Chapter 9
"All right, where's this guy who hurt his ankle?" Grim said after barging into the infirmary.
"Huh?" said a Heartslabyul student, sitting in a bed.
"Hey, it's the ones from Ramshackle House!" said the boy standing beside him. "They were at the unbirthday party! What are you guys doing here?"
"Stairway patrol, we'll ask the questions," I said, strolling up to the students. I did always love my crime shows back home.
"Uh, that's kind of a weird job, but okay," said the second boy.
"I don't really know what happened myself," said the injured student. "I was walking along, talking to my friend. And next thing I knew, BOOM! I was tumbling down the stairs."
"Yeah. I didn't even see him stumbling or anything."
"It was like my body just lurched forward by itself. I can't really explain it."
"Hm. Hmmm. Interesting," said Grim. "Veeery interesting."
"Thank you for your cooperation," I said. We headed out to find the next victim. We entered a classroom to seek out the student Crowley described to us.
Grim pointed at the boy. "Hey, you. You had an accident and almost got hurt real bad, right? Give us the deets."
"And why should I answer to you, exactly?" he said.
"He was in peak condition for the Spelldrive tournament and got hurt so bad that he can't even play now!" said his friend.
"And you're here to...what, rub salt in my wound? We throw down the gauntlet! Duel us!"
I sighed. Seriously? Dueling was against the rules, but it looked like we had no choice, seeing as how Grim already launched into battle. I quickly analyzed the situation and directed him in his fireball strikes. Somehow, we managed to hold our own.
"Hmph... You're better than I thought," said the injured student. "All right, then. I'll give you the skinny."
"It happened in the laboratory," said his friend. "We were boiling up a potion when his hands suddenly shot out and grabbed the screaming hot cauldron. He dumped out every last drop. It was bizarre! Made a real mess too."
"Oh, so YOU'RE gonna do all the talking?!"
"Hm. Hmmm. Interesting," said Grim. "Veeery interesting."
"Hope you feel better soon," I said. We head back to Ramshackle Dorm to go over everything we had learned.
Grim stood on the couch and crossed his arms. "I dunno, this just looks like a bunch of absent-minded kids hurtin' themselves to me. If there's a scandal here. I ain't seein' it!" There was a knock on the door. "Huh? Whozzat?"
I opened the door and Ace stepped in. "Afternoon," he said. "Guess you're feeling better now, huh, Grim?"
"Oh, it's you. We're kinda busy right now. No time for kid stuff. Scram."
Ace blinked. "Busy? What, you got a lot of homework?"
"You might want to sit down..." I said. We walked to the couch and sat on each side of Grim. I gave him a brief synopsis of the current situation.
"Injuries from suspicious accidents, huh?"
"But nothin' we heard sounded all that suspicious," said Grim. "It seemed like they were all just excited about the tournament, got distracted, and hurt themselves somehow."
Suddenly, Deuce barged into the dorm, exclaiming, "Ace! We got a big problem!"
"How did you know he was here?" I asked.
"Where else would he be?"
I shrugged. "Fair point." Although I usually hung out with both of them, if I was with only one of them it was typically Ace - if only because Deuce was the more introverted out of the three of us and wanted more time alone.
"Dial it down, Loosey-Deucey," said Ace. "What is it?"
"Trey fell down the stairs!" Deuce exclaimed. "He's hurt!"
"What?!" the rest of us shouted.
"Myah!" said Grim. "He's the sneaky one with the glasses, yeah?"
"Hard to believe he got 'distracted' too," I said. Now this was getting interested.
"Yeah, Trey wouldn't just trip and eat dirt," said Ace.
"Let's go see what he's got to say!" said Grim, hopping off the couch. So, the four of us made out way to Heartslabyul. Deuce led us straight into Trey's room, where Cater was with him.
"Yo, man, how's it going?" said Ace.
"How are you feeling, Trey?" said Deuce.
"We came all this way just to see your sorry face," said Grim. "It's cool—don't get up."
"Well, if it isn't Hunting Season!" said Cater. "And Grim and Ona too! You're rolling deep today."
"Hey, Cater..." said Ace. "I'm lost. Whaddaya mean by 'Hunting Season?'"
"I mean it's you guys! You're Ace, he's Deuce—that's what you call an Ace Deuce in poker!"
