Read Online SYLO (THE SYLO CHRONICLES) by D.J. MacHale - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: D.J. MacHale
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have gone if I had taken him up on his offer to use the crystals he called the Ruby, but there was no way I could use that stuff again.
Could I?
The next day I was so sore I could barely move. Luckily it was the weekend of the annual Lobster Pot Festival and Dad had given me the day off. I took advantage and slept until noon.
“You gonna sleep all day?” Dad asked, poking his head into my room.
“No,” I said, groggy. “All weekend. Set the alarm for Monday, would you?”
He laughed and sat at my desk, which meant he wanted to talk…which also meant I had no hope of getting back to sleep.
“What?” I asked suspiciously.
“Nothing,” he said with a laugh. “I just wanted to tell you how proud we are of the way you’re handling things.”
“I’m getting my ass kicked.”
“True, but you’re hanging in there and that’s what we’re proud of. At least
I
am. Your mother would just as soon you pack it in.”
I sat up, trying not to wince in pain…and happy that I hadn’t quit the team. Hearing that Dad was proud of me was worth it, atleast at that moment. Next week would be another deal.
“Maybe she’s right,” I said. “I don’t know what I’m trying to prove or who I’m trying to prove it to.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to anybody, except yourself.”
“That’s pretty much what Quinn said.”
“He’s a smart guy,” Dad said. “Annoying, but smart.”
Dad had that serious “father-son important talk” face on. I wasn’t in the mood but I was too sore to run away.
“I’m feeling a lecture coming on,” I said.
Dad chuckled again. “No lecture. I want
you
to talk.”
“About what?” I was getting nervous that he might know something I didn’t want him to know…like about our midnight rides or my adventure with the Ruby.
“Do you like living on Pemberwick?”
“Yeah. You know that.”
“I do. I just wondered if you missed Connecticut.”
“A little, I guess. But we’ve been here for five years. This is home now.”
Dad nodded but he looked troubled. I thought back to the strange conversation he and Mom had about moving to Pemberwick because it was a safe place.
“What’s going on, Dad?” I asked. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
He sat up straight, as if surprised by a question he wasn’t prepared for.
“No,” he said, too quickly. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have a problem with being here.”
“I don’t have any problems,” I said sincerely. “Quinn’s anotherstory. He can’t wait to get out so he can do something historic, but I’m in no rush to go anywhere. What’s wrong with working in gardens? Though I was thinking we should make it sound more important and call it landscaping.”
I smiled, thinking he’d laugh at the comment, but he actually looked sad.
“Did I say something wrong?” I asked.
“Nah,” Dad replied. “Just know that you don’t necessarily have to travel to do something important.”
“That’s what I told Quinn.”
Dad shook off his dark mood, smiled, and stood up. “Well, you’re a smart guy too. You take after your dad. Now get up and go into town and have some fun.”
He left me alone with an uneasy feeling. My parents and I always got along great, which was a good thing considering I was an only child. (A term I hate, by the way. It sounds so forlorn or something.) We talked about everything. Even uncomfortable things like hygiene and sex. When Dad lost his job, I think it brought us even closer. It was like us against the world. We had to stick together and we did it by moving on and making a whole new life on Pemberwick. It sounds clichéd, but we were a team.
So it was strange to think that they might be keeping something from me. I suppose I shouldn’t judge. We all have secrets. But if they asked, I would tell them about the midnight rides. And the Ruby. I had to trust that they would do the same for me and let me know if anything was seriously wrong.
Of
Could I?
The next day I was so sore I could barely move. Luckily it was the weekend of the annual Lobster Pot Festival and Dad had given me the day off. I took advantage and slept until noon.
“You gonna sleep all day?” Dad asked, poking his head into my room.
“No,” I said, groggy. “All weekend. Set the alarm for Monday, would you?”
He laughed and sat at my desk, which meant he wanted to talk…which also meant I had no hope of getting back to sleep.
“What?” I asked suspiciously.
“Nothing,” he said with a laugh. “I just wanted to tell you how proud we are of the way you’re handling things.”
“I’m getting my ass kicked.”
“True, but you’re hanging in there and that’s what we’re proud of. At least
I
am. Your mother would just as soon you pack it in.”
I sat up, trying not to wince in pain…and happy that I hadn’t quit the team. Hearing that Dad was proud of me was worth it, atleast at that moment. Next week would be another deal.
“Maybe she’s right,” I said. “I don’t know what I’m trying to prove or who I’m trying to prove it to.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to anybody, except yourself.”
“That’s pretty much what Quinn said.”
“He’s a smart guy,” Dad said. “Annoying, but smart.”
Dad had that serious “father-son important talk” face on. I wasn’t in the mood but I was too sore to run away.
“I’m feeling a lecture coming on,” I said.
Dad chuckled again. “No lecture. I want
you
to talk.”
“About what?” I was getting nervous that he might know something I didn’t want him to know…like about our midnight rides or my adventure with the Ruby.
“Do you like living on Pemberwick?”
“Yeah. You know that.”
“I do. I just wondered if you missed Connecticut.”
“A little, I guess. But we’ve been here for five years. This is home now.”
Dad nodded but he looked troubled. I thought back to the strange conversation he and Mom had about moving to Pemberwick because it was a safe place.
“What’s going on, Dad?” I asked. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
He sat up straight, as if surprised by a question he wasn’t prepared for.
“No,” he said, too quickly. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have a problem with being here.”
“I don’t have any problems,” I said sincerely. “Quinn’s anotherstory. He can’t wait to get out so he can do something historic, but I’m in no rush to go anywhere. What’s wrong with working in gardens? Though I was thinking we should make it sound more important and call it landscaping.”
I smiled, thinking he’d laugh at the comment, but he actually looked sad.
“Did I say something wrong?” I asked.
“Nah,” Dad replied. “Just know that you don’t necessarily have to travel to do something important.”
“That’s what I told Quinn.”
Dad shook off his dark mood, smiled, and stood up. “Well, you’re a smart guy too. You take after your dad. Now get up and go into town and have some fun.”
He left me alone with an uneasy feeling. My parents and I always got along great, which was a good thing considering I was an only child. (A term I hate, by the way. It sounds so forlorn or something.) We talked about everything. Even uncomfortable things like hygiene and sex. When Dad lost his job, I think it brought us even closer. It was like us against the world. We had to stick together and we did it by moving on and making a whole new life on Pemberwick. It sounds clichéd, but we were a team.
So it was strange to think that they might be keeping something from me. I suppose I shouldn’t judge. We all have secrets. But if they asked, I would tell them about the midnight rides. And the Ruby. I had to trust that they would do the same for me and let me know if anything was seriously wrong.
Of
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