it was. At least it felt better to be in front. I wondered how Doug liked being stuck in the middle this time.

When we finally made it to the main cave, we took the second tunnel. This one was shorter than the first, but it also led to a small cave. It was even smaller than the first, and there was nothing written on the walls. I started to leave, but Shadow went to the far side of the cave and meowed.

"Shadow thinks there's something over there. Why don't you check it out?"

"On it," I told Doug shortly, knowing I sounded rude.

Like I would ignore Shadow!

I stomped across the cave until I stood next to her.

I would never have noticed it if Shadow hadn't meowed again, then disappeared into what looked like a small crack. I called her, but she didn't return. I checked the small crack more carefully. The tunnel actually continued past the cave, after making a tight, nearly one hundred eighty degree turn.

This made the tunnel invisible unless you looked at it from just the right angle. "Hey, check it out."

Olivia moved up next to me. "Why am I looking at the back wall of the cave?" She looked at me like I'd lost it.

I thrust my arm into the hidden passage. Her eyes flew wide. "How...?" My arm must look like it vanished into thin air. I laughed. "It's a hidden passage. Shadow wants us to see it."

I moved quickly, wanting to be in front this time. We shuffled through the narrow, twisting tunnel, frequently ducking low spots. Shadow waited patiently for us to catch up. She was having a much easier time in the tight spaces. Occasionally there were forks in the passage, but Shadow seemed very sure of the path we should take.

_We'd be lost without Shadow!_

"Make sure you stay with us," I called after her when she disappeared around a curve. There was a nervous twitching in the pit of my stomach when I thought about trying to get out of here without her. Just trying to turn around in this narrow place would suck. I tried to look back the way we came and struck my shoulder against a sharp rock. Yeah, major suckage!

We suddenly entered a long, narrow cavern, and I let out my breath in a gust. The floor was messed up. Like someone had dug something up. Or maybe, like something had been buried.

Enthusiasm made my voice sound like I'd just taken a hit off a helium balloon. "Doug, we have to bring a shovel next month. Something could be buried in here!"

"I always wanted to dig for buried treasure."

"Think whatever it is will be safe here for a whole month?"

Olivia laughed. "Who's gonna find it? We haven't seen anyone in here."

I stooped down to pet Shadow, who was sitting by my feet looking pleased with herself. Anyone who said cats can't smile doesn't know cats! I had the feeling a lot of time had passed and I was starting to worry about getting home late. That would be bad! I couldn't violate my no-more-being-grounded-ever rule so soon. "I think we better head back."

"No, wait. We should try digging now," Doug said.

Olivia sounded offended. "Are you kidding? I am not digging in the dirt with my hands!"

Of course not.

"We'll bring shovels next time," I assured her.

"Fine." Doug's huge sigh would have been great, if he were trying out for Drama King.

I turned to Shadow and asked her to lead us back. At least going out felt shorter than going in. When we reached the main cave, Brady and Faith were waiting for us.

"How's our time?" I asked.

"We need to go. We've been in Chimera four hours. It's going to be pretty late when we get back."

"Did you finish writing everything down?"

"Got it all."

As we turned to leave, Doug filled Brady in on the hidden cave. Brady was appropriately enthusiastic about the idea of buried treasure. But I'd had time to think about it while we made our way out of the second tunnel. I said, "Ghalynn isn't here. And we didn't find anything to show he ever made it here. Next time, before we start digging, we should check the other tunnels for any sign of him."

Doug said, "I think we need to go to the secret cave and dig up the floor. It looks like something was buried in there!" When he saw the mutinous look on my face, he added, "Ghalynn might have buried something there."

That cheered me up. Though we hadn't found Ghalynn, we'd made some good discoveries — the writing at the end of the first tunnel, and maybe something buried in the second tunnel. As we hurried from the cave, Brady and Doug were already planning what we should bring to dig up the cave next month.

What if something is buried there? That would be so cool!

"Hey Brady, where's the Rejects?" Doug asked. We hesitated at the mouth of the cave as Brady checked the map by the light from the berries. "No sign of them."

Maybe Polly convinced them it's too boring in here. Maybe they won't ever come back. One can wi — um, hope.

Brady looked at his watch and said, "We need to hurry! According to my calculations, it should take us seventy-two minutes to get to the tree. It will be nearly dark when we get home." He shoved the berries and the map in his pocket.

After that, we didn't talk much, saving our breath to hurry. Thank goodness it was mostly downhill. I didn't know how the others felt, but I wanted to prove Brady wrong. Seventy-two minutes? Only Brady would estimate to the minute.

When we got in sight of the tree, I asked how long it had taken. "Sixty-eight minutes," he said.

So much for his seventy-two minutes!

I'd just started to smile when he said, "That leaves us just four minutes to say goodbye to our animals and get through the tree." My smile died and my teeth ground together instead.

How irritating was that?

Everyone said goodbye to their animals, but Brady and I took an extra minute to thank ours for their help. I leaned over and ran my hand down Shadow's back. She purred and arched her back under my fingers.

When it was my turn to step into the tree, I sucked in a deep breath. Going back through was different than going back through the tunnel in the cave. That had seemed quicker. But going home through the tree always felt longer. Sometimes it seemed really long. This was one of those times. I felt myself start to shake, wondering if there would ever be a time I wouldn't get out.

Stumbling into the cemetery felt soooo good. I checked my phone, and saw we still had a little over an hour before Olivia and Faith's dinner curfew. I called Ronny and asked her to meet us at Johnny's. She said she'd be there in five minutes.

XXXX

As we got seated, Ronny said, "So, tell me what happened today." She leaned forward, looking so hopeful I wanted to be anywhere else. I hated knowing we were going to disappoint her again. "Was there any sign of Ghalynn?"

We took turns describing what we'd found. Brady rummaged in his backpack and pulled out several pages of notes from the cave wall. He showed them to Ronny and they spent several minutes looking over them while she shook her head in confusion. "I cannot make this out. It looks like Runic, but none of the symbols are in the right order. And I do not recognize any of these pictures. Are you sure it was written exactly like this?"

I was afraid Brady would feel insulted by her question. Even in the short time I'd known him, I was sure he'd made an exact copy. In fact, I'd be willing to bet it was a precise to-scale replica. Fortunately, Brady didn't seem bothered. "It's an accurate duplication of everything on the wall of the cave."

Ronny shook her head, "This will take great time to study properly."

"I'll make copies and bring them to your house tomorrow if that's okay. I want to work on it too. It's a great opportunity. I mean, trying to break a code that isn't even based in English."

He glanced around hesitantly and said, "I'm pretty sure I was able to translate part of it on the walk back to the tree."

"Why didn't you say so before?" Olivia asked, her expression a strange mix of impatience and excitement.

"Well, I'm not sure my translation is completely accurate. After all, some of the symbols were larger and cut deeper into the wall, like it was on purpose. They may have a different meaning. You'll see in my notes." He tapped the pile of paper in front of him. "This part translated with great ease. Almost too easy. But the message doesn't make much sense, so maybe I missed something."

"Let's hear it," I told him.

Brady then shuffled through his notes and took a deep breath. He picked up one of the pages and began quoting.

**SHADOWS OF THE FUTURE**

**Time shall come when silence rules**

**Echoes of what was remain**

**East and South dark MALICE pools**

**Set loose as protections wane**

**Two worlds WITH one dire test**

**With the entrance breached by man**

**Mundane MAGICK marks the quest**

**Fate awaits the final plan**

**Only clear to those with Sight**

**Direction is necessity**

**Paths revealed within the Light**

**Resolution is the Key**

**Greed with evil SPELLS entwine**

**Without courage faith will quail**

**Magick and mundane COMBINE**

**For one without the other fail**

**ANNIHILATION**

Ronny's face turned white. Not just pale. White as the paper Brady held. She held out a shaking hand and he passed the paper to her. She stared at it with wide, empty eyes.

Brady said hesitantly, "Ghalynn's name was written under it."

"So Ghalynn was at the cave," I said, keeping a close eye on Ronny. She did not look good, though this seemed like good news to me.

"So what are those words supposed to mean?" Faith asked. "Brady's right. They don't make sense."

It was Ronny who answered, in a low hoarse voice that didn't sound like her. "I cannot tell you what it means."

She was gripping the table so hard it looked like the skin over her knuckles was going to split open. "No one knows what those words mean. But those who live in Chimera can quote every word."

She turned to Brady and gave him what I think was supposed to be a smile. "Your translation into English was perfect, Brady. This is our Annihilation Prophecy, written hundreds of years ago. I never heard it in English before. I did not even know it rhymed. No one knows who wrote it. But according to legend, it refers to the end of Chimera."

"The end of Chimera? Why would your friend Ghalynn write an old prophecy about the end of Chimera on the wall of that cave?" Brady asked, looking confused.

"That is a good question. A better question is, why did he write the Prophecy on the wall of a cave right before everyone in Chimera disappeared? I am very much afraid for my friends and my family. Discovering the meaning of this Prophecy is imperative."

There was a pause as Ronny fell silent and no one could think of something to say. Finally, Faith said quietly, "I guess we know why Ghalynn wrote 'Cave of Prophecy' on the map."

I was watching Ronny as Faith spoke. The look on her face scared me. "Are you okay, Ronny?"

She had to clear her throat twice before she could answer. "Do not worry, Kat. I will be fine."

She began speaking hesitantly. "I know you have been scared in Chimera, and it has not been easy. You are children, and you have been alone, with no one to help. I will understand if you do not wish to continue. It is clear you will not find Mother or Ghalynn. But I hope you will consider going back to find what all this means."

Doug's answer was immediate and enthusiastic. "Are you kidding? I'm going back. A secret land, a magic quest, a hidden cave, and maybe buried treasure? It's better than a video game." A very small smile lifted one corner of Ronny's mouth as he spoke.

I told her, "I'm sorry we haven't found out what happened to your mom. But I'm not giving up."

Brady said, "If the information I copied in the cave doesn't help, maybe we'll find something next time."

Ronny got up to leave, and then paused. "Thank you. I do not have the words to tell you how much I appreciate this."

I thought she looked so very alone as she walked slowly out of the door. I hoped Chris would get home soon.
Chapter 31

Buried Treasure

Now that we'd started eighth grade, Andrew and Ray were worse than ever. We were doing everything we could to avoid the Rejects in the halls, but that wasn't always possible.

Twice Faith wished they would leave us alone, although she wasn't that polite about it. I reminded her wishes didn't work in Santa Ramona. Once Olivia got so mad she wished they'd drop dead. That time, I was glad wishes wouldn't work.

Could you be arrested for murder by wish?

Just two weeks later, I got my first chance to try one of the insults from the library book I found that summer. We were in line in the cafeteria. Ray and Andrew had come up and were walking next to us, making it impossible to get out of line without causing a big scene. I remembered the chocolate pudding and ketchup they'd smeared all over me a few months ago, and for a moment I saw red all over again.

They kept their voices low and filled the air with their nasty insults. Both of them smiling so innocent no one would believe the mean things spilling out of their mouths like vomit.

I smiled at Ray just as innocently and in a disgustingly sweet voice told him, "You brainless babbling baboon. You should really stop while you're ahead."

He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something else, so I quickly said, "Don't say it, you gigantic sniveling puke-faced glob of reeking toad snot."

Ray did stop. His mouth was hanging open, and his eyes were bugging out. He still hadn't moved or shut his mouth when I grabbed Faith's arm and towed her away, with Olivia following closely on our heels.

Faith's mouth was hanging open almost as far as Ray's had. Finally, she started cracking up. "That was great! Where did you learn to do that?"

"Remember the library book I found a couple months ago? It shows how to make up lots of crazy insults. I have a bunch I'm planning to use on Ray and Andrew."

"Cool! I'll never forget the look on his face."

XXXX

September seemed to pass in fits and starts. A few days before Chimera opened, I heard from Ronny. She was having trouble deciphering the information from the cave. She assured me, "I have not given up. What is your saying, 'Slow and steady wins with grace'?"

"Uh...I think you mean 'Slow and steady wins the race'," I told her. That made her laugh. "How can you win a race by going slow?"

She made me promise to tell her the story of the tortoise and the hare some other time.

At lunch, when I told the others what she'd said, everyone laughed. "Maybe I should tell her not to quote famous sayings. She really mangles them."

Doug was still laughing. "Don't tell her to stop! I can't wait to hear what she comes up with next."

Faith turned to Brady. "How 'bout you? You been able to figure any of it out?"

Brady admitted, "No such luck. Yet. It's like whoever wrote it wanted to be sure most people would never understand it." He grinned. "Good thing I'm not most people."

Knowing we had no real clues to our nearly impossible riddle cast only a momentary cloud over us. Though it would be nice to know what it all meant, I was too excited about going back to worry about it now. Doug said he'd get a shovel, hammer and lantern. No one else could bring anything helpful, but we didn't care. We were going to dig for buried treasure!

Most of us. Not Olivia, obviously. The rest of us were probably ready to dig with our bare hands if necessary.

XXXX

We'd decided not to wait as late as the last few times. Instead, we planned to go at eight o'clock. Even Olivia, after groans and plenty of gloomy faces, said she'd be ready to go. I didn't mention it to anyone, but I was a bit worried she'd never manage to get ready that early.

So I was really glad to see her waiting at the corner. Her eyes were half closed, and she looked more zombie than human, but she was there.

Faith came running up then, and the three of us made our way to the cemetery. Doug and Brady were already waiting by the tree. I asked, "Did anyone see the Rejects?" I kept my fingers crossed, waiting for their answer.

"Not a glimpse of them," Doug said. Brady nodded.

Maybe we'll get lucky. Maybe they won't come near us. Maybe they've given up!

