The Crusader Mysteries:

#1: Kelly and the Bomb Squad

Prologue:
The Mysterious Noises
 
Three years earlier:
 
I guess I could say my sleuthing bug began when I was a student at Hill View’s Horizon
Woods. I couldn’t concentrate on my school project, and my best friends were worried for me.
My mind drifted to the past Saturday, where I overheard my parents fighting. Again.
I was in the school library with my stepbrother Bradley, best friend Cara, and Brad’s best
friend Josh, working on our project for English class. We were supposed to look through and
use newspapers from the past to see how they influenced writers and journalism in the present.
Only Bradley noticed my silence. I felt him looking over my shoulder to my notebook,
where I’d written only “Past to Present: Themes in Society”. I wasn’t paying attention to the
teacher in the front of the group or Cara’s gossip about her family.
“Kelly, snap out of it.” Bradley tried, nudging me.
I shook my head and turned to face him. “I’m sorry, Brad. I’m a little spaced out lately.”
“That’s an understatement.” Josh joked.
“It’s not funny.” I spat. “My parents are fighting again, and I hate it.”
“They never fight!” Cara cried in a whisper just short of her normal voice.
“Aunt Aimee and Mrs. Reading are fighting, too.” Bradley put in.
“They’re fighting over Daddy.” I pointed out. “Aimee, Momma and Derrick have never
fought like this before.”
“Do you know what caused it?” Cara asked.
“I only know what’s wrong with Derrick.” I supplied knowingly. “It’s a Djinn.”
“What’s a Djinn?” Josh asked, confused.
“A magical being that attacks mortal minds, making them go crazy.” I told him.
“Yeah, right.” Josh said, skeptic. “Let’s just get on with this project. Mrs. Matthews is
looking this way.”
“We can talk more about this at lunch, anyway.” Cara supplied.
I picked up a newspaper and skimmed through it.
Cara asked after a few minutes. “Have you found anything, yet?”
My attention was diverted again. This time, by a vision.
Cara saw my face. According to her, my eyes were closed and a hand was on a picture of
a man the caption called “The Hill View Bomber”.
“Hey, what is it?” Bradley tapped me out of the vision. “What do you see?”
My attention went directly to the paper again. “They never found him. He’s still in Hill
View.”
“How can you tell?” Cara asked. Josh stared, unsure of what to make of it. “I read that
article, too. It doesn’t say either way.”
“I just had a clairvoyant vision.” I told them. Cara and Bradley shared a look.
“What’s a clairvoyant vision?” We heard a voice above us. It belonged to my guy-best-
friend, Steve Edwards.
“She sees visions of the past.” Bradley supplied as Steve sat down.
 “Where have you been?” Josh asked.
“Principal’s office.” Steve remarked. “Seems someone put a dung bomb in the
bathrooms again.”
Cara giggled. “I bet that someone is you?”
“They can’t prove it.” Steve smiled. “This time, it wasn’t only me.”
“Who else would put dung bombs in the bathroom toilets?” Josh asked with a grin.
“Krysti Farthay.”
“You’re kidding!” Cara supplied with a giggle. “Way to go, Krysti.”
“She almost got caught.” Steve remarked. He turned back to me. “So, what did you
see?”
“The Hill View Bomber, and what he did.”
“The article says they couldn’t find him after five years.” Cara replied.
Steve looked to the newspaper, taking it out of my hands. “Kel, this is from five years
ago. That would mean...”
“Ten years ago, he bombed the Pell Corp building. The police on the case were warned,
but not able to get to the scene in time.” I rattled, not knowing how I knew. “I know differently.
Something went wrong at the Pell Corp building. I can feel it.”
“Here we go.” Bradley groaned. He hated when I “felt” things. It usually meant he was
going to be in trouble soon.
Innocently, I asked my brother, “What?”
“Whenever you say you can feel something, it means Empathy, right?”
“Usually, but not in this case,” I pointed out. “I want to find out what happened, and
catch him before he strikes again.”
“I bet the police already caught him.” Steve remarked.
“He’s probably rotting behind bars by now.” Josh supplied.
I shook my head, adamant. “I saw him in my vision. He was never caught.”
“Let the police handle it after you tell them your vision.” Cara remarked. “That’s their
job.”
“How is she going to tell them? It’s not like she can tell them her vision.” Bradley said.
“They’d never believe me anyway.” I replied. “I’d go to Uncle Shane and Derrick on
this, but they have too many troubles of their own dealing with Djinn.”
“You can try telling them.” Bradley supplied. “I’m sure they’ll listen.”
“No, I want to do this on my own.” I said. “If things get too tough, I’ll go to the
Detectives for help, like it or not.”
“You may have to.” Steve supplied.
Secretly, I knew he was right. I’d have to tell Uncle Shane and Derrick about it
sometime.
I only hoped it wouldn’t be too late.
 
II
 
The night can be cruel to kids, I’ll tell ya. Chasing after bad guys has never been my sort
of thing, but I just couldn’t leave it alone. My clairvoyance urged me to proceed. The visions
were so intense, not even my mother knew what to do with them.
Lucky for her, and the entire Hill View Police department, I did. My friends and I
investigated the infamous Hill View Bomber, who, in fact, had even baffled cops for a decade.
He (we know it’s a he) always leaves the same mark behind him. A symbol of a bomb with a
cruel smiley face that says, “gotcha!” on it.
This is where we come in. I had to do a research project for school, with three of my
friends beside me. I came across the newspaper from ten years ago. When I touched it, I got a
clairvoyant vision. A hooded shadow of a man paraded up to a building with a briefcase in hand.
I could feel his confidence and smugness. Another flash, he was walking out of the building the
same way, with confidence. Only this time, I could faintly see a smile on his face.
When I was tapped out of the vision by brother, Bradley, I was afraid. I had to do
something, so I told him and our other friends, Cara, Josh, Steve, Samantha and Krysti. Cara
was as scared as I was, Josh was tough, Steve thought it was a joke and Samantha and Krysti
loved the idea of us catching the bad guy. In fact, it was Krysti’s idea to investigate this place to
begin with.
After telling police what I saw, they sent me home. I told my stepfather Derrick and
Uncle Shane about my visions and they went crazy. They were Detectives on the force so they
took the case. Unlike the other police at the station, they didn’t shun me away, thinking I was
just a kid playing a prank on them. They took my clairvoyant visions seriously.
Anyway, two months have passed and plenty of investigative detective work was done.
We’d finally figured out his game. His name isn’t important to this story, so I’ll cut to the chase.
Cara, Josh, Steve, Samantha, Bradley and Krysti each had walkie-talkies so we could talk
to each other. We hid in different spots around the abandoned building, which used to be a
cannery. Bradley and I were stationed nearest to the building.
“Hey Kel, can you sense what’s up?” Bradley whispered through the walkie-talkie.
“Not yet, we just have to be patient.”
Patient. Yeah, right. It took another half-hour of waiting in order to catch him in the act.
We had proof, we had evidence, and the cards were stacked against him.
Sure enough, our patience paid off. He was walking, almost marching, to the building.
His trademark suitcase in one hand.
I used telepathy to communicate to my friends. Ready, troops?
Ready. (Both Krysti and Samantha’s voices echoed in my mind.)
Whenever you are. (Bradley)
Let’s do this already! (Steve)
Hurry up, this place is creepy. (Cara)
Let’s go! (Josh)
In my mind, the astounding GO! And we were on our way. Hill View Police caught their
man, and we couldn’t be happier. Most of all me, for once the visions started, I couldn’t stop
until seeing everything was okay again.
Sure enough it was, and the visions stopped.
All of Hill View heard of our good deeds, unbelieving that a bunch of thirteen-year-olds
did what ten years of police work couldn’t. From that point on, we were known as the Bomb
Squad.
 
A month later, the seven of us, plus my parents and siblings, went to a secret place in
lower-California called the System-Network Agency. It was owned and run by two of my much-
older cousins, Shannon and Nick. For our hard work, we were inducted into the Agency and
given high marks for our bravery.
 Not only that, but my friends were given special necklaces with different jewels on them.
This was the fun part. Each of the necklaces had the power to bring out whatever special power
the mind and soul would let it have. It would also let it grow, helping through dreams to control
that power and use it in the Dream Realm only.
Pretty cool, huh?
Anyway, I didn’t need one because I already had a special necklace of my own. I
received the Dream Locket (that’s what the necklaces are called) when I was seven years old and
ready to learn more about my strange powers. My jewel was an opal that changed to onyx when
true evil was near.
Bradley was given one like mine with the opal/onyx. It gave him the power to feel if I
was in danger. Momma calls it the Protector’s Pendant, but I’m not sure he’s ready to accept it
yet.
Before I go on, I should explain what an Earthly Protector was. According to the Ancient
Mystics, the clan of magic-workers my family was originally from, an Earthly Protector was
someone who’s sworn to protect a Mystic. This meant Bradley was mine, but I was confused.
How could he be my Earthly Protector if he was my brother? It didn’t make sense.
Krysti’s had a heart-shaped yellow topaz on her Dream Locket, with Steve’s being the
emerald stone. Cara’s had a heart-shaped Ruby stone while Josh’s had the lapis lazuli.
Samantha, on the other hand, was different. After reading her aura and mind, Momma
and Shannon both found out something interesting. Sam was like Aunt Aimee – she held some
Unicorn Magic (the Magic to feel emotions, talk to animals and even heal, if trained right). That
meant she was our Over-Seer. She would be able to watch over the rest of us from wherever we
were. If we were in trouble, she’d feel it and help. If we were hurt, she’d know how to relieve
and maybe even heal any wounds. The Dream Locket stone she wore was a heart-shaped Quartz
crystal.
My friends didn’t know what to think or do about this new situation. With the exception
of Bradley, Cara, and myself, they’d never heard of the Dream Realm before. Sure, they all
claimed dreaming in the same ‘world’, but they couldn’t put the pieces together until they were
told.
We were all allowed to stay there to get used to the ideas and test out our new jewels.
My mother had told my friends’ parents where they were, and to excuse them from school for
two weeks.
Speaking of my mother, she came to me before we had to leave.
“Kelly, you do understand this is all to be kept secret?”
I smiled at her. “Of course, Momma. Don’t worry. I haven’t told yet, and I’m sure
Bradley won’t.”
“That’s good, because there’s something I need you to do.”
I sat at the nearest booth in the Commons’ Room. “Is it bad?”
“Define bad.” My mother told me.
“Ugh, go ahead. Let me hear it.”
“I need you to use the Forgetfulness Spell on your friends.”
The Forgetfulness Spell was actually a potion. It does just what it says it does. It makes
the drinker forget what you want them to.
“Bradley, too?” I asked.
 Momma shook her head. “No, not him. He’s trustworthy, and so is Cara. No, I need
you to use it on Kirsten, Samantha, Steven and Joshua. They aren’t ready to learn their special
powers, yet. I can sense they want to, but deep down, their souls won’t let them.”
My mother was serious. I swallowed. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Positive. They just aren’t ready to be Dream Realm Crusaders. It’s in
them, but the ambition isn’t there. Maybe it will be in a few years, but not now.”
I looked to my hands. “I understand.”
I did it. I gathered my four friends together in the Café once the potion was done. We
were just chatting, having pop while we talked. It was my chance, but how would I do it to the
four of them all at once? Compulsion? Confusion?
Magic is definitely harder than it sounded.
I didn’t want them to totally forget the magic they have in them, or even why they have
to wear the necklaces constantly. I wanted them to slowly open up to the facts in their own time,
and learn at their own pace.
I used compulsion. The power of telepathy is strong, especially in a Mystic like me.
You will close your eyes and think of nothing. The things you learned the past two weeks
are now stored in the back of your mind until you are personally ready to understand them.
Your necklaces are special, and must be worn constantly for you to travel to the Dream Realm.
To you, the Dream Realm is simply a world of your dreams, only better. In it, your dream-self
lives out the fantasies and magic you learned here.
I poured the Spell in each drink but my own.
Drink, and think of nothing. When I tell you to open your eyes, you will obey, thinking
this place a college, and that you’re learning how life is on campus. From this point on until
you’re ready, you will think this truth. Nothing except my family and me would ever persuade
you to think otherwise. As the Enchantress of the Dream Realm, this spell is done.
I sat back down.
“Okay, you can open your eyes now.” I told them.
It was hard to explain (okay, lie) to them what we were doing here and so on, but we did
it and returned home that weekend.
  
Chapter One:
Present day
 
Craig Richardson woke up with a start. He sat up in his cozy bed and shuddered. For a
second there, he thought he had heard eerie noises coming from outside the house.
Ting, ting. Ting, ting, ting.
Sure enough, there it was again. He was sure he heard it that time. He looked to his wife
Claudia, who was sleeping soundly in the bed next to him.
She could sleep through an earthquake, he thought to himself.
Just to make sure he wasn't losing his mind, he pulled back the covers and wandered over
to the window. He opened the window and glanced around. On the left-side of the Richardson’s
estate, he saw the neighbor's pit bull Charlie cautiously pacing the backyard, being certain of any
prowlers snooping around the area. On the other side of his house, along with the rest of the
neighborhood, it was pitch-black. Only porch lights at each block's houses seemed to make the
otherwise creepy neighborhood peaceful.
The evening breeze blew some leaves from the tree in front of his house, making him
shiver. Craig's gaze stopped at the house that was directly across the street from his own. It
wasn't a house; it was a mansion, really. The infamous Catz Mansion.
He shivered, unable to take his eyes off the upstairs bedroom of the mansion. I must be
imagining things, he interjected to himself, shaking his head. I couldn't possibly be seeing things
in an otherwise abandoned mansion. Wasn't it supposed to be haunted by the ghost of Jeremiah
Catz?
Craig was tiring of this nonsense. He yawned.
Besides, he thought as he shut the window and closed the drapes, there are no such
things as ghosts. Right?
He heard the noises again, and was frozen with fear. Before heading back into bed, Craig
Richardson did the only thing he could think of to do.
He screamed.
 
The next day, thankfully, was Saturday. Craig decided to call his best friend, Derrick
Reading, and tell him what was going on. He was sure that Derrick could help him get to the
bottom of this mess. After all, Craig thought. He was a great detective.
After discussing the problem with him for a few minutes, Derrick surprised him with an
odd suggestion. "How about if I go and check out what made the noises?" Derrick suggested
excitedly, not meaning to sound the part.
"I guess, but won't it be dangerous?" Craig asked. "I mean, I don't want my own best
friend to get in trouble for nosing around where he wasn't aloud."
"Don't worry about me, Richardson," Derrick laughed. "I know what I'm doing."
Craig was silent, unsure.
"By the way, have you told anyone else, yet?" Derrick asked when Craig didn't answer
right away.
"Just my older sister, Andrea. Unfortunately, she already knew about the noises, and
boy, was she spooked!" Craig said with a nervous laugh. “Both Kevin and Claudia know
something, but aren’t telling. Cara’s not as scared, but I could tell she’s curious.”
Kevin Woods was Craig’s brother-in-law and Claudia was Craig’s wife, the younger
sister to Derrick’s own ex-wife, Ariana. Derrick knew Cara was Craig’s younger sister.
"Really?"
"Yeah. She even asked me if she should tell her best friend."
"Kelly? Why?" Derrick asked with a light laugh.
"I guess she doesn’t want to go anywhere near it alone." Craig said.
 The two of them talked a little bit longer before hanging up. His stomach growled as he
put the phone back on the receiver. He decided to head downstairs and grab himself a snack. He
wandered into the dining room, and glanced around. Grabbing an apple from the refrigerator,
Craig stared out the kitchen window. His gaze again hit the eerie mansion across the street.
Craig's mind wandered. He began to think about his conversation with Derrick, and the noises
he had heard the night before.
Craig shook his head at the apple and thought, I just lost my appetite.
As he threw the half-eaten apple in the trash, he heard a key in the front door. A lonely,
sad-looking Andrea Richardson glided passed him, not bothering to say anything short of a small
"Hi." She had been hearing the noises more than Craig had, and was twice as spooked. Andrea
slowly headed toward the staircase, going to her bedroom.
She was spending most of her time there lately. Craig mused, shaking his head. Must be
even she's scared out of her wits about the mansion? There's nothing I can do about her, and
I'm really worried, so is Kevin. Cara and Claudia are curious, too. This was very unlike our
Andrea.
Craig sighed. He started to head upstairs to his own bedroom, but he couldn't help
staring at the mansion one last time. Who was making the noises in the Catz mansion?
I hope Derrick solves this thing soon. Craig thought to himself objectively. He shivered.
I'm too old to be scared of ghosts.
 
Chapter Two:
“Introductions are in Order”
 
The day had ended at last. Hill View High, farewell until Monday. I slammed my locker
shut only to hear the voice of Bradley yelling from down the hall. I turned and saw him, giving
him my brightest smile.
“Sorry, Brad.” I supplied innocently. “Didn’t hear you coming.”
“Yeah, right.” Bradley joked as he played with the lock. He and I walked home together
so I waited for him. “Come on, Little Sister. Let’s go home.”
After he grabbed his book-bag, we were on our way. We were soon joined by my best
friend Cara Richardson. “I need you to do me a favor.”
Brad and I shared a look. “What kind of favor?”
“I know we haven’t been detectives in years, but will you snoop around somewhere with
me?”
“Where?” Brad asked.
“The Catz Mansion.” Cara ad-libbed a frightened shiver. She saw the roll of my eyes
and stopped me in my tracks. “Come on, Kelly. I’m serious.”
“Act like it sometimes, and we’ll be able to tell the difference.” Bradley supplied.
I frowned at him. “Ignore my bone-headed brother.” I told her. “What’s going on over
there?”
“I’m hearing noises.”
“There could be many explanations for that.” I replied. “House settling, for instance.”
“Lights on.” She went on.
“Electrical burnouts.” Bradley suggested.
“In a place that’s been empty for a hundred years?” Cara asked, skeptically. “Doubt it.
No, I definitely heard noises.”
“What kind of noises?” I asked, interested.
“Pounding on wood and a kind of tapping sound on metal.” Cara explained. She saw the
look on my face. “Does that look mean you’ll do it?”
I sighed. Darn my detective’s instincts. “When?”
“Thank you!” She hugged me. “We’ll go tonight, okay? Late, so you’ll have to sneak
out.”
“Sneaking out isn’t easy with Juliet watching me like a hawk.” I replied.
“She hasn’t watched Kelly this closely since she moved in, and the twins pulled a prank
on her.” Bradley supplied. “I swear that woman scares me sometimes.”
“Oh, hush.” I giggled. “I’ll try my best, okay? Meet me outside your house at one
tonight. You can come if you want, Brad.”
Bradley shook his head, which confused me. He loved solving mysteries as much as I
did.
“Why not?”
“I’ve got some serious studying to do.” He told us. “Mr. Burns hinted he’s giving us a
pop-quiz Monday morning.”
“I’ll tell you what happens, okay?” I replied.
“No problem.” Bradley waved goodbye. “See you later, Gator.”
 By that time, we’d reached home. Bradley lives next to me, so he went inside. Cara, on
the other hand, followed me inside my house.
“In the meantime, does Aunt Claudia or Uncle Kevin notice anything?” I asked Cara.
Cara shrugged. “I don’t think they can hear anything over the babies crying.”
“Have you asked them?”
“Kevin’s too worried about Andrea and Claudia’s been acting strange lately.” Cara
announced. “Even for her.”
“What’s wrong with Andrea?”
“The same thing that’s wrong with me.” Cara replied. “Something in the mansion is
spooking her out. Kevin’s worried about her. We all are. Kevin even tells me Andrea does
nothing but come home after work and head to their suite of rooms. I’ve noticed she doesn’t
come out for anything. She’s not eating, or taking care of the twins or anything.”
“Maybe Momma can talk some sense into her?”
“Doubt it. If Kevin can’t, neither can she.”
I winked. “Never underestimate the power of a Mystic.”
“I never do.” Cara replied. “Speaking of power, I felt something from this thing today.”
She was touching her Ruby stone on the necklace.
“When, and why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“I felt it this morning. The only reason I didn’t tell you about it then was because we
were late for school, remember?”
We were late, by ten minutes.
“What did you feel from it?” I asked, interested.
“As I walked to school, it heated up, big time.” Cara supplied. “I stopped in my tracks to
see what made it do that, and what did I find? It was pulling itself to the Mansion.”
“Yipes.” I said. “What else?”
“When I looked at it, it was glowing bright red.” Cara replied. “What does that mean?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“What does yours do to you?”
“To me or for me?” I asked. “To me, it warns me of evil in the air by turning into the
black onyx. When all’s well, it’s the opal.”
Cara’s eyes widened when she looked at my Dream Locket. “You mean, like that kind of
black?”
I looked at it myself. “Whoa.”
“Whoa is right. Think we should check into it?”
“What is there to check into?”
Cara shrugged. “You never know.”
There was a knock on the door, followed by Bradley barging in. He wasn’t smiling.
“Something’s wrong.”
“No kidding.” I supplied. I glanced at his Pendant and nodded. “Definitely wrong.
Wanna see if the others have these feelings, too?”
“Not yet.” Bradley advised. “For now, it’s just the three of us.”
“First, we figure out what Cara’s necklace does.” I announced. “Tell him what you just
told me.”
He nodded his head, listening. His brows lined in thought, hand fingering the Pendant. I
watched his eyes when they closed. He was thinking like a detective again. When he finally
said something, the silence was broken.
 “I see.”
Cara and I looked at each other. “You see?” I asked. “What do you see?”
“I see we have a case on our hands.”
“After three years?” I asked. “What would it be?”
“Whatever is going on across the street from the Richardsons.” Bradley supplied. “I’ve
gotta run. I’m helping Angel with her math homework.”
Angel was his adopted cousin. My Aunt Aimee, who happens to be Daddy’s twin sister,
adopted the girl some time ago.
“Let me know what happens tonight, okay you guys?” Bradley continued.
He sounded worried, looking at each of us. When our eyes met, I felt something
Empathic coming from him toward me.
“Gotcha.” I said, clearing my throat. For some reason, I was nervous around him.
With that, he left, with Cara and me looking at each other. “I’ve gotta run, too. I
promised Craig I’d be straight home after school to watch the brats.”
She picked up her book-bag and headed downstairs, disappearing from sight.
 
So that’s how it started. Cara and her sister Andrea had been hearing and seeing things in
the Catz Mansion, which has been empty for a hundred years. Cara wanted me to investigate, so
I did. It reminded me of the Bomb Squad of Horizon Woods, Hill View’s own middle-grade
school. She and Bradley were the only ones besides myself to be trusted enough to keep the
System-power-necklace secret from the rest of our adoring friends.
Whoa. I’m going too fast, even for me!
First, my name is Kelina Erin Reading. I’m fifteen and a sophomore at Hill View High
in Hill View, Michigan. I have an extended family, which is ultra cool. I have three Daddies,
my real Daddy who lives next door, Derrick, my first stepdad who was married to Momma for
several years before my third Daddy, Draconis came along. That story in itself is very
complicated. Across the street are my Aunt Adarra, her mate Uncle Drakkar, Draconis’ twin
brother, and Uncle Shane with my cousins Caleb, Meredith, and Logan. Next door to them are
Daddy Derrick and his mate, Draconis and Drakkar’s younger sister Dracora, who goes by the
name Shylee in this Realm. I love my family.
Let’s see, what else?
Oh yeah. I have long reddish-brown hair and wear glasses most of the time. So does
Momma. She tells me they help her control her Mystic powers, and I believe her. They’ve
helped me with mine most of the time. My younger brothers Andrew and Mark wear them, too.
Andrew thinks they make him look intelligent. His twin Mark refuses to wear them, saying they
make him look like a nerd.
Like my Momma, I have the Mystic’s trademark, silver-blue eyes.
You won’t believe it, but we’re a part of the Mystic family. Basically what that means is
that I have certain powers, like Premonition (telling the future), telepathy (reading minds),
clairvoyance (a second-sight or awareness of distant objects and events), telekinesis (moving
stuff just by thinking about it) and empathy (the power to feel other people’s emotions. I’ll
explain more as it happens.) Momma doesn’t want me to use my powers in school, or even in
public. She wants it to be kept a family secret, which is understandable. How would you
explain things popping out of thin air?
I have a pair of younger twin step-brothers that really know how to liven things up.
Mark-Antony, named after both my late uncle Mark Grey and Momma’s younger brother,
Antony, is one rambunctious eight-year-old. Speaking of Mark Grey, we recently had his sister
visit, only she came to stay. Momma and Derrick made her our Caretaker, and when she met
Draconis, along with the two Guards he brought with him from the Dragon Nations, she decided
to stay. When they couldn’t be there, Juliet would. She’s really shy, but she does a good job.
Back to my brothers. Mark Antony’s twin brother Andrew James (Named after my step-father)
is the more serious twin. Andrew acts more mature than his brother, who always wants to
destroy things.
I gotta love ‘em.
I have a younger step-sister, Derrick’s daughter Melody. She’s really cute, but hasn’t
spoken aloud since she was born. Sure, she has telepathy, which is normal for a five-year-old
Mystic, but she doesn’t utter a peep. She doesn’t even cry. My twin brothers, mostly Mark
Antony, tease her sometimes. She doesn’t let anything bother her. Instead, she uses telekinesis
to throw one of her stuffed animals at them. I’m trying to teach her sign language, so we’ll at
least know what she wants half the time. So far, so good.
The youngest Reading kid really isn’t a Reading at all. Theodore Ethan Reading, in
blood, is a Schmidt. Momma and Daddy had an affair two years ago when times were tough on
every Mystic in the family. So far, I’m the only one besides them who knows. I feel really close
to Theodore, who we nicknamed Theo, because he’s my blood brother while Mark and Andrew
are only step-brothers. Even Melody is Derrick’s daughter; I’m not. Theo is quiet like Daddy,
and even looks like him. He’s only two, and carries the potential for powerful Unicorn Magic.
My older brother Bradley Allen lives next door. Derrick, as I said, is my stepfather, but
Aaron Schmidt, Momma’s best friend, is my real father. I don’t know where Bradley comes in,
but he lives with Daddy and Aunt Aimee. He’s sixteen, wears glasses for reading only, is
intelligent, and a football star at Hill View High. He’s also my best guy friend. Now that we’ve
grown older, I’m beginning to have mixed feelings about him. I admit I have a crush on my
stepbrother.
Also with Daddy and Aunt Aimee is Aimee’s adopted daughter, eight-year-old Angel.
It’s really complicated, but here’s the story. Five years ago, Momma’s old orphanage mistress
had to remodel Hill Crest Orphanage. Mrs. Gertrude, the mistress, came to my Momma, Daddy,
and Aunt Aimee for help in placing the children (then, she had fifteen young ones left) in
temporary homes until they were finished remodeling. Aimee took a child, Angel Hope, who
was three then. When they were finished remodeling, Aimee and Angel had grown so close that
Aimee decided to adopt her.
Two years ago, both Daddy and Aunt Aimee got married. Back in the day, the Three
Musketeers (as Daddy, Aimee and Momma called themselves growing up) lived in the Shore
Point Home for Children. Across the home was a pair of brothers, Seth and Scott Archer.
(Momma told me her side of this story, so I hope I get it right.) The Archers made friends with
the Musketeers, mainly Scott with Aunt Aimee. The five of them sheltered each other and
Momma helped with her untamed Magic. When she was pregnant with me, she went to Seth,
asking to borrow money so she could run away. He agreed, lending her the money. Years later,
he returned to collect, and Scott was at his side. Scott fell for Aunt Aimee all over again, staying
with her when Seth returned to Maryland. Now I have an Uncle Scott.
As for Daddy, according to both Momma and Aunt Aimee, he couldn’t get over Momma.
He was desperately in love with her, and they thought that was sad. Momma was already loving
and married to Derrick then, but Daddy couldn’t accept it. That’s when the two remaining
Musketeers got desperate. They wanted to make him happy again, getting on with his life
without her. It wasn’t easy, and it took quite a while, but it was worth it. My stepmother Sierra
is really good to him and nice to the entire family. Daddy fell in love, I mean, totally in love,
head over heels with Sierra. Now, they’re married and she’s pregnant. Sierra has since changed
her name to her Pagan name of Airmed Starchaser.
 Across the street are my cousins. Momma’s twin Adarra has three children; Caleb, who’s
the same age as the twins, Meredith, who’s a year older than Melody, and young Logan, who’s
only two and super-cute.
Not only that, but my Momma has two adopted sisters of her own. Caroline Parker and
Michelle Sheridan-Butcher. Some time ago, while Momma was in the Crusades (more later),
Caroline adopted a pair of mulatto twin girls. Kimberly and Carrie Parker are two of my good
friends, thanks to Momma and Caroline. The story as I know it is also complicated. Caroline’s
mother, Diane Parker was the one to actually adopt the girls, as one of her ideas. Michelle
comes in as part of a deal that was made between the three of them. In order for Michelle to be
able to see her daughters, she would remain a “cousin” to them. Two years ago, the truth was
out. Momma and Michelle knew each other from way back, so Momma made Michelle tell her
girls the truth. Not soon after, they asked about their father, and Michelle began looking for him.
Just last year, Kenneth Butcher, an African-American man five years older than Michelle,
realized he loved her still and married her. Now they live together, Caroline, Kymm, Carrie,
Michelle and Kenneth, in the Parker Mansion.
I’ve one more person to tell about; my new stepdad Draconis Dratianos. Two years ago
was the War of the Realms. After which, Momma, who was the new Lady Guardian of the
Realms due to a threat to Lord Guardian O’Dell’s logic, she heard from her blood-sister the
Countess Dracora in the Dragon Nations about those called the “Lost Ones.” The “Lost Ones” as
she told Momma, were a trio of children that were said to be in a place called Dragon’s Keep.
Dracora wanted Momma to investigate, just to be sure the rumors of their return was correct.
Turns out, they were, and the three children of Kronin, Locarra and Locanna were the three
Royal Children of Lord Draconis Dratianos, Emperor of the Dragon Nations. Draconis told her
his side of the “Lost Ones” story, about how his mate and Lady Empress left him, taking the
three children with her, never to be seen again. Wanting to help reunite a Royal family, she
brought the children back to Lord Draconis in Mal’estar, the Empire City. Momma felt a strange
connection to the four of them – especially Draconis immediately, especially when he smiled at
her and called her his mate. Before long, Momma was changing, and found out she was Lord
Draconis’ true-mate of Adellandra Mout’ella Dranna, Empress of the Dragon Nations.
Whew! Like I said, I love my extended family.
Besides all that, I have a very special destiny, for I’m the Enchantress of the Dream
Realm. Momma is the Mystic Realms’ Lady Guardian and Draconis is her Earthly Protector and
mate, sworn to protect her for the rest of his life.
Here I go, getting ahead of myself again. Long before Draconis reclaimed her, Momma
and Derrick were happily married.
This is so cool. When they were young, my age in fact, Momma and Derrick met at a
place simply known as the System. The System is a teen-detecting agency in Lower California
that’s run by our cousin Shannon Ryan-McNathaniels. When Momma was fifteen, she was
considered an orphan so she was bounced from home to home. Derrick, who’s from the Reading
Family of the Rich District, was having trouble at home, so he runs away. Enter Shannon. She
put them together for a special case: Dream Realm Crusader. Three years later, Momma meets
her twin sister, my aunt Luna, who was later revealed to be Princess Adarra Dratianos, Momma’s
Dragonwolf twin that was mated to Lord Draconis’ twin brother Drakkar. The three of them,
plus Shane “the Shadow” Morehouse, Crusaded every night to fight the bad guys of the Dream
Realm. When I was seven, Momma and I reunited, and I met Derrick and my real Daddy, Aaron
Schmidt. Years later, when I turned twelve, I was inducted as a Junior-detective at the System.
 Now, three years later, with Derrick living across the street and next door to Aunt Adarra
with his new mate, Draconis’ younger sister Dracora, who went by the name of Shylee
Starchaser in the Mortal Realm, Draconis with us in Momma’s house, along with their two Royal
Guards, Draconis’ younger brother Dranus and Momma’s Lady-Knight Sharra, we live happily
in the city of Hill View, Michigan.
Thanks to my parents, the Bomb Squad of Hill View’s Horizon Woods, the Dream Realm
Crusaders and the System-Network Agency in California, I’m a trained detective.
By the way, call me Kelly.
  
