The Light (Morpheus Road) by D.J. MacHale Page A
Authors: D.J. MacHale
Tags: Fiction, General, Children's Books, Action & Adventure, Horror, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, Fantasy & Magic, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Science Fiction; Fantasy; & Magic, Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9), supernatural, Horror & Ghost Stories, Ghosts, Legends; Myths; Fables, Horror stories, Mysteries; Espionage; & Detective Stories, Ghost Stories (Young Adult), Mysteries (Young Adult)
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seeing, or how it could be happening. I wasn't scared--I was dumbfounded. I tried to think of a logical explanation, but nothing came to me.
Bang bang bang!
Somebody was pounding on the door. I think I jumped a few inches. Was it the intruder from the night before? It didn't matter that it was a bright, sunny day--I flew right back into terror mode.
Ding dong!
The doorbell. That calmed me down. Intruders didn't ring doorbells. Unless they were particularly polite intruders. Still, I didn't take any chances. I grabbed the first weapon I could find. It happened to be a small fire extinguisher. I figured if there was trouble, I could squirt the guy in the eyes and then bean him on the head. Gripping the red cylinder, I hurried for the living room. I didn't want to open the door without knowing who it was, so I first peeked out of the front window over the couch. It wasn't an intruder, but the guy standing there was definitely a surprise . . . and not a good one. I dropped the fire extinguisher and opened the door to greet Mikey Russo, Sydney Foley's goon boyfriend.
"Where is he?" Russo snarled.
He was angry. Or at least excited. Something was up. It made me want to go back and grab the fire extinguisher. Instead I went outside and joined him on the porch. I didn't want this guy in my house.
"Where's who?" I asked.
Russo was edgy. He glanced around to see if anybody was watching, then gave me a shove that nearly knocked me off my feet. I stumbled back a few steps and hit the wall.
"Stop doing that!" I yelled. "What is your problem?"
"Where's Foley?" he demanded to know.
I knew exactly where Cooper was ... at the lake house
51
with his parents. But if this creep was looking for him, I saw no need to tell him that.
"I don't know. Ask your girlfriend," I said dismissively, and backed toward the door.
Russo grabbed my arm and yanked me forward, getting right in my face. He was strong and stood a couple of inches taller than me. I felt like a rag doll. "You tell him to keep his freakin' mouth shut or he's gonna get hurt," he growled.
I suddenly understood what this was all about. Unfortunately, my mouth started working before my brain did.
"Ohhhh ... ," I said knowingly. "You gave him the counterfeit tickets!"
Bad move. Russo shoved me so violently, I thought I would break through the screen door when I hit it.
"He told you that?" Russo asked, his face red with rage.
"No, you just told me," I countered, trying to keep my voice calm. "I knew Coop was in trouble for scalping counterfeit tickets, but he wouldn't tell me where he got them. If you're so worried about him talking, then he must have gotten them from you."
Russo's eyes turned scary. The guy had a temper, and it looked like I was a second away from paying the price for stoking it.
"I'll get my dad," I said, pointing inside the house. "Maybe he knows where Coop went."
There was no way Mikey Russo could know that my dad was on a trip. At least that's what I was counting on. He hesitated. I could sense the wheels turning in that simple brain. He was calculating his next move. He glanced inside, looking for my dad. I felt his anger rise. He was ready to pound me but knew he was going to have to back down in case Dad was there. The frustration was killing him, poor guy. He wasn't used to thinking so much. He let go of my arm and backed away.
52
"Tell Foley what I said," he demanded, pointing at me.
"Right," I replied. "'Keep his freakin' mouth shut.' Do I have to drop the g in freaking?"
Russo gave me an odd look as if he didn't get what I meant. Idiot.
"Just do it," he commanded, then turned and ran off the porch.
I had come dangerously close to being pounded, but at least one mystery was solved: Mikey Russo was the guy who gave the fake tickets to Coop. For all I knew, Russo had been poking around the house the night before, looking for him. I wouldn't put it past him. Thug. But why didn't he know where Cooper was? Didn't he talk to Sydney? Maybe
Bang bang bang!
Somebody was pounding on the door. I think I jumped a few inches. Was it the intruder from the night before? It didn't matter that it was a bright, sunny day--I flew right back into terror mode.
Ding dong!
The doorbell. That calmed me down. Intruders didn't ring doorbells. Unless they were particularly polite intruders. Still, I didn't take any chances. I grabbed the first weapon I could find. It happened to be a small fire extinguisher. I figured if there was trouble, I could squirt the guy in the eyes and then bean him on the head. Gripping the red cylinder, I hurried for the living room. I didn't want to open the door without knowing who it was, so I first peeked out of the front window over the couch. It wasn't an intruder, but the guy standing there was definitely a surprise . . . and not a good one. I dropped the fire extinguisher and opened the door to greet Mikey Russo, Sydney Foley's goon boyfriend.
"Where is he?" Russo snarled.
He was angry. Or at least excited. Something was up. It made me want to go back and grab the fire extinguisher. Instead I went outside and joined him on the porch. I didn't want this guy in my house.
"Where's who?" I asked.
Russo was edgy. He glanced around to see if anybody was watching, then gave me a shove that nearly knocked me off my feet. I stumbled back a few steps and hit the wall.
"Stop doing that!" I yelled. "What is your problem?"
"Where's Foley?" he demanded to know.
I knew exactly where Cooper was ... at the lake house
51
with his parents. But if this creep was looking for him, I saw no need to tell him that.
"I don't know. Ask your girlfriend," I said dismissively, and backed toward the door.
Russo grabbed my arm and yanked me forward, getting right in my face. He was strong and stood a couple of inches taller than me. I felt like a rag doll. "You tell him to keep his freakin' mouth shut or he's gonna get hurt," he growled.
I suddenly understood what this was all about. Unfortunately, my mouth started working before my brain did.
"Ohhhh ... ," I said knowingly. "You gave him the counterfeit tickets!"
Bad move. Russo shoved me so violently, I thought I would break through the screen door when I hit it.
"He told you that?" Russo asked, his face red with rage.
"No, you just told me," I countered, trying to keep my voice calm. "I knew Coop was in trouble for scalping counterfeit tickets, but he wouldn't tell me where he got them. If you're so worried about him talking, then he must have gotten them from you."
Russo's eyes turned scary. The guy had a temper, and it looked like I was a second away from paying the price for stoking it.
"I'll get my dad," I said, pointing inside the house. "Maybe he knows where Coop went."
There was no way Mikey Russo could know that my dad was on a trip. At least that's what I was counting on. He hesitated. I could sense the wheels turning in that simple brain. He was calculating his next move. He glanced inside, looking for my dad. I felt his anger rise. He was ready to pound me but knew he was going to have to back down in case Dad was there. The frustration was killing him, poor guy. He wasn't used to thinking so much. He let go of my arm and backed away.
52
"Tell Foley what I said," he demanded, pointing at me.
"Right," I replied. "'Keep his freakin' mouth shut.' Do I have to drop the g in freaking?"
Russo gave me an odd look as if he didn't get what I meant. Idiot.
"Just do it," he commanded, then turned and ran off the porch.
I had come dangerously close to being pounded, but at least one mystery was solved: Mikey Russo was the guy who gave the fake tickets to Coop. For all I knew, Russo had been poking around the house the night before, looking for him. I wouldn't put it past him. Thug. But why didn't he know where Cooper was? Didn't he talk to Sydney? Maybe
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