After we stumbled into Chimera, we hurried down the road, trying to take as little time as possible. We all wanted more time at the cave. It still took more than an hour to get there – sixty-four minutes, Santa Ramona time, according to Brady.

As we rounded the last switchback to the cave, I paused to catch my breath, marveling again at the sight of the opening. It really did look just like the silhouette of a sleeping dragon.

I wondered if it was natural, or if someone had made it look that way with magic. If I could work magic, what would I do with it? Good question.

Note to self — Think about what you'd do with magic. Who knows what we'll be able to do when we know more about this place.

We entered the cave and began to head carefully down the second tunnel by the light of Brady's berries. I laughed when Olivia pulled her brother's flimsy yellow plastic construction helmet out of her pack. It didn't look like it would help much, and barely fit, but Olivia looked satisfied as she plopped it on her head. There were times, as I bumped my head and bruised my elbows on the hard rocks, that I thought my skateboard gear would be helpful.

When we got to the small round room, I said, "So, can anyone see the hidden tunnel?"

"Give me a moment. You described it as an optical illusion." Brady cast his eye over the walls and ceiling.

"It's like Labyrinth. You have to look at things properly. At their blank looks I said, "You know, where that little worm thing tells her how to see the labyrinth."

Faith and Olivia were still staring at me like they didn't get it, so I recited in a sing-song voice, "You don't never want to go that way. That way leads straight to the castle.'' I stopped as I realized they were all staring at me. I wanted to feel around my neck to see if my second head had grown back.

I decided it was time to defend myself. "Oh come on. Faith and Olivia saw Labyrinth. We watched it together."

"Yeah," Faith said, "but we don't memorize every word." She was grinning at me as she said it, so I decided I didn't have to get offended. Much.

I called, "Shadow, can you show it to us?" She sat by what looked like a blank part of the cave. I moved next to her and scratched the top of her head. She purred as I straightened up and put my arm down the hidden passage.

I grinned at Faith and Brady's startled exclamations. I waited a moment, feeling smug, then explained how the tunnel wasn't visible unless you stood in exactly the right spot.

Once everyone fell silent, they took turns checking it out before we made our way down the low twisting passage. Once again, I made sure to go first, and sighed in relief when we entered the small cave with the disturbed dirt floor. It looked exactly the same as last month.

"I'm so glad we're here. Finally!" Olivia dumped the heavy bag she'd been carrying onto the ground. Between the shovel, hammer, lantern, candles, matches, Doug's slingshot, pencils, paper, water, lunch and other things some people had decided they couldn't live without, like Olivia's lip-gloss, we were all weighted down.

"Don't get too comfortable," Doug warned her. "We've got to start digging. We all hope its buried treasure, but someone might have already dug something up."

"Spoil sport," Olivia said. "First you tell me I have to work, then you tell me I may be doing it for nothing. Didn't your mom ever tell you — keep quiet unless you have something nice to say."

I turned to Shadow who was purring at my feet. I squashed the momentary feeling I was about to do something stupid. Who talks to a cat like it could answer? "I wish you could help us find something in here. Can you?"

The cat stopped purring and switched her tail. Doug laughed, "I'd take that as a 'no'."

"Yeah, I think so too," I agreed, disappointed. Once again, wishing was a totally wasted effort.

"Oh well, let's get started." Faith sighed then brightened and grabbed a candle. "I'll make sure you can see what you're doing."

Olivia tapped her foot looking annoyed. "I was gonna do that!"

"I got dibs," Faith said, grinning. Doug glared at her and lit the lantern, placing it on the floor of the cave.

Olivia stuck her tongue out, and then grabbed the hammer. "I'll use this if we need to open anything."

Brady and Doug both had their arms crossed, glaring at Olivia. Doug turned to Brady. "Who needs a bunch of girls helping, anyway?" He laughed when Olivia stuck her tongue out at him, too.

Brady said, "We need to go about this logically. A methodical plan can help ensure we look everywhere. We should divide the floor into sections, like a grid. We'll check each section on the grid thoroughly before moving to the next."

He shoved the berries in his pocket and began dragging the end of the shovel over the floor of the cave, creating lines forming sections about two feet square.

I felt a surge of excitement, wondering what could be buried here. "You know, I've always wanted to dig for buried treasure!" I spun around in a fast circle, unable to contain my sudden excitement. "This is just like being in one of my favorite books!"

We were so excited none of us noticed when our animals left.

XXXX

After almost two hours of shoveling dirt around the floor of the cave, I was hot and sweaty and ready for lunch. We'd each taken a turn using the shovel. It was way harder than it looked in the movies. I had broken blisters stinging the palms of both hands.

I gently wrapped my hands around a barely cool soda can, and leaned against the wall of the cave, trying to relax the knots out of my back. This had been a lot of work, and we had nothing to show for it. I was beginning to worry that something had already been dug out.

I wasn't the only one beginning to wonder if our work was for nothing. "This may be a colossal waste of time," Doug said tiredly.

I looked over the cave floor — most of the grid had already been searched. We'd dug down more than a foot in each of those sections without finding so much as a loose rock.

After we snarfed down sandwiches and apples, we agreed to search one of the other tunnels to give our aching arms a chance to rest. We started to enter the third tunnel, but our familiars were all waiting in the main cave and moved to the short tunnel on the far right. "I guess they want us to check that one first," Doug said.

"I hope it has something interesting above the ground," Faith muttered. "I've decided hunting for buried treasure is totally overrated."

We crowded into the short passage, but it ended in a blank wall. We checked carefully, but couldn't find anything.

"So, what are we supposed to be looking for?" Doug asked, glancing around in confusion.

"No clue. I wish I knew what our animals find so interesting," Olivia said.

I was about to suggest we go when the bat squeaked excitedly and flew up over our heads. It kept squeaking as it flew higher and higher, then the sound faded up to the right.

Doug lifted his lantern up in that direction. The light was dim, but reached most of the way to the roof, at least twenty-five or thirty feet above us.

Olivia exclaimed, "Shine the light further right."

Doug swung the light over and Olivia said, "Can't you see it? There's a hole in the cave wall, up near the top. That's where Brady's bat went."

Pyg suddenly soared up over our heads and flew straight where Olivia pointed. It flew out of sight, but its high-pitched hoots could be heard as it flew away from us.

We hadn't stopped staring in amazement where Pyg had disappeared when the bat's squeaking could be heard. It flew back out of the tunnel, diving down the narrow space and into the main cave, followed closely by Pyg.

Brady grinned. "Dad has ropes and climbing gear in the garage. He showed me how to use it last summer. Next time we can check out that tunnel."

"What's the chance there's anything up there?" Faith sounded horrified. Not surprising — she didn't like heights. But she was quickly overruled. Brady and Olivia both claimed to have some rock climbing experience.

Doug said, "Don't be silly, Faith. Fangface and Pyg wouldn't have shown us the tunnel if they didn't think we should check it out."

Faith rolled her eyes, but agreed. "Sure, I guess we should do it for our animals."

Doug shook out his arms. "We should finish digging in the hidden cave."

His suggestion was met with groans and pleas for mercy. None of us relished the idea of doing more digging. I wondered if I'd feel different if I believed there was actually something buried there. At some point, I'd lost belief in that.

"We've been searching very logically," Brady said. "We've covered three-fourths of the floor. I agree with Doug, we need to search the rest before we give up."

I sighed and felt my shoulders slump. "I'll never feel the same way about books where people find buried treasure. They never describe how tired your shoulders get from digging, or how much your hands hurt when you don't have any gloves. It sucks!"

"And they don't say how heavy the stupid shovel gets." Olivia added.

Doug rolled his eyes. "How would you know? You've barely touched the shovel, Olivia. You've come up with more excuses than my sister Angie and all of her friends. Combined."

Faith sighed. "With my luck, we'll find something dopey in the very last place we look."

"That would be better than the way my luck has been going," Brady said. "I'm pretty sure we'll find the spot where something used to be."

I tiredly blew at the hair that was straggling around my face. "So which side would you search first, Faith?" After Faith pointed to the left, I said, "If you're right about your luck, we should start searching the other end."

Everyone laughed, but by unspoken agreement, we started digging on the right side of the cave.

We each took short turns with the shovel. I'd only been at it about ten minutes when I noticed a softer spot in the dirt. I started digging with more enthusiasm, forgetting my blistered palms. I jumped when I heard a dull clunk about six inches down.

"Hey, listen." I poked the shovel into the soft spot again. The sound of the shovel striking something metal had everyone talking at once. I scooped off a shovelful of dirt, then we all crowded around, digging our hands into the soft soil.

My enthusiasm for buried treasure was totally back. Excitement bubbled through my veins like fizzy water. My heart was racing. My fingers and toes were tingling. My head felt so light I wouldn't be surprised if it floated off my shoulders and hit the roof. I laughed and wasn't sure why, but the others all joined me. I couldn't remember feeling this good.

Olivia gave an excited sound of pleasure as the top of a small metal chest came into view. "Hey — Faith! It wasn't the last place we looked!"

Brady spared a moment to glance around the small cave where only a few feet of unexplored ground remained. He cleared his throat. "I think this counts as next to the last place."

"Oh, who cares," Olivia said eagerly, brushing at the dirt still covering the chest.

We all reached eager hands into the hole to pull it up. I began to laugh again. So many arms tangling and shoulders bumping were making it harder to get the chest out, not easier. Even knowing that, I couldn't bring myself to stop. There were plenty of laughs and impatient exclamations as we tried, repeatedly, to tug the chest out of the ground.

Finally, it came out of the hole with a sucking sound and a jerk that caused Brady to lose his balance, ending on his backside.

"Open it!" Olivia insisted breathlessly.

Doug tugged on the top of the chest, but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked," he said, disappointed.

"Try the hammer." Instead of holding it out to Doug, Olivia raised the heavy hammer above her head and brought it down on the side of the chest. Nothing happened.

Brady said, "Let me try." He turned the hammer around and used the claw end, trying to pry it open.

After several minutes of taking turns striking and prying at the top of the chest, we all realized we weren't going to get it open. Doug said, "That's not a regular lock. Maybe it's locked with magic. We should take it to Ronny. Maybe she'll know how to open it."

I sat back on the cave floor and Shadow came up beside me. "Where have you been?" I began to pet her, using the side of my hand. My palms were too tender to touch anything.

"So now we've got to carry everything back with us, plus a heavy chest that may or may not have anything interesting in it?"

"Oh, suck it up, Olivia," Brady said cheerfully.

She made a face, then as Pyg came to rest lightly on her shoulder, she said, "Ohhhh...fine."

I wasn't sure if Brady knew Olivia well enough to recognize the excitement hidden under her grousing, but I did. Olivia couldn't wait to get that chest back to Ronny.

"We should head straight back." Doug started gathering up the tools. "We've already been here a couple hours. I can't wait to hear what Ronny says." Rusty barked in agreement, suddenly at Doug's side.

"Sorry Shadow." I stopped petting the purring cat and said, "Doug's right, we've got to head back. Next time, we'll explore the third tunnel and that space upstairs. Well, there aren't any stairs, but you get it." Shadow blinked at me, and I couldn't tell if she understood or not.

"I totally don't care what we do next time," Olivia exclaimed. "I just want to get back to Ronny and see what's in the chest. My arms are killing me. There'd better be something worth all that work in here."

It took us a lot longer than sixty-four minutes to get back to the tree. The chest was too heavy for one person to carry. Unfortunately. I couldn't believe how awkward it was for two people to carry something like that. When it was my turn, Doug held his side higher than I could, and my legs kept banging into the bottom of the chest.

Doug told Rusty, "Right now, I almost wish you were a small horse or a llama, boy. Then you could help carry this thing."

Rusty barked and spun in a circle. "I could swear he's laughing," said Faith. "Look at his face. He's grinning at you."

Shadow meowed and the owl hooted as if agreeing.

By the time we got to the tree, I wasn't sure whether it was my arms or my legs that hurt worse. Doug stepped in, dragging the chest after him. I went next, waving goodbye to Shadow.

As soon as we were all back in Santa Ramona, I called Ronny. She agreed to pick us up in front of the cemetery and take us back to the house. None of us could wait to see what was in the chest.
Chapter 32

Another Man's, Uh...Person's Treasure

I was amazed how much different Chris and Ronny's house felt this time. The first time, everyone but Olivia looked uncomfortable. Now, we were all lounging back on the large couch, chattering excitedly, watching as Ronny looked over the chest sitting on her coffee table.

She finally sat back with a sigh. "You are right, it is locked by magick." She smiled at us and said "Although I cannot do major magick in Santa Ramona, I should be able to break this spell."

She leaned forward again and waved her hands over the top of the chest. After murmuring a few strange sounds, she traced a symbol in the air over the top of the chest. I could almost see it, as if the air had been charged somehow.

I caught my breath as it seemed to shimmer there. I looked at Olivia and Faith, wondering if they saw it too. Olivia's eyes sparkled and she was sitting forward on the edge of her seat, and Faith's lip was in danger of being chewed off.

Then Ronny dropped her hand, the vague impression of the symbol disappeared, and a shockingly loud splintering sound almost made me jump out of my own skin.

I wasn't the only one who gasped, loudly, when the top of the chest opened. Just a tiny crack.

Ronny reached out, and then hesitated, her hand suspended about an inch away. She took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. We all sat forward, and it felt as if my whole body was vibrating with excitement. Ronny's hand closed the distance, grasped the top of the chest and pulled it open, slowly.

A strange musty scent wafted up from inside the chest, a smell of dust, mildew, old paper and dying grass. Ronny reached in and pulled out a handful of papers, rolled and tied with reeds. She opened them carefully, then riffled through, slowly at first, then more and more rapidly.

Then she slapped the pages on the table and gave a frustrated growl. "These are also in code." Her face sagged in disappointment.

