Chapter 20 - Alliances

As Bev and Logan ride away, she asks him, "Do you have any money; just in case we'll need walkie talkies?!" She tries not to assume, based on the size of his house, that Logan must be able to afford anything he wants.

"We could even just ask to rent them--maybe say Mr. Holmes needs 'em for a weekend job and that we'd bring 'em right back!"

"Well... Not much, no. You know, just whatever pocket money my mom gives me. Don't think it's enough for proper walkies..."

He checks the time. "Too late now anyway. Let's get to Al's, we're all expected home, soon."

Johnny was just as surprised as Alana at the sudden movement of the charcoal on the page to reveal the sigils and signs they'd asked for; the sudden blaring of Rick music on the radio nearly gave him a heart attack though. He felt a wide smile crossed his face as the two realized they'd made magic together. Alana's sudden warm embrace was an entirely different sort of magic to Johnny, even if it was all too brief, but no less amazing. When she let go, he noticed her discomfort and took her hand in his with a gentle squeeze of reassurance. Yeah! We did it! he hooted. We found out how to destroy the Fulcrum! He made a puzzled expression at her confusion of the lyrics. The turned her opinion over and over in his mind before offering his own, I don't think that's what it means... We asked how to destroy it and it told us. Keep Not. Destroy. I don't think it said Keep. Not Destroy. It's dangerous and no one should have it. Right? You're not going all Frodo on me, are you? Even if you are, I'll be your Samwise.

"What are you talking about?" Al asks, visibly confused. "What's a Frodo and Samwise?"
She then takes a closer look at the charcoal drawing. "But how does this help us destroy the fulcrum? We just draw those symbols and put the fulcrum in the middle and that's it?"
She picks up the evil magic device and inspects both it and the protective case around it for anything that looks similar to those sigils. "I thought it would just tell us to, I don't know, throw it off the top of the lighthouse or something."

Logan and Bev arrive at Al's house riding together on Bev's bike. It is now 7.30.

As Benny opens the door, Logan bursts in, excited to tell the news.



"Al! Johnny! We found them!! They're hiding in a shack in the gasworks, we saw their motorbikes and... this!"

He shows the others the reddish dog hair, explaining where it comes from.

Al listens, grabbing the clump of hair from Logan and holding on to it tight. "Well, and we did actual magic. It really worked!" she then announces. "And this is how we destroy the fulcrum!" She holds the paper out for Logan and Bev to see, hoping that they understand. Because she doesn't.

Minutes later there's another knock on the front door, and this time Alice is standing there.

"Hey fellas. Heard it's ghosts and bullies, this time?" she says with a grin, raising a red slingshot.

"Alice! Great to see you... And still at the right size, come on in!..." he points at the others, "these are Bev and Johnny!"

Soon they are all sitting around Johnny's sketchbook, looking at the fulcrum sketch page, like generals making battle plans on a map. Except, they can't read the map...





Logan frowns.

"That shape," he says pointing at the octagon, "Johnny and I have seen it before... It's... the same shape of that gazebo, right?"

Yeah, the same shape as the stone cover where it was buried too. he agreed with Logan. I wonder if that shape just 'turns it off' or something? Turns it off so we can destroy it, maybe? I just don't know what these things here... he pointed to the extra symbols beside the octagon ...are supposed to do. He looked to the others for speculation. Are those symbols in your magic book, Alana?

There are no symbols carved on the cage around the Fulcrum. The many symbols on the Fulcrum itself seem different from those in the drawing.

Also the 'spellbook' showed no reference to the symbols.

"Er... We didn't tell you, but... Johnny and I kind of... destroyed that gazebo... We didn't get a chance to investigate it... It collapsed on us... But it was exactly that shape."

"I didn't borrow the actual magic book," Al says. "I only made notes from it. But I don't think there was anything like that in there. It was only a beginners' magic book anyway."

She looks over the signs again. "Maybe we should go back to the gazebo and see if we can find anything that looks like those symbols there." She also glances at the clock. "My parents will get home soon and if they find Ripper missing, they will kill me. Maybe we can all just pretend to have a sleepover at one of your places, so we still have the whole night to solve this."

"Why would you do that?" Al asks. "And why would you do it without me? Destroying the gazebo must have looked super cool!"

"We... Didn't do it on purpose. It was so rotten it just... Fell. It broke my bike, again!" he flashes an apologetic, embarrassed smile at Bev. "It was kinda cool, though!"

"If we're going back there we'll need tools to dig... And lights. And I like the idea of the sleepover, can be at mine... Except for me, that is... My Mom needs to think I'm sleeping at one of your places... "

"Probably Johnny's," Al says. "I bet your parents will ask less questions if you're staying at a boy's house. Also, his aunt is way cooler than my parents so even if your parents call there to check in, it's less likely to start a disaster."

"I'm cool with a sleepover. Can say I'm staying at one of the soccer pals."

"Hey, what about me??"

"You'll obviously also have to come," Al tells Benny. "Can't have you talking to our parents or you'll screw everything up. But while we do the important monster hunter stuff, you have to stay at Logan's house. You can play with his cat."

"Either you agree to stay at Logan's and get to play with his cat or I'll tie you up and stuff you in his closet until we're finished!" Al tells Benny seriously. "Don't forget that this is all your fault in the first place!"