The Sentinel Archives

Chapter Three

Early the next morning, Kai grabbed his backpack and cap, then rushed downstairs. Today, he would make up for all the problems he caused Mom. Today was his day to get the mountain of unfinished work completed. At least as much as possible, anyway.

Only two days left until fall break. Two days left to catch up and stay out of trouble.

Bursting out onto the front porch, Kai searched for Wynn. She better be ready to go. He'd ride like the wind to his stop and spend the extra time waiting on the bus to write out the history report. During the bus trip to town, he'd read the chapter for the science project. Every moment counted today!

"Wyndeeeee! Time to go." No answer. "Great."

He spotted her Tinkerbell backpack on the front steps. A short distance away, Wynn's backside and sneakers poked out from the rose bushes weaving along the porch railings. Pops stood beside her with a cup of coffee in one hand, looking through the pink and red flowers at something that must have caught her interest.

Leaning over the railing, Kai saw his sister gawking over a circular growth of mushrooms nestled within the thorny branches.

"Looks like there was a party," she said. "See how the center is open, as if that's the dance floor?" Her dirt-smudged finger motioned above the clustered fungi.

Kai groaned, rolling his eyes. She was clever for a ten-year-old but truly gullible.

"Poppy, in your book, you said the faerie king will host a parties when there's a full moon. There was one last night. I saw it." Wynn's nose hovered inches from the soil.

"That's right, smart girl. You sure pay attention." The look in Pops' eyes was one of expectancy, like she could one day be President. The old man always looked at Kai with disdain as if figuring his greatest achievement would be ending up on a Most Wanted poster.

Kai smacked his hand on the railing and yelled, "There's no time for stupid stories, Wynn."

Pops shaggy brows met over his long, hawk-like nose. "You're about as imaginative as a worm, aren't you boy?

Wynn stood, brushing dirt and grass from her now damp jeans. Her blond curls bounced as she shook the leaves and sticks free. She scowled at Kai as he grabbed her backpack and shoved it at her. Fighting off the irritation growing like a balloon, he took a firm grip of her upper arm and pulled her along. "Let's go."

Their bikes leaned against the garage. Wynn put on her helmet. "I like Poppy's stories. You should read his books sometime, Kai. They're aahhh-mazing."

He didn't answer as he adjusted his backpack. He hated everything about Pops stories, especially the way the old man went on sometimes as if they might be real. He wished Pops would stop filling her mind with such nonsense. She was getting too old to believe in those fairy tales.

She signed. "I want more than anything to meet a real faerie. Just once."

Kai kicked off. "No such thing. Better pedal fast or you'll be left in my dust."

But Wynn never hurried for anything. She rode at a leisurely pace—admiring the autumn flowers, and waving to the cows munching grass in the pasture next door.

Kai reached the road well before her. His foot tapped the pedal while he watched for the white van to approach. Soon as it came into view, he gave out a loud whistle. Wynn sped up till reaching the clump of brush where she hid her bike.

"Later nerd," Kai took off.

"Later booger-face," she called after him, but he just kept pedaling.

* * * *

Kai repeated his promise to stay out of trouble several times during the day. He repeated it after finding out he'd bombed the math test and was given extra homework. He repeated it again when he couldn't find his history report and had to hurriedly re-write it during lunch. But no matter how hard he tried, trouble found him anyway.

Russ Hosspupper, nephew of that pest exterminator he'd spotted yesterday at the construction site, entered Science class with an evil smirk and a group of snickering boys following. His black hair fell into his dark, beady eyes planted in the center of his round, doughy face.

Kai found a seat at the end of the table across the room from Russ and his gang.

Mr. Griggs stood beside the front table full of trays. "Today, we will be estimating density using Archimedes Principle which states that a body's immersion in a given fluid..." he paused to glare at a Russ's chattering group. They all fell silent. "...will produce a buoyant force acting upward on it. I expect you to each log your findings in your journal and turn in your results at the end of class. Please see my notes on the board. Copy the questions exactly-" he emphasized the word, shooting several students, including Kai a pointed stare "-as I have written them out and answer them with detailed explanations. That means your answers should be more than one or two words!" His voice rose with this last direction.

With a wave of his hand, he called all those sitting on the end of each long table to get their group's lab materials. Shoulders sagging, Kai tramped to the front with head down. He grabbed the nearest tray loaded with several cups of thick syrup, milk and purple-tinted water. Three bowls contained an assortment of marbles, coins and other objects.

As Kai turned back toward his table, Hosspupper towered over him, blocking the way.

"Hey LeCrud. Heard your old gramps made a joke of himself over at the new construction site yesterday." He snickered, his piggish nose wrinkling like crumpled paper.

A few of the other kids stopped and stared from Kai to the over-sized John Deere poster-boy.

Seeing he had several eyes on him, Hosspupper threw out his chest and spoke a bit louder. "Yeah, he was hollerin' at the tractor drivers. He even threatened my uncle Seymour. Called him a poacher and all, when uncle is just out there doing his job. Someone has to clear away the pest and rodents."

Muttering whispers rumbled across the room, interspersed with giggles and the occasional, "Wierdo" and "Nature freak."

Kai moaned wishing he could disappear. So that's where Pops went to last night. Super.

Hosspupper leaned forward until his pock-marked face was only inches away. "Your crazy gramps better keep his green nose out of our family's business." Russ poked Kai's chest with his hot dog sized finger. "If he knows what's good for him. Same goes for you, LeCrud-breath."

Kai tried sidestepping the Goliath. Russ stuck out his skateboard-sized Nike just as he tried to duck past. Kai pitched forward. The tray tipped, sending a beaker of syrup, milk, and purple water down Kathryn Raider's back. She turned on him, her cheeks puffed out like a red toad's. Before he could explain, she shoved him backward into the materials table.

Several trays flipped into the air, turning out their contents onto innocent bystanders, including Mr. Griggs and his assistant. Marbles, coins and rubber balls rained down with an awful clattering racket. The bowls shattered on the goo-splattered, black-tiled floor.

Globs of syrup ran down the back of Kai's neck and pooled around his legs, mixing together into a lavender colored paste. Super. Drenched again!

Mr. Griggs pointed toward the door. "LeCrue, get out of my lab!"

Well, 

What do you think so far? Don't forget to leave a comment if you feel so inclined. 

Thank you so much for reading this far. I'll be posting more chapter in the next few days. 

JC