Carlisle huffed into the hallway, almost bowling over Adilene, who only managed to leap out of the way as he blundered past, heading toward the back bedrooms. She hadn’t noticed before, but Cadence’s uncle walked with a limp, his back crooked and stooped.
Adilene tried to keep her breath from gusting forth from her lungs. She had held it all the way up the stairs and just now narrowly gave away her position when Carlisle suddenly appeared. But the old man hadn’t even looked in her direction as he hurried off to obey his niece’s wishes.
Peering around the corner, Adilene saw Cadence on all fours in the lab, scouring the dusty floor, her face almost pressed against the wooden boards. Cadence was wearing what looked like a maroon pantsuit with high-heeled shoes. Her hair had been pulled back into a bun, with a pair of glasses resting on top of her head. Adilene had never seen Cadence wear glasses before, but maybe they were more for show or a fancy accessory to complete her strangely businesslike outfit.
As she had done the last time they had snuck into the lab together, Cadence had opened every drawer and cabinet and piled up the ingredients, potions, and containers onto the countertop, the items grouped together in small clusters. Adilene realized Cadence wasn’t just exploring Gordy’s lab. She was searching for something.
“Blast!” Cadence sat up, pressing her hands against her knees. “It’s not here.” Then she checked the time on her wristwatch, one that sparkled with glittering gems.
Adilene kept dead silent, watching tremulously as her friend dusted off her knees and turned her attention to the counter and the array of items upon it. One by one, she began returning glass vials into drawers, careful not to spill a drop of any potion.
What was she looking for? What gave her the right to break into Gordy’s home? Adilene pulled back, ashamed of herself because she had done the same thing. This time, though, she would handle things differently. She knew she needed to tell Gordy what was happening, but she couldn’t do anything right there without alerting Cadence of her presence.
Once back in the hallway, Adilene pulled out her cell phone. With trembling hands, she began texting Gordy a message, but before she’d finished, Carlisle reappeared from Mr. and Mrs. Stitser’s bedroom, and Adilene dropped her phone in surprise.
The moment the phone left her fingers, it regained its visibility. The transparent object solidified in midair, and Carlisle’s eyes instantly honed in on the phone as it struck the carpeted floor with a muted thud.
Carlisle glowered, staring as though he couldn’t quite tell what the object was, but as he began to understand, he suddenly barreled toward Adilene. She barely had time to snatch up her phone and turn for the stairs. In her haste, Adilene tripped and nearly rolled to the bottom. She felt her ankle twist awkwardly, and she skidded her knee on the rough carpet, but she didn’t cry out.
“What are you doing?” Cadence shouted from inside the lab.
Quietly scooting back on the carpet, Adilene hid in the corner as Carlisle snatched at handfuls of air, searching for her.
At the top of the stairs, Cadence emerged, staring down at her uncle, annoyed. “What is it?”
Carlisle looked up but didn’t say anything. A queer expression formed in Cadence’s eyes as she gazed down to the main level, scanning the floor.
“Your friend took something of mine,” Cadence spoke out, eyes narrowing. “I don’t think he meant to take it, but it’s very dear to me, and I need it back.” She stepped onto the stairs, gripping the handrail. “I have to leave soon. I’m going home, but I can’t without my keystone.”
Keystone? Adilene didn’t know what she was talking about. And when would Gordy have taken something from Cadence? They had hardly ever spoken to each other.
Cadence descended a few more steps, and Adilene pulled her legs close to her chest. How was she going to get out of this?
“You don’t understand what’s going on here,” Cadence said. “I’m not like you. Any of you. Surely, you’ve figured that out by now, but there’s more to it than just that.”
Outside the house, Adilene heard a car door slam. Carlisle stiffened. He sniffed the air, nostrils flaring, and then he looked at Cadence. She nodded at him, and Carlisle turned and ran. The old man’s footsteps thundered upon the floor; he moved surprisingly fast for his age. Then to Adilene’s astonishment, Carlisle began smashing things. He started with the plates and glasses from the cupboards and dumped out the silverware drawers onto the floor. He turned over chairs and heaved the kitchen table onto its side. Had he gone mad?
