“I’ll come with you. I can get to Tenebris.”
“No, I want you here, looking for the remaining Stones. If this is going to be bad, we’ll need all nine of them. How many have we located?” Raptor asked, drumming her fingers on Mouse’s desk.
“We have the Stones of Past and Fire already. We can get the Stones of Ice and Future from Richard. The Stone of Malice should be in the Arctic. The Stone of Daring is in the Labyrinth of Horror, but it moves around inside that dimension.”
“Do you think you can pinpoint the Stone of Daring from here, or will you need to enter the dimension?” The Stones would leave a mark on the dimension, but the marks were difficult to find, even for Walker. She once described them as a broken string on a thread running across the universe that she had to find by touch.
“I should be able to do it from here.” Walker nodded. “The Stone of Life and the Stone of Fear probably reside with their own Questers.”
Dealing with Questers was risky. They could channel the powers of their Stone and had control over their Stone’s dimension. Facing a being that could turn an entire dimension against you was not fun.
“That’s only eight,” Mouse observed without looking up from his hands.
“We’re missing the sixth Stone, the Stone of Friendship,” Walker replied.
Raptor scoffed to herself. A better name for it was the Stone of Manipulation. Its Questers were often treacherous, swaying people to abandon Earth in favor of following them and their Stone. Even Keepers could fall under the effects, depending on who controlled the Stone and how much effort they had put into learning their powers.
Earth was a Quester Stone itself, but because it had billions of people living on it, it could not exert the same overwhelming control on someone a smaller Quester Stone could.
“When was it last seen?”
“Venom saw it almost a century ago in Mexico, but the Quester was dead. It was a charm bracelet then.”
“So it could be anywhere. Great.” Raptor groaned, her eyes rolling around. “Get to work on finding it, Walker. That Stone’s secretive and won’t be easy to locate.” Most Stones liked to flaunt their power, but not this one. It would carefully gain friends so it did not arouse Earth’s suspicions.
“Do you have a way to contain the Stones?” Raptor asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose. The Stones would not tolerate being together for long, not to mention the turmoil they would cause if left unchecked.
“Gadget is making me a box, and it should be ready in a few hours.” Gadget was the Keeper of technology and a master inventor. If anyone could make a Quester-Stone-resistant box, it was her. “It won’t completely protect us from their effects, but it should prevent them from getting out of hand.” Walker stared at the computer again. She bit her upper lip as her eyebrows drew together.
“The Stone of Power will be a problem. Can she make a box to protect us from that thing?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so, since it’s so volatile. When the Stone is collected, we should place it in the conference room. It is the most isolated place.”
“I agree.”
Walker tucked her bangs behind her ear, saying, “I-I-I can substitute myself for the Stone of Power.”
“No,” Raptor said firmly, not even considering the possibility of Walker redirecting the energy flow through herself. “It’s too risky. We’re getting the Stone of Power.”
“It’s my choice.”
“My orders.”
“Very well,” Walker said, bowing her head. “We know where the others are; we should start there. I can do this with fewer Stones, but each one makes it considerably easier.”
“Let me resolve this bomb problem, and then we’ll figure out what to do.”
“Who will you take with you?”
“Godlin and Dynamos. Godlin and I can get to Tenebris with the Stone of Fire, and I want to see if Dynamos can disarm the bomb himself.” Dynamos was the Keeper of chemistry and the best choice for dealing with bombs, but he would be powerless in Tenebris. Just like with guns, the dimension differed enough that any bomb Dynamos made would react in an unexpected way.
“You’ll still need to find the Keeper,” Mouse said, his tone worried as he clasped his hands together.
“Remember when you joined? You came running up to me and hugged me, talking in a mix of Keeper and … what was that? Korean?”
Mouse blushed as he shifted his body in his chair. “I thought I knew you!”
“Exactly. Earth made sure you trusted me, and this shouldn’t be any different.” Raptor shot him a toothy grin. “I’m heading out. Get the coordinates Mouse, and I’ll let you know when I’m ready to transport. Walker, is the Stone of Fire in the armory?”