Deuce glared at him. "Don't give us a couple nickname!" I laughed.
"Riiight..." said Ace. "Anyway, how d'you feel, Trey? And how'd you get hurt?"
"Slipped on the stairs," said Trey. "I couldn't catch myself, and my ankle got all messed up. I'll be on crutches for a while."
"Yikes," said Deuce. "That sounds pretty bad!"
"Yep. Looks like I'll be warming the bench at the Spelldrive tournament this year."
"Myah..." said Grim. "I was hopin' your injury would be small enough for me to justify keepin' this, but... Here. I brought ya a get-well can of tuna." He plopped the can of tuna on his bed. "Feel better, specs."
"Heh. Thanks."
"Ugh, hashtag #fail!" Cater groaned. "Now that we've lost a power player, we have to redo our team roster!"
"Wait, what?!" said Deuce and Ace.
The door suddenly barged open. "Why are there so many people in here?" Riddle said. "Trey is supposed to be resting!"
"Myah!" Grim cried. "It's Ragin' Riddle!"
Riddle gave him a look. "I am not 'raging.' I will be perfectly pleasant if you obey the rules!" His expression softened as he turned to Trey. "How are you doing, Trey? Can I bring you anything to eat or drink?"
"I told you, Riddle: you don't need to fuss over me like this," Trey said, appearing exasperated.
"But it's my fault that you got hurt."
"What?" said Ace. "He didn't tell us that part!"
"I needed to talk to him, so I went to the junior classroom at lunch. And then..." Riddle sighed. "Trey never would have slipped if he hadn't caught me when I was about to tumble over."
"Yeah, but if I hadn't, you would have just broken your fall with a flight spell," said Trey. "It was stupid of me to intervene. So you don't owe me anything."
"Nah, you acted out of instinct, not a conscious choice," I said. "It was a pretty good one too. That being said..."
"Hey, Ona," said Ace, " d'you think...?"
"Yeah. This may not have been an accident."
"Riddle, come on!" said Cater. "It's not gonna do anyone any good to have you harshing the vibe here. It's lame that Trey got hurt, but you'll rock the field that much harder to make up for him, right?"
"Well, I suppose that's true," Riddle said glumly.
"All right, peeps, we should let Trey get his rest. Out, out, out!" Cater pushed us out of the room. We complied, heading into the lounge.
"All right, Cater," said Riddle. "Was there something you didn't want to tell me in front of Trey?"
Cater turned around to face us. "You're always a step ahead of me, Riddle. I get the feeling Ona & co. know something about it. Want to fill us in?"
I took a deep breath. "Right, so..." I launched into my story once again. By now, I had all the details down.
"Ah... So, the headmage asked you to investigate," said Riddle.
"I knew it," said Cater. "Grim coming by for a get-well visit? That's just plain sus."
"I must admit that I found the circumstances odd as well. I've had Cater looking into it for me."
"And I found out that all of the victims have been talented players like Riddle and Trey."
"To be clear, it wasn't as if I had been pushed, or that I had tripped. But I did feel a peculiar sensation, like...my body was moving of its own volition."
"The other victims said basically the same thing!" said Grim.
"I believe we can safely surmise that potential Spelldrive tournament players are being targeted."
"You think someone is causin' accidents to take out threats from the tournament?" said Ace.
"The whole world will be watching. A good performance can make a player's whole career. It's no surprise that some would resort to underhanded methods to even the odds."
"Sure, but it doesn't make much sense," said Cater. "I mean, you'd know if you got pushed off the stairs by a gust of wind magic or somethin', right?"
"Certainly. I felt no external force."
"And some of the other victims had accidents in the classroom! How do you explain that?"
"The culprit can tell us all about it when we capture him. And we intend to help you do that."
"Myah?" said Grim. "YOU'RE gonna help us? What's your angle?"
I rolled my eyes. "Not everyone has an angle, Grim."
"You offend us, sir," said Cater. "One of our housemates was injured—why wouldn't we help him find justice?"
"We're all house-buds here," said Ace. "Count us in."
"He's gonna pay for what he did to Trey!" Deuce agreed.
"You two seem awfully enthusiastic about this," said Riddle.
"Ahhh... I get it," Cater said. "You're running for that open spot on our team, aren't you?"
"Heh. Was it that obvious?" said Ace.