The front door kicked open, and Wanda Stitser and Priscilla Rook stormed in, each holding bottles of potions and wearing determined, no-nonsense expressions.
Adilene turned to see what Cadence would do, but the girl had vanished.
Wanda and Priss raced past the stairs as Carlisle continued to rampage through the kitchen. Adilene heard a whoosh and a shatter of glass, followed by a heavy thud as Carlisle dropped, stiff as a board, to the ground.
“Do you know this guy?” Wanda shouted from the kitchen.
“No,” Priss responded. “Maybe he’s from B.R.E.W.”
“He’s not from B.R.E.W.,” Wanda said. “That much I’m sure of.”
“Then how did he get past your wards?” Priss asked.
“We need to take him somewhere for questioning. How long will he be out?”
“Twelve to fifteen minutes, I believe. It was a mild dose.”
Adilene leaned forward, slowly stretching out her legs. She could see the soles of Carlisle’s boots, his toes pointed upward as he lay on his back, unmoving. The two women stood on either side of his body. Adilene wasn’t sure how much longer her invisibility would last, but she knew she needed to get out of the house as soon as possible before they discovered her. What would they do if they found Adilene hiding there? Gordy may have given her permanent access to visit the home whenever she wanted, but considering the circumstances—her sudden appearance alongside Carlisle when Gordy was nowhere in sight—Mrs. Stitser and Gordy’s aunt Priss might be less forgiving of the uninvited intrusion.
Pressing her back against the wall, Adilene eased her weight off the floor, sliding up until she stood upright next to the door. She kept her eyes glued to the two Elixirists as she reached for the doorknob, but then remembered something that concerned her.
Was Cadence still in the house, or had she left? Adilene assumed Carlisle’s sudden rage had been a way to distract Wanda and Priss so that Cadence could escape, but why was that necessary? Cadence could simply disappear whenever she wanted. Why would she need a diversion? Unless . . .
Too late.
Adilene came to the realization of what was happening just as something else shattered in the kitchen. She heard Wanda and Priss gasp, and then the two women collapsed on the floor next to Carlisle.
Gordy peered through the window of the Subaru, watching the house and waiting for his mom to give them the all-clear to come inside. Upon arriving in town, they had gone to the Riveras’ house, only to discover that Adilene had left for Gordy’s house twenty minutes before.
Max sat next to Gordy, munching on one of the pupusas that Mrs. Rivera had given them on her way to the farmers market. He hummed to himself as he used the rock to rewatch the security footage from a week ago.
“This is crazy!” he said, pointing at the screen.
Gordy wasn’t positive, but he didn’t think the only reason Max was watching the film was just to see Cadence disappear.
“She’s like out of a movie!” Max said wistfully.
Gordy rolled his eyes.
Bolter and Zelda had gone to B.R.E.W. to assess the damage and see if they could uncover any other information on the mysterious girl from the video. They had taken Priss’s SUV, and the plan was to meet back at the Stitsers’ house in one hour. Tobias, who wanted to stay as uninvolved as possible, remained on his farm, along wit
h Gordy’s dad because somebody had to watch the twins. Until things calmed down with B.R.E.W., Tobias had opened his house to the Stitsers for as long as they needed to stay. Gordy was grateful for the former member of B.R.E.W., even if Tobias did hate his mom.
The group had had a long discussion earlier that morning on whether or not Gordy should stay behind as well. There could be plenty of trouble ahead, and Gordy was just a kid. In the end, it was Zelda who convinced Gordy’s mom to let him come along. If they did find Mezzarix in time, Gordy might be the only way to save his life. Max probably should have stayed at Tobias’s house, but he flat-out refused. Sometimes, Max’s stubbornness was too much to handle.
“They’ve been in there for a while, don’t you think?” Gordy asked Max.
Max shrugged. “Maybe, but your mom gave very strict instructions.”
Mrs. Stitser had forbidden Gordy and Max to enter the house without permission. If they disobeyed, his mom had threatened severe punishment. The possibility existed that members of B.R.E.W., or even some of the Scourges, could have been hiding inside, and until Wanda and Priss secured the perimeter, Gordy and Max were to keep their behinds glued to their seats.
