Capricorn's Journal: My Family's Fight for Survival

By Candice Zee

From the award-winning author of The Munchkins, comes this edge-of-your-seat sequel.

While imprisoned by her evil neighbor, Big Boss, Capricorn Munch tells her family's story.<

• Language: English
• Publisher: Candice Zee
• Release date: Jan 30, 2024
• ISBN: 9781737233947

Candice Zee

Candice Zee is the multi-award-winning author of The Munchkins series. She dreamed up the idea of The Munchkins as a child while playing make-believe with her brother in Wilkes-Barre, PA. She is an educator who taught for over thirteen years in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and primary grade classrooms. Like Casey Munch in her book series, she is passionate about creating a more just and equitable world. She savors vegan food, loves board games and her favorite podcast The Majority Report, relishes horror movies and novels, devours social science nonfiction, sings in two choirs, and does some of her best writing while drinking coffee at 1 AM. She lives in Cleveland, OH with her wife Dana and their dog children Solstice and Clover. The Munchkins was her debut four-time award-winning novel, and the sequel is her second.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The school day was never going to end. As 3:30 dismissal approached, I compulsively looked up at the clock, my mind racing. Recently our next-door-neighbor Big Boss crossed the threshold from simple menacing threat to pure diabolical evil. Our father, Casey Munch, or as we call him, CC, decided that morning our lives would be in danger if we stayed here one more day. As soon as school was over, we were heading to the airport and leaving the country. We were to wait at the door for CC as soon as the last bell rang.

Hey, Cap? Allie said, leaning over her desk. The classroom was so noisy our teacher gave up and started summer vacation early, so there was no need to whisper. If you stare at that clock any harder, it might grow a mouth and tell you to stop looking at it, Allie said with a little smile.

I chuckled. I know. It’s just the longest day ever. I can’t believe it’s not 3:30 yet.

Allie sighed. Yeah, it’s taking an eternity. Are you worried about what’s going to happen?

Yes, I can’t stop thinking about it, I answered. I have a million questions in my head. Like where are we going to go? What are we going to do?

Allie twisted her pencil, standing it upright on her desk. I know. I keep thinking about where we’ll go, too.

Breezy gave us both a reassuring smile. CC will figure it out, don’t worry.

Honestly, I’m just so relieved we’re leaving. I don’t care where we go, Allie remarked.

Allie pleaded with CC weeks ago for us to run away, but CC wasn’t planning to until this morning, when, on our last day of school before summer, we found Big Boss waiting for us as we left the house. He used our stolen powers to nearly crush us with a tree.

Hazy pointed at the clock. Only five more minutes. Thank God.

The bell finally rang, and we made a beeline for the door with the other students. Have a great summer, our teacher called after us in a half-hearted tone.

We ran down the hallway to meet the rest of our siblings in front of the main entrance. Most of them were already there.

How did you get out of class so fast? I asked them.

Are you kidding? I was literally standing in the doorway, ready to bolt as soon as the bell went off, Chase answered me.

Ryan laughed. Ms. Woodcheck kept saying, ‘Chase, sit down,’ but he just wasn’t having it.

I smiled. CC’s not here yet?

Nope, not yet, Ryan answered.

My other siblings filed in and within minutes, all thirteen of us were gathered. Looking at them, the events of the last few weeks washed over me like a tidal wave. With the help of our gullible sisters, Twisty and Carlie, Big Boss orchestrated a huge plot to trap all thirteen of us and steal our powers for himself. He manipulated Twisty and Carlie into thinking he was helping them and got them to convince everyone to misuse and deplete their powers. He kidnapped Kitty and used her as bait, forcing us all over to his house to save her. Just as he planned, we were all defenseless and drained of our energy, so we couldn’t protect ourselves. But we were compelled to go, despite Allie’s desperate warnings it was a trap, because he threatened to kill Kitty if we didn’t. As soon as we got inside the room where he held Kitty, he locked us inside and gassed us. When we finally regained consciousness, we discovered we were unable to use our powers, and Big Boss revealed he stole our powers while we were unconscious. And unbelievably, he did it by taking our blood and injecting it into his veins.

The other kids ran past us as they rushed out the door cheering. Billy Braton, one of the kids who enjoyed picking on us, nearly mowed me over as he tore out the building. Watch it, Munch freak, he growled at me, and shot out the door before Allie had a chance to shout one of her snarky comebacks at him.

