Read Online Van Bender and the Burning Emblems (The Van Bender Archives #1) by S. James Nelson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: S. James Nelson
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eyes grew wider and her face reddened deeper. She moved close to Marti and pointed past her, to the open door.
“Get out of here! Get out of my son’s dressing room!”
“Mom!”
“I can explain everything,” Marti said.
“Get out!”
“Holy crap, Mom!”
“It’s very important!” Marti said.
“I don’t want you anywhere near my son! Out!”
“Stop!” I shouted.
They both fell silent and turned to me. Kurt and Sandra had stepped back, close to the door, and looked at each other in confusion. Dumbfounded, I shook my head, my mouth gaping as I looked at Mom.
“Does everyone,” I said, “know about brink but me?”
Kurt raised a hand. “Uh, I don’t.”
Mom came toward me. “How long has this been going on?”
I lifted my hands helplessly. “Mom, you’re acting like I’m hooked on drugs. What’s the big deal?”
She shook her head. “This is far worse than drugs, Richie.”
“I beg to differ,” said Marti. “Mrs. Van Bender, if you’ll just let me explain.”
Mom rounded on her, raising a forefinger to her face. “You stay away from my son. You and all the rest of SOaP. You understand me?”
“Mrs. Van—”
“Get out!”
I’d seen Mom mad several times—like the time when I was in the hospital and removed my heart-rate monitor so the machine thought I was dead, and she came in and I didn’t respond to her. I just lay there, holding my breath, staring off into space with a blank expression.
Yeah, that didn’t go over too well.
I admit it wasn’t a nice thing to do. I immediately felt bad and apologized profusely. Promised never to do anything like that again. And I didn’t. But that didn’t keep her from getting justifiably irate.
Well, she seemed just as mad, now.
Marti stepped back, nodding and pulling her phone out of her purse. She pointed at me as she headed for the door.
“Okay, Mrs. Van Bender. I’ll leave. But he’s mixed up in things. It’s too late to do a mind wipe. He’s involved with the Sunbeams, and you can’t turn back time.”
“Out!”
The volume of sheer hysteria in the shout made me jump. Sandra actually squeaked in surprise.
Marti gave me a desperate and angry look, started to jam her thumbs into her phone without looking at it, and backed out.
“Mom,” I said, looking at her, “you know about brink?”
She slammed the door and turned to me. The brink behind her had started to fade. The tinkling had grown quieter.
“How long has this been going on?”
I shook my head and spread my hands wide. “I met Nick before the show.”
Mom sucked in her breath. “Too long. This is going to require a more sophisticated mind wiping.”
“What?” I said.
She shook her head. “We’re getting out of here.”
Chapter 14: Puke in a bag
Ah, yes, the motion sickness. Bane of my life. Richie’s greatest source of amusement.
-Elizabeth Van Bender
I wanted to know what she meant by “mind wiping,” but Mom grabbed my hand and yanked me out of the door. Sandra and Kurt watched in confusion. I wished I could explain everything to Sandra and Kurt insofar as I understood it, but Mom pulled me away.
Two minutes later, we sat facing each other in the enclosed helicopter as the blades spun. The pilot sat in his seat, silent, adjusting controls on the panel. Outside, around the perimeter of the well-lit helipad, fans cheered and waved, but three rows of security guards kept them back.
“You know about all that stuff?” I said to her.
“What stuff?”
I waved my hand. “That glowy, shiny stuff.”
I didn’t want to name brink because of the pilot. All our over-ear headsets, with microphones in front of our mouths, were linked.
She just stared. Although I was in trouble for the first time since trying to meet Bobby Fretboard, I felt alive, like I was finally actually a rock star. I wanted to learn more about brink, even despite the apparent danger of at all.
“Are you going to tell me anything?” I said. “Because if you were, now
“Get out of here! Get out of my son’s dressing room!”
“Mom!”
“I can explain everything,” Marti said.
“Get out!”
“Holy crap, Mom!”
“It’s very important!” Marti said.
“I don’t want you anywhere near my son! Out!”
“Stop!” I shouted.
They both fell silent and turned to me. Kurt and Sandra had stepped back, close to the door, and looked at each other in confusion. Dumbfounded, I shook my head, my mouth gaping as I looked at Mom.
“Does everyone,” I said, “know about brink but me?”
Kurt raised a hand. “Uh, I don’t.”
Mom came toward me. “How long has this been going on?”
I lifted my hands helplessly. “Mom, you’re acting like I’m hooked on drugs. What’s the big deal?”
She shook her head. “This is far worse than drugs, Richie.”
“I beg to differ,” said Marti. “Mrs. Van Bender, if you’ll just let me explain.”
Mom rounded on her, raising a forefinger to her face. “You stay away from my son. You and all the rest of SOaP. You understand me?”
“Mrs. Van—”
“Get out!”
I’d seen Mom mad several times—like the time when I was in the hospital and removed my heart-rate monitor so the machine thought I was dead, and she came in and I didn’t respond to her. I just lay there, holding my breath, staring off into space with a blank expression.
Yeah, that didn’t go over too well.
I admit it wasn’t a nice thing to do. I immediately felt bad and apologized profusely. Promised never to do anything like that again. And I didn’t. But that didn’t keep her from getting justifiably irate.
Well, she seemed just as mad, now.
Marti stepped back, nodding and pulling her phone out of her purse. She pointed at me as she headed for the door.
“Okay, Mrs. Van Bender. I’ll leave. But he’s mixed up in things. It’s too late to do a mind wipe. He’s involved with the Sunbeams, and you can’t turn back time.”
“Out!”
The volume of sheer hysteria in the shout made me jump. Sandra actually squeaked in surprise.
Marti gave me a desperate and angry look, started to jam her thumbs into her phone without looking at it, and backed out.
“Mom,” I said, looking at her, “you know about brink?”
She slammed the door and turned to me. The brink behind her had started to fade. The tinkling had grown quieter.
“How long has this been going on?”
I shook my head and spread my hands wide. “I met Nick before the show.”
Mom sucked in her breath. “Too long. This is going to require a more sophisticated mind wiping.”
“What?” I said.
She shook her head. “We’re getting out of here.”
Chapter 14: Puke in a bag
Ah, yes, the motion sickness. Bane of my life. Richie’s greatest source of amusement.
-Elizabeth Van Bender
I wanted to know what she meant by “mind wiping,” but Mom grabbed my hand and yanked me out of the door. Sandra and Kurt watched in confusion. I wished I could explain everything to Sandra and Kurt insofar as I understood it, but Mom pulled me away.
Two minutes later, we sat facing each other in the enclosed helicopter as the blades spun. The pilot sat in his seat, silent, adjusting controls on the panel. Outside, around the perimeter of the well-lit helipad, fans cheered and waved, but three rows of security guards kept them back.
“You know about all that stuff?” I said to her.
“What stuff?”
I waved my hand. “That glowy, shiny stuff.”
I didn’t want to name brink because of the pilot. All our over-ear headsets, with microphones in front of our mouths, were linked.
She just stared. Although I was in trouble for the first time since trying to meet Bobby Fretboard, I felt alive, like I was finally actually a rock star. I wanted to learn more about brink, even despite the apparent danger of at all.
“Are you going to tell me anything?” I said. “Because if you were, now
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