Chapter Three:
A Night in the Life of Kelly Reading
 
Okay.
The day after I investigated the Catz Mansion, I came home to find the house quiet for
once. Closing my eyes, I sensed where my family was. Momma was with Melody in the Study,
home-schooling her. The twins weren’t home. They were across the street playing with our
cousins Caleb, Meredith and Logan. Theodore was taking a nap, or at least pretending to. Juliet
was out running her daily errands and Draconis was on his way home from work. I took
advantage of the rare silence by starting on my homework. The very homework I couldn’t
concentrate on the night before because of Cara and the Locket.
I was almost finished with a page for English when I heard the doorbell chime. I knew
when Momma teaches Melody, she wasn’t to be disturbed, so I answered it.
I opened the door to find Uncle Craig, Aunt Andrea and my cute stepbrother Bradley.
Craig was scowling and Andrea failed to look at me, which was very unlike her. Bradley greeted
me with a mysterious smile on his face which, I knew from experience, meant he was up to
something.
"Hi, guys!" I greeted them, smiling. Something was wrong. I could sense it (my
empathic abilities). "Come on in.”
Craig came inside and slumped on the couch. Andrea and Bradley followed close
behind. "Whatever." Uncle Craig mumbled.
Glancing at Bradley innocently, I asked, "Was it something I said?"
My best friend smiled at me, winking. "You'll see."
I was confused as I followed them into the living room.
"What's the big mystery?" I asked Craig and Andrea as I sat on the love seat next to
Bradley.
Andrea looked sheepish before saying, "Do you know that old mansion across the street
from us?"
I nodded. The Catz mansion was the most infamous building in Hill View. How could I
forget that? "Yeah. Go on."
"For the past few weeks," Craig replied, sounding a little frightened, "we’ve been hearing
weird noises coming from it."
Bradley and I gave each other a Look.
“I know. Cara told me.” I explained. “She even had me investigate it last night.”
Craig was alert, waiting for my input. “And?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t hear anything.”
“You didn’t hear pounding on wood?" Andrea asked me.
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Not even the sound of someone moaning?”
“Not a thing, Uncle Craig.” I supplied. “Sorry.”
“You didn’t sense anything strange at all?”
“Has Aunt Claudia or Uncle Kevin?” I asked.
They shook their heads. No.
“I’ll look into it more. Maybe we’ll get to the bottom of it soon?”
“Don’t get into any more trouble than you can handle.” Craig advised me.
 “It’s only a silly mansion, Uncle Craig. I think I can handle it.” I replied.
“Kelly,” Bradley warned.
“We only came over to tell your Momma what was going on.” Andrea said, standing up.
“I know something’s going on at that mansion.” Craig replied. “It woke me up from a
dead sleep, screaming.”
“What did Aunt Claudia have to say?”
“She slept through it.”
Curious. “Usually, she’s the first to sense anything.” I told him. “What would make her
sleep through something like that?”
Craig shrugged. “Dunno.”
“What about Uncle Kevin?”
“I wouldn’t know.” Andrea remarked sadly. “Will you tell her we stopped by?”
“Sure.”
“It’s urgent, Kelly.” Craig announced, eyes darting to his unknowing older sister.
He’s worried about her. I nodded. “No sweat, Uncle Craig.”
Cara’s brother and sister wouldn’t act like this toward me. Something had to be really
wrong at both the Catz Mansion and at the Richardson household. If it was at the house, why
hadn’t my own best friend told me?
They left then, leaving Bradley and I sitting together on the couch. I smiled at him, but
he didn’t smile back.
“You were quiet, Bradley.” I said. “What was on your mind?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
I laughed. “Liar.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you.” He said. “What happened last night?”
“You heard me. Nothing happened.”
“Now who’s the liar?” Bradley teased with a smile. “You can tell me.”
“I know when I’m duped.” I replied. “Cara and I met in front of her house late last
night. She clung to me until I sensed the Catz twins themselves, as I always do. That’s when she
bolted in the opposite direction. Since I was tired and my sensors were shot, I came home.”
Bradley stared at me. “I don’t know how to say this, but I felt you in danger over there.
Are you sure you didn’t sense anything?”
“Would I tell you about it if I did?” I asked, with him nodding. “There you go.”
“Why did I feel something coming from this thing, huh?” Bradley asked, showing me
the Pendant. “I woke up at two in the morning to something hot on my chest.”
Oh no.
“The Pendant?” I asked, scared. I stood up. “It was glowing?”
“Red-hot.”
I paced. “Was it black as the onyx?”
“Well, yeah. It was.”
Should I tell him what really happened after Cara bolted last night? I had to. According
to the Mystics, he was my Protector.
“So was mine.” I grabbed his hand. “Tell Daddy where you’re going.” I commanded,
dragging him with me.
“Where are we going?”
“Back to that mansion.” I supplied. “My instincts haven’t been this acute in three years.”
“Oh boy.” He sighed.
 We raced down the stairs, hand in hand, nearly running into Draconis, who must have
snuck in behind Andrea and Craig.
“Where are you running off to so fast, young lady?” He asked, catching us.
“To snoop around the Catz Mansion.” I told him.
“I don’t know about that . . .” He teased with a smile, meeting our two pairs of pleading
eyes. He cleared his throat. “What if you get hurt?”
“Come on, Dratyr.” I begged, using the Draconian word for ‘father’. “You know I won’t
get into any trouble.”
“I won’t let her get hurt, Lord Draconis.” Bradley tried.
“I know you won’t.” Draconis supplied seriously. “Let me know of anything out of
place, you got that?” We nodded. “Go ahead, honey, but be careful. You, too, Bradley Allen.”
“Yes, sir.” Bradley echoed, nodding.
I hugged him. “Thanks, Dratyr!”
With that, we were on our way.
 
We raced to the mansion as fast as we could, nearly slowing to a stop in front of it. My
mind was in the clouds until Bradley nudged me.
“So, are you going to tell me what really happened last night, or do I have to tickle it out
of you?” He asked.
I looked at him, rolling my eyes. “Tickle-torture doesn’t work anymore and you know
it.” I supplied, turning my attention back to the mansion in front of us. I stopped in my tracks.
“You really want to know?”
“Of course.”
“I did see something last night. Something that wasn’t pretty.” I began, rubbing my
hands on my arms to keep out the chill. “Jesemiah was back, and she wasn’t happy.”
“Jesemiah?”
“You know, Jeremiah Catz’s twin sister?”
“Yeah, so?”
“She told me about the old man that had broken into the house late one night.” I replied,
heading to a nearby window. It was boarded up with a crisscross of wood blocking most of the
pane. The only part that could see into the house was broken.
Bradley followed quietly behind.
I continued my story. “I went to investigate. I walked in the door, following Jesemiah’s
ghost. I wondered what she’d show me. I was scared when she looked to that door,” I pointed to
a door inside the house, “and disappeared. Not wanting to spook myself out, I walked to it,
peeking my head to see what made her leave.”
“What did you see?”
“I sensed an evil I’ve sensed once before.”
“Evil?”
“For lack of better terms, I’ll call it a bad-guy.” I said. “Not an evil as in the Dream
Realm, or Dark Magic gone wrong. It wasn’t that bad.”
“What was it?”
“Someone so conniving, so cunning, I had to race out of there before he noticed me.” I
said.
Bradley whistled. “Could you tell who he was or why he was there?”
 I shook my head. “I thought about it and thought about it, but I couldn’t come up with
anything. That’s the main reason why I went home. I was emotionally drained, not to mention
tired.”
“Do you sense him now?”
I stared in the window and nodded. “Yeah. He’s still here.”
“If he doesn’t belong here, shouldn’t we go to the police?”
“And tell them what? A ghost told me the guy doesn’t belong here? Come on, you know
those guys as well as I do.” I replied. “They won’t believe us anyway.”
“What about the Detectives?”
He meant Derrick and Uncle Shane, two Detectives on the Hill View Police Department
who almost always follow up on my visions.
“They’re too busy.” I announced, walking away from the mansion. I closed my
Empathic sensors, because whoever that guy was in there felt dangerous. I didn’t want my
brother to feel it, too. “Besides, I believe this case will make us famous if we do it ourselves.”
“Famous? Kelly.” He warned as he followed.
“Don’t ‘Kelly’ me, Brad. Let’s catch this guy and send him to jail.”
“He hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“Trespassing on private property is against the law.”
“You’ve been into Mr. Reading’s case files, haven’t you?” Bradley asked with a grin.
His brown eyes twinkled, making me blush.
“Admit it; your instincts are going wild, too.” I countered.
“You got me. I am wondering who he is, and what he’s doing there.”
“I knew it!” I raced ahead. “Race you home!”
 
Bradley won that race home, with both of us laughing over it when we walked in the
door. We found Momma setting the table for dinner.
“You’re just in time to help me.” Momma announced. She saw Brad and supplied.
“Aimee is working at the Center, Airmed’s at the Hill View Players, and Scott and your father
won’t be home until late. Angel’s here, too. You’re both invited to stay, if you want.”
“You know what? I will.” Bradley looked at me and smiled. “Thank you, Mrs.
Reading.”
She glared at him with a smile, which forced him to correct himself. “I’m sorry, Lady
Adellandra.”
Momma laughed, fluffing his hair with one of her hands. “Close enough. Now, go wash
your hands.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
He left to wash his hands in the downstairs bathroom and I helped Momma set the table.
“How was the investigation?” Momma asked, handing me a set of plates.
“How did you know?”
“Draconis tells me everything, you know that.” She said. “How was it?”
I told her. “Turns out our Crusader powers are awakening. At least, Cara’s is. I don’t
know about the others.”
Momma smiled. She always trusts me on my own, especially if Bradley’s with me.
“Good to know one of us had a good day.”
I looked at her. “What do you mean, Momma?”
 “I spent the day home-schooling Melody after dropping your brothers off at the other
Morehouse’s. You know, Shane’s stepbrother Nathan?” Momma asked. I nodded,
remembering. “Melody’s learning Sign Language, but somehow, I don’t think it’s enough.”
Momma paused at her seat, staring into space as she fingered her Dream Amulet that
hung around her neck.
I stopped what I was doing to ask her. “The doctors still don’t know why she doesn’t
speak, do they?”
Momma looked at me and shook her head.
“She could just be shy.” I heard Bradley’s voice beside me.
“Even shy babies cry, Bradley.” Momma pointed out. “No, I think it’s something else.
Everything else is perfect, even her powers. She has the same powers you had when you were
five.”
“Telepathy and telekinesis.” I replied softly.
I remembered when I was five, and I had a vision of Momma in trouble by the
Dominionite Maiden, Sabrina. I also remember starting a new school in another state. I
watched as a bully destroyed a castle made with wooden blocks. I pointed my finger, not
knowing that what I was doing was wrong, and fixed it with telekinesis. Soon after, the family I
was living with died in a fire.
Momma’s voice interrupted my depressing thoughts.
“I’m going to Crusade tonight and ask Lord O’Dell what’s going on.” Momma said,
more to herself then me.
The twins pounded down the stairs, yelling at each other. They ran to the table, Mark
Antony ahead of his twin Andrew. Angel was beside Andrew, her arms folded.
“Beat you!” Mark cried.
“Did not.” Andrew said after him. “You cheated.”
“Yeah, right.” Mark scoffed.
“Boys!” Momma yelled, and the twins looked at her. “That’s enough. Go wash your
hands for dinner. You, too, Angel.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Angel muttered.
When the boys turned around, Momma cried. “And no running!”
They disappeared to the bathroom and I finished setting the table.
That’s when Juliet Grey walked in the door. She was our live-in housekeeper who was
good at her job, but shy. We tried to make her feel welcome, but she’s still nervous around most
of us. She’s only relaxed around Momma, Derrick, Draconis, and Aunt Adarra.
“Good day, Juliet?” I said, smiling.
She smiled back. “Not really, but thanks Kelly.” She turned to my mother. “It’s getting
to be quite a downpour out there. Are you sure the others will be here?”
“Relax Juliet.” Momma laughed softly. “Everything’s fine. Why don’t you wake
Theodore? I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”
Juliet adored my youngest brother. She nodded with a genuine smile and headed
upstairs.
I counted the chairs. There were twenty settings at two separate tables. In my head, I
tried to imagine my family members gathered around it. There were Momma, Mark Antony,
Andrew, Melody, Theodore, Bradley, Angel, Draconis, Juliet and myself. That was only ten.
“Who’s all coming to dinner?” I asked Momma when she came out.
 “Adarra, Shane, Drakkar, and your cousins.” Momma smiled. “Caroline’s bringing the
twins over, too. Kenneth and Michelle are on a date, so they won’t be here.”
Kenneth and Michelle were the true parents to Carrie and Kymm Parker-Butcher. Kymm
and Carrie were friends of ours at school.
“Why are they coming here?” Bradley asked. “Is it some kind of get-together?”
Momma grinned, teasing. She hugged his shoulders. “Can’t I have my own family for
dinner?”
Bradley smiled, knowing my Momma was easy-going.
For a twenty-eight year old, she was a pretty cool mom. She, Aunt Adarra, Aunt Aimee,
and Daddy were the same age. Neither of them looked a day over nineteen.
I heard the front door open so I turned. I saw Draconis in his uniform, and I ran to hug
him.
“Okay Kelly, what do you want?” Draconis teased as he hugged me back.
It was a family joke that I was only super-sweet when I wanted something.
“Nothing.” I told him, looking up at him innocently. “I just wanted to give you a hug. I
missed you today.” That’s when I noticed his clothes were wet, and stepped back. “Ugh! Why
didn’t you warn me?”
Draconis smiled. “You never gave me the chance.” He took his coat off and hung it on
the rack by the front door.
He sniffed the air. “Is that your delicious Something Else Stew, Love?”
Momma ran to hug him, kissing his lips. “You bet, so hurry up or you’ll miss out.”
Draconis laughed. “Am I allowed to change first?”
“Why do you want to change?” I asked him with a smile. “You’re perfect the way you
are.”
Draconis shook his head. “You are a card, you know that?”
“Yeah, the Joker.” Mark kidded, coming up from behind me.
“Get lost, meathead.” I told him.
“Be nice, both of you.” Draconis warned.
“You first.” Mark said, racing off.
I laughed and Draconis shook his head. “He’s your stepson.”
“And your stepbrother, so please try to get along.” Draconis said.
“I’ll behave if he does.” I told him.
“That’ll be the day.” He supplied. “How did the snooping go?”
I told him what happened.
“Don’t forget. If anything happens over there, the five of us have to know about it.”
By five, he meant himself, Derrick, Drakkar, Momma, and Aunt Adarra.
“Nothing will happen, I promise.” I smiled innocently as he kissed my forehead before
heading upstairs.
I looked down to my own clothes. My shirt was wet, too. Quickly, I waved my hand
over a sleeve and pointed to my shirt, drying it with Magic.
I loved the Changing Task. A Mystic can change their image, just by thinking about it.
It was one of the Advanced Magics.
When Draconis came back downstairs, he brought with him my younger sister, his
stepdaughter Melody. She was sucking her thumb and holding her stuffed unicorn close. She
looked like she just woke up. Juliet was behind him with Theodore, who was wriggling in her
arms.
 “Enough, Theo!” Juliet laughed, setting him on the floor. He saw me and raced to my
open arms for a hug. She passed us, heading for the kitchen.
Now the attention was on Draconis and Melody.
“Look who is up from her nap?” Draconis bent down and kissed her cheek.
She smiled, wrapping her arms around him before giving him a peck on his lips.
“Thank you, Melody.” He said. “I love you, too.”
He dared to take away the stuffed unicorn from her hands as she sat in her seat at the
table. Momma took it from him.
Melody’s eyes widened, her arms reaching for it wildly. She clapped for Momma,
banging her hands on the table angrily. Momma stayed calm as she took the stuffed unicorn
away from her, making it disappear with another form of Advanced Mystic Magic, telekinesis.
Melody stared, pouting.
“You can have it back after dinner, okay sweetie?” Momma replied.
Melody just looked at her for a second before nodding her little head.
“One more tantrum averted.” Bradley said sarcastically as he sat down.
“I’ll never get used to that.” Juliet had come back out, carrying a basket of dinner rolls.
She walked in on Momma using Magic to make the unicorn disappear.
“Sure you will.” Bradley winked at me. “All it takes is a little time.”
After setting my brother in his high chair between Momma and Draconis’ seats, I sat next
to Bradley. Momma was on my right and Melody was between us. Draconis was at the end of
the table. When the twins came in, they sat across from me, Andrew on the left and Mark
Antony on the right. Angel wanted to help Momma with Melody. As soon as Melody saw her
she smiled, arms out for a giant hug.
“Where’s Aunt Adarra, Uncle Drakkar, and Uncle Shane?” I asked Momma.
“Here we are!” I heard Adarra’s voice cry. Uncle Drakkar, Uncle Shane and my cousins
were behind her. Aunt Caroline, who’d brought over Kymm and Carrie, were behind them.
“You wouldn’t believe the downpour!” Caroline supplied as she took her raincoat off,
hanging it up on the rack by the door.
“Sure I would, Caroline.” Draconis teased with a smile. He winked at me. “I was just in
it.”
Caroline waved a hand at him. “Oh Drake, you know what I mean.”
Draconis and Momma stood to greet them with hugs and handshakes.
“You’re not up to your old weather tricks are you, Bratton?” Drakkar teased, using the
Draconian word for “Brother.”
Draconis held his hands up in surrender. “I promised Adellandra I wouldn’t mess with
this Realm, yet, so it’s not my doing.”
“Enough, you two.” Adarra admonished, play-slapping her mate. “I can’t take you
anywhere, can I ‘Karr?”
Drakkar gave her a look of innocence, which made Draconis laugh and shake his head.
Aunt Adarra turned to her own twin, my Momma, and asked as she surveyed the table.
“Are you sure you’re going to have enough room, Brattona?”
Momma looked. “You’re right, ‘Darra. We won’t have enough room.” She looked at
Bradley and me. “Why don’t you take the twins and your cousins into the TV room?”
I beamed. “Really, Momma?”
“As long as you’re careful, and you watch your brothers.” Momma replied.
 I stood and headed to the TV room with my plate. Bradley, Mark Antony, and Andrew
were behind me. Once grabbing their plates, eight-year-old Caleb and six-year-old Meredith
followed. Aunt Adarra kept Logan with her while Angel followed us.
I turned to Kymm and Carrie.
“Grab a plate and follow me.” I told them. They’d been standing quietly between their
parents and Caroline.
They looked at each other, shrugged, and obeyed.
After eating, I took Kymm, Carrie, and Bradley upstairs to my room. The rest of the
family stayed to recap their days. I was glad to get away.
“Shouldn’t you help Juliet with the dishes, Kelly?” Carrie asked.
I shook my head. “Nope. It’s Mark Antony’s turn.”
“Tell them about the mansion.” Bradley supplied.
“What mansion?” Kymm asked, interested.
“The Catz mansion.” I said, trying to spook her out.
“Wh-What about it?” Carrie asked, acting scared. (Faker.)
“Cara had me snoop around it last night.”
“What did you find?” Kymm asked.
“Someone’s hiding out there, and he’s not nice.” Bradley said.
“What makes you say that?” Carrie asked. “Did you talk to him?”
How to tell them without indulging my secret? Sure, they knew about the Mystics, but
neither really believed in us. To them, the Mystics were merely a fairy tale. Just like ghosts.
That’s it.
“Jesemiah Catz told me.”
“How do you know?” Kymm asked. “There aren’t any real records of Jeremiah having a
sister, let alone a twin.”
I rolled my eyes again, huffing. “I’ve told you this story over one-hundred times. I met
their ghosts when I was nine. Don’t you remember me telling you this?”
“We love a good ghost story.” Kymm said innocently.
“I was kidnapped by Adrienne Whitehead, my stepfather Derrick’s ex-girlfriend.” I
began. “I was taken to the barn behind the mansion, bound and gagged. In my mind, I saw a girl
ghost, with glowing red wrists. Her name was Jesemiah Catz, and she wanted someone to talk
to. Well, I talked to her and she told me her story.” I paused. “You do remember the story,
don’t you?”
Kymm shivered, nodding. “Very clearly, thank you.”
Even Kymm’s spooked now. I thought.
“If it’s not Jesemiah, who is it?” Bradley asked.
“That’s what I’d like to find out.” I said. My mind was on overdrive. I was beginning to
think like a detective, for the first time in three years. “I bet the Bomb Squad would have been
able to find out.”
“Wasn’t that your club in Horizon Woods?” Carrie asked.
I nodded.
“Why did the Bomb Squad split up, anyway?” Bradley asked.
His face showed he was serious about wanting to solve the case. I was, too, but what
could we do without getting in trouble?
“Samantha West moved away, remember? She was the link.” I told him. “Once she was
gone, it was back to our separate cliques. You, Cara, Josh, and I hung out with Steve Edwards
more. The twins sort of floated around school until Allison Watson moved in across the street
from them in the Rich District.”
“Sam’s friends Devin Jones, Peter Valentine, and Krysti Farthay went their own ways.”
Kymm said. “Elizabeth Edwards and Jessica Wilson bonded immediately.”
“We can’t forget about Adam Smith, Steve’s cousin who moved in with the Edwards’
two summers ago.” I recalled. “Lesal DeRose and Miranda English are still the best of friends,
only Lesal tells me Miranda’s changed.”
“How so?” Bradley asked. “Is there something wrong at home?”
I shook my head. “She’s really quiet and shy. The last time I’d seen her in the hall,
Miranda looked really pale.”
“Lesal must be worried sick.” Kymm supplied. “Miranda is like a sister to her.”
“I’m worried about her, too.” I told her. I sighed, thinking of how much fun our little
club had been. I shook my head. “Sam may have moved away, but that didn’t mean we had to
stop being friends.”
“Right.” Bradley said. “There has to be some way we can get the gang back together
again.”
I thought about the old ‘gang’ and about the case. After much thought, I put two and two
together. “Why don’t we get them to help us?”
“You think they’d want to reunite for something as small as this?” Bradley asked.
“Why not?”
“Sam’s not here, for one.” Bradley said. “Who’d be the Secretary?”
“Krysti.”
He rolled his eyes. “You want to help us out?”
“What are you, nuts?” Carrie asked him, looking at him as if he’d grown another head.
“I’m not going anywhere near that mansion.”
“Me, neither.” Kymm announced.
They stood up to leave. Kymm made sure Carrie was out of sight before whispering to
us. “I’ll gladly go along for the sake of justice, but please don’t get us in trouble.”
I smiled. Good old Kymm, always willing to take a chance for a scoop. She was an
investigative reporter for the school newspaper, the Hill View High Gazette. I was an Associate-
Editor.
“You know me, Kymm.” I said. “I can’t resist an adventure.”
She waved good bye to us and left to find her sister and Caroline.
This left Bradley and I sitting together on the couch. I looked at him closely.
Dark brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, contacts since Horizon Woods, muscular frame,
athletic. The perfect guy. My heart was thinking other things. Kind, caring, funny, warm-
hearted, even romantic when he wanted to be.
My friends were jealous of the loyalty Bradley and I have for each other. We grew up as
brother and sister since we were in the second grade. Despite that, we comforted each other
when one needed a shoulder to cry on, or just to talk.
Then again, since Horizon Woods, I believe Bradley and I have grown closer. I didn’t
know about him, but I was beginning to have romantic feelings about him. I knew it was wrong,
but I couldn’t help it.
“Hey you.” Bradley snapped me out of my daze. He took my hand, smiling. “What are
you thinking about?”
I grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
 I could feel my cheeks get red-hot, so I turned away from his gorgeous eyes. I could
sense his discomfort around me. He let go of my hand and stood up.
“I’d better see how Angel’s doing.” He supplied, hands in his pockets. “Don’t want her
to get into trouble, you know?”
I stood, nervous. What was going on with us?
“Yeah.” I said. My mind was elsewhere, and by the way his brown eyes stared at me, it
was a wonder why. If only my stepbrother wasn’t so cute! I had to say something else. “Uh,
Bradley?”
He stared. “What, Kelly?”
“Ever wish...” I tried to say it, but I couldn’t. I tried to say, ‘ever wish we could be more
than we were?’ but it couldn’t come out.
Somehow, he knew and kissed my cheek. “Yeah. I do.” He turned to leave. “Well, see
you, Little Sister.”
There was his special name for me. He said it so serious; it was as if he were trying to
convince one, if not both, of us of our relation to each other.
 I sighed, suddenly depressed. “See you, Big Brother.”
He shut the door behind him, leaving me behind to daydream. If only...
Why waste time dwelling on something that’ll never happen? I asked myself as I stared
out my bedroom window. I was flushed, my cheeks hot, racing heart slowing to its normal pace
so I headed to the downstairs bathroom to splash cold water on my face.
I took my glasses off, setting them on the counter beside the sink. After washing my
face, I put them back on. I stared at my reflection as I patted my face dry with a towel.
What if Bradley wasn’t my brother? I asked myself in my head. Would he feel the same
thing for me as I do for him? Was I pretty enough for him?
I caught the color of my eyes, along with the silver frames that covered them. Bradley
had gotten rid of his glasses in Horizon Woods. Why hadn’t I done the same?
Heck, I could change my eyesight just by a simple wish. I was a Mystic after all.
Then again, Momma still wore her glasses, too. She claimed they not only helped her
see, they helped her to control her powers in this Realm.
I sighed, fingering my Dream Locket. “Why is fate so cruel?” I asked my reflection.
“Because you’re so weird!” I heard the voice of one of my twin brothers behind me. I
knew who it was as soon as my eyes caught his reflection.
“You’d better start running, Mark Antony Reading!” I cried, turning and going after him.
“If I catch you, you’re a dead boy.”
He stopped just quick enough to make a face at me. He turned around.
That’s it, I told myself. Time to practice some advanced Magic.
I flicked my wrists in his direction and cried, “Freeze!”
In mid-stride, Mark Antony did just that. He froze in one spot. I knew the little trick
called “Freeze-Frame” would work.
I walked over to face him. The only way to unfreeze him was for me to touch him. He
could see, hear, and even talk to me, but he couldn’t move a muscle from the neck down.
“Come on, Kelly.” He begged. “Unfreeze me.”
“Not until you promise not to snoop on me again.” I said.
“I promise, I promise.” He pleaded. “Please?”
I smiled, touching him so he could move again. My eyes had a mischievous glint in
them, and he knew he was in trouble. When he began running, I followed him up the stairs. As
soon as he got to his bedroom, I tackled him on the bed.
“What are you going to do now?” He asked, squirming.
Time to have a little fun, where no one gets hurt. I tickled him, knowing full well he was
extremely ticklish everywhere.
“Stop! Stop!” He laughed after a few minutes. His eyes began to tear and his face was
turning red. “I can’t breathe!”
I wasn’t fooled, but I stopped. Both of us had to catch our breaths after that.
We heard Momma come to the door, opening it with a disbelieving look on her face.
“What is going on in here?”
Mark Antony and I looked at each other and chorused. “Nothing!”
I hugged his shoulders, catching the happy look in his eyes. Momma shook her head, not
knowing what to think as she closed the door behind her.
That’s when we burst out laughing. Trust one of my little brothers to take my mind off
Bradley. I loved being a Mystic!
 Chapter Four:
Family Worries

"Free at last!" I exclaimed as I walked into our house the following Friday afternoon. I
had just come home from the Gazette Editor’s Meeting, and boy, was I tired! "Anyone here?" I
yelled into the air. I dropped my shoulder bag on the kitchen table and pulled out my homework.
(It's definite cruelty to students for teachers to assign homework on the weekend, but I'm used to
it.)
"Just me, Kelly." Momma replies softly, coming into the room to greet me. I noticed
right away that she looked as if she had been crying. “Drake’s still in Mal’estar, Juliet is running
errands, Theo’s playing outside with Melody and the twins are still in school.”
I sat at the table and started on my homework. While I was working on my math, I
noticed that Momma was in the kitchen. My sensors told me something was up.
“Momma?” I asked once cornering her. "Is anything wrong?"
"No, honey." She replied simply, without looking up.
“You can’t hide it from me and you know it.” I told her.
“I’m alright, really. Just some bad dreams reliving themselves, that’s all.” She said, and
hugged me.
“Which ones, or shouldn’t I ask?”
“Once I figure it out, you’ll be the first to know. For now, go finish your homework. I
have things I need to think about.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.” I said.
I still worried about her. What bad dreams came back to haunt her, making her cry?
She’s the Lady Guardian of the Realms and Lady Empress of Mal’estar. She can handle
anything the Dream Realm can think up. I sighed, sitting back at the kitchen table and returning
to my homework.
“She’ll tell me when she’s good and ready.” I whispered to myself.

While I was reading a book later that night, my Uncle Kevin decided to pop by.
I closed my eyes to overhear his and Momma’s conversation.
“What’s wrong, Kevin?” Momma asked her brother. He was older by four years.
“Andrea’s acting strange, and frankly, I’m sick with worry.” Kevin replied.
“How strange?” Momma asked, getting into her detective mode again.
“She told me about the noises she’s hearing in across the street.” Kevin explained. He
was quiet for a moment. “She never talks to me, or even comes near me anymore.”
“Craig did tell me she does nothing but stay in her room after work.” Momma replied.
“Will you talk to her?” Kevin asked. “I want my Andrea back. I love her so much, and
it’s scaring me to see her like this. Even our twins can tell something’s up, and they’re not even
a year old.”
“Calm down, Kevin. Please. It’s the only way we can think things through.” Momma
replied. She sighed. “I’m sorry, but I can’t talk to her.”
“Why not?”
“I’m so busy with the children and school, I hardly have time for myself.” Momma said.
“What about Draconis?” Kevin asked.
“He’s too busy with Mal’estar lately.” Momma supplied. “Besides, she’s still wary of
him, remember?”
 I sensed her empathy for her adopted brother’s problem, snapping my eyes open to run
downstairs.
I walked to the dining room to see my uncle Kevin with his hands on his head and a
worried look on his face. He was sitting at the table, with Momma standing over him.
“What about me?” I asked. Momma looked to me, confused. “Empathy.”
She nodded.
“I can’t put you in danger, Kelly.” Kevin said. “There’s something going on at that
house that’s frightening my wife.”
“There’s no danger, Kevin.” Momma said. “She’ll just talk to Andrea for you, that’s all.
What’s the harm in that?”
Kevin stared at me and sighed.
“After all, I am investigating the case.” I told him.
“What case?”
“What’s making the noises there.” I replied. “Maybe if I talk to her, I can calm her
panicked thoughts?”
Kevin’s face turned hopeful. “You’d do that for me?”
I hugged him from behind. “Of course, Uncle Kevin. I love you.”
To show it, I kissed his cheek.
Kevin pet my hand. “I love you, too, Kelly.”
I met his eyes and he smiled.
“There, everything’s better now.” Momma replied. When we looked at her, she smiled.
I laughed with them.
As he left later, he turned to me. “Thank you, Kelly.” He said as he hugged me. “You’ll
never regret this.”
I smiled. “I sure hope not.”

