Ghoulies Abroad, Julie Steimle [libby ebook reader .TXT] 📗

In a way, Rick had seen Henry as the big brother he never had (even though Rick actually had 3 older brothers of whom he had not known about until he was seventeen. But that was a whole other story).

“I’ll be careful,” Rick said. “Most of the Seven are coming with me, including Abey.”

Henry snorted. Pulling back, he said, “Then you’ve got your hands full.”

Rick laughed, nodding. Henry also knew Andrew rather well and he thought of him as a snot-nosed, punk kid who had been a troublemaker with Rick.

As Rick got his luggage set on the curb, Chen and Tom’s car pulled up. Tom politely opened the door for Chen then hopped out like Peter Pan, hands on hips and a grin on his face. He was the same impish punk as ever—platinum blonde hair standing up like a punk rocker, his orange eyes masked by sunglasses—only taller than the last time Rick had seen him. He was wearing a suit, looking unusually classy for a guy who preferred ripped jeans and a hoodie. Rick peeked around to see if Tom’s hand-sized wings formed lumps on his back or if somehow Tom had figured out how to make them lay flat.

There were bumps. They looked like suit wrinkles, though, and not like he had two living appendages straining to move under layers of cloth. Of course the suit jacket wasn’t exactly fit to size. It was a little larger.

Chen, however, looked genuinely harried and worn. His skin looked yellower than normal and his eyes had an almost blank stare to them. It was like the real world had not been kind to him and he was barely holding it together. Chen had fared well in college. People didn’t touch him if he didn’t want them to when he was living on campus, but Rick could see his personal space was not being respected in the working world. Chen desperately needed that personal space as he was a tactile telepath who could read the past of people upon physical contact. Of course that was not his only gift. Bai Nian Chen was also a Spirit Warrior whose unique gift of shape-shifting came with an obnoxious side effect. If he collided with or was pressed against another human being, he automatically transformed into the animal of that person’s Chinese Zodiac year. Rick wondered if a thick coat in winter helped prevent transformations, as Chen was going to need help keeping human form in a crowded Chinese street during the New Year celebrations.

“Hi, Chen!” Rick waved to them to get their attention.

Tom skipped on over as Chen went for his bag. “What? No ‘hi’ to me?”

Chuckling, Rick nodded. “I’m glad you could come, Tom. What’s with the suit?”

Looking up and down himself, Tom laughed. “Oh. That. Work uniform. They require I look like this, and I forgot I was wearing it. I will change on the plane, if you want.”

Rick shook his head. “No. That’s ok. It just looks like it would be uncomfortable for you.” He gestured to Tom’s back.

Tom laughed, nodding. “Yeah… It itches.”

Snickering, Rick shook his head. Itching. He was sure Tom ached to take off that jacket and stretch his wings.

Another car pulled up. Out came Daniel. He looked different from the last time Rick had seen him. All his acne was gone, and he had chin scruff. In a way, he looked like a hipster as all his clothes were wrinkled and worn. His brown hair was longer, and he was wearing new glasses. Daniel was carrying his sword in his hand when he climbed out of his car, and he waved to them when he saw them.

Tom hopped up and dashed over to see him. He and Daniel had been friends since their first meeting in New York City in the summer when the UN acknowledged them. Chuckling, Rick smiled. It amazed him how much Tom had taken to his friends in the Seven, despite the fact that they scared him. Then again, Tom could hear all their temptations and he knew they were genuinely good people, leaving him nothing to really worry about.

“I need to go,” Henry said with a nod to Rick. “You take care.”

Rick nodded back. He watched Henry get into the car then pull into the crawling traffic, passing through the airport roads. He was soon gone.

“So,” Chen walked up to him, pulling his bag with him. “Is there food on this flight? And are the chairs small?”

Turning around, Rick smirked at Chen. “We will be flying via Deacon private jet. So not only will there be food, but the in-flight movie will be of your own choosing, and all seats are first class.”

Chen grinned with relief. “Good.”

James arrived, and soon after, Semour. James looked leaner—a bit like a lumberjack cliché really—and Semour looked paler than normal (he was the same coloring as Tom except for the eyes), though he was also growing a goatee which made him look like a ghost version of the Sheriff of Nottingham. As they were unloading their luggage, Eddie showed up. Eddie seemed the same as ever, only taller and more filled out in the shoulders. His brown hair even had the same boring trim cut as he wore in high school.

Rick kept his eyes out for Andrew. He was the only one left. Had he backed out? Was he going to renege on his promise?

Yet Andy’s car (not long after Rich thought this) drew up to the curb—and James with Daniel cheered. “Yay! Red’s here!”

“Finally,” Semour said with an old-man tone in his voice.

“Good,” chimed in Eddie. He turned with a look to Rick. “Now we can go.”

Chen lifted his eyebrows, gazing back at young men from the Seven, whom he had never met until now. He peeked to Rick as he watched Tom stroll among them comfortably and catching up on what they had been doing since their last meeting—which had been ages ago. Semour kept his distance from Tom while James rolled his eyes at him. But all of them gathered their bags and joined where Rick was waiting on the curb.