“Yes.”
“Good luck!” Mouse peeked up at her with a hint of a smile.
* * * * * *
The roadside carnival appeared overnight in an empty parking lot in a town northwest of El Paso—The-Middle-of-Nowhere, New Mexico. The October night breathed out cool, but still, air as lights from the distant city illuminated the sky.
Rust-covered rides towered over the fairgrounds—their integrity questionable. Every joint and bolt creaked at the slightest movement, and the chipped paint revealed multiple layers of old colors. Several of the rides had wooden boards shoved under them for support.
Yet, right at dusk, all the neon lights flipped on and spirited music began playing, drifting out across the town and filling the empty desert with life. The smell of cheap food—most of it puffed sugar, deep-fried, and shoved on a stick—saturated the air with intoxicating smells, beckoning the townspeople to the Halloween carnival.
Andrew knew it was the perfect place to bring Christine for their first date. All their friends would be there, and he knew Christine loved Halloween.
Last week at school, Andrew had swallowed his fears and asked Christine out. For the last year, he had sat behind her in chemistry class, admiring the back of her head. He liked the way her honey colored hair smelled faintly of strawberries and how she tied it back with a different colored ribbon every day. Relief had flooded his body when she said yes, and he was glad it had not ruined their friendship; they had known each other since middle school, but now they were in the same grade.
Andrew’s parents had insisted that he skip ahead this year to become a junior, and Andrew did not want to disappoint his parents, his dad least of all. His dad’s family had immigrated to the United States from Mexico, and he had always pushed Andrew and his older sister to excel. His parents wanted him to have a better life. Andrew did not regret skipping grades, but he found himself grateful that he knew Christine.
“What should we ride next?” Andrew pushed his goofy plastic pirate hat down tighter over his brown hair. They had taken a break from the rides to get a quick drink. He slurped down the last of his neon-green, lime-flavored soda and threw his empty cup away.
“The Twister!” Christine’s face scrunched up into a bright grin, causing the black whiskers painted on her face to wrinkle.
They had already ridden the Twister three times. The giant cylinder resembled a spaceship with a green alien sticking out of the top. Andrew liked the ride because it did not leave the ground. Instead, it spun around, trying to eject its passengers. Thanks to centripetal force, it became possible to climb a vertical wall and turn upside down without falling.
Andrew and Christine lined up with their friends in front of a glowing, fluorescent sign, waiting for another turn. Everyone wore costumes ranging from cartoon characters to superheroes, complete with homemade capes and terrible paint jobs. The tiny Walmart in town had a scant selection of costumes, mostly for younger kids, and they had sold out within a few days of setting up the Halloween display.
Andrew admired some of the other outfits. He noticed Captain America—his shield made of cardboard and crudely painted—a vampire, who kept adjusting his false fangs, and a fairy with glittery pink wings strapped to her back.
“Hey, a
re you guys coming?” Melissa yelled out from farther up the line. She wore a Wonder Woman costume with tall red boots and a bright red skirt that contrasted with her sun-kissed, light brown skin.
Andrew had been nervous when they first arrived at the fair, until they met up with their friends Robert and Melissa, who had been going steady for two years. They made it easier to relax around Christine.
In fact, he and Christine had even kissed, right at the top of the Ferris wheel. It was a moment of sheer terror and absolute joy, rolled up into a ball, and dropped into his chest, only to fall out of his stomach a few seconds later as they descended from the top.
A big grin pulled across his face as he wondered if he could convince Christine to kiss him again. Andrew leaned over and gave her a nudge. When she turned toward him, he closed his eyes and moved in slowly for a kiss, trying to appear as casual about it as possible.
Christine inclined toward him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.
Andrew jumped in surprise as his stomach flipped over, not expecting soft lips to press into his, even if it lasted for just a split second.
“You two are such dorks,” Melissa teased.
