Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta (3 page)

Piper laughed. “How
do you remember to get dressed in the morning?”

“He barely does, remember?” Brent pinched his nose. “Hurry up, bro.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and headed to his locker. He fiddled with his lock, trying the combination three times before the door finally popped opened. While he hunted through his papers, he heard Cedric mumbling in Mr. Roswell’s classroom. Gabriel couldn’t resist. He crept over to the door, stealing a peek through the crack.

“I can’t just let you retake the test, Cedric.” Mr. Roswell wore a bewildered expression as he faced a defeated looking Cedric Morley. “But your friends just left a moment ago. Perhaps you can get in on their project and make up some marks that way.”

Cedric dropped his overloaded backpack. “My friends?” He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head.

“Yes, Cedric. Mr. Stone, Miss. Ramirez, and Mr. Chapman.” Mr. Roswell looked as if he thought Cedric was nuts. But Cedric didn’t have many friends, a fact which seemed to escape Mr. Roswell. “It seems they’re working on a most wonderful project, aiming for an A. I got to preview it today.”

Gabriel’s heart sank. There was no way he would ever let Cedric in on their project, or let him put his sneaky little hands on the crystal. Just as Gabriel was about to walk in to protest, Cedric spoke up.

“I can’t work with
them
,” he declared. “But maybe I can come up with something better?”

At least Cedric feels the same way I do
. Gabriel went back to his locker, grabbed his homework, and took off to class.

Chapter Three

“Are you
sure
you’re okay?” Gabriel’s dad asked him for the third time.

“Have you seen it, Dad? I
know
I brought that stupid paper home. I need it. Now. Brent and Piper will be here soon. Where’d it go? I’m
sure
I went back for it … or was that the English paper? Crap! How the heck are we gonna know what we’re supposed to be writing about if we don’t have the questions?”

Gabriel’s dad ran his hand through his hair as he watched Gabriel whip around his room, opening dresser drawers and digging through clothes. He’d already searched the closet, under the bed, and the floor of the bathroom. He’d rummaged through the hamper, flinging dirty clothes across the room while his father ducked out of the way, occasionally catching a towel or a t-shirt.

His dad nodded to a pile of damp towels on the bathroom floor. “I’m sure your friends will be pleased you decided to shower.”

“Dad, if you wanna help me, really.”

“You worry too much for an eleven—almost twelve-year old, you know that?” His dad sighed and left the room.

Gabriel sat in the middle of his room, staring at the mess he’d made, knowing he looked for a paper that didn’t exist. Or at least, it didn’t exist at his house.

A few minutes later, his dad returned. “Listen. I have something for you. I know it won’t help you find your paper, but it may help you find your way.” He placed something round and shiny into the palm of Gabriel’s hand. An engraving on the front read:
If you believe in yourself, you will always find your way.

“What is it?” Gabriel eyed the circular, silver present.

“A compass. It’s real silver. Your grandpa gave it to me when I was about your age. It’s very special. I thought I’d wait until the perfect time to give it to you.”

“Awesome. Thanks, Dad. But you know I can find my way around those mountains with my eyes closed.”

His dad ruffled Gabriel’s hair. “Just keep it for good luck, then.”

“Thanks.” Gabriel gave him a tight-lipped smile, feeling a bit awkward.
Maybe Dad’s coming around. Maybe we can be close again
. Ever since Mom left, there had been a Grand Canyon-sized hole in the house that seemed to swallow everything up, pushing his dad further and further away. Some days, it felt like both of his parents had disappeared.

He stared at the compass. So maybe his dad
didn’t
blame him for Mom leaving. Or, maybe Dad had decided to forgive him.
At least that’d be one of us
. Even if it was only temporary, it felt good to have him back. Gabriel sighed and squeezed the compass tightly in his hand. “I’m sorry for wrecking my room. I’ll clean it up before I leave, I promise.”

“It’s okay.” His father leaned in, about to hug him. He stopped short, patting his back instead. “You go on. I’ll take care of it this one time. Then I’m heading off to court to close the Matthews case.”

“Matthews case?” The Matthews family lived next door. Gabriel hadn’t known they needed a lawyer.

“Yes, it’s nothing to worry about though.”

The doorbell chimed. Gabriel quickly slipped the compass in his pocket and snagged his watch from his nightstand and put it on. He dashed down the stairs two at a time. Brent and Piper’s eager faces greeted him.