"N-no!" said Deuce. "That had nothing to do with it! I just want to avenge our housemate!"
Riddle sighed. "Fine... Your performance during the investigation will be taken into account."
"Woo-hoo!" Ace and Deuce exclaimed.
"Now, if we're going to apprehend this culprit, we need to stay a step ahead of him."
"And we're gonna do that HOW, exactly...?" said Grim.
"By predicting which student will be targeted next and covertly following him. Should the culprit strike, we will protect the target and then immediately pursue the attacker."
"A stakeout, then," I said. "Let's do it."
Cater grinned. "Bingo! I've already identified a number of potential targets from among the most promising players. I'll form a group on Magicam so we can coordinate our efforts and then give you access to the album."
Deuce held up his phone. "Whoa, Cater, this is a ton of information!"
"Now, let's move!"
Grim pumped his paw into the air. "Let's nail this creep!"
Our first potential victim was a student at at Pomefiore named Rook. I found their dorm very fancy and pretty. It seemed these guys cared very much about appearances. After taking a good look at the student, we decided he was not the next target. So, it was back outside we went. Cater steered us toward the courtyard.
"Next on Cay-Cay's big list of potential targets are Jade Leech and his twin brother Floyd," he said.
I immediately stopped in my tracks. "Jade? He has a twin?!" Oh no. There was no way...
Cater grabbed my arm and pulled me along. "Yes. They're both sophomores at Octavinelle House."
"You mean there's two of them?!"
Cater continued prattling as if he had never heard me. "Word is, they work so well together on the field that other teams don't know how to counter them."
"Whoa!" Grim said as we got closer. "They have, like, the exact same face!"
My eyes narrowed at the two boys with teal hair talking together. Luckily, they had not spotted us yet. "Yeah, crazy..."
"Is it just me, or do they make all the other students look tiny in comparison?" Ace said. "They're giants!"
"I could see that being a big advantage for 'em," said Grim.
"So what do we think?" said Deuce. "Could they be in danger?"
"They'll be in danger when I'm done with them," I mumbled, not really meaning it. But, really, what kind of game were they playing?
"I don't know about that," said Riddle. "If I were the culprit, I'd save them for last. Just look at those two. I wouldn't want to get anywhere near them—especially Floyd. Hey, where are you, going, Ona?"
"They're got some explaining to do," I said, breaking away from the group to storm over to the twins.
"Hey, you can't just run up to them like that! Get back here!"
"Aaaaand she's gone," said Cater.
The twins were laughing about something, but they stopped when I neared them, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "Hey, what's the big idea?" I said.
"I'm sorry, do we know you?" said the boy on the left, amusement in his eyes.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure I've met both of you, but neither of you told me you had a twin!"
"You didn't ask," said the boy on the right, grinning mischievously.
"And we technically didn't lie," said the other.
"Leaving out important information is just as bad," I said. I looked from one boy to the other. "Now, which one of you have I been talking to at the cliff?" If nothing else, I knew that had been the same person both times. And if they hadn't lied, the other one I bumped into at school was Jade.
"Why don't you take a guess?"
"Yes, figure it out on your own," said his bother.
I glowered at both of them. I was tired of the games, but I had to admit the challenged intrigued me. I looked at both of them carefully. Now that I saw them side by side, I noticed that their golden eye, black hair strand, and earring were on opposite sides. I could not remember which resembled my acquaintance on the cliff, though. Instead, I examined their faces. They were both trying their best to appear stoic, but there was one who did a better job of it than the other. I turned to the boy on the right - the one who had special features on his right side. "It's you." My mind went back to the name Cater and Riddle had used. "Floyd."
The boy grinned. "Very good, Little Shrimpy!"
"You are quite perceptive," said the other boy. "I am impressed."
I glanced at him. "You must be Jade."
He gave me a short bow. "At your service."
"Now you know who we are," said Floyd. "Are we cool now?"
I smiled at him. For some reason, my anger had vanished. There was no real harm done, right? "Yeah, we're cool."
"Great! I'm sure we're going to have a lot more fun together." His eyes locked onto mine, and I found myself unable to look away - though he did not seem too keen to do so either.
"Ona," Riddle snapped, breaking me out of my semi-trance, "have you forgotten we're on a mission?"
"Oh, sorry," I said.
