Prologue
The New Kid in Town
The New Kid in Town
A moving van pulled into the driveway of 46 Mockingbird Lane
- an old, run-down house generally looked down upon by the community. But the
man moving in, Jonathon McFarland, was perfectly capable of fixing it up, for
he was a contractor and an overall handy man. Or at least, that was his cover.
Really and truly, he was well-known in the world of secret agents. Although he
was known mainly for his undercover work, this time he was using his real name
because he had decided something - this case would be his last. He was tired of
moving from city to city, working on different cases. It was too hard,
especially for his family. Though his wife, Emily, supported him in everything
he did, he could tell that it was difficult for her. Living with the secret of
her husband being an undercover agent for the FBI was just too much to bear. Although
she had never said so, and never would, he could tell. Moving around so much
just complicated things even more. So it was time - time to give up all this
mystery and intrigue. He hadn’t informed anyone of his decision yet, not even
his superiors. He wanted to quit immediately after he told them so they
wouldn’t have time to talk him out of it.
Meanwhile, Jason, Jonathon’s son, was standing nearby watching as his father helped the movers bring in the boxes. Why they even brought the boxes in, he didn’t know. They never unpacked them. They moved again so quickly after they moved in that they never got a chance to. They just sat in the garage until it was time to move again. Jason looked at his father. His shoulders were drooping again. His father had been walking around like this for weeks - shoulders drooping, eyes sad, the corners of his mouth turned down into a scowl. His brow was furrowed, he was obviously thinking very hard about something - something he didn’t want to think about.
Jason didn’t know what it was. But that was okay. He hardly ever knew anything about what his father was thinking about. He knew only that he was an agent with the FBI. What they were doing here in Jacksonville, he didn’t know. His father always said ‘If I told you, I’d have to kill you’ in a joking tone whenever Jason asked. He knew it was for his own safety, but he always wished he knew something. He got tired of wondering what his father was really doing when he said he had to go fix a leaky shower in someone’s house. He was always wondering when his father would be home, and if he’d be home. But Jason never knew.
And now here they were in yet another town – a new school, new friends, new teachers, new community. Everything was new, whether he liked it or not. And he didn’t like it. Not one bit. But he had to live with it, like it or not, so he always seemed to find a way to cope.
Last time they had moved he had made friends with a boy named Matthew. Matthew was kind of a strange kid. He liked to tinker with electronics, but he was nice. Jason laughed when he remembered how Matthew had invented a new kind of toaster - one that buttered your toast for you! Unfortunately, the butter melted and leaked into the microchip that controlled the buttering mechanism, causing it to explode and cause a small fire. As strange as Matthew was, Jason was sad to leave him. They had become close friends in the short time they’d known each other.
Jason’s thoughts were interrupted by a voice shouting from a few yards away.
“Hey, Jason! Could you come help me with this box?” It was his father.
“Coming, Dad!” Jason replied. He sighed and walked over to help his father with the box.
Meanwhile, Jason, Jonathon’s son, was standing nearby watching as his father helped the movers bring in the boxes. Why they even brought the boxes in, he didn’t know. They never unpacked them. They moved again so quickly after they moved in that they never got a chance to. They just sat in the garage until it was time to move again. Jason looked at his father. His shoulders were drooping again. His father had been walking around like this for weeks - shoulders drooping, eyes sad, the corners of his mouth turned down into a scowl. His brow was furrowed, he was obviously thinking very hard about something - something he didn’t want to think about.
Jason didn’t know what it was. But that was okay. He hardly ever knew anything about what his father was thinking about. He knew only that he was an agent with the FBI. What they were doing here in Jacksonville, he didn’t know. His father always said ‘If I told you, I’d have to kill you’ in a joking tone whenever Jason asked. He knew it was for his own safety, but he always wished he knew something. He got tired of wondering what his father was really doing when he said he had to go fix a leaky shower in someone’s house. He was always wondering when his father would be home, and if he’d be home. But Jason never knew.
And now here they were in yet another town – a new school, new friends, new teachers, new community. Everything was new, whether he liked it or not. And he didn’t like it. Not one bit. But he had to live with it, like it or not, so he always seemed to find a way to cope.
