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“That’s also your decision. Is that what you want?”
They looked at each other. It wasn’t something they had talked about, but now that they were with their grandmother and she didn’t seem any different, the decision was easy.
“Yes,” they both said at the same time.
She smiled. “Good. I’m pleased. And there are two others who will be glad to hear it, too.”
She crooked her finger and the cats came running up.
“Is it decided?” said Kleo, jumping into her lap and staring up at Jaide with her ears back. “The troubletwisters are to remain?”
“It seems so,” said Grandma X.
“Brilliant,” said Ari, hopping up onto the crate next to Jack and leaning into his side.
“But Grandma’s not a Warden anymore,” Jack said. “How can you be Warden Companions anymore?”
“We’ll be regular companions now,” said Kleo, “although we retain certain privileges.”
“Visiting rights, most importantly,” said Ari. “For snacks. Speaking of which, what’s happening to Stefano? As long as he’s on the cooking roster, I say he can stay as long as he wants.”
“He will remain in Portland until he passes his final Examination,” said Grandma X. “Speaking of which, Jackaran, we must arrange for you to take the third Examination as soon as possible.”
“It’s the worst,” said Jaide with relish. “You’ll just die.”
“Great,” said Jack, rolling his eyes. “If you’d just tell me why it’s so bad, then I could be ready for it.”
“She won’t,” said Grandma X with a warning look. “And when you’re all ready, all three of you will take the fourth and final Examination. I’ve spoken to Alfred. He believes you will have no difficulty passing. The three of you have already achieved much more than some Wardens do in a lifetime.”
She smiled, and the pride they saw in that smile was like the sun breaking through the clouds. Neither of them could believe that she was remotely Evil. They didn’t understand how it worked, but this they knew in their hearts, where it really mattered.
“You’d better get back to the game, Jaide,” she said. “Dogton just scored and that so-called teacher of yours looks like he’s going to have a stroke, or possibly explode.”
Jaide leaped up, sending Kleo tumbling, and saw the opposing team hugging one another in celebration. Kyle and the Portland Portcupine looked glum. Hector was waving frantically at her, and she waved back.
“I suppose I have to,” she said. “But it’s really Stefano who’s winning the game for us.”
“No, it’s not,” said Grandma X. “It’s teamwork. And never giving up, not ever.”
Jaide knew she was talking about something far more important than soccer, but wasn’t in the mood for a lesson.
“Wish me luck!” she said, running to join the team.
Jack watched her go, idly scratching Ari behind the ear but not really thinking about either Jaide or Ari. There was one question he hadn’t asked.
“What will the Wardens do now that The Evil is gone?”
“What would you like them to do?”
That was an easy question.
“Help people,” he said, thinking of how Tara had once believed him and his sister to be superheroes. “But not because we want to be famous or anything. I’d keep it just the way it is, a secret, with no one really knowing what we do.”
“That’s a noble plan, Jack,” she said. “I wonder what Aleksandr would say to it.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “He’s not a bad person. He just likes telling people what to do … maybe too much. And maybe that would be a bad thing, given how much spare time he’s going to have now.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” said Grandma X, picking up Kleo. “I’ll find ways to keep him busy.”
Kleo purred.
“Humans should work harder at doing the right thing on their own,” she said.
“Yeah,” sniffed Ari. “And they think we’re hard work.”
“Maybe it’s true,” said Grandma X. “We should be more like cats. They always land on their feet, for one.”
“Don’t worry, Grandma,” said Jack. “We’ll look after you.”
Grandma X took his hand in a very tight grip, and smiled.
