MELANCHOLY [1]

SEVENTEEN

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seventeen
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VIA WOULD HAVE DIED a thousand times in a thousand ways on the path to the front door if not for Leo.

First it was the motion-activated trapdoor on the sidewalk, then lasers on the steps, then the nerve gas dispenser on the porch railing, the pressures-sensitive poison spikes in the welcome mat, and of course, the exploding doorbell.

Leo deactivated all of them. It was like he could smell the traps, and he picked just the right tool out of his belt to disable them.

"You're amazing, man," Jason said.

Leo scowled as he examined the front door lock. "Yeah, amazing," he said. "Can't fix a dragon right, but I'm amazing."

"Hey, that wasn't your—"

"Front door's already unlocked," Leo announced.

Via stared at the door in disbelief. "You're joking."

"It is? All those traps, and the door's unlocked?" Piper asked.

Leo turned the knob. The door swung open easily. He stepped inside with confidence.

Via followed him hesitantly.

From the echo of her footsteps Via could tell the entry hall was enormous, but the only illumination came from the yard lights outside. A weak glow peeked through the breaks in the curtains. The windows rose about ten feet tall. Spaced between them along the walls were life-size metal statues. As Via's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw sofas arranged in a U in the middle of the room, with a central coffee table and one large chair at the far end. A huge chandelier glinted overhead. Along the back wall stood a row of closed doors.

"Where's the light switch?" Via's voice echoes alarming through the room.

"Don't see one," Leo said.

"Fire?" Piper suggested.

Leo held out his hand, but nothing happened. "It's not working."

"Your fire is out? Why?" Via asked.

"Well, if I knew that—"

"Okay, okay," Piper interrupted before they started arguing again. "Via, are your powers working?"

Via stretched out her senses for all the water particles in the room. She could usually gather water into her palm in any form she wished. When she opened her fist, there was nothing there. "Mine aren't working either."