Last time they had moved he had made friends with a boy named Matthew. Matthew was kind of a strange kid. He liked to tinker with electronics, but he was nice. Jason laughed when he remembered how Matthew had invented a new kind of toaster - one that buttered your toast for you! Unfortunately, the butter melted and leaked into the microchip that controlled the buttering mechanism, causing it to explode and cause a small fire. As strange as Matthew was, Jason was sad to leave him. They had become close friends in the short time they’d known each other.
Jason’s thoughts were interrupted by a voice shouting from a few yards away.
“Hey, Jason! Could you come help me with this box?” It was his father.
“Coming, Dad!” Jason replied. He sighed and walked over to help his father with the box.
Chapter 1
Another Town, Another School, Another Prankster
Another Town, Another School, Another Prankster
Jacksonville Middle School. Just another school in the long
series of schools Jason had been to in the years of moving from town to town.
There had been Pearson Elementary, Lewiston Elementary, Trenton Elementary,
Haddix Elementary, Davidson Elementary, and that wacky school he had attended
last, Bosch Middle School. And here he was standing in the cafeteria line,
waiting for his food.
Well, maybe it was food. It looked more like a giant blob of wax.
Note to self: Have mom make lunch tomorrow.
He looked around the cafeteria at all the different people. There was a table of very dweebish looking kids who looked like they should still be in 5th grade. There was a group of people at a table who looked like they were the ‘cool’ group. The designer jeans gave it away. And then there was a table that was exactly the opposite of the ‘dweeb’ table. Around it sat three rough-looking teenagers who looked like they should have been well into high school. And then there were the tables of normal looking kids, just in the middle;here were the average kids whowere just, well, normal.
Jason was at the front of the line now. He got his ‘food’ and went to sit at one of the ‘normal’ tables. There was an empty chair next to a boy a little bit taller than Jason, and probably a bit older, too.
Jason sat down. “Hi there,” he said. “I’m Jason. What’s your name?” He held out his hand as if to shake the older boy’s hand.
“Jake,” the boy said. “Jake Reynolds.” The boy held out his hand and shook Jason’s. However, he was holding an electric buzzer.
Jason felt a shock shooting up his arm. He jerked his hand away from Jake’s.
“Just a joke I like to play on the new kids,” Jake said, grinning. “No offense, just a little joke. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Ah, I see,” Jason said, returning the grin.
The boy pulled a banana out of his lunch sack. “You want it?” Jake asked, holding it out to Jason. “For some reason my dad always puts one in there, even though I never eat it. I don’t like them myself. But I imagine it’s better than that stuff.” He gestured to Jason’s plate.
“Thanks,” Jason said, carefully taking the banana. “Not my favorite food, but it sure beats halfway melted wax.”
The older boy laughed. “You know, I think I’m going to like you.”
The next day at school, everything went almost exactly the same. The classes were the same. The teachers were the same. Everything was the same, including the food. Fortunately though, Jason’s mom had packed his lunch.
Jake was not so fortunate. “This is the first time I’ve ever had to actually eat this stuff,” Jake said, taking a bite. He gagged. “This is awful! How can anybody eat this stuff?” Jake ran over to the water fountain to wash the taste out of his mouth. When he came back, he said, “Got any extra food?”
Jason shrugged. “I’ve eaten most of it. All I’ve got left is this caramel apple. Want it?”
Jake grabbed the caramel apple. “I’ll eat anything, just as long as it’s not that.” He pointed to the ‘food’ on his plate. He took a bite of the apple and then spat it out. “Yuck!” he said. “That is not an apple. It’s. It’s… something else. You pranked me!”
“Maybe,” Jason replied.“Just getting even for yesterday, onion breath.”
“It was an onion!?” Jake exclaimed. “You gave me a caramel covered onion?!Disgusting!” Jake ran to the water fountain for a second time. When he came back, he said, “You know, that was a pretty good prank. Not bad, not bad at all. I’ll just have to be more careful around you.”
After school that day, Jason and Jake walked home together. When they got to Jason’s house, Jake gasped.
“You live there?” he asked, incredulously. “You live in the haunted house?”
“Haunted house?” Jason asked. “Don’t be so silly. You don’t actually believe in that stuff, do you?”
“I didn’t,” Jake replied, “until a few weeks ago. See, I live right across the fence from here. One night I was looking out my bedroom window and I saw something really strange.”
“Yeah, what?” Jason asked, somewhat sarcastically. He’s trying to get back at me for earlier today, Jason thought. I hope.
