The Rockstar Chronicles

The Dragon's Lair

I stayed locked in bathroom, listening to Grady and Mom getting ready for the day. Mom was slow and organized as usual, calling up to Grady to remember to pack this and did he want to bring that. Grady, on the other hand, was rushed as usual. Loud banging and grumbled complaints issued from his room at regular intervals.

As my once hot water slowly turned tepid, I listened to them, wondering what Mom was thinking. Finally, I heard Mom's final call and Grady run down the stairs and then the front door slammed shut and I knew I was alone.

It was time to plan.

I let out the water, moving slowly, almost mechanically. I felt distant, apart from myself. The house echoed with emptiness and, for just a moment, I regretted not going with them. And then I slipped on a fresh set of pajamas and climbed into bed, pulling the sheets up to my chin. I grabbed my notebook and pen and began to make my lists.

Allies: 1 (Mrs. Crabtree)

Friends: 0 (unless I counted the members of the boy band or Mrs. Crabtree again and both seemed like cheating)

I wondered then whose side Grady was on. I hesitated, my pen poised over Allies, wondering if I should scratch out that 1 and add him, but I couldn't. I just didn't believe my brother would side with me against Mom, if it came down to it.

But did I really think Mrs. Crabtree would either?

I sighed and closed my eyes, throwing my notebook away. My lists were depressing me. I was all alone. I had never had very many friends, they took up to much time, Mom said. But I didn't even have acquaintances here and I doubted I would until the school year started. For the first summer of my life, I couldn't wait for vacation to end.

I gave up, staring at the ceiling. I needed to contact family and see if I could find a way out of here, but I didn't even know their names. Which was sad, when I thought about it. And then it came to me.

I didn't know their names, but Mom did.... And knowing Mom, she had a detailed and well-organized list of them somewhere. All I needed to do was break into Mom's office.

Gulp.

The house was cold and I shivered, wrapping my arms around my chest as I approached Mom's office door. She had never said we weren't allowed in this office, but it felt off-limits. The Dragon's Lair, I thought and then smiled. I have to tell Grady that later. He'll love it.

I half-expected the door to be locked. As I gripped the cold doorknob in my hand, I vowed to not let a little thing like a lock stop me. I deserved to get out of here! But then I twisted it and it slid openly smoothly, not even a creak in the well-oiled hinges. And I felt a twinge of disappointment.

Even though I knew the house was empty, I checked over my shoulder. Mom would never leave Grady there alone, I assured myself, not to come back and check on me. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.

I walked slowly into the room, holding my breath. I hadn't been in Mom's office since I helped haul boxes inside the first day and I was amazed at the difference. Maps and pictures lined the walls, everything neatly in place. The huge familiar calendar dominated the space above the desk and I wondered briefly if Mom had somehow snuck the monster onto our flight or simply recreated a new one. The thought of her storing it for shipment here seemed foreign.

Everything was silent. The house seemed to echo with the quiet stillness. I creeped about the room, barely moving papers or items, sure that Mom would notice. But I knew exactly what I was looking for. Her old-fashioned black calling book.

If I was Mom, I thought, where would I put it? And then I saw it, one edge peeking out of a stack of books next to the phone. I reached for it, almost tipping a glass of water onto the desk in my haste. I gasped, unaware till then that I was short of breath. I realized with a start that I hadn't been breathing evenly throughout my search. Closing my eyes, I breathed through my nose, forcing my ragged gasps to steady.

A shrill ringing filled the air suddenly and I jumped, clutching my chest just like in a movie. For the first time in my life, I wondered if I was really going to have a heart attack! But it was just the desk phone, trembling slightly with each ring. I almost picked it up, my hand hovering over the receiver. And then I paused, sure that it was Mom testing me. She's knows I'm in here! My mind screamed, but I forced myself to calm down. You're just being paranoid.

I took a deep breath, pulling air into my lungs though my chest felt tight and anxious and then I shifted my trembling hand slightly to the right and grasped the book, sliding it out from under the stack.

Ignoring the still-ringing phone, it's loud insistence to be answered echoing through the whole house, I headed for the door. As its last begging cry to be heard died away, I paused, sure I had heard a door close somewhere in the house. Or open?

I cocked my head to one side, holding my breath as I listened. But the house remained still. This house is not my home, I thought. It's unfriendly to me.For just a moment, it seemed as if the house was a living, breathing creature and that it was watching me.

I knew what I was thinking seemed crazy, but it was how I felt. Nothing in this place felt welcoming to me anymore. I had no one and nothing on my side, except for the book I gripped in my now-sweaty hand. Letting out my breath in a huge whoosh, I forced myself to walk through the doorway.

I had stolen the treasure from the Dragon's Lair.

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Also, thank you all for reading! I have the final parts of the Rockstar Chronicles planned out and I can't wait to share Lindy's (and the

boys!) journey with you!