The next night, Bradley was walking me home after hanging out.
"Isn't it beautiful out tonight, Kelly?" He asked me, but my mind was elsewhere. He
walked closer to me but I pushed him aside. "What's on your mind?"
I shook my head, came out of a daydream, and answered, "Nothing. Why?"
"I'm worried about you," Bradley replied softly. "What's wrong?"
"I'm worried about Momma, that's all." I explained. "I didn't mean to ignore you." He
pulls me closer to him. My cheeks grow red-hot.
My feelings for him were growing as quickly as we were.
"I didn't feel ignored," He said, giving my shoulders a gentle squeeze. "But why are you
worried about her?"
"Well," I started, pausing to think, uncertain of what to say next. "She's acting strange
lately."
“And this is news?" Bradley joked, watching my response and smiling into my silver-
blue eyes. I didn't respond. “Come on, Kelly. Cheer up.”
"I'm serious, Bradley," I said, frowning. "I mean, she's my mother. I wonder what’s
going on?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry." Bradley apologized. "You're really worried
about her."
I nodded slightly, still not saying a word.
 My mind wandered elsewhere, and I began to think about Uncle Kevin and Andrea.
"Come to think of it, Uncle Kevin has been worried about Andrea a lot lately." I told him, as if it
might help matters any. "You and I both know how much they care about each other!"
Bradley laughed lightly. "Yeah, like two peas in a pod."
"Or two birds of a feather," I said, smiling.
He stopped, pulled me close, and kissed my cheek. Then he said softly, moving some
hairs from my face. "Or like us."
I blushed, turning away.
By that time, we had reached the staircase that lead into the house. I sat on the porch and
he sat next to me.
"I just wish there were some way we could help them. I mean, even Josh is totally
spooked out." Bradley sighed as we sat on the steps. “You know how he is.”
Josh Stevenson was Bradley’s best friend that lived next door to the Richardsons. He
was another Crusader whose powers weren’t awakened yet. He and Cara had been dating for
awhile.
Unfortunately, Bradley continued. "I don't think either you or I could solve this mystery
without being totally confused. Not even the Bomb Squad could."
I shrugged, still thinking about the old club.
I didn’t respond, so Bradley quietly announced. “I have to go. I promise we’ll talk more
about it on the way to school on Monday, okay?”
I nodded absently, standing face to face with him.
The mood changed. The light autumn breeze made my hair dance.
Bradley tucked hair out of my eyes before taking my hand and kissing me on the cheek.
He stared deep into my eyes, searching. "I don’t know how or why, but I’m beginning to feel
more for you than just brotherly love.”
I was stunned, yet secretly relieved. “Really?” I asked. “Is this right?”
Bradley shrugged. “If it isn’t, I don’t want to be.” He took my hands. “I love you,
Kelly." He replied, pulling me closer to him in a hug. "Even if you do get strange and exotic
ideas."
My heart was pounding, and I could feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I hugged
him, whispering softly in his ear. "I love you too, Bradley."
We said our good-byes and headed in our separate directions. I headed inside, smiling as
if I were on cloud nine.
What just happened out there? Did Bradley actually say what I thought he said? Did I
say it back? I thought to myself in a daze. I headed back upstairs to my bedroom.
What’s going on between us? Are his feelings for me surpassing our childhood? Are
mine?
I was so confused!
Pushing the feelings aside, I noticed the house was unusually quiet, and that Momma,
Draconis and the twins, Mark Antony and Andrew James weren’t home. I sensed Juliet in her
room, quiet as a mouse. Melody and Theodore must have been across the street with the twins at
Aunt Adarra and Uncle Shane’s. I went across the street to pick them up since it was my turn to
babysit.
I looked next door, my heart fluttering as I thought of what just happened. I giggled
happily as I headed across the street.
 I walked in the door to find Uncle Shane and Meredith playing with Melody. I could tell
Shane was trying to teach her sign language, and smiled when she was signing the wrong words.
I swear she did that on purpose.
“Hi, Uncle Shane!” I cried, running to hug Melody. “Hey, Meredith.”
Melody flooded my face with kisses as she hugged me tight.
“Hello to you, too, squirt.” Shane replied.
“Where are Aunt Adarra and Uncle Drakkar?” I asked, not sensing either one in the
house.
“You know those two. When they’ve got duties in the Nations, they leave the Immortal
Earthly Protector to take care of the house.” Shane shrugged.
I knew it had to be hard having another male around that loved your beloved. I couldn’t
imagine how it felt for him, though.
“By the way, the twins and Theo are in Caleb’s room with Logan.”
“That’s okay. I only came to get Melody.” I hugged her, making her silver-blue eyes
sparkle. I changed the subject. “What were you teaching her?”
“Her name.” Shane told me. “So far, no luck.”
I grinned, putting my sister down on the floor where she had been sitting. “I know a
trick, and I don’t mean telepathy.”
Meredith watched intently, listening.
Shane looked at me suspiciously. “Keep talking.”
“Watch.” I told him. I bent down to her level and signed the word, “song.” “What is
another word for song?”
She thought for a minute before moving her right hand to form the sign language letters.
First “M”, then “E”, “L”, “O”, “D”, and finally, “Y”.
Shane laughed. “How did you teach her that?”
“Simple. I took the meaning of the word song and played with it.” I told him. “That,
and signing whenever I talk to her. It teaches her what I’m talking about.”
Shane nodded, clapping. “Tres bien.”
Uncle Shane knew about my French class and tested me on a whim, just to make sure I
was learning.
“Merci, Monsieur .” I said in French.
“Ah, you remembered.” Shane said. “How is school?”
“Pretty good.” I said, then smiled. “Or should I say tres bien?”
“What about French?” Shane asked. “Still having trouble?”
I shrugged. “Non. merci boucoup, monsieur.”
(No, thank you very much, sir.)
“Merci.” Shane laughed. “Tres bien. Just keep it up, okay?”
“No problem.”
“What did she say, Daddy?” Meredith asked.
“She thanked me.” Shane shared a smile with me.
At that, my brothers and cousin came into the room and I looked up at them.
“Ready to go guys?” I asked the twins.
Andrew nodded, and Mark Antony shook his head. Theodore hid behind Mark’s leg,
determined not to let go.
“Can I stay here until Mom and Dad get home?” Mark Antony asked. “I’ll watch Theo.”
I looked to uncle Shane, who nodded.
 “Sure, as long as you behave yourselves.” I replied.
“Don’t encourage trouble Caleb Ryan.” Shane joked with his son. “I know how it is
when you guys get together.”
“We won’t get in trouble, Dad.” Caleb said. “Honest.”
“Go on, then.” Shane said, shaking his head when they ran out of the room. “Keep a
close eye on Logan for me, okay buddy?”
“Sure thing.” Caleb said. “Come on, we’ll play Knights and Wizards in the castle.”
“I’ll be King Arthur and you’ll be Merlin. You can be Sir Lancelot, Theo.” Mark
replied. The two of them ran off.
Theodore stared at me. “See you, Sissy.”
“Come on, Theo!” Mark and Caleb cried together.
Theodore raced to them. I laughed.
“He’s getting big, Kelly.” Shane remarked. “He reminds me of Aaron, though I don’t
know why.”
I did, but wasn’t telling. It was still a secret between my parents and myself.
“Gotta be the hair.” I replied, laughing it off. “Always messy, never straight.”
Shane looked like he didn’t believe me. “Yeah, that’s it.”
I think he knows. And if he knows, does Aunt Adarra know as well?
Oh well, back to reality.
Andrew looked at me, grabbing his book-bag and coat from in front of the door. “I was
waiting until you got home.”
I nodded, taking him and Melody back home where we belonged.
Andrew went to the kitchen after hanging his coat up in the closet. While he started on
his homework, I played with Melody until she grew sleepy. When I put her down for a nap, I
checked on Andrew.
“Need any help?” I asked him, sitting in the chair beside him.
He looked up at me, but his eyes were troubled. My brother’s mind was nowhere near
his homework.
“What’s wrong, Andrew?” I asked him gently.
“I feel left out of their fun.” Andrew supplied.
“Mark and Caleb, right?” Andrew nodded. “What happened today?”
“I wanted Mark to play with me outside in the castle, but he went with Caleb to play
video games.”
The castle was a huge play structure in Caleb’s backyard. It was literally shaped like a
castle from the Renaissance period.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I read a book.” Andrew told me, depressed. He stared at his English book in front of
him for a few minutes. “Am I a nerd?”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“What would you say?”
I smiled. “I’d say you’re my smart, serious, and fun brother named Andrew James.” He
smiled at that. “A brother I happen to care about, no matter how intellectual you are.”
“Thanks Kelly.” Andrew said, and then went back to his homework.
“You’re welcome; now finish up before Momma gets home.” I commanded playfully.
I headed upstairs to start on my own homework, sighing happily.
 Chapter Five:
The Other Crusaders

First thing the next morning, I got a phone call.

“Kelly, are you awake?” It was Cara, and she sounded scared.
I turned to see what time it was. “It’s seven o’clock on a Saturday morning. Do you
wanna tell me why I’m awake this early on a weekend?”
“You’ve gotta help me.”
“Again?”
“No, not again.” Cara said. “Still. Can you come over?”
“Now?”
“Yes, now! Can you?”
I groaned.
“Please? It’s a matter of life and death.”
Matters of ‘life and death’ to Cara Richardson usually mean nothing big.
I sat up in bed, cradling the phone to my ear while slipping lenses on my face. “Explain.”
I yawned.
“Whatever you saw in the mansion is still there.”
“Of course it is. I haven’t done anything about it, yet.”
“You didn’t call the police or anything?”
“Why would they listen to a kid like me?”
“Because you happen to be the stepdaughter and niece to the best detectives on the
force.” Cara pointed out. “Not only that, you’re Kelly Reading.”
I was awake now. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind.” She huffed. “Can you come over or not?”
I sighed. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thanks, Kel.”
With that, she hung up. I was awake now, thanks to my best friend. I might as well get
up and start my day.
After I took a shower and dressed, it was already nine in the morning. Everyone in the
house was awake, which meant the younger kids were in the TV room watching cartoons. In the
kitchen, I fixed myself some cereal and thought over the past week, along with the strange
feelings I got when I investigated the mansion.
“You look stressed, kid.” Momma’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Care to talk about
it?”
“Something’s going on in the Catz mansion.” I told her, taking a bite.
“You told me that before. Now tell me what happened when you went over there to
investigate.”
“I told you that, too.” I supplied, looking at her.
Her silver-blue eyes were intense, staring at me while I ate. Her reddish-blond hair was
up in a lazy bun. “What did you feel?” She asked.
“How did you know I felt anything?”
My mother smiled. “I didn’t.”
I rolled my eyes. “Momma. You know I can’t explain what I feel, any more than you
can.”
“Have you learned to relive them, yet?”
 “My empathic feelings of things? No, why?”
“Hmm.”
“Stop that. Just tell me.” I said.
“What did he look like?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t get a glimpse of him, and neither did Cara.”
“Interesting.”
Great. She was in detective mode, and almost impossible to deal with. Only Derrick and
Draconis could talk to her when she was like this. I never understood her when she was in
detective mode.
“Only because you refuse to open your sleuthing eyes.” Momma supplied.
“As you may recall, I caught the Hill View Bomber with the other Crusaders while you,
Derrick, Uncle Shane, Daddy, Aunt Aimee and Aunt Adarra were fighting each other.” I said.
“My eyes and ears have been wide open since, no thanks to you.”
“Not even ten o’clock and you two are already fighting.” Draconis joked as he came into
the room. “What are you fighting about?”
“She’s afraid to use her power around the Catz mansion because of who’s residing there.”
“I’m not afraid, and you know it.” I replied. “And no, that’s not what we were fighting
about.”
“That’s right. You were telling me what you felt.”
“You sensed something?” Draconis was interested. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“In the excitement of the week, I kind of forgot.” I replied.
“How can you ‘kind of’ forget something so important?”
“You wouldn’t believe me, anyway.” I said. “Even if you did, you’d blow it out of
proportion.”
Draconis put down his newspaper to fold his arms and scowl. “Try me, kid.”
I told him. To my surprise, he didn’t yell. He didn’t scold me for not telling him sooner.
In fact, he didn’t do anything but sit there, staring into space.
Wonderful. I thought with a silent sigh. He’s in detective mode now, too.
“What did you perceive on your investigation?” He asked me, brown eyes glowing
black.
Uh oh. I was in trouble. When his eyes turned black, it meant he was conferring in his
mind with Derrick, who was across the street with his sister Dracora. That also meant that
trouble was just around the corner. Derrick was still a Detective on the Police Force, so I knew I
had to get myself out of there before Derrick came over and questioned me in his own Detective
mode.
“I just told you.” I stood and rinsed my bowl out in the sink before setting it in the
dishwasher. “It’s hard to explain. Cara asked me to come over, so can I go now?”
They weren’t paying attention, nodding absently. Both my parents were in their own
little world.
Good for me. I could slip away without being sensed.
“Hey, Kelly!” Steve Edwards, my next door neighbor was awake and waiting on
Bradley’s porch as I closed the door behind me. Brad was with him, which I found odd.
“Steve. Hi.” I remarked. “Can’t talk now. I’ve gotta run.”
“To Cara’s. Yeah, we know.” Bradley nodded, standing with him to greet me.
Something was up.
 “Okay, what’s going on?” I asked. “Usually, nothing can get either of you out of bed
before noon on any given weekend.”
“In short, she called us, too.” Steve supplied. “Said it was urgent.”
“I wonder why?” I asked, half to myself.
The three of us walked over to Cara’s, where we met up with Josh and Krysti.
All Crusaders, save one. Samantha West.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” I asked my best friend with a yawn.
“Why did you call us so early?” Krysti asked. “I was up all night with homework.”
“I know I shouldn’t have called you this early, but I had to.” Cara apologized. She was
fingering her necklace.
Josh was leaning against a wooden pole that held up the awning. “Just tell them, will
you? I wanna get back to bed.”
“No chance of that, Josh.” Cara announced. “Do any of you remember what happened
three years ago?”
“A lot happened then. Narrow it down.” Bradley told her.
“When we caught the Hill View Bomber?”
“Where is this leading?” Steve demanded.
“You’ll see.” Cara promised. “I had Kelly investigate that place, remembering what
happened to her back then.”
“We know what happened; now tell me if you have a point!” I cried. I wasn’t exactly
happy with being led on by her, and she knew it. She also knew I was impatient.
“Fine!” Cara nearly screamed. “Someone’s there that shouldn’t be. Kevin’s worried
about Andrea, who is scared stiff, Claudia is oblivious, Craig is acting stranger than usual and
the kids and I are left in the middle!”
The five of us looked at each other. Whoa.
“There’s something else wrong, isn’t there?” Josh asked her, sitting on the steps.
“Something at home?”
“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.” Cara cried, slumping next to him. He
wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her temple a kiss. She looked to me. “It’s all scaring
me, and I need your help.”
Magic? I asked her in my mind.
She nodded.
You felt it with your necklace? I asked her again.
Again, she nodded.
I took my Dream Locket in my hand and stared into space. I felt someone take my
shoulder and squeeze.
“Time’s up, Kelly.” Bradley whispered in my ear. “They’ve got to know.”
“Know what?” Krysti asked, overhearing.
How hard explaining things was going to be! I had to do it.
“What do you know about the Mystics?” I asked them.
Might as well start from the beginning. I told them everything that happened three years
ago in California. Why they wore those strange necklaces, and why I had to wipe out their
memories of the whole adventure.
“You mean to tell me you erased our memories with a potion?” Krysti asked, ticked off.
“I don’t believe it.”
“Believe it.” Bradley told her. “It was for your own goods.”
 “Yeah, right.” Josh supplied.
“You don’t believe me.” Cara accused. “You guys don’t believe me.”
“Of course we believe you.” Krysti supplied. “It’s her we don’t believe.”
“Her” was me.
“Did you need proof I’m a Mystic?” I asked them. They looked at each other, then back
to me. “Whether or not you believe in magic is not the main point here. Something’s going on
across the street and it’s turning my family against itself.”
“Cara’s, not yours.” Steve interrupted.
“Cara’s family is my family.” I told him. “Claudia happens to be my aunt, and Kevin is
my uncle. Both are adopted siblings of my mother and Aunt Adarra. Need I say more?”
“Of course not.” Bradley supplied. “Question is, what are we going to do about him?”
I shrugged. “Anybody have any ideas?”
Krysti shook her head, Steve folded his arms and looked at the ground, Cara was being
consoled by Josh, and Bradley stared into space.
I got an idea as I stared at Cara’s necklace, which was slowly pulsating. I stepped up to
her and took it in my hands, closing my eyes. I braced myself for the shock of a vision that
never came.
“Uh, Kelly? What are you doing?” Steve asked.
“Trying to get a vision from her necklace.” Bradley announced for me.
Slowly, in the corner of my mind, I saw a fireball and felt my Empathy open up
dramatically. “Fire and empathy.”
I let go of the necklace and looked at them, closing my Empathy off. “Let me see yours,
Krysti.”
With Krysti’s, I saw a burst of wind rustling in a tree and felt a telepathic link. “Air and
Telepathy.” I supplied. “No wonder you were so clear in my mind on the stakeout. Okay,
Steve, your turn.”
Steve’s told me a familiar tale. There was a vision of a rearing unicorn with green eyes.
It could only mean one thing. Unicorn Magic, which meant, “Earth and telekinesis.”
“Are you finished playing around?” Josh asked.
“Nope. Not yet.” I supplied, taking his in hand. “You’re next.”
With his, I saw the ocean and a flash of a vision. “Water and premonition.”
“What are you talking about?” Josh asked.
I explained. “You all dream in the same world, right? Where the gifts I just named are
your own? Where, each night, you go and meet up with the Lady Guardian, the Champion, the
Shadow and the Grand Magus to learn those gifts?”
“Yeah, how do you know?” Steve asked. “I thought it was a secret.”
“It is.” Bradley supplied.
“How do you know it?” Josh asked him.
“I’ve known it for years.”
“Unlike the four of you, Cara and Bradley didn’t take the Forgetfulness Spell.” I
explained. “They didn’t have to.”
“Why did we?” Josh asked, angry.
Bradley stopped him from coming near me.
“Each of you weren’t ready for such power or knowledge of it.” I supplied. “Brad and
Cara, knowing all about the Mystic family and our powers, were ready to believe. It wasn’t until
last week Cara’s Ruby stone acted up.”
 Between the three of us, Brad, Cara and myself, we explained what we thought was going
on in the mansion across the street.
“So?” Krysti asked, folding her arms. “What do you want us to do about it?”
“Help us catch the bad guy.” Bradley supplied. He looked to a still-sniffling Cara.
“Like it or not, the Bomb Squad has to reunite to do it.”
“Why should we?” Josh asked.
“Cara’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?” I countered. “Wouldn’t you want to take away
anything that’s making her upset?”
“Yeah, but,” Josh started.
“No buts about it, buddy.” Brad cried. The Locket around my neck grew warm, and I
touched him to let him know. Once he looked at me, I shook my head and he turned back to
Josh. “Whatever’s going on over there is affecting us over here. Especially Cara.”
Cara nodded in her boyfriend’s embrace.
Steve sighed. “I’m duped.” He supplied sarcastically. “As always, Kelly Reading and
Bradley Allen Schmidt get their ways.”
“STOP!” Cara cried.
Now her Ruby was growing dark red.
“Look, it doesn’t matter that we were duped back in to it. I just want to get the case over
with, and my family back together and happy.” Cara said, a little softer this time. As her temper
waned, so did the Ruby’s glow. She raised her hand. “All agreed?”
Reluctant, Steve, Krysti and Josh raised their hands and called. “Agreed.”
“Good.” I supplied. “First order of business, we split and live our Saturdays as normal
as possible. No talk of what happened here or what’s going on over there.”
“You’ll tell Mr. Reading, right?”
“Only if he asks.” I told Krysti.
“Looks like the Bomb Squad’s back in action.” Steve replied sarcastically. He put an
arm out. This was our cue to place ours over his and declare a truce.
For the moment.
Once we did, we looked into each other’s eyes. I could feel the power in this team, once
all was said and done. Bradley’s and my eyes met, with a thought between us.
Were we doing the right thing?
My only answer? I only hope so.
 Chapter Six:
The Twins’ Encounter

I never knew what kind of trouble I was getting myself and my friends into until Carrie
and Kymm had their say. All Crusader stuff aside, of course. They never knew, and never
would, if we could help it.
It was Monday, and, true to any high school, news about our investigation spread like
wildfire. Soon, the Parker twins and some of our other friends new about it.
To begin with, they all had their own ideas about who – or what -- was making the
strange noises. Starting with Kymm and Carrie. After school, they, along with Steve, Cara, and
Bradley, met me at my locker to talk about what we were going to do about it.
“You don’t have a meeting for the Gazette tonight, do you?” Cara asked me.
I shook my head. “Nope. This month’s layouts are pretty much finished. Why?”
“Want to watch me practice?” Cara was a cheerleader for our team, the Hill View
Hawks.
“Steve and I were going to hang around football practice anyway, so, sure.” I replied.
That’s when I heard Kymm’s voice from behind us. “Hey, Cara!”
Both twins were racing up to us, stopping for breath once they reached our lockers.
"Think it would be okay if I ditched cheering tonight?” Carrie was saying to Cara as I put
my afternoon materials on the top shelf.
“Why? What’s going on?” Cara wondered. She looked at me when I shrugged.
“We want to snoop around the yard of the mansion.” Kymm was grinning.
“I’ll tell Coach.” Cara said. “One less Hawkette for practice, I guess.”
I thought for a minute. “Since when have you guys been interested in that mansion?”
“I’d do anything for a story, you know that.” Kymm teased.
“We could meet up with you as soon as we find something out? Okay, Kelly?" Carrie
responded.
"Sure," I agreed, shrugging. "I don't see anything wrong with your plan as long as both of
you agree with it."
Carrie and Kymm gave each other a quick glance, smiling. They darted down the hall, in
the direction of the double doors.
Over her shoulder, I heard Carrie call out, "Thanks Kelly!"
Bradley turned to me and asked, "Thanks for what?"
Steve smiled at me. "Probably for letting them go snoop somewhere without the two of
you tagging along!" He replied sarcastically, as usual.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, punching him in the arm playfully. I shut my
locker then, and the four of us headed out the doors toward the football field.
While Bradley, Steve, Cara and I were meeting the other players and cheerleaders,
Kymm and Carrie were on their way to the infamous Catz mansion.
About a block from it, Kymm asked, with a smile, "What do you think of all this
mystery-solving stuff?"
“I’m only going along with it for your sake.” Carrie spat sarcastically. “You’re just
interested because you might get a story out of it for the paper.”
“So what?” Kymm replied. “That doesn’t mean –”
She was stopped in mid-sentence by Carrie's nudging.
 "Look!" Carrie whispered in a hushed voice, pointing to where her attention was stirred.
She took her twin’s arm, making her see.
Kymm followed her gaze, and looked to where her sister was pointing.
The girls skidded to a halt because right in front of them was the ugliest man that they
have ever seen in their lives. He had ragged dark-black hair and was wearing old-looking,
ragged clothes.
"Hello there, young ladies," he addressed them with a slight British accent, smiling with
his black teeth. "What can I do for you this fine and gorgeous afternoon?"
"We're not allowed to talk to strangers, so scram!" Carrie sneered as rudely as she could,
ignoring him completely. The girls stuck their noses up at him, and then began to walk away.
"Alas,” He replied sadly, barely looking at them. "I cannot."
The twins stopped in their tracks and turned around. They glanced first at each other,
then at the weird old-looking man.
"Why not?" Kymm asked sympathetically.
The man sadly shook his head, and stared at the ground. He gestured to the mansion.
"This is my home. I was the gardener for the last family who lived here." He replied. "My name
is Maurice, and I have lived here for twenty years."
"My name is Kymm and this is Carrie." Kymm introduced.
"It is always a pleasure to meet new people who aren't afraid of the mansion." Maurice
looked from side to side before whispering, "Or the legend."
The best friends looked at each other and gasped. "What legend?" Kymm asked, terror-
stricken.
"The legend of Jeremiah Catz," Maurice replied. "Surely you have heard of him, yes?"
"No," Carrie replied, staring at Maurice in interest. She’s heard of him all right, but she
didn’t want a complete stranger to know that. "Who was that?"
"He was the first owner of this once magnificent, once beautiful estate." Maurice
explained, turning around and gesturing toward the mansion.
"It looks as if it was built in the late eighteenth-century," Kymm observed, glancing from
Carrie to Maurice.
That’s when Kymm swore she heard pounding on wood from the distance. She couldn’t
tell exactly where. Carrie wasn't even listening to the conversation. She was just staring
suspiciously at the old man.
Maurice was smiling his black-toothed grin at the girls.
Kymm turned back to Maurice and replied, "What happened to him?"
"Legend has it that, when he was born, his mother died suddenly. His father was slowly
following." Maurice explained to them. Kymm looked extra-interested, probably because she
was into this kind of stuff as much as I was. He realized this and continued, "When his father
died a few months later, neighbors took him in for a few days. That's when all the trouble
started."
Kymm looked at Carrie, seeing her sister's face lit up with interest. "What happened to
him after that?" Kymm asked.
"Well, Jeremiah was sent to the orphanage, and later to over twenty foster homes."
Maurice went on, sounding creepier as he went along.
Carrie asked. "Why so many?"
Maurice shrugged. "No one knows. Perhaps not even him." He glanced at his watch.
"Please, Maurice," the girls pleaded. "Tell us more of the legend."
 "Perhaps another time, ladies," Maurice assured them. "For now, I must be going back to
work. Or else Jeremiah himself will murder me alive. Good day." He turned and headed toward
the mansion but stopped suddenly, as if suddenly remembering something. "But feel free to look
around if you wish." He suggested.
"Thanks, anyway, but we have to be going, too." Kymm replied as she and Carrie turned
to leave. "'Bye, Maurice."
The two of them then ran all the way to my house. They ran inside and found me in the
Study, working on my Editor’s Choice article for the newspaper. When they had told me about
their encounter with the strange old man -- and about the legend of the mansion -- I didn't believe
them.
“He’s obviously lying.” I told them. “We all know no one’s been in that mansion since
the twins killed themselves. Besides, everyone in Hill View knows the real story, and that’s not
it.”
“We did hear noises, though.” Kymm said.
Carrie looked to her. “I didn’t hear anything.”
“They were just loud enough for a sleuth’s trained ear to hear.” Kymm told her.
This was getting interesting, I thought. “What kind of noises?”
“Pounding on wood, but it sounded like it was coming from the barn in the backyard.”
Kymm said. “Will you help us investigate?”"We desperately need your help, Kelly." Carrie
complained.
"We're much too chicken to go anywhere near that creepy old place again." Kymm
replied, shivering dramatically.
I laughed nervously. "And you guys think I'm not?!"
"Well, no," Carrie began sheepishly, looking at the floor, then at me, shrugging.
"You have to admit," Kymm interrupted, putting her arm around my shoulders and
flashing me an innocent smile. "You are braver than either of us." She started to say something
else, but stopped deliberately. Kymm continued, smiling mischievously, "and you are the
greatest detective in Hill View."
I thought for a minute. Jokingly, I replied, "You do have a point." I smiled at them. I
cleared my throat, getting serious. "Why me?"
“Why not?” Carrie asked. “You’re the mystery buff.”
They looked at one another, and then Kymm turned to me, replying softly, "Will you
investigate the Catz mansion with us after school tomorrow?"
"Please?" Carrie asked, looking hopeful.
"Sure," I agreed. Darn my detective’s instincts. "Why not?"
"Thank you, Kelly!" Kymm cried happily. "You won't regret this!"
"I sure hope not!" I laughed. Kymm could be so dramatic sometimes, I thought as I
smiled at her. "Why do I have a feeling I've just been duped?" I asked them.
"It comes with the territory, I guess." Carrie replied sarcastically, giggling.
"Very funny, Carrie." I commented, equally sarcastic.
According to the twins, this case was getting dangerous.
 Chapter Seven
Curiouser and Curiouser . . .

Going back to the Crusaders, and what Cara told me in the beginning, I began to think. I
closed my eyes, grasping the Dream Locket around my neck. I knew it was time, and called
Bradley to me using telepathy.
He came through the window. “I heard your silent call. What’s up?”
“It’s time, Bradley.” I told him.
“For what?”
“The Crusaders to begin learning their powers.”
He stared at me, sitting on the bed. He was silent, his thoughts making him lost in space.
He grasped the Pendant around his neck. “You’re right. I can feel it, too. What about the
others? Have they felt the call of power, yet?”
I shook my head. “Not yet, but soon. They will.”
“What about Sam?” Bradley asked. “Can you use your empathy to reach her?”
“I could try.” I told him. I closed my eyes again, reaching in my mind for Samantha
West. She was in New York City, looking out her window to the stars.
“Hear my silent call, Sam. I know you can.” I whispered, giving her the message with
telepathy.
What’s going on, Kelly? Why is everything suddenly so awkward to me? She sent back,
fingering the crystal necklace. I feel so afraid and alone. I miss you guys.
We miss you, too. Maybe that’s why we were thinking about you today. I sent. I want
you to relax about the new feelings the necklace gives you.
I’m scared, Kelly. I’m beginning to feel everyone’s emotions and it’s so overwhelming.
Tell me what to do, Kelly. Please.
Her call was sent with a heart-felt plea. I felt Bradley tap my shoulder, assuring me and
giving me strength to go on.
Take it one step at a time. I’ve learned through the years to block out everyone’s
emotions but my own.
Can you teach me?
A quick lesson, I’m getting tired. Communicating from so far with both telepathy and
empathy is draining.
I’ll give you strength. I heard Bradley’s voice in my mind. Go ahead.
After I nodded and smiled at him, I closed my eyes again and thought to Sam.
Sam, this is serious stuff, so I’ll only tell you once. In order to block out everyone’s
emotions, you must put a mental block up in your mind. Think of it as a wall to keep out
strangers. Be careful not to block yourself out. Think about what I said, Sam. Write or call,
letting us know how you’re doing.
I will, Kelly. Thank you.
With that, she left. I opened my eyes. Bradley still had a hand on my shoulder.
“How do you feel?”
“Tired.” I yawned.
“I’ll leave then.” He sounded nervous. “I’ll have Juliet bring you a snack or something.
Get some rest, okay Little Sister?”
I smiled. Little Sister was his cute name for me. I’m only a year younger than he is. “I
will and thanks for the energy boost. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
 He looked into my eyes. “I’ll always be there for you, Kelly.”
I smiled at that, my heart warming as I looked at him.
He stared for a moment before clearing his throat. “As for the energy boost, I didn’t
know it, either.” He replied. He took the Pendant in his hands. “I guess the Mystics finally
believe I’m ready to be your protector?”
I nodded, whispering, “And so the future of the Third-generation Dream Realm
Crusaders begins.”
Bradley smiled, heading out the bedroom door. “Take care, Kelly. Good night and
pleasant journeys.”
“Good night, Big Brother.”
With that in mind, he left. I was so drained from the Magic I immediately fell asleep as
soon as my head hit the pillow.