It had certainly seemed as though his mom and Priss had rushed inside all of a sudden, and there was still no sign of Adilene anywhere, despite her bike lying in the grass next to the driveway. How long did securing the perimeter take?
The front door moved, opening ever so slightly, and Gordy leaned out the window, eyes narrowed, trying to see. Soon after, the door closed again, and Gordy growled in frustration. The waiting was killing him.
“What’s going on?” he demanded, glaring at Max. How could he just sit there watching the footage over and over? Cadence wasn’t that cute.
“Just chill, dude,” Max groaned. “There’s no point in freaking out. You need to harness your chi and . . .” Max squinted, staring over Gordy’s shoulder. “Why is that bike riding off by itself?”
“What?” Gordy whirled around just in time to see a driverless bicycle pedaling down the driveway.
“What’s in these pupusas?” Max stared down at the doughy mass in his hand.
Gordy clawed at the door handle and swung it open.
“Adilene!” he shouted, watching the bike round the corner of the cul-de-sac. “Come back!”
The bicycle suddenly toppled over into the grass, and then Gordy heard footsteps hurrying toward him.
“Oh, my goodness! I didn’t see you in the car,” Adilene said breathlessly. “I just came over to say that I’m sorry for acting like such a jerk all week. I would never have gone inside if I had known. I had nothing to do with it. I promise!”
“It’s okay, calm down.” Gordy reached out, patting the air until he found Adilene’s shoulder. “Why are you invisible? What happened?”
“Your mom and Priss . . .” she wheezed breathlessly. “She hit them with something. One of the potions from your lab. It knocked them out. They’re all in the kitchen.” Adilene fired off information rapidly, increasing in volume as she spoke. Trying to listen to her while she was invisible made Gordy’s head swim, but he did his best to stay focused.
“Who knocked them out? Cadence?” Gordy demanded. “Are they hurt?”
“I don’t know. She set a trap, and they took out Carlisle.”
“Who?” Max had emerged from the car and stood beside Gordy, blinking in bafflement as he searched for any signs of Adilene.
“Cadence’s uncle!” Adilene gasped. “I’m sorry, I can’t explain everything, but Cadence and Carlisle were looking for something in your lab. She said you took it from her. She said something about a keystone and that it’s very important to her and that she’s leaving.”
“Is it that?” Gordy pointed at the small, round stone clutched in Max’s hand.
“¡Eso tiene que ser!” Adilene exclaimed. “Yes, it has to be. She wants it very badly.”
“Cadence was the one who broke into B.R.E.W. that night. We saw her on the video. She appeared when we used that stone,” Gordy said.
“She did?” Adilene sounded confused. “You saw her?”
“Now do you believe us that your friend is bad?” Gordy asked, glaring at Max. Just a few moments earlier, Max may have been considering writing a love ballad to Cadence. Now he just stared at the ground, embarrassed.
“Okay, yeah, I believe it. I should have listened to you,” Adilene said. “But we have to get out of here and call the police or someone.”
“No, we have to help my mom.” Gordy stared at the house and unclasped his satchel. He started to remove a Polish Fire Rocket but then thought better of it. The goal was to capture Cadence, not kill her. And there was no point in burning a second house to the ground if another potion would work just as well. Instead, Gordy pulled out a Vintreet Trap, a Torpor Tonic, and one of his newest creations.
“What is that?” Max asked, scrunching his nose with disgust.
“Gravity Gouda.” Gordy unwrapped the dense substance from a waxy piece of cheesecloth.
“This is insane! We can’t stop Cadence,” Adilene said. “She can turn invisible whenever she wants, and she’s so smart. I think there’s something wrong with her.”
“You’re invisible!” Max fired back.
“Yes, but it’s going to wear off soon, and I don’t have much potion left.”
“We have this.” Max held up the keystone. “Let’s see her try and disappear.”
“We need help,” Adilene repeated. “Where’s Bolter? We should call someone from B.R.E.W. and let them know what’s going on.”
