The Emerald Mask (15 page)

“It's safe,” Gabriella said right away. She cupped Circe's Compass in her hands before giving it to Ms. Therian. “Circe's Compass is safe. I—I know we shouldn't have gone after it. . . .”

“We wanted to prove that we could do it,” Mack said.

“That we're strong enough—” Fiona added.

“You don't need to say anything,” Yara interrupted them. “We know why you did what you did.”

“Miles showed us the clearing—or what is left of it—and he explained about the
encantado
who tried to steal the compass,” Mr. Kimura said. He fixed each of them—Gabriella, Mack, Fiona, and Darren—with a somber stare. “And now this room . . . destroyed. You showed great courage in seeking out the compass, but you put yourselves as well as Miles and Rosa in great danger.”

“We know you are powerful, but you have much still to learn about control,” Ms. Therian added. “You kids are too important to lose. Next time, trust us.”

“Still, perhaps I was wrong about you younglings,” Sefu acknowledged. “Maybe you
are
ready for more responsibility. I would never have guessed that you could accomplish so much in just one day—finding Circe's Compass at the bottom of the sea, retrieving it,
and
protecting it from Auden Ironbound's henchmen? That's a full day for a team of advanced Changers—let alone ones so young.”

Tiny Yara puffed up with pride. “
I'm
not surprised,” she boasted. “These kids are tough as nails. Tougher than we were, even, when we were their age.”

Yara, Sefu, and Mr. Kimura continued talking as they led the chained warlocks from the kitchen.
Mack, Darren, and Fiona followed.

Purple bruises were already forming on Tía Rosa's arm, but that didn't stop her from wrapping it across Gabriella's shoulders. At that moment, Gabriella didn't feel especially tough or brave or ferocious—because right now, she didn't need to be. As she leaned against Tía Rosa's shoulder, Gabriella felt—for the first time in ages—comfortable in her own skin.

She felt like herself.

And that, Gabriella realized, was perhaps the greatest power of all.

Tía Rosa kissed Gabriella's temple and then whispered into her ear, “You and me,
mija.
We're quite a team, don't you think?”

“I'm going to miss you so much when you go back to New Brighton,” Gabriella said. “I don't want you to leave.”

“You can't get rid of me so easily,” Tía Rosa replied, her eyes twinkling. “I'll be seeing you every weekend from now on.”

“Really?” asked Gabriella.

“You bet,” Tía Rosa said. “I already talked to your
mami
about it. Because you and I? We've got work to do.”

Normally, school was the last place Mack wanted to go on a Saturday, but on the day of the art show, he couldn't wait to get there. The gym—the regular gym—had been transformed, filled with sculptures, oil paintings, pen-and-ink drawings, and dioramas. The Comics Club had its very own table, and Mack was thrilled that his comic had the place of honor—right in the middle. He might not have gotten his superhero's face
quite
right—and some of his lines were a little more wobbly than he liked—but Mack was still plenty proud of his very first comic,
The Kitsune Tails, Episode 1: Den of Thieves.

And he was even prouder that his own grandfather
seemed so impressed by it, flipping through the pages with a broad smile on his wrinkled face.

“Drawn from life, I see,” Jiichan said as he studied a drawing of a
kitsune
on a beach.

“Just a little,” Mack said.

“I have a feeling that there will be plenty of . . . inspiration in store for you,” Jiichan said. “It seems clear to me that you will always be ready for adventure, whether or not adventure is ready for you.”

Mack shifted uncomfortably. Something had been weighing heavily on his mind all week. It was time, he realized, to learn the truth.

“Jiichan,” he began in a low voice. “I have to ask. Did Miles . . . did he get in trouble? For, uh, helping us the other day?”

Jiichan's face was calm. “Miles? In trouble?” he repeated. “Why would he be in trouble for doing what I asked him to do?”

“What
you
asked—” Mack began in confusion. But his voice broke off unexpectedly when he saw the knowing half smile on Jiichan's face. “So you knew we'd try to go on the mission anyway?”

“Yes,” Jiichan said.

“And you needed somebody—Miles—to keep an eye on us,” Mack finished. He stared at the floor. That realization was more disappointing than he wanted to admit, especially when Jiichan started to laugh.

“Oh, Makoto,” Jiichan said, shaking his head, “you have misunderstood. Last week's battles were not won because you had an adult watching over you. No. They were won because you and your friends understood your strengths—and your limits—better than anyone else. Even the First Four. We won't forget that next time . . . though clearly one thing you lack is patience. We'll work on that.”

At last, Mack looked up and met Jiichan's eyes and smiled.
Jiichan believed in us all along,
he realized as Jiichan patted him on the back and then moved on to look at the pottery display.

“Nice work, Mack,” a new voice said.