Allie looked at me and rolled her eyes. Gee, I’m really going to miss Billy Braton, she said in a droll tone. What will we do without hearing him calling us ‘the freak family’ ten times a day? We just won’t cope.

I grinned. Or telling everyone to watch out the Munch freaks don’t cast a spell on you.

Yeah, he told everyone we were witches, Kitty added quietly.

Becky lifted her eyes. So that explains why people kept coming up to me all school year asking where my broom was! I thought they were telling me to sweep the floor!

Allie and I sputtered with laughter.

I wish I had decked him, Twisty said. I wanted one good shot at him before he left.

Yeah, I second that, Kevin nodded.

That wouldn’t have accomplished anything except getting yourselves suspended, Justin pointed out.

It would have been worth it, Kevin said. I hate that kid.

Twisty actually smiled at Kevin in agreement.

Where’s CC? Ashley asked suddenly. He’s late.

Yeah, he’s usually here by now, Ryan added.

"He is always here by now, Allie amended. She peered out the glass door of the building, searching the street for any sign of CC’s van. In fact, he’s usually early. What’s going on?"

Maybe he got held up, Chase offered. Or he lost track of time.

Allie shook her head. No, CC wouldn’t do that. Especially not today. If I know CC, he was doing the exact opposite. Watching the clock all day like a hawk.

He’s just running late, Breezy reassured.

Several minutes passed and most of the kids had emptied out of the building, but we were still standing in front of the door. Ashley checked her watch and announced it was 4:00. CC was now a half-hour late.

Allie anxiously paced in front of the door. He would never be this late, she stressed. Not today. Not the day we’re leaving. He just wouldn’t do that.

Allie’s right. CC wouldn’t do this to us, Justin affirmed. There must have been some emergency he had to take care of.

A bigger emergency than the one we’re already in? Allie questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Yeah, that’s a good point, Justin nodded. I don’t know, but I’m starting to get very worried.

By the time it was 4:15, the building had cleared out, and the school had the feel of a vacant ghost town. The sound of our principal’s high-heeled shoes clacking on the floor came reverberating down the hallway. She rounded the corner, coming into our view, and our presence startled her.

The Munch children! You’re still here? she gasped. It’s the last day of school! Isn’t your father picking you up today?

He’s supposed to, Ms. Walsh, but he isn’t here yet, Breezy answered.

Well, it’s already quarter after four, Ms. Walsh replied. I was planning on closing the building soon. Would you like me to call him for you and see what’s holding him up?

Yes, please, Breezy said. Thank you.

Why don’t one of you come with me and we’ll call him in my office, Ms. Walsh suggested.

I’ll go, Allie immediately volunteered, raising her hand.

Ms. Walsh gave Allie a quick nod. Okay, Allison, follow me. She led Allie down the hallway.

A heavy ball of dread formed in my stomach. CC should definitely be here. Given we had decided this morning to flee the country, we were in full-on emergency mode, and CC would’ve been anxious to pick us up and leave as soon as possible. The fact that he wasn’t here yet told me there was something very, very wrong.

Allie came back down the hall with Principal Walsh, and I instantly knew by Allie’s face they were unsuccessful in contacting CC.

CC’s not answering his phone, Allie told us in a benumbed tone, her face rapidly losing all color.

Did it go to voicemail? Did you leave a message? Kevin asked.

Yes, I left a message, Allie answered robotically.

Ms. Walsh gave us a reassuring smile. Well, I’ll keep trying to reach him then and hopefully he’ll show up in the meantime. Is there another number besides his cell to call?

You can call our home phone. It’s a landline, Ashley said. She scribbled the number down and gave it to Ms. Walsh.

Ms. Walsh disappeared down the corridor, and my siblings became animated in frantic conversation.

Where is CC? Where could he be?

You don’t think he’s hurt, do you?

What if he got in an accident?

What should we do?

Allie stood in place, her face now completely ashen. Breezy and Hazy traded worried glances, then approached Allie and me.

Allie, don’t panic, Breezy said. There’s got to be some explanation for this. CC wouldn’t just disappear on us.

Allie spoke in a strangled whisper. "That’s just it. He wouldn’t disappear on us. He said his first priority is keeping us safe. He would be here if he was able to. Allie’s eyes grew as wide as a frightened rabbit. Something terrible has happened," she trembled.

The minutes ticked on and still CC didn’t show up.