I wasn't suspecting the danger and excitement that was ahead for us the next couple of
days. The next thing I knew, it was Tuesday.
As promised, I was going to investigate the Catz mansion with Kymm Parker. Carrie had
a dentist appointment. (Yeah, right, she was scared.) Bradley decided to tag along, ready to seize
any chance to prove me wrong. He still thought of himself as the better detective, comparing
himself to me.
When we arrived, we heard a weird noise. It sounded as if someone was scared, and was
crying for help. But before we could step further, we heard another scream. This time, we were
frozen in our tracks.
Except for Kymm, who screamed and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction
toward home. Bradley and I look at each other, roll our eyes at her, and decide to stay to
investigate more.
I closed my eyes and opened my empathic ears, trying to sense something.
“What do you sense?” Bradley whispered, grasping my elbow to steady me.
“Something is definitely out of place here.” I told him.
Before he could respond, we heard someone – or something – moaning. I recalled in my
mind what the twins had told me earlier, but couldn’t see any clues.
My empathic sensors were going crazy. They usually did when it came to ghosts. I
closed my eyes again, seeing the vision of a policeman in my mind.
Why would I see that? I asked myself.
"The noises that we are hearing are probably coming from that barn over there."
Somebody replied quietly behind us.
I opened my eyes, shutting off my empathy for the moment.
Bradley and I turned around to see an old man with straggly black hair striped with gray.
He was dressed in dark-colored rags and pointing toward a spooky-looking barn behind the
mansion.
"Who are you?" Bradley asked the old man, since I was silenced.
"My name is Maurice. I am the caretaker of this estate." He told us simply. Maurice then
turned to me and asked, “Who are you?”
I shook my head, smiling as well. "I'm Kelly and this is my brother and best friend,
Bradley."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kelly and Bradley." Maurice said plainly. He started to say
something else, but stopped. He stared at my eyes, announcing with a gasp. "You are a Mystic?"
 "Yeah," I told him, puzzled. "How--?"
“Do you know about the legend of this grand estate?” Maurice asked.
“No,” Bradley said, suspicious. Like Carrie, he knew, but didn’t want to tell a complete
stranger that. "What does that have to do with the legend?" He challenged, arms crossed.
Maurice hesitated for a quick moment, then said, "Legend has it Jeremiah was adopted by
your . . . let's see, now . . . Great-great Aunt Josephine and Uncle Samuel Woods. They lived in
a little house on Strawberry Court."
I gasped. "I live in that house." I told him, amazed, and glanced from Bradley to Maurice.
Bradley still had his arms crossed, and was giving me a Look that said, "Don't fall for it,
Kelly -- he's lying." Maurice was looking from Bradley to me, hesitant. I noted to myself that
Maurice looked guilty as anything, that I should believe Bradley and not him.
"But now it’s called Sycamore Road." Bradley replied, since I was too busy thinking.
"Then you are a Mystic!" Maurice snapped at me, frightened.
"How did you –?” I began, but was cut off.
"I wish I could tell you more of the legend, but I have errands to run." Maurice replied in
a rush. "See you."
Bradley and I shared a Look. I knew right then and there, something was extremely
suspicious and weirdly familiar about Maurice. Problem was, I couldn't tell exactly what.
After a minute, Bradley seemed to notice that I was staring into space, and suggested,
"Why don't we head over to my house?" He put his arm around my waist, leading me away from
the Catz mansion. "I can tell you have something on your mind that you want to talk about with a
fellow sleuth."
I smiled at him, exclaiming, "You know me all too well, Bradley! Come on. Let's go."
As soon as we arrived at his house, which was right next door to mine, the two of us said
a quick hello to the family (My Daddy, Airmed, Angel, Aunt Aimee and Uncle Scott) and
headed upstairs to his bedroom. When I sat on his bed, I had a faraway look in my eyes.
Bradley sat next to me and asked, "What's on your mind?"
Shaking my head, I came back to the reality. "Somethin's screwy in Hill View today." I
replied, lost in thought. My mind was at least a million miles away. Where have I seen Maurice
before?
"Why do you say that?" He asked, confused, interrupting my thoughts.
I turned to face him, my attention immediately stirred away from Maurice for a minute.
But only a minute. "Didn't that guy remind you of someone?" I asked him curiously.
He looked confused for a minute, then replied simply, "No."
I snapped my fingers in the air, exclaiming, "Darn!" I turned away stroking my chin,
again lost in thought. "Jeremiah Catz and his twin are in the Grey Area of the Dream Realm.
We know the true story, so why would he lie?" I told him, my voice trailing. "How did he
know I was a Mystic?" Again, I was lost in space.
"What are you cooking up this time, Kelly Reading?" He asked dreadfully.
I stared at him, amazed to hear him think of such a thing. "Nothing. Why?"
"It's just that you had that look in your eyes that told me you had something scheming in
that snoopy little brain of yours." He answered with a grin. "That's all."
"Ha-ha Bradley. Very funny." I said sarcastically rolling my eyes, hands on hips. “But I
have to admit, when you're right, you're right." I told him seriously, turning away.
Bradley scratched his head in confusion. "Huh? You mean, I'm actually right for a
change?"
 "Sort of." I told him. "I may not be scheming, but I do have a hunch." I explained,
watching for his reaction.
Bradley didn't respond, though. I counted that as a bad sign. Instead, he stood up, headed
toward his desk and pulled out a black notebook out of one of the drawers.
"What's your hunch? Tell me everything." He grabbed a pen, and opened the notebook to
a clean page. "I'll write it down in this new casebook. It may serve us some information for
when we're trying to figure out the case later."
"Remember what the twins told me about the Catz legend?" I asked, pacing the room.
He nodded. "They told you that Jeremiah --" He began, but I rudely interrupted.
"One of the Catz twins," I supplied. "Are you getting all this?"
"Yeah, Kelly. As fast as I can." Bradley replied, rushed. He muttered under his breath as
he wrote, "And he . . . was taken to . . . a neighbor’s house . . . after . . . his father died."
"Right. Then he was taken to the local orphanage, and later to many foster homes." I said,
interrupting again.
We were on to something, and I was excited as anything. While he wrote down what I
had said, silence was all that was heard.
"Wait a minute," Bradley exclaimed suddenly.
"What's wrong? Did I go too fast for you?"
"No, you did great." He assured me. "But this so-called legend that Maurice told the
twins doesn't work."
“I know!” My face lit up. “He told us a completely different story!"
He sighed, pointing at me, "Bing-go."
I started so say something else, but before I could, Aunt Aimee called up the stairs,
telling me that it was time to go home.
I was crestfallen. We were just beginning to put the pieces together.
I packed up my book bag and jacket, and headed out the bedroom door. I turned around
and asked Bradley hopefully, "See you later?"
"Nope." He replied, getting up and putting his coat back on. "I'll walk you home." He
stopped in his tracks, leaned closer to me, and whispered in my ear as we headed out the door,
"You never know when a fearsome monster-like creature might come out from the shadows to
eat you."
I giggled. Bradley really was the greatest.
"My hero!" I replied in a damsel-in-distress voice. "Seriously though, let's get going
before the storm hits -- mainly my parents, the Tornado Dratianos’!"
With that, the two of us headed down the stairs.
 Chapter Eight
Momma’s Troubles

We decided to walk around the block, since we lived right next door to each other. As we
walked along Grosset Avenue, we began talking more about the case, and how it was baffling,
even to us.
"The other thing that I find a little confusing about this case," Bradley was saying. "Is that
neither of us can even figure it out."
"That's because we've just begun." I told him.
He stopped briefly and asked, "Why do you think that is?"
I shrugged, looking at the ground as I walked.
A still silence filled the conversation again.
I was thinking about where I had seen Maurice before. I glanced at my surroundings and
noticed I was just a few houses away from home.
"Besides," I began after a while, stopping in my tracks. "Our friends don't know the real
Catz mansion legend."
"That's what I was just thinking." Bradley replied softly. “Question is: Do you? I mean,
have you ever, you know, used your powers for something like this?”
I shook my head. “Nope, but I do know their story.” I told him. “Trouble with that is if
the gang can handle the paranormal the way Cara, you and I can.”
“True, very true.” Bradley said. “There’s no other way than to tell our other friends your
secret.”
I stared at him. “You know I can’t do that.” I hissed, amazed he would think such a
thing. “Not yet, anyway.”
He looked guilty, throwing his arms up in surrender. “I’m sorry, Kelly.” He replied,
then smiled. “I couldn’t resist.”
“You knew!” I exclaimed, stopping in my tracks.
He put a finger to my lips. “Chill, okay? I was just teasing you.”
The look in his soft brown eyes was enough to make me swoon. How I wished we could
be something more than we were! I laughed lightly, blushing away.
Fate had been cruel by putting us as brother and sister.
Since we had reached my house, Bradley and I raced up the stairway, and into the house.
We dropped our stuff on the sofa in the study.
"I can only stay an hour, so we should get started." He replied, glancing at his watch.
“Sure.”
I heard someone closing the cabinet in the kitchen. I walked out of the study, only to see
my Aunt Adarra, Momma’s twin sister. She was pouring herself a glass of water.
"Hi, Aunt ‘Darra. You startled me." I said.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to." She replied softly. I gave her a hug and she followed me
back into the study. She stood over to the couch that Bradley and I were sitting on. "Hello,
Bradley."
“Hello, Madam Dratianos.” Bradley replied.
"Will you please excuse us, Aunt Adarra?” I asked. “We’re right in the middle of a
case."
 “Sure, honey. No problem.” Aunt Adarra replied, smiling at me. I could tell she was
more worried about her twin than I was. Usually, she would be bubbly and bright, just like
Momma, but she was distracted now. “I just came over to comfort your mother, that’s all.”
“We just got here, so feel free to look around.” I told her.
“I’m sorry to bother you, then.” Adarra replied absent-mindedly. She tapped her
fingernails on the glass she was holding. Aunt Adarra left us alone, but only after placing the
glass in the sink. She headed upstairs quietly.
I was beginning to worry about Aunt Adarra as well. I wonder what’s going on?
Bradley mumbled something, but I was staring after Aunt Adarra and wasn’t paying full
attention. I sighed as I snapped out of my daze.
"Kelly," Bradley began, opening the black binder that we had written in the information
about the case.
“I’m sorry, what did you say Bradley?” I asked him.
“Nothing important.” He shook his head, closing the binder and setting it next to him.
“You’re really worried about your mother, aren’t you?”
Before I could say a word, little Melody ran in the room, signaling for a hug. I hugged
her, then turned back to Bradley. She stood there, a cute expression on her face, silver-blue eyes
questioning.
“What do you want, Melody?” I asked and signed at the same time. She took hold of my
hand and began pulling on it. “I don’t want to play right now. Maybe later, okay?”
She pouted for a second, then ran to Bradley, who hugged her before she ran out of the
study.
I nodded, looking after her. “I’m worried about Adarra too.” I muttered.
“Tell me everything.” He sat beside me on the couch. “Maybe I can help?”
I smiled at my best friend. “That’s just it. I don’t know what’s going on.”
“Start at the beginning. When did you first notice your mother acting strangely?” He
said, looking into my eyes and taking my hands.
“I came home from school and saw her. She looked like she’d been crying.” I told him
the story. “I knew something was up, so I decided to keep quiet until later that night. I never got
a chance to talk to her after you left. When I went into her room, she was already gone.”
“I see.” Bradley replied.
I stared at him. “I tell you, and all you can say is ‘I see?’”
“Sorry, Kelly. I’m a little worried myself.” He told me, squeezing my hands. “Try
something for me.”
“What?” I asked.
“Close your eyes and think of your mother. Tell me what you see.” Bradley replied.
I stared at him.
All he said with a mischievous smile was “trust me.”
I sighed and closed my eyes.
Thinking of Momma, I felt the Dream Locket around my neck grow warm, then almost
hot. I gasped. Something was wrong in the Dream Realm. Most of all, something was wrong
with Momma.
I snapped open my eyes and raced upstairs.
Bradley followed.
“Kelly? What’s going on?” He repeated at my heels. “Answer me!”
 I ran up the stairs, crying. “That’s what Melody wanted. She wanted me to follow her to
Momma’s room.”
He was silenced.
I charged into my parents’ bedroom only to see Momma staring into Aunt Adarra’s eyes.
I knew who was who, even though they were dressed identically. I skidded to a halt and
watched the scene. All four hands were palm-to-palm, both Lockets around their necks glowed,
rings’ jewels on each woman’s fingers glowed bright white. I didn’t know what to think of it
until I heard them chanting. The Mystic Sisterhood Chant was only used by the Sisterhood
against Dream Realm enemies.
Little Melody was sucking her thumb, tears coming from her eyes. It was the first time
I’d seen her eyes tear. She was standing by Momma, and I could tell she was scared. I could
feel it. As soon as she saw me, she ran up and hugged my legs. I picked her up to comfort her as
I watched.
Bradley watched with me, holding onto my hand for comfort. I felt a tear roll down my
cheek as I exited the room in a daze with my sister.
I was to be in way over my head soon, I just didn’t know when...
 Chapter Nine
Fire Power Unleashed

I put all thoughts of the Dream Realm aside when I rode my bike to Cara’s the next day
after school. When she headed upstairs, I said.
“I’ll be there in a minute. I have to talk to your sister.”
Cara shrugged. “Sure, I’ll set up.”
I walked into the living room once sensing Andrea was there. “Andrea?”
I touched her shoulder only to go into a quick clairvoyant trance.

The Catz mansion came into view once the smoke cleared. The vision focused on Andrea
running toward the mansion, where she saw a shadow in the window. As soon as she ran
through the open door, a ghost appeared, scaring her witless. She was paralyzed with fear as
the ghost attacked her.
When she screamed, I snapped out of the vision.

I snatched my hand back only to find Andrea Richardson-Woods herself staring at me.
“What’s wrong, Kelly?” She asked me. “What did you see?”
I didn’t know what to say, so I made something up. “I, uh, was wondering if you had any
duct tape.”
“In the garage with Craig’s tools,” Andrea was suspicious. “What for?”
I had to get out of there, and fast. “Our art project.” I told her, racing off. “Thanks,
Andrea!”
I raced to my best friend’s bedroom.
“What did you talk to her about?” Cara asked as soon as I opened her door.
“I wanted to talk to her about Uncle Kevin, but I ended up seeing a vision I didn’t want
to.” I told her, taking a seat next to her on the floor.
Cara looked frightened. “What did you see?”
“She’s having nightmares with the Catz Mansion, isn’t she?” I asked her.
Cara nodded, then looked down. “She’s not the same anymore, Kelly. Kevin, Craig and
I are really worried about her. She won’t dare look at us, going as far as locking herself up in
their room for hours at a time. I don’t get it.”
I was silent, not knowing what to say. I recalled the power trip with Sam last week.
“Um, Cara, have you been feeling all right lately?”
“Sure, Kelly. Why? What’s up?”
“What about the necklace? Have you felt it grow warm and bright?”
She took it in her hands. “As a matter of fact, yes. Does this mean what I think it does?”
I looked up at her. “The Bomb Squad’s Dream Realm Crusaders are ready.”
“That’s impossible. Sam’s not around anymore.” Cara interjected. “How can that be?”
“I don’t know when our Crusades will officially begin.” I told her. “Probably when
we’re all ready to fight the battles in the Dream Realm.”
“I know I’m not ready.” Cara supplied. “I don’t even know how to control this thing.”
She looked up at me. “Do you?”
“Let me see it.” I took it in my hand, the other grasping my own Locket. Closing my
eyes, I opened all premonition channels in my mind. I saw Cara standing, staring at the fireball
in her hands, amazed. I opened my eyes and told her.
 “Not only do I have to control this thing in public, I have to learn how to conjure fire out
of the Dream Realm?” Cara asked. “I don’t know about that.”
“Don’t forget what mental power you have with the Ruby stone.” I reminded her. “Your
emotions are what trigger it. So, empathy, the same as Sam and me.”
“Will you help me learn it?” Cara asked eagerly. “It’s starting to scare me.”
“We’ll all help each other, you know that.” I supplied, looking to the floor.
A piece of white poster board was covered with markers, pens, a glue stick, scissors, and
three rulers.
In hopes of cheering her up, I commented with a smile. “You’ve been up here all this
time and hadn’t even started on our project yet?”
Cara shrugged, tucking some of her short-cropped black hair behind her ear. “I didn’t
have any inspiration.”
“Liar. You just want me to do all the work.” I kidded.
Cara grinned, but quickly frowned when she touched her necklace.
“Come on, Cara, cheer up.” I prodded. My best friend’s eyes were closed and the Ruby
was glowing in her hands. Now I was scared. “Uh, Cara?”
When she opened her eyes again, they were red. “Help me.” She whispered. “It hurts.”
I tried tapping her out of it; like I’d seen Derrick or Draconis tap Momma out of a trance.
It didn’t work. Instead, I went into a trance of my own.

It was dark as night. I saw Cara standing in front of a burning building. Looking
around as I approached her, I recognized Catz Avenue. The building that burned was her
house.
She seemed to sense me behind her. “It’s my fault.”
“You think you caused the fire?” I asked softly, standing next to her.
We watched it burn.
Cara nodded. “My power did this.”
“Tell me how.”
“We were arguing; Kevin, Claudia, Craig, Andrea and me.” She began. “The stone
grew hot as the argument got worse. The louder and angrier I became, the hotter it became.”
She paused, looking to her hands. They were glowing red. “I pointed at Andrea and she burst
into flames. That’s what started the blaze.”
“It’s not real.” I told her. “It’s only a dream.”
“It feels so real.” Cara finally looked at me, her red eyes tearing. “I don’t know what to
do.”
“According to the dream, this dream we’re in now, your power was fully awakened.” I
supplied. “Think back to the waking world. You say the entire family is in a bind, from Craig
and Andrea to Kevin and Claudia?”
“How does that make you feel?” I asked, awaiting her response.
She looked away again, staring at the flames. “It’s hurting me inside.”
I tried something. “Are you feeling all their emotions at once?”
She nodded, then turned to me. “How do you do it?”
I told her the same thing I told Sam. “Block out everyone but yourself. Put up a wall in
your mind, keeping anyone you don’t want to sense out. That’s what I told Sam.” She stared at
me. “Her empathy power is kicking in, the same as yours. My guess is she picked up yours
first.” She continued to stare. “In the meantime, try talking to them. It’ll help a lot, I promise.”
 Cara’s red eyes turned brown, thank goodness. She was back to normal. As for the
flames, they went out while we were talking. Now her home stood tall, as if it hadn’t burned at
all. I pointed it out to her.
“It’s okay!”
“Of course it is.” I said, hugging her. “Let’s go back.”

When I felt myself come back to reality, I opened my eyes. Cara was staring at me, no
longer holding the stone. Instead, she was holding my hands.
“Are you okay?” She asked, worried. “How do you feel?”
I smiled. “You tell me.”
Cara shook her head. “No way.”
“I’m fine.” I told her. “Just a little power-drained from the trip.”
“Trip? What trip?”
“It’s called Dream Healing.” I said, telling her the story of my trip. “Now it’s up to you
what to do with it.”
She stood up. “You’re looking a little pale, Kelly.” She said. “Why don’t you lie down?
I’ll get you something to boost your energy.”
I nodded. Again, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit her pillow. When I woke up, I
looked at the time. I’d been asleep for two hours. Cara was sitting on the bed next to me. After
helping me sit up, she handed me a sandwich.
“This should help.” She said. “How was your nap?”
Good. I told her telepathically, since my mouth was full. I swallowed. “Why did you let
me sleep so long? We have a project to do.”
“I figured you needed it, after what Claudia told me.”
“I take it you talked to them while I was out?” She nodded. “And?”
“And I feel better, thanks to you.” She said.
I went home after we started on our project. As I rode home, I thought over what made
me take a healing trip through Cara’s Dream Realm. Cara’s fire power was fully awakened by
the guy that didn’t belong in the Catz Mansion. Sam felt the pressure we were all feeling from
miles away. Bradley’s acting strange, and serious, which is so unlike him. As for me, I seemed
to be using my own powers a lot lately, and I was terribly drained.
Not to mention something serious was happening in the Dream Realm. Whatever
affected Momma and Aunt Adarra also affected their Earthly Protectors, Draconis, Drakkar and
Uncle Shane. Each man was in their own little worlds when it came to detective work. With the
exceptions of Drakkar and Draconis, all four of them, plus Daddy and Aunt Aimee, used to be
Crusaders, too. They were trained detectives who fought the evils in the Dream Realm and our
own. It seemed even they were affected by the case we were working on.
I just hoped whoever this Maurice character was would go away soon. I didn’t think
either of the Crusaders could handle their powers acting up like they were.
 Chapter Eleven
Tuesday: The Truth Comes Out

Time seemed to fly for me and I didn’t realize a week passed. By the time I did, it was
already Tuesday. The first thing I did when I entered the glorious halls of Hill View High was
go to Bradley's and my locker. I needed to talk to him about the mystery before he went to class,
but my faithful best friend wasn't anywhere in sight.
I still couldn’t keep my mind off what was bothering Momma. Why did she have to call
the Sisterhood Chant with Adarra? What was going on in the Dream Realm that was so bad even
the Lady Guardian needed help?
I sighed as I began to fiddle with the combination, messing up at least twenty times.
"Let me do it." I heard a familiar male voice mutter, growling unhappily.
I turn to face Bradley, only he was wearing his glasses because of a black eye.
A black eye!?!?
I did a double take. "Bradley! What happened to you?" I asked, concerned.
"I just got into a little fight. That's all." He calmly told me as he opened the locker and
shoved his coat and book bag inside aggressively. He didn't bother to look directly at me when
he spoke. "No big deal."
As I stuffed my backpack and coat in the locker, I asked, “Who?"
"Richie Carmichael." Bradley growled. He looked at me finally, so I could see his eye.
It was swollen, all right. "He decided that my face made a perfect punching bag," He explained
sarcastically. "So he punched me."
"You should have done something, instead of being that bag of muscular mayhem's
guinea pig." I advised him. Then I asked sympathetically, lightly touching it. "Does it hurt
much?"
Bradley pushed my hand away, scowling. "What do you think?"
I looked down at the floor and muttered softly, "Sorry."
"No. I should be the one who's sorry." Bradley replied. "Sorry I ever went along with
another one of your schemes!" He yelled, slamming the locker shut and storming off.
So much for trying to talk to him about the case, I thought regretfully.
I hoped to talk to him before lunch. If I didn't, we'd never get this case solved, and his
temper would eventually get the better of him. The one thing I hated most was leaving a mystery
unsolved. Not only that, but Bradley Allen doesn’t get angry that often. Something else must be
bothering him.
I started to walk to Mr. Barnes' Science classroom, alone. I hugged my books, thinking.
I hate seeing any of my friends unhappy; especially Bradley, who usually tells me
everything.
I walked into the science room more dazed than I had ever been before. Sure, I had
Science there every day, but because of the case, I felt as if I stepped in it for the very first time.
Oomph! Somebody had run into me. Turning, I see Alex Farthay, scowling playfully.
"Watch where your big feet are going, Kelly!" Alex sneered with a smile. "You could
damage me."
"Sorry." I muttered aloud. I thought to myself, the only thing I could damage was his
enormous ego. I giggled at the thought, rolling my eyes. He wasn’t bad, really. Alex was Krysti
Farthay’s cute older brother, but since elementary school, we’ve been in a playful competition
with each other. He’s one of the school’s best advice columnists, naming himself “Dr. Alex.”
 I walked to my seat and sat down.
“What’s up, Alex?” I asked him, since he was seated in front of me.
“Not much.” Alex replied with a shrug. “Krys told me about you guys getting back
together again. What’s up with that?”
I smiled. “Cara and Josh had been hearing things at the Catz Mansion. I knew Bradley
and I alone wouldn’t be able to solve it; we’re too busy, so I talked the Bomb Squad back into
being sleuths.”
I knew it wasn’t the truth, but I had to keep the Crusader stuff a secret from him. I made
a mental note to Krysti to back up my story.
“Talk about busy, I haven’t even been able to write ‘Dr. Alex’, and it’s due today.” Alex
sighed. “Ericka is going to freak.”
“I’m sure she’ll understand.” I told him. “I’m the Associate Editor-in-Chief, and I’m not
mad.”
“That’s you.” Alex quipped. “I’m telling Mr. Burroughs to give the column to someone
else. I’m quitting the paper.”
I was amazed. “You’re the best this school has!”
“Sure, but also the best in Debate, Hockey, Student Council?” Alex asked me. “Think
about it, Kelly. How am I supposed to have time for all that and the paper when I have
homework and chores every night?”
I thought for a minute. “Good point.”
That’s when Mr. Barnes started class, and my mind was immediately lost in space.
I sighed. This class was usually the most distracting to me.
Lost? Let me explain.
Usually, I love Science, because it could take my mind off everyday life. Especially with
our good-crazy professor, who makes learning the otherwise boring subject fun. Unfortunately,
with only the mystery on my mind, I couldn't pay attention or even concentrate on the exotic
science experiments. Or even to Mr. Barnes and his silly antics that were supposed to be lectures.
As I said before, the only thing that I could keep my mind focused on was the case -- and
where I had seen Maurice before. I almost didn't even hear the bell bong about an hour later,
signaling the end of class. I snapped out of my daydream just in time. I packed up my things and
headed out the door, basically running to my next class.
I didn't even realize how much time had passed, and luckily for me, I wasn't called on in
any of the classes before lunch. I snapped back into the 'real world' in Study Hall and Applied
Consumers Economics. Finally, a class where I could concentrate on the mystery and had no
danger of being called on.
It was also the perfect place to think.
I sat down at one of the tables and took out my notebook. With it, I planned to write
down all I knew about the mystery and Maurice. At the same time, I played "What do I know?":
a game that helped me to solve a mystery.
This is what it looked like when I was done:
 WHAT DO I KNOW?
1. I know that Maurice is lying. He told Bradley and myself one story, and the Parker
twins, Carrie and Kymm another story. When we tried putting them together, they didn’t make
any sense. Why is he lying?
2. I know that I have seen Maurice somewhere before -- but I can’t put my finger on it
right now. Where have I seen him before? TV? Newspaper? Online? Magazine?
3. Why didn’t Maurice tell us the real Catz Mansion Legend? What is he hiding from us,
if anything? What is going on here???

After I finished writing, I sat up to read what I had written.

"I still don't know where I've seen this Maurice character before." I said softly to myself,
sighing.
Obviously, it wasn't soft enough.
I heard a familiar male voice remark with a chuckle, "Talking to yourself again, Kelly?"
I turn my head slightly to meet Bradley's big brown eyes. He still had a bruise about the
size of a golf ball over his left eye. He had his glasses on, which was a good thing, considering it
could’ve been worse.
"Yeah," I told him, smiling nervously at the old joke. "I'm not as crazy as I sound,
though."
As soon as Bradley sat down, he immediately saw my notes. "What's all this?" He asked,
pointing to the papers on the table.
"I was just going over the case on paper." I explained. "Want to see?"
"Sure," Bradley replied, shrugging.
"Well," I started after I gave him a chance to look them over. "What do you think?"
He looked at me and nodded his approval. "Great notes, Kel. What are your personal
thoughts?"
"For one, I realized that Maurice, the odd caretaker of the Catz mansion, is a terrible liar."
"Obviously," Bradley added, nodding, "because of the fact that he told the two of us very
little of the legend, and the twins a totally different story. That, when we tried putting two and
two together, don't make any sense."
"That may be right, Bradley." I told him, shaking my head. "But that wasn't what I was
trying to figure out."
"What were you trying to decipher then?"
"When and where I first saw Maurice." I started to explain softly. "I had a weird feeling
that I had seen him somewhere before."
Bradley was silent, staring into space, and lost in thought. "We may have something
here," He replied, letting his voice trail.
"Yeah, I know." I agreed, nodding my head. "Question is: What?"
Bradley came out of his deep thought trance and replied, "Inquiry."
"Yeah?"
"Why are you focusing your attention on Maurice?" Bradley asked. "We've got a mystery
to solve."
"I have a hunch he’s part of the mystery.” I told him. “I mean, Cara and Josh didn’t
report it to anybody until after he came along. Sound fishy to you?”
 Bradley nodded, then looked up into my eyes. He took my hand and kissed my cheek.
“I’m sorry I snapped earlier. I didn’t mean it.”
I smiled. “I know, and you’re forgiven. You were just stressed because of the fight.”
“Yeah, that’s it.” Bradley supplied.
We turned back to my notes, reading them over again.
"What are we going to do about the mystery?" Bradley asked after a while. "And why
are you focusing your attention on Maurice? And why --"
"Bradley!" I cried, cutting off mid-sentence. "If you’d stop, I'd be able to explain!"
Before I got a chance to open my mouth, the bell bonged, signaling lunch to begin. I
gathered up my books, notebook, and papers. We then headed toward the double-doors leading
into the hallway.
As Bradley and I put our stuff in the locker, I asked him, "Do you still wish you'd never
let me drag you into one of my plans?"
Bradley sighed, staring into space. He turned to me saying, "You know what, Kelly?
Without your schemes to keep me on my feet, life’s pretty boring." Bradley paused as he shut the
locker, leaning against it. "So I guess the answer would be 'No.'" He replied, sparkling one of his
one-hundred watt smiles at me.
"That's sweet of you." I said, smiling back.
I cradled the book with my notes on the case under my arm. I hoped to have the rest of
the club help me figure it out. If my idea was going to work, I’d need all the help I could get!
With that in mind, the two of us headed toward the lunchroom. As we arrived at our
usual table, we saw that the usual gang was already there.
Bradley and I said "Hi," to everyone when we had received our lunches.
Lesal DeRose and Krysti Farthay were sitting next to each other. The new girl, Kendra
Clark (KC), Steve, his cousin Adam Smith, and Adam’s best friend Peter Valentine sat together.
Cara was seated next to Josh.
I did a double-take, just to make sure I saw Josh Stevenson sitting next to Adam and
Peter. Usually, he sits at the "jock" tables with the rest of the sports-jocks. I saw Allie Watson,
another new girl who was Hill View High’s own resident punk-rocker, sitting with the twins at
the end of the table.
When Bradley and I sat down, Cara asked, "You look frazzled. What’s up?"
"Give me a chance," I replied. "I've had a very rough morning."
"She's been a zombie," Bradley supplied to the others as I played with my food. "She
hasn't been able to think about anything except where she saw Maurice before."
Steve looked confused. "Who's Maurice?"
"You remember him, Steve." Josh responded, butting in before I could say anything.
"He's the old care-taker at the Catz mansion."
Steve thought for a moment. Then, as if remembering something, he nodded. "Oh, yeah!"
He replied. “I remember him, now! When I saw him the day that I was at your house, he
reminded me of this dude I saw on Crime Busters; nick-named 'Crazy Jake.'"
I looked at my best friend, and let his words sink in. He reminded me of this dude I saw
on Crime Busters; nick-named 'Crazy Jake' ... I thought silently to myself.
Before I could say anything, Lesal asked me, “Why are you carrying around a
notebook?”
“These are just the notes I wrote down having to do with the case.” I told her. I handed
the notebook to her. “Wanna see?”
 She nodded, and I let Lesal read my notes.
“This is a really good idea, Kelly.” Krysti, who was sitting next to her, complimented,
looking over her shoulder. She passed the notebook around the table.
I smiled broadly. “Thanks, Krys.”
As the notebook made its way around the table, I thought again about Steve’s remark.
He reminded me of this dude I saw on Crime Busters; nick-named 'Crazy Jake' ... I replayed it
over and over in mind.
A moment later, when I looked up at my friends, my face lit up.
“That’s it!”I exclaimed excitedly, slapping my hand on the lunch table and standing up.
"Why didn't I think of that before? I mean, it's my favorite detective-show on TV! Why couldn't I
remember that?"
My words were coming out faster than I could think them.
“What’s it?” Josh asked.
“That’s exactly who Maurice reminds me of.” I looked around to my friends. I sat down
again once catching the laughing eyes of Steve Edwards across the table.
"Huh?" My friends replied in unison.
“What are you talking about?” KC asked.
"Don't you guys get it?" I asked, glancing at each of their faces, ecstatically. "If we catch
'Crazy Jake' and hand him over to the police, we'd be famous!"
My mind was working in overdrive -- I had an idea.
Sort-of.
Krysti stared at me, then said sarcastically, "Just how are we going to do that?"
For the first time that day, I was totally speechless.
I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know." I sighed, laying my elbows on the table and
placing my chin in my hands.
“The great Kelina Erin Reading is dumbfounded!” Steve quipped, slapping hands with
Adam. “I knew this case of yours wouldn’t last.”
“It’s not over yet, Steven Antony Edwards.” I spat back with a grin. “Oh, and don’t ever
call me that again, understand?”
“Sorry.” He said, giving up.
“Why not?” KC asked. “It’s your real name, isn’t it?”
Cara, Bradley and I looked at each other.
“I only let my family call me that.” I said, then grinned. “Back to basics, guys. Any
ideas on how to capture ‘Crazy Jake’?”
The table was silent for ten minutes while we ate and racked our minds for a plan.
Moments later, Josh spoke up. "How about if we sneak up to the mansion and ring the
doorbell. Then, while a few of us talk to the old puss, the rest could..."
Of course, Josh's words sunk in, but I tuned them out after a while. I was too busy trying
to think of a perfect plan of my own to put in my suggestions. I sighed, wondering about
whether to use some of Krysti's idea or not, which was similar to Josh's, but more silly. Just
then, it came to me. I had the perfect plan. I snapped my fingers loudly, exclaiming, "That's it!"
My face lit up again that afternoon, and my friends stared at me with confusion.
“Again?” KC giggled.
Bradley, who was seated across the table, glared at me. Steve rolled his eyes and shook
his head. Krysti and KC glanced at each other, then toward me as if I'd suddenly grown another
head. Adam and his best friend, Peter Valentine, stared at me. The twins looked at each other,
then me. Lesal played with the contents of her lunch tray. Allie’s bubble popped as she looked
up from her magazine. Josh glanced at me and sighed.
I; on the other hand; who loved watching my best friends being held in suspense, smiled
mysteriously around the table.
The one who was the first to speak was Kymm Parker. “What is it and how can we
help?”
With that, I told my ultra-swish plan to my friends.
 Chapter Twelve
Having Second Thoughts

"Are you sure that your perfect plan will work?" Bradley asked, falling in step beside me.
We were walking home from school that afternoon, and were obviously discussing the mystery
and my "perfect plan." Steve, Josh, Cara, Adam, and Steve’s twin sister Liz were trailing
behind, laughing.
"Of course," I assured him. "I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise, would I?"
"I guess not," Bradley said softly, looking at the ground.
I stared at my brother/best friend for a few minutes in silence. "You don't sound
convinced, Brad." I replied. "What's up?"
"I just keep thinking that every time you come up with a plan or idea, you get the rest of
us in trouble.” He looked at me and pointed to himself. “Especially yours truly."
I was speechless. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" I asked, as I watched him
walk up the steps to his house.
"I guess with all the excitement, I forgot." He replied.
Bradley headed inside, and I sat on my porch, deep in thought.
Minutes later, my other best friend, Steve Edwards came up and sat down beside me on
the porch. "What's his problem?" He asks, nodding in the direction of his front door.
"He says that every time I get an idea and shared it with my friends I get everybody
around me in trouble." I explained to him laying my chin in my palms. "Is that true, Steve?"
Steve looked at me strangely, but didn't dare say anything.
I groaned at his response. "He's right. You're right. Everybody's right, except me." I
complained grumpily.
“Relax,” Steven laughed. "We're all right." He supplied, wrapping his arm around my
shoulders and giving me a little squeeze. "Even little old you, Kelly Reading."
I stared at him. “How?”
“Don’t worry about it too much, okay? I’ll see you later, alligator.” Steve replied. He
saluted and headed next door.
I stood and walked inside my own house.
When I walked in, Momma was talking to Derrick and Draconis at the kitchen table. The
guys were sitting and she was standing.
“Why the glum face, sweetheart?” Momma asked.
I shrugged, setting my bag on the table before sitting. “Do I always get my friends in
trouble with my big ideas?”
Derrick cleared his throat, trying not to laugh. “Sometimes, yes; but, you always manage
to get yourselves out of it.”
“Why? What’s going on?” Momma asked.
“Craig and Cara’s mystery.” I told her. “We found out someone was in the mansion,
making the shadows and noises.”
Derrick was interested. “Who was it?”
“A strange guy named Maurice.” I told him. “He claimed to be the caretaker of the last
family that lived there. Kymm and Carrie were curious, so they went over there, which is how
we found out.”
Momma sat down. Even she was interested now.
“What happened next?” Momma asked.
 I told my parents the story with no interruptions.
“This sounds like your area of expertise, Karrath.” Draconis responded, using Derrick’s
Draconian name. “I’ll just leave the three of you to it.”
Momma absently nodded when he kissed her before leaving.
I turned to Derrick and found he was already in detective mode immediately. “The Chief
has been on the Harrison case lately. He escaped from jail, and no one knew where he went.”
“Are you sure it’s him though?” Momma asked. “You don’t want to arrest the wrong
man.”
“I’m positive.” I told her. “I watch Crime Busters every week, remember?”
Derrick stared at me. “You saw his face?”
I nodded. “Steve was the one who helped me remember him.”
He and Momma looked to each other.
“Are you going to follow through on your plan to capture him?” Momma asked.
I nodded again.
“I’m calling a friend of mine down at the station.” Derrick stood and headed to the
phone.
“You don’t mean Dianne Baxter, do you?” Momma asked.
Dianne Baxter was the small crimes investigator in the force. I’d met her when my
middle-school class went on a tour of the police station.
“You bet.” Derrick said.
When he came back a few minutes later, he was smiling at me.
“Well, what did she say?” I asked.
“She’s more than happy to see Harrison behind bars again.” Derrick told me. “She’s
going to help you guys out.”
“How?” I asked, and Momma looked at us.
“That’s the fun part.” Derrick said, then told us what they had in mind. “Got it?”
I smiled. “I’ll tell them.”
Derrick’s and Detective Baxter’s idea, along with my own, was going to turn the tables
on Harrison. I actually couldn’t wait to put the plan into action.