I jumped up to peer into the chest, then sighed when I saw there was nothing else in it, just moldy smelling papers.

"I can make copies for both of us," Brady said. He continued confidently, "Don't worry. We'll figure them out."

Ronny hesitated then passed the pages to Brady. "It looks like Ghalynn's writing," she said quietly. "So the map in his cabin did lead to a clue. But a clue to what?"

I echoed Brady's words, "We'll figure it out. We're going back next month to check out other parts of the cave. We may find more stuff." I pointed to the pages in Brady's hand. "And maybe we'll find something to help us figure those out."

"You will let me know as soon as you have any information?" she asked Brady anxiously.

I stood up and the others pulled themselves to their feet. "Don't worry, we'll let you know when we find anything."

Brady said, "I'll bring the papers back this afternoon. It may take some time, but I know I can figure this out."

"Wait," Ronny said. "This may help." She jotted down several symbols and told him they would be the most common, like how 'e' or 'a' is used in English.

"Thanks, that should help a lot! I'll start on it tonight, but it could take a while since we're back in school."

XXXX

It felt weird to think of myself as an 8th grader who'd be turning thirteen in a couple weeks. Should it make a difference that we'd all be teenagers now? Ray certainly wasn't acting any older. He'd spilled grape juice down the front of Faith's favorite white shirt just that afternoon. She'd cried, but not where he could see it.

A few times, Ray and Andrew provoked Doug into yelling at them, and Doug had to stay after school. As usual, they were able to convince everyone that they were the good kids, and Doug was the problem. Once, Ray and Andrew got Doug sent to the principal's office. That time, Faith, Olivia and I all crowded into the office, vowing that Doug was protecting Faith from Andrew.

It was clear the principal believed we were sticking up for our friend, but he had to let Doug go with all of us crowded into his office as witnesses. He obviously believed Ray and Andrew — he didn't even remind them of the school rule against inappropriate behavior.

On days when Doug had to stay after school, all of us waited and walked home together. I was convinced Ray and Andrew were trying to separate us. If he got one of us alone, he could try to force us to tell him about Chimera.

We had to make sure that never happened!
Chapter 33

So, Who's Stupid Now?

The last Saturday in October, Brady was distracted as we hurried through the cemetery. I was just grateful we hadn't seen the Rejects as we made our way quickly through the tree. This time, it was my turn to step out of the tree without ending up in the dirt.

I'm getting better at this!

I felt a rush of energy. Like I was suddenly stronger and faster and smarter. I remembered Brady insisting everything could be important and we should mention it, so I said, "It seems to be my turn to feel great in here."

It was way too early for Olivia, who merely grumbled. Brady said, "There must be a correlation. I'll figure it out."

I managed not to roll my eyes, although that felt like it took superhuman strength. "Yeah, you do that."

As we started down the road, our familiars hurried to meet us with a chorus of barks, meows, hoots and squeaks. I scooped Shadow up in my arms, rubbing my chin against her soft fur.

"I can't believe the Rejects still don't know about familiars. They don't know what they're missing."

Shadow purred and rubbed her head against my arm, as if in approval. Then she jumped down to the road and walked ahead to join Rusty.

I told Shadow, "We need to get to the caves before the Rejects." She meowed once, and then all the animals hurried on ahead. Actually, Ray and the others were only part of the reason I wanted to hurry. I didn't want to waste any time getting to the cave. Who knew what else we would find.

Most of the way there, Brady kept chattering on and on about the project he'd decided to use for the science fair, about cryptanalysis.

"Cryptiwhatsis?" Olivia asked, her lip curled in confusion.

Brady seemed surprised by her question. "Cryptanalysis? Um, code breaking." He practically burst with excitement as he began to explain, "The creation and breaking of codes has an amazing history. I'll describe the different types of codes and how they're broken. It's going to be a great project. This year I could take first place!"

I hadn't known there was a state competition for science geeks. I hoped for his sake he could win. Clearly, it meant as much to Brady as soccer did to Faith.

Then he started describing his project in detail.

Will he be offended if I yawn? 'Cause much more of this and we'll find out.

Actually, it might have been sort of interesting, but he used so many technical descriptions I could feel my eyes glazing over.

Then he started in on the future, and what computers would allow him to do. He was practically bouncing with each step, gesturing widely and speaking so fast none of us could have gotten a word in if we tried.

"I've researched a lot of information on the internet and at the library. It'll help me decipher the information from the cave and the chest. I'm going to build a computer program that could help."

Olivia rolled her eyes, but she sounded encouraging as she said, "That would be cool."

He smiled shyly and a blush crept up his neck. He fell completely silent.

Note to self — You want to stop Brady talking so much? Just give him a compliment.

The silence was becoming uncomfortable. I asked Brady to let me see the map. I looked it over carefully for a sign of Ray or the others.

Doug said, "I overheard Ray talking to Andrew at the mini-mart this week. Ray was upset 'cause they haven't figured out what we're up to. He's determined to get us alone in here. Where no one will interrupt."

Faith shivered and hunched her shoulders. "I'm scared about what they might do."

Doug gave her a don't-you-worry-your-little-head-about-it smile. Faith didn't look mad, but my teeth ground together. "If we stick together, they won't be able to get us."

Faith nodded, but I noticed she didn't look convinced.

"Look," Doug said impatiently. "We won't let them get close enough for a fight. We have the map. We'll just stay away from them."

I handed the map back to Brady and said, "Well, they aren't in here yet. If we hurry, we might get to the cave before they even come in."

Brady grinned. "I've been thinking. The map only shows the entrance to the cave. I'm going to draw the cave's interior on the map. Maybe we'll be able to see the Rejects if they follow us into the cave."

"I'd just like to know where they are now," Faith whispered. "I don't want to bump into them inside the cave!"

I watched as Brady checked the map again and shook his head. "They haven't entered yet," he told her.

So, we're the only ones in here. At least for now.

Then I shuddered. Of course there was something other than us in here. Something had been howling at us just a few months ago.

Why are some magic creatures still here? Why didn't they disappear when everyone else did?

As we passed Ghalynn's cabin, it was clear it was still deserted. At that moment I was sure we wouldn't find anyone in Chimera. The best we'd do was find what had happened.

I decided to promise Ronny I'd keep coming until I did.

When we started the climb to the cave, I was still feeling great. I'd always felt tired when we got this far, but not today. It was like I couldn't get tired.

I looked around to check on the others.

Faith and Doug were a short way ahead. I could hear brief snatches of their conversation.

Oh goody — heavy on the sarcasm — they're talking sports.

Brady trailed a short distance behind, a strange pinkish leaf clutched in his hand. I watched as pink goo dripped from it. He'd pulled a book on plants out of his backpack and was comparing the leave to several of the drawings in the book.

Good luck finding magic plants in Plants of the Southern California Coast!

Olivia was behind me. She had Pyg on her shoulder and was gently petting his feathers.

Everyone looked happy, even though we couldn't listen to music, play video games, or watch television. If Ronny decided to give up, maybe I'd convince the others to keep coming with me. I wondered if any of them would agree.

As we started up the narrow switchbacks to the cave, I tripped on a rock and decided I should be putting all my extra attention on my feet, not on a future that might never happen. By the time we finished the strenuous climb to the cave, the others were all breathless, but I still felt great.

Olivia rested her hands on her knees and hung her head down as she tried to get her breath back. She complained, "Doug and Faith are both big sports nuts. And you two must be closet nuts, because none of you are out of breath like me," She turned to Brady. "What's up with that?"

Why wasn't I out of breath as usual? Then I laughed as I reminded her, "You spend your time at the beach lying out to tan. I swim while I'm there."

I pretended not to notice when Olivia placed her deeply tanned arm next to mine. The contrast with my lightly tanned, freckled skin was pretty pathetic.

"I haven't turned into a sports nut, but I've been lifting my dad's free weights," Brady said. "I want to be ready for rock climbing and digging for treasure and the other crazy stuff we do in here."

He lifted the map to check it again, and then stopped. "Darn! Let's hurry, the others just came in."

Faith stopped. "Aren't any of you worried about getting trapped inside that cave by the Rejects? There's no back door. No way to get away from them."

That thought made me shiver.

"We haven't finished checking out the cave. We don't know if there's another exit," Doug said. Let's get there and check out that upper tunnel."

As we entered the cave, I said, "At least we've got familiars that can see in the dark. They'll help if we get lost."

Olivia grinned. "Maybe the Rejects'll get lost. They won't let their familiars help." She turned to Brady, "Did you remember to bring climbing rope?"

"Yeah, it's in my backpack."

"Where's your backpack, Doug?" Olivia was staring at his back, which was clearly missing a pack.

"We're climbing today. Climbing with a backpack would be a pain. I'm surprised you didn't think of that."

"Some of us had to carry things with us."

"Since you brought yours, Kat, would you carry my slingshot? I'm afraid it's gonna fall out of my pocket."

"So, you can't be bothered carrying a backpack, but you're happy to use ours?" Olivia sounded really annoyed!

I wasn't too happy myself, but a war over carrying a slingshot in my backpack seemed silly. I shrugged out of my pack and stuck out my hand. When Doug thrust it at me, I shoved it out of sight. As I slung the pack back on, I turned to Brady. "So, you think we'll be able to climb into that cave?"

He grinned. "We shouldn't have any problems."

Faith bit her lip and shoved her hands in her pockets. "Aren't any of you worried about being in the same cave as Ray? He's going to trap us in here."

Doug shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "We're not getting trapped in here. Besides, there's five of us and only four of them."

"In a couple months they'll be sorry if they try anything," Brady said, standing up straight. "I've convinced my Dad to let me start TaeKwonDo."

"Well, you don't have a black belt yet," Olivia said, impatience clear in her voice. "For now, we'll just have to avoid them. I only wish we had a back door out of the cave."

We all came to a quick stop as the owl flew down and circled Olivia before flying away. "Pyg is trying to tell me something." Olivia practically danced with excitement.

I bent down and asked Shadow, "Is there another way out of the cave?"

The cat circled my feet and meowed. Rusty danced on his hind legs, barking excitedly.

Doug smirked at Faith, "See, we'll hide in a cave or leave out the back."

Brady said, "I'm going to check the walls of both caves to make sure we haven't missed anything. I'm also going to draw the tunnels on the map." He smiled at me. "Come on. You can hold the, what did you call them? Lightberries?"

We quickly split up, agreeing to meet in a few minutes to explore the last two tunnels.

I watched Brady as he drew different parts of the cave on the map. Then I noticed the strange neon light glinting off the large glass face of his watch. I said, "I've never heard of buying a watch to honor someone before. Your father bought that watch to honor your great-grandfather?"

"You heard the story about my great-grandfather Arthur, right?"

I thought for a moment, then shrugged. "No, I don't think so. What about him?"

"He disappeared. On the fourth of July, in 1934. No one ever saw or heard from him again. My Grandpa Chuck was only ten when his dad disappeared. It changed his life."

"That's like a Cold Case. What happened to him?"

"No one knows. Grandpa Chuck used to say his dad would've been the greatest inventor of all time. He created a watch like this." Brady held up his wrist, nodding at the bulky watch. "Grandpa Chuck used to tell me about him."

Brady cleared his throat and spoke in a deep voice, very different from his own. "Nothing is impossible, Brady. Determine the outcome you seek, develop methods to reach it, and test each until you discover the one that works best."

"So that's where he gets it," Olivia muttered as she and Faith walked into the small cave where I was sitting with Brady. I watched Brady quickly lower his head and place the last few lines on the map. I was surprised how detailed his drawing was. He didn't look at Olivia as he stood up and headed back out to the main cave.

We checked the other tunnel we'd already entered. Brady kept checking the map, telling us the Rejects were getting closer. As if they knew where we were, they kept heading toward the cave.

Faith was thinking the same way I was. "How do they know where we are?"

"I don't think they do," Doug told her. "They're just exploring."

"So you don't think they'll come in here?"

"If they get close enough to see it? It's a cave. Of course they'll come in here if they see it." Doug was giving Faith a duh-do-I-actually-have-to-tell-you-this look.

"What if we can't find the back exit in time?"

I spoke up quickly. "Don't worry, Faith. We can always hide in the secret passage in the second tunnel. They'll never know it's there."

Brady kept a nervous watch on the map. At first, I was sure they'd stop long before they got to the cave. But that pleasant thought began drifting away, like smoke on a breeze, as they drew nearer and nearer. Finally, it was clear they were coming straight here.

We crowded inside the second tunnel and made our way to the hidden passage. It was a tight fit with all of us crammed in there along with our familiars. Doug reluctantly put the bag of lightberries in his pocket, while we blew out the candles.

It was totally black inside. We're talking totally, absolutely, pitch black. I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. I'd have been feeling pretty spooked if I hadn't been able to hear the quiet ragged breathing of my friends crowded next to me.

I wondered how we'd know when the Rejects got inside the cave. But that was a wasted thought — it was obvious when they came in.

Ray yelled, "Hey, Dog. Oh, sorry. You call yourself Doug, don't you." There was laughter from the other Rejects. "Actually, I like dog better. Come out, come out wherever you are. Come on, dog. Stop hiding like such a scaredy-Kat." More laughter rang through the cave, echoing strangely from all around, like a haunted house at a carnival. Ray tried again, "Can't you answer me, dog? Kat got your tongue?"

There were snorts of laughter from Ray and Andrew, and ear piercing shrieks of mirth from Polly. Only Carly was silent.

"Hey, dog. I'm talking to you. Don't make me come after you!"

I gripped Doug's arm tightly. He was vibrating with the effort to ignore Ray's insults. I wasn't sure if I was more worried about what Ray would do to us, or what Doug would do to Ray.

"We know you're in here. We followed your footprints right into this place."