Robert stood next to Melissa. His skin tone was similar to hers, but he had darker hair. He wore a Batman suit and had a cheap plastic mask tied to his face, but it kept sagging to one side, giving Batman a droopy ear. He yelled in a deep, husky voice, “Get over here.”
“Why should we?” Christine gave him a half smile.
“Because I’m Batman!” Robert growled. He repeated the joke at every opportunity, which Christine and Andrew gleefully provided.
With an exaggerated sigh, Melissa said, “Seriously, come on!”
Melissa and Robert made a space, offering to let Christine and Andrew cut in line. Some of the teenagers standing behind them glared, but said nothing.
Andrew dug around in his pocket and pulled out several tickets. He groaned. “We need four tickets for that, and we’ve only got three.”
“Forgot about that.” Christine’s rabbit ears slipped down on her head.
Ogling her for the hundredth time that night, Andrew could not help but adore her in that rabbit costume. He made a conscious effort to keep his eyes from wandering to the ball of white fluff pinned to the back of her jeans.
“Hey,” Christine called out toward Melissa and Robert. “You guys got any extra tickets? We just need two more.”
Robert shook his head. “These are our last ones, but I’ll skip out, let you two get on with Melissa.”
“Nah, that’s not fair,” Andrew said. “You two have fun; we’ll ride something else.”
Christine pressed her lips together. “Yeah.”
Hugging Robert’s arm, Melissa said, “Thanks Andrew, you’re sweet.”
“The Ferris wheel takes three.” Andrew stared up at the glowing wheel towering over the fair. It flashed different colors, creating a hypnotic pattern of spirals. It would have been fascinating to watch had more of the lights been working.
“You just want me to kiss you again.”
Andrew’s cheeks flushed red for a moment. “Who wouldn’t?”
Christine giggled at him. Then she turned toward a long dark building a few yards away. A shaggy werewolf stood in front of the building in tattered shorts. It twisted back and forth in a jerky motion, mechanical gears clicking with every movement. No one stood in line.
“Hey! Let’s go in the haunted house. It’s just three tickets.”
“But what about the Ferris wheel?” Looking at it from this distance, Andrew started to regret his suggestion. He had never liked heights and had barely managed to get on the Ferris wheel the first time.
Christine called out to Robert and Melissa, “We’re going to the haunted house!”
“We’ve been; it’s terrible!” Robert said. He moved farther up in line, following the trail of people climbing aboard the Twister.
“That’ll be perfect!” Christine turned to Andrew and spoke in a low tone, “Besides, maybe I’ll scream and you’ll have to hold me.”
“Yeah, let’s do it.” Grinning at her, Andrew took Christine’s hand and walked toward the building, wondering if they would kiss for a third time and maybe for even longer. He gave Christine a side-glance, but she stared at the building.
Painted on the walls were images of zombies, vampires, and a terrified woman with her hands to her face, blaring out the words “Scream House!” in sloppy, neon orange letters. Under the woman hung a smaller sign lit by a single lamp that read, “Powered by Biotech.”
They handed their tickets to a bored man sitting in front of the haunted house. He gave them a glance and motioned to the doorway draped in a pair of black curtains. Andrew and Christine stepped inside, the curtains closing behind them.
The hallways of the haunted house were painted pitch black. The sounds of screams and wolf howls blared from speakers at irregular intervals.
“Sure is dark.” Andrew reached down and tugged on Christine’s tail, causing her to jump.
She spun around and jabbed a finger into his stomach, right in the middle of the giant skull painted on his shirt. “That’s the point!”
Andrew jumped away from her. “Hey!”
A short distance from the entrance, the teenagers found a distorted mirror. Andrew stood next to Christine—their heads and legs enlarged but their bodies squished flat. From his angle, Christine stood an inch shorter and appeared a little heavier than Andrew and her skin tone a few shades lighter than his.
“Ugh!” Christine said. “It’s amusing, but it’s not scary.”
Andrew ducked down and stood back up, causing his pirate hat to grow and shrink. “I could do this all day.”