Later, Bradley came over to visit.

"Come with me. We need to have a little talk."
Great. I thought. He was going to try to cheer me up.
"I may have just the thing to cheer you up." Bradley replied, smiling mysteriously as he
headed in the opposite direction of Daddy’s house. (I knew it!)
"Okay, I give!" I cried, following. Bradley and I used to race each other on this block.
The walk was quite peaceful for a change. It gave me a chance to think about the
mystery, among other things. Of course, I didn't feel the cool autumn breeze that blew in the
afternoon sun. I also didn't realize when Bradley crept up and started walking right behind me,
holding my waist with his masculine arms.
What was he doing? I asked myself. This wasn’t right, we both knew it.
I didn’t object, enjoying it.
"You know what?" He asked after a while.
"You found a fox in your basement?" I kidded, hoping to lighten up my mood.
Bradley chuckled. "No, of course not."
"Then I give up." I interjected, "Tell me: What?"
 "I was just thinking about when we were in the System. Remember?" Bradley asked.
The System was one of the best teen-detective training places in Shore Point, California.
It’s run by our cousin Shannon Ryan-McNathaniels. When we were kids, Momma and Derrick
had married in a double wedding with Aunt Adarra-then-Aluna and Uncle Shane. We were
invited to tag along, with Daddy and Aunt Aimee looking after us. Later, when Momma’s
cousin was married, he and I were invited to the wedding. While the adults were busy with
wedding preparations, Bradley and I had disappeared, snooping around.
I smiled at the memory now. "Sure, Bradley. I still have my detecting skills, you know."
"Well, I was thinking more along the lines of us."
I was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Why had he brought it up now?
Bradley stopped in his tracks, forcing me to trip over my own feet. I went down with a
loud "Oomph!" He held out his hand so he could help me up.
"Thanks," I said, tucking the fly-away hair away from my face and smiling.
"I meant when we were together." Bradley continued, arms around my waist.
We were together all right, as brother and sister. Not to mention best friends. We always
had been, even before we physically met, when we were first in the Dream Realm as Young
Dreamers. We’ve always been best friends from first sight.
I closed my eyes and nodded, smiling. "I remember, but what does that have to do with
anything?" I asked as I followed my best friend into the house.
He took my hand in his, pulling me closer to him. I could feel his heart skip a beat when
my head hit his chest. I blushed, feeling a little uncomfortable at the act.
"I have a surprise for you." Bradley smiled mysteriously, and said simply, "You'll see."
I rolled my eyes, trailing right behind him into his bedroom. As I sat on his bed, I
watched him go over to his dresser and pull out a small black box.
He hands it to me and says with a smile, "Open it."
I opened the rectangular-shaped box. I saw a heart-shaped gold pendant dangling from its
gold chain and gasped, "Oh my dangles! Bradley, this is beautiful!" Hugging him excitedly, I
cry, "Thank you!"
"Before you go hog-wild, take a look." He says, watching me take it out of the box. "I
had it engraved, just for you."
I looked on the back, which said, "I © U 4-Ever. B.A." I smiled shyly at him.
He was so cute!
“What’s this for?” I asked him.
Bradley grinned. “I want you to be my girlfriend.”
“How? I mean, we’re brother and sister!” I cried.
“That’s the surprise.” Bradley said, his brown eyes sparkled. He grabbed my hand and
led me to Daddy’s room. “I found something in Dad’s closet that might interest you.”
I was confused. “What did you find?” I sat on the bed and Bradley reached for a travel-
case.
He found a file folder and handed it to me. “My adoption papers.”
“What?” I cried, secretly excited.
I sifted through them. Sure enough, Bradley Allen was adopted. So that’s how he fit into
our family! My grandparents had adopted him! “If you’re adopted, this means, we’re not
siblings.”
Bradley took my hand. “It also means we can be a couple, like we’ve always wanted.”
 I stared into his eyes, placing the folder beside me on the bed. “How long have you
known?”
“For a week now. I just wanted to wait until the right moment to tell you.” Bradley
replied. “Surprise, Kelly. I love you!”
“I love you, too, Bradley.” I replied shyly. “I secretly have since Horizon Woods.”
“So have I.” He replied. “Here, let me help you put the necklace on.”
He reached behind my back to clasp it. Looking into each other’s eyes, we embraced in a
long, soothing kiss. It was my first actual kiss from Bradley.
Earthly Protector at last, I heard in my mind as we kissed.
“Did you hear that?” Bradley asked, searching my eyes. I smiled and nodded, kissing
him again.
When we parted, Bradley stood up, not taking his eyes off me. We headed back to his
bedroom once putting the folder away and closing the door behind us.
I sighed happily as I followed behind him. I was beginning to relax around him, and my
empathic powers were triggering big time. It almost felt natural to give in to hidden feelings of
love all these years.
I shut the door behind me, with him still smiling at me. “Well?”
“Well what?” I asked innocently, playing with him.
“What do you think?” He asked, laughing. “We can be a couple now.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and smiled into his eyes. He wrapped his arms
around my waist, pulling me to him. Even though he had his glasses on and a bruise over his left
eye, he was still cute to me.
“What do I think?” I repeated. “I think I’ve fallen for you, Bradley Allen.”
I kissed him then. When we parted, I happened to glance over his shoulder.
Something on his usually messy desk caught my eye. I lingered over to his desk that had
a mess of papers, pens, pencils, and books, and decided to take a look.
"What are you doing?" Bradley asked as he watched me nosing around.
"Something on your desk caught my eye." I explained, searching. "Here it is."
I showed him the manila folder marked "History of The Catz Mansion." "What's this?" I
asked.
"I decided the case was taking longer than we thought." He explained, sitting on the floor
against his bed. "I took the liberty of doing some research on the Catz mansion."
"If you don't mind my asking, why?" I asked, sitting on the floor next to him. “I already
know the story. I was there, remember?”
Long ago, I was there, kidnapped by Derrick’s ex-girlfriend, Adrienne Whitehead. I was
in the attic, and met the Catz twins themselves – at least, their ghosts. I was no more than eight-
or nine-years-old. They told me their real story.
"So we'll know what to expect when we carry out your brilliant plan." Bradley replied,
placing his arm around my neck.
"When do we plan on going back there?" I asked, almost afraid of his response.
"I was thinking maybe tomorrow afternoon." Bradley suggested, shrugging.
"No good." I said, shaking my head. "Lesal, Cara, and Carrie have cheerleading practice
from three until four-thirty. You and I both have a meeting at the Gazette office after school."
"Well, then, I don't know when." Bradley replied, lost in space.
Just then, as I glance at the bruise over his left eye, I thought of something, and decided
to ask him about it. "Bradley, why did Richie Carmichael punch you this morning?"
 He took in a deep breath and brought his hand up to touch his black eye. "I told him to
shut up." Bradley said softly, glancing at me. "That's why."
"What did he say to you to make you resort to violence?" I persisted, being careful not to
make him angrier than he was earlier.
He took a deep breath and began, "He was saying things about you that I didn't like."
Bradley explained, pulling me closer to him. "I stood up for my favorite girl because I knew how
much I loved you."
I lay my head on his chest, fingering the necklace and smiling. "You know what's funny
about this picture?" I asked after a while.
Bradley looked at me. "What?"
"You brought me here to cheer me up, right?"
"Yeah."
"Now, here I am, trying to cheer you up." I said, giggling a little.
He laughed, standing up. I stood up as well. "I should get you home before your parents
start to worry."
"OK, boss." I said smiling, as I slip my jean jacket on and head for the door behind
Bradley.
We stood facing each other once we reached my front porch steps.
“Was that what you were thinking when you mentioned the System?” I asked him with a
smile, holding both of his hands.
He kissed me on the nose. “You bet.” He raised his eyebrows at me. “How’s that for a
surprise?”
“It was the best surprise I could ever ask for.” I told him softly.
“Only the best for the Enchantress of the Dream Realm.” Bradley teased.
I laughed. “I should go in now.”
He hugged me, then shook his head. “Not until you say yes.”
“To what?”
“To our first date.”
It was hard to imagine him and me actually going on a date. Sure, we’ve been places
together, but that was with our friends. To really go out with him on a girlfriend-boyfriend date
seemed impossible. Thanks to his surprise, it was possible.
“When?” I asked him, anxious to hear his response.
“What about Friday night?” He asked. “We’ll go to dinner and a catch a movie.”
I smiled. “Sounds like fun.” I kissed his lips, then broke away from his embrace. “I’ll
see you tomorrow.”
“See you.” Bradley put his hands in his pockets and stared at me. He stood in his spot,
not moving. He smiled, saying sweetly. “I love you.”
I smiled as I turned the knob. “I love you, too.”
I clasped the necklace as I opened the door.
 Chapter Twelve
The Mystery Note

I walked in the house slowly, being sure not to wake Melody or my brothers. After
hanging my coat up, I headed toward the living room. I found Derrick and Dracora watching
television with Momma and Draconis.
“You’re home early.” Derrick commented, looking at Momma.
She shut it off with the remote control. “Judging by the romantic look on your face, I’d
say you found out our little secret.” Momma laughed. She tapped the chair and I sat next to her.
Now the siblings of Draconis and Dracora looked at each other, curious. They sat silent
and listened, which I knew wasn’t an easy feat for them.
“Yeah, but why didn’t you ever tell us before?” I asked.
“We wanted to wait until you found out yourselves.” Derrick said. “You were always so
happy together as children, we didn’t want to ruin anything.”
“What would you ruin?”
Momma and Derrick looked at each other.
“Your utter devotion to each other.” Momma replied softly.
“We were afraid of ruining the bond you guys had.” Derrick said. “Understand?”
I looked at both of them. “I guess so.” I stood up after hugging both of them. “I’m glad
we found out now, though.”
“Why’s that?” Momma asked.
“No more skeletons in the closet.” I told them. I headed to the staircase. “I’m going to
finish my homework now.”
“You’re on your own for dinner tonight.” Momma said. “I have an early class, and I
don’t think either of us feels like cooking.”
So far, I felt nothing more about what happened the other night. I still wonder what was
going on, but put it out of my mind for now. I’d investigate tonight when I went to the Dream
Realm.
Picking up my school bag, I ran up the stairs and into the hallway.
I was ready to lose myself in a good mystery novel after I finished studying when the
phone beside my bed rang. I picked it up after the first ring.
“Sulheya and Hello. Dratianos residence, Kelly speaking.”
“Kelly, I have something to show you.” It was my best friend, Cara.
“Slow down, take a deep breath and start over.” I instructed.
“In my hand, I have a threatening note. Thing is: it’s signed by the ghost of Jeremiah
Catz.” Cara replied, talking slowly.
“Hold on, Cara. I’ll be right over.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Cara replied. “See you.”
We hung up and I rode my bike over to her house. Uncle Craig, looking as if he hadn’t
slept in days, escorted me in.
I found Cara Richardson sitting at her desk, staring into space with her headphones on.
“Where is it?” I asked her, tapping her on the shoulder.
She stopped the CD, took her headphones off, opened her desk drawer, and pulled out a
single folded piece of paper. She handed it to me, saying sternly, "Right here."
I gasped, getting a vision as soon as my hand touched the paper.
 Cara touched my arm to get me out of the trance. I looked at her as she asked. “What is
it? What did you see?”
“Crazy Jake sent this, warning us off the case.” I told her. “Jeremiah has nothing to do
with this. In fact, he was shaking his head in my vision, telling me so.”
“How can he be in your vision?” Cara asked. “He’s dead.”
I shrugged. “I can’t tell the others about my visions, especially now. They’d spook out.”
“I know I did when you first had one around me.” Cara said.
"When did this come?" I asked, throwing it away in the garbage next to me.
Cara shrugged. She avoided my eyes, squeaking out. "A few days ago."
"Why didn't you tell me about this as soon as it arrived?" I asked her, being careful not to
lose my temper. I hated it when people didn't tell me things.
She looked at the floor uncomfortably. "I dunno. I guess I didn't want to bother you with
stuff like this."
"Why not?"
She cleared her throat, and began shyly (which, in itself, was strange), "You were so
excited about getting the club back together, and about the case. I didn't want to give your hopes
up. I'm really sorry, Kelly. I didn't mean to keep something from you." When I didn't answer, I
was (as always) thinking. She noticed this and said shivering, "Aren't you afraid of Crazy Jake?"
"No way, Cara Richardson!" I cried. "I'm not afraid of anything! Especially some
nutso-clutzo, neurotic, pathetically wrong, stupid, bone-headed maniac that thinks he can stop
me from solving this case!"
Cara looked stunned. She blinked her eyes dramatically a few times, and shook her head.
"I guess not." She said with a hint of a smile peeking from her lips, then laughed.
"Do you think you’re ready to scare him back?" I asked my best friend, pointing.
"Who?" Came a voice from behind me.
"Hey, Josh." Cara and I said in unison.
Then I continued by telling the two of them, "Maurice. That's who."
"The so-called care-taker of the Catz mansion?" Cara asked, rolling her brown eyes
upward.
"Don't forget, Kelly." Josh said with a smile. "He's also newly revealed to us -- by you,
Steve and me, of course -- as Crazy Jake Harrison."
I nodded. "I think he's hiding something, though." I commented. "I could tell."
"How could you tell?" Cara asked me.
"He was all fidgety, and shuddered when he saw my eyes, claiming I was a Mystic." I
explained. “I could sense the uneasiness he was having.”
"Really?" Josh asked, sitting on her bed next to me.
"No joke." I told him, smiling. "Truth."
Cara shook her head at us, catching onto the fact that Josh and I were joking around.
Then said, "Come on, you two! Get serious, for once in your lives! Crazy Jake has threatened to
kill us and you two are joking around as if it’s no big deal!"
Josh and I looked at each other, and roll our eyes. "It is 'no big deal,' Cara." He said.
"Empty threats mean nothing to me." I told her seriously.
Cara threw her hands up in the air, and cried, exasperated, "Aarrrggh! You two are
impossible!"
Josh and I looked at each other and smiled.
I burst out in hilarious giggles. Soon, the three of us were laughing at each other.
 “Okay, I’ll try not to take it so seriously.” Cara replied, settling down. “I mean, really, if
it was his ghost, wouldn’t he be haunting me? Come on!”
“You sure changed your tune quick!” I cried with a laugh.
“So, did Bradley give you that necklace?” Josh smiled and I blushed.
“How did you know?” I asked, and Cara watched, gawking.
“I was there when he found out.”
“Found out what?” Cara replied, anxious.
“He’s adopted.”
“You’re kidding me!” Cara cried. “How romantic?”
“How do you figure?” Josh asked.
“They’ve been secretly in love with each other since Horizon Woods, but couldn’t do
anything because they were brother and sister.” Cara explained.
I groaned. “Cara! You promised!”
“I’m sorry, but it’s true. Right?” Cara complied.
“I guess, but what about you? How long have you known, Josh?”
“It’s hard not to know.” Josh said. “It’s like you’re the center of his universe or
something. Until we found out, Brad’s been acting strange around me.” He took a breath.
“Take Hawks practice last month. When I motioned to pass him the ball, he was watching you
talking with the cheerleaders.”
“I had to see what they were going to do at the pep rally for the paper.” I told them.
Thinking of Bradley, I sighed. “He was watching me?”
Cara giggled when her boyfriend said. “You bet.”
I wanted out of the conversation, right now. “I want you two to do something for me.”
“Shoot.” Cara said, looking at him.
“Don’t tell anybody about this yet, okay?”
“Sure, Kelly. No problem.” Josh promised.
“Thanks.” I looked at my watch. “Oh, I’ve gotta go. See you later, guys.”
“See ya!” They chorused as I headed out the door.
 Chapter Thirteen
My Plan in Action

The next day was to be the day. That fateful and utterly disastrous day where Carrie,
Allie, Bradley, Adam, Steve, Cara and I would put my "perfect plan" into action. It was Friday,
usually the day for softball and cheerleading practices. Fortunately for us, both were canceled.
As we neared the mansion, I asked, "Everybody ready?"
"Ready!" They cried excitedly.
"All right!" I said when we were a block away, "Battle stations!"
Allie ran across the street to the Stevensons, keeping an eye out for us. Carrie, Bradley,
Cara, and Adam ran ahead of us.
Steve and I hid behind a huge tree that was in the Catz's front yard, waiting. We stood
there very quietly, listening for our cues.
Immediately, Carrie and the others saw, and approached, "Maurice."
"Hello there, young ladies and gentlemen," Maurice (I mean, Crazy Jake Harrison)
replied with a smile.
"Hi, Maurice!" Carrie said cheerfully, waving.
Crazy Jake looked confused.
The plan would go perfectly, I thought.
Bradley spoke up, "When you told us part of the legend, Maurice, we couldn't wait to
hear the rest of it!"
"Yeah," Adam cried, and Bradley nodded. "When you told them, they told us..."
"And now we're hooked!" Bradley cried, finishing Adam's sentence, glancing at Crazy
Jake and watching for his response.
"Whatever did happen to Jeremiah Catz?" Carrie asked, folding her arms.
Crazy Jake was quiet. Since Carrie was with Kymm and Bradley was with me, he was
caught off guard. He didn't know which lie he told who, so he didn't know what to say.
Meanwhile, Steve and I were listening attentively. "That's your cue to run across the
street to Josh's and call Detective Baxter." I whispered to him.
I had called Derrick earlier at the station, and told him we were ready to roll. He told his
friend, Detective Diane Baxter, to keep an eye on us, just in case. Baxter told me to call her
when the trap was set.
Steve looked at me and nodded. He turned and did what I had instructed. It was time to
put the second part of the plan into action. While we were getting in position, Bradley and the
others were listening to Crazy Jake's bag full of lies.
I sent Bradley a telepathic message: On to part two, Bradley. Go for it, and Good luck!
Bradley nudged Carrie, making her yelp.
"Hey!" Carrie exclaimed, hands on her hips. "That's not what you told Kymm and me the
other day!"
"You lied to us, Maurice!" Bradley cried out.
That was my cue to show myself. "Or should we say, 'Crazy Jake' Harrison?" I asked
proudly, stepping out of the shadows, hands on my hips.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Crazy Jake denied, forgetting to speak in a fake
English accent. He began glancing at each of us nervously. He looked from Bradley then back to
me. He saw the glow of my ring and whispered, "Cursed Mystics!"
 "That's right." I said, laughing softly. I crossed my arms. "We’re still in town, and better
than ever.”
"The question is, do you really know who's who and what’s what?" Bradley asked with a
mischievous grin, wrapping his arms around me.
"I - I - I don't know." Crazy Jake stammered, obviously frozen with confusion.
Just then, Steve, Allie and Josh (who had both been watching the scene from his front
yard), Detective Diane Baxter, and a few plain-clothes detectives ran up to the group.
“Fancy seeing you again, Harrison.” Baxter remarked sarcastically.
Two policemen I didn't know handcuffed Crazy Jake Harrison, read him his rights, and
took him away.
"You'll never get away with this!" Crazy Jake growled behind his back at us while the
police were hauling him away in a Ray County police vehicle. "I'll make you pay!"
"Oh, go suck an egg Crazy Jake!" I yelled, high-fiving my friends.
We’d done it! I couldn't believe our luck.
Detective Baxter walked up to Bradley, Carrie, Allison, Steve, and me while Josh and
Cara were talking animatedly about the whole scene. "Thanks for the hot tip, kids." She
congratulated us, shaking each of our hands in appreciation. "How did you ever know that Crazy
Jake was hiding out here?"
"It was just a part of being a teen sleuth." I told her earnestly, smiling at my friends.
"Well, keep up the good work, kids." The Detective said with a smile, "Just let the police
handle any REAL cases or mysteries around here from now on, OK?"
"Yes ma'am," We agreed.
“By the way, I’ll tell Derrick what you’ve done.” Detective Baxter gave me a wink and
was on her way back to the HVPD. “So be careful.”
I crossed my arms and smiled mysteriously into space.
 Chapter Fourteen
The Investigation

"I know that look of yours, Kelly Reading!" Cara cried as the rest of the gang crowded
around me. She crossed her arms and scowled playfully.
"You're not going to listen to her, are you?" Bradley asked, hugging me from behind.
"Of course not." I answered. "Why should I?"
"I agree." Josh replied. "You shouldn't, because this would be the perfect time to find out
what those noises are and where in the mansion they're coming from."
"I think it's a great idea, Josh. You do that, and I'll go home now." Cara said, trying to
sneak away.
"No way, Cara!” Josh cried with a laugh, grabbing her hand quickly. “You’re not
getting away that easily!”
We started laughing.
"Wait a second. I thought we just did?" Allie asked suddenly, puzzled.
"We did, but we didn't." Josh told her, looking at the group; me in particular.
The group, which now consisted of Adam, Steve, Allie, Carrie, Bradley, Josh, and I,
gathered around me.
"What do you mean?" Bradley asked his best friend. "We just caught a once hard-earned
criminal, and you're saying that you're still hearing things? I don't get it."
"If you listen closely you guys, you'll see what I mean." Josh explained, crossing his
arms and staring at Bradley and me. "Or rather, hear."
The gang was silent, and heard nothing out of the ordinary.
I didn’t sense anything weird at all, until Josh’s gaze turned to the mansion's barn. I
followed his arm to where it was pointing. I could faintly see something moving in the distance,
and started to walk over to it. As I told Cara before, I wasn’t scared of anything. This definitely
made me curious.
“You don’t expect,” Cara cried, but I held up a hand to silence her.
“I’m not going anywhere near that place.” I heard Carrie’s voice behind me. I turned
and gave her a look to shut her up.
Time to investigate. As I walked closer to the barn, I could see a glowing white
silhouette in the middle of a pile of hay. Her wrists were glowing red and I smiled, knowing
immediately who it was.
My friends, on the other hand, were so spooked by a ghost, they ran off, leaving me and
Bradley with her.
“Is that?” Bradley asked, stopping in mid-sentence, gawking.
“Jesemiah Catz.” I finished for him. I addressed her now. “Been lonely, huh Jes?”
Her voice was soft as the wind, but I heard it loud and clear. “I came to visit,
Enchantress.”
Bradley didn’t know what to think. “Nice to meet you, I guess.”
Jesemiah’s ghost laughed. “What is your name, kind sir, and why are you not afraid of
me?”
“Bradley Allen Schmidt.” Bradley said absently, staring at her. “I’m not afraid because
I’ve seen worse things in my life than a beautiful ghost.”
“Being with the Enchantress must have its certain excitements, yes?” Jesemiah grinned,
curtseying.
 Bradley took my hand. He knew I was the Dream Realm’s Enchantress, since that’s
where we first met.
“Ah, I see.” Jesemiah replied. “Destined to be lovers for all eternity.”
Bradley and I looked at each other and smiled.
“How do you know?” I asked her, knowing she was right.
“A true witch’s visions are never wrong.” Jesemiah looked to the sky. “I must be going
now. I shall visit you again soon.”
“Not too soon, I hope.” Bradley mumbled, teasing.
With a nod and a wink, Jesemiah Catz was gone once again.
Bradley shivered. “Come on, let’s go home. This is even starting to spook me out.”
I looked at him and smiled. “You, Bradley Allen, scared? Ha!” I giggled, making him
smile. “Race you!”
“I’ll beat you yet, Kelina Erin!” He yelled after me.
I started to run, screeching as he tried to catch me.
I was glad Jesemiah told us what I was already suspecting.
One thing was clear. Despite the rough times we have, I can say one thing.
I love Bradley Allen Schmidt.
 Chapter Fifteen
Family Matters

The next day, I went back to Cara’s after school.

“I’ll be there in a minute, Cara.” I told her as she headed to her room.
“Again?” Cara asked.
“I promised Uncle Kevin I’d talk to her.” I replied.
She shrugged, shaking her head. “Make it quick, okay? I’ve got something to tell you.”
I nodded and headed to the living room, where I found Andrea herself staring out the
window.
“Like the view?” I asked, standing over her.
She shook her head and looked at me. “Oh, Kelly. Hi. Sorry about that. I’ve been out
of it lately.” Andrea took a deep breath, standing. “Where’s Cara?”
“Upstairs.” I told her.
“Oh.” She said nervously. “What can I do for you?”
“Can I talk to you?” I asked.
“What about?”
“Uncle Kevin.” I said, watching her reaction.
She began to walk away from me, heading to the kitchen. I sat at one of the bar stools
and she grabbed an orange out of the refrigerator.
“Did he send you here?” She asked softly, peeling it without looking at me.
“Actually, he went to Momma, worried about you. I overheard the conversation. Kevin
wanted Momma to talk to you, but she was too busy, so I volunteered.” I explained.
She ignored me, peeling her orange.
“Is there something wrong with your relationship?” I dared to ask.
Andrea finally looked at me, shaking her head. “No, thank goodness.” She said. “I’ve
had nightmares lately about the Mansion across the street.”
I perked up. “Tell me about them. Maybe I can help?”
“I’m seeing things over there.” Andrea told me.
I smiled. “Look over there now.” I told her. “Tell me what you see.”
She looked out the window. “I only see things at night.”
“Has Cara talked to you lately?” I asked. “Mostly about an idea I had?”
She turned back to me. “Yeah, she told me you brought the old club back together
again.” She bit into a slice of her orange before asking. “Why? What’s going on?”
I nodded toward the Mansion. “That.” I told her. “Or, at least it was until we solved the
case.”
“I hope you didn’t get into any trouble.” Andrea replied.
“We didn’t, but Crazy Jake Harrison did.”
At that, Andrea gasped. “He’s out of jail?”
I shook my head, smiling proudly. “Not anymore. We captured him. He was hiding out
in the Catz Mansion. That’s probably what you saw.”
Andrea held her chest and heaved a sigh of relief. “I thought it was the ghost of Jeremiah
Catz himself.”
In her state of mind, I decided not to tell her about Jesemiah’s visit.
“So did half of Hill View.” I said. “Uncle Kevin’s really worried about you, you know.”
“Yes, I know he is.” Andrea sighed. “I guess I haven’t been much of a wife lately.”
 “Why don’t you call Kevin at work and tell him what was wrong?” I suggested, standing
up. “It’ll ease his mind.”
Andrea smiled. “Thanks, Kelly. I’ll do that.”
I headed upstairs to my best friend, glad I helped her sister.
Cara met me halfway down the upstairs hall. She’d been waiting for me.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
“What’s the emergency?” I asked, laughing. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
Cara sighed as she dropped on her bed. “I caught Josh’s eye in Study Hall today. He
was staring at me, big time.”
“So what?” I asked. “He’s your boyfriend. Why wouldn’t he look at you?”
“Somehow, I could feel it.”
“Feel what?”
“I know it sounds funny, but I could feel his love for me.”
“You’re not making any sense, you know that?” I teased her.
“After you left the other day, he asked if I wanted to go to the Clubhouse with him.”
The Clubhouse was a local teen hangout for the city of Hill View. It was a restaurant and
dance place all in one.
“So, he basically asked you out on a date.” I replied.
“You really think so?” Cara asked.
“I’m just guessing.” I cried, exasperated. “Ask him and find out for sure.”
She stared at me for a minute, not knowing how to react. She sat at her desk in the
corner, ready to start her homework. “You have classes with both of us, right?” I nodded and
she continued. “Have you noticed him acting peculiar lately?”
I shook my head. “No more than usual.”
She rolled her eyes at that, and I had to laugh.
“Listen, I’ve gotta split.” I told her, looking at the clock on the wall.
“You just got here!” Cara protested.
“I know, but it’s my turn to sit for Melody, Meredith, and the boys.” I explained. “You
know how that is.”
She looked down. “Yeah, I know.”
My empathy told me she was depressed. “What’s wrong?”
“Sometimes I feel you have no time for me.” Cara replied. “I’m your best friend, and
everything. You’re either always with Bradley, or your family, or even at the Gazette office.”
I never knew she felt that way. “I’m sorry, Cara.” I came up with an idea. “Why don’t
you come over later? We’ll watch movies and make popcorn.”
“We could even invite Krysti!” Cara Richardson’s face never seemed so bright. “Yeah,
like a slumber party! I’ll ask Craig and Andrea if I can. If so, I’ll call you, okay?”
I nodded, hugging her. “If there were only one thing to cheer you up, it would be a
party.” I kidded. She giggled. “Talk to you later, Cara.”
“See ya.” She remarked with a smile as I left the room.

I was in Momma’s Study later when she called my name. She’d just walked in the door
and I went to greet her.
“Hi Momma.” I said.
I watched her put away her coat in the foyer closet, and her briefcase by the stairs. She
looked tired, almost drained when she finally sat down on the armchair.
 “You looked drained. Had a rough day?” I asked her as I begin rubbing her shoulders.
“Tough month, actually.” Momma replied softly. “Inner Realm troubles.”
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Why did you and Aunt ‘Darra have to use the Sisterhood
Chant that night?”
“I don’t think you can handle it, honey.” Momma commented, shaking her head.
I stopped. “Of course I can. I’m Lady Guardian’s own daughter; the powerful
Enchantress. I can handle anything.”
Momma laughed. “I give up. Sit down, and I’ll explain everything the best I can.”
I sat on the floor in front of her. “What ghastly demon are we dealing with this time?” I
asked with a smile.
“None.” Momma said. “A Mystic is in trouble. I’ve never heard of her, but she seemed
to know my title. She claims her powers have gone haywire; that, every time she used them, like
the telekinesis, it would act like a magnet, forcing things to come to her.”
“Isn’t that what telekinesis is?” I asked. “Bringing things to you without physically
touching them?”
“Not in her case.” Momma supplied.
“What’s her name?”
“Melody Applebee.” She said, watching my reaction.
“Isn’t she the same woman my sister was named after?” I asked her.
“I’m surprised you remember that.” Momma said.
“When it comes to the family, I’ll never forget.”
“That’s good to hear.” Momma replied. “Anyway, she came to me now as she did back
then. Turns out, her dreams have returned, and she’s scared stiff. What’s more is her telekinesis
power is going haywire, just as the dreams predicted.”
“She’s of Dorianne’s lineage,” I shrugged. “That explains the lack of control. She was
never really taught, was she?”
“She and her twin brother never knew about it, really.” Momma explained. “She tells
me she was named after Dorianne’s own daughter, Melody.”
“The one that died when she was only sixteen?” I asked. “Well, how is she in trouble?”
“I just told you.” Momma smiled. “She can’t control her powers. Here’s the scary part.
Both she and her older daughter are having prophetic dreams, with Melody herself dying in the
end.”
“Isn’t that called the Mystic’s Destination Vision?”
Momma was impressed. “You’ve been keeping up.”
I smiled. “I have to in order to fight the bad guys.”
Momma laughed.
“What does she want you to do?” I asked her.
“She wanted me to help her in her Dream Realm.” Momma supplied. “She’s afraid of
leaving her two daughters behind when she dies.”
“So, this Melody wanted you to ease her mind?” Momma nodded. “Was that why you
were crying that day? Because you knew you couldn’t do much for her?”
“I could only help calm her, but she wanted me to cast a spell to keep her alive.”
“That’s impossible.” I remarked. “A Mystic’s Destination Vision is bound to come true
by the powers of time and Goddess Ocarina.”
 “I knew that, and Draconis knew that, and so did she, but she wouldn’t admit it.”
Momma replied. She stood up. “Listen, honey, I have to start dinner. Did you want to help
me?”
“Sure, but can I invite Cara and Krysti to stay the night? She’s feeling lonely and
depressed.”
Momma grinned. “As long as it’s okay with Draconis, Craig, Andrea, and Kirsten’s
mother, I don’t see why not? It isn’t a school night.”
I hugged and kissed her cheek. “Thanks a lot.” I replied. “Just make sure the boys and
Mel don’t bug us, okay?”
Momma laughed, taking my hand. “I’ll be sure to keep them away from you.”
With that, we headed to the kitchen to start dinner.
 Chapter Sixteen
Secrets Revealed

Cara caught me before class a week later. “I was wondering something.”

