The Brain Invaders

Chapter 6

“What do you mean?” I asked.

 “He was killed by a hit-and-run driver about a month ago while he was jogging," Kate said. "We’re 98 percent sure it was them.”

“Do you always do that?” I asked Kate.

“What?”

“The percentage thing.”

“Yes. I like being able to quantify data.”

Boy, I was really feeling out of my element. I felt dumb just listening to Kate talk. “So why are you 98 percent sure they killed Zach’s uncle?”

“We think they knew he had the gift. We're not sure how, so we all have to be careful.”

I looked at Zach. He was staring at the floor. “Sorry, Zach. I had no idea.”

“It’s OK,” Zach said. “Kate’s right. We have to be really careful. One little mistake by one of us could put all of us in danger.”

“What about you, Ryan? How’d you end up here?”

“Zach and I are in the same Scout troop. He was one of the first guys I met when I moved here last summer. We became friends and started hanging out. We’d always end up having stomachaches at the exact same time, which I thought was so coincidental. Then one day, we were helping another kid in our Scout troop build benches at the dog park. It was a hot August morning and our troop leader was late meeting us. When he finally got there, my gut starting hurting. So did Zach’s. In fact, we felt so badly that we both puked and our leader sent us home.”

“I remember that day,” Zach said. “That’s when I told you about Uncle Ted and the invasion.”

“Yes,” Ryan said. “Like Kate, something inside of me was telling me that our Scout leader wasn’t quite right. Zach and I walked home that morning and I told him what I thought. I had a feeling he was thinking the same thing. I’m not sure why, but I did. That’s when he told me everything.”

“So here we are,” I said. “Are there others?”

“We haven’t run into any others yet,” Zach said.

“But we’re 99.9 percent sure there are,” Kate said. “We can assume that anyone born on a Friday the 13th would have the gift.”

“For the record,” I said. “I hate figuring out percentages. In fact, I hate math. But it’s 100 percent cool with me if they work for you.”

Kate smiled. “Thanks.”

There was a noise at the door.

“Did you hear that?” Kate asked. “I’m 100 percent sure I heard something at the door.”

There was silence.

 “Someone’s coming,” Zach said.”

My heart flip flopped. Kate was certain that her aunt wouldn’t be returning until tomorrow. Who was coming?

Everyone scrambled to find a hiding place. Zach and Kate headed for the walk-in pantry. Ryan crawled inside the broom closet, and I sprinted around the corner to the bathroom. I hid in the shower but forgot to close the bathroom door. 

I heard voices. They were getting closer. They were coming into the kitchen. I could hear the wooden chairs scraping across the tile floor. Ping! Something dropped onto the floor.

“What’s that?” a high-pitched voice asked. It sounded like a girl’s.

“Why, what a lovely ring,” another voice said.

I recognized the second voice. It was Mrs. McGee. What was she doing here?

I rubbed my ring finger. My friendship knot ring was missing. I must have laid it on the kitchen table. I have a habit of playing with my ring when I’m nervous. Taking it on and off.  

“I’ve seen that ring before,” a man’s voice said.

His voice sounded familiar.

“My daughter has one just like it.”

Omigod! It was Cassie’s dad. What was he doing here?

“Yeah. These rings are really in right now,” the girl said. It’s probably Kate’s. She probably left it here when she was visiting Aunt Millie.”

So Kate’s sister D.J., Cassie’s dad and Mrs. McGee were in the kitchen. Why? Were they having some sort of meeting?

“Mind if I use the bathroom?” Cassie’s dad asked. “Drank too much coffee.”

“It’s around the corner,” D.J. said.

I was dead meat!