“Ok, we’re here,” Andy said, his tired blue eyes wearily gazing at Rick, his short red hair a little unkempt. “Where to?”

Rick could tell Andy was still sore about their argument on the phone. But it had to be said and there was no taking it back.

Nodding to them all, Rick took out from his coat a large packet of envelopes that carried their passports and travel information. He handed them out. “Take these and keep them safe. When we arrive in China we still have to go through customs. I will have a case which will hold your weapons as we pass through customs. However, if we have trouble, I hear that your UN verified Id. cards will be the most valuable on this trip and can probably get us local help.”

They nodded, taking back their individual documentation.

“My contact in Jiangsu provenance is sending another monk to meet us in Shanghai. But in the meantime, he recommended we review Chinese demons and study the story called Journey to the West. I Googled it, and apparently it is the legend of the Monkey King, and there are a lot of movies about that which I think can help,” he said. “I downloaded them so we can watch them during the trip.”

Chen raised a hand.

“Yes?” Rick looked to him.

“I don’t really think watching a movie is going to prepare us for real demons,” Chen said. “I mean, all those werewolf movies out there are total garbage and you know…”

Rick nodded, chuckling appreciateively. “Yeah… I thought about that. Do you know the story at all?”

Chen shrugged. “I think my parents told it to me when I was little. But the witch that took me away and raised me didn’t want me to be educated in anything of ancient China as she said it ‘clouded my vision’.”

“The witch that raised you?” Daniel inquired, peering curiously at him.

“Oh, that’s right. You haven’t met yet,” Rick said, turning to the others. “Everyone, this is Bai Nian Chen. He’s a friend from Gulinger. He’s a Spirit Warrior.”

“No, I’m not,” Chen muttered.

Tom and Rick looked at him.

“Of course you are,” Tom said, smirking at him. “You can turn into a heap of—”

“Not always,” Chen muttered again. He then looked to Tom and Rick. “I kind of lost touch with my ability over that when I started work.”

“Ah, you’re just worn out.” Tom almost wrapped an arm around Chen’s neck to give him a noogie, but Rick prevented him. If Tom had embraced him, Chen would most likely have turned into a tiger and that would have caused a huge scare in the airport.

Chen looked to Rick gratefully, shooting Tom a dirty look. “My work sucks, ok? But it keeps me from starving.”

Rick blinked at him. His mouth opened to ask about that, but Daniel cut him off. “You can turn into a heap of what? Do you know Tommy Whitefeather?”

Chen rolled his eyes, moaning. “No. I never met him. But I used to be able to transform into every animal in the Chinese Zodiac at will when I was back in school.”

The members of the Seven raised their eyebrows, impressed.

“You really are worn out,” Rick murmured, wondering why. “Maybe you should quit that job if it is messing with you like that.”

With a dirty look, Chen said, “Easier said than done. Not all of us have a guaranteed future.” He then pointed to the main building. “Shouldn’t we be boarding a plane now?”

The bitterness in Chen’s voice was palpable. But Rick decided they could talk about it later as, despite his attitude, Chen was right. They had to get going.

Rick led the way.

“Have you been here a lot?” James chuckled as Rick proceeded at a quick pace though the airport, the rest of them dodging the crowd with effort.

Nodding without looking back, Rick said, “Of course. Dad makes me attend conferences representing Deacon Enterprises all the time. I’ve got frequent flier miles now, though I have traveled on regular airlines from time to time. We will have to ride out onto the tarmac to get to the plane, but a driver is already waiting for us.”

“It must be convenient having a job that pays for all your airfare while letting you go to exotic places,” Chen muttered.

Shooting him a look, Rick said, “Chen, if you want a job at Deacon Enterprises, just say so. I’m sure we have a place in our company for someone with your skills.”

Chen stared, speechless. Apparently the idea of asking for a job from his friend had never crossed his mind. He walked a little faster, keeping up with Rick now. “Are you serious?”

Rick nodded.

They approached the edge of the terminal where a staircase led down to a set of doors for their ride. They skipped security only because they were taking a private jet.

“I mean serious, serious,” Chen said. “As in you are literally making that offer. Now.”

Rick nodded again, looking to him and opening the door for them. “Yeah.”

Chen stared, going through the open gap.

Tom chuckled, striding on long legs to match Daniel’s lengthy stride as they went through. Everyone else walked together, Andy taking up the rear with a peevish glower on his face. Under his red hair and freckles, he looked particularly sullen if not downright unpleasant—which was unusual for Andy who had been voted “Most Liked” back when they were in high school. He was another person Rick needed to have a long talk with.

“Look,” Rick said to Chen as they stepped out into the snow again. “You hate your job. It obviously isn’t working out for you. You’ve got a decent degree at a good university and steady work history. And we need people in our company who would also protect our secret. If you want a job, I can get you one within our company.”

Chen looked likely to faint with relief. “No kidding. Oh man, you have