"I've never seen your uncle outside in the daytime," Benjamin panted. "He's a bit funny, isn't he?" Airi nodded her agreence. She didn't pay attention as her uncle stopped in front of her at number nine.
Benjamin fell behind. "Something's up with your family" he called to them. "I hope you can still come to my birthday."
"Nothing can stop me," said charlie as he caught up to Airi and his uncle.
"No dogs," said Uncle Paton, as benjamin and runner bean came leaping up to them.
"Aw, please," said benjamin.
"Not today. This is family business," Paton said sternly.
"Go home."
"OK. Bye, then, Charlie, Airi." Benjamin trailed away, followed by Runner bean, his ears anf tail well down. A real hangdog.
Uncle Paton ushered Charlie and Airi into the kitchen and then disappeared upstairs. As Airi peeked to find her mother and two grandmothers sitting at the kitchen table. Maisie looked very put out, but a secret smile played on Grandma Bone's thin lips. Her mother was nervously stirring a cup of tea. Airi knew her brother was wondering the same thing. What is goin' on?
"Sit down Charlie," said Grandma Bone, as if she were about to put on a show entirely for his benefit.
"Don't let the yewbeams get at you!" Maisie whispered. She took charlie's hand and patted it. "What's going on?" said Charlie. Airi wondered if she should go into the kitchen or try and make a run for her room. Until she heard her mother say,
"The Yewbeam aunts are coming,"
"Why!" both Charlie and herself said. Airi wished she had kept quiet because she was now forced to come into the kitchen. "Hello Mom, Grandmothers. Umm may I be inquired as to know why the aunts are coming for a visit?" The Yewbeam aunts were almost worst then Grandma bone. They usually only visited during christmas. Airi and Charlie both came up with the decision that their aunts were not at all interested in them. Airi even had to keep her singing lesson a secret from grandma bone and the aunts. Grandma Bone leant across the table. Her eyes sparkled mysteriously. "My sisters are coming to assess you, Charlie. And if it is found that you are worthy- that you are, as I suspect, endowed- then they will provide the necessary funds to send you to Bloor's Academy."
"Me? At Bloor's? Charlie was aghast. "It's for geniuses."
"Don't worry, love. You won't pass the test," said Maisie confidently. She got up muttering, "Of course, it's old Maisie who has to do all the preparation for our Lady Mucks, isn't it? I don't know why I bother."
Airi helped her brother get the best silver and the nicest china. Charlie look fairly confident that he wouldn't pass his aunts test, both charlie and herself had been test on everything from playing a instrument to drawing a painting. Both Charlie and Airi failed them miserbly failed the tests. Airi was thankful that she wasn't tested for her voice becaus even when she practice making her voice to high pitched it came out beautifully. But Airi still felt unsure her brother would fail the test because of what had happened earlier that day, but she didn't want to think badly of her so she kept her mouth shut. Airi listened as the doorbell rang and charlie was sent to answer it. As all three aunts entered the room, Maisie and charlie and airi's mom were standing over the stove. After dinner which uncle paton actually attended it was time for the assessment. Airi, Maisie and Airi's mom were ushered out of the room. As Airi walked out of the room she slipped her locket into her brother's pocket it supposedly had a photo of her mother, her father, herself and Charlie sitting in the photo but no matter how much. Airi tried to open it, it just wouldn't open, but it was a very precise item to airi, so as she slipped it into her brother's pocket it was meant to be a good luck charm. Airi sat at the table in the kitchen mixing sugar into her cup. She wasn't even paying attention until she went to take a sip. She spit it into the sink.
"oh god, that was way too sweet." She heard her mother ad maisie chuckle from behind her. She had to admit it was sorta funny, but the sound of charlie coming into the room silenced it. "I think I passed." said charlie "Well, I'm blowed." said Maisie. Airi didn't know what to say her brother would be going to Bloor's and she would only see him on the weekends. As Charlie headed to bed, Airi decide to do the same. Airi had just fallen asleep when she heard her uncle walked out of his room and down the stairs. Airi's room was right beside her uncle's room it was the same routine every night but for some reason what Ben had said about his uncle. As Airi came into hall she run into her brother. They were both interest in what their uncle did at night they finally got out the door to see their uncle halfway down the road. Paton paused looking back. Charlie & Airi shrank into the shadows. The street they had turned onto was lit by by a small bell-shaped lamps that cast a soft glow on the wet paving stones. Here, the trees grew closer, the walls were higher. It was a quiet and mysterious place. Paton Yewbeam was on the move again, but now his purposeful stride had become an aimless stroll. Soon, Charlie & Airi, hopping from tree to tree, found themselves only a few paces behind their uncle. A chill wind cuffed Charlie & Airi's ears and they began to wonder if their midnight stalking was going to come to anything. Uncle Paton hadn't turned into a vampire or a werewolf after all. Perhaps he just felt happier in the dark. Charlie was abour to turn around and creep back home, when Airi tugged on his jacket. "No wait, look!" Uncle Paton had suddenly stopped. He was standing about a metre away from a lamppost and a strange sort of humming came from him. Not humming exactly, because Charlie & Airi couldn't actually hear it. It was more like a feeling of humming, as though the air round his uncle was charged with soundless music.
The light in the lamp grew brighter, so bright that Charlie & Airi could hardly look at it and then, with a little crack, the glass shattered and shining fragments fell to the pavement.
They gave a low gasp. They rubbed their eyes. Perhaps it was a coincidence. His uncle standing there, while a power surge made the light in the lamp too hot for the glass. Paton moved on and the two followed, still hiding behind trees. Their uncle slowed down as he drew level with another lamppost, but this time, although the light became fierce and bright, Paton walked past before glass could shatter. And then, without looking back, he said, "Why are you following me?"
