The grownups decided that Peter, his dad, Lina, and her father, would go—as Rod had put it—topside. Nana would stay with Papa, continually looking for answers or help in her Honeyville journey. Mrs. Young would stay behind with Henry. Mr. Rupert and Peter’s mom planned to head straight for the kitchen and storage closet for extra provisions and come right back down with the items they gathered. Joe and Angela were told to stay put as there was no telling what Goaltan would do if he found out about them.
Peter was the last one out the hatch door. Mr. Rupert started to close the door when he caught sight of Angela and Joe hustling up the stairs.
“We feel we can help too. We don’t want to hide down there forever,” Joe informed them.
Mr. Rupert pulled back the floorboards and let the Candonite children join them. Peter was pleasantly surprised and somewhat relieved at the additional help. Peter took into account that they had no plan. They just wanted to check out what they could find in a matter of minutes.
“Here,” Joe said, placing something in Peter’s hand. It was a small ceramic angel sculpture. The little angel was smiling, her head tilted, and holding one hand over her heart. Peter looked at Joe inquisitively.
“It’s from Henry. He wanted you to have it. He said it would keep you safe. Henry isn’t as oblivious as we thought.” Joe smiled. Peter smiled back and placed the angel carefully in his pocket.
“Here we go, GI Joe,” Lina whispered to Peter. He kind of liked that and gave her a nudge in return.
The first thing everyone did, besides Mr. Rupert and Peter’s mom—who had their own agenda—was crowd around the windows and peek out the blinds. Peter glanced into the china cabinet and saw his own soldier action figure sitting in the place of where the little angel Henry gave him once sat. The soldier was positioned so that he had his hand over his heart. Peter smiled and squeezed the angel figurine in his pocket. Peering out the window, they saw nothing unusual. No sign of Goaltan and his goons. What was he up to? Peter thought. Only one way to find out.
Outside, Peter could feel his hands getting sweaty despite the unusual chill in the air. The cul-de-sac was eerily quiet. They all paired up to keep tabs on each other: Rod with Peter’s dad, Angela with Joe, and Lina with Peter. Oddly, Peter felt the safest being paired with Lina. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that they had already been on a quest together into Goaltan’s territory. Peter felt more confident moving stealthily next to his best friend. They were a team, a force to be reckoned with.
No sign of Goaltan. No sign of the Peblars. It couldn’t be that hard to find his house, Peter thought. After all, Goaltan did have the address. What was taking him so long? Perhaps he had to find a map. Perhaps he had to stop to eat. Perhaps he wasn’t coming at all.
A violent rumble shook the ground and Lina lost her footing, stepping on Peter’s foot.
He reacted with a low “Ow!”
“Sorry,” Lina replied, just as low.
Everyone within sight was staying close to concealing objects like a tree, a car, and a garbage can. Peter couldn’t see his father or Rod. A piercing whistling noise echoed nearby.
Lina gestured forward to all who could see. “Let’s check it out.”
Peter, Lina, Joe, and Angela ventured forward. No time to worry about where Rod and Mr. Fischer went. The obvious thing to do was move toward the entrance of the cul-de-sac to see down the intersecting street.
“We’ll take the opposite side of the street,” Joe said. Peter watched as both his friends, one brilliant yellow and one rainbow-chipped, dashed away.
“We better hurry too,” Peter suggested to Lina, who was looking around for the first time and noticed her dad and Peter’s dad were missing. She grabbed Peter’s hand and guided him from house to house until they were at the end of the cul-de-sac. Angela and Joe were already crouching behind a fence on the opposite side of the street. Lina gasped and Peter swallowed hard when three Peblars captured Rod and Peter’s dad, taking them hostage. Rod was yelling something the children couldn’t quite make out.
“Dad!” Lina whispered desperately.
Peter had one immediate response, to grab Lina and pull her behind a parked car. They watched as the Peblars shoved their dads into the lavender Cupcakery delivery truck. The truck was shaped in the form of a cupcake with chocolate sprinkles and a strawberry on top. It was a strange choice for a holding cell. Peter was surprised the Peblars hadn’t destroyed it. Where were they taking them? Peter wondered. He and Lina watched in horror as two other Peblars reached over the fence, grabbed Joe and Angela, heaved them effortlessly over the fence and pulled them toward the truck. Oh spam!
Peter realized he was squeezing the door handle of a parked car. He stared down at his knuckles, which had turned white. He tried the door handle, relieved it was unlocked. The dark tinted windows would aid in concealing them.
“Get in,” Peter whispered to Lina. They climbed into the car hastily and shut the door silently. They watched as the Peblars locked Angela and Joe in the back of the truck with the others. What now? The ground rumbled again and the car swayed with every sound. More Peblars were joining the party, coming from all sides. Goaltan was not hard to make out amongst them. He was the biggest, brawniest, and meanest looking of them all. Peter realized that in that moment, Goaltan was the one he feared the most.
Peter and Lina were relieved to see that the truck stayed put and did not go speeding away. However, two stout Peblars leaned against the doors, guarding the prisoners.
“We don’t have much time before they find your house,” Lina said.
“I know,” Peter answered glumly.
“We have to do something!” Lina said with desperation, reaching for the door handle of the car.
“Stop!” Peter said, barely above a whisper. “You can’t go off and get yourself caught too. What good would that do?”
“I suppose you are right,” Lina agreed.
Peter noticed Goaltan and his crew heading toward them. In the background, the Cupcakery truck rocked back and forth, evidence of his friends trying to escape. With every step, Goaltan seemed to be getting angrier, sensing he was closing in on Peter’s home. Goaltan’s feet came down hard on the asphalt as soon as he reached the street Peter lived on. Peter and Lina ducked down as they saw the asphalt crack beneath his feet. Even through the car they could smell the rancid beasts. Their noses wrinkled in response.
The children could hear the Peblars approaching and Goaltan’s sinister laughter vibrated the car windows. Shortly after, a thunderous thud came from above Peter’s and Lina’s heads. It took everything they had not to react. They waited as they heard the Peblars pass the car. Slowly they looked up and saw that Goaltan had left an imprint of his fist dented into the roof of the car. The children gulped.
Peter dropped his head in his hands. “If we don’t do something soon, my neighborhood will be destroyed.”
“They always say this in the movies, so I will give it a try….Everything is going to be all right,” Lina said, trying to lighten the mood.
Peter lifted his head and gave her a grimace. “I don’t know if this will work, but I am going to try talking with Goaltan.”
“Are you loony tunes?” Lina wrinkled her nose up at him.
“I have to try reasoning with him. Are you coming with me?” Peter hesitated with his hand on the door handle.
“Well, I am not letting you go alone,” Lina answered with a soft smile.