The Missing Link (9 page)

"Ouch! Remind me never to borrow that thing," Zack said.

"Is that why you're here?" Lilly ushered Carole to a kitchen chair. "Do you need some
first aid?"

"I'm fine." Carole took the square of parchment from her pocket and placed it on the
table. "What do you guys make of this?"

The twins crowded near. "What is it?" Lilly said.

"The answer to Professor Philamount's brew question."

"What was the question?" Zack said.

Carole shrugged and said, "I have no idea."

The twins studied the words written on the paper in silence.

"Fates uncertain," Zack finally said. "Well duh, the future's always uncertain. Doesn't
take a genius to figure that one out. Who wrote this thing?"

"A pot."

"Oh. Not bad for a kitchen utensil, I guess."

"So does this mean the Conundrum was part of a larger war?" Lilly said.

"Apparently."

"I guess multitaskers aren't so wonderfully evolved, after all," Zack said.

Lilly gave her brother a withering stare.

"I didn't mean Carole. I was talking about... You know her parents, and those jerks at
school. Anyway, what's the big deal about any of this? She gets a ringside seat at some cosmic
two-for-one sale. So what? It doesn't change anything."

"It can't be that simple," Lilly said. "Maybe you're the key to the future, Carole, just like
you were the key to ending the Conundrum."

"I still don't see why it's such a big deal."

Lilly gave Zack an incredulous look.

"What?"

"We're talking about war, Zack, a war that has obviously been going on for a very long
time. Whoever caused the Conundrum didn't care if people got hurt, and Carole stopped them. And
who helped her?"

Zack looked thoughtful. "Do you think they know?"

"Of course they know."

"Not about us." He stabbed at the parchment with his finger. "About this stuff?"

"Only if Philamount's one of them," Carole said.

"Ya think?"

"It would explain why he's keeping such a close eye on us."

"At least we know his side didn't trigger the Conundrum," Lilly said. "Else why get you
to fix it?"

"And the witches trust him." Carole glanced at the wall clock. "Is it really that late? I'd
better be going." She ripped the parchment it into pieces. "Could you take care of these?"

"Hand 'em over," Zack said, taking the paper to the sink and reaching for a match. The
parchment burned fast.

"Things any better at home?" Lilly said.

"You should've seen my mother when Philamount told her about our trip. I thought she
was going to have a fit."

"Well, at least you've still got your parents."

Carole thought back to last spring and how, contrary to Professor Philamount's forecast,
her return to the Hub had been met mostly with indifference, and in her parent's case, suspicion. "I
miss Hal," was all she said.

Zack washed the ashes down the drain. "Make an unscheduled visit. Use this place as
your jump-off point. No one will know."

"Maybe." Carole went to the back door. "Let me know if you get any ideas about the
reading. See you in the morning."

"First thing," Zack said with a sigh. "Wouldn't want to be late for nursery school."

The porch light was not lit, nor was there any light coming from the front window.
Carole walked towards her house. She saw a small lump beside the door. "Runt? What are you doing
here? You're supposed to be hanging out with the rest of the herd."

The tiny pig stretched, sat up and yawned. "Ret reet rit."

"Of course I appreciate the welcome, but you know my parents. Are you sure?"

Runt leaned against Carole's legs.

"Come on then, assuming we're not locked out..." She opened the door.

Inside it was quiet and dark. She walked past the stairway and into the kitchen, where
she found and lit a candle. She placed it on the counter and watched the shadows flicker before
sitting on the floor next to Runt.

"So, what's the news from the herd?"

"Rit ret riit reet!"

"Again? Was anyone hurt?"

"Rit."

"The boars chase them off?"

Runt nodded.

"Who was it this time?"

Runt shrugged his shoulders.

"Probably Dalimar's gang. And you can bet Professor Hotspot will twist the story to
make it look like you guys started it."

"Reet. Rit rit?"

"Mostly more questions. The werewolves aren't a problem anymore, but Mariat's got a
bunch of bullies to deal with. In fact some of the witches believe the Conundrum created them.
We've certainly run into more than our share, here as well as on Earth."