I looked at her. “Shoot.”
“Have you noticed Miranda lately?” Cara asked, sounding worried.
I nodded. “Yeah, she looks really pale.” I told her. “The Parker twins told me Lesal’s
worried sick about her. Truthfully, so am I.”
Cara sighed. “Me, too, but I have to tell you something.”
“Go ahead.”
She looked sheepish before opening her mouth. “Promise not to say anything? Not even
to Bradley or Lesal?”
I stared at her. “Cara?” I wondered.
“I went in the girls’ bathroom a couple weeks ago and heard someone gagging.” Cara
said. “As soon as the stall opened, Miranda English herself popped out. We met eyes, but didn’t
say anything. She quickly washed her hands before racing out of the bathroom.”
I gasped. “What do you think is wrong with her?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” Cara admonished.
“Neither do I.” I remarked. “Think she’ll tell us?”
Cara shrugged. “Only way to know is to ask.”
“If she’s in French today, we’ll see what’s going on.”
“Right.” Cara said. “Gotta run.”
“See you later, Gator.” I said, watching her leave.
I walked into French class, half expecting Miranda to be absent.
She was there, all smiles, and I went up to her.
“Miranda!” I cried, giving her a hug. “Welcome back! Where have you been?”
“Thanks, Kelly.” Miranda’s laughing voice was a little louder this time. Her complexion
looked normal, and I could see by the smile on her face she was feeling a lot better. “I’m glad to
be back.”
“So, what happened?” Cara jumped in, coming from behind me. “You’re okay now,
right?”
Miranda held up her hands. “One at a time!” She laughed. We sat in our seats, which
were together. “I’ll tell you later. I only want to tell it once. Think we can come over after
school?”
The question was directed at me.
“Sure, I don’t see why not?” I told her. “Who’s coming with you?”
“Well, I want Lesal there, of course. I also want to tell the two of you, Bradley, Josh,
Krysti, Steve, Adam, Peter, the Parker twins, Allie, and KC.”
“In other words, the entire Lunch Brigade.” Cara remarked.
Miranda nodded.
“So, what’s the big mystery?” I perked up.
“Not a mystery, but more of a revelation.” Miranda said with a smile on her face.
Cara and I looked at each other, shrugging.
“After cheering?” Cara asked. “You are coming back, right?”
Again, Miranda laughed. “Of course. I love cheering with you guys.”
Cara beamed at that. I knew my best friend was devoted to cheerleading.
 I was curious. “Mind giving us a hint?”
Miranda shook her head. “Not even Lesal knows, and she’s been bugging me since I
returned. She was so hurt when I couldn’t tell her.”
I raised my hands in surrender. “I give, no more questions.”
“Hey, whatever happened with the case?” Miranda asked. “Last I knew, the Bomb
Squad had its first case in three years. Did you ever find out what was going on?”
Cara and I took turns telling her the story, minus Jessemiah’s ghost and the Crusader
magic.
Miranda whistled when we were finished. “Wow, you guys did all that? I wouldn’t have
been able to go anywhere near the Catz mansion.”
Before we could say anything in return, Madam Bouvier, our French teacher, started
class. She handed us a packet of papers, stapled together. On the top, it read “Un Examen.”
I gawked. A test! I hadn’t had the time to study!
The three of us look at each other, then back at the test papers in front of us.
“Vous may begin.” Madam said in her French tongue.
I gulped, thinking, I’m doomed.

After class, Bradley met me at the door. We walked to our next class, which we had
together. He noticed my face had a worried look on it.
“What’s up?” He asked me. “Don’t tell me you’re still worried about your mother?”
I looked at him. “How did you know?”
“I know you.” Bradley teased me.
I smiled. “It’s not her, believe me.” I replied. “It’s the French test I just took.”
He looked interested. “What about it?”
“I forgot about it until I walked in the door.” I told him. “I never found the time to study
with Uncle Shane or even by myself. I hope I did well on it.”
Bradley took my free hand. “Don’t worry, you did.”
He waited until we were seated in our usual seats in Psychology before saying anything
else. “Hey, when do you think we can surprise the gang with the revelation?” Bradley asked in
a whisper.
“Cara and Josh already know.” I whispered back, smiling.
“Josh promised not to tell, and so did Cara.” Bradley said. “As I said before, when?”
I stared at him, thinking about it. I glanced at his left eye, noticing it was looking a lot
better. He still had to wear his gold-toned frames, but at least he was in a better mood.
“Miranda’s back, and she called a meeting for tonight after cheering.” I told him.
“When did she come back?” He asked.
“Just yesterday.” I heard Lesal’s voice say.
Why did my friends insist on startling me?
Bradley let go of my hand before asking her. “Did she tell you what was wrong with
her?”
“Not a chance.” Lesal told him. “I guess we’ll all find out at the meeting tonight.”
I nodded, then shared a look with Bradley when Lesal left to sit in her own seat across the
row.
“Meeting? What meeting?” Bradley asked.
“Miranda wants to tell the Lunch Brigade what happened to her since last month.” I
smiled mysteriously.
 “Are you thinking what I think you are?” He grinned.
I looked at him innocently. “My, whatever do you mean?”
“We tell them at the meeting?”
I smiled. “We won’t tell them, we’ll show them.”
“You mean, like this?” Bradley quickly kissed me, making sure nobody saw.
I nodded, winking at him.

All throughout the rest of the day, I was anxious to go home. I wasn’t even focused on
anything, which had Cara worried about me.
“Okay, Kelly Reading, what’s up?” Cara asked, setting her bag down on the bench in the
locker room. It was after cheering, and it was apparent to her I was in a hurry to leave.
I looked up at her, taking my hair out of its ponytail. “Why?”
“I caught you staring into space.” Cara remarked.
I brushed my hair, braiding it to hang over my shoulder. This left Cara staring at me,
impatient. “Well, what is it?” She cried.
I smiled, waving a hand at her when I finished my hair. “It’s Bradley.”
Her eyes perked up at the mention of his name. “What about him?”
“We’re gonna tell the gang tonight.” I smiled.
Cara giggled, changing her clothes. “I can’t wait. It’s gonna be a blast!”
“I know. Why do you think I wasn’t paying attention earlier?” I pointed out with a grin.
“You’re in a good mood.” Cara supplied as we walked out.
I sighed romantically. “You bet I am. I’m also in love.” Now she sighed. “That’s right,
something was wrong with Josh. Well, anything happen since our talk?”
Cara shook her head. “No go. I think he’s avoiding me.”
“Don’t worry, Cara.” I told her. “He can’t avoid you forever.”
Cara laughed, then waved ahead of us, where we saw Momma waiting with the Jeep.
When we ran up to the car, I saw she had the boys and Melody with her.
“Hop in girls, I’ll give you guys a ride home.” Momma grinned.
“Can we wait for Bradley, Steve, Adam, Liz, and the twins?” I asked.
“Why do you think I brought the Jeep and not the Coupe?” Momma laughed.
We climbed in the back and sat in our seats. I sat next to Melody’s car seat. As soon as I
did, Melody’s arms were out, waiting for a hug. Since I couldn’t get my arms around her, I
quickly gave her a kiss. She beamed, smiling.
Pretty soon, Bradley, Steve, Liz, Adam and the twins had joined us. My friends talked
amongst themselves while I watched the scenery.
What’s on your mind? I heard Momma’s voice in my head.
I looked up and caught her glance in the rear-view mirror.
I’m just going over the past few weeks in my head. I thought to her.
Are you happy the two of you are a couple? Momma’s eyes sparkled with delight.
At that, I blushed. Blissfully.
That’s good to know.
She turned her eyes back to the road until we reached our driveway. The seven of us
hopped out, and Bradley grabbed Theodore from his seat. Andrew and Mark Antony shoved
past me, and Liz headed home next door. I helped Momma by bringing Melody out of the car.
“You can tell how much she loves you.” Momma told me, hugging me before taking my
sister from my arms. “Her eyes brighten whenever you walk into the room.”
 I grinned, kissing both Momma and Melody. “I love her, too.”
The other members were already there waiting for us in the basement.
“What took you so long?” Lesal teased.
I grinned, then caught Bradley’s eye. Immediately, I took control.
“Fellow members of the Lunch Brigade, we’ve been brought here by Miranda English.
She called the meeting, so I’ll let her take over.” I replied.
“We’re not the Bomb Squad, you know.” Carrie replied.
Miranda was shy when she came up to me. She turned to meet the faces of our
wonderful friends. Lesal, Adam, Steve, Bradley, Kymm, Carrie, Allie, KC, Cara, Krysti and I
waited patiently while she gathered her thoughts.
Josh came in a few seconds later. “Sorry I’m late. Mom drove in traffic.”
Cara smiled at the sight of him when he sat beside her.
“Recently, I had a trip to the hospital.” Miranda began. “Lesal knows why, and so does
Cara, to a certain extent. Before I was able to go home, I had to have therapy.”
“Why?” Carrie asked.
Miranda took a deep breath. “I found I’m battling a serious condition called anorexia
nervosa. Most of you know how shy I am, and how I don’t want to be the center of attention.”
We laughed lightly. She was the center of attention now, and even she smiled about it.
“Every day, I have to tell myself to eat.” She said. “Once I do, I think of the things I put
in my body. That’s when it starts.”
She paused, now looking down at the floor. I stood to wrap an arm around her. So did
Lesal. I could tell she was ready to cry.
“It takes guts to admit what you just did.” I whispered in her ear. “It’ll only get easier
once you tell us the rest of your story.”
Lesal nodded.
The rest of our friends were sitting quietly, knowing Miranda was shy and timid. She
wasn’t used to this much attention at one time. She’s usually hidden in the shadows while
everybody else is in the spotlight.
Miranda looked at me, then Lesal, nodding. Lesal kept an arm around her shoulders
while I stood beside her.
“That’s when I make myself throw up, to get rid of the nasty stuff I’d eaten.” She
continued her story. “It was a real eye-opener finding myself in the hospital last week. Daddy
and Matthew both told me I’d fainted. I knew I hadn’t eaten in a couple days.” She looked at
Lesal. “I did what you suggested. I talked to Daddy about it, and he’s taking me to therapy
every week, just to see what makes my mind tick.”
Our friends laughed at that.
“If you guys don’t want to stay my friends, I’ll understand.” She said softly.
“Why would we desert you, Mandy?” Lesal asked. “We’re your best friends.”
“We won’t abandon you, just because of this.” I told her.
Bradley stood and hugged her. “You’ve taken the first step to recovery.”
Miranda nodded. “You don’t hate me now?”
Choruses of “no” and “of course not” went through the room.
“We could never hate you.” I told her, and Miranda smiled.
I wanted to change the sad subject, fast.
Say something, Bradley! I thought to him, telepathically. He looked at me and nodded.
“On a lighter note, I have a surprise for all of you.” Bradley started.
 Being curious, our friends wondered what it was.
“Watch what I do, and tell me what you think.” He said, then kissed me on the lips.
My heart fluttered, and I smiled at him.
“Ew!” Carrie cried.
“You’re kissing your brother!” Kymm said. “Gross!”
He hugged me close to him. “No, she’s not.”
Steve looked at us funny. “You’re siblings, kissing each other. What do you call it?”
“He just said I’m not kissing my brother.” I smiled.
Our friends were confused, and both Josh and Cara were trying to hold in their
excitement.
“Josh and I found something that caught my eye one day.” Bradley supplied. “It was a
manila folder with very important papers inside.”
“Inside that folder were his adoption papers!” I cried. “My grandparents adopted him
when he was a baby.”
“That’s great!” Krysti exclaimed, clapping.
“How romantic!” Miranda added with a smile.
We talked mostly about school, and old times, catching each other up with what was
going on in our lives. After a while, we decided to reunite the old Bomb Squad Club from
Horizon Woods.
“What was the Bomb Squad?” KC asked.
“When we were in Horizon Woods, we had a mystery-solving club.” I began.
“There’s a story behind the name.” Bradley replied. “An interesting one, actually.”
I looked to him. He looked at me, and I could tell he was thinking the same thing I was.
We had quite an adventure that year with the case.
“What is it?” Allie asked.
I forgot she wasn’t there, either. She’d moved here last summer, like KC.
Bradley cleared his throat, turning to the two newcomers.
“Make it short, Bradley Allen.” Krysti supplied sarcastically.
She knew he was prone to rambling as much as I was. He wanted to sound more
intellectual for some reason. Though his legal last name was Schmidt, he wanted to be called
Bradley Allen. Of course, Krysti used that against him every chance she got. Between Steve
and Krysti, Bradley got his own dish of sarcasm to keep him in line.
Bradley rolled his eyes. “Krys,” he warned.
“Tell it already!” KC cried.
“We’re getting anxious.” Allie said, popping a bubble with her gum.
“There had been a bomb threat at an old electronics factory, Pell Corp., International a
couple years earlier.” Bradley started, looking to me. He nodded, telling me to go ahead.
“My Uncle Shane’s partner then was Detective Jack Durham, which is how I know about
it.” I said. “Durham was sent to the scene as a part of Hill View Police Department’s own
Bomb Squad. When he got there, nothing happened, and the bomb was never found.”
“An hour later, it happened.” Bradley said. “A very dangerous bomb exploded in the
main boiler room, killing over one-hundred workers instantly. It left the rest critically injured.”
“For over a month, the department searched for the bomber, only he was never found.” I
said. “Therefore, the case was officially closed.”
“Where do you guys come in?” KC asked.
 “At Horizon Woods.” I said. “That’s Hill View’s official middle school. Anyway, in an
English class, we were grouped together on a project using the local newspaper. We stumbled
on the very articles from the Pell Corp. bombing. Thanks to my parents, I was wondering
whodunit.”
How to tell them the story without divulging my secret?
Cara caught my anxiety and continued the story. “We also had the most recent stories
dealing with the same man. He had struck again. This time, only ten were wounded.”
“That’s when she got us involved.” Bradley grinned at me. “In one month, we’d solved
the case, caught the bad guy, and took him to jail.”
“Not bad for a bunch of middle-school kids, don’t you think?” Steve reflected.
KC nodded.
“From dat point on, our little group was nicknamed de Bomb Squad.” Lesal finally
spoke up.
“Who was all in it?” Allie asked.
“Let’s see...” I thought. “Bradley, myself, Steve, Krysti, Adam, Cara, Josh, Lesal,
Miranda, Steve’s twin Liz, Devin Jones, Peter Valentine, the Parker twins, and a girl named
Samantha West.”
“You know,” Krysti said to KC. “You moved into her house.”
“Wasn’t that a big group?” KC asked. “All of you couldn’t have been in the same
class.”
“We weren’t.” Bradley said. “Josh, Kelly, Steve, Cara, and I were the original group.”
“During the case, we decided we needed help.” I replied. “That’s when Samantha and
Krysti joined in, eager and willing.”
“Krysti got me into it, and I got Mandy in it.” Lesal replied. “Reluctantly.”
“Carrie and I just decided to get into it.” Kymm replied. “Her mom is our mom’s
adopted sister, which is how we found out.”
“Even then, you were the nosy reporter.” Carrie teased her twin.
“Whatever.” Kymm supplied with a grin. “I was one of the investigative reporters on the
school newspaper, called the Hawk’s Eye View.”
“This sounds so cool.” Allie spoke up excitedly. “Sort of like Nancy Drew and the
Hardy Boys, middle-school style.” She giggled.
Bradley and I looked at each other. “You could say that.”
“We were really close, until Sam moved away.” Krysti supplied.
Miranda and Krysti looked at each other. Krysti and Samantha had been the best of
friends growing up. Miranda gave her an assuring hug of the shoulders.
“Once she did, we went our separate ways.” Krysti said softly.
“Cheer up, Krys.” Cara said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You’ll always
have us.”
Krysti smiled at that.
“Now that’s taken care of.” Adam said before KC could say anything, clearing his throat.
“How are we going to do this?”
“Do what?” Allie asked.
“Da Bomb Squad’s revival.” Lesal replied.
“I’ve got an idea!” Carrie cried. “We should get organized. Since we’re a club, let’s
vote for different offices. You know, president, secretary, treasurer, that sort of thing?”
Everyone looked at me for approval. I shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
 "I vote Kelly for President." Bradley replied. "All in favor, say 'Aye.'"
"Aye." Came the unanimous response from him and the rest of my friends.
I smiled brightly. "Thanks." I glanced around the room and replied, "As my first duty as
president, it’s up to me, and the rest of the club of course, to appoint a vice-president. Any
suggestions?"
"I say that Cara be the V.P." KC replied. "Since the two of you are best friends and
everything."
KC nodded at Cara, who smiled at me in agreement. "Sure, I'll be the vice-president. You
and I make a great pair of leaders."
"All in favor?" I addressed the group.
"Aye," came the unanimous response, and Cara’s face lit up.
After twenty minutes, we figure out a few things. After a long argument, KC would be
the Secretary, Cara would be Vice President, Bradley would be the Treasurer, Steve would be the
Alternate Officer, and Adam and Krysti would be Junior Officers. The Parkers would serve as
Alternate Secretary (Carrie) and Treasurer (Kymm). Allie would serve as our Private
Investigator, not wanting the rumor of her being friends with the old Bomb Squad to go around.
“I have a reputation, you know.” Allie teased.
We hit a dead-end when it came to Lesal and Miranda. At first, I had suggested that they
be Junior officers with Adam and Krysti, but they said, in short, "No Way!"
"Well, what do you want to be?" I asked them.
Lesal thought for a minute, then, "How about Spy Officers?"
The name suited them to a tee. So I cried, "That would be your personal office. That's a
good name, Lesal." I complimented her.
"Thank you, Kelly." Lesal responded proudly, looking around the room at our friends'
assuring faces. She turned to Steve when he crooked his finger with a mysterious smile. He
whispered something in her ear. A minute later, she replied sarcastically, "I'll take that as a
compliment, coming from you!"
Steve, who obviously gave her the idea to say that in the first place, laughed along with
my friends, high-fiving Lesal.
I shook my head, laughing. "Okay, you guys. I admit it. I deserved that healthy bit of
sarcasm." I said, smiling at my friends. "But, unfortunately, we're not here to make fun of yours
truly."
"Then why are we here?" Adam teased.
“Miranda brought us here, to tell her closest friends her secret.” I supplied seriously.
Adam and I stared at each other until I burst out laughing.
“Now, that’s more like it!” I laughed, and the rest of my friends joined in.
I was glad to have the old gang back again.
 Chapter Seventeen
The Bomb Squad Oath

I looked around the room and saw Carrie and KC looking through a day-planner Carrie
had bought for the club. KC wasn’t paying attention, I could tell. Carrie didn’t seem too thrilled
about doing KC’s job for her. With her, Carrie had no problem, but for her?
Kymm was talking up a storm with Lesal and Miranda, writing down everything she
could for a story. Maybe she wanted to impress Ericka and myself with a teen issues article? I
was glad she was so enthused in her work. She always did have an eye for a story, which is why
she loved being in the Bomb Squad. Of course, she won’t admit it to me.
Steve was doodling in a notebook while Adam was staring at Miranda.
Do I sense an attraction between them? I giggled at the thought.
“What are you giggling about?” I heard Bradley’s voice interrupt my thoughts.
“Look at Adam and Miranda.” I told him in a whisper. “Do you think they’d make a
good couple?”
“Sure. Adam’s smart, and Miranda’s pretty.” He said. I stared at him, but before I could
say anything in my own defense, he kissed me. “But you are the prettiest one of all. Inside and
out.”
I giggled.
I heard someone coming down the stairs. I stood and peeked my head out the doorway to
notice Uncle Shane and Derrick coming up to us.
“We came to tell you something.” Shane grinned.
“Are they all here?” Derrick asked.
I nodded.
As soon as my friends saw them, they greeted them with hellos. Derrick and Uncle
Shane both had smiles on their faces.
Okay, what was going on with them? I asked myself.
They stood side by side, facing my friends.
“Thanks to your wonderful efforts and capture of Crazy Jake Harrison,” Derrick began.
“The Hill View Police Department has named your club official Junior Detectives for the
city!” Shane announced.
My friends and I cheered.
I jumped and hugged both of them. “This is great! Thank you!”
“Don’t thank us.” Derrick laughed. “Thank Detective Baxter and Chief Durham. If it
hadn’t been for them, along with your help, Harrison wouldn’t be rotting in prison right now.”
He addressed the group. “The entire department is grateful for your help. Now, and hopefully in
the future.”
Yea!
“There’s one condition, kids.” Shane interrupted.
“I knew it was too good to be true.” Steve laughed.
“Detective Baxter, along with ourselves, will always be keeping an eye on you guys.”
Shane explained. “We’ll help any way we can, even becoming your contacts when you need
us.”
“In other words, behave.” Derrick touched my nose playfully. “That goes for all of
you.”
 “You’ll be receiving jean-sweat jackets with your names on them, along with the Hill
View Police insignia.” Shane supplied.
“That’s quite a reward, Mr. Morehouse.” Bradley remarked.
“And of course, we’re grateful.” I teased.
“It’s the least we could do for you guys.” Derrick announced.
“We did put in a good word for you, you know.” Shane teased.
We laughed, waving goodbye when they said they had to leave.
The Bomb Squad looked at each other, smiling.
“Mr. Reading and your uncle are really cool, Kelly.” Adam said.
“Your uncle’s cute, too.” KC remarked. She giggled.
“I can’t believe it.” Bradley announced. “Us, the Bomb Squad of Hill View High, now
Junior Detectives for the entire city! Do you know what this means?”
“We’ll get more dirt on what’s going on in town.” Lesal said.
“We’ll be famous!” Cara cried.
I looked to Steve, who was still shaking his head and laughing. “This is too much.”
“It’s perfect.” Josh replied. “The Bomb Squad is going to help crack down on crime.”
“Small ones, but crimes none-the-less.” Adam remarked.
“I’ve stayed quiet long enough.” Allie spoke up. “I’ll still be your Private Investigator,
and I’ll even tell people I’m friends with you!”
“What happened to your reputation?” Carrie asked.
“Meet the new Allison Watson.” Allie cried. “Junior Detective and Private Eye for the
Bomb Squad.”
“Sam would have loved it.” Krysti said.
It was if she read my thoughts. I felt the same way.
“Devin, Peter, and Johnny, too.” Cara said after her.
Adam nodded. He didn’t know Devin or Johnny that well, but his new best friend was
Peter Valentine. “Pete loves a good mystery.”
“He’s so analytical.” Krysti said.
I smiled, agreeing with Krysti.
“The Bomb Squad is back, better than ever.” I announced. “We have two more people
to be added to our huge circle of friends.”
Kymm jumped up, standing. “Let’s join hands and make a pact.”
“What’s that, Kymm?” Steve asked.
She took her sister’s hand. “We’ll always remain best friends, no matter what.”
Carrie took Miranda’s. “We’ll always have fun.”
Miranda took Lesal’s. “We’ll share our deepest secrets with each other.”
Lesal took Adam’s. “We’ll always be there for one another.”
Adam took Steve’s. “We’ll be true to one another.”
Steve was reluctant, but he took Krysti’s (she blushed at the act). “We’ll trust each other
completely.”
Krysti took KC’s, looking at her. “We’ll welcome new friends with open arms.”
KC smiled, taking Allie’s. “We’ll stay open and honest with each other.”
Allie snapped her gum. She giggled. “We’ll make each other laugh when we’re down.”
Allie took Cara’s. “Never will we turn our back on another.”
Cara took mine. What to say to top all that? I thought. “We’ll be honest with each
other.”
 “I think that goes with trust, Kelly.” Steve joked, making us laugh.
“Okay then, Steve-bomber, how about this?” I remarked. “We’ll treat each other with
utmost respect.”
Steve nodded his head. “Not bad. Your turn, Brad.”
I took Bradley’s. He looked at me for a moment before speaking. “We’ll always be kind
and forgiving, admitting when we’re wrong.”
Josh stared at Bradley’s hand once he held it out for him to take.
“Go on, Josh.” Cara replied.
“I’m not part of the group.” He told us, hands in his pockets.
“You’re my best friend.” Bradley supplied. “You were a member then and you’re one
now, like it or not.”
The boys smiled at each other before Josh took Bradley’s hand.
Josh Stevenson looked around at the circle of friends as he completed the circle by taking
Kymm’s other hand.
“I don’t know what to say.” He admitted, taking a deep breath. He smiled at us when he
came up with the final oath. “We’ll remain loyal to each other and the club, no matter what
happens in our lives.”
“At that, I conclude on this.” I saw my patient, smiling friends around me. “Bomb
Squad forever!”
They repeated loudly. “Bomb Squad forever!”
It was great to have such good friends by my side.
At the end, I took the Crusaders aside. “Well, anything from the Lockets?”
Cara fingered hers. “I’m getting a better grip on it, if you know what I mean.”
Between Cara and myself, we told the rest of the Crusaders what happened since our own
revelation less than a month ago.
Josh was the first to say something, hugging her. “I’m proud of you, Cara.”
“It wasn’t only me, you know. Kelly had a hand in it.”
I shook my head. “I just helped you see what was making it tick.” I told her. “You were
the one to act on your dream vision.”
“So, everything’s back to normal, then?” Krysti replied, eyeing Steve.
“Whatever that is for us, I guess.” Steve announced.
“Have either of you felt anything from your charms?” I asked them. “I know I felt Crazy
Jake’s presence, Sam being overcome with everybody’s emotions, Cara’s home troubles, and
even my own mother’s depression.”
“I felt worried over you.” Bradley announced. “It had me questioning my true feelings
for you.”
“I still can’t believe you’re adopted, Brad!” Krysti cried. “It’s so cool!”
“What about the rest of you?” I asked.
“It definitely felt overwhelming when we joined hands.” Krysti remarked.
“What do you mean?” Steve asked.
“I heard everyone’s thoughts.”
“I felt everyone’s emotions.” Cara supplied. “Josh?”
He snapped out his daze to nod his head. “I saw it.”
“You saw it?” Cara was confused. “Saw what?”
“You had a vision of all this?” I asked.
“I guess you could call it that.” Josh supplied. “For lack of better terms.”
 “Well, tell us!” Krysti cried, interested.
“When I thought of Cara in class one day, I saw her in front of the Catz mansion. The
stone around her neck was lit up, pulling itself to the building.”
“That actually happened!” Cara was amazed. “I didn’t tell anyone but Kelly.”
“How about later?” I grilled. “Did you feel Cara hurting?”
“Sure did, which is why I was worried.” Josh announced. “I knew if I stayed by her
side, just to listen and be there for her, everything would turn out okay.”
“That’s the Protector in you coming out.” I told him. “You love her, don’t you?”
Josh and Cara met eyes when he answered. “With all my heart.” After they kissed, he
turned to Steve. “What about you? What did you feel from yours?”
Steve took the Emerald in his hands, laughing lightly. “The earth shook.”
“Literally?” Krysti asked softly. She looked into his eyes and gasped. “You love me.”
I grinned. I knew it would happen sometime. Bradley squeezed my waist, thinking the
same thing.
“Why do you think I said what I did when I took your hand?” Steve asked.
That made the all-tomboy Krysti Farthay blush. Cara and I giggled.
“Just what’s so funny?” Krysti asked in mock-anger.
“This.” I said. “I knew it would happen.”
“How did you know?” Steve asked.
“When I gave you guys the Forgetfulness Spell and chanted the spell, I created a
loophole.” I explained. “You would forget everything about our Bomber case, magic-wise, until
you were ready to accept it. Isn’t it great?”
“Yeah, great.” Krysti rolled her eyes.
“The rest of the renewed Bomb Squad can’t know about this, can they?” Steve asked. “I
mean, really.”
Bradley took the words out of my mouth. “Just as the power in your necklaces must be
kept secret, so must the existence of the Dream Realm Crusaders.”
“What about Sam?” Krysti asked. “We can’t be Crusaders without her.”
“Yeah,” Cara supplied. “How can she be our Over-Seer if she’s miles away?”
“Over-Seer?” Krysti wondered. “What’s that?”
“Someone who keeps an eye on the Crusaders, helping and healing with Empathy when
she’s needed.” I explained, then turned to Cara. “And yes, she can help from miles away.”
“How?”
“She helped you with the Empathy, didn’t she?” I encountered.
“I thought you did?”
“She was the one who alerted me by feeling your power kick in.” I explained. “As for
the rest of the Bomb Squad, what do you think?”
“About our little oath?” Steve asked.
“There’s definitely a sense of loyalty and friendship between us.” Bradley remarked.
“What about you?”
“Me? You know, the same as always.” I supplied. “Bombarded by too many thoughts
and emotions, I just had to turn everything off. Especially when we joined hands.”
“What happened then?”
“I felt everything. I heard everything. It was so overwhelming.” I told them. “You
know what, though? I’m not complaining.”
“That’s good to hear.” Bradley laughed, kissing my cheek.
 “I know that tone, Kelly, you can’t fool me.” Cara said with a grin. “What did you do to
them?”
“Don’t tell me you used Magic to strengthen the bonds.” Bradley said. “We don’t need
that. We have our own friendship to do that.”
“You’re right. I didn’t do that.” I told them. “What I did was assure each of them
everything was going to work out fine in the end.”
“How do you know that? Premonition?” Cara asked.
I shook my head. “I can just feel it, that’s all.”
Once everyone left but Bradley, he followed me upstairs, where the family was. Juliet
was watching over the boys and Melody in the backyard, savoring yet another book.
 Chapter Eighteen
Revelations of Home-life