Ashley, being technically the oldest, slipped into leader mode and stepped in front of us. Let’s just walk home. CC has got to be there. Maybe he fell asleep.

Kitty’s brown eyes went big. But…but Ashley, what about Big Boss? CC told us not to walk home anymore. What if we run into him?

Ashley frowned and nervously pulled on the blue watch band on her wrist. I think we have to risk it, she said, with a shake of her dark corkscrew curls. It’s almost 4:30. Ms. Walsh said she’s closing the school. Let’s just go.

Okay, Breezy nodded. But shouldn’t we tell Ms. Walsh we’re leaving first?

No. If we do that, she might not let us leave, Ashley replied. If we just go, she’ll likely assume CC finally picked us up, and we just didn’t tell her.

That reasoning made sense, so we quietly moved to the exit doors. Kevin pressed his back to the push bar on the front door, and we stepped outside onto the cement stairs, the humidity of the summer air instantly wrapping around us like a wet blanket. We descended the steps and half-walked, half-sprinted home, praying CC was there waiting for us.

The first thing we noticed when we arrived home was our passenger van in the driveway, and both the minivan and CC’s car sat in the open garage. The second thing was the fallen oak tree Big Boss crashed down this morning with a lightning bolt was gone.

Wherever CC is, he’s not driving, Justin observed. Maybe that means he’s here.

Where did the oak tree go, though? I asked. How can a massive oak tree just disappear so fast? Did Big Boss get rid of it with the magic?

He must have, Justin said. Unless CC had it removed, but I doubt he could do it that quickly.

We stopped in front of our house and hesitated to move any further, afraid of what we’d find when we went in. Ashley reached into her schoolbag and pulled out a key on a silver chain. She slid the key in the lock and turned it, and we carefully entered the house.

CC? CC? we all called out at once.

We went from room to room, calling CC’s name over and over. We ran upstairs and searched every room, even the closets and attic. There was no sign of CC anywhere. We even searched for a note or anything that would give us a sign of where CC went, but there was nothing to be found. It was as if CC disappeared out of thin air.

We gathered in the living room together, our faces long with grave dismay.

Hazy’s soft brown eyes welled up and tears fell down her pudgy, golden cheeks. Breezy’s soulful blue eyes instantly filled with compassion for her twin sister, and she cuddled Hazy close to her. Ashley slid her arm around Kitty as tears began gliding down Kitty’s pale face.

CC was gone. And we were all alone.

Chapter 2

For a few minutes, all we could do was stare into space. The only sounds in the room were the quiet sobs of Hazy and Kitty.

Finally, Justin broke the silence. Should we call the police?

I don’t think they’ll be of any help, Ryan muttered.

After Big Boss stole our magic, he released us, and CC called the police. Instead of the cops, though, it was that awful Chief Seager who showed up at our door. Chief Seager was working with Big Boss. I caught the two of them whispering together about Allie being a problem for them. Chief Seager was keeping us from getting help from the real police. He dismissed the charges against Big Boss and told CC we didn’t have any evidence of the crime.

So, what should we do now? Kevin asked.

We looked at him with forlorn expressions, blinking, as if not comprehending his question.

Ashley moved from Kitty and stepped forward, looking directly at us through her thin, wire-rimmed glasses. I think we need to look for CC. He’s got to be around somewhere. He didn’t take his car, so he’s got to be in the neighborhood.

Should we split up into separate groups? Justin asked. That would make it easier to cover more ground.

I’m not going back out there! Kitty cried out. We all jumped because it was highly unusual for Kitty to ever raise her voice. "Not with him out there!"

Well, what if, instead of splitting up, we all go together to find CC? Breezy offered. Big Boss can’t hurt us if we’re all together.

Why not? Allie practically barked. He did before.

Well, yes, Breezy cringed. But that was different because of...Kitty, she said quietly, turning away from Kitty’s eyes. And because we didn’t have our...didn’t have our…

Didn’t have our magic? Allie finished. So, in other words, the same situation we’re in now? Honestly Breezy, going out together seems like the worst thing to do. He’d take us all out in one swoop if he wanted to.

So then, let’s split up like Justin suggested, Ashley said, taking control again. One group takes the park, one group takes the store, another group should just walk around the neighborhood.

Someone should also stay here in case CC comes back, Justin advised.

Good idea, Justin, Breezy said. She suggested Hazy stay behind since she was so upset.