Carole yawned. "Anyway, I'm beat. I'll tell you the rest tomorrow." She picked up the
candle and started for the stairs. "Let's try and sleep-in. If we're lucky my parents will leave before
we get up."

Runt snorted.

Carole peered through the railing at the bottom of the stairway. Her parents were eating
breakfast in the kitchen. Her mother looked prim and proper as always, and her father looked
typically bookish. They were dressed for work, but seemed in no hurry to leave.

"Guess we can't put it off any longer," she mouthed. "Ready?"

Runt nodded.

Mr. and Mrs. Sylphwood looked up as Carole and the tiny pig entered the room. A series
of expressions flitted across their faces.

"What happened to you?" her mother finally said.

"Nothing. Fell into a stream."

Her mother marched over and gripped Carole's chin. "Bruised and bloodied from getting
wet? Tell me, what really happened? Who did this?"

"Nobody. It was an accident. I slipped off a bridge." Carole jerked free and went to the
opposite side of the table where her breakfast was laid out.

"You see?" Mrs. Sylphwood turned to her husband. "You see, Baxter? This is what comes
of her gallivanting about the cosmos, associating with witches. What possible good can come from
such a questionable link?"

"Mariat's my friend." Carole pulled a jar of granola close and reached for a jug of
juice.

"And we can certainly see the fruits of that relationship. You look like a ghoul. Celeste
knows what other riffraff that Philamount wishes to expose you to. He has much to answer for, this
time."

"Judith, calm yourself. It does little good to go leaping off before we've been presented
with a complete list of the facts. I shall talk with Professor Philamount, learn all I can from him, and
then we shall decide how best to proceed."

"I've already told you what happened," Carole said from behind a wall of breakfast
containers. "I fell."

"We seek a more...complete version of the events."

"Right." Carole filled a small bowl with dried fruit and cereal and placed it on the
floor.

"Must you, Carole?" her father said.

"Runt's got to eat."

"Which he can easily do on the back porch or with the rest of the swine herd. He's just
an animal, after all."

Runt casually stepped on Carole's foot. She clenched her jaw and said nothing.

Judith Sylphwood dabbed the corners of her mouth with an embroidered napkin and
composed her features. She smoothed out her dress. Despite the warmth of the morning, she was
wearing a full length, laced-trimmed outfit. Her appearance was very Victorian. Apparently the style
had once been the height of Hub fashion, and she was trying to revive the trend. "I must be off," she
said. "We're meeting to discuss adjustments to the inspection schedule. I trust you will see to this
Philamount business, Baxter?"

"Directly my dear. Whilst on my way to the library."

"And don't forget, I've invited Snively for dinner this evening."

"Great," Carole muttered to herself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Correct. You will do nothing to provoke the man. Is that clear?"

"So long as he doesn't provoke me."

"Young lady!" Her mother's voice turned shrill. "I don't know what was considered
acceptable behavior on that degenerate monobrain planet, but here we respect and obey our elders.
Professor Snively Hotspot will be a guest in our home and is to be treated as such."

"I'll try."

"You'll do more than try. If you wish to remain under this roof, you'll abide by our rules.
All of them." Judith Sylphwood left in a swish of material.

"Dear, dear, dear." Carole's father rose to follow his wife. "Until tonight then. Try not to
be late, Carole."

"Snively Hotspot," she said to Runt with a heartfelt sigh. "This is turning into such a
wonderful day."

Carole watched Runt make his way towards the other hogs at the base of the Celestial
Nexus, wishing she could go with him. As it was she'd have to glide just to beat the school bell.
Reluctantly, she turned from the herd and kicked into a sprint. She reached Hub Central in time to
see the twins closing in on the front doors behind a couple of other stragglers.

"Lil, Zack, wait up!" Carole vaulted up the steps.

Zack grimaced as she drew near. "You look a lot worse in the daylight."

"Nice," his sister said. "Always one with the compliments."

"I said she looked worse. I didn't say it was worse."

"Forget it." Lilly held the door for Carole. "So?"

"Nasty as always and Hotspot's coming for dinner."