I felt like slapping my forehead like some stupid commercial. I hadn't even thought about footprints. No wonder they always knew where we were!

"What if they already left, Ray?" Polly already sounded bored. "You never want to do anything fun in here. All you think about is finding those guys."

Can't she ever stop whining? Note to self — Don't ever whine like Polly!

"If you don't like it, don't come."

Polly didn't answer him. I didn't blame her — he'd sounded fierce.

I could hear Ray stamping around in the main cave. Each time he got to one of the tunnels, he started insulting us again. I suddenly wished we were back in town. Then I'd be able to insult him back. It would be safer in town, where other people could step in if Ray got too mad.

As I listened to him prattle away, I had to stifle a laugh. It wasn't much of a laugh, but in that place, I was amazed I was able to find anything funny. But really, Ray was not good at insults. They were all so...ordinary. Ugly. Buttface. Stupid. Dog breath. Idiot. Stupid idiot.

Boring!

When we got out of here, I was going to share my insult book with Doug and Brady. Maybe we could all gang up on Ray in front of his friends. We could have an insult contest.

It felt like a long time had passed when Polly finally said, "Forget it, Ray, they ain't here. I'm going."

"C'mon, Ray," Carly urged.

Andrew added his voice. "There's plenty other places to check out. Let's go."

Ray wasn't having any of it. "You go if you want, but I have the flashlight. And I'm gonna find those creeps."

He made a few more nasty comments, comparing Olivia to a fat hippo, Faith to a ginormous giraffe, and calling Doug a pus bucket. But he sounded like he was losing interest. We kept very still, waiting for him to finish.

When we heard them move away, I slumped back against the tunnel wall in relief. Faith whispered, so quietly I had to strain to hear her, though she was standing right next to me. "Wait a bit longer. They might hear us."

Olivia started to move around her. She sounded irritated. "I'm tired of waiting."

Faith stopped her by blocking the way. The passage was so narrow no one could get by her unless they could shove her out of the tunnel.

Finally, when I was convinced Olivia was going to lose it and start screaming, Faith said, "Okay, I think its safe now." She moved and we all rushed out.

Brady was the last one out of the hidden passage. He hesitated in the small cave and asked Doug for the berries. He blocked most of the light with his hands and body so it wouldn't show outside, and pulled out the map. He whispered, "Wait."

Suddenly Andrew's voice came from near the main cave entrance. "Do something about that light. I can't see a thing." Ray's flashlight was casting strange shadows, flickering on and off, and giving out only a dim glow.

Polly whined, "Come on, Ray, they aren't in here. We'd've seen their flashlight. And if ours goes out, it'll be really dark. Let's get out of here."

It happened so fast — Ray dropped the flashlight, cursing and swearing. He yelled, "That stupid thing burned my hand. What's wrong with this place? Nothing works right!"

They were using a regular flashlight. That's why it wasn't working. I remembered how hot my cell phone was the first time we came here. Batteries really didn't like Chimera.

A moment later, Brady folded the map and placed it back in his pocket. He said, "They left. We can talk now."

"Dirty rotten rat finks!" Faith growled. "If Ray keeps calling me a giraffe, I'm going to do something scary to his face."

"Get in line," Olivia said. "I'm gonna break the rest of his teeth."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. "Don't let him get to you. He was soooo lame. I'll teach you some real insults when we get back to town." Just the thought of it made me smile.

That idea didn't make Faith smile, not even a little. "We don't want to insult him. That would just piss him off." At Olivia's groan, Faith realized she'd broken the no cursing rule. "Sorry, Olivia." She nervously tugged her hair over her shoulder, picking at the rubber band at the end of her braid.

"Ray won't be any different than he is now," Doug told her. His hands were still in tight fists. I knew how hard it was for him to stay hidden while Ray insulted us.

Olivia grabbed Brady's arm and looked at the watch on his wrist. "Can we check the upper tunnel before we go back?"

"I think so. Just let me finish drawing all the tunnels on the map. I added the main part of the cave last time, and I could see the Rejects."

"Maybe there's nothing up there," Faith said. "For all we know, we won't be able to stand up in there. It might only be a few feet long."

"Well that's just great," Doug told her. "Are you wishing we won't find anything else?"

"No, that's not what I meant!" Faith said, sounding cross. "We've already found stuff at the cave. Ronny said there's a lake and a forest and other places in Chimera we can check out. We should go somewhere new."

I forgot, Faith really hates high places.

"We'll go somewhere else next time. But you know we promised Ronny we'd finish with the cave first," I reminded her. "Brady brought climbing stuff. It won't be hard."

"I know," said Faith quickly. "I just don't think we're going to find anything."

As we headed for the short tunnel on the right, Brady pulled a long coil of rope out of his backpack. "Who wants to climb to the top and anchor the rope?" He asked like this was a great prize.

No one answered. We all just stared. He looked disappointed at our lack of enthusiasm.

Finally Faith said, "Uh, it's your rope, Brady. You do it."

Brady's shoulders drooped. "Fine. I'll do it."

He slung the rope over his shoulder, looking like a young, skinny version of Indiana Jones. He walked up to the cave wall, and hesitated for a moment.

"You can do it," Olivia encouraged.

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Jeez! I know how to do this. I'm just checking for the best handholds."

I watched as he reached up the wall and found a small jut of rock where he could grab on with his right hand. As he pulled himself up, he found a horizontal crack where he could jam his foot. He stood up, raising his left hand above his head, searching with his hand until he found another small point of rock where he could put his hand. He continued to find cracks and ridges as he inched his way up the rock face.

When he finally made it to the top, he did a slow pull up. One moment he was hanging there by his arms, and then he disappeared into the wall. There were some quiet rustling, then his head popped back out. He looked like a disembodied talking head as he yelled down to us, "I found a place to tie the rope. It should be safe for you to start climbing."

He threw the end of the rope down. It looked like a snake slithering down the side of the rock until it coiled up loosely on the floor. "Kat, why don't you tie your backpack and mine on the end of the rope. I'll pull them up. That'll make it easier for you."

"Fine," I told him, then stopped. My stomach started to churn. "Wait! How are we going to get all of our familiars up there? Only two of them can fly."

"Oh no!" Faith bit her lip and looked around for Foxy. When I saw the puzzled look on her face, I looked around too. My gasp had all of them looking. There was no sign of Shadow, Rusty or Foxy.

"I guess that means they'll take care of themselves," Faith said, and gave a shaky laugh.

Brady made short work of pulling the backpacks up, and then threw the rope back down. Doug climbed the rope quickly. He made it look so easy.

Then it was my turn. My muscles felt tight and my pulse was pounding in my ears. I wasn't sure if that was from the exertion of hauling myself up that rope, or irritation. I had no idea climbing a rope could be so hard.

I made the mistake of looking down when I neared the top. It looked a lot further down from up here. I suddenly had a terrifying picture in my head of slipping and smashing onto the cave floor.

It felt so good to pull myself into the small opening at the top. I threw myself flat on the ground, feeling a warm sense of relief radiating into my fingers and toes. "I'm not so sure I like rock climbing," I muttered. Brady only laughed.

Rock climbing nerd!

One at a time, the others grabbed the rope and hoisted themselves up the twenty-five feet to the top of the cave. They squeezed past Brady, working their way further into the narrow passage.

Brady and I were the only ones watching when Olivia, ignoring the rope the rest had used, chose to try her luck climbing up the rock like Brady. When she got to the top, she pulled herself in, saying, "That was so cool!"

Brady looked at her and grinned, "Right? There's a rock-climbing wall at my dad's gym. I'm going to start using it."

They were both so enthusiastic over the climb, they'd forgotten what we were doing here. I cleared my throat, noisily. They both acted startled, then out of habit, Brady checked the map. He froze. "They're coming back!"

Doug hissed, "Don't forget to pull up the rope. We don't want Rejects climbing up after us."

"Heck no," Olivia blurted, loudly, then slapped her hands over her mouth in dismay.
Chapter 34

Where in the...

"Quiet," Brady hissed. I realized he'd been checking the map. "They're right outside. We need to cover up our light."

"Oh, please don't," Faith begged in a strained whisper. "It'll be completely black in here."

Brady's whisper was so quiet I could hardly hear it. "You better get real comfortable real quick, 'cause the light's out in five, four, three, two, one."

Over sounds of rustling and whispered complaints, the strange neon glow from the berries was hidden from view. Faith had been right. It was completely black up here.

I moved my hand until my palm was touching the end of my nose and wiggled my fingers. I couldn't see a hint of it.

At least we're safe from the Rejects up here.

Then Polly's voice grew closer. "I saw a flash of light over there." She sounded very short of breath.

Ray said impatiently, "I didn't see any light. And we already checked that place. There's nothing there."

A pale flickering glow spread below us. It looked as though one of them had raised a light above their head and was turning it this way and that. I hoped it wouldn't show our hiding space. I didn't even want to think about the Rejects climbing into this place after us.

Ray bit off each word, impatiently. "See, there's nothing there."

I clapped my hand to my mouth to stifle a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, that relief was short-lived.

"Wait," Andrew said. "There's a backpack on the floor."

I felt Olivia jerk against me, and realized she hadn't been wearing it when she climbed the cave wall.

"Well, well," said Ray. "Look what we have here. A red sweater..."

"Ooh," interrupted Polly, sounding excited and malicious. "Someone's gonna get really cold."

Ray spoke loudly over anything else she might have said, "...and there's a sandwich..."

"She's gonna get really hungry," Polly sounded gleeful.

Ray's voice was loud. I couldn't hear Polly as he spoke over her. "There's a bottle of water and a lighter. See Polly, you couldn't have seen a light in here. They don't have their lighter." I heard him shake the backpack violently, then drop it to the cave floor. "That's it. It's all junk. So where are they?"

Andrew said, "They must've gone in another part of the cave and left the pack here. We came back really fast, Ray. Polly's not the only one who saw a light in here. And if they're here we've got them trapped."

"If they're here, they're gonna give us some answers! Come on, let's find them."

Ray led the others away, snarling that they'd better not be wasting his time.

Doug whispered, "We should crawl further down the tunnel."

Crawling was right.

The tunnel was low and narrow, and it wasn't easy moving through that small space without any light. It would have been easier if it went straight ahead, but it curved around every which way, and made me nervous. What if the tunnel split and we missed an important turn? It was so dark, we'd never know. I finally relaxed when I realized the tunnel didn't seem to have side passages.

I'd been afraid we'd have to crawl over rocks, but there was a thick layer of dirt on the tunnel floor. I suppose it wasn't quite as hard as rock would be. At least there didn't seem to be any pebbles — that would be bad! Once I got over worrying about side tunnels, I could move pretty fast as long as I stayed on my hands and knees.

At one point, Brady quietly asked for the bag of berries. He blocked most of the light with his fingers, shining a thin greenish beam on the map. "They're checking tunnel two."

"Okay, let's move," Doug said.

We crawled quite a way then the pressure in my ears changed. I cautiously reached out my hand, and couldn't feel the side of the tunnel — it had opened up around us.

Doug whispered to hold the foot of the person in front so we didn't get lost. It was harder to crawl that way, but I liked knowing where the others were. I felt totally disoriented.

Were we even going in a straight line?

There was no way to see what happened in the darkness, but Doug suddenly let out a thin cry. There was a sound of something sliding. I could hear his arms scrabbling over the floor for a moment, and then he stopped sliding.

Doug's whisper sounded strained. "Thanks for not letting go, Faith. Pass the light-berries. I have to see how far down the next part goes." Slowly, hand to hand we passed the baggie, trying to keep the light hidden. Doug held it cupped tightly in his fingers so only a little light could escape.

He heaved a sigh of relief. "It's only a three foot drop. There's another cave down there. Just put your arms in front of you and slide down."

One at a time, we slid down to the floor of the next cave.

"We can't explore this cave with them out there," I whispered in disappointment. "They might see the light and come after us. We'll have to wait until we know they're gone."

"I'm not staying here until they decide to go." Faith hissed in protest.

Olivia said, "We need to find the other way out. I can't be late tonight. Mom threatened to ground me for a month if I'm late anymore."

"Pass me back the bag," Brady said. Like Doug, he cupped his hand over the light, letting only a bit escape between his fingers. He directed it on the map and scanned it carefully. "I tried a bit of magic."

He made a face and shook his head, gazing in amazement at the map. "I don't believe it. There has to be a scientific principle to explain this!"

"What did you do?" I could feel my eyebrows climbing up my forehead.

"I drew part of the cave on the map, then wished the rest of the cave would show up. It worked."

I almost laughed at the astonishment in his voice. "I wish we could see us on that map. You know, like we can see the Rejects. It would be nice to know where we are."

Brady gave a sharp whistle of surprise, which echoed around the cave. Faith and Olivia hushed him and we all stared, wondering what was up.

Brady simply held out the map. There, in the one of the caves that Brady had wished onto the map, five small green dots had appeared.

"How'd you do that?" Olivia asked blankly.

I answered slowly, "I just wished for it. I never actually thought it would work. Ronny was right, we'd better be careful what we wish in here. Maybe we should think how else we can use that map.

Brady said, "Well for one thing, we can use it to get out of here." After a moment of study he said, "There's a tunnel on the right side of this cave. We need to take it."

He pointed along the cave wall with the thin beam of light and the shadow of what could be an opening was visible about twenty feet away. He held the berries carefully, aiming them as if they were a flashlight. We got to our feet and carefully made our way across the rough cave floor. In here, broken rocks and strange dips and bumps covered the cave floor. The others were all stumbling in the dim light, but I found the way strangely easy.

We'd just entered the new passage, which was even lower than the last one, when Brady tripped and fell. The bag hit the floor and he landed on top of it hard. The light died like someone had flipped off a switch. There was a loud squishing sound. I heard him move, but the light didn't show up. For a long moment, no one said anything. The darkness was so thick, it felt like it was going to smother me.