"Oh ho ho! What is UP, Lil' Goldfish?" said Floyd. "What brings you to our humble abode, huh? Playing hide-and-seek? Sounds like fun."
"Floyd... I've asked you several times to stop calling me by strange nicknames."
"But you're so small and red! How are you NOT a goldfish?"
I giggled at the comparison. "I mean, you're not wrong."
"This guy seems like he's a few cans short of a tuna casserole," said Grim. "How do you know him, Ona?"
I shrugged. "It's a long story."
"A talking cat?" said Floyd. "Now THAT'S something you don't see every day! Can I squeeze you 'til you pop?"
"Uh, no?!" said Grim. "Stay away from me, weirdo!"
"Please be nice to him," I said. "His name's Grim, and he's under my charge."
"Aww," Floyd whined.
"My, it would appear a contingent from Heartslabyul House has paid us a little visit," said Jade. "Here to assess the competition in advance of the Spelldrive tournament, perhaps?"
"Nah," said Cater. "We...can't really go into it, though."
"We take a dim view of spying at Octavinelle. I would ask you to justify your actions, suspicious as they are. And please, spare no detail."
"This guy sure talks fancy, but man, his eyes are stone cold," said Ace.
"It's okay," I said. "I've got this."
"I do not think you fully grasp the situation," Riddle said. "You do not understand who you are dealing with."
"I understand enough to have a conversation with them, Riddle. Besides, I was able to deal with you, wasn't I?"
"She has a point," said Deuce.
"You're going to tell us what's up, Shrimpy?" said Floyd.
I glanced at my friends, looking at me with wide eyes or shaking their heads. Really? Crowley never said we had to keep it a secret. I looked back at Floyd. "Yes. We're not here to cause trouble. We're just investigating a string of incidents and want to know if you guys have seen anything suspicious."
"Besides you?" said Jade.
I rolled my eyes. "Obviously."
"Nah, we don't pay much mind to others," said Floyd.
"Well, be on your guard and let me know if you see anything. There may be someone lurking out there."
Floyd grinned at me. "What, are you going to protect us, Lil' Shrimpy?"
"I, uh, well, that's not exactly what I meant."
"Okay, I think we're done here," Cater said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Come on, Ona."
"No, I think we're going to keep her," Floyd said. He grabbed my arm and pulled out of Cater's grip, moving me behind himself. "Isn't that right, Jade?"
"Indeed," said Jade. "We need her around to watch out backs."
"Unhand her right now!" Riddle ordered.
"I'm not even touching her anymore," Floyd said. "Besides, she'll have more fun with us than with you."
"Hey, I take issue with that!" said Cater.
"Let my henchhuman go!" Grim said.
"Don't make use get serious," said Deuce.
I sighed. There was no way this would end well. While they were keeping the twins busy, Ace slowly made his way over to me. He put a winger over his lips, and I nodded. I carefully followed him back to the group. Cater noticed us, looking relieved. "Man, would you look at the time?" he said. "Gotta run, guys! It's been real! Byeee!"
We took off running. Of course the twins followed us for a ways. Fortunately, they stopped at the edge of the courtyard. "That was terrifying," Grim said. "What is the deal with those guys?!"
"I'm not the one to ask," said Riddle. "Those two have baffled me since we were freshmen together." He looked at me with a frown. "But you seem to know them."
"Yeah, I've sort of hung out with Floyd a couple times," I admitted.
"I must request you cease such interactions immediately."
"Hey, you're not my housewarden. Even if you were, you couldn't tell me who to be friends with."
"I'm telling you this for your own good, Ona. Stay away from the twins."
"I'd listen to him on this one," said Ace. "They seem like bad news."
"Hey, I was doing just fine until the rest of you decided to get involved," I said.
"They tried to kidnap you!" Grim exclaimed.
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please. They were just messing around."
"I'm warning you," said Riddle. "They'll only cause you pain or drag you into trouble."
"Thanks for the advice. I'll keep it in mind." But that did not mean I would follow it. I did not want to taint myself with preconceived notions.
"We should probably move on," Deuce said.
"Then it's off to the next name on my list!" said Cater. "It's getting late, so let's make this the last one for today, 'kay? It's Jack Howl: freshman, Savanaclaw Dorm. Rumor has it that he's a great athlete. Scouts from all the major teams are fighting to sign him."
"Classes are over, so he should be at his dorm," said Deuce.
