The Shade Riders and the Dreadful Ghosts (16 page)

Darkness finally approached.

They watched as the horses started to trudge
slowly toward the catch pen. Nova left the woods and tried to
corner her horse, but Shade became skittish and trotted

away from her. She wasn’t going to have any
more lounging, not tonight. Nova brought out some carrots from her
pocket and whistled to get her horse’s attention. Shade changed her
mind when she saw the sweet root and came over.

She wasn’t alone. The other horses saw the
food and approached, trying to bite for them too. Nova’s hand
became wet from all the nibbling. She reached up and grabbed
Shade’s red halter and snapped the lounge line on it.

“Max Kim and Takeesha, help spook the other
horses, so I have room to lounge Shade. I’m going to need about
four yards for each wing plus her body.” Nova tried to move to a
space that was away from the other horses but to no avail. Max Kim
and Takeesha yelled and clapped at them, Which spooked them a
little, but the other horses wandered back to be near Shade. Max
Kim and Takeesha rolled their eyes and then had to scare the horses
enough that they would run into the catch pen. Belle helped keep
them going with a nibble on a hock and a bark. Max Kim and Takeesha
were panting when they came back to sit down on a couple of logs
near Benny.

In the pasture, Nova used the other end of
the soft rope to

whip Shade’s hip and croup. As soon as the
horse began to trot in a circle, Nova stopped with the whip. Shade
would continue

running around in the circle until Nova gave
her the signal to run in the opposite direction. Shade put out her
black and gold glossy wings and flapped them lifting a yard off the
ground.

“That is so clash!” Benny said.

Takeesha’s eyes flashed. She kept very quiet
and pressed her lips hard together.

“Here, watch this.” Max Kim’s eyes sparkled.
He danced along the rope, then jumped into the slipstream. He flew
around the lounge circle, doing some flips and some summersaults.
“It’s so cushiony too. Watch I’ll do a magic trick.” A deck of
cards flew through the air in an arch from one hand to another,
while he stood on what looked like an invisible platform.

“Whoo hoo!” Benny yelled.

“Way to go,” Takeesha said, but she sounded
unenthusiastic.

“Let me try it, now.” Benny rolled
forward.

“Nah, you really think you should? You could
get hurt. Max Kim, I’m landing Shade.” Nova landed her horse.

“I’ll stand up behind him and hold onto his
chair.” Max Kim landed on his feet.

Nova patted Shade’s shoulder. “I don’t know,
guys.”

“Aw, come on. I’ll be fine,” Benny said. “I
want to fly again like I did on my dirt bike.”

“You had the use of both of your legs then.
Come on, you could really get hurt. If you try it, I won’t lounge
anymore.”

“Damn it, Nova, I want to be normal as much
as the next guy. Let me try it.” Benny started to inch his way
closer to the horse. An outstretched wing almost clobbered him. He
had to duck down.

Nova was about to say no, But when she saw
the hurt on Benny’s face she said, “Come on Benny, you’re a smart
guy, I bet you could come up with a much safer way to do this. By
the way, Leandra wants to see us. Who can go?”

“I can,” Benny and Max Kim said.

“Pass,” Takeesha said. “I‘m having some
company over and need to get going. Tell me later what she says,
you know what I mean? Can I use your phone to call Ma?”

“Sure. We’ll meet up with you later.” Nova
unclipped the lounge rope and swatted her on the rump. Shade
snorted and ran to the other horses.

Nova and her friends ambled back toward the
farmhouse. Inside, Scott was filling the bottom half of taco shells
with beef.

“Hi, Scott. What are you doing?” Nova
asked.

Takeesha walked to the phone.

“I’m making my dinner. What’s it look like?”
He threw some fixings on top.

“I was wondering if it would be okay to let
Max Kim here borrow your bike for a night ride around the
block.”

“I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

“Come on. We won’t hurt it,” Nova said.

“Do you have some collateral?”

Benny rolled his eyes.

“Huh?” Nova asked.

“You know, if you break it you have to give
me something of yours that’s of the same value of my bike. So what
do you have that’s worth seven hundred dollars?”

In her mind, Nova went over everything she
had that might be worth a good chunk of change. The only thing she
came up with was Shade.