Brady's guilty voice came out of the dark. "The good news is, I looked at the way out very carefully. This passage only goes one way, so we can't get lost. The bad news is I forgot to bring a lighter and the one Olivia brought is wherever the Rejects left it. We can't light any of the candles, so we're back to crawling."

"Why do we have to crawl again?" Olivia sounded offended.

"Maps don't show where the tunnel gets low. You don't have to crawl, but I don't want to hit my head."

"Oh, right," Olivia's voice was subdued now. She grumbled, "I totally hate how nothing electrical or digital or battery operated works in this place."

"Yeah, you've said that before," Doug said. His voice sounded all I-really-hope-you-never-say–it-again. Olivia fell silent.

The passage seemed to go straight for a long way and the cool air of the cave was starting to soak down through my skin into my muscles. I began to shiver and hoped the others couldn't hear my teeth chattering. They might think I was afraid. How embarrassing.

Suddenly, there was a dull thud and Doug gave an undignified yelp. I hoped we were far enough away that Ray couldn't hear us. Doug sounded like his teeth were clenched together tightly. "The tunnel takes a sudden right turn. Watch it."

One by one, we carefully crawled around the turn. I felt the tunnel began to slope downwards, slowly at first, then more steeply. We hadn't gone far when I sensed this tunnel open into a larger space.

"Where do we go from here?" I asked, worried.

Brady said, "I wish Fangface could help."

The whirring of wings and the strange high-pitched squeaks that announced Fangface were a welcome relief. Brady's voice was so high with excitement, he sounded a lot like the bat. "He can lead us out. Follow him."

"How?" Faith said. She sounded confused. I didn't blame her. "We can't see him."

"Listen to him." Brady didn't actually say 'duh' but you could hear it anyway.

We followed the tiny squeaks as quickly as possible. I found it more difficult than I expected – the sound was quiet and bounced off the cave walls, making it hard to tell the direction it came from. Finally, I felt walls close around me and knew we'd entered another narrow tunnel.

Doug asked us to tell him who was there, like he was Mr. Gordon taking role in class. When we'd all said here, he gave a sigh of relief. "We all made it. Now let's get out."

I could see a faint glow a long distance ahead. As we drew nearer to the end, there was enough light to see the roof, making it safe to stand up and hurry toward the opening.

The exit was screened by thickly leafed vegetation. Doug peeked out, and then pushed the heavy vines aside. He held them out of the way as he moved cautiously out of the cave. One by one we followed, blinking in the sudden light. We'd emerged onto a narrow dirt trail. For a moment, I just stood there — after the cold cave, the sun felt amazing on my skin.

"I wish I knew what happened to the rest of our animals." I jumped as something rubbed against my ankle, and let out a gusty laugh as I looked down at Shadow. I saw Rusty, staring at Doug, his tongue lolling out with a doggy grin on his face.

There was a whir of wings and the owl and bat flew out of the cave, circling around us. Faith turned around in a slow circle, then sighed in relief as the fox sat at the edge of the path.

Okay, so I forgot and made a wish. My bad. At least this one turned out okay.

Doug reached up and gave each of us a high five. Brady pulled the dog-eared map from his pocket, looking for the Rejects. He grinned widely. "They're still in the main cave."

"How do we get back from here?" Faith asked, her hands deep in her pockets. "There's no road."

"According to the map, this trail leads back to the road."

"We should go," Faith said. "We don't want to run into the others."

"We have to get to the cave early enough to explore that upper space again next time," Brady said. "Who knows what we missed in the dark."

"I just wish we knew whether there was anything in there worth looking for," I said. I didn't want to go back in if we didn't have to.

"Oh man, is that cool!" Brady exclaimed. He pointed to the map.

A new chamber appeared on the map. It could be reached through the third passage we hadn't explored yet. A small blue 'X' had appeared in that room, while a second blue 'X' was in the upper passage we'd just left.

"Do you think those spots mean there's treasure in there?" Olivia was nearly dancing in excitement.

"No way. Indiana Jones said 'X' never, ever marks the spot," I said, looking at the new marks on the map in disbelief.

"Yes, way! You wished again," Olivia said. "Those marks show where there's something worth looking for."

Faith cleared her throat anxiously. "What if the Rejects find it?"

"We'll know soon," Brady told her, watching the map.

"How?" Olivia challenged him.

"We'll know they found something if either blue 'X' starts moving." Brady was getting as good as Doug at getting that 'duh' sound in his voice. It made Doug laugh out loud.

Olivia blushed and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at both of them.

I sighed in relief when the Rejects headed into the main cave, while neither blue 'X' moved.
Chapter 35

Is Bigfoot Magic?

The dirt path was on the side of the mountain, in an area covered with brush and short stunted trees. Below us, the trees grew taller, blocking the view of the valley. On one side, the trail headed further up over the mountain. The other headed down, the way we wanted to go.

The path was narrow and overgrown, more like a deer trail than one used by people. We stumbled our way down the hillside, emerging at the bottom near a large lake. The lake glowed, light sparkling off the moving water like reflections off a diamond. The edges were a bright turquoise, deepening to cobalt blue at the center.

Two small islands, one mostly rock, the other covered by trees were visible on the lake. The one with trees had a small cabin at the center.

"I think we should check out the lake after we finish the cave." Doug's gaze roved over the shining water. I wasn't surprised. Doug loved water – oceans, lakes, rivers, swimming pools, lawn sprinklers. It didn't matter as long as it was wet.

"I'm glad we don't have to go into the woods," I said. "They look creepy. See, there's black smoke rising over there. I wonder what's making it."

Everyone turned to look where I was pointing. Faith let out a short surprised scream as something monstrously large, covered with iridescent scales or feathers showed briefly above the tree line. I felt my eyes widen and my heart began to gallop. "What was that!" I asked, alarmed.

And how many things were still in here with us?

"Maybe that's why it's a perilous forest," Brady whispered.

"I have no idea what it is, and I'm not going in there to find out!" Faith exclaimed.

Doug let out a startled laugh. He didn't look alarmed, he looked excited. "It might have been a dragon. I'd like to check it out."

I rolled my eyes. Doug and his dragons! "So, I wonder if this path counts as a road or if we should worry about getting lost."

An eerie howl came from the left, much closer to us than ever before. "What is that," Brady choked out, his eyes so wide they looked like they might pop out of his head.

Oh yeah, he wasn't here last time.

The howl came again — louder — longer — rising and falling like something out of a werewolf movie. "We better head down to the road. Just in case." Faith wrapped her arms around her stomach, and looked uneasily to our left.

"You're righ—" Doug was cut off by another howl. This one was definitely closer. And it came from our right.

Note to self — This is way too much like last time!

As if the last howl was an invitation, an answering howl tore through the air to the left. This one sounded right next to us. Just how many things were out there?

"Um...how far away do you think those things are?" I asked nervously.

Branches suddenly cracked and shattered down the hill on the left. I could see something moving through the trees — the leaves shook violently in a long path up the side of the mountain. Heading towards us. It was probably close enough to throw a rock at.

I wrapped my arms around my chest, shivering, feeling like my blood had frozen. What could be doing that? No way could one of the Rejects do that. Whatever it was, it was really big...or really strong...or both.

Faith and Olivia stepped next to me as the sounds — twigs being crushed and branches snapped off — grew closer. The look of amazement on Brady's face would normally have made me laugh. But there was nothing funny about it now.

Then to our right, loud, splintering noises of trees being ripped apart made us jerk around. Something was moving just out of sight.

Faith grabbed my arm tightly, and I could feel her hand shaking. Her teeth were digging into her lip so hard I half expected to see blood. Doug and Brady moved next to us and we stood frozen, listening.

I kept my voice quiet, but couldn't stop it from shaking as hard as Faith's hand. "Whatever they are, they're down there — the way we need to go. Wha-what're we gonna do?"

Olivia's voice was just above a whisper. "It's like last time. We have to stay on the path in case it's safer." Her hands were clasped tightly together. I wondered if they were shaking.

We all made sure to keep both feet on the narrow path. Maybe it would be better to go over the mountain. I thought about asking Brady where the path would take us, but the splintering, crunching noises were suddenly replaced by a low, angry growl. My heart began to pound, and I felt dizzy. Probably because I'd stopped breathing. I gulped in a quick breath — passing out right now didn't sound too smart.

When the growling stopped, all I could hear was my own ragged breathing.

Why did that feel worse?

Faith gave a muffled shriek as the growling began again, louder still. Along with the deep animal noises came more crashing sounds from the trees below. We clung together as the growling and crunching grew louder. Closer.

The sounds intensified — rising in volume and pitch until nothing could be heard except an insane ferocious shrieking. The sound roared up over the hillside. Thunderous and deafening.

I clapped my hands over my ears. My eardrums felt ready to burst. I tried to yell to Faith and Olivia, but couldn't hear my own voice over the unbelievable noise.

Then it stopped. In a single instant. The sudden silence felt...threatening.

I'd thought it couldn't get any worse, until I heard a new sound...far more quiet, but even more frightening. Coming from the path above us — from somewhere behind several large boulders, came the hair-raising sound of loud breathing.

No, not breathing.

Sniffing.

Snuffling.

As if something out there was...smelling us.

It wouldn't be safe to leave the path. We couldn't go up the path over the mountain. Going down into the woods seemed incredibly stupid. But where else could we go? "Should we try going down?"

The snuffling sound came again, along with the sound of something scraping against the rocks. Like cloth. Or fur.

"I'm willing," Brady said. He had the map out of his pocket again and was peering at it intently. "We can't go back through the cave. The Rejects are still in there."

"Down it is. But stick together," Doug said, like he was giving us an order.

For once, I didn't bite off his head for being bossy.

We made our way down the path towards the trees. My stomach was in knots as I kept waiting for the howling to start again, right next to us. The slightest sound nearly made me jump out of my skin. It's hard to feel that nervous, minute after minute after minute.

Finally, when we'd gone quite a distance without anything happening, I began to think we'd be okay.

I let out a sigh of relief when I saw the road ahead. Being on the path really was better than being in the woods. At least you could see the road from here. And when we were on the road, we'd be safe.

That was when something crashed past us, across the path. It was moving so fast, I barely got a glimpse, just something huge covered in dark matted hair. It was hunched over like a wolf or a bear. But it wasn't shaped like any animal I'd ever seen. Besides, nothing normal could move that fast.

Could Bigfoot live here?

Whatever it was, it knocked Brady down as it crossed the path. Obviously being on the path wasn't as safe as being on the road. The thing looked like it aimed right for Brady. The force of it spun Brady in a circle before he hit the ground, his breath knocked out of him in a loud whoosh.

Even before Brady hit the ground, the thing disappeared on the other side of the path into the woods.

Doug grabbed Brady's hand and pulled him to his feet. He was gasping for air, but when Doug asked him if he needed to wait, he shook his head. We hurried the remaining few feet and collapsed onto the road.

"What was that thing?" Olivia asked.

Brady shuddered. "Something really big and really hairy."

"I figured out that much," she told him.

"It smelled really bad," Brady told her, then groaned and rubber his shoulder where the thing had knocked into him.

"So we can't find any people, but we've found a big-hairy-smelly-thing running around in here. And it may not be able to get on the road, but it can cross the path." I sounded slightly hysterical, even to my ears. I took a deep breath and continued more quietly, "Are you okay, Brady?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." He looked up the road, in the direction of the cave. "We should check where the Rejects are."

It took him a moment to fish the map out of his back pocket. He checked it quickly and pointed to the red dots representing Ray and the others as they moved out of the cave. The two blue 'X' marks, representing whatever treasure might still exist in the cave, stayed still.

"Uh-oh," said Faith suddenly. She pointed to where the red dots were moving away from the cave. They were heading straight toward us. "We need to get out of here!"

Halfway back to the tree, Olivia stopped and growled in the back of her throat. "My backpack! How am I gonna explain why it's missing?"

"You have less than an hour to figure it out." I thought of Mrs. Larsen and wondered how Olivia could possibly explain it. "Good luck with that."

Olivia glared and said, "Gee, thanks."

We hurried down the road past the cabin. Olivia kept asking herself what she was going to tell her mom. I sure hoped she could think of something before she got home.

We finally made it back to the tree. After a quick goodbye and thanks to our familiars, we made our way through. As usual, I was really glad when I got safely out on the other side. I told the others I'd call Ronny and make plans to meet after school on Monday. Then we hurried home, wanting to get away from the cemetery before the Rejects followed us.
Chapter 36

What's Up With That?

We weren't able to go to Chris and Ronny's on Monday after all. Olivia hadn't been able to think of an excuse for losing her backpack, and her mom grounded her for a week for being careless. "After all," Olivia said, sounding disgusted, "I couldn't tell her the truth."

"You're usually good at telling her only as much of the truth as you want. What happened?"

"What, like, Hey mom, I left my backpack in the bottom of a cave. What cave? Whoops, can't tell you."

"Okay, so not that part."

"You always yell at me for telling people only the parts I want them to know, 'cause that's like lying. Now you think that's what I should've done?"

"Well, in this case, telling the whole truth wouldn't be such a great idea."

"Well, in this case, I couldn't think of one thing I could tell my mom."

XXXX

The next Saturday we hurried to tell Ronny what happened. Brady was excited about the changes to the map. "I'm learning how to use magic. I wished the entire cave would show up on the map. Look..." He waved the map at her.

Ronny looked both pleased and worried when she saw all the changes.

"Look at these blue marks. They appeared when Kat asked to see if there was something we should look for. There's still treasure in the cave." Brady didn't notice the concern growing on Ronny's face. "Then Kat wished she could see us on the map and we appeared as green dots."

