Horus and the Curse of Everlasting Regret by Hannah Voskuil

turning an alarming purple red. “What, do you just carry sharp sticks around in case you need to torture somebody?”
    Tunie whistled for Perch and then stepped into the shadowy alley.
    “Two against one?” she said loudly. “And bigger to boot. You are some kind of cowardly bullies.”
    The larger boy holding Peter’s ankles stared at Tunie. “Who are you?”
    Tunie caught sight of Perch flying overhead. She lifted her chin toward the one holding Peter and saw Perch begin his dive.
    She smiled. “I’m the one who’s going to even these odds.”
    In one rapid move, she sloshed water from her bucket into the face of the angular twin with the stick. The soapy water stung his eyes.
    “Argh!” the boy shouted, bending over, with his hands covering his eyes.
    There was a muffled grunt as Peter dropped to the ground. The twin who’d been holding him began running in great, lumbering circles and flailing his arms. He shrieked in a high-pitched voice.
    “A bat! It’s a vampire bat! Help! It’s attacking me! Aaaaargh!”
    Perch was clearly enjoying himself, flapping with gusto around the boy’s face.
    Peter scrambled to his feet, and he and Tunie took off, with Perch soon flying behind them.
    They ran up the road until they were sure the twins weren’t following them, and stopped to catch their breath on the street corner.
    Tunie looked with concern at Peter. There was a spot of blood seeping through his shirt where one of the boys had poked him.
    “Those two are plenty rugged. I’m guessing they’re the ones you want to get away from this summer?” Tunie said.
    “Yeah,” said Peter glumly. “They’re my new stepbrothers.”
    “That’s unlucky.”
    “I can avoid them most of the time, and when my dad’s in the room, they won’t touch me. He’s leaving, though, for the summer, and now that school’s out…I can’t fend them off forever. If I had enough money, I’d go to camp to get away.” He sighed and started fiddling with one bent ear of his strange helmet. “Thanks for helping me out. Most folks aren’t interested in tangling with the twins.” He looked up to meet Tunie’s eyes. “I’m sorry I ran off last night. I really am planning to share the reward with you.”
    “I guess you’re out of practice trusting people. I’m beginning to see why.” Tunie gave him a wry smile. “I’m on the lookout for someone with a cane—I figure that’s the tapping sound Horus mentioned.”
    “That’s a good theory,” Peter said.
    Tunie shrugged. “Actually, I’m not having much luck. So far the only person with a cane was a frail old lady just barely on this side of heaven.”
    Peter looked dolefully at his headpiece. “This device was supposed to help me find the man with the nasal voice, but in these crowds it’s useless. So far I’ve got nothing.”
    “Look. This street is really long,” Tunie said. She waved her hand from one side to the other. “It’ll take forever to comb over it alone, and by then it might be too late. Let’s work together. You and I can split the money, fifty-fifty, and find some way to share with Horus, too. I promise I won’t let you down.”
    Peter shook Tunie’s hand. “It’s a deal. I’m not sure either one of us is going about this the right way, though. No offense. I just…I don’t see how we’ll ever find these guys.”
    Tunie drooped. Perch fluttered down and landed on her shoulder, emitting a series of unhappy squeaks.
    Peter observed the bat. “You know, Horus is extraordinary, but your bat is also extremely abnormal. If you’d asked me last week whether such bizarre things existed, I would have laughed. I still can’t quite accept it.”
    “Most people couldn’t. I keep thinking maybe last night didn’t happen.”
    “Me too,” Peter said. “But since we’re both here talking about a mummy we met, I guess it did.”
    “We haven’t been able to use what he told us, though,” Tunie said. She dropped her sponge into the soapy