The next day after lunch, I kept to myself, silent and gloomy. My friends and I were
gathered in the Commons Room before the bell bonged.
Unfortunately for me, Cara noticed my silence and inquired, "What's wrong, Kelly? You
look like your best friend just died, and I know that's not true. I'm right here!"
I glared at her, not bothering to say anything.
Cara just looked at me sheepishly, and replied, "Sorry. I didn't mean to."
"I'm the one that should be sorry, Cara." I assured her softly.
"You're really bummed." Cara said, sounding concerned. "What's wrong?"
“I barely passed that French test we took.” I told her.
“What did you get on it?” Miranda asked.
“A ‘C’.” I told her.
“That’s not bad.” Adam replied.
“It’s better than I could get.” Steve remarked.
“You’re not taking French.” Krysti said sarcastically.
“My point exactly.” Steve grinned.
“Why are you depressed over a silly grade?” Krysti asked me, rolling her eyes at Steve.
“It’s not the end of the world, you know.”
“I know it’s not.” I told her. “Uncle Shane has such high hopes for me in French. I feel
like I’m letting him down.”
“I forgot about that.” Krysti said. “Sorry, Kelly.”
I nodded, saying it was okay.
“Why should you care what your uncle thinks?” Allie asked.
Steve, Krysti, Cara, Josh, Lesal, Miranda, Carrie, Kymm, and even Adam glared at her
with me.
“What?” Allie replied. “He’ll probably tell you to study harder. That’s what aunt Abby
always tells me.”
“You don’t understand, do you?” Cara asked.
“How could she? She’s still new to Hill View, too.” I pointed out.
“Now I don’t understand.” KC said. “What did she say?”
Bradley and I looked at each other first, then to her.
“My family has a strong bond with each other.” I told her. “Before we found out he was
adopted, Bradley and I were raised with our siblings by all of them.”
“Who’s all?”
“Momma, Daddy, Draconis, Derrick, my stepmother Airmed, Aunt Adarra, Uncle
Drakkar, Uncle Shane, Uncle Scott and Aunt Aimee.” I told her. “I’d thank you not to talk like
that about him again. I happen to look up to him; he’s one of the best detectives on the force
with Derrick.”
“Mr. Morehouse has helped us out more than once.” Bradley replied. “I look up to the
Morehouses, the Readings, the Archers, and even the Schmidts, my adoptive family as my
mentors.”
“Even the new Dratianos’?” I wondered. Bradley nodded.
Allie raised her hands in surrender. “Okay, I give up. Sorry for the slam.”
My friends stared at me while I smiled at her. “No real harm done.”
 “That’s part of the respect statement in our oath.” Kymm supplied. “Not only do we
respect each other, we respect each other’s families. Not everyone has the perfect mother-father
family. Carrie and I don’t.”
“We live with our adopted mom, Caroline Parker, which is how we got our surnames.”
Carrie supplied.
“We also live with our real mom, who we first thought as our cousin Shelly.” Kymm
supplied after her. “Mom was once Mrs. Dratianos’ adopted sister and they were the only ones
who knew.”
“Two years ago, our real mom found our father, Kenneth Butcher.” Carrie supplied.
“They married, he moved in and we’ve been together in the Parker Mansion ever since.”
“Caroline happens to be another one of Momma’s adopted sisters from way back.” I told
her. “Dare I say it, but she’s Caucasian while the twins are mixed.”
“Color don’t mattah,” Lesal remarked. “It’s what’s inside dat counts. Right?”
“Right!”
“Whom do you live with, Allie?” Carrie asked.
“My aunt Abby.” Allie said softly.
“Where are your parents?” Miranda asked.
“They’re battling each other in court.” Allie supplied. “Not only for custody of me as
they divorce, but for everything else in their not-so-perfect marriage.” She cleared her throat.
“What about you guys?”
I went first. “Ready for this?” I asked. “I live with my mom, stepfather Draconis,
younger twin stepbrothers Andrew and Mark Antony, stepsister Melody, and the baby Theodore,
who we call Theo.”
“All in one house?” Allie asked. I nodded. “Your turn, Bradley.”
“I already told you. I live with my adopted dad, Kelly’s real dad Aaron Schmidt, his wife
and my stepmother Sierra, who goes by the name Airmed, my aunt Aimee, Aaron’s twin sister,
her husband Scott and my almost-cousin Angel.” Bradley told her. “Right next door to Kelly.”
“Now that’s what I call an extended family.” Adam replied. “How about you,
Miranda?”
“I live with my father and younger brother Matthew.” Miranda told her. “My mom died
when she had my brother.”
“Sorry to hear that.” KC was sympathetic.
“Who do you live with, KC?” Adam asked.
“I live with my dad and housekeeper Helena.” KC said. “I’m only half-Chinese. My
mom was full Chinese and my dad’s American. I don’t know where she is, so don’t ask.”
Krysti pat her back. “That’s okay. We won’t.”
KC and Krysti smiled at each other. “What about you?” KC asked Krysti.
“The almost-perfect family.” Krysti supplied. “I live with my parents, two older
brothers, Rick and Alex, and one younger brother, Joey.”
KC was curious. “What’s your last name again?”
“Farthay. Why?”
“Alex Farthay’s your brother?” KC asked.
“Older by only two years.” Krysti supplied. “You’ve met him?”
“I’ve run into him a couple times.” KC said. “He is cute.”
 “You think every boy is cute,” Lesal teased. “As for me, I live with my Mama, Papa,
older sistah Yolanda, younger sistah Caitlin, and younger brothahs Zack and Davis. As you can
tell by our accent, we’re Jamaican.”
“Her mom is a daughter of a Jamaican witch-doctor.” Carrie supplied.
“Try not to say it too loud, Carrie.” Lesal remarked with a smile. “Dun’t want it to get
around.”
“Can I tell them about Davey?” Kymm asked. When Lesal nodded, she turned to them.
“Davey has Downs’ Syndrome. He’s really cute, but he’s a little slow.”
“He makes friends with anybody that’ll talk to him.” Krysti giggled. “Davey is such a
sweetheart.”
“Well, you guys know who I live with.” Steve said. He ruffled his cousin’s hair. “This
meatball and his sister Sammy, along with my parents and twin sister Liz.”
“They live right next door to me.” I told them with a smile. “He also has an older sister
Cassandra, but she graduated already.”
“She was accepted to a writer’s college in my hometown, so we switched lives.” Adam
supplied. “I wasn’t too thrilled at first, but once I got to know Steve, I learned to like Hill
View.”
“When did you move in?” Allie asked.
“Three years ago, right?” Carrie guessed. Adam nodded, confirming it.
Allie and KC looked to Cara and Josh.
“Why don’t you go first, Josh?” Cara asked.
She didn’t want to tell, I could sense it.
“Sure. I live with both of my parents, younger brother Kurt, and older sister, Noelle.”
Josh supplied, sticking his tongue out.
“What’s wrong with Noelle?” KC asked him.
“She’s literally a genius, and doesn’t let anyone forget it.” Josh told her.
Adam laughed. “I’d like to see her get to Pete!”
We all laughed at that one. Peter Valentine was a big perfectionist. He corrected
everyone when they slew the English language.
“That would teach him a thing or two.” Krysti giggled.
Allie was staring at Cara. “Are you holding out on us, Cara?”
“Yeah, what’s your family like?” KC asked.
Cara, Josh, Bradley, and I looked at each other. She cleared her throat and began softly.
“I live with my older brother Craig and older sister Andrea. Kelly’s Uncle Kevin and
Aunt Claudia live there with us. Craig’s a few months shy of thirty, the same age as Mr.
Reading, his best friend. Andrea is thirty-seven, four years older than Kelly’s uncle Kevin, who
happens to be her husband. They have a pair of twin boys, my nephews Jean and Peter who
aren’t even a year-old yet. Claudia is twenty-six and married to Craig. I also have a two-year-
old niece, Ashleigh from Craig.”
“Where are your parents?” Allie asked lightly. She could see Cara was apprehensive
about telling her the Richardson-Woods family story.
“Andrea was twenty-two when she graduated from Hill View University with honors.”
Cara began. “Our parents were running late for her graduation party, never making it. They
were hit by a car on their way, dying instantly. Since she was old enough, Andrea was able to
take custody of both Craig and myself. Craig was fifteen and I was only a year old.”
She was on the verge of tears. I hugged her, comforting her best I could.
 Krysti smiled slowly, thinking of something to cheer us up. “On a lighter note, Josh,
Cara, and now KC and I live kiddie-corner from each other. I live behind Cara, Josh lives next
door and behind KC. Isn’t that cool?”
“That is cool.” KC replied. “I never thought of that.”
I looked around at them, proud. “See? This is what it means to be best friends. We’re
always taking care of each other when we need it.”
The bell bonged then. By that time, Cara had calmed down and started walking with
Bradley and me to our locker.
“Thanks a lot, Kelly.” She replied, blowing her nose on a napkin. “It really helped
getting that out into the open. Sure, you knew it, but KC and Allie didn’t.”
“I take it you like them now?” Bradley smiled.
“I never said I didn’t, but I can say I know them a little better now that the Bomb Squad
reunited.” Cara explained. “I’m even glad we’ve got such wonderful friends.”
I couldn’t have agreed more.
 Chapter Nineteen
An Evening Aspiration

Ring, ring.
"I'll get it!"
Thump thump thump thump -- crash!
My brothers were the weirdest when it came to the answering a ringing phone. I could
always tell who was trying to answer it by how much noise they made.
Ring, ring.
"No, I've got it," I yelled into the air. Sighing, I picked up the line. "Hello, Dratianos
residence. Kelly speaking."
“I glad you picked up." I heard Josh Stevenson's relieved voice say. "I've been meaning
to call you for a while, but I got too chicken."
"That's okay, Josh." I told him. "But why would you want to call me? It's not about
Bradley, is it?"
"No, no. Nothing like that, Kelly." He said. "Listen, could I possibly get a chance to
talk to you sometime?"
I glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "Sure. How about in ten minutes?"
"Really? That would be great!" He cried, overjoyed. "I'll meet you in front of your
house, and we'll walk around the block a few times."
"Okay." I said with a laugh. "See you then."
"See you. 'Bye."
We hung up, and I sat on my bed, thinking. I began thinking about how much Josh
Stevenson really helped us solve our very first mystery. He deserved more than just a "howdy-
do" and an "off with you."
No. Josh deserved to be a member of the club. Thinking back on what Bradley had told
me about him, I decided that it wouldn't be a good idea after all. He was way too busy with
sports and school to bother with the likes of my friends and me.
I sighed. Jumping up, I grabbed my jeans' jacket from the closet and was on my way.
Making sure I had my keys, I fled down the stairs and out the door.
To my surprise, when I opened the door, I saw Josh waiting for me.
"Ready to go?" He asked.
I laughed. "Sure."
“Where are you going so late, Kelly?” I heard Juliet’s voice call from the living room.
“For a walk. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
Rolling my eyes and sharing a smile with Josh, I shut the door behind me and was on my
way.
As Josh and I walked, we started talking. Since I was thinking about what he did for the
club, I decided to work with that.
A few moments passed in complete silence. The cool breeze made the leaves dance in the
moonlight. I thought for a minute, my hands played with the necklace that Bradley gave me. I
looked at my boyfriend's best friend and asked. "Josh? What would you say if I made you an
official member?"
He shrugged. "I don't know about that, Kelly." Josh started, looking sheepish. "I mean,
why? I haven't done anything except give you a mystery to solve. Actually, I only gave you and
Bradley a mystery, and you just happen to come up with an idea to get our friends involved at the
same time. Why would you make me a member? I'm just Bradley's best friend. That's it."
"Not really, Josh." I protested. "You helped us catch a well-known, hard-earned criminal.
And," I continued, raising my voice a little for extra emphasis. "You helped Bradley and me by
telling us about Crazy Jake in the first place. I say that deserves a little acknowledgment, to say
the least."
Josh stopped in his tracks, running his hand through his thick, dark-brown hair. He gave
me a look that said, "As usual, you're not making any sense."
I stared at him.
"Besides," He began. "I don't have time in my life to attend meetings, chase after bad
guys and hang out with mystery buffs. I have football in the autumn and basketball in the spring.
Plus I have homework every night, and I have enough trouble keeping up as it is."
I nodded in agreement. I thought for a minute. "How about this: I make you an Associate
Member?" When he looked interested, I continued. "That means, when I or somebody else calls
an emergency meeting, you have to come. It also means that, when we need your help, you can
either agree or refuse to help us. How does that sound?"
"That sounds great!" He replied, his face lit up with excitement. "I'll be the Associate
Officer. It's perfect!"
We laughed.
I knew he wouldn’t want to be left out of the fun! He loved snooping around with the
Bomb Squad back then.
“Kelly?” Josh brought up shyly.
I looked at him, seeing the anxious look on his face. “What’s up?”
“What does a Crusader do, anyway?”
Somehow, I knew he’d ask the question sooner or later.
I walked, staring straight ahead and fingering my opalescent stone. “The Dream Realm
Crusaders are a team of Mystics and special mortals who were hand-chosen by the Ancient
Mystics to fight battles against evils in all Realms of all the Worlds.” I looked back at him. “We
fight in the Dream Realm and out, maintaining balance in all Realms.”
Josh took the Lapis Lazuli in his hands. “Tell me again what this does.”
“According to the Ancients, the Lapis Lazuli stone is powerful in its own way.” I told
him. “For you, as far as I could see it in my vision, the stone gives you power over water. It also
gives you the mental power of premonitions.”
“My vision?” Josh gasped, staring at it.
“Your vision.” I admitted. “Have you felt anything from it since?”
He shrugged.
“Any more visions?”
He looked at me and shook his head.
“That’s good.” I said.
“What’s so good about it?” Josh asked. “I get a head rush with confusing visions I don’t
understand. Let’s see you do it.”
I smiled. “I already do.” I told him. “I’m Mystic. I have all of your powers, and more.”
After a moment’s stare, he laughed, shaking his head. “I never get a straight answer out
of you.”
So he didn’t understand after all. Oh well.
“Of course not. I only answer crooked questions.”
 It took him a second, but he got the joke.
For about an hour or so, we walked around the block, talking like old friends. When the
conversation came to a lull, Josh and I smiled at one another. The evening breeze blew my hair,
and both Josh and I shivered.
"It's getting pretty chilly." He commented. "I’ll see you in school tomorrow."
"Okay." I said. I glanced and saw that we had come to my house. Putting the key in the
lock, I turn to Josh. "See you then."
He waved shyly, and I waved back.
Chapter Twenty
The Unicorn Magic in Steven Edwards

The next day after school, Steve and I walked home together. Bradley knew something
was on his mind, and so did I. I had a feeling it had something to do with his Emerald stone.
Bradley let me go alone with him to find out.
“I was thinking about the Bomb Squad and the Crusaders.” I tried.
No go. He didn’t answer.
I tapped his shoulder. “Steve?”
He finally stopped when he sat on his porch swing. He was fingering his necklace.
I sat next to him. “Something on your mind?”
He looked at me. There was something wrong, I knew it. His expression was serious,
which was unlike him. Steve was the clown, the joker, the funny man.
“I’m having the strangest of dreams lately.” He told me. “The magic in this is potent;
I’ll give you that.”
“I know.” I told him simply. “It’s called Unicorn Magic. The Emerald gives you that
power.” He stared at the necklace. “It also gives you power over the earth and the mental ability
of telekinesis.”
“Telekinesis.” Steve whispered. “Isn’t that the ability to move objects with your mind?”
I nodded. “So you’ve been doing your research.”
“Research.” Steve responded. “If that’s what you call slamming doors without touching
them research.”
My eyes widened. “Slamming doors?” I asked. “Wanna tell me how it happened?”
“I was fighting with Liz.” Steve told me. “She noticed my behavior lately. She even
saw this thing glowing one night, asking me about it.”
“What did you tell her?” I wondered.
“I told her to go away and leave me alone.” Steve supplied. “I started a fight with her
shortly after we caught Crazy Jake.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what made me so angry
at her. You know how we are. We’re close. We never fight.”
“It comes from being twins.” I told him.
“I hurt her and I don’t even know why.” Steve told me. I took his hand, giving him a
boost of Empathy so he could go on. “Without going near her, I pushed her out of the room,
slamming the door in her face.”
“Have you talked to her since?” I asked softly.
“I’ve tried, but she’s afraid of me.” He said. “I don’t know what to do, Kelly. I feel so
bad.”
“Do you truly believe in me, Steve?” I asked him, searching his eyes.
 They were green, not his own usual brown. That meant the Unicorn Magic was itching to
get out. Did his twin have it as well? Both my father and Aunt Aimee had it, but did the gift
also go to Steve and his twin sister Elizabeth?
“Always.” He nodded. “What are you thinking?”
“I use the Forgetfulness Spell on Liz to make her forget your argument.”
He looked away. “I don’t know about that.”
“She must not know about your Emerald or the Unicorn Magic.” I told him. “No signs of
anything out of the ordinary.”
He was silent, but agreed. “I understand.” He stood up. “Let’s go inside.”
We headed into his house, seeing his cousin Sammy in the kitchen with his twin sister
Elizabeth. They were making a mess and giggling up a storm. Flour, sugar, eggs, and a whole
mess of cookie batter were everywhere. Even Sammy and Liz were covered from head to toe in
the stuff. It was a hilarious sight. I clapped my hand on my mouth hard, trying not to let Steve
hear the giggle that had escaped my lips.
“What in the world are you guys doing in here?” Steve asked them, his twin in
particular. I could tell he was trying very hard not to burst out laughing as well.
They looked at each other and burst out laughing. “Nothing, Steve-bomber.” They
chorused. Steve-bomber was his ridiculous nickname that each of us used, which he hated.
Steve-bomber, I mean Steve, looked at me and rolled his eyes. The two of us then
headed to his room. When he opened his bedroom door, I saw clothes strewn all over the place,
books and papers on his desk cluttered in heaps. Nothing was where it was supposed to be,
which was usual for him.
He closed the door behind us before asking me. “What do we have to do?”
I shrugged.
“You don’t know?” He asked, surprised. “You’re an all-powerful Mystic that used that
same potion on her friends, and you don’t know what we have to do?”
“Momma helped me with the potion last time.” I told him. “I don’t know what it’s made
of.”
“Can’t she help us now?”
I shook my head.
He slumped on his bed. “What are we going to do? If she can’t know about my stupid
power, how are we going to get her to forget what I did to her?”
“I could try erasing it from her mind with compulsion.” I said, sitting next to him. “It’s
more draining on my own energy, and it’s against all Mystic Oaths I took years ago.”
“Then why do it?”
“Because you’re my friend, and so is she.” I told him. “I’d risk my life for anyone I care
about.”
He smiled at that.
“You’re my best friend Steve.” I said. “Why wouldn’t I?”
To my surprise, he hugged me. He picked me up and twirled me in the air a few times. I
screeched. “Hey! Put me down this instant!” I ordered with a laugh.
“Why should I?” Steve asked with a smile on his face.
Good. He was back to his normal joker-self. I was glad.
“Do it and find out!” I laughed.
“Not a chance, Kelly Reading.” He cackled. “Not a chance.”
“Don’t make me call for the ultimate torturing device.” I warned, smiling.
 “And what would that be?” He inquired, putting me down on the floor, feet first. “Or
shouldn’t I ask?”
“Since you did ask, I’ll have to tell you.” I said, nonchalant. I curled my hand up into a
fist and gave him a mighty thump on the shoulder bone.
“Ow!” He cried, rubbing it. “What was that for?”
“A while.” I said. “Mark Antony taught it to me. It’s called a hurts donut. Hurts, don’t
it?” I laughed.
“You’d better start running, Reading.” He growled playfully, chocking his fist in the air.

Fast as I could, I started running down the stairs, away from Steve’s grasp. When I saw
Liz and Sammy again in the kitchen, I yelled out to them, “Help! I’m being attacked!”
They looked at each other, and burst out laughing. Fortunately, they came to my rescue
by tossing some unused flour in his face when Steve threatened to tickle me. Soon, the four of
us were laughing, screeching, and giggling. That is, until Adam belted out a loud, irritating
whistle.
We stopped and looked at each other guiltily.
“What in the world are you guys doing?” Adam asked in a stern voice, trying not to smile
at the sight.
I grabbed the whistle that hung around my neck and gave it a hearty blow.
“Since I was the one to start this mess,” I said, taking charge. “I shall be the one to
finish it. I’ll help clean up whatever mess we made in the kitchen before I head home.” I
ordered.
We cleaned up the kitchen, and I turned to Steve. “Come on.”
Linking my arm in his, we walked outside and ran next door.
I thought of something, “You know what?”
“What?”
“I think that little riotous giggle-fest we had back there eased the tense situations I have
been experiencing over the last few weeks.”
He looked at me and teased. “English, Kelly. Not gibberish.”
I rolled my eyes. “What I’m saying is, as usual, you made me feel better when I felt
lousy. Understand?”
He smiled innocently and said in a Three Stooges voice, “Certainly.”
With that, the two of us waltzed inside my house.
Steve Edwards, no matter how much of a nut he was at times, was the best.
 Chapter Twenty-One
A Special Surprise

Steve and I walked into a quiet house. "Hello?" I yelled into the air. "Is anybody here?"
"In the basement, Kelly!" I heard Aunt Mary Ellen's excited voice cry.
"Hurry!" Uncle Kevin's voice boomed after it.
“One thing before we go downstairs.” Steve said. I waited. “When are you going to do
it?”
“Soon. I promise.” I replied. “She won’t even know what hit her.”
We headed down the stairs to meet up with my family. When we saw Uncle Kevin, I
cried, "What's up?"
Kevin smiled and directed me to the downstairs library. What I saw when I entered was
the whole Reading, Dratianos’ and Woods Clans: Momma, Draconis, Aunts Mary Ellen, Anna,
Adarra, and Claudia on Momma’s side, with Aunt Kendra on Derrick’s and Dracora on
Draconis’. All of my uncles, Shane, Drakkar, Christopher, Antony, Jake, Brian, and Alex were
there as well. Not to mention my Gramma Sue, Gramma Evelyn Reading, Aunt Aimee, Uncle
Scott, Airmed, Juliet, Daddy, Derrick, cousins Caleb, Logan, Angel, and Meredith, Papa David
and Papa Alexander (Derrick’s father). I saw the twins’ mother Caroline Parker, looking on and
smiling. Also there were Michelle and Kenneth, the twins’ real parents. I saw the rest of my
friends: Bradley, Peter, Josh, KC, Krysti, Allie, Cara, Kymm, Carrie, and even Lesal and
Miranda. Adam came in with Liz a few minutes later.
What surprised me the most, besides the fact that so many people could fit in the same
room, was when I saw Melody standing in the front of the group, with a big smile on her
adorable little face, her silver-blue eyes sparkling. My mouth was open in surprise and utter
astonishment, but no words seemed to come out.
Surprise, Kelly! She thought to me telepathically.
I grinned, picking her up and hugging her. I planted a kiss on her cheek before putting
her down again. “What’s this all about?” I asked Momma.
“We wanted to let you know how proud of you we are.” Momma supplied.
“You’ve worked so hard in the past month, you deserve a little something special.”
Daddy replied.
Draconis held a large rectangular box in his hands. It was wrapped in colorful paper and
tied together with a bright red bow. “We’re so proud of you; we all chipped in and bought you
something.”
He handed it to me.
“Open it, sweetie.” Momma urged.
I sat down and opened the box, wondering what it could be. When I opened it, I found a
portable notebook computer! I set it down before hugging both Momma and Draconis. “Thank
you!” I cried, kissing both their cheeks.
“Don’t thank us; thank your father and Bradley.” Momma supplied. “It was their ideas.”
I hugged Daddy and kissed Bradley. “Well then, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Daddy grinned, joking. “I trust you’ll take care of it?” He asked
with a playful look in his eye.
I nodded. “Oh, I will! I promise!”
“Now that’s said.” KC remarked, laughing.
“Let’s party!” Mark Antony, Caleb, and Andrew chorused.
 Melody clapped her excitement.
From there, the whole group went bonkers! We headed upstairs to the living room,
where the party favors and decorations were stashed. Since you couldn't see the living room
from the front door, neither Steve nor I had seen the arrangement when we first walked in.
“Whose idea was it?” I asked.
Cara raised her hand. “All mine.” I saw Josh give her a nudge. “And your parents, of
course.”
I laughed.
After party, every one of my friends decided on leaving us Dratianos’ to pick up the
mess. Everyone, that is, except my faithful boyfriend, Bradley, who volunteered sweetly, "I'll
stay and help you clean up, Kelly."
I smiled. "Thanks."
As we finished and making sure we were totally alone, he said softly with a smile, "You
did the right thing, Kelly. You know that?"
I moved some extra fly-away hairs from out of my face. "About what?"
"Getting the gang involved when the case was getting tough." He said, giving me a hug,
and holding me close. "I am very," He kissed my forehead. "Very," He kissed the tip of my
nose. "Proud of you." He kissed me on the lips.
When we parted, we stared into each other's eyes.
I love you, Bradley. I thought telepathically. Now and forever.
That goes double for me, Kelina Erin Reading. He sent back.
In the still silence and soft light of the living room, he and I were lost in each other's
embrace. It felt so romantic. I knew then, what we were doing was right, and Bradley would
then be my Earthly Protector for all time.
When I looked up again at his handsome face, my eyes wandered. "I don't mean to bring
up a sore subject, but I couldn't help noticing your left eye."
He escorted me to the couch, and we sat down, with him taking my hands in his own.
"What about it?"
"I know this is probably none of my business, but I can't seem to get it out of my mind."
I told him cautiously. "What exactly did Richie say about me that made you so mad?"
He looked to his hands. "He was making fun of you and your ideas, and I decided to do
something about it."
"So you paid your debts, then?" I inquired.
"Sadly enough, no." He said.
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "I dunno. I guess he doesn't want to talk debts."
"He never wants to talk." I said, referring to Richie and his bad habits. "All he wants to
do is beat up people."
There was an uncomfortable silence while we thought about Richie until Bradley laughed
nervously. "I wonder what he does the other half of the time?" He said with a smile.
He was trying to lighten the mood and take my mind away from it, but I wasn’t fooled.
"Speaking of time," I began. "Isn't it about time you settled this little dispute with him
once and for all?"
He nodded, and then glanced at his watch. "Also speaking of time, I have to go."
We stood up, and I followed him to the front door.
 "I promise you this, Kelly." He began, putting his arms around me. "Tomorrow after
school I’ll do something about Richie. Okay?"
I smiled. "Okay." We kissed good night and he was on his way home. I stared after
him with about a million thoughts jumbled up in my mind.
One thought prevailed above all others: Was Bradley going to keep his promise?
Luckily for me, the feelings of dread would disappear with all tensions when Bradley
confronted Richie tomorrow. At least, I hoped so.
 Chapter Twenty-Two
The Hill View High Gazette

"Don't forget the editors' meeting after school, Kelly." Ericka Blumeburg, the co-editor-
in-chief of the Gazette reminded me the next day as she met me by my locker. "It’s mandatory
that you be there."
I turned around to face my co-editor-in-chief, whom everyone on the paper playfully
called 'Boss'. Her dark brown hair was coming out of its long frizzy ponytail, making her look
flustered. Ericka was carrying an armload of reference books, and was having a hard time
keeping them from toppling over. I smiled at her. "Sure." I told her sweetly. "I'll be there after
I meet with Bradley for a few minutes."
"That's fine." Ericka replied. Then she said suddenly, as if remembering something, she
said, "Oh, I almost forgot. Don't forget to tell that faithful brother, I mean boyfriend, of yours
that I need his part of the Sports Spectacle page. It's overdue. Got that?"
“How did you know he wasn’t my brother?” I asked, incredulous.
“News travels fast, you know that.” Ericka grinned. “Just tell him, okay?”
I nodded, smiling. "Got it. I'll tell him as soon I see him, Ericka." I told her, slamming
my locker shut. "Should I tell him to come with me to the meeting?"
She shook her head. "No. He's not the Sports editor. Tod Ramsay is." She glanced at
her watch. "For now, I’ve gotta run. It won't look good if the Executive Editor-in-Chief is late
for a meeting that she called! See you later, Kelly." She turned on her heal and practically
jogged to the Gazette newspaper office.
"I guess not." I laughed, calling after her. "See you."
On that note, I turned and bumped directly into the Beast himself! What a stroke of bad
luck! "Watch it, Babe." He snarled.
I almost lost my cool. "You watch it, Beast. No one calls me 'Babe'." I told him sternly,
scowling. "Where are you going?"
"Sorry, Kelly. Chill out, will you?" He said calmly, to my surprise. He held up his arms
in surrender. "I'm heading home, where I belong."
He strode in the opposite direction toward the double doors, and I headed in the direction
to the school Courtyard. I half expected to see Bradley waiting there for Richie, but I knew the
Beast was headed for home. Sure enough, there was Bradley, under the Kissing Tree, waiting.
I walked over to him. "What are you waiting for?" I asked him.
He looked at me, embarrassed. "Uh...Richie." He sputtered finally. "I was waiting for
Richie to meet me here. He said to do so in class today."
I stared at him, then smiled. "You are not a very good liar, you know that?" I teased him
with a smile. "For one: You don't have any classes with him. For another, I just saw Richie
heading in the opposite direction. Toward home."
He looked away, embarrassed. "Really?"
I nodded. "Yep." I snapped my fingers, and changed the subject. "By the way, Ericka
told me to tell you that the Sports Spectacle is overdue, and she wants it now."
"It's done. Tell her I believe Brian has it. That or Tod." Bradley told me. He glanced at
his watch, then said, "For now, we have to get home."
I shook my head. "Sorry, but Ericka needs me. Editors' meeting. I'll tell her what you
told me, though."
"I'll call you tonight, Kelly." He said, pecked me on the cheek before rushing off.
 "Don't forget! I called a meeting of the Club for after the Editors' meeting!" I yelled
after him before I rushed off to the Gazette office by myself.
I entered the Gazette office and took my post at my computer. Ericka was instructing the
other Gazette editors on what to do with the new layouts. I watched very closely until she saw
me, and smiled.
She came over to me and laughed nervously, "Boy, am I glad you're here, Kelly! I am so
stressed out. Could you possibly help me out by taking over when everyone else leaves? I really
need your help."
I smiled. "I'm sure you were doing just fine." I assured her.
"Did you tell Bradley what I told you?" She asked, taking charge.
"Yes, and he told me to tell you that either Brian or Tod has it. And it's done." I relayed.
"Anything else?"
She smiled. "Follow me," Ericka ordered.
I stood and followed her to the Darkroom, where we found Tod and Brian Templon
conversing with Todd Alexander, one of the three photographers, and Ramsay Lake, a freshman
girl who's in charge of horoscopes. When the room wasn't in use developing pictures, it was
used as a private talking area. "Hi, guys." I said. I made a mental note to sign for Brian, who
was deaf, even though he could read lips and speak almost perfectly. "What's up, 'Boss'?"
Ericka turned to Tod, Brian, Todd, and Ramsay and glared at them. As soon as they
disappeared, she told me, "The reason I called you in here is so we could discuss the next issue's
advice column." She began. "Since we are the Editors-in-chief, I had to discuss it with you."
"Doesn't Alex Farthay do that?" I asked her, bewildered. "What's there to discuss? I
mean, is he overcome with people to advise or something?"
She sadly shook her head no. "He quit on me, and I have no one else to turn to."
"He actually went through with it?" I asked, concerned. Ericka looked confused, so I
told her what he’d said in Science that day.
"He told me that he has too much homework, plus hockey, plus the Debate team. He's
having a hard time catching up as it is." Ericka supplied. "He can't handle it emotionally, and
his teachers told him he may be put in Special Ed."
"That's terrible." I breathed. "When did you talk to him last?"
"I didn't. Mr. Burroughs told me." She explained.
"Well, what did you tell him?"
She looked sheepish before telling me, "I told him that you'd do it."
I was speechless. "Ericka!"
"Come on, Kelly. Please?" Ericka urged. "I have no one else to turn to." I opened my
mouth to argue, but unfortunately, she continued, "You are the one students usually turn to for
advice, and we are really desperate. Please do this, Kelly. The Gazette needs you."
I thought about it. I sighed. Usually I hated to be pushed into doing things I wasn't sure
about, but I had to admit. What she said was true.
"All right, Ericka Blumeburg!" I cried. "I'll do it. When does the next issue come out
again? Next week?"
She nodded, and led me back into the main Gazette office, where we saw the staff
busying themselves at their posts. The sound of tippity-tapping on computers, zipping of
printers, and occasional beeping of a typewriter was all that could be heard. Ericka and I smiled
at one another. "We've got our work cut out for us."
 I let out a small giggle. She headed over to help a Japanese Editor, Mallory Kim, with
the fashion layouts, and I headed over to Mr. Burroughs' desk, where I found him correcting
English Lit. papers. "Hi, Mr. Burroughs." I greeted him.
He looked up. "Why, hello Kelly." He replied happily. "Didn't think you'd have time for
the paper, from what I've heard."
"Why? What did you hear, and who from?" I asked curiously.
"I heard you had a mystery on your hands." Mr. Burroughs said softly, making sure no
one could over-hear. "Bradley and Lesal told me."
I smiled. "Oh, that. The mystery is solved, and now I'm free to converse with the
Gazette staff." I told him. "So you don't have to speak softly about it. It'll be spread around
school by Cara soon enough."
I watched him for a second, lost in thought.
"Anything else I can do for you?" Mr. Burroughs asked.
"Actually, yes." I said. "I was wondering. Ericka told me that Alex quit the paper, and
how desperate you were to have me as an advice columnist. Why me, and what am I going to
call my column?"
"Hmm." He thought out loud. "Why you? Because you're the only one that knows as
much about advising as Alex did. More even. You can call your column whatever you want."
I grabbed the thesaurus from the shelf and looked up the word 'advisor'. After a minute, I
found the perfect word. Coach. "How about if I call it, Coach Kelly'?"
"Whatever works, go for it." He said with a smile.
"Have any work for me to do besides help Ericka be the boss?" I asked him.
He shook his head. "Not a thing." He looked away for a minute. "Except maybe help
Brian with his bit."
I glanced over to Brian, who was silently signing to himself frustrated. I giggled under
my breath, then headed over to him. I tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around.
"What's wrong, Brian?" I signed.
He looked up at to me and gave a grateful sigh. "This stupid thing won't take my
programming software." He told me aloud. "Can you help?"
"I don't know, Brian." I teased him in sign language. "Am I physically able to?"
He shook his head and rolled his eyes. We worked on it until it was time for him to go
home. Soon, everyone except Ericka and me had gone home.
"Ericka," I replied as we were cleaning up the office.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Giving me a job I actually like doing." I told her. "I really feel needed when one of my
friends or brothers need me, and I wished to do the same with Hill View High."
Ericka laughed teasingly. "Really? Since when?"
"Actually for quite a while now."
"By the way, Kelly." She began as she cleaned out a printer. "How did the case go?"
"How did you know about the case?" I asked her, standing up from my position.
She shrugged. "Lesal told me."
"I should've known better than to trust Lesal to keep a secret." I said with a smile.
"Just answer the question, Reading." She said sternly, teasing. "How'd it go?"
 I told her all about the case, the Bomb Squad, my doubts, Bradley's fight, our bet, and
especially about Bradley being adopted. She grinned mischievously at the mention of he and I
being a couple. We cleaned up as we talked, and at one point, she told me how she'd love to
have been on the case with us, but I told her 'no way!'. I was the last one out, and I locked the
door behind me. I smiled, and surveyed the room before I headed for home.
Ah, I loved Journalism.
 Chapter Twenty-Four
"Now What, Oh Great President?"

