Shadow Boy by R.J. Ross Read Free Book Online

of boxers, sniffing them curiously. They smell better.
    “How do you do that?” I ask.
    “Well it’s all a matter of molecular vibration,” she says with a shrug. “In order to phase through things I need to know—” she stops, tilting her head slightly and smiling at me. “It’s MAGIC!”
    “I looked that blank, huh?” I say.
    “Yep!” she says cheerfully.
    “Skye, Skye! Is he up yet?” Carla calls through the door.
    “I’m up!” I call to her, dragging out my backpack and hesitating for all of a second before handing it to Skye. “Think you could do this, too?”
    “Sure!” she says, repeating the process. I shove as many clothes into it as I can, hesitating for a moment.
    “We’re going to need food, too, aren’t we?” I say thoughtfully. Okay, so technically Skye is the adult in this little team, but I feel responsible.
    “We can always get fast food!” she says.
    “Nah, with Carla’s metabolism, we’re going to need it on hand,” I say. “Carla, go raid the kitchen, would you? We need enough for a few days, at least!”
    “Got it!”
    “Got it as in, you’re going to do it now, or as in you just did it?” I ask after a second.
    “Both?”
    “Okay,” I say, grabbing a few of the non-packed clothes and heading into my bathroom to get dressed. “Say any goodbyes you need to say and we’ll head out as soon as Nico lets us out,” I say as I open the door. “The sooner we find my old man, the sooner we’ll be back.”
    “Already told them!” Carla says, looking at me hesitantly. “Are you sure about this?”
    “I’m sure,” I say, pulling out my phone and calling Max. I woke him up, I think evilly as I tell him what’s going on.
    “Want me to come along?” he asks.
    “Not yet. If I run into a situation that calls for show-boating and a mic, I’ll call you,” I say.
    “Will do,” he says, hanging up on me, probably to go back to sleep.
    I grab the massive bag next to Carla and swing it over my shoulder as well. We head out of the dorms, and I stop, looking around for a second. “When we get back, I owe both of you a favor,” I tell them. “Skye, I’ll help you with Ariel, Carla, I’ll—”
    “I don’t need anything,” she says. “I just want Shadowman in the Cape Cells before—before my little brothers and sisters come into their powers. You know, if they get any,” she says, looking serious.
    “I’ll make sure of it,” I tell her. Yes, he is my father. I might even feel a little torn about this, if I think about it too long. “There’s just one little problem,” I say as we reach Nico and start up the steps out of the canyon, “I’ve got no idea what you mean when you say I can find him.”
    “Oh, I can explain!” Skye says cheerfully as Nico steps through the force field. He hasn’t even said anything, I think, he just turns and watches. “I do it all the time!” Skye adds.
    “Uh, okay?” I say. “So how do I do it?” We step out of the force field, standing in front of the school, and I look to my “Aunt” expectantly.
    “You must first… touch your toes!” she declares, dramatically. “And then we will do the traditional ceremonial dance of finding!”
    Right, is there any chance of trading for a different adult, after all?
     
    ***
     
    She lied. The fact is weighing heavily on Carla’s mind as she watches Skye lead Rocco through the most ridiculous dance she’s ever seen. He’s standing on one hand now, the other hand in the air, waving around. It’s funny, especially since she’s pretty sure HE knows there’s no dance needed. But she can’t help but feel guilty, because she lied. She hasn’t gotten over this stupid crush yet—
    “Hey, Carla?”
    She jerks, looking to the force field. She can’t see Cisco through it, but she can hear him. “Cisco?” she asks, heading for the wall but stopping before it’ll hit her. “What’s wrong?”
    “Um… if you go down South… could you check on my dad for me?” he asks.