“I bet you could,” Christine replied. She grinned and walked into the next room.
Andrew stuck his tongue out at the mirror and ran to catch up to Christine.
They turned a corner and walked into a narrow hallway. A tall man, dressed in black, lunged at them with fangs bared and flashing red eyes.
Christine yelped as a pale hand reached toward her. She wrapped herself around Andrew in a tight hug. The vampire withdrew into a coffin, and the door slammed shut after it.
Letting go of Andrew, Christine cleared her throat. “Fake, yes, I know.” She straightened the rabbit ears resting on her head.
Andrew waved his hands back and forth in front of the hidden vampire, causing the coffin door to swing open. The vampire lurched forward with outstretched arms, and its nocturnal eyes lit up before retreating into the coffin.
“He just wants a kiss,” Andrew teased.
“I bet he does!” She nudged him on the shoulder.
Andrew reached down and took Christine’s hand, giving it a squeeze. It felt natural, as if he had been holding hands with her forever, rather than just most of the night.
They entered a small, dim room next. Fake jungle plants jutted their shiny plastic leaves out into the pathway. A broken speaker sputtered out crackling and rumbling sounds as the lights flickered, poorly mimicking a rainforest.
Andrew trailed after Christine as they rounded the corner. They ran smack into a shaggy werewolf. It loomed over them with shimmering yellow eyes and a mouth filled with jagged teeth. Short yelps escaped from both of them at the same moment. They gaped at the werewolf and then started to laugh.
“Better than the Ferris wheel?” Christine asked.
“Robert was right, it’s horrible! I love it!”
Christine stepped past the werewolf. “I see another room.” A doorway stood at the end of the hall, leading to a dark room with a flickering strobe light.
Andrew started to follow, but something caught his eye. A large black cat prowled among the fake foliage. It stood on its hind legs with its claws outstretched and its mouth open. Andrew waved his hands in front of it, but it just stood there—motionless.
“Must be broken,” Christine said.
“Looks like.” Reaching up, Andrew patted the creature on the nose.
It fell over on its side and revealed a mechanic device that would have moved the cat, had it been properly attached. The cat had been obscuring a narrow doorframe leading into a different hallway.
“Oops,” Andrew said. He stepped behind the device, curious. The hidden hallway was wide enough for a person to walk through but appeared to run the length of the haunted house. Piles of boxes were stacked haphazardly here and there, and at the end of the hall, there appeared to be a larger room. A faint blue light shone out over the tops of the boxes, casting shadows on the ceiling. Andrew swore he could hear muffled voices coming from the same direction as the glow.
Christine stuck her head into the hallway. She pointed toward the next room of the haunted house. “Let’s go. I don’t want to get into trouble.”
“Someone’s here. We should tell them what happened. It’s not right to just leave it.”
“I’m sure they will figure it out.” Christine tugged on Andrew’s arm to turn him away.
“It’ll just take a moment,” Andrew said, brushing her off and walking into the hallway. He wound his way past stacks of boxes until he entered a room crammed full of more boxes. In the middle of the floor sat a clear cylinder about a foot tall. The contents of it glowed with a bright blue light, throwing eerie shadows across the walls and boxes. Three people stood around it with their backs to him, oblivious to his presence.
* * * * * *
Raptor crossed her arms in front of her chest as she sighed. She stood in the middle of a storage room inside a cheap carnival attraction. On the floor in front of her rested a clear cylinder filled with a strange liquid.
Raptor, Dynamos, and Godlin had arrived late in the evening. The people milling about the fairgrounds had made it easy for them to slip in. The coordinates the Keepers had received directed them to the fair and then to the haunted house. They spent a little time searching the building, but they eventually discovered the storage room and the bomb inside it. So far, everything was going according to plan.
“Dynamos?” she asked a young man who leaned over the cylinder, staring into its contents. He had curly black hair and dark bronze, almost black, skin.
Stone of Power (Keepers of Earth Book 1) Page 2