“B.R.E.W. will just arrest me, and we don’t have time to waste.” Gordy faced the house, weapons in his hands and satchel draped over his shoulder. He knew what he was about to do was crazy, but he had to try to help.
“You won’t be able to get close to her without her knowing,” Adilene warned. “Please, just think this through.”
Gordy looked to the spot where he assumed Adilene was standing, and his eyes softened. Maybe she was right. If they just barged in, potions flying, bad things could happen. Cadence could get away, and Gordy’s family could get hurt. There had to be a better way to do this. Patience had never been Gordy’s strong suit, but then again, many of the mixtures he made in the lab required a calm and steady approach. Perhaps he just needed to treat this situation as if he were concocting another potion.
“Okay.” Gordy held out his hand. After a moment, Adilene’s invisible fingers squeezed around his. “Let’s plan.”
The front door to the Stitsers’ home opened, and Adilene slipped through with hardly a sound. She allowed the door to close softly behind her, but she kept it from latching shut, partly because that was the plan but also in case she decided to abandon this ridiculous idea and needed a way to escape. Adilene had removed her socks and shoes just outside the door and stood on the hardwood entryway floor, barefoot and breathing as though she might hyperventilate.
“This is crazy!” Adilene whispered to herself. She couldn’t do it. She would blow their cover, and then she would be knocked unconscious on the floor like the others.
As she was about to leave, Adilene remembered that most of this was her fault. She had shown Cadence where Gordy lived. They had snuck into the house together and had put Gordy’s family in danger. If Adilene had used her brain and trusted her real friends, none of this would have happened. Clenching her hands into fists, Adilene steeled her nerves and moved toward the kitchen.
Carlisle had sat up from the floor, pawing at his eyes with his fingers, disoriented. On either side of him were two sticky cocoons molded around the bodies of Gordy’s mom and Aunt Priss. They weren’t moving, and for a moment, Adilene feared they weren’t breathing either. But then she saw the gentle rise and fall of their chests and knew they were still alive.
“You acted foolishly,” Cadence’s voice rose from somewhere
near the refrigerator. She was still invisible, and despite Adilene’s frantic searching, she couldn’t see any sign of the young girl. “Running downstairs like that. It left you no choice but to allow yourself to be caught. What have we talked about, Carlisle?” she demanded. “I took a chance bringing you here, and it almost cost us everything.”
Why was she treating her uncle like a child?
Carlisle puffed out his cheeks and exhaled deeply, then he grabbed the edge of the overturned table and hoisted himself off the floor. He stood for a moment, wobbling, then staggered back and dropped into one of the available kitchen chairs.
“Yes, rest for a moment,” Cadence instructed. “Then go get the truck and bring it close to the door. We need to move fast and take these two back with us. They will be valuable in our negotiations.”
Carlisle looked sideways toward the refrigerator, still breathing as though he might pass out again. He licked his lips and leaned forward, palms outstretched.
“That’s not my fault,” Cadence said. “I told you I wouldn’t always have enough for you. It’s been that way since our exile. You knew the risk, and you accepted it. What we are trying to do will not come without consequences.”
Carlisle’s eyes dropped to the floor. He looked ashamed.
Adilene’s mind whirled with questions. How could they communicate with each other? What was Cadence talking about? She needed answers but knew they wouldn’t happen right now. Not until later. Adilene squeezed the keystone in her hand and waited, knowing that at any moment her potion would wear off, leaving her standing in the kitchen, vulnerable and exposed.
Carlisle finally gained control of his faculties and stood up.
Adilene slid off to one side as he approached, but before he could step into the hallway, a blaring stereo kicked on upstairs.
Music blasted overhead, shaking the ceiling. Carlisle flinched, and he spun around, facing the refrigerator as the sound of Gordy and Max singing at the top of their lungs filled the house. It was awful and off-key—and oddly gave Adilene hope. She heard her friends leaping up and down on the floor, screaming and hollering as thunderous drums and shrill electric guitars threatened to shatter the windows.
The Transparency Tonic Page 22