No! Hazy protested. I’m not staying here by myself! I’d rather go with you!

Breezy pressed down on Hazy’s shoulders with just enough pressure to calm her.

Breezy, why don’t you stay here then with Hazy? Ashley put forward. And if there’s anyone else who doesn’t want to go, stay here with them.

I’m not going out there, I can’t! Kitty trembled. I’m afraid we’ll run into him!

That’s okay, Kit-Cat, Allie said gently. Stay here with Breezy and Hazy.

Kitty smiled at Allie through her tears. Are you going, Allie?

I tapped Allie on the shoulder. Come with me, I whispered quickly, before Allie agreed to stay behind. Please.

Allie nodded at me. I’m going to go with Cap, she told Kitty.

Alright, so then it’s just you three staying? Ashley asked, waving her hand at Breezy, Hazy, and Kitty. Everyone else is going, right?

Carlie very hesitantly raised her hand, looking at the ground. Can I stay too? she asked in a small voice.

When Big Boss had Twisty and Carlie under his spell, they attacked and nearly killed Kevin and Allie with their magic. Allie and I saved Kevin, but since Twisty and Carlie pushed nearly everyone else to squander their magic needlessly, no one was around with enough energy left to heal Allie. If it wasn’t for Becky coming to the rescue at the last second, Allie would have died. Then to top it off, Twisty and Carlie worked with Big Boss to threaten us into keeping their attack secret from CC. That made it possible for all thirteen of us to be out without CC, where Big Boss was waiting in the shadows to take advantage of just that opportunistic moment.

Ashley almost laughed at Carlie. You? You want to stay? You’re one of the reasons we’re in this whole mess in the first place!

Becky delivered Carlie a scornful smile. Yeah, what’s wrong, Carlie? You’re now afraid of your friend, Big Boss? You know, the one you schemed and plotted with against us? Since you two are best buddies, you should be the first one out there! It’s your fault our magic was stolen, and now you think you can just hide out in the house?

Carlie’s pale blue eyes fell deeper into the carpeted floor.

Hey, leave her alone! This isn’t her fault! Twisty cried out in Carlie’s defense.

No, you’re right, Twisty! It’s yours too! Kevin shouted. You both did this!

I-I’m sorry, I-I didn’t know, Carlie stammered.

You think saying you’re sorry makes up for all this? Becky shouted. You get our magic stolen, now CC’s gone, and you think you can just say you’re sorry?

Carlie started to cry.

She didn’t get our magic stolen! Twisty contended. If you all want to blame somebody for this, blame me! She went along with it all because of me! Leave her out of this!

It’s your fault as much as hers! She made up her own mind! Becky cried.

I-I didn’t mean for this to happen, Carlie sniveled.

You didn’t mean for this to happen because you don’t bother to think, Carlie! Kevin snapped. His dark eyes became bright with fury. Anyone with a brain saw where all your plotting against us was headed! We even tried to warn you, and you’re so stubborn you refused to listen! Now you think you can just apologize and everything’s okay?

Stop! Allie yelled, making me jerk in surprise. Just leave her alone! She can stay if she wants to! I’m not standing here listening to everyone argue anymore! Let’s go, Cap! She pulled on my arm, stomping past our gray sectional couch. We’ll take the park.

Allie marched out of the living room with me behind her, walking past our stunned siblings. As we left, Twisty and Carlie dropped their mouths to the floor, staring at Allie in dumbstruck amazement.

I don’t get it, Allie, I said, once Allie and I were alone on our way to the park. We passed by some people on the sidewalk, enjoying the early summer sunshine. You of all people should hate Carlie and Twisty for what they did. Carlie really doesn’t deserve your support. Why did you defend her?

Allie sighed. Because she obviously feels bad enough about what she did. There’s no sense in beating her over the head with it. It won’t change anything. The damage is already done.

Wow, Allie, you’re amazing, I fawned. You’re a much bigger person than I am. I can’t easily forgive her after what she’s done.

Allie dragged her hand over the rough, bumpy granite wall of an office building as we walked by. I didn’t say I forgave her, Cap. What she did was awful. But there’s no sense in making her feel even more guilty.

See, that’s why you’re amazing, I smiled. Most people would say she deserves to feel guilty. She should have to face the consequences of her actions.

She already is, Allie asserted, as we paused to cross the street that led to the meadow we used as a shortcut to the park. She’s paying for it with the rest of us. Probably more because she knows she partly made this happen, and now she has to live with that guilt. No additional shaming is needed.

