Pawns & Enemies: A Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys Mystery

2. Frank

    "Wake up, sleepyhead," Aunt Trudy yells as she yanks the covers off my brother, Joe. I just lean against his bedroom door. This was going to be good. My brother was up late last night. Or should I say this morning? Now he had to deal with Aunt Trudy's wake up scheme. First, if you are in bed past 7:15 in the morning (that is, in the summer) she yells at you. Then she takes the covers. Next is the water jug on your head. Today, considering Joe's still asleep is going to be starting out wet.

SPLASH!

There you have it. I'm right and Joe is now wet and sputtering awake. Aunt Trudy is smacking her hands together in satisfaction as she grabs the jug and walks out. I move over to let her past then walk the other direction to get to my room. Peace at last. Oh, no. here comes Joe. He sits on my bed.

"What's up?" I ask, not really caring for an answer.

"Nothing, that why I'm here?"

"Oh," was the only answer that would come out of my mouth. Because right then Joe had decided to dash to the window and sit on my chair. it's not that I am possessive of most things it's just that... that's my thinking chair. I know it sounds like it's out of Blue's Clues but hey, at least the show's title sounds detectivy. That's not a word but heck, I don't care right now. Joe is in my chair.

"Get outta my chair, you," I growl. I lounge at Joe. He skitters away. We land up chasing each other around the room until Joe starts hitting me with a pillow. Man, he has a killer hit.

"OK, I quit. Just don't sit in my chair anymore," I cry over the pillow Joe was stuffing in my face,

"Huh, OK," Joe drops the pillow. "I never have seen what you see in it. I was just looking out the window."

That chair. I don't know really why I love it so much, or maybe I do. But I would never tell Joe, ever. It became my favorite because of a night about two years ago.

I had just come home from a date. A very important date. It was the date I had first kissed my girlfriend, Callie Shaw, who is the best, most understanding girl I've ever met. I had scooted the chair to the window and talked my thoughts out to the stars. Hey, it doesn't sound like it would work for a science-minded, I-need-proof kind of guy but a star out there knows all about Callie, me and all my cases. I will never tell Joe I talk to the stars.

"...She has beautiful, crystal-shaped, green and blue eyes..." Joe was saying.

"Wait, what?" I shook my head to clear my daze.

"The girl I was looking at. When did we start fighting? She is there in the street, looking lost. Why weren't you listening to me? You were staring out the window. What's wrong with you?"

Just so you know staring out a window is not usual for me, But not listening to Joe is very usual. I just block him out and "pretend" I heard him. But apparently, if I act unusual he's a worrier. Yet Joe always acts over-caffeinated and that IS usual. I get up, off the floor and walk over to the window. there, in the street, prancing to our house is a cute girl. Joe is already running downstairs to meet her. I said prancing because her normal walk is more of a prance. Her auburn hair flows behind her while she walks directly to our house. She is gorgeous, I mean you heard Joe describe her eyes. She is wearing simple jeans and a dark blue polo shirt with some logo on the shoulder. And she's carrying...

JOE

Joe here. Frank has no idea what the girl is carrying because he is too scared to come downstairs. Dad's out of town and Mom's out shopping so it's me downstairs and hopefully not Aunt Trudy. The girl has now rung the doorbell. My cue. I open the door.

"Hi," I say. Oh, she is cute. Her name tag says Hayley form... wait, what?!

"Hello, I am Hayley from the Stink Foot Warehouses. I'm here to deliver a stinky foot powder to Joseph Hardy. Are you him?"