house have an intercom system?”
“Yeah, but I’m not sure how to work it.”
“I’ll figure it out,” Ostin said. “Just show me where it is.”
“Set it so we can listen from the loft in the pool house.”
“Done,” Ostin said.
“All right,” I said. “Good luck, everyone.”
* * *
Ostin turned the front door’s intercom on so we could listen to what was happening. It was about twenty minutes before the doorbell rang. We heard the door open.
“Whassup, guys?” Mitchell said.
“We’re sorry to disturb you at this hour, but we’re from Homeland Security. There’s no need to panic, but we’ve received a report that there is a radiation leak in the area. For your safety, we need to check the radiation levels of your house.”
“Liars,” Taylor whispered.
Mitchell said, “Radiation? Someone got a bomb around here?”
“No, sir. It’s not a bomb. It may be nothing at all. May we please come in?”
“Uh, my parents are out, and they’d freak if I let strangers in. You got a warrant or something?”
“No, sir, Homeland Security doesn’t need warrants. This is for your safety. We don’t need your permission to enter your home.”
There was a long pause. “Come on, Mitchell,” I said. “Think of something.”
“Look, I just got my little sister to bed. Why don’t you come back tomorrow?”
“It will only take a few minutes, sir.”
“Come on, guys. It took me an hour to get her down.”
We heard a high voice say, “Mitchie, who is it?”
“Mitchie?” Zeus whispered.
“Was that Ostin?” I asked.
Taylor shrugged. “He kind of pulled it off.”
“Just some government guys!” Mitchell shouted. “Go back to sleep!” Pause. “Really, guys. I’m sure there’s no radiation around here, or I’d be glowing or something, right? Just come back in the morning.”
“Do you mind if we check around back?”
Taylor and I looked at each other.
There was a long pause. “No problem,” Mitchell said. “Help yourself.”
A different voice said, “I’m not pulling a reading.”
“Nothing?”
“No.”
“All right. Looks like you’re good. Thank you, sir.”
“Yeah. No problem. Come back when my parents are here.”
We heard the door shut and lock.
“He handled that surprisingly well,” I said.
“You think that girl’s voice was Ostin?” Taylor asked.
“Probably Jack,” Zeus said.
“You’re so mean,” Abigail said.
I looked at Abigail. She was smiling at Zeus.
“I don’t like where that is headed,” Taylor whispered to me. “I see a collision coming.”
I an watched the guards until they left Mitchell’s street and started on the next. A few minutes later Jack and the rest walked back into the pool house. Jack had his arm around Mitchell, who was beaming like a conquering hero.
“How’d I do?” Mitchell asked.
“You should win an Academy Award for that performance,” Taylor said. “So who was the girl calling for ‘Mitchie’?”
“That was me,” Jack said.
“Told you,” Zeus said to Abigail.
Jack scowled at him.
“Okay,” Abigail said. “Can we go to bed now? I’m exhausted.”
“Me too,” McKenna said.
I looked at Taylor. She grinned. “Me three.”
“Someone’s got to stand watch.” I looked around the group. “Anyone not tired?”
No one said anything. Finally, Jack looked at Zeus. “If no one else is going to man up, I’ll do it.”
“I’ll do it,” Ostin said.
I looked at him in surprise. Ostin was one of those guys who always went to bed at the same time and always before ten.
“Really?” I asked.
“If we can upload Grace, I’ll stay up and go through the files.”
Grace had been so quiet I’d almost forgotten she was there. She took a deep breath. “Let’s get it over with.”
* * *
While everyone else got ready for bed, Ostin, Grace, Taylor, Jack, and I followed Mitchell to his room on the second floor of the main house. Not surprisingly, his room was huge—larger
“Yeah, but I’m not sure how to work it.”
“I’ll figure it out,” Ostin said. “Just show me where it is.”
“Set it so we can listen from the loft in the pool house.”
“Done,” Ostin said.
“All right,” I said. “Good luck, everyone.”
* * *
Ostin turned the front door’s intercom on so we could listen to what was happening. It was about twenty minutes before the doorbell rang. We heard the door open.
“Whassup, guys?” Mitchell said.
“We’re sorry to disturb you at this hour, but we’re from Homeland Security. There’s no need to panic, but we’ve received a report that there is a radiation leak in the area. For your safety, we need to check the radiation levels of your house.”
“Liars,” Taylor whispered.
Mitchell said, “Radiation? Someone got a bomb around here?”
“No, sir. It’s not a bomb. It may be nothing at all. May we please come in?”
“Uh, my parents are out, and they’d freak if I let strangers in. You got a warrant or something?”
“No, sir, Homeland Security doesn’t need warrants. This is for your safety. We don’t need your permission to enter your home.”
There was a long pause. “Come on, Mitchell,” I said. “Think of something.”
“Look, I just got my little sister to bed. Why don’t you come back tomorrow?”
“It will only take a few minutes, sir.”
“Come on, guys. It took me an hour to get her down.”
We heard a high voice say, “Mitchie, who is it?”
“Mitchie?” Zeus whispered.
“Was that Ostin?” I asked.
Taylor shrugged. “He kind of pulled it off.”
“Just some government guys!” Mitchell shouted. “Go back to sleep!” Pause. “Really, guys. I’m sure there’s no radiation around here, or I’d be glowing or something, right? Just come back in the morning.”
“Do you mind if we check around back?”
Taylor and I looked at each other.
There was a long pause. “No problem,” Mitchell said. “Help yourself.”
A different voice said, “I’m not pulling a reading.”
“Nothing?”
“No.”
“All right. Looks like you’re good. Thank you, sir.”
“Yeah. No problem. Come back when my parents are here.”
We heard the door shut and lock.
“He handled that surprisingly well,” I said.
“You think that girl’s voice was Ostin?” Taylor asked.
“Probably Jack,” Zeus said.
“You’re so mean,” Abigail said.
I looked at Abigail. She was smiling at Zeus.
“I don’t like where that is headed,” Taylor whispered to me. “I see a collision coming.”
I an watched the guards until they left Mitchell’s street and started on the next. A few minutes later Jack and the rest walked back into the pool house. Jack had his arm around Mitchell, who was beaming like a conquering hero.
“How’d I do?” Mitchell asked.
“You should win an Academy Award for that performance,” Taylor said. “So who was the girl calling for ‘Mitchie’?”
“That was me,” Jack said.
“Told you,” Zeus said to Abigail.
Jack scowled at him.
“Okay,” Abigail said. “Can we go to bed now? I’m exhausted.”
“Me too,” McKenna said.
I looked at Taylor. She grinned. “Me three.”
“Someone’s got to stand watch.” I looked around the group. “Anyone not tired?”
No one said anything. Finally, Jack looked at Zeus. “If no one else is going to man up, I’ll do it.”
“I’ll do it,” Ostin said.
I looked at him in surprise. Ostin was one of those guys who always went to bed at the same time and always before ten.
“Really?” I asked.
“If we can upload Grace, I’ll stay up and go through the files.”
Grace had been so quiet I’d almost forgotten she was there. She took a deep breath. “Let’s get it over with.”
* * *
While everyone else got ready for bed, Ostin, Grace, Taylor, Jack, and I followed Mitchell to his room on the second floor of the main house. Not surprisingly, his room was huge—larger
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