We trudged through thick, green grass and bundles of sunny dandelions alive in the meadow. The bright yellow daffodils, purple and red tulips, and wildflowers in full bloom stood in sharp contrast to my sullen mood. Yes, but she deserves the extra shame, I argued. You’re perfectly justified to want revenge against her.

I don’t really want revenge against Carlie, or even Twisty for that matter, Allie said. Besides, what happened isn’t totally their fault. Like CC said, Big Boss completely manipulated them. He practically turned them into different people. Allie stopped abruptly, as if she suddenly remembered why we were out here. Cap? Do you think we’ll find CC?

God, I hope so, I breathed. I don’t know what we’re going to do if we don’t.

Allie started shaking. Cap, what if...what if...what if Big Boss did something to CC?

Allie voiced my darkest thought since the moment I realized CC wasn’t going to pick us up at school, but I was too afraid to acknowledge it. Now that it was out there, I wanted to take the idea and stuff it into a deep hole. I didn’t want even the inkling of the notion to be present in the universe.

Allie, please don’t say that, I whispered. I can’t stand even the thought of that.

But what if, Cap? Allie cried. I can’t stand it either, but I know I can’t be the only one thinking it.

No, I was too, but… I gave Allie a desperate look. Please, please, I can’t deal with that thought right now.

Allie gazed into the distance. It’s just...Big Boss suddenly showed up this morning...CC made plans for us all to leave….and now… She suddenly turned back to me with a sympathetic expression. We’re almost at the park. Let’s search it really well.

We moved through the path of shrubs and pine trees that opened into the park and said nothing more until we arrived.

On the astroturf of the park’s small playground, a woman was pushing a young child on a spring rider shaped like a carousel horse. The toddler laughed gleefully as he bounced back and forth on the rocker.

Allie called out to the woman. Excuse me, we’re looking for our dad. Have you seen him? He’s tall, thin, light skin, dark brown hair?

The woman smiled apologetically and shook her head. Sorry. Hope you find him, she called back, then directed her attention back to her child.

Should we split up then? I asked Allie. I’ll take one side of the park and you take the other?

No! Allie said with such unexpected force it scared me. I don’t think any of us should be alone right now, Cap! That’s a really bad idea! Remember what happened to Kit-Cat! We need to stick together. Yes, it will take longer, but honestly, I don’t really want to be at home right now, anyway.

Allie and I began our search, looking behind every tree and bush, combing every area and building. I was experiencing major déjà vu: It was when Kitty was missing all over again. I prayed this time there would be a much happier outcome. Finally, as the sky grew darker and twilight arrived, it was time to give up.

Allie, I said softly. We looked everywhere. CC’s not at this park.

Allie looked at the ground. I know. Let’s go home, I guess. Maybe another group found him. She tried to sound hopeful, but it was obvious she didn’t believe much in that possibility.

We headed home with heavy hearts, trying hard not to think the unthinkable.

We arrived home safely without any run-ins with Big Boss. The other groups had already arrived back, and just as expected, they had no luck finding CC, either.

Okay, so what’s the plan now? Kevin asked.

Um...I know everyone is going to hate this, but maybe now we should call the police, Justin suggested again.

Why, so they can send Chief Seager over to cover it all up? Kevin asked bitterly.

Maybe they won’t send him this time, Justin said. I think that’s only when it involves Big Boss. This is different. We need to file a missing person’s report. The police need to be looking for CC. We can’t do it all ourselves.

No! Allie suddenly cried out. We can’t call the police! Don’t you know what will happen if they know our father’s missing and no one’s taking care of us? Think about it! They’ll call Children’s Services and we’ll be wards of the state again! They’ll ship us off into foster homes! And there’s no way they’re going to keep all thirteen of us together! We might even go into thirteen separate homes! Do you know what that means? It means we’ll never see each other again! Our family would be done! No, we cannot call the police!

The room became deathly quiet as we processed what Allie said.

They’d split us all up? Chase finally uttered. They can’t do that! We’re a family! That’s not fair!

You’re right, it’s not fair, Chase, Allie agreed. It’s very unfair and wrong. And cruel, too. But they’ll still do it.

Justin nodded gravely. Yeah, Allie’s right. The foster care system is just not set up to take in thirteen kids in one place. If the police called Children’s Services, chances are very high we’d be separated. Maybe not at first, but likely soon after. And it’s true: We may never see each other again.

