She smiled a sad smile. “You are special, Henry. But being special may not be enough. So listen to me carefully.” Henry leaned forward again. “One of my most important jobs as a Keeper is to find things others miss—or have not yet discovered. I have found you, Henry. You are a child of two heritages. Some would claim you must choose between them. But only by bringing them together can you know yourself. And only by knowing yourself can you hope to overcome evil.” Her eyes bored into Henry. “I am the first to find you. I will not be the last.”

Suddenly he was frightened. “Come on, Brianna. Let’s go.” In his haste, he yanked her arm hard enough to elicit an “ouch.”

“Henry!”

He stopped midway to the door.

“Follow your mother’s instructions. And do not blame your father.” She walked across the room to the screen in the corner and stepped behind it.

Brianna tugged her arm free from Henry’s grip and ran to see what Henry already knew.

“She’s gone!”

Chapter Nine

“We should wait for Mom,” Brianna whined.

“We’re not waiting.” Henry forged ahead, not waiting for—but expecting—his sister to keep up.

“What if she comes and we’re not there? She’s going to be maaaaad.”

Henry didn’t answer. He didn’t know why, but he knew that he had to get home in a hurry.

They were about to turn a corner that was partially obscured by a tall hedge when they heard a sudden movement—someone was lying in ambush.

“Billy!” Henry cringed. But as they rounded the corner, they could see Billy was tangled in the hedge, viciously scratching his rump. He clucked like a chicken.

Brianna giggled until she got the hiccups. Henry laughed too, and couldn’t resist the urge to cluck back.

A few minutes later they arrived to an empty house. The back door was open and the car was gone. Brianna ran from room to room, calling for their mother. Henry could have told his sister to save her breath. Something had passed between them when the Amazing Zeppo looked deep inside him—like images of things to come. The empty house was one of them.

“Where is she, Henry?” Brianna was too confused to be scared, but that wouldn’t last long.

“I don’t know,” he said, which was the truth. He watched as instant tears pooled in Brianna’s eyes. “Come on. I’ll make us some peanut-butter-and-marshmallow sandwiches.”

It was a forbidden combination of eating so close to bedtime and eating something on their mother’s banned list, and the sparkle of devilish mischief dried up the tears. She was already in motion before issuing the challenge, “Race you!”