Here Comes Mr. Trouble

sisters, Fiona and Keira; his mother and her brothers; and various other family members as needed.

11

The same dinged-up sedan from the night before was waiting at the curb in front of the school. Mother Trouble was sitting behind the wheel this time and, much to Eric’s surprise, Maggie was sitting in the back.

Fiona got in up front while Eric and Keira squeezed into the rear seat with Maggie. As soon as the doors were shut, Mother Trouble hit the gas and they raced away from the school.

“What are you doing here?” Eric asked Maggie.

Fiona answered before Maggie could speak. “My brother was worried she might be targeted if you suddenly disappeared from school by coming with us. They know she’s your best friend so she’d be an obvious way to get to you. Like it or not, you’ve involved her in your troubles. Now we have to keep an eye on both of you.”

Maggie looked like she was doing everything she could to hold back her anger. “I was just going to the bathroom and they kidnapped me! Eric, we’re supposed to be in history right now, turning in our report. I swear, if we get an F, I’m going to…” The next sound out of her mouth was a frustrated growl.

“What?” Keira asked. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’d love to hear what you’d do.”

“Ugh!” Maggie said, then turned to the window and crossed her arms.

After a few moments of silence, Mother Trouble asked, “Problems getting him out?”

“You could say that,” Fiona said.

“Maker attack,” Keira said.

Fiona shot her a look.

“What?” Keira said. “That’s what it was, and it’s not like these two don’t already know.”

Their mother pressed her lips tightly together.

Fiona glanced at her mom. “Ronan already told them about the Makers. He shouldn’t have done that.”

Her mother glanced over and then back at the road. “He’s under a lot of stress. It’s always hard when a new Mr. Trouble takes over.”

“He’s been in charge for over a year now,” Fiona argued.

“And it may take him another year before he feels completely comfortable. Your job is to support him, not give him a hard time. And we all know this particular case is turning out to be a little more involved than we expected.”

Fiona frowned.

“So,” Eric said after a few moments of silence, “are you saying that Peter and Tommy and Kyle are Makers?”

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Fiona said.

Maggie turned back from the window and looked at Eric. “What happened?”

He took a deep breath, then told her about Peter and his friends, the gold ball, and their escape.

As soon as he finished, Maggie leaned back against the seat, her eyes staring at an invisible point somewhere in the distance. He had seen the look before. She was in major think mode. Based on past experience, it could easily go on for several minutes. He asked Fiona, “What did you mean when you said ‘a little more complicated than that’?”

She looked back at him through the gap between the two front seats. “I mean your friends aren’t Makers.”

“Wait,” he said. “They’re not my friends. And, yes, they can be jerks most of the time. But the way they’ve been acting lately, especially just now, that’s not normal even for them. Something’s got to be wrong with them. Did you hear the way they sounded when they talked?”

“Monotone?” Keira suggested.

“Yes,” Eric said, his eyes widening. “Did they talk to you when you tried to stop them earlier?”

“No, but it’s standard.”

Eric stared at her for a second, then said in a voice much too loud for the car, “Standard for what? Robots in a science fiction movie?”

The silence that followed stretched for nearly half a minute. Finally, Eric said, “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mother Trouble told him. “You shouldn’t be sorry. You have a lot on your mind.” She looked at him through the rearview mirror. “You’re worried about her, aren’t you? Your mother?”

The mention of his mom caught him by surprise. He was worried about her, every second of the day. He knew she couldn’t have gone on a business trip. Wherever she was, he had this dreadful feeling it had to do with him.

“Yes. I’m worried,” he whispered.

“Of course you are,” Mother Trouble said. “I’ll bet your mom would be proud of the fact you’re doing everything you can to bring her back. If you stay strong, you will see her again.”

“Are you sure?”

“As sure as I can be.”

He knew that wasn’t a guarantee, but it did make him feel a bit better.

Mother Trouble glanced at Fiona. “I think you should tell him.”

“I think we should wait,” Fiona whispered back.

But Eric’s hearing was better than most. “Wait for what?”

She huffed out a breath, then twisted in her seat again and looked directly at him. “Until we’re sure of what we’re dealing with.”

“Honey,” Mother Trouble said. “I’m pretty sure we know what we’re dealing with.”

“But it’s still just a guess,” Fiona said. “That’s not the way Dad taught us to do things.”

“Your father’s not in charge anymore. Your brother is. You need to remember that.”

Silence once again fell over the car, but this time it seemed different than before. Eric could feel the tension between the three Trouble family members. It was like Fiona had crossed a line she wasn’t supposed to.

Finally, Fiona said, “Mom…I’m…I’m…”

“Sweetheart,” Mother Trouble said. “I’m the one who’s sorry. If you feel like you should wait, then you should wait. I’d forgotten for a moment that you’re the team leader. That means it’s your decision, not mine.”

Fiona’s silence let everyone know that waiting was what they were going to do. But Eric had reached the point where he didn’t care what she thought was best. He wanted answers. As he leaned forward to tell her just that, Maggie grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. When he looked at her, she shook her head.

“Not now,” she mouthed.

She glanced past him at Keira, then up at Fiona. Eric followed her gaze.

Keira had turned so that she was looking out the window like she wanted to be anywhere else but there. And Fiona had tilted her head down and was staring at her lap. It was obvious to Eric that whatever they were thinking about had nothing to do with his problems. Maybe his questions could wait a little longer.

After ten minutes, the still-silent car pulled up next to the Lady Candice. At first, no one moved. Finally, Fiona and her mother looked at each other.

Mother Trouble smiled. “It’s okay, dear. Like I said, you didn’t say anything wrong.”

Fiona seemed to be holding off a tear as she tried to smile back.

Her mother reached out and touched Fiona’s cheek, then turned to the back seat. “All right. Let’s go. There’s work to be done.”

Once outside, Eric whispered to Maggie, “What exactly was that all about?”

She looked at him as if he were stupid, then shook her head and said nothing.

A noise from inside the plane preceded Mr. Trouble’s appearance in the doorway. “Ah, good, you’re here,” he said. “Everyone safe, I assume?”

Fiona wiped a hand across her cheek and said to the others, “Wait here.”

She strode with purpose over to the ladder and climbed up. The moment she reached the doorway, she started talking to her brother. Every few seconds, he would look past her toward Eric and Maggie, the expression on