Hazy started crying again. You mean they might separate me and Breezy?

Since you two are biological twins, you probably have the greatest chance of staying together, Ryan answered. I think they try to keep siblings together.

But we’re all siblings! Kevin cried. Just because we’re not blood-related doesn’t make us any less family!

Breezy? Hazy asked in tears. Does this mean we’d never see Capricorn again? She looked at me sadly and began crying so hard she could barely speak. Does this mean we’d never see Allie again?

The thought of the Four Musketeers being forever separated just about broke me.

Allie gave Hazy a warm hug. They’re not going to split us up, Haze. We won’t let them, she said in a tender but resolute tone. I’m not going to let anyone separate us. I couldn’t stand losing you guys. Any of you, she said, looking at the faces of our siblings.

Chase gave Allie a somber smile. We couldn’t stand losing you either, Allie.

So, wait a minute, Justin said. Does this mean we can’t report CC missing to the police? Because that’s not good either.

Well, no it’s not, but I don’t think the police would have been much help anyway, Justin, Ryan pointed out. I bet ten to one they’d send Chief Seager if we called. Thanks, but no thanks.

But if we can’t have the police help us find CC, what are we going to do? Becky asked.

I guess we’ll have to try to find him ourselves, Ashley answered.

But we’re not police detectives! Becky cried.

True, but we do know CC better than anyone, so we would be the best people to find him, right? Ashley reasoned.

Becky’s face took on a deeply troubled expression.

Well, um, Carlie uttered tentatively, Can we get help from someone else? Like another adult. Maybe a friend or neighbor?

Sure, a friendly neighbor like your friend Big Boss? Kevin said snidely. I’m sure he’d be a lot of help. I bet you he knows exactly where CC is.

"I know you’re kind of joking, Kevin, but confronting Big Boss might seriously be the best way to find CC, because I bet he does know where he is," Ryan indicated.

Ryan, no offense, but that might be the worst suggestion ever, Becky said.

I’m just saying we’d find CC fast, Ryan shrugged.

Yeah, that is, if we’re still alive to actually find him, Kevin joked darkly.

Becky’s face turned a sickly green. Don’t joke about that!

We really can’t tell any other adults what’s going on, Allie said, returning to Carlie’s original question. We don’t know what they’ll do or if they’ll report it to the police. Or even call Children’s Services themselves. We can’t really trust anyone.

Ashley nodded. So, then it’s all up to us. We need to find CC ourselves. We’re on our own.

Chapter 3

The next day came and still no word from CC. We started a cycle of calling his cell phone regularly, some would say even obsessively, hoping and praying he’d pick up, but we repeatedly just got voicemail. To make matters worse, we discovered there was very little food left in the house. We gathered at the dining room table together after we all woke up to talk strategy for finding CC.

Hey, guess what? Kevin announced when my fellow musketeers (Allie, Breezy, and Hazy) and I walked in the room. I found a jar of unopened peanut butter in the back of the cabinet. He held the jar out in the air like a prize trophy.

Is there any bread? I asked. We could make peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast.

No, sorry, no bread, Kevin answered. I looked everywhere but couldn’t find any. But hey, peanut butter, right?

Allie disappeared into the kitchen and came back with several spoons in her hands, laying them on the table. She took the jar from Kevin and opened it, dipping her spoon until it was chock-full of peanut butter. She licked the spoon clean, then licked the peanut butter off each of her fingers, smacking her lips. Sticking a clean spoon inside the jar, she passed it to me next to her. I ate my own spoonful and passed it over to Breezy, and it continued to be passed down the table.

Becky frowned. So I guess this is breakfast? Well, at least it’s better than the dry Cheerios I had for dinner last night. We need to find some real food fast though because I’m starving.

You and everyone else, Becky, Ashley said a little irritably. But like we said last night, there’s not much food left.

Justin fidgeted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. Okay, so for finding CC, how about we split into groups again and each group take a different section of the neighborhood? We’ll cover the whole area that way.

Becky twisted her face. "But what if CC is some place outside our neighborhood?"

Well, we can only get to places we can walk to, Justin replied. And CC doesn’t have his car, so chances are he’s in this neighborhood. But if he is somewhere else, we won’t be able to go there, unfortunately. We can only do what we can.