I told her, "Brady wished Fangface would help get us out of the cave when he broke the lightberries."

"Who is Fangface?" Ronny asked, looking alarmed.

"Fangface is what he calls his familiar. It's a bat. Anyway, Fangface led us out of the cave."

"So things keep growing more and more strange inside Chimera." Ronny shook her head. "My Mother was right. She suspected you could use the magick in Chimera, but I did not know how easy it would be for you. I do not know if you understand how amazing that map is. You should not be able to make things appear on it like that."

"Actually, we shouldn't be able to go to Chimera. No, that's not it. Chimera shouldn't exist." Brady smiled at her. "But I'm glad it does. I can't wait to see what else I can show on the map."

Olivia said quickly, "I keep wishing the map would work here, but it only works in Chimera." She sighed. "It would be so great if we could make it work in Santa Ramona."

Ronny laughed. "I wish you good luck. No one from Chimera has ever made any but the most basic spells work here in the mundane world. Not since Chimera was first created."

"Um, there's something else you should know." I thought of the creature that attacked Brady and began to shake. My arms shook. My knees shook. Even my insides. "Brady got attacked by a...thing. It was huge, and covered in long dark hair. Or fur, maybe. I only got a glimpse. It smashed into Brady as it crossed the path. It...it looked like it bumped into him on purpose."

Ronny's brows drew together in a frown. "I cannot tell what it was from that description. It could have been more than one creature." She licked her lips before continuing. "You saw something alive. That means there may be others alive as well. I will take that as a hopeful sign."

She looked at Brady and told him, "It makes me far less hopeful when I think how Ghalynn wrote the Annihilation Prophecy in the cave." She didn't say it, but I thought she was afraid it had something to do with everyone missing from Chimera.

She had the pages from the chest spread over her table, next to Brady's notes. She took a moment to show some to Brady, pointing out different symbols and their meanings. Then she told him how sentences were normally structured.

She said, "Ghalynn wrote most of this. He's never written in code before, but he used to spend a lot of time with my father. I told you my father was from the human world?"

When we all nodded, she said sadly, "Ghalynn was teaching him about the languages in Chimera. I used to sit with them when I was young. My father has been gone a long time now, but I still miss those times with him and Ghalynn."

She smiled wistfully as she continued, "Ghalynn taught us Runic and Standard Chimeran, while Father taught us English. English fascinated Ghalynn. They sometimes discussed the differences for hours." She shook her head. "I thought I really understood our language well after all those sessions. But I do not understand this at all."

She jumped to her feet and paced the length of the table, randomly touching various pieces of paper. "It does not make sense that I cannot read these pages! And those strange symbols from the cave. What can they mean?"

She whirled around and told Brady, "I do not understand how you translated that into the Annihilation Prophecy. The words are written so strangely in your notes. Are you sure you wrote it down exactly?"

"Yes. I was very conscientious because I knew it could be important. And I know the importance of signs in Chimera. You don't forget when you get warned about the road that leads to certain death!"

"He was totally careful." I leaned forward and met Ronny's worried gaze. "We want to know what's happened to everyone too. We've spent a lot of time trying to find out what happened to your mom. And right now, those symbols Brady wrote down are the only clue we've got."

"Understanding how your language works will make it easier," Brady assured her. "I'm going to figure out what these writings mean. I'm not going to give up."

"I know I forget to tell you often, but I appreciate everything you are doing."

"Um, it's not exactly a hardship or anything. We like going to Chimera," Doug told her, grinning so wide it made my cheeks hurt to look at him.

Ronny closed her eyes, then nodded. She looked at each of us, ending with Brady. "Thank you all. I can tell you about the first two pages in the chest, as they were in standard Runic. I will translate for you." She cleared her throat and the page trembled briefly. "The first page is from Mother."

**If you are reading this, it has all gone terribly wrong.**

**There are many rumors. Some say the Southern witches are plotting to take over Chimera. Some say one witch plans to take Chimera for herself, even if it causes irreparable harm. The only thing that is certain is that a serious takeover shall be attempted soon.**

**There are few now I can trust. I was sure Ghalynn was one of those, but after this last week, I do not know what to believe.**

**He swears he wants only to protect Chimera, but I saw him as he hid something by the lake. I don't think I can afford to trust him now. He acted so guilty, and refused to explain his actions. Even when I ordered him to do so as the ranking Council member. He would only say it could be the one thing to save us, if he had interpreted the signs correctly.**

**He would not explain those words. Instead, he turned his back and left me. No one has seen him since.**

**Please know, once I discovered the true extent of the threat, I tried to find what was hidden. But Ghalynn concealed it with a spell I have not been able to break.**

**He did tell me one thing more, though I hesitate to share it. As he turned away, he said what was hidden could only be found by Mundane magick. I know what you are thinking; there must be something wrong with him. All know that Mundane magick cannot exist.**

**The belief that Ghalynn has either gone mad or joined a plot to take over Chimera is near to breaking me. He has always been my dearest friend. And in spite of everything, I still believe he wishes no harm to Chimera.**

**I must also advise you to avoid Morgana, though this causes me great pain. Some whisper it is she who would like to take Chimera for herself.**

**I pray they are wrong.**

**I know my sister has long been called evil. All know I disapprove of her treatment of the Mundane. Though many have tried to stop her, she has enjoyed the terrible names the Mundane have called her throughout history: Morgan Le Fey, Banshee, Siren, Fury, Maleficent, Medusa, Hecate, Snow Queen, Harpy. There are so many. Each has been an embarrassment to those who would live in peace with the Mundane.**

**But with all her faults, she is still my sister. I do not wish to believe she would betray Chimera. I only ask that whoever finds this be wary.**

**Last, I would ask that you find my daughter and make sure she remains safe in the Mundane world. Tell her she has my love.**

**Always.**

**Glenna Danaan**

Ronny's voice broke and her eyes were wet. "My mother wrote this," she said, her voice cracking. "She never told me she was worried about treachery."

I asked quickly, "Who's Morgana?"

"My aunt. The one who poisoned the apples. I have no trouble believing the whispers about her. I am sure she bears evil intent, but I did not know about the witches in the South. I am so worried. Chimera is still there, but my friends and family are not. Something is very wrong and I can do nothing from here. I have tried time and again to enter Chimera, but it is blocked to me."

She turned and looked at Brady. "I have been re-reading Mother's Book of Light and Shadow." She bit her lip so hard I was worried it would start bleeding. "There are many pages ripped out. I do not know if Mother removed them or if it was someone else. If it was Ghalynn, we might find where he hid them."

She dropped her head in her hands and was quiet for a long moment, breathing hard. "I am sorry. You have done so much for me. All I can ask is whether you are still willing to help."

I looked at Olivia, Faith, Doug and Brady. They all nodded. I told her, "We're still with you, Ronny. What do you want us to do?"

"Then would you please make one more trip to the cave. After that, you should go to the lake and look for what Ghalynn hid there. You are not magick, but you are Mundane. Maybe that will be enough."

I nodded. "We can do that."

"It worries me you have no one to help you while you are there. Please remember to be careful. Now that I know you are climbing cave walls, and being bothered by trolls, I will be even more worried until you get back safe."

I looked at my friends again. Everyone, even Faith, nodded. I turned back. "We can do this, Ronny. We'll find what's in the cave. And whatever Ghalynn hid, we'll find that too."
Chapter 37

Who Ya Gonna Call?

November took forever.

To pass the time, we kept making suggestions about what might be hidden under the blue 'X' marks. Our ideas grew bigger and wilder as the month went on.

We immediately shot down most of them.

Olivia was all for a magic lamp, like Aladdin's.

Brady told her we could already use magic in Chimera, at least some of the time. So we didn't need an annoying blue genie messing with us.

Faith thought we might find another treasure chest, this time full of gold and jewels.

Doug told her Chimera was not a pirate island.

Brady wanted more pages to decode. The more he had to look at, the easier it would be to translate things we found.

Olivia told him he was boring.

Doug hoped for another map — one that would show us where to go next.

Brady said he was going to wish that would show up on the map we already had.

I told them I was hoping to find something from Ronny's mom that would give us a clue what happened.

No one disagreed with that.

Doug said, "Buried treasure is cool, but I can't wait to check out the lake."

Olivia insisted, "First we need to finish checking out the cave. We promised." Then she muttered, "And I totally want to climb that cave wall again."

I wasn't sure anyone else heard her, and then Faith said, "That was scary watching you climb without the rope. Don't do that again."

Olivia laughed at her. "I'm just glad Mom couldn't see me. First, she'd totally have a cow, and then she'd order me to come back down. And going down would be lots harder."

XXXX

Ray and Andrew were part of why November seemed to take so long. The few times I got too close to them at school were scary. Because of cutbacks at school, there were fewer teachers in the halls. That seemed to make Ray feel bolder, and I was really tired of being pushed and teased and tripped.

And it wasn't just Andrew and Ray anymore. Polly knocked Olivia down as we were leaving school. Olivia wanted to shove Polly on her butt, but Faith and I convinced her to leave it alone. I was starting to worry that the Rejects wouldn't stop at giving one of us a bloody nose or a black eye.

When the end of the month brought the full moon, I was ready to go back, even if there were monstrous hairy trolls running around. We'd be okay if we just stayed on the road. I was practically dancing with excitement. Even Olivia seemed half-awake. And it was only 8:00 am.

We all kept a close watch for the Rejects as we made our way to the tree. Doug and Brady were already waiting for us. Doug was carrying a sack that clanked when it moved, and I eyed it suspiciously. Doug said quickly, "Let's hurry up."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before stepping through the tree. It did feel better when I didn't actually see the darkness inside. I held my breath while the cold clammy space surrounded me. My air-starved lungs were screaming when I felt the warmth of the Chimera sun on my face. I sucked in a quick breath of the sweet air and opened my eyes.

"Maybe it's getting easier for you, but one of these days I really am going to be sick," Faith complained as we stumbled out of the tree.

"It was only easier last month," I said, still freaked out by the feeling of tumbling through space. "I'm back to normal. Well, normal as in totally yucky in there."

"I wonder if the magic people fell in the dirt," Olivia said, brushing at her pants where she'd fallen onto the road. "Maybe it doesn't feel so creepy to them."

Brady started to pull out the map, and then hesitated. "Birthdays," he muttered.

"What?" Olivia asked him.

"I think it may be about birthdays. I'll have to confirm that next year."

She frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Just forget it." He pulled out the map, saying, "Show me the Rejects." We all stared eagerly at the map, which stayed blank.

"We beat them!" I said, pleased. "We should hurry — who knows when they'll get here."

Our familiars ran up and I laughed when Rusty leapt straight into Doug's arms. "Hey boy," Doug said, twisting his head side to side to avoid the dog's over-excited tongue. He set him down with a quick pat. "We're back to the cave today."

We all laughed when a swift whir of wings and patter of paws announced the exodus of our familiars. We followed quickly, excited about the chance to finally discover what kind of treasure might exist under those two blue marks.

XXXX

Brady kept an eye on the map as we hurried toward the cave. We'd nearly reached the path up to the cave when the red dots showing the Rejects appeared on the map.

We quickened our pace, hoping to get to there well before Ray and the others. But when we stopped to check the map, we could see the four red dots were gaining on us.

Faith was biting her lip again. "Are they running?"

"The evidence suggests they're trying to catch us," Brady said. "Ray and Andrew made it clear they won't stop until we explain about this place."

We moved faster, but shortly before the mouth of the cave, they were already nearing the cabin.

"Will we have time to check both blue 'X' marks?" Olivia asked.

"We're gonna try," Doug said. And I didn't think I'd ever seen him look so determined.

XXXX

"Did anyone bring a lighter for the candles?" Faith asked. "Since we don't have the lightberries anymore."

"Yeah," Doug said. "I bought one at the drug store. You should've seen the weird look Mr. Woodman gave me. Like he thought I'd turned into an arsonist or taken up smoking."

"He won't tell your mom, will he?" I asked nervously, thinking about the questions a comment like that could start.

"Nah, it'll be okay," Doug said, clearly unconcerned.

Brady cleared his throat. "So the two blue 'X' marks are in different parts of the cave. We should look in the cave down here first, then go to the upper cave. Once Ray and the others get here, we may not have the chance to come back down."

"Good idea, but we'll need to be quick," Doug agreed.

We hurried into the back chamber and looked around for any possible treasure. By looking at our green dots on the map, Brady was able to tell us when we got to the area with the blue 'X'. It was directly in front of the cave wall.

Brady said, "I don't understand. I wish I knew what we were supposed to be looking for."

We all jumped when a loud crack reverberated around the cave and parts of the wall broke off and slid to the floor. Brady gave an exclamation of pleasure and moved back to the wall. He ran his fingers gently over the symbols that were now exposed. "Olivia, help me write down these symbols. We need to hurry."

The two of them started writing. Brady kept exclaiming with excitement. "I recognize some of these from the last time. I'm going to be able to decipher this."

As they finished, he carefully folded the paper and put it in his pocket. "I don't think the Rejects'll be able to decipher this, but I wish there was some way to hide it from them."

Olivia gasped and jumped back as the broken pieces of rock suddenly flew back up into place.

"You're getting really good at that," I told Brady in admiration. "I had no idea you could do that."

"Neither did I," Brady said blankly.

Doug started moving back towards the main cave. "Come on, guys. We need to move."

Olivia grinned. She was practically vibrating with excitement. "Let's climb."

"Right," Brady said, losing his preoccupied look.

We hurried into the small chamber. Olivia and Brady began to climb up the wall at the same time, and I got nervous as I realized it was becoming a race. "Be careful," I called out.

I was answered by laughter from both of them as they disappeared into the small opening at the top of the wall. It took them only a moment to drop the rope down for the rest of us. Doug went first, then I followed. It didn't take me nearly as long to climb up this time.

