Kingdom Keepers VI (9781423179214) Read Online Free Page A

artist. Someone who wasn’t afraid to express himself.
    As a cheerleader and freshman starter on the school gymnastics team, Charlene was expected to date athletes.
Varsity athletes. Her friends were constantly trying to match her with Kaden Keller, the star soccer player, or Josh Brewer—or any boy with a number on his back. But while she liked them as friends, even good friends, the jocks didn’t satisfy her romantic ideals. She wanted someone thoughtful, funny, interesting, and interested in things other than the obvious stuff boys were always interested in.
    She glanced over at Maybeck, wondering once again if he fit any of her requirements. And if not, then why was she always thinking about him?
    â€œKeep up!” he hissed at her.
    â€œYou look like a psycho in a hospital ward,” she said.
    â€œThe costume was handy. Okay? Or should I be running around in a towel?”
    That hardly brought her mind back to business.
    The trick was to look like you were walking while moving close to the speed of running. The Disney Dream was more than three football fields in length. Getting from amidships to the bow, and moving from Deck 4 to Deck 1, one covered a good distance.
    â€œStorey’s going to meet us,” Maybeck said, checking his phone.
    â€œBecause?” They were stride-for-stride in the port side
Deck 4 hallway, the Buena Vista Theatre to their right.
    â€œShe has the all-access crew-member card,” he said.
    â€œUh-huh,” said Charlene. She’d had about enough of everyone’s fascination with Storey Ming. She appreciated the help, but not the noise.
    They reached Deck 1. Despite the added distance she’d had to cover from Deck 14, Storey Ming had arrived first. Without introduction, she said, “I can
get the Hit Man’s trolley—that’s what we call Mr.
Mop, ‘the Hit Man’—but it’ll only have one suit. Two at the most. There must be others in Costume—Laundry—which won’t be too hard to get, but it’ll
take a few minutes. So what da ya want to do?”
    â€œI’ll take the trolley,” Maybeck said. “That way, when the real guy comes looking for it, we can stall
him. Charlie will hang here and wait for you.” He addressed Charlene. “You’ll get the other suits up
to us.”
    Charlene nodded.
    â€œYou’ll need to wear a suit,” Storey cautioned. “If Uncle Bob sees you on video with the trolley, he’ll know something’s up. We all know the Hit Man, and he’s
not you.”
    â€œOkay. So go. We gotta hurry!”
    Storey took off through the Crew Only door that led to the I-95 corridor.
    â€œHow is this possibly going to work out for Jess?” Charlene asked softly.
    â€œYou’ll see,” Maybeck said.
    â€œAnd what about you?” she said. “If you’re caught in that suit… If you’re stealing—”
    â€œBorrowing!”
    â€œâ€”gear that belongs to the crew…they’ll throw you off the ship.”
    â€œWe gotta do what we gotta do,” he said. “If they take Jess into the ship hospital, she’ll end up in SBS, and then we’re all in a big-time jam.”
    â€œYou’re going to look stupid in that suit.”
    â€œMe? Seriously? I don’t think so.”
    * * *
    The Hit Man’s suit was made of clothlike disposable paper. There were four suits on the mop cart, not the two that Storey had predicted. Paper hoods and heavy-duty gloves as well. Only a single set of goggles. The suits closed up the back with Velcro: they were one-size-fits-all. While Storey was off attempting to collect additional goggles, Charlene and Maybeck arrived at the Deck 4 promenade in the ill-fitting suits.
    â€œFinn,” Charlene said excitedly. “Willa!”
    The spare protein spill suit went to Jess’s hologram. The group collected around her as a visual barrier while Amanda and Willa