“
Hola
!” Piper said in her usual Spanish greeting. Even though she spoke English, she liked to throw in a bit of her native Spanish here and there. Gabriel liked it. It actually helped him ace some Spanish tests.

They gathered inside the doorway and did their secret handshake: a “high ten,” moving their right hands up and down in a wave, then stacking them one on top of the other, before throwing them up in the air with a big “Woot!” It’s not like they’d do that sort of thing in public. Cedric would totally tease them for it.

“Let’s go,” said Gabriel. He couldn’t get to the mountains fast enough.

***

“Did you tell your dad, dude?” Brent’s voice rose in excitement as they neared the waterfalls with Zigzag bounding after them.

“Tell him
what
exactly? That we found a crystal that refracts light in crazy colors and seems to give off some kind of energy and—wait for it—seems to have a tiny tiger living inside it?” Gabriel rolled his eyes at Brent.

“What’s your problem?” Piper glowered at Gabriel. “He was just asking.”

“And I’m just saying. Maybe what we saw wasn’t real. I mean, a white tiger inside of a crystal? Who’s gonna believe us? Nobody, that’s who. It sure wasn’t there when Mr. Roswell looked. How do you explain
that
?”

Piper sighed. “I can’t. But
I
didn’t want to come up here in the first place. It sucks up here in winter. And don’t get any crazy ideas about jumping back in there.”

“I won’t do anything stupid, I promise.” Gabriel said it firmly, and he meant it. He held the crystal out from his neck, watching the lights shimmer through the air. The shades of blue twirled with white, and danced before his eyes. He stared at the waterfalls, deep in thought.

“Besides, Gabe,” Brent said, “we all saw what was in that crystal. It’s not like you were the only—” He stopped speaking. Something in the woods cracked, like a really big branch snapping. They turned in the direction of the noise. “Did you guys hear that?”

Snap.

“There it is again!” Piper said with a shaky voice. “Do you think it could be a bear or something?”

Brent stood first, then Piper—slowly. She took a step back, toward the water’s edge. “What do you think it is?”

“Relax, Piper,” said Gabriel. “It’s probably just a deer.”

“Ahhhh!” A boy screamed.

“That’s not a freaking deer!” shouted Brent.

Cedric Morley raced out of the woods, Zigzag chasing after him. Cedric yelled as he ran toward them. “Leave me alone, you mutt!”

A belly laugh doubled Piper over. “I’m gonna pee my pants!” Tears fell from her eyes as Zigzag chased Cedric around in circles.

“Okay, Zigzag, quit it.” Gabriel called his dog to attention.
Morley always causes trouble.
He remembered how Cedric had been suspended for calling in a fake bomb scare on the day of a big math exam he’d wanted to avoid. Another time, he’d filled the bathroom soap dispensers with glue. Gabriel’s mother had told him a long time ago:
That boy is just mischievous
. Gabriel had sighed and rolled his eyes at the biggest understatement of the century.

It took a couple of minutes for Cedric to catch his breath. That was also about how long it took Gabriel, Piper, and Brent to stop laughing. When they had all calmed down, Gabriel spoke first.

“Why were you spying on us, Cedric?”

Brent scowled. “Yeah, what’re you doing out here, anyway?”

“Spying? Are you nuts?” Cedric sounded almost convincing. “I think you should be nice to me, since
I
have something that
you
need.” He folded his arms against his chest and twisted his lips in a smirk.

“And what could you possibly have that we need?” Brent leaned casually against a tree.

Cedric pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. Something in Gabriel’s stomach soured.

“What’s that?” Gabriel asked as nicely as possible.

“Wouldn’t
you
like to know.”

“I thought you didn’t want to work with us.” Gabriel regretted it as soon as he said it.

Cedric’s eyes widened in understanding. “So you’ve been doing your own spying, eh, Gabe? Well, I changed my mind.”

Piper squinted at him. “Oh, just tell us what it is, you moron.”

“Something to do with a certain science project.”

“Riiight. And what’s
yours
about, Cedric? A rubber ball you ever so scientifically prove bounces?” Piper laughed and rolled her eyes.

“Funny, Ramirez, but if you wanna know what I have—that you guys
need
—first tell Gabe here to apologize for siccing his stupid dog on me. Then I
might
tell you.”