Only Faith seemed to struggle, and for one long moment, I was sure things were going to end badly. Faith began to slip. She cried out as she slid several feet down the rope, banging her knees and feet against the rock wall. The force caused her to lose her hold on the rope with her left hand.

For a moment, I tried to imagine what we would do if Faith got hurt. Could we carry her back to Santa Ramona?

"You can do it," I called in encouragement. I wondered if Brady could climb down and help her somehow, then remembered Olivia saying it was much harder to climb down. Faith was clinging desperately, only her right hand keeping her on the rope. She shook out the fingers of her left hand with a whimper, and then started to slide again.

It was a good thing I was sitting down. I was so relieved, I saw black spots in front of my eyes when she grabbed back on the rope with both hands. She slowly finished the climb, her face white and sweaty.

Brady quickly checked the map as Faith dropped onto the floor of the cave, leaning her head against her knees. "The Rejects are getting near the path to the cave." He shifted the candle to shine down the narrow tunnel behind him.

This time, being able to see, the cave seemed interesting rather than frightening. Once we got into the second chamber, I caught my breath. It was beautiful. The light sparkled off small crystals in the walls, and I could see strange pillars hanging from the top of the cave.

"Are those stalagmites or stalactites?" I asked, pointing to the top of the cave.

Doug looked up and gave a whistle. "I didn't notice those last time," he said.

"Well, we were in a hurry and didn't have any light last time," Faith said, an awed sound in her voice.

Brady pointed to a strange ripple of rock hanging about six inches from the ceiling. It was so thin, the light from the candles showed straight through. "That's cave bacon," he said in delight. "Wow! I love caves."

"I totally hate to break up this party," Olivia said, "but we're supposed to be in a hurry."

Brady checked the map. "They're almost to the cave. We do need to hurry."

As we started to move deeper through the tunnel, "Brady asked, "Did you get the rope?"

"Olivia said, "Faith was last up."

Faith told Brady, "Not my rope —I thought you got it."

"I didn't get it, I thought you did."

"Did anyone get it?" I asked.

"Are you kidding? We have to go back." Then I noticed Doug looking like the cat that ate the canary. I asked suspiciously, "What's so funny?"

He chuckled, reached behind him, then held out the rope. "I thought someone should get it."

After we made the sharp bend, in the tunnel, Brady thought the Rejects could no longer see our light if they entered the cave. My heart rate began to slow as we watched the progress of our green dots on the map. It was a lot easier going this time, with two candles lit.

"They won't know where we are and won't be able to see our light. Not unless they climb up here too."

We'd carefully slid into the lower chamber and Brady told us to move forward slowly. It was a relief not to crawl any further. Although we'd been able to see this time, most of the cave was too low or too full of dangerously pointed stalactites to stand often.

Finally, our dots were directly on top of the blue 'X'. Since we were in the middle of the cave, it was obvious we'd need to dig again.

I took the candle and blocked most of the light with my hand, just to be safe. Doug grabbed the bag that had been clanking irritatingly during the whole trip, and drew out four gardening trowels. He grinned at us and said, "What are you waiting for?"

We were all trying to be quiet now, because according to the map, the Rejects had entered the main cave. I was grateful we hadn't left any backpacks to show we'd been here this time.

I watched as Brady, Doug, Olivia and Faith took turns, digging deeper into the soft dirt of the cave floor. Occasionally Olivia shot a longing look at the candle I was holding. Normally I'd really enjoy that. Now, I was too busy desperately wishing we'd find something we could tell Ronny. This would be the last time we'd be able to come to Chimera this year.

Some of us would be out of town for Christmas, during December's full moon. We'd agreed once again that none of us would enter Chimera unless all of us could go. None of us, well most of us, had no desire to change that. There would be safety in numbers in case we were caught by the Rejects. And no one wanted to miss being there if something exciting was discovered.

"Could you hold that light still," Doug whispered, sounding sarcastic and out of breath.

I started to snap back at him, then realized his face was red and sweaty with effort, even though the cave was fairly cold. All of them were breathing faster than normal. Maybe I should cut him some slack.

"Do you think there's something to find here?" Olivia asked. Before anyone could answer her, there was a small clinking sound. Someone's trowel hit something metallic.

"What do you think it is?" Faith asked, her voice an intense whisper, trembling with excitement.

"It's metal. It could be your treasure chest, Olivia, or your lamp, Faith, or it could be..."

Brady reached into the hole and pulled out an old-fashioned brass key, more than three inches long. The shaft was as big around as a pencil, topped by a fancy Celtic design more than an inch wide.

"A key," I said blankly. "Uh...I really wasn't expecting that!"

Suddenly Faith stifled a scream and scooted back until she hit the wall of the cave. "What is that?" she choked out, pointing with a shaking finger.
Chapter 38

The Key

A very small humanoid shape appeared in the hole. It looked like it was swimming up through the earth. The strange creature crawled to its feet, standing about a foot tall. You couldn't tell anything else about it — it was encrusted with grime. It shook itself all over, dirt flying like water off a dog.

It regarded us with small deep-set eyes that looked coal black. Its face resembled a gnarled old man, with round red cheeks and a long tangled beard. The beard was probably white, but was so full of dirt it looked gray-brown. A grimy pointed red hat was perched on its head.

"That's a gnome," Faith said in amazement.

"A gnome?" I asked. "Like the roaming gnome on TV?"

"Something like that. They live in caves or forests...well, supposedly. They're an elemental. They represent the earth."

Sounding like its throat had been scratched with sandpaper, a rough low voice growled, "A human who knows our history. Surprising, that."

Faith opened her mouth to answer, but the strange creature interrupted. "At Ghalynn's request did I learn these words. He bade me watch for those who for the key would come. I am to give you the following message. Listen carefully, for the words are difficult to my tongue and only once will I tell you."

The small creature closed its eyes and recited carefully, stumbling over some of the words:

**"In your hand you hold the key, yet**

**Three more objects must you find,**

**To have a chance to break the spells**

**Which greed and loathing left behind.**

**When evil covets things not theirs,**

**And signs cannot be left in view,**

**Mundane minds must ascertain**

**The hidden meaning in each clue."**

Its eyes popped open and it shook its head, showering another layer of dirt on the floor of the cave. Its gaze was piercing as it said, "I find I miss my encounters with the others who this place inhabit. Ghalynn has said only you can bring them back. Do not fail."

Without another word, it turned its back and with that strange swimming motion disappeared back inside the earth.

"Did you understand any of that? I don't get it. How are we supposed to use this key?" Doug's voice sounded impatient and frustrated and angry — along with discouraged and disappointed — all at the same time.

"It may take awhile, but I will figure it out," Brady said, sounding distracted. He was scribbling the words the gnome had said in his notebook. "Any guesses?"

"He said Mundane minds," Faith said. "Ronny told us people outside Chimera, non-magic people, are called Mundane. And they can't come in here. Well, except for us. You don't think it's about...us?"

We all shook our heads, but I think most of us weren't really saying no, just that we didn't have a clue.

Brady said, "I find it interesting the gnome spoke to us in English, not some Chimeran language. Did you hear what a hard time that thing had saying some of it? It sounded like it memorized the words with no idea what they meant."

"Not a thing." Faith told him. Brady turned to her, looking confused. I was confused too. She insisted, "It was a gnome, not a thing."

"Okay, that gnome didn't sound like it... he...whatever...understood English."

"I agree," Doug told him. "I just hate not understanding what all this means."

Brady pulled out the map and asked it if we'd missed anything in the cave. The two blue 'X' marks were gone. He said, "Looks like we're done here. Let's go."

"We need to talk to Ronny."

Doug gave me one of his really-how-stupid-do-you-think-I-am looks. "Uh, no duh, Kat."

Just then, the bat swooped over Brady's head and flew towards the back exit. That didn't surprise me. But then Rusty whined and tugged at Doug's sleeve, and Shadow gave a plaintive meow and butted her head against my knee. "Where did our animals come from?" I asked. "How'd they get here?"

"Magic," Brady whispered distractedly, looking at the map again. He cupped his hand over his candle. "Quiet! They're trying to climb into the upper cave."

"What?" Doug's voice sounded strangled. I wished I could see the expression on his face.

Just then, Rusty ran to Faith and pawed at the hem of her white pants. When we looked, we could all see the tear in her pants, down near her ankle. A strip of cloth was missing.

"Oh no," said Faith in dismay. "Mom's going to kill me! These are...were, brand new."

I said, "We'll think of something to tell your mom."

Doug whispered urgently, "Shut up! Faith, you must've torn your pants when you slipped climbing the rope. They must have seen the missing piece and know we're up here. We need to move."

Brady glanced at the map, then whispered urgently, "Go. Now."

We took the same way out as last time, using only one candle. It gave just enough light to move quickly. I sighed in relief as we exited the cave. According to the map, the Rejects were still near the entrance to the upstairs cave.

"Let's put some distance between us," Doug said. We hurried down the path toward the lake, then Doug came to a halt so sudden it caused me to plow right into his back. I bounced off, nearly falling over, and accidently bit my tongue.

"Why the heck did you stop like that?" I asked. We were nearly to the main road, where we'd be safe from howling beasts and large hairy monsters. I did not want to stop here.

Doug pointed at the lake, which could barely be seen through the trees. A strange red mist was rising over the lake. It swirled in intricate dizzying patterns. I looked at the others, dismayed. "What do you think that is?"

Doug shrugged. "We don't have time to worry about it now. We'll have to check it out in January. Come on, let's go!"

Brady looked at the map. "Stop. We can't go now. The Rejects are just leaving the main cave. They must have given up climbing after us. They'll see if we get on the road now." Brady pointed to the map where the red dots were starting down the mountain.

Olivia glanced at the map and made a face. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"Wait here on the path until they go by," Brady told her.

Faith reared back, her voice high and shrill. "Stay here? That's crazy. You want to stay here...off the road? Don't you remember last time?"

"Of course I remember. My arm hurt for a week. If you have a better suggestion, I'd like to hear it."

"I want to hide on the road," Faith told him. Olivia nodded in agreement.

He stuck the map out in front of them. "Where? There is no place around here."

"We'd better decide soon," I said, watching the map nervously. "They're getting close."

Doug spoke up. "We don't have time now. Just stay in the middle. Don't go near the edge of the path."

Reluctantly we moved close together at the center of the path. We'd be able to see them pass on the map, and were close enough to the road that we might be able to hear them. But we were far enough away that the Rejects shouldn't be able to see us.

We didn't have to wait long before we heard them, arguing as usual.

"Why are you so sure they climbed up the side of the cave? It doesn't make sense." Carly said.

Polly sounded whiney. "Shut up, Carly. Where do you think that white denim came from?"

"Both of you shut up," Ray said impatiently. "They're not there now."

I held my breath, worried that something, anything, would happen to make them turn around and notice us there. I let my breath out in a quiet whoosh once they'd gone far enough down the road that I couldn't hear them any longer.

I said, "We should be safe now," and relaxed in relief.
Chapter 39

Be Careful What You Wish For!

"Ray's always ragging on somebody. I hate it." Doug sounded disgusted.

The corners of Faith's mouth turned down. "I wish Carly would stop hanging out with the Rejects. I know she doesn't like them. She never does anything mean to other people. And everyone knows Carly's parents make her hang out with Ray 'cause he's her cousin.

Olivia chimed in, "I wish Polly would change. Her whining get's so annoying."

"I wish I was bigger or stronger. I'd make Ray and Andrew act different." Brady looked gleeful at the thought of getting bigger and stronger.

I growled loudly, totally frustrated, forgetting for a moment to keep my voice down. "I wish you guys would just shut up about change!" I didn't actually stamp my foot, but I wanted to.

"Geez, Kat, chill." Doug frowned at me like I was a bug that was annoying him. Good thing I wasn't a bug — he'd probably squash me. "What's up with you?"

"I'm so sick of everything changing all the time. Everybody keeps talking about what we're going to do when we're sixteen and eighteen and twenty-one. What's wrong with how things are now?"

"Wow. Don't have a spaz." Doug sounded so arrogant I wanted to smack his face.

"I just wish everything would stay the same!"

I'd forgotten for a moment where we were.

I'd told myself I wouldn't make any more wishes in here. Most of us forgot occasionally, and wished for things. Most of the time, nothing happened. Except for familiars. And getting dots and treasure marks on the map. Those were okay.

So sometimes wishes did work. But how could I have guessed this could happen?

There was no thunderclap. No dramatic flash of light. But there was no denying what my words had done. I wanted to call them back, but could only choke out, "Oh no...no, no. NO!"

My friends were all standing still. Completely still. None of them had moved — not so much as a twitch – not even a blink — since I'd made that incredibly stupid wish. In a single instant, they froze in place.

Doug was staring straight through me, that disgusted look still on his face. Brady and Olivia had frozen half turned toward Doug. Faith had also been looking at me, her hands dug into her pockets, her shoulders up around her ears, her teeth tight against her bottom lip.

For some reason, seeing Faith like that made it worse.

At first, I kept it together. Pretty much. I paused a moment every time I said anything — certain it would all go back to normal.

"I take it back."

-

-

-

-

"Hello. I wish things would go back they way they were."

-

-

-

-

"I wish my friends would start moving."

-

-

-

-

I wasn't waiting quite as long between tries now. And I was starting to get loud. I tried not to — I really didn't want the Rejects to come back and find us like this.

"I wish my friends would wake up."

-

-

"I wish I never made that stupid wish!"

-

-

"I really wish this had never happened!"

-

-

"I wish I knew what to wish for!"

I'd been right. Mostly bad wishes seemed to work in here, and I didn't know how to fix this. I was gasping for breath, making strangled moans as I looked at my friends.

What now!

