Chase Tinker and the House of Secrets by Haberman Malia Ann

Author:Haberman, Malia Ann [Haberman, Malia Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
Publisher: Crossroad Press
Published: 0100-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Chasing Magic

Chase shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and slouched down the busy sidewalk. He hated shopping almost as much as he hated math. And to top it off, what had started out as a sunny morning was now turning into a miserable, drizzly afternoon. Swiping raindrops off his nose, he yanked up the hood of his jacket. Maybe slipping into another one of the warm, brightly-lit shops lining the Seattle city streets wasn’t such a bad idea at the moment. In fact, they should also look for a place that served hot chocolate and cookies. Even though they’d just eaten lunch, those would sure hit the spot right about now.

“What can we get for her?” asked Andy impatiently as he dodged a woman pushing a baby stroller. “Don’t you have any ideas?”

“It has to be something special,” said Chase. “I’m tired of her being mad at us. She’s barely said anything to me for days. Any great ideas, Persephone?” He peeked around the edge of his hood at her.

“I’ve already suggested a few, but you keep shooting them down,” Persephone said.

“I’m not shopping for ladies’ clothes!” exclaimed Chase, horrified.

“When’s her birthday again?” asked Andy.

“October 18th. Only a few days away,” said Chase. “So we have to get her something today.”

He paused in front of a long window displaying books and candles and assorted knick-knacks. The space was also decorated with orange and white twinkling lights, jack-o-lanterns, and big, plastic spiders sitting in stringy webs. THE ONE-STOP MAGIC SHOP it said on the window, in large black and gold lettering.

“I don’t think this store sells real magic stuff,” said Andy. He stopped next to Chase and pressed his face against the window. “Most people don’t believe in the real thing.”

“Yeah, but they like to pretend,” Chase answered. “Ah, come on, it looks interesting. Let’s check it out.”

“It looks a little sketchy to me,” said Persephone. “I think—”

Chase didn’t give her a chance to finish as he pushed open the door and slipped inside. Both Andy and Persephone heaved deep sighs and hurried in after him. The sweet scents of cinnamon and pumpkin swirled around them as the door swung shut. Whoever owned the shop was certainly in the holiday spirit, because not only the window but the whole store was decked out in Halloween décor.

“But we have our own magic,” whispered Andy as he goggled at a towering Frankenstein monster standing next to the door.

“Yeah, but maybe we can find something that will convince Mom how awesome it is,” answered Chase, a hopeful expression on his face.

Persephone snorted. “Good luck with that.”

“You want to buy something for Mom here?” said Andy.

Chase pushed off his hood. “I just want to be done with shopping.”

Persephone picked up a witch’s long, warty nose from a bin and slipped it on. “How do I look?”

It was Chase’s turn to snort. “Too hot for words,” he teased.

Persephone grinned and dropped the nose back into the bin. “Since we’re here, I guess we can see what they have.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.