“Oh, gimme a break.” Brent looked ready to charge.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry Zigzag attacked you,” Gabriel offered. He may have even meant it. He took a step forward and reached for the paper. Cedric took two steps back, holding the paper behind him. Fire ignited inside Gabriel. He’d caught a glimpse of the paper and was sure it was his missing assignment. Cedric was such a dork.

“No. Say, ‘I’m sorry, Cedric, for siccing my stupid dog on you,’” Cedric insisted with a smirk.

Brent didn’t wait for Gabriel’s reply. He charged Cedric like a bull. At first, Gabriel thought it was funny, but when neither came up for air, it was clear it was a real fight.

“I’m gonna get my A, you idiot, and you can’t stop me,” Cedric shouted at no one in particular. Punches and kicks followed.

“Do something, Gabe!” Piper urged. Zigzag growled, about to pounce, and through it all, nobody except Gabriel seemed to notice how close to the water’s edge Brent and Cedric fought—or if they did, they were too hyped on adrenaline to care.

Gabriel stepped forward just as Brent and Cedric tumbled toward him in a ball of legs and arms. Cedric grabbed a big stick from the ground, jumped up, and thrashed it against Brent’s face. Piper screamed.

Gabriel shot forward, pushing Cedric away. Cedric stumbled backward and tripped over a rock. For a second he staggered on the edge as they watched in shock. In another second he plunged into the icy river.

They all rushed to the edge and looked into the water.

“Oh my God, where is he?” Piper yelled.

Gabriel scanned the river looking for some sign of him. “Quick, Brent, check over on that side.” He pointed several feet away. Gabriel leaned over the water’s edge. “Cedric!” he shouted.

Piper dashed in the opposite direction. “I’ll look this way!”

After a couple of minutes, Brent ran back, his face ashen. “Dude, he’s gone. I’m going in. Maybe he’s trapped under the ice, like you were.”

“No. I’m going in,” Gabriel said firmly. “I’m the one who pushed him. “Hey, Piper!”

There was no answer.

“Piper, come back,” Brent called. “Gabe’s going in to try to find Cedric.”

Still nothing.

A sickening feeling grew in the pit of Gabriel’s stomach. He tried pushing it back down, and to quiet the screaming in his brain.

Zigzag howled, sensing the tension. Gabriel and Brent bolted to where Piper had been only moments before. She was gone. Just … gone. They stared at one another.

In the next moment, they jumped into the icy water. Zigzag flopped right in behind them. Swimming behind the waterfalls, they searched for Piper and Cedric. The water crashed down on some ice chunks, sending icy water spraying over them.

Brent’s forehead creased. “Where are they?” he yelled over the sounds of the thundering water slapping around them.

Gabriel couldn’t answer. A powerful pull tugged on his legs. Something—or someone—tried to yank him under the water.

“Help!” Gabriel fought to stay above the water. He caught a glimpse of Brent struggling, too. Pulse racing, he grasped the crystal and took a deep breath, just before being hauled under the water. For what seemed like an eternity, he spun around, jerked down hard, as if he was being sucked down a funnel. He struggled against it, but he couldn’t resurface.

Then, as if blasted from a cannon, he shot up to the surface. Brent popped up right behind him. They gasped for air. Gabriel’s limbs felt like wet noodles. The water still swirled and frothed all around them, but it was warmer, and the ice had disappeared.

“Guys, grab this!” Piper thrust a big branch in front of them.

They grasped the branch and Piper tugged them in until they climbed out of the pool and collapsed on the ground. A few feet away, Zigzag’s wet head surfaced. Gabriel smiled as she jumped out of the river and shook like a washing machine on spin cycle. She flopped beside him, panting.

“What in the world, dude?” gasped Brent.

“That’s just it, Brent,” Piper whispered. She gaped at something over Gabriel’s shoulder. “I don’t think we’re in our world anymore.”

Chapter Four

Gabriel followed Piper’s gaze as her head moved slowly to the right. Huge mountains covered in sparkling gold dust towered in the distance, but before he could notice any more, his eyes fell on the humanoid-looking creature just feet away. It stood on two feet like a person, and had massive ears that were almost half as big as its body. A dozen glowing eyes floated around its head in a perfect circle. Gabriel blinked and shook his head. Brent rubbed his eyes, looking pale.

The odd creature strolled up to a short bush with multi-colored branches. The branches held a mix of orange, yellow, and green berries. Even though the stumpy creature stretched to its tip-toes, it still couldn’t reach the yellow berries at the top of the bush. It stomped its foot and grumbled.