Okay. I had called an emergency meeting of the club for after school. I arrived home a
little late that afternoon because of the Gazette editors’ meeting. I heard the commotion coming
from the basement as soon as I walked in the front door. Immediately, I knew my best friends
were waiting for me inside, gathered in their now-favorite spots in the downstairs library.
When I walked in, I smiled when I saw that they, in fact, had already arrived. Even Josh,
Allie, and Peter. KC and Krysti were sprawled on the dusty old beanbag that was on the floor,
lying on their stomachs. Lesal and Miranda were on the floor by the bookshelves. The rest of my
friends were in numerous places around the room.
"Hi, guys!" I greeted them cheerfully, casebook cradled under my arm. "Glad y'all could
make it."
Lesal and Miranda looked at each other and smirked. Miranda giggled softly while her
best friend repeated teasingly, "'Y'all?'"
I shrugged and addressed the group, "We are concluding our very first case, and I have
only one thing to say." I looked around the room at my friends. "Our first mystery, though it
was a strange one, was a huge success!"
We cheered at our accomplishment.
"One question enters my mind, Kelly." Peter responded intellectually, as usual. He
pushed up his glasses and opened his mouth to continue.
He was interrupted by KC's sarcastic cry, "I bet I know what that is." She glanced beside
her, Krysti nodded in agreement.
I sighed. "Okay, you guys," I started, rolling my eyes. "Humor me."
"The mystery is solved, am I correct?" Peter asked, standing up and pacing the room. He
seemed to be lost in thought, stroking his chin.
I stared at him strangely. "Yeah, so?"
Unfortunately, he went on. "We know who was making the mysterious noises in the Catz
mansion."
Now Lesal was the one to interrupt. "Both Crazy Jake Harrison and the ghost of
Jesemiah Catz." She put in, her Jamaican accent sounding thicker. "Like Kelly said, 'Yeah, so?'"
"You did not allow me to finish, Lesal." Peter scolded, shaking his finger at her in
shame. He turned to me. "As I was saying: Isn’t it also true that Bradley found he was adopted,
and you could date?”
We nodded. "Your point?" I asked sarcastically.
"The main question remains, dear Kelly." He said knowledgeably.
Steve interrupted, rolling his eyes and glaring at me. "Now what, oh great President?"
I sat down at one of the computers, put the casebook next to me, and sighed. "Any
suggestions?" I asked the group, looking around the room at my friends.
"I have a really hot idea." KC exclaimed, excited. She pounced out of her seat like a
shot, leaving Krysti in a very awkward position on the beanbag. "How about a party?"
While my friends got excited about the possibility of a huge party, I sat quiet, thinking. I
watched as Krysti, KC, Lesal, Miranda, Allie, Carrie, Kymm, and even Cara jumped around the
room, planning the party.
The guys; Steve, Adam, Josh, and Peter were huddled in a corner laughing and chatting
about they-know-what, and were paying absolutely no attention to what the girls were doing.
 "What's on your mind?" I heard a voice whisper in my ear.
I turn around and see Bradley's "Love Me" look. My eyes wandered to his left eye.
Still bruised, otherwise fine, I noted. "Help me quiet this bunch of morons, will you?" I
suggested, smiling at him.
He winked. "Gotcha." Bradley put his fingers in his mouth and blew a very attention-
getting whistle.
In less than two seconds flat, the whole group went from rowdy to silent. "Wow." I
breathed in awe. "Thanks." I cleared my throat before continuing, raising my voice a little to be
heard. "The next thing we should do is -- "
"Have a party, like KC suggested!" Cara interrupted, hopeful.
I, along with the rest of my friends, laughed at her excited response. "That's a good idea,
Cara, but what about organizing everything? Sure, you want to have a party, and you've thought
of how fun it would be." I countered, stating the facts, the things that my best friend is
sometimes forgetful of. "But have you thought about expenses? Food, drinks, music, et cetera,
et cetera, et cetera?"
Krysti frowned. "I don't like that third et cetera, Kelly." She complained, wrinkling her
nose at the thought. "Sounds scary."
My friends looked at me, probably waiting for a sarcastic comeback to Krysti's response.
I smiled innocently at them. "I was just playing with you." I told her with a laugh before things
got too complicated. I turned to her best friend, "I think it would be a great idea to have a party,
KC." I complimented her, then turned to Bradley. "How much do we have in the treasury?"
He checked the manila envelope and did a quick problem in his head. "Seventy-five
dollars, plus change." He announced proudly. "Fifty of that came from the HVPD for the
capture and turning in of Crazy Jake Harrison."
"I'd say that is enough to have a party on!" Steve exclaimed, and the room went nuts
over the plans for that weekend's party.
Life was absolutely fantastic with your best friends, I thought happily as I joined in the
bustle. No matter what happens, they're always there for you.
Too bad I wasn't suspecting the excitement of that upcoming day's events. Maybe then I
wouldn't have judged my friends' faith so quickly. I had a feeling Bradley was going to confront
Richie that day. I just hoped our friends would be there for us when Bradley's lights went out.

That night, Bradley showed up on my doorstep bearing flowers.

“Ready to go?” He asked.
I smiled. “Let me grab my jacket, and we’ll be on our way.”
He drove Daddy’s Jeep first to Renee’s, a French restaurant on the edge of town.
“I can’t believe this is our first date.” Bradley said once we sat at a booth. I sat beside
him.
“Neither can I.” I told him, giggling.
He wrapped his arms around me, kissing my lips. I smiled shyly.
“I’m beginning to see you in a whole new light, you know that?” Bradley said softly,
playing with my hair.
His eye was well enough he could wear his contacts again.
“All this time we were siblings, I was protective over you.” He said. “Now that I’m your
boyfriend, I’ll be doubly protective over you.”
“You don’t have to protect me.” I told him, then leaned on his chest. “I’d love you to.”
 “Keep talking.” Bradley whispered in my ear, kissing it. “I love hearing your voice.”
I giggled.
We had a romantic candlelight dinner. It was heavenly, but the best was yet to come.
After dinner, he took us to Clements’ Pond for a romantic stroll.
“Wanna dance?” He asked, taking my hand and leading me in circles by the pond.
The air was crisp and cool, but it didn’t bother me.
“Sure, why not?” I teased. I pointed my hand toward a nearby bench, making a small
radio appear in the moonlight. It started playing slow, romantic melodies only we could hear.
“Be careful, someone might see.” Bradley supplied as we began dancing to the music.
“Don’t worry, Brad.” I told him with a grin as I teased his lips. “Only you and I can see
the radio and hear the music. It’s our little secret.”
“In that case...” His voice trailed as he kissed the nape of my neck, ear, forehead, and
finally lips.
I sighed happily, glad all secrets were out, and we were able to be what we’d wanted to
be for so long. We no longer had to hide our feelings for one another.
It was perfect, taking our thoughts away from the past months’ adventure and directing
them to each other.
I truly did love Bradley Allen with my heart, and knew he would become my Earthly
Protector someday. I just hoped it were someday soon.
 Chapter Twenty-Three
Some Cruel Debts to Pay ...

That dreadful day had finally come. The day that Bradley and I were going to have a talk
with Richie “the Beast” Carmichael, HVH’s own trouble-making, drop-out bully. Everyone in
school, sometimes including myself and the gang, were afraid of him, Johnny Kincaid, and
Devin Jones. The three of HVH’s least-wanted juvenile delinquents. The three of them together
are the main hang-bang gang at school, and they call themselves the “Deadly Dragons.” They
know how to keep the school on its toes.
Anyway, as I was saying, it was finally the day to face “the Beast” and his buddies in the
courtyard by everyone’s favorite tree, the “Kissing Tree.” Our friends were nowhere to be
found. Looks like Bradley and I would be facing 'the Beast' alone.
My faithful boyfriend spotted me, and sighed. "You don't have to do this, you know that,
don't you?" He asked, worried. His mind was side-tracked with waiting for the Beast to arrive.
He was wearing his glasses again, which told me he knew he’d be messed up pretty bad.
He didn’t want his contacts to break in his eyes.
"I know," I told him, stroking his cheek. "But I want to. I love you too much to desert
you now."
He kissed me and gave me a hug. "I love you, too, Kelly. That's why I don't want you to
see me fight the Beast."
"Let's just leave it at this: You're always there for me, and I intend to do the same for
you. Understand?"
Bradley nodded. “In that case, are you prepared for trouble?” He asked me, holding my
hand and gripping his backpack tighter. We sat down at the table, facing each other.
“Not really, but it has to be done.” I said, pausing to look into his frightened eyes.
“You’re really scared, aren’t you?” I whispered, slipping off his glasses and taking a long look
at his black eye.
“After last week’s brawl, let’s say I’m very...wary.” He told me.
I looked into his eyes and fingered the eye that Richie had socked the week before. “It’s
healing well,” I said shyly, a loss for words.
He looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. “Uh oh,” He said, “Look who’s coming.”
I followed my boyfriend’s gaze, but what I saw didn’t surprise me. There, striding up to
us, with his best (and only) friends behind him, was Richie Carmichael. Richie had a scowl on
his face, as always, and was punching his fist into his hand.
I hugged Bradley’s shoulders and whisper into his ear, “It has to be done, Bradley. The
sooner you pay your debts --”
“I know, I know.” He told me, frowning. “As much as I hate to do so, the sooner I pay
my debts, the better off I’ll be.” He glanced from me to the trio, and took a long breath, letting it
out slowly.
“Hey, Dork!” Richie growled roughly. “I’ve been looking for you!”
Bradley glared at me. I gave him a reassuring kiss, letting him know I was there for him.
“Go and get it over with.” I commanded seriously.
Reluctantly, he nodded. Putting his glasses back on, I watched him march over to the
troublesome trio, his head held high. “What do you want, Richie?” Bradley asked, folding his
arms in front of him and glaring at Richie with fierce eyes.
 “You and me, excluding the Dragons and Kelly, are gonna --” Richie began, but didn’t
finish his sentence.
Go easy on him, Richie, I thought telepathically to him. We’ve had it rough the last few
weeks.
He glared at me, then Bradley, long and hard in his usual beastly manor. Whenever he
did that, he meant business and definitely wasn’t joking around. For most HVH students, that
also meant a fight.
“Yeah,” Bradley taunted, “what are you going to do?” I sensed my boyfriend was scared,
but didn’t dare show it.
Richie pretended to think, then replied sarcastically, “For starters, I’m gonna rip your
puny heart out and stuff it down your throat.”
I didn’t hear anymore, because I refused to. I hated it when people fought -- especially
my best friends fighting with bullies. I couldn’t stand it when people resorted to violence when
words and walking away work just as well.
Instead, my eyes wandered over to Devin and Johnny. They watched as Bradley and
Richie went head to head, fist to fist, in one of the biggest brawls I have ever seen Bradley get
into. Johnny cheered his boss on, and Devin played along.
At one point, Devin and I made eye contact. He smiled at me sweetly, then nudged
Johnny, and the two of them came over to me.
“Hey Kelly.” Devin replied with a smile.
I scowled, then playfully smacked him on the arm. “Hey yourself, Devin.” I said,
deliberately refusing to meet his brown eyes. Johnny, as usual, paid no attention to anything else
except the fight.
“Your brother’s getting creamed out there.” Devin replied, not sounding at all nasty.
Devin could be a lot sweeter than some of the dorks he hangs around with. I thought. I
wonder why he hangs around scum like Richie and Johnny?
Since I didn’t sense any hostility in him, I decided to continue the conversation. “He’s
not my brother, Devin. He’s my boyfriend.”
“Really? How?”
“He’s adopted. More later.” I told him, not wanting to miss a beat of the action.
I perked up my ears. Just in time to hear Richie say, “If I were you Schmidt, I’d stay out
of other people’s business. It’s bad enough that you and that club of yours, the Bomb Squad,
need to be taught a lesson!”
I jumped down from on top of the table and, with Johnny and Devin at my heels,
marched over to them. “You’d better explain that last remark, Richard Carmichael!” I cried,
getting in his face.
“Kelly," Bradley warned.
"No, Bradley.” I told him, still keeping an eye on the Beast. “I want him to explain what
he meant by that last remark.”
“Maybe you’d better listen to your brother, Short Stuff.” Richie said fiercely to me.
I ignored him calling me Short Stuff, and continued. “Well, Richie?” I asked him, hands
on my hips.
“I don’t have to explain anything to you, Reading!” He cried. “So get. Lost.”
“He’s right, you know.” Bradley replied softly from a few feet away. “Just go home.
I’ll call you later.”
 I shook my head and led Bradley to the table to take a good look at him. The damage
was done. His other eye was nearly swollen shut, and his glasses were broken on the bow.
I turned to Richie and stared at him. I thought telepathically, I won’t let you get away
with this Richie Carmichael!
“Stop that!” Richie barked, sputtering. He turned to his buddies and said, “Come on,
you guys. We’ve got better things to do than mess with these loonies!”
With that, the Deadly Dragons of Hill View High left.
Devin and my eyes met. He seemed to be saying, “I’m sorry,” with a simple glance.
I turned my attention back to Bradley’s broken glasses in his hand, and bloody nose.
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked him, concerned.
“Yeah.” He told me softly. “I’ll be fine.” He brings his hand up to touch his nose. “If I
don’t die first. Ow!”
“Come on, big guy.” I told him, getting up. I gathered both his and my school bags.
“You’re coming home with me. Let Dr. Reading take care of this mess .”
“ I’m coming, I’m coming.” He tried to joke, laughing a little. He stood up and took a
step. “Ow. That hurt.”
I smiled. He leaned on my shoulder while we walked to my house in complete silence,
hand in hand.
Twenty minutes later, as I was preparing an ice pack for him to put on his eye, I said
guiltily, “I never should’ve made you go through with that. I am so sorry, Bradley.”
He was sitting on one of the stools at the kitchen counter, and I gave him the ice pack.
As much as he could without hurting, he smiled forgivingly. Taking my hand in his, he assured
me, “Don’t be. I got myself into that mess, and I should’ve been able to get myself out of it.”
“So you’re not mad?” I asked him amazed. “You forgive me for being such an idiot?”
“If anything, you were right.” Bradley said, a hint of a smile.
“Huh?” I asked, confused. “About what?”
“About everything,” He told me. “About the club, about fighting being bad for my
health, about paying my debts. Everything.”
The two of us stared at each other without saying a word. Until I decided to take a closer
look at his face. “That’s quite a shiner you’ve got there, Bradley Allen.” I said with a smile.
“You’ll have that for at least a week.”
Bradley removed the ice pack away from his face and said semi-seriously, “If I keep this
thing on it, the swelling will go down in no time.”
“Looks as if it already is.” I supplied, fingering it.
“How’s your Healer Magic?” He asked softly. “I don’t want the gang to see how messed
up I am.”
Should I help him with my Magic? If I did, wouldn’t that be proving Momma’s point?
When I didn’t say anything, he whispered. “Please?”
I didn’t want to get in trouble for using it wrongly, so I tried to sense Momma. She was
in the living room.
“I can’t, but maybe Momma can.” I told him, grabbing his hand and leading him.
He sighed. “I was hoping you’d do it.”
I looked at him. “Momma’s Healer Magic is more powerful than mine. She’s healed
plenty of Dreamers with it. Give her a chance, okay?”
Bradley nodded, kissing my cheek. “For you I will.”
As soon as Momma saw him, she gasped. “What happened to you?”
 “I got into a fight with Richie again.” Bradley admitted softly. “Can you help take some
of the pain away?”
Momma glanced first at me, then at him. “The only thing I can give you is aspirin.”
“What about your Healer Magic?” He asked her.
Momma shook her head. “I’ve told Kelly the same thing Enchantra told me. I can’t
always rely on the Magic to get me out of trouble all the time. This time, neither can you. There
are a lot of times we can’t use it, for fear of suspicion.” She looked at him sympathetically.
“Understand, Bradley Allen?”
Bradley didn’t meet her eyes, but whispered. “Yes, Ma’am.”
I took him back into the kitchen and replaced the ice-pack.
“I told you.” I replied. “What would Richie think if you came to school tomorrow
without any bruises? He’ll be confused and angry. This time at both of us.”
He was silent for a minute, then smiled. “You know what?”
“What?”
“I think he’s jealous.” Bradley quipped, taking me in his arms.
I giggled, blushing. I gave him a soothing kiss, and it felt I was in heaven.
 Chapter Twenty-Four
Bomb Squad Officers Meeting

“When are you going to call another meeting, Kelly?”

“Right now.” I told him from the window that lead to the Edwards/Smith’s next door. I
signaled to Steve using our secret code before saying, “Sort of.”
“Sort of?” Asked Bradley.
“Just the five of us.” I explained, taking a seat on the desk beside him.
I called Cara and KC and asked them to come. Cara arrived ten minutes later, but I saw
no sign of KC.
“Where’s KC?” I asked.
“She’s grounded.” Cara shrugged.
“What do you want?” Steve asked as he came in. “Adam couldn’t make it. He had
homework.”
“That’s okay,” I told him. “I only wanted you anyway.”
“I knew it!” exclaimed Steve happily, clapping his hands. “You want me.”
I rolled my eyes and the group laughed. “Shut up, you moron!” I exclaimed, joining in
the laughter. “The reason I wanted --” I explained, nearly saying the same thing again. I
smiled at my best friend and corrected myself, “called you over is to attend the officer’s
meeting.”
“Officer’s meeting?” Cara repeated.
“Yeah. It’s where the five of us get together and share our experiences about the case in
our club casebook.” I explained.
“You mean the casebook you carry around with you?” Steve asked.
I shook my head no. “That’s my personal casebook.” I told them sternly. “I mean the
portable notebook computer my parents gave me. We’ll keep any information on what we were
working on.”
I opened it, tapping into the word processing program. At the top of the page, I entered
“Bomb Squad Crime Computer.”
Under that, I typed:

Case Entry: #1:

Case of the Mysterious Noises

As we close our first case, I have to say, “We did it!” Bomb Squad of HVH has solved its
very first case! May many more mysteries come our way!

I wrote at the bottom, “Kelly Reading, President,” handing it to Bradley. “Write in any
thoughts you may have on solving the case.”
“Okay. Sounds easy enough.” He said, taking it from my hands. He posed his fingers
over the keyboard and began typing.
After he was done, he handed it to Steve, who handed it to Cara. When they were
finished, Cara gave it back to me and said with a smile, “Read it.”
 You’ve done it again, Kelly! The case was confusing -- to begin with, but as
usual, you came up with a pretty wild idea to get our friends involved. You even
proved me wrong! I love you, even your infamous idea machine of a mind.
-- Bradley Allen, Treasurer

I hate it when you do this! Tip to y’all: never underestimate the power of a
girl! You’re the greatest best friend I could ever have, Kelly. Keep it up, or else!
(Gulp!)

-- Steve Edwards, Alternate Officer

This case was corny, yet fun. Thanks for all the excitement, adventure,
and something to do instead of homework! I’ll admit it. I enjoyed every tidbit of
trouble. I am proud to have you as my best friend!
-- Cara Richardson, Vice President

I looked up at my friends and gave each of them a smile. “I’m glad you liked it. I almost
gave up!”
“You? Give up?” Bradley teased me. “Never.”
I gave him a mysterious smile.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, Bradley,” Cara started. “What happened to your face?”
“Richie ‘the Beast’ Carmichael and I had a little fight in the courtyard after school.”
Bradley explained. Then he told the three of them what happened with the terrible trio.
Steve winced. “Ouch.”
“Yeah, but some questions are still etched in my mind.” Bradley replied curiously.
“What made Richie retreat so fast? And why did he tell you, ‘Stop that!’?”
“Let me guess. You used one of your powers to make Richie retreat.” Steve said
sarcastically.
“Not really,” I told him. “Richie did that on his own. I just sent him a telepathic
message.”
“That scared him off, I bet.” Bradley said.
Steve noticed I wasn’t paying attention. “Okay, Kelly. What’s on your mind?”
“How’s Elizabeth?” I asked him.
“Fine. She hasn’t brought up our little argument in a week.” Steve supplied.
“What did you guys argue about?” Cara wanted to know.
Both Steve and I told the story.
Now it was Bradley’s turn to ask the questions.
“How have you felt lately, Steve?” Bradley asked. “Been okay since we caught
Harrison?”
Steve shrugged. “I guess so, why?”
“What about the necklace?”
He fingered it. “What? This old thing?”
“That old thing is mighty powerful.” I told him.
“Relax, Kelly. I was just kidding.” Steve remarked. “I already know what power I have
in it, and I’m kind of learning on my own.”
 “You don’t have to learn on your own, you know.” I told him.
“What do you mean?” Steve asked.
“Do you travel to another world at night?” I asked him. He nodded. “One where you
meet a man who calls himself the Unicorn?”
“What of it?”
“He’s here, in our world, too.” I supplied.
Steve was interested. “You know him?”
“Of course she knows him!” Cara had to speak up. “That man is her father!”
“Mr. Schmidt is the Unicorn?” Steve asked, incredulous. I nodded. “He’s got this
Unicorn Magic thing, too?”
“His is different.” Bradley put in. “Dad’s and Aunt Aimee’s Unicorn Magic is in their
blood. They got it from Mrs. Dratianos.”
“Stop. Right now.” I said. “Steve, I want you to promise something.” He looked up at
me. “Keep any and all Magic that happens between us.” I supplied. “This includes any you
experience with that necklace, do you understand me?”
He nodded. “No problem with me.” He turned to Cara. “It’s her I’m worried about.”
“I’ve known about it since she moved in.” Cara replied. “This girl’s mouth is shut.”
“Why all the secrecy, though?” Steve asked.
I had to think about that one. “It wouldn’t be fair to the others. They wouldn’t
understand how important and powerful being a Mystic is.”
“Sure, they’ve heard about the elusive Dorianne Jacobs atop the hill,” Bradley began.
“But that doesn’t mean they should know about Kelly.”
Steve looked at me with a smile. “Yeah, whatever.”
“You’ll keep this a secret, right?” Cara pressed. “You have to promise, Steven
Edwards.”
He held his hand up and looked at me seriously. “I promise. Not a word about this will
leak from my mouth to anybody.”
Bradley looked from Steve to me. “Well, is he telling the truth?”
I smiled, looking back at him. “He’s serious for once.” I turned to Steve. “Thank you,
Steve. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
Steve’s eyes were interested now. “What else can you do?”
“This!” I jumped off the desk, grabbed a throw pillow from my bed and began one of
the most hilarious, silly, and funniest pillow fights in history.
I just loved my best friends! They were the greatest!
 Epilogue
The Perfect End To The Not-So-Perfect Mystery

Bomb Squad Casebook: Case Entry: #1:

Case of the Mysterious Noises

As I look back at the past month's adventurous events, I could tell my idea was a
gigantic hit. One: we had captured a hard-earned criminal and put him behind bars --
for good. Two: Along with help from friends, I had organized a club -- and actually
stuck with it, even though some people (mainly Steve) had doubts. Three: Bradley had
settled some pretty cruel debts with the school bully. Four: two new friends joined in,
once finding themselves duped into it. Last, but certainly not least, five: I had solved a
mystery, also with my friends, exhausted and proud. It may have looked bleak to begin
with, but I think the Bomb Squad is going to reign. We'll be famous in no time flat!
I could just picture the headlines and news-casters saying: "Teen-Sleuths
Capture Hard-Earned Criminal!" and "President of Bomb Squad Is Chosen to Lead the
HVPD Junior Squad! News at Eleven!" I had loved all the attention, and it was well
deserved. I just hoped that everything would return to normal soon. I don't think I could
handle all the excitement. It felt great to be a local celebrity, despite the bad things
about being a teen sleuth. Even though, I wondered what the next couple of weeks had
in store for me and my friends. Probably dull as anything.
Then again, nothing's ever dull with The Bomb Squad of Hill View High around!
You could count on it!

Later that night, Uncle Kevin found me curled up in the library, writing in the Crime
Computer.
"Hey, squirt." He said, trying to grab my attention.
I looked up at him and closed the notebook. "Yeah?" I responded.
"I just want to thank you."
"What for?"
"For helping Andrea. I really appreciate it, you know."
"I wasn't the only one, Uncle Kevin. My friends helped me out as well. I could never
have done it alone."
"What did you finally do? I mean, when I last talked to you, you were beginning to
investigate the case."
"Well," I began, then told him everything that had happened within the last month. When
I finished, I looked at him. "Well? What did you think?"
He stared at me, astonished. "You guys did all that?" I nodded proudly. "I'm impressed,
Kelina Erin." Uncle Kevin told me, tweaking my nose. "As well as very proud of you. That
must have taken a lot of patience, huh?"
"You'd better believe it." I told him, smiling. "And thanks for the compliment. I
appreciate it."
"No problem, Kelly." He said. "What are family for, anyway?"
I smiled. "I know one thing you can do right now that would make me very grateful of
you." I teased gently.
Hands in his pockets, he looked down at me. "Sure. Anything."
 "Get lost. I'm busy with the Bomb Squad Crime Computer." I commanded him, opening
it and poising my hands over the keys to begin typing again.
“So, the Bomb Squad’s here to stay, huh?” Kevin asked.
“Yep, and we’re better than ever.” I replied. “The new girl, KC is the Secretary. She’s
cool, but still nervous around us. Allie Watson, the resident punk-rocker, doesn’t care what her
non-member friends think. Devin Jones feels guilty about what Richie did to Bradley. He’s
really sweet when he wants to be, and he’s starting to sit with us. You know Bradley and I are
together as a couple. So are Cara and Josh now. They’re still on rocky waters, but I’m sure
they’ll survive.”
“What about Miranda English?” Kevin asked. “What was wrong with her?”
Momma must have told him. “She’s battling anorexia.”
He shook his head. “That girl is tough, she can handle it.” Kevin replied with a wink.
“See you later, alligator.”
With that, he left, leaving me with a smile on my face.
Things were definitely back to normal around here, I thought to myself. Whatever
normal is for the Mystics!
I continued to type, wrapping up the entry.

I knew my great idea would work out!

As the first official entry of Bomb Squad Notebook should go, I'd like to
thank all my friends for hangin' in there -- even when the case got dangerous.
Steve, eat your heart out! Cara: Lighten up -- we did it! KC, thanks for
agreeing on being the Club Secretary. You trusted me with your secret, and I
understand completely. Bradley: I'm glad you decided to stick with it, even when
you were angry with me. I love you for that.
A special ‘Thanks!’ goes to all of you. Josh, Lesal, Miranda, Adam,
Carrie, Kymm, Allie, Krysti and Cara: Thanks for helping with our first mystery,
which I dubbed, "Case of the Mysterious Noises." We are triumphant!
I wonder what's going to happen to us next?
By the way, here’s the real story of the Catz Mansion and the twins: yes,
their parents did die suddenly. Yes, they were separated, but not at birth. At
six-years-old. That’s when the trouble started. Jesemiah grew up lovely, but
lonely because the only person left of her family had been taken away from her.
Jeremiah, lonely for his twin sister, was an outcast, living alone with his mean,
abusive parents. At the age of sixteen, since her Magic (witchcraft) had made
her banished from her own town, Jesemiah did a terrible thing. She found her
original home in Hill View, the Catz Mansion. She sensed her parents there,
and wanted to join them. Her thoughts took her to the barn in the backyard.
She sensed her parents’ aura traces there and, with a knife she’d brought with
her, she slit her wrists. Before the breath escaped out of her body, she lay down
in the corner atop a bail of hay. Clutching the necklace, she crossed her arms
and was gone. Jeremiah, deep in another part of the state, could feel it, rushing
to her side. As soon as he saw his sister’s dead body, lying on a bail of hay,
dead to the world, he panicked. His eye caught an old rope laying on the top
rafters of the barn. He climbed the short ladder to retrieve it, hanging himself.
To this day, because of the twins not finding answers before they died, they will
always haunt the place. Momma and I even had experiences with them, but
more on that later!
– Kelly Reading, The Bomb Squad President
 PS : A Note From The President Of The Bomb Squad
Kelly's Five Rules to Effective Sleuthing:

Just for fun. Here are some of my rules for effective sleuthing, just for you! Enjoy!

1. ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. Notice any suspicious

actions around your neighborhood, the mall, etc. Wherever you go. There might be some no-no's
going on, so be sure to catch all the action.

2. BE SURE NOT TO ATTRACT ATTENTION. If you do, you might as well forget
about investigating. People will be sure to catch you. You may even become a suspect!

3. WRITE DOWN ANYTHING THAT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT TO THE CASE.

Such as clues, suspects, evidence, anything of that sort. You can refer to it later, to figure out the
case.

4. BE SURE; WHEN NARROWING DOWN SUSPECTS; YOU HAVE PURE

EVIDENCE TO BACK UP ACCUSATIONS. If you don't -- and you go to the local police --
there is no way they'll believe you.

5. HAVE FUN, BUT BE CAREFUL. Detecting can be a game, but isn't; so follow the
rules and regulations of your state. If things get too complicated (or serious, for that matter)
IMMEDIATELY CALL THE POLICE. Let them handle it from there, and don't get involved
in any police investigation.
Good Luck, and Happy Sleuthing!
Kelly Reading,
The Bomb Squad President
 Special Excerpt from:
The Bomb Squad Mysteries:
Case Entry: 2: Cara vs. the Mystery Machines:

"Come on, Kelly." I cried unenthusiastically, rolling to a stop. "This is simply

ridiculous."
My best friend glared at me. "It is not ridiculous, it’s necessary." She said, nudging me
forward. "Now, hurry up before Mrs. Gertrude gets back."
I sighed. "All right, all right. I'll do it."
Quickly, I raced over to the desk and searched for the court documents. If Kelly was
going to make me do something I'd rather not do, I'll do it with style. But if I get into trouble as
usual, I'll go along.
I sifted through the messy desk, searching its contents. There were papers, pens, notes,
and an array of junk was cluttered, so it was hard to not move anything in the effort to try and
find the documents. When I found them, I heaved a sigh of relief and said under my breath,
"Ah-ha."
That's when Kelly's telepathic message came, warning me.
Cara, get your rear in gear and get out of here. Mrs. Gertrude's back! I'll distract her
while you sneak out the back.
Gulp. If I was to be caught, I would be one dead girl.
Quick as I had come, I fled the office and headed out the back door. In my rush, I forgot
the papers I came for! Unfortunately, when I raced outside, I ran directly into Mrs. Gertrude
herself!
She glared at me through her bifocals, and I blankly stared back.
Uh-oh, I thought. RIP time.
“What are you doing here?” Mrs. Gertrude asked me.
I couldn’t say anything. I glanced at the garbage can and willed it to set fire. Once she
was distracted, I raced out of there in the opposite direction, grabbing the folder I’d just seen.
“Come back here, thief!” Mrs. Gertrude’s evil voice echoed the house.
I made it outside safely, where I saw Kelly waiting by the bikes.
“Quick, Kelly. Do something!” I cried.
“I’ll try.” Kelly closed her eyes and held out her hand. “Wish-craft, don’t fail me now.”