sprawled across the path. Cedric clung to Gabriel’s pants, still dangling off the edge.
“Come on! Pull me up,” Cedric moaned. Brent and Piper dragged Gabriel farther onto the path as Cedric scrambled to grasp the cliff’s edge. Cedric’s glossy eyes grew wide as Gabriel twisted around and pulled him onto the path.
“You were gonna let me fall!” Gabriel yelled.
“No, I wasn’t!” wailed Cedric. “I was trying to help! I couldn’t see, ‘cause of the rain.”
Gabriel knew Cedric was lying. He’d seen Cedric’s eyes widen at the sight of the crystal.
“No, honestly, I was just trying to help,” gasped Cedric.
Gabriel and Piper exchanged a look that said Cedric was a lost cause.
Gabriel got to his feet. He pointed at Cedric. “Let’s just go. You will lead the way.” He shoved Cedric in the right direction. As they walked, Gabriel whispered to Piper, “He was going to let me fall. I saw him. He was reaching for the crystal. He was trying to steal it!”
“You think he knows what it is?” Piper asked.
“Not sure. But why else would he be after it? Other than just to be a complete tool, of course.”
Piper laughed. “Well, yeah, but how could he know what it is?”
Gabriel shook his head. “Dunno.”
They reached the top of the mountain, out of breath and exhausted. Rain poured down in torrents, and thunder crashed all around them. Lightning lit up the sky. Piper pushed her soaked, black hair away from her eyes. “I think we’d better find shelter, guys.”
Brent pointed to a small white house in the distance. “Look there. That looks like a place to take shelter. Let’s get out of the rain and check it out, shall we?”
Piper chuckled and mimicked Brent’s weird voice. “Yes, we shallll.” She laughed again.
Brent ran toward the house, and they bounded behind him. They knocked on the door, but nobody answered. After knocking several times, Brent shrugged. “Mustn’t be anyone home. We can’t stay out in this weather. Let’s just go inside. When they come home, I’m sure they will understand.”
Piper raised her eyebrows. “Mustn’t? You hit your head or something? What’s with the lingo?”
Brent ignored her and opened the door to a small, sitting area. There was nobody inside the cold room. A little wooden table, four chairs, a small sofa, and a rocking chair beside an empty fireplace took up most of the space in the room. On the wall above the fireplace hung a portrait of a scrawny little man with a large mustache, bad skin, and dark, menacing eyes.
“If this is his house … ” Piper pointed to the picture, “then I don’t want to be around when he gets back.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’s fine. You can’t always judge a book by its cover now, can you?” Brent grinned.
Cedric rubbed his arms. “It’s freezing in here.”
“At least it’s dry,” Gabriel said. “We’ll stay until it clears up outside.” They took seats around the room, watching the storm.
“So, Gabriel, how much farther ‘til we get where we’re going?” Brent asked. “Where are we going today, anyway?”
“Supposed to be Parma, according to the map—”
“Oh right, the map,” Brent interrupted. “Can I have a look-see?”
“A ‘look-see’?” Gabriel arched a brow and threw Brent the map.
Piper rolled her pointer finger in small circles by her temple.
Gabriel nodded, then scrunched his shoulders to his ears.
Brent’s eyes widened as he eyed the map. “The Tandem Wood? You are going to the Tandem Wood?” The room went quiet and everyone stared at Brent. “I mean we are going, I mean … never mind.”
Piper touched Brent’s shoulder. “You feeling okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Just waterlogged, I guess.” Brent chuckled and sat down.
The sinking feeling in Gabriel’s gut told him something wasn’t quite right. That Brent wasn’t quite right.
“Where is your rock necklace, Gabriel?” Brent asked, staring at him.
Gabriel’s eyebrows snapped together.
“Come on! Pull me up,” Cedric moaned. Brent and Piper dragged Gabriel farther onto the path as Cedric scrambled to grasp the cliff’s edge. Cedric’s glossy eyes grew wide as Gabriel twisted around and pulled him onto the path.
“You were gonna let me fall!” Gabriel yelled.
“No, I wasn’t!” wailed Cedric. “I was trying to help! I couldn’t see, ‘cause of the rain.”
Gabriel knew Cedric was lying. He’d seen Cedric’s eyes widen at the sight of the crystal.
“No, honestly, I was just trying to help,” gasped Cedric.
Gabriel and Piper exchanged a look that said Cedric was a lost cause.
Gabriel got to his feet. He pointed at Cedric. “Let’s just go. You will lead the way.” He shoved Cedric in the right direction. As they walked, Gabriel whispered to Piper, “He was going to let me fall. I saw him. He was reaching for the crystal. He was trying to steal it!”
“You think he knows what it is?” Piper asked.
“Not sure. But why else would he be after it? Other than just to be a complete tool, of course.”
Piper laughed. “Well, yeah, but how could he know what it is?”
Gabriel shook his head. “Dunno.”
They reached the top of the mountain, out of breath and exhausted. Rain poured down in torrents, and thunder crashed all around them. Lightning lit up the sky. Piper pushed her soaked, black hair away from her eyes. “I think we’d better find shelter, guys.”
Brent pointed to a small white house in the distance. “Look there. That looks like a place to take shelter. Let’s get out of the rain and check it out, shall we?”
Piper chuckled and mimicked Brent’s weird voice. “Yes, we shallll.” She laughed again.
Brent ran toward the house, and they bounded behind him. They knocked on the door, but nobody answered. After knocking several times, Brent shrugged. “Mustn’t be anyone home. We can’t stay out in this weather. Let’s just go inside. When they come home, I’m sure they will understand.”
Piper raised her eyebrows. “Mustn’t? You hit your head or something? What’s with the lingo?”
Brent ignored her and opened the door to a small, sitting area. There was nobody inside the cold room. A little wooden table, four chairs, a small sofa, and a rocking chair beside an empty fireplace took up most of the space in the room. On the wall above the fireplace hung a portrait of a scrawny little man with a large mustache, bad skin, and dark, menacing eyes.
“If this is his house … ” Piper pointed to the picture, “then I don’t want to be around when he gets back.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’s fine. You can’t always judge a book by its cover now, can you?” Brent grinned.
Cedric rubbed his arms. “It’s freezing in here.”
“At least it’s dry,” Gabriel said. “We’ll stay until it clears up outside.” They took seats around the room, watching the storm.
“So, Gabriel, how much farther ‘til we get where we’re going?” Brent asked. “Where are we going today, anyway?”
“Supposed to be Parma, according to the map—”
“Oh right, the map,” Brent interrupted. “Can I have a look-see?”
“A ‘look-see’?” Gabriel arched a brow and threw Brent the map.
Piper rolled her pointer finger in small circles by her temple.
Gabriel nodded, then scrunched his shoulders to his ears.
Brent’s eyes widened as he eyed the map. “The Tandem Wood? You are going to the Tandem Wood?” The room went quiet and everyone stared at Brent. “I mean we are going, I mean … never mind.”
Piper touched Brent’s shoulder. “You feeling okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Just waterlogged, I guess.” Brent chuckled and sat down.
The sinking feeling in Gabriel’s gut told him something wasn’t quite right. That Brent wasn’t quite right.
“Where is your rock necklace, Gabriel?” Brent asked, staring at him.
Gabriel’s eyebrows snapped together.
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