Chapter Two

Reynie was experiencing a curious rolling sensation deep in his belly. It was similar to the feeling one gets when on a boat—but different, somehow. He opened his eyes and saw boxes, nearly a hundred of them, in great piles. His first reaction was to think that maybe he was in a basement somewhere—but, no—basements did not pitch and roll. Reynie twitched his hand and winced, realizing too late that his wrist were tied along with his ankles. He looked around and saw, above a waist high stack of boxes, a window that framed a perfect square of blue sky. He was in an airplane. Reynie glanced nervously around, hoping against hope that one of his friends was there. It seemed that he was alone in a kind of storage compartment. Looking down at the floor, Reynie saw something small and red. A single barrette lay prone on the ground beside him...Constance had to be nearby.

Wriggling and slithering, Reynie was able to crawl between boxes and down a narrow passage. Judging by the voices, the Ten Men were in the pilot's cabin. Reynie gritted his teeth and flopped onto his stomach, jarring his ribs painfully. As slowly and inconspicuously as he could, he peered around the door frame. The Ten Men; Crawlings, Garrote, and McCracken, with Sharpe at the controls were talking cheerfully. They seemed both calm and amused. Lying against one wall, was Constance. She wasn't tied up. Instead, she was fast asleep, a nasty red bump rising in her exposed forehead. Reynie shrunk back, and tried to make sense of what he'd just seen. Why was Constance in the cabin with them? Did they plan to take advantage of her psychic skills? And where were Kate and Sticky? Reynie desperately began to formulate a plan, but before it had been even a minute, McCracken appeared in the doorway, speaking over his shoulder to Sharpe.

"Control the plane, Sharpe! Don't just sit there uselessly." Horrified, Reynie attempted to conceal himself in the shadows, but knew it wouldn't work. McCracken looked down at Reynie, and smiled.

"Ah, Reynard! Lovely to see you." Reynie glared up at the Ten Man.

"Join us in the cabin, won't you?" With that, McCracken lifted Reynie to his feet as easily as if he'd been a pillow. Prodding him into the cabin, McCracken sat down in a reclining chair, and smiled again.

"Tell me, Reynie," he began, "What would possess you to think you could get away with eavesdropping? It's rather rude, you know." Reynie was silent. He did not intend to speak anymore than was absolutely possible. The other Ten Men snickered. "Cat got your tongue, eh?" Reynie focused his eyes on a spot just above McCracken's coiffed brown hair. Stay calm, he told himself. "You chickies are immensely simple. You've proven your naivete time and time again. You-" Reynie lost his temper.

"You're a sick monster! You may be under the impression that you're going to win, but that's because you're too delusional to see the truth. You can do and say anything you want, but I already now the kind of human being you are."

The room was silent. Then, before Reynie had time to think, Sharpe had steered the plane into a sharp dive. Reynie, his wrists and ankles bound, tumbled to the floor, and had the awful feeling that he had left his stomach behind him. The plane had literally taken a nosedive, and Sharpe showed no sign of stopping. Only when Crawlings looked as though he might be sick, did Sharpe level the plane and speed smoothly into the bright blue nothingness.

"You can stop groaning, old fellow," said McCracken, laughing and smoothing his hair. Reynie's stomach was a cauldron of nerves and was made worse by the plane's sudden, sharp descent. Below the sound of the Ten Men's laughter, was a distinct clattering sound. Reynie swiveled his gaze to the doorway and saw a pair of spectacles—Sticky's spectacles to be exact. A hand shot out and snatched the glasses back. Reynie smiled to himself. Sticky was there—Kate had to be, too. Feeling more calm, Reynie turned to McCracken, anxious to divert the Ten Man's attention.

"What do you want with us?" he interrogated. McCracken chuckled.

"You wouldn't interested in that piece of information."

"Try me," muttered Reynie. "And what do you want with Constance? She can't possibly be of any use to you."

"Wrong again, Reynie," said Crawlings, still a bit green. Reynie glanced furtively at the doorway, then faced McCracken once more.

"You never stop, do you? Why can't you leave us alone?"

McCracken smirked. "You see, Bunny, I resent your very existence. If mean old Crawlings dropped you from this plane, I wouldn't give it a second thought. In fact, I would applaud him on his actions. So anything you say to try to convince me to stop disfavoring you—won't work. Simple, isn't it?"

It was at that moment that Constance opened her blue eyes and stared up at McCracken with every sign of great dislike.

"What are you kumquats blathering about?"

Crawlings instantly shook back his well-pressed cuffs, revealing two silver shock watches, while McCracken knelt beside her, his handkerchief at the ready.

"Have a nice nap, Chicky?" Constance scowled darkly. "Yes, I dreamed that you were choking on food, the entire time."

Sharpe coughed.

"Did you, now?" McCracken was amused, but Constance wasn't.

"Can't you stop being a creep and a jerk? Don't you have any humanity left? You're a liar, that's what you are. But even lies have there moment of truth."

Constance's finger was in McCracken's angry face. No one was laughing. "You won't hurt me," she went on. "And you won't hurt Reynie. I'd never let you."

The little girl glared fiercely at the Ten Man, with a look so withering Reynie was surprised McCracken didn't perish on the spot. As Crawlings advanced, his shock watches buzzing threateningly, Kate yelled from somewhere out of sight.

"Now!" Reynie wrenched his hands free of the rope, while Sticky cut the rope from his ankles. Reynie head butted Crawlings and snatched Constance to her feet. Together, they fled the pilot's cabin, and charged after Kate and Sticky. The four children leaped down into a dark luggage compartment, and Kate turned to Reynie.

"Do you trust me?" Reynie nodded.

"Yes. Now what do we have to do?" Kate led them to a sliding panel.

"We'll have to jump."

"What?" Sticky was aghast, but Kate was already pushing the panel aside, wind whipping her ponytail.

"They're coming!" Constance whispered. Kate, with a wink to her friends, slipped through the hole and dropped. Reynie, Constance and Sticky did the same. They plummeted toward the navy water below, eyes squeezed tight. Reynie hit the water forcefully, his ribs aching from the impact.

"NOW what?" Constance shrieked. Kate grinned and treaded water. "Look." Flying toward them was Madge, Kate's peregrine falcon. And below her, a boat was speeding toward them, cresting the waves. Mr. Benedict was at the prow.

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