“Everything was normal. Then, out of nowhere, this really strange blue circle of light appeared on the ground. And then out of the light came a can of spray paint. It was like it had a mind of its own. It sprayed graffiti all over the back of the house, and there was no one holding it. It just floated in the air and sprayed. And what it wrote was nearly as strange. It wasn’t anything bad, like normal graffiti; just words. Here, come with me and I’ll show you.”
Jake led Jason around to the back of the house.
“There, see?” Jake said, pointing at the numbers and words written in spray paint. Jason had expected something ominous. But all it said was:
Well, maybe it was food. It looked more like a giant blob of wax.
Note to self: Have mom make lunch tomorrow.
He looked around the cafeteria at all the different people. There was a table of very dweebish looking kids who looked like they should still be in 5th grade. There was a group of people at a table who looked like they were the ‘cool’ group. The designer jeans gave it away. And then there was a table that was exactly the opposite of the ‘dweeb’ table. Around it sat three rough-looking teenagers who looked like they should have been well into high school. And then there were the tables of normal looking kids, just in the middle;here were the average kids whowere just, well, normal.
Jason was at the front of the line now. He got his ‘food’ and went to sit at one of the ‘normal’ tables. There was an empty chair next to a boy a little bit taller than Jason, and probably a bit older, too.
Jason sat down. “Hi there,” he said. “I’m Jason. What’s your name?” He held out his hand as if to shake the older boy’s hand.
“Jake,” the boy said. “Jake Reynolds.” The boy held out his hand and shook Jason’s. However, he was holding an electric buzzer.
Jason felt a shock shooting up his arm. He jerked his hand away from Jake’s.
“Just a joke I like to play on the new kids,” Jake said, grinning. “No offense, just a little joke. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Ah, I see,” Jason said, returning the grin.
The boy pulled a banana out of his lunch sack. “You want it?” Jake asked, holding it out to Jason. “For some reason my dad always puts one in there, even though I never eat it. I don’t like them myself. But I imagine it’s better than that stuff.” He gestured to Jason’s plate.
“Thanks,” Jason said, carefully taking the banana. “Not my favorite food, but it sure beats halfway melted wax.”
The older boy laughed. “You know, I think I’m going to like you.”
The next day at school, everything went almost exactly the same. The classes were the same. The teachers were the same. Everything was the same, including the food. Fortunately though, Jason’s mom had packed his lunch.
Jake was not so fortunate. “This is the first time I’ve ever had to actually eat this stuff,” Jake said, taking a bite. He gagged. “This is awful! How can anybody eat this stuff?” Jake ran over to the water fountain to wash the taste out of his mouth. When he came back, he said, “Got any extra food?”
Jason shrugged. “I’ve eaten most of it. All I’ve got left is this caramel apple. Want it?”
Jake grabbed the caramel apple. “I’ll eat anything, just as long as it’s not that.” He pointed to the ‘food’ on his plate. He took a bite of the apple and then spat it out. “Yuck!” he said. “That is not an apple. It’s. It’s… something else. You pranked me!”
“Maybe,” Jason replied.“Just getting even for yesterday, onion breath.”
“It was an onion!?” Jake exclaimed. “You gave me a caramel covered onion?!Disgusting!” Jake ran to the water fountain for a second time. When he came back, he said, “You know, that was a pretty good prank. Not bad, not bad at all. I’ll just have to be more careful around you.”
After school that day, Jason and Jake walked home together. When they got to Jason’s house, Jake gasped.
“You live there?” he asked, incredulously. “You live in the haunted house?”
“Haunted house?” Jason asked. “Don’t be so silly. You don’t actually believe in that stuff, do you?”
“I didn’t,” Jake replied, “until a few weeks ago. See, I live right across the fence from here. One night I was looking out my bedroom window and I saw something really strange.”
“Yeah, what?” Jason asked, somewhat sarcastically. He’s trying to get back at me for earlier today, Jason thought. I hope.
“Everything was normal. Then, out of nowhere, this really strange blue circle of light appeared on the ground. And then out of the light came a can of spray paint. It was like it had a mind of its own. It sprayed graffiti all over the back of the house, and there was no one holding it. It just floated in the air and sprayed. And what it wrote was nearly as strange. It wasn’t anything bad, like normal graffiti; just words. Here, come with me and I’ll show you.”
Jake led Jason around to the back of the house.
“There, see?” Jake said, pointing at the numbers and words written in spray paint. Jason had expected something ominous. But all it said was:
Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3