"Oh, is it 5:00 already?" said Riddle. "Rule 346 says that 'croquet must not be played after 5:00 p.m.' I should head back to Heartslabyul and make sure that no one is breaking the rules in my absence."
"Tch. I thought you'd rounded out some, but nope, you're as square as ever," said Grim.
"Th-that's not true! I assure you that I've become much more lenient about enforcing the rules."
"He really has," said Cater. "He's way nicer than before. And we all appreciate that Riddle diligence. So go do what you gotta do, Boss!"
"Then I guess the rest of us are headed to Savanaclaw House," said Ace. We all made our way to the Hall of Mirrors, where Riddle headed to his dorm and we took off for Savanaclaw. We soon found ourselves in a place completely different than what I was used to. It was blazing hot, but it was a dry heat, unlike the humidity I was used to in Hawaii.
"Huh... So this is Savanaclaw," said Deuce.
"Whoa, did they carve this place into a mountain?" said Grim. "And check out these huge bones! I wouldn't wanna meet whatever animal they're from."
"Couldn't be less like Heartslabyul," said Ace.
"No kidding," Cater said. "Even the air here feels so...primal. It's like we've left the bounds of civilization."
"So what's this Jack guy look like?"
"Apparently he's got wolf ears, silver hair, and a big, bushy tail too."
"A big, bushy tail... Wait, you mean like that guy runnin' laps over there?" Grim pointed to a student.
"Whoa, good eye! There's no way that's not our boy."
"And I thought those twins were big!" said Ace. "This guy's HUGE!"
"No wonder all the scouts are after him."
"With that build, he'd be an asset on any team," said Deuce.
"Let's just hurry up and talk to him," I said, arms crossed.
"Gettin' a little nervous there, Ona?" Cater said. "Don't worry, hon! Cay-Cay's got your back. I won't let the big bad wolf bite you."
I smiled slightly. "Thanks."
"Jack makes you nervous but the twins didn't?" said Deuce, shaking his head. "I don't understand how your mind works. Anyway, we should go talk to him."
"Hey, you!" Grim shouted. "Mr. Scowls-a-lot!"
The boy with the wolf ears stopped running and turned to us. "...Huh?"
"Just wanted to let ya know somebody's probably gonna try and hurt you. But don't worry—Grim the Great will protect you!"
Jack appeared annoyed. "What? Look, don't bother me when I'm training."
I stared at Grim, dumbfounded, while Ace sighed. "THAT'S your approach, Grim?" Cater said. "I can't even count all the ways that was terrible. If you were on Magicam, I'd totally unsubscribe from your feed." He bent down and plucked Grim from the ground, wrapping his arms around his mouth so he couldn't speak. "Sooo sorry about that, Jack. Listen, king, could we have just a minute of your time?"
"What's all this about? You said you wanna protect me from something?"
"A lot of Spelldrive tournament hopefuls have been hurt in 'accidents' on campus lately," Deuce explained.
"And we're trying to figure out who's behind it," said Ace.
"Go on," said Jack.
"To put it bluntly, our plan is to stake out some of the criminal's prospective targets," Cater said. "What do you say? Will you give us a hand in catching this guy?"
Jack stared at us. "No. I can take care of myself. I don't need your protection."
"If something happened, you might want backup," I said.
"I told you, I don't need your help. And besides I doubt I'm gonna be a target. Seeya." Jack turned his back and walked away.
"Aaaaand he's gone," said Cater.
"Well, can't say I didn't warn him," said Grim.
"Yeah well, you might want to reconsider your approach there, bud," Ace said.
Grim crossed his arms. "Hrmph! You humans are so finicky about every little thing!"
"Hey, what are you lot doing here?" said a Savanaclaw student.
"You're a long way from Heartslabyul House," said his friend.
"Heh heh. Probably lackeys sent by Mr. Red Baby!" said a third.
"You think you can just barge onto our turf and walk away without payin' the price?" the first boy said.
"Wow, anyone else having déjà vu...?" said Deuce.
"Fine, we're leaving," said Ace. "Sorry to bother you."
"Aww, don't be like that," said the second student. "Play with us first!"
"Let's play Predator and Prey!" said the third. "Guess who gets to be the prey?"
