still.
“Cool!” AJ cheered, jumping up and down.
“Make sure he’s dead,” Luc whispered.
“Right.” Nodding, AJ worked the controls so Captain Blade moved forward and knelt beside the pirate.
In the water beside the body, a reflection of Captain Blade appeared.
To Chloe’s surprise, the face was Luc’s. Only it was Luc as she would never have imagined him. His long hair was damp and slicked back from a face set with fierce determination. As he knelt beside the body, a strand of hair swayed before his green eyes. The hard set of his jaw and lethal gleam in his eyes made her gasp.
Luc and AJ turned at the sound. The image on the screen spun sideways while Luc stared at her with wide eyes and AJ smiled. A growl came from the computer. AJ’s head and the image spun back to find the dying pirate twisting upward, using the last of his strength to swing his sword toward Captain Blade.
“Look out!” she shouted.
AJ worked the controls. Too late. The pirate thrust, and triumph registered on his face. The cave spun as Captain Blade absorbed the blow. He staggered and fell, landing so he faced the pile of treasure, one hand reaching toward it. With evil laughter and a death dirge emitting from the computer, the screen faded slowly to black.
Then a pirate flag appeared, waving as if in a breeze, with a score beneath it.
“Nooo,” AJ cried, grabbing either side of the screen. “We almost won!”
“Sorry.” She cringed. “You were doing great.”
AJ’s distress vanished as he looked up at Luc. “Can I play again?”
“Uh…maybe later,” Luc answered, closing the laptop.
“How about me?” Chloe asked. “Can I play?”
“Not now.” To her surprise, Luc laid a hand on the computer as if to protect it.
“It’s not for girls,” AJ told her as if she were silly.
“Actually,” Luc corrected, “a lot of girls play Vortal.”
“They do?” AJ looked mystified.
“Sure.” Luc shrugged. “Some girls like adventure as much as guys.”
“Then, why can’t I play?” Chloe asked.
“Because…” He seemed at a loss for words. “It’s a new version. We’re not ready to reveal it to the public yet.”
“AJ isn’t the public?”
“I was blatantly using him as a beta tester. Child Protective Services will probably be knocking on the door any second. So, don’t tell anyone, okay, kid?”
“’kay,” AJ agreed.
“Whew, thanks.” Luc wiped his brow.
“’sides, I gotta go see what my mom’s doing in the kitchen,” AJ said. “’case she needs some help.”
“Or a beta tester for some cookies,” Chloe guessed as AJ charged out of the door.
Luc chuckled as he stood. “That’s some kid.”
“He’s a handful.”
“With an imagination that big, I’ll bet he is.”
“Oh?” She moved closer, smiling up at him.
“According to him, your opera-singing ghost is a big tattle-tale.”
“And thank goodness for it,” Chloe exclaimed.
“Excuse me?” He frowned.
“We watch AJ as closely as we can, but he has a way of getting into trouble in the blink of an eye.”
“No, I meant ‘excuse me’ as in, your ghost actually tells y’all when he’s getting into trouble?”
“Well, sort of. Most people don’t hear her or see her. They just feel when she’s near. You know, cold spots.” Chloe shivered playfully. “AJ’s parents have learned any time they feel a cold spot followed by a sense of foreboding, they need to find AJ fast.”
“Does this happen a lot?”
“Often enough,” she said. “The family claims that before Captain Jack joined Marguerite, they used to sense her mostly at the front of the house, as if she were standing at the windows, looking out at the cove. That’s where Captain Jack’s ghost used to be trapped, on the shipwreck.”
“His ghost was underwater?”
“Apparently. When they excavated the ship, it freed him. Now Marguerite and Jack roam all over the island. We’ve had a few guests claim to see them
“Cool!” AJ cheered, jumping up and down.
“Make sure he’s dead,” Luc whispered.
“Right.” Nodding, AJ worked the controls so Captain Blade moved forward and knelt beside the pirate.
In the water beside the body, a reflection of Captain Blade appeared.
To Chloe’s surprise, the face was Luc’s. Only it was Luc as she would never have imagined him. His long hair was damp and slicked back from a face set with fierce determination. As he knelt beside the body, a strand of hair swayed before his green eyes. The hard set of his jaw and lethal gleam in his eyes made her gasp.
Luc and AJ turned at the sound. The image on the screen spun sideways while Luc stared at her with wide eyes and AJ smiled. A growl came from the computer. AJ’s head and the image spun back to find the dying pirate twisting upward, using the last of his strength to swing his sword toward Captain Blade.
“Look out!” she shouted.
AJ worked the controls. Too late. The pirate thrust, and triumph registered on his face. The cave spun as Captain Blade absorbed the blow. He staggered and fell, landing so he faced the pile of treasure, one hand reaching toward it. With evil laughter and a death dirge emitting from the computer, the screen faded slowly to black.
Then a pirate flag appeared, waving as if in a breeze, with a score beneath it.
“Nooo,” AJ cried, grabbing either side of the screen. “We almost won!”
“Sorry.” She cringed. “You were doing great.”
AJ’s distress vanished as he looked up at Luc. “Can I play again?”
“Uh…maybe later,” Luc answered, closing the laptop.
“How about me?” Chloe asked. “Can I play?”
“Not now.” To her surprise, Luc laid a hand on the computer as if to protect it.
“It’s not for girls,” AJ told her as if she were silly.
“Actually,” Luc corrected, “a lot of girls play Vortal.”
“They do?” AJ looked mystified.
“Sure.” Luc shrugged. “Some girls like adventure as much as guys.”
“Then, why can’t I play?” Chloe asked.
“Because…” He seemed at a loss for words. “It’s a new version. We’re not ready to reveal it to the public yet.”
“AJ isn’t the public?”
“I was blatantly using him as a beta tester. Child Protective Services will probably be knocking on the door any second. So, don’t tell anyone, okay, kid?”
“’kay,” AJ agreed.
“Whew, thanks.” Luc wiped his brow.
“’sides, I gotta go see what my mom’s doing in the kitchen,” AJ said. “’case she needs some help.”
“Or a beta tester for some cookies,” Chloe guessed as AJ charged out of the door.
Luc chuckled as he stood. “That’s some kid.”
“He’s a handful.”
“With an imagination that big, I’ll bet he is.”
“Oh?” She moved closer, smiling up at him.
“According to him, your opera-singing ghost is a big tattle-tale.”
“And thank goodness for it,” Chloe exclaimed.
“Excuse me?” He frowned.
“We watch AJ as closely as we can, but he has a way of getting into trouble in the blink of an eye.”
“No, I meant ‘excuse me’ as in, your ghost actually tells y’all when he’s getting into trouble?”
“Well, sort of. Most people don’t hear her or see her. They just feel when she’s near. You know, cold spots.” Chloe shivered playfully. “AJ’s parents have learned any time they feel a cold spot followed by a sense of foreboding, they need to find AJ fast.”
“Does this happen a lot?”
“Often enough,” she said. “The family claims that before Captain Jack joined Marguerite, they used to sense her mostly at the front of the house, as if she were standing at the windows, looking out at the cove. That’s where Captain Jack’s ghost used to be trapped, on the shipwreck.”
“His ghost was underwater?”
“Apparently. When they excavated the ship, it freed him. Now Marguerite and Jack roam all over the island. We’ve had a few guests claim to see them
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