Mack turned around in surprise. “Gabriella!” he exclaimed. “You're here! But what about your game?”

“It just finished,” she told him. “Short and sweet . . . for the Clippers, at least. I don't think the Deerfield Divers
are in a very good mood, though. Anyway, you know I wouldn't miss the world premiere of
The Kitsune Tails
! I can't wait to read it. And before I forget . . . this is for you.”

Mack's whole face lit up when Gabriella gave him a copy of her own comic,
The Continuing Adventures of the Emerald Wildcat.

“It's not nearly as good as what you and your friends in Comics Club have been doing,” Gabriella said, a little embarrassed. “But I thought you might like it. Check this out—I gave the Emerald Wildcat a sidekick! The Jade Jaguar.”

“Awesome!” Mack said approvingly, with a knowing smile on his face. “And speaking of the Emerald Wildcat . . .”

Gabriella leaned forward as Mack lowered his voice.

“Is that true? Your Aunt Rosa is—?” he continued.

“You know,” Gabriella began. “As a matter of fact, I—”

“
Mija!
There you are!”

Mack and Gabriella turned around at the same time.

“Hey, Tía Rosa,” Gabriella said. “I'd like you to meet my friend Mack. Mack, this is my
tía
Rosa. She's—pretty fantastic, actually.”

Tía Rosa flashed a dazzling smile at Mack when she noticed
The Continuing Adventures of the Emerald Wildcat
in his hands. “Oh, I like you,” she said, pointing at the comic book. “You have
very
good taste.”

And then, to Mack's astonishment, Tía Rosa
winked
.

“Five minutes,
mija
,” Tía Rosa said. “I'll be waiting outside.”

Mack was speechless as Tía Rosa walked away. “Was—are—I mean—
seriously
?”

Gabriella just grinned.

“Oh, man! I can't even believe it! That's, like, the coolest thing ever!” Mack gushed. “And she was
right here
! Listen, do you think—maybe—she might want to take a look at
The Kitsune Tails
? Like one day, if she's bored, or something?”

“I'm sure she'd love it,” Gabriella said as Mack gave her another copy. “I wish I could stick around, but I've got to go.”

Mack glanced toward the door. “You guys have plans, huh?” he asked, sounding wistful.

“Yeah,” Gabriella replied. “Tía Rosa's tutoring me in . . . phys ed. I want to be ready for whatever happens next.”

“For the
Continuing Adventures
?” Mack said, holding up Gabriella's comic. He meant it as a joke, but as he and Gabriella exchanged a long glance, he knew it was the truth.

After all, their adventures were just beginning.

What challenge will the Changers face next?

Here is a sneak peek at

The Power Within!

Bzzz.

Though Darren had
finally
fallen asleep, and his phone barely made any noise as it buzzed, he bolted upright in bed anyway, wide awake in an instant. Everything was blurry as he blinked his eyes, once, twice, and tried to focus on the blinding brightness of the screen so that he could read the text message. It was from his big brother, Ray, and just seeing Ray's name made Darren feel better—for a second, anyway.

D, what's up? Just got your msg. I'm here

Darren had been waiting all night to hear back from Ray, but he couldn't tell him everything over text. Darren didn't know exactly what was going on—that was why he had texted Ray in the middle of the night, after all—but he knew that it was too important for a text message.

V-chat?

Logging on now

Darren tucked his phone in his pillowcase and tiptoed toward the door. It was still dark outside, but he glanced out the window, just in case Dad had come home in the night and he'd missed it.

But Dad's space in the driveway was still empty. In the dim glow of the streetlights, Darren could see that only Mom's car was parked there.

In the kitchen, Darren found Mom's laptop on the table. He snuck a glance over his shoulder, even though he was certain Mom was still asleep.

Darren flipped up the screen and logged into his V-chat account. To his relief, Ray was already logged on. A warm smile filled Ray's face as Darren appeared on the screen. Ever since Ray had moved out last year to start college at New Brighton University, Darren had missed him terribly. But V-chatting was almost as good as getting to hang out with Ray in person.

Almost.

“Big D!” Ray said, his smile widening as he leaned back in his chair. “Sorry I missed your text last night. My
psychology midterm is this morning, so I was in the quiet room of the library to study for most of the night. So I didn't even get your text until, like, four
AM
. Otherwise, I would've been right on it. Anyway, what's going on?”

Darren got right to the point. “Dad didn't come home last night,” he said, lowering his voice. “
Or
the night before.”

A look of surprise flickered across Ray's face for half a second; then it smoothed out, as expressionless as a mask. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Maybe Dad was really busy at work and got home after you were asleep.”

Darren shook his head. “I waited up both nights,” he said. “I'm serious, Ray, I really don't think he's been home in”—Darren paused as his throat tightened; he swallowed hard, then continued—“two days.”