I ran to Olivia and tried to shake her arm, but it was unmoving. Like stone. My friends might as well be living statues.

Were they still alive?

I tried again, "Olivia, wake up!"

Nothing changed.

I tried shaking each of them, making every wish I could think of, begging them to be okay.

Nothing made a difference!

I'd gotten my wish. They were always going to stay the same. I was like the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz, but I'd poisoned them with a wish rather than poppies. And there was no good witch to help them.

I looked around anxiously, hoping to see Shadow or any of our familiars. Maybe they could help. It felt like someone kicked me in the gut when I realized none of our animals were anywhere in sight.

There was no one — nothing — to help me. I'd never felt so alone.

I threw my head back and screamed, "Make it stop!"

This time, I didn't bother to wait between wishes. I barely bothered to take a breath. Instead, my words came out in a continuous stream.

"I wish I could take it back!"

"I wish my friends would talk to me!"

"I wish everything would be okay."

"I wish I knew what to do! I wish it would just go back the way it was! I'll do anything, just make it be okay!"

"Please!"

Nothing made a difference.

I lost track of the times I begged, pleaded, cried. I tried everything I could think of, but my friends didn't move.

I'd gotten my wish, all right. I wouldn't have to listen to talk about when we all got older anymore. None of them would be getting any older. I was the only one who would not stay the same.

I couldn't bear the thought of leaving them frozen here like this. How could I? It was all my fault. And how could I ever tell anyone what had happened to them? It would serve me right to stay with them until I died of hunger or thirst. I wondered what our parents would think when none of us came home and no one ever found us.

I folded over with a moan and spent a long time losing my lunch. Once that passed, there was no other sound except my panicked breathing. I hated how quiet it was in here, without the voices of my friends.

XXXX

I'd forgotten we weren't on the road.

I heard a howl from the woods to the left. Now I wished the silence would come back. How ironic.

When I heard the sounds of branches cracking and heavy footfalls, I ducked behind a pile of rocks to the right of the path. I felt my heart stop altogether, then stutter back to life as a monster moved out of the trees.

It was twice as tall as any of my friends — shaggy and rough-haired, with a long bulbous nose and short thick legs. Its skin reminded me of an elephant, saggy and pale grey, sprinkled with short bristling hairs and large purple warts. It had three stubby fingers and a gnarled warty thumb wrapped around a small tree branch.

It was a troll. A huge, hairy troll. Ronny had said it was probably a troll, and now I was sure of it. I'd read about trolls in The Hobbit and Harry Potter. But I never believed I'd see one — I hadn't believed they really existed. They were also supposed to smell bad. Good thing I was too far away to tell.

It was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen. I just hoped the books were right about trolls being slow and dim-witted. Then it moved, much faster than I would have expected. It lumbered onto the path, then twisted around and struck Doug with the tree branch.

I desperately stifled a scream of horror. What had I done? My friends couldn't even defend themselves. I dropped my head in my hands, wondering why I was trying to keep quiet. Wouldn't it be better to let it get me too? I heard several more thumps as it struck at my friends. When it was silent for a moment, I looked up slowly.

My mouth dropped open in amazement. Good thing there were no flies in Chimera.

My friends were still standing, still all perfect statues. That huge troll hadn't broken any pieces off, or been able to knock them over, or even given them a scratch. I just hoped they weren't able to see or feel anything.

I did not want to stand there watching that ugly thing use my friends for batting practice with a tree branch. But I was no threat — what could I do? I quietly shrugged out of my backpack, trying to remember what was in there. It had grown heavier each time we came to Chimera.

Olivia had me carrying some of her stuff so she wouldn't risk losing another backpack in here. I reached in and pulled out her hairbrush, then her wallet. What else was in there?

I touched something that felt like a smooth cylinder. When I pulled it out, it was a small can of hairspray. I looked at it in disbelief. Hairspray? In Chimera?

Too bad I didn't have Brady's lighter. I could try using the hairspray as a flamethrower, like in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Of course, I'd probably set myself on fire rather than hurting the troll. Maybe it was a good thing I didn't have a lighter...

Next, I pulled out Doug's slingshot.

The slingshot. I remembered the story of David and Goliath, and wondered how well that would work in real life. If you could call this real life. I looked around and found several small rocks on the path where I was hidden. I carefully put one in the little pouch on the slingshot and pulled it back as far as I could.

My arms were shaking. I wasn't sure if it was the strain I was putting on them, or if it was fear. Would it ruin my ability to shoot? I took a deep breath then opened my fingers. The pouch jerked forward and made a loud splintering crack as the rock hit a tree to the left of the troll.

It shuffled around, looking into the trees where the rock hit. Well, if nothing else, I knew how to distract it.

I grabbed another rock and tried again. This time I hit its huge warty right shoulder. It shambled around to face the right side of the road. At least it wasn't bashing my friends.

I grabbed a slightly larger rock, and aimed at its back, hauling back on the sling shot with every bit of strength I had. This time I hit its left side. The rock hit with a resounding thunk, and the troll let out a bellowing scream, hunching over with pain. As if that were a signal, several howls sounded from the woods to the left.

The troll straightened with a grunt and began a quick shambling run, quickly disappearing into the woods on the right. I could follow its path by the crashing, splintering sounds of breaking trees.

I stood there for a moment, feeling relief flood through me. I'd done it. I'd chased away a troll — all by myself! Okay, the howls helped, but I was the one that made the troll scream to begin with. I twirled around in a celebratory dance until I ran out of breath.

As I stood there, gasping, I heard my mom's voice in my head. I didn't remember when we'd had this conversation, but I could still hear her saying, "Kat, things change all the time. Be glad. You wouldn't want to still be in diapers, would you?

I remembered how she'd shaken her head and smiled. "If everything stayed exactly the same, the world would stop revolving around the sun. If we were on the dark side, we'd freeze. If we were on the sunny side, we'd burn up. Everything would die. Change is good!"

I looked at my friends — they were exactly the same. Yeah, I'd gotten rid of the troll, but my friends were still frozen and unmoving. Staying the same was horrible. I dropped to the ground and let the tears come. I put my head on my knees and choked out, "I was wrong. I don't want this. I wish things would stop being the same. I wish everything would start changing again."

"What're you doing on the ground, Kat?"

Again, there was no warning. No flash of light, or swelling music, like in the movies. One moment everything was horrible, the next Doug was giving me a hard time. It sounded wonderful!

"You're not crying are you?" He sounded horrified.

For a moment, I couldn't catch my breath. "No," I choked out, rubbing my eyes against my knees without looking up. I wanted to jump up and wrap my arms around all of them. I heaved a sigh of relief as Shadow ran up and rubbed her head against my legs, purring.

I took two deep breaths, feeling happiness bubble up inside me. We'd found treasure, and avoided the Rejects, then I'd scared off a troll, and undid a stupid-idiotic-no-good-very-bad wish, all on the same day. Really, could it get any better?

I stood up and grinned. "We'd better get back." My voice was embarrassingly cheery. It almost sounded like I was singing. And I couldn't get the dopey grin off my face. It lasted the entire time we made our way back to the tree.

"Why are you so happy all the sudden?" Olivia asked me suspiciously.

I considered telling her what had happened. I'd probably tell her at some point, but I couldn't bring myself to tell them about my wish right now. I was still feeling too good to go into that.

"I'm just glad we were able to find the clues, get away from the Rejects, and get off that path safely." That last made my grin even bigger.

Olivia shook her head and muttered something under her breath, but I didn't care. I felt like I could fly. I almost wished I could try it, but decided I was done with wishes. At least for now.

When we got to the tree, we took our time saying goodbye to our familiars. I told them, "We'll miss you. We can't come back next month, but I promise we'll be back the month after that." Shadow gave a plaintive meow and sat on the path, blinking her bright blue eyes at me.

I kept waving goodbye as I stepped back through the tree.

The End...

Of The Beginning

Waiting until after school on Monday seemed like the longest wait yet. There was so much I wanted to tell Ronny.

Doug went first. "Do you know anything about that strange red mist over the lake? It made me feel dizzy to watch it."

Ronny said, "I translated more of the pages you found. One described a discussion Ghalynn had with Mother. She thought someone was creating strange magickal currents filled with wild energies. Perhaps that is what you saw at the lake."

She sat back, looking at Doug. "Mother was concerned these energies would be used for some dark purpose. Maybe that is still happening. I am worried what they could do."

She opened her mouth to keep discussing that, but I wanted to make sure she heard everything first. "Wait, there's more." I nodded at Brady. He spread his notes on the table, told Ronny about the gnome and described his cryptic riddle.

Ronny sat perfectly still. She didn't move. She didn't blink. I don't think she even breathed for a full minute. Then she seemed to melt, sagging back against her chair. "A gnome still exists in Chimera, but he told you the other inhabitants are gone? Gone where?"

"He wouldn't tell us anything else. He just quoted at us and disappeared," I said.

"And he said Ghalynn left that strange poem? About things that must be found? And spells that must be broken?"

"Yes," Brady agreed, watching Ronny warily. I felt a bit nervous too. She was clenching and unclenching her hands into fists, her jaw so tight you could see the cords of muscle running down her neck.

"I thought I had accepted this situation, but I was wrong. I cannot bear to be locked out of my home, unable to help."

I said, "You and Brady keep figuring out what all the clues mean. You are helping!"

"Thank you. I will decipher these new pages you brought me. Now that I know Ghalynn left these clues, it may help me. You have found much more than I ever expected, and I appreciate it greatly."

She spoke slowly, her voice leaden, as if each word was an appalling weight. "I now think being in Chimera is far more dangerous for you than I ever believed possible. I will understand if you wish to stop. In fact, I feel I should tell you to end this quest. Like cats deserting a sinking ship. Like you reached the bend of the road. Like this is the claw that broke the camel's back.

While none of her sayings were right, we understood what she was trying to say. A babble of voices broke out around me. I could understand random snippets, "...to know what it means!" "...too dangerous." "...other things alive in there?" "...check out the lake."

I thought of howling, snuffling creatures. Of Olivia almost crushed by falling rocks. Of Faith slipping when she climbed to the upper cave. Of huge ugly trolls. Of turning my friends into statues. Those were all good reasons to stop.

Then I thought of never entering Chimera again. Of never knowing whether this mystery would end. Of letting down Ronny, who no longer seemed strange to me. Who, I realized, had become a friend. I looked at her, and saw the sadness and worry on her face.

I heaved a sigh and stood up. I knew what I had to do, or I'd never be satisfied.

"I plan to keep looking."

My statement brought the arguing to a halt. I felt all of their eyes on me, and there was a very long moment of silence. I was grateful but not really surprised when Olivia and Faith both stood up. We were The Three after all.

"I'll go," Olivia said and smiled at me.

"Fine," Faith said shortly, sounding grouchy but resigned.

I was a lot more pleased than I expected when Brady and Doug both stood up.

"I can't let the girls have all the fun," Doug said with a grin. Like he thought being a girl was a bad thing! I wanted to smack that grin off his face.

Brady cleared his throat and said, "I'm fascinated with the translations I've made so far. In fact, I finished some of the information from the cave wall. Doug will be glad to hear it mentions going to the lake.

Another babble of voices broke out, but stopped when Brady held up his hand. "I'll quote it for you. It's kind of a poem, I guess."

**The quest shall lead from cave to lake,**

**Search well for what lies hidden there.**

**Know only pure intent may take,**

**But guard well all that you lay bare.**

**All shall be lost with one mistake.**

"So, we're going to the lake in January," I said. "I guess we'll find out where we have to go after that once we find Ghalynn's clues and anything else he hid there."

I wasn't just talking about going to the lake and they all knew it. I was asking them to stick it out until we'd found every clue Ghalynn had left.

No one spoke.

A little desperately, I said, "Promise you won't quit until we solve this. Not until we figure out what happened." I held out my hand. It was trembling — I was so afraid they'd tell me no. At least my voice trembled less than my hand when I asked, "All for one...?"

Now the silence was miserably uncomfortable. I felt faint and realized I was holding my breath as I watched them stand there and stare at my hand. Faith was looking at it like it was a poisonous snake.

My heart felt like it was sinking down to my toes. They weren't going to help me.

Then they were all reaching out, laying their hands on mine. I heard their voices speaking over each other, "I swear it." "Till the end." "—got your back!" "...one for all!"

I looked up and saw my brother Chris enter the room. He wrapped his arm around Ronny and gave her a tender smile. For once, it didn't make me feel twitchy. Then they reached out and laid their hands on top of ours. Chris smiled at me as he and Ronny repeated the promise, "All for one and one for all."

I thought about how this year had started. I'd been afraid everything was changing too much. That I was losing my brother and my two best friends. But now, instead of just three hands joined together, there were seven.

Note to self — Sometimes change isn't so bad. But I will never admit that to Mom!

Chris reached over and rumpled my hair. "Thanks for your help, Kitty-Kat."

Ugh!!!!

I gritted my teeth and growled, "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Kitty-Kat!" Of course he just grinned, unrepentant. He even had the nerve to wink at me.

Now that was something that definitely needed to change!

XXXX

The story continues with Secrets in the Deep

Look for it in late 2013

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

K D Blakely started her first novel when she was seven years old. It was never finished, but that was the beginning of a lifelong dream to be a writer. Over the years, she started a number of books, but this is the first one she has actually finished. For that, she gives a lot of credit to her friends in the Stonehenge Writer's Group! Check them out at http://stonehengewriters.wordpress.com

K D Blakely lives in Northern California with her two cats. One is named OhNo — for very good reasons. Somehow, K D Blakely and her other cat, Girly Girl, have managed to survive numerous OhNo caused

cat-tastrophies...

She hopes you will visit her at www.kat-tales.net,

or follow her blog at http://kattalesdotnet.wordpress.com

TSYE