“Never mind, we’ll walk. Please tell Benny’s
and Max Kim’s parents we won’t be long.” Nova shuffled to the
cookie jar and pulled out eight cookies. Takeesha was waiting
outside on the porch when they left the house. Nova handed out two
cookies each. They discussed the planets and stars above as they
waited. Takeesha’s mom was there in ten minutes. The three kids
waved goodbye to Takeesha and left to go to Leandra’s house.

A full moon lit up the road and surrounding
woods for the long walk.

“Let’s pass the time and see if we can outrun
Benny’s wheelchair.”

“Yeah,” Max Kim said.

“You think you’re faster than my chair?”

“You betcha,” Nova said.

Benny sat up straight. “I’ll even give you
two a head start. Ten-- fifteen yards,”

Max Kim winced. “I don’t like the sound of
that. He’s too sure of himself.”

“Hey, what’s our chances we could beat
him?”

Max Kim swallowed the rest of the cookie. “It
might not be likely.”

“Come on, why don’t we try, just to see how
fast his chair is. I’m curious.”

“Okay Let’s race,” Max Kim said.

Nova and Max Kim hurried fifteen-yards ahead,
and Nova said “One, two, three, go!” Nova ran as fast as she could,
her feet striking the hard pavement over and over. She watched Max
Kim struggling to pass her. Nova pushed harder, not wanting to pace
herself. She ended up getting a stitch in her left side. It slowed
her down.

“Stupid cookie.”

In a minute, Max Kim whizzed past. He looked
back at Nova and laughed.

Benny arrived at the driveway with a
twenty-yard lead. Nova grabbed her left side and slowed to a trot.
Max Kim was ahead of her, and he made it to Benny before Nova got
there, but that was alright. Benny sat at the top of the driveway
and waited. When she arrived, and she and Max Kim had caught their
breath, they traveled down the gravel driveway together. “I didn’t
know your wheelchair was so fast.” Max Kim panted.

“I put in a more powerful motor in it about a
week ago for the skate parks.” He laughed. “It’s awesome. I love
going over the hills fast enough to catch air.”

It felt spooky going down Leandra’s driveway
at night. The crickets seemed louder, and Nova felt as though she
was being watched.

When they arrived at the house, Leandra was
kneeling in the herb and vegetable garden under a floating yellow
light.

“Whoa, what kind of light is that?” Benny
asked. She stood up from picking mint leaves and put them into a
basket in front of her. "It’s a will o’ wisp from the pond out
back. Here’s something you also need to see." In her bare hand was
a glowing fireball with fractals in it. Nova remembered the
fireball from her dream.

“Aren’t you going to burn yourself?” Nova
asked.

“No, I have Neanderthal blood running through
my veins, even though I’m from the Lower Echelons.”

"What is it? Is it pure fire?" Benny reached
out, then pulled back fast from the heat.

"Don’t touch it if you’re Modern Human. It's
a pure fireball. No fuel, no substrate. You'll need to learn to
defend yourself against it. That’s why I asked you here."

"What do you mean? Ghosts don't throw
fireballs."

"Ghosts don’t, but Nocturnal Ned does. He got
away from me the other night, and I haven't been able to find where
he’s hiding out."

“Wait,” Nova said. “Nocturnal Ned is just a
fraud, a charlatan who pretends to talk to the dead and takes
people’s money.”

“It’s a terrific disguise, isn’t it,” Leandra
said. “There’s much more to Ned than there seems. You’d be
surprised.”

"You mean he was that green glowing monster I
saw on the street?"

"Yep, that's him," Leandra said. "I suggest
you go to a science supply store and get the equipment you'll need
to build a weapon to defend yourselves, at least until Nova's magic
is up to snuff."

Later, inside the invisible house, Leandra
offered them a snack of delicious, fresh, black raspberry pie with
homemade whipped cream. As they ate, the friends brainstormed the
most effective way of putting out a fireball. They drew up a
diagram of a gun that used vinegar and baking soda in cylinders,
which would create a gas inside soap bubbles. The bubbles would
surround the fireball and put it out. During the meeting, they made
plans to get supplies at Benny's favorite hangout: The science swap
fest.

It was a bright sunny day
when Benny’s mother agreed to drive the kids in her van to Madison,
Wisconsin to the swap fest.