There was a gleam in their eyes that made me shiver. I took a step back. "No thanks." Maybe Deuce had a point. Why was I afraid of these guys but not the twins? Did I somehow know the Savanaclaw students would actually hurt me while it was just mostly for Floyd and Jade?
"Cut it out, you three," said a new voice belonging to a guy with lion ears and a tail. Hey, I recognized him!
"Housewarden Leona!" said the first boy.
"These students are trespassing on our territory!" said the second.
"Let's teach 'em a little lesson! Heh heh heh," said the third.
"Ah, I believe we met earlier, at the cafeteria," said a short boy with ears.
"Hey!" Grim exclaimed. "It's the Grilled Cheeseburglar!"
"Hey now, friend. Let's not get carried away with such delicious-sounding nicknames. I have a proper name befitting my manly stature. It's Ruggie Bucchi. Don't wear it out."
"Hey... I know you," said Leona. "You're the herbivores who stepped on my tail at the botanical gardens."
"You... You stepped on the housewarden's tail?" the first student said, horrified.
"Now you're really gonna pay!" said the second.
"And I AM sorry about that," I said, stepping back with wide eyes.
"'Sorry' is not good enough!" said the first student.
"Oh, that's right," said Ruggie. "I thought I'd seen you somewhere. It was in the gardens, huh?"
"C'mon, Leona, Ruggie—let's beat 'em up!" said the second student.
"Stop yappin' like a pack of wild dogs," said Leona. "You really wanna risk starting a fight before the tournament? What if you get disqualified?"
"What, so you're just gonna let 'em walk away?" said the third student. "Not even nibble on 'em a little?!"
Leona smirked. "No one's lettin' anyone walk away. We're gonna resolve this with a 'friendly' game of Spelldrive."
"Spelldrive?" said the first student.
"After all, it doesn't violate any school rules to cast spells during a game of Spelldrive."
"Shyeheehee!" Ruggie laughed. "I doubt these weaklings could endure so much as a single game."
"Welp, I'm not takin' THAT lyin' down," said Grim. "Now we got no choice but to fight."
"You say that like we had a choice to begin with," Deuce said, shaking his head.
"All right, fine!" said Ace. "You're on. Cater! Remember this when you pick the official team!"
"Are you kidding me here...?" Cater said. "Hashtag #lame. All right, let's do this..." He glanced at me. "Ona, you watch from the sidelines. Try to read their movements and convey it to us, okay?"
"O-Okay," I said. It did not take me long to find relief in my role. This game was much different from the one Grim and I played with the ghosts. The Savanaclaw students were very rough and violent. My friends were quite beat up by the end.
"On your feet, herbivores," Leona said after only a minute break. "We're having a rematch!"
"Enough already," I said. "Stop this!"
"What's goin' on here?" Jack said, jogging over to us.
Leona glanced at him, "Huh? We're just having a little fun with some trespassers."
Jack crossed his arms. "What's fun about tormenting amateur players?"
"What's thiiis? Look at you, Jack!" said Ruggie. "Heroically standing up for the downtrodden! How woefully admirable. Shyeheehee!"
"I'm just saying this is a disgusting spectacle and I don't wanna have to see it."
"Well, thanks," said Leona. "Now you've ruined all our fun."
"Whoa, Jack," said the first student. "You DO realize who you're talking to, right?"
"If you're gonna play the upperclassman card, you oughta act the part," said Jack.
"Whaaat did you say to me?! You want a piece of this too?!"
"Pretty bold, frosh," said Leona. "I guess I can respect that. All right, I'm bored now. Running up the score against you chumps ain't accomplishin' a thing. Let's go, Ruggie." He turned away.
"Toodles," said Ruggie, following after him.
"Is everyone okay?" I said, looking around at my friends. Fortunately, there seemed to be no permanent injuries.
"Heh. Well, I can't say that was my finest moment on the field," said Cater.
"Thanks for the help, Jack," said Deuce.
"Save it," said Jack. "I ain't in the business of charity work."
"I'm drenched in mud over here!" Ace complained. "Let's just call it a day and go home."
"Yeah, I'm gettin' pretty hungry over here," said Grim.
"All right, Jack, we're taking off," said Cater. "Don't get in any accidents, you hear?"
"You've got a whole lotta nerve to be worrying about me," said Jack, arms crossed. "Now scram already." He still had a firm look on his face, but I had a feeling he was not as bad as he first seemed.