Becky pulled at her long blonde hair anxiously and looked at Justin. But what if the reason he doesn’t have his car is because somebody took him?

Justin shivered. You mean like kidnapped? God, I really hope not. But like I said, we can only look where we can.

Well, what if we took the bus? Becky asked. We could at least take the bus downtown.

You need money to ride the bus, Allie said. And we’ll need to pull together the money we have to buy food. We can’t waste any money on bus fares. Also, thirteen kids riding the bus without an adult might look suspicious. We don’t want to attract attention.

Becky huffed. Okay, she said in a peevish tone, throwing up her hands. CC better be in this neighborhood I guess then.

Justin ignored Becky’s attitude and organized groups. We want everyone out there this time looking for CC. We’ll write a note before we leave in case he comes back. Let’s do four groups. North, south, east, and west. He drew a map of the neighborhood and circled the area each group would be targeting.

We planned to meet back at the house in three hours. I left with Allie, Breezy, and Hazy. The four of us were too tense to do much talking as we searched the north side of the neighborhood. Even Allie was strangely quiet. We looked in every alley, searched every corner and street, asked the people passing by if they had seen him, and went into every store and business we could. Just like yesterday at the park, no one had seen CC and there was no sign of him anywhere. Finally, our watch showed our three hours were nearly up. We headed back home, our steps heavy on the sidewalk.

What’s the chances one of the other groups found CC? I asked my sisters.

Slim to none, Allie answered miserably. Becky’s probably right. CC’s not in this neighborhood. I guess we’re wasting our time looking for him here. It’s just…I don’t know what else to do, she choked, swallowing a tight lump in her throat.

Breezy took Allie’s hand and squeezed it. We’ll find him. We have to find him, Allie. We will.

Allie tried to smile at Breezy, and we walked the rest of the way home in sullen silence. I was walking a few steps ahead of my sisters, so I was the first one to notice, as we were approaching our house, Big Boss standing on the porch of the house next door, his former house. I halted abruptly, forcing my sisters in back to stop as well. They looked up at me, startled, as if I had suddenly woken them from a deep sleep. I pointed my finger at Big Boss and watched my sisters’ eyes cloud over with terror.

What should we do? I whispered.

Allie and Hazy went cold, staring fixedly at Big Boss as if in a trance, so Breezy was the one to answer me. Let’s cross the street and walk over on the other side, she whispered. If he tries to talk to us, just keep walking and don’t look at him. Don’t turn back till we get inside our house, okay?

We followed Breezy’s directions, crossing the street quickly, and looking straight ahead. I was too afraid to glance at Big Boss, but I felt him smiling his unnerving smile at us the whole time. Then, out of the corner of my eye, he left his porch and walked over towards our house. To our horror, he was now blocking the walkway to our front porch.

Now what, Breezy? I asked under my breath.

Breezy stopped and stared at Big Boss with a frozen frown. Let’s turn around. We’ll go around the block.

We all did an about face and turned to go in the other direction, away from the house. What’s the point of going around the block, Breezy? Allie asked, her voice quivering. He’ll still be in front of our house. We can’t get in without facing him.

Then we’ll go take a walk and hopefully by the time we get back he’ll be gone, Breezy said.

We only made it a few feet though, because suddenly it was as if we had hit an invisible wall. Every time we tried to take another step forward, something was holding us back, like a hidden force.

Is it a shield? Hazy asked, her voice tight.

No, shields are gelatinous and see-through, Breezy said, sounding extremely puzzled. This is invisible. You can’t see it, but there’s definitely something there.

So we can’t go any further, I said dismally. What do we do now?

What he wants us to do, Allie said, her voice a little steadier. The sudden presence of the invisible wall seemed to replace some of her fear with great indignation. Turn around and confront him.

No, Allie, don’t! Hazy cried. What if he attacks us?

We don’t have much choice, Haze, Allie said. He’s not letting us go any farther. At least he can’t use magic against us again, since he’ll need to recharge. Let’s just cross the street, walk quickly down the pathway, and go into the house.

And if he says anything to us, ignore him, Breezy added.

Steeling ourselves, we turned around and walked the other way, towards our house. We crossed the street and came up on our pathway. Big Boss spoke to us as soon as our feet hit the pavement of our property.

You brats wouldn’t be trying to avoid me now, would you? he said in a seething tone. "Because that’s just rude. And it won’t work. Besides, you’ll be seeing a lot