Nova was surprised when they parked in a
nearly-empty lot surrounding a huge metal-sided building. When they
roamed inside the echoing, cavernous building, they were about the
only ones there.

“I thought there would be more people,” Nova
said. She almost felt like whispering.

"Yeah,” Benny said. “It used to be that there
was a science swap fest in every city every week, but not anymore.
Now they are held every couple of months. Of course, I usually buy
enough stuff to last me a while, so I'll also be buying other
supplies while I'm here."

Vendors, looking lonely, stood behind each
table with their wares, and all Benny had to do was wheel down the
aisles and pay as he went.

While they shambled and trundled around, the
place was jammed packed with stuff. Electronics galore. Nova saw
spools of wire, bulbs, switches, motors, little electronic…
thingies. She examined minerals and books. Max Kim played with the
gears, weights, and pulleys. Laser lights, neon signs and fiber
optics screamed for her attention, along with gasses, chemicals,
gizmos and ham radio equipment. Nova and Max Kim took turns taking
merchandise Benny purchased off of his lap as he wheeled down the
aisles -- his mom strolling behind him-- and ran the stuff out to
the van. Benny bought a computer monitor, a keyboard, and mouse. He
bought Teflon tape and twelve gauge wire. Benny bought wrenches and
rubber hose and computer motherboards. He bought light bulbs and
video games. He bought triggers, lasers, watches, and telephones.
He bought switches, bungee and extension cords, tubes, and bottles
and many boxes of other stuff. Nova and Max Kim’s arms were loaded
down with so much merchandise and they had worked up a sweat from
running back and forth to the van. Finally, they drove off, and
Nova and Max Kim could breathe a sigh of relief. Benny’s mom
decided to pay them back by pulling over at a custard shop and
ordering two scoops for everyone.

Nova invited Takeesha,
Benny and Max Kim to a sleepover at her house. Benny, for the first
time, left his autogyro at home and brought instead the
not-quite-finished weapon against the fireballs. He sat at the pink
homework desk in Nova's bedroom, tightening down some final screws.
Max Kim and Nova skip into the kitchen to make salted popcorn as a
treat for Shade.

Takeesha had dropped by, but she was wearing
a frown, and the friends couldn’t say anything to cheer her up.

“Why didn’t you bring a sleeping bag or
change of clothes?” Nova asked.

“Because I don’t want to be here.” She kept
wiggling and warily looking around.

Nova felt hurt. Their friendship seemed at an
all-time low now. Regardless, The Shade Riders stroll out in the
dark to the catch pen. Shade had not flown away and was rolling in
the moist dirt. A light rain was falling.

Shade got to her feet, shook off the excess
dirt and flapped her wings. She neighed to Max Kim and Nova, who
held out the popcorn.

And that was when they found out what was
bothering Takeesha.

"I hate this! Why does Nova get
everything?"

At first, Nova didn't know how to respond to
Takeesha's outburst. She let Max Kim hold the pan of popcorn as she
approached Takeesha.

"Look, Takeesha, a flying horse, isn't that
terrific. What would happen if I fell off or something? I could get
really hurt. Leandra’s paths only make her an adult horse for three
hours. If I don’t get off her in time, we both could plummet to
Earth and die. Not to mention, she gets out all the time, and I
always have to go look for her. What if she gets hit by a car? My
mom would get sued."

"Oh come on,” Takeesha said, “You have a
flying horse. And you get help with your magic. It's not fair. You
know what I mean?"

"Life's not fair,” Nova said. “I've been
bothered by bullies for years, and you used to want to hang around
with me. I don't know what's going on with you, but you stood me up
the night when I went to the dog training class. Then I saw you
hanging out with some street kids who were painting the walls of
buildings."

"They’re my new friends. You'll just have to
get used to it."

"If they’re getting you to break the law,
they’re not your friends," Nova yelled.

"I'll do what I want when I want," Takeesha
yelled back.

Takeesha and Nova crossed their arms in front
of their chests, clenched their jaws, and stared at each other.
“I’m never going to talk to you again,” Takeesha said.

“Fine with me.”

While Max Kim kicked the grass and Benny
looked toward the woods, Takeesha stalked back to the house to call
her mother to come pick her up.