"Lucky you." Zack scowled. "He's probably come up with another brilliant idea for
getting rid of us."

"I doubt it's a coincidence there's a town meeting coming up."

"Not to mention the Dive of Destiny," Lilly said.

"Give us a head's up, if you learn something," Zack said.

"Count on it."

They stopped outside a class door on which 'Preschool Plasticity' was printed in large
colorful letters.

With an impish grin, Lilly opened the door and stood to one side. "After you, Zack."

Zack sneered at her before stepping into the quiet room.

"Zack!"

"It's Zacky!"

"Zacky's here!"

"Zackity, Zackity, Zack, attack!"

The room burst into pandemonium as a pack of preschoolers swarmed the boy,
grabbing his arms and legs and pulling him to the ground.

A woman's voice rang out. "Children, Children, leave the poor lad alone. And as for you
Mr. Deville, if you could manage to arrive a little earlier. It's hard enough to maintain order with this
bunch at the best of times."

Zack's voice rose from beneath the pile of preschool bodies. "You want me to volunteer
for more of this?"

Laughing to themselves, Carole and Lilly sidestepped the squirming mound and seated
themselves on the plush rug, at the back of the room.

"All right class." The teacher, a pleasant looking woman in a pastel pantsuit, clapped her
hands. "Why not show Zack what you've learned over the weekend."

"Me first, me first."

"No, me first."

"Jo-Jo got to go first last time. Professor Startling--"

"I will select from those who can sit with quiet focus and concentration."

A rush of activity followed and soon only Zack remained sprawled on the rug. Getting
slowly to his feet, he limped over to where Lilly and Carole were still chuckling.

"Thomesan, you may go first," Professor Startling said.

A mousy girl stood up and made her way to the front of the room. "I learned to
Tree-Tall." Her voice was just above a whisper and she spoke to the floor.

"Would you demonstrate, please?"

The girl made a very fierce expression, sucked in a huge breath and stood as tall as she
could. Ever so slowly her body began to stretch, growing taller and thinner until she had added at
least a foot to her height. Her face turned crimson with effort. Suddenly she hiccupped explosively,
and her body snapped back to its regular shape with a loud pop.

"Ooohh," the class murmured.

Thomesan began to cry.

"That was very good, Thomesan, very good." Professor Startling rubbed the girl's back,
encouraging her to return to the rug. "Remember class we must always breathe out slowly.
Decompression pops can give you quite a nasty headache." She produced a lollipop and handed it to
Thomesan. "Suck away on this. It'll clear your head before you know it."

The proffered treat effectively ended the tears.

"Now then, who's next?"

"Me...me...me!" A tussle haired lad waved his arms about.

"All right Gerald, what've you got for us?"

The boy jumped to the front of the class and spun to face the group, with his hands on
hips and his legs spread wide. "I gots Long-Legs," he announced. He slid his feet apart, and then
farther and farther apart. As he did so, his thighs turned wobbly and his bottom bounced against
the floor like a rubber ball suspended between two thick elastic bands. "And it don't hurt either," he
boasted between bounces.

"Well done, Gerald. And who should we pick next?"

"Zacky. It's Zacky's turn," the boy sitting next to Zack cried.

"Zacky! Zacky!" The rest of the class took up the cry.

"That will do, class." Professor Startling looked at Zack. "Mr. Deville, have you something
to show us, today?"

"I might just," he said, as he stood.

Lilly groaned. "Oh no."

"What?" Carole said.

"He's been wracking his brain all weekend, trying to come up with something for this
class."

"Wasn't that the homework assignment?"

"You know we can't plasticate, Carole. The best we can hope for is a couple of gymnastic
poses. He's up to something."

Zack cleared his throat. "Okay, now we all know how good I am at plasticating."

The kids giggled with delight, and even Professor Startling smiled.

"Well, I've decided to imitate a creature from my home planet, Earth." Zack reached into
his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. After unfolding it and smoothing out the wrinkles, he
gave the paper to the closest child.

"What is it?" the little girl said.

"It's called a bullfrog. Pass it around. Let everyone see."