"If you ever want me to talk to you again, you're going to help me prove Billy cheated at the bike race," Matilda firmly said.

"What does that mean?" Ferry asked, stopping on their way back from school.

"It means you need to go to Billy's home, find his bike, and then find the object which helped his bicycle fly."

"But, Matt, you do know that bikes can't fly, don't you?"

Matilda turned sad, "Of all people, I thought you would believe me..." she said in a low voice.

Ferry's tone turned softer, too,  "I do believe you. If you say you saw something strange, I believe you."

"Then you have to help me, Ferry. I want to wipe the smirk off that spoilt brat's face, once and for all."

"But you know Billy hates my guts. I can't even come close to his home..."

"You can't. But your mother can," said Matilda, smiling meaningfully.

⃰

It was easy to convince his mother to take him with her at the Pride Mansion, that Saturday morning. Mr. Donovan wanted to enjoy his morning sleep and Ferry couldn't possibly visit a friend so early in the morning.

The Prides were hosting a big party for their guests from the Big City. So Mrs. Donovan's help was needed. Ferry promised he would behave, although the plan of stealing that mysterious object was far from good behaviour.

The Pride residence was situated on the outskirts of the town. Ferry knew the fame of the house only from hearsay, but he never imagined a house could be so big. The road from the tall iron gates to the house was longer than he expected. On the sides, tall oak trees and poplars were rising towards the sky as if guardians of a sanctuary.

The house was actually an old mansion with a rich architecture that would have made jealous the wealthiest man in the world. The Pride property had thousands of acres of land at the edge of the town. It had big gardens, a maze, and a racecourse where every midsummer, business partners of Mr. Albert Pride enjoyed the countryside.

Inside, the house was decorated as if a palace, with solid furniture encrusted with ornaments, built by the skillful hands of the most famous handicraftsmen.

In the large saloon, a huge chandelier made of thousands of crystals owned the place, capturing the eye from the entrance. It was the room that hosted the most exquisite parties. The floor was made of marble and Ferry thought of it as a great skating rink. The room had a round shape while the walls were decorated with enormous paintings from where gods and fantastical beings were watching. Ferry could watch them an entire day. On one side, big marble stairs were leading to the upper floors.

His mother's job was to take care of the guests' rooms on the second floor so Ferry had to say goodbye to the wonderful room at the entrance.

"Be careful not broke anything around here," his mother said. "If you do, it will cost your father the whole year wage," she warned him. "You'd better play outside."

Ferry was happy to hear that. This way, he could search for Billy's bike. Since it was so early in the morning, few people were around. Billy included. He must have been still sleeping. Nevertheless, bumping into him was the last Ferry wanted.

Yet, finding a bike in such a big house was hard—as hard as looking for the needle in a haystack.

Ferry went out a large terrace where he could see a table with osier chairs. The terrace led to a wonderful garden of flowers, planted in perfect symmetry. The bushes were trimmed as animals and Ferry could recognize a dragon, an eagle, and a unicorn. The scent of the exotic flowers he had never felt before combined with the freshness of the morning dew was truly inviting.

Beyond the garden, Ferry discovered some big walls of foliage, cut in a straight line. Several corridors were leading to unknown places. A labyrinth! And although he would have loved to see where the labyrinth led, he remembered he was there for something else.

 He intended to find a door to the basement. Maybe that was the place where Billy kept his bike. He went down the first stairs that got in his way. Only it didn't look like a basement, at least not like the one at home. It was actually a pool room, like the one he once saw in a film on TV. Massive leather armchairs surrounded the pool table and there was a small table with an ashtray on it near every armchair. His feet sank in a soft, fluffy carpet with exotic patterns he had never seen before. Ferry woke up from his astonishment when he heard voices and footsteps coming closer. He hid behind one of the big armchairs which proved to be large enough so that no one could know he was there.

A man and a woman came in. Ferry could see them well without being seen. He recognized the man—he was Billy's father, Albert Pride. He wore a perfectly fitted suit and shiny leather shoes which looked like black mirrors. The woman was much younger. She had long, blonde hair that fell on her shoulders in a fashionable hairstyle. She wore a white, silk robe, and she was smoking. Her hands were trembling. She had dark circles around her brown eyes and she seemed exhausted. Ferry thought that must have been Mrs. Julia Pride, Billy's mother.

"We don't seem to get along..." she said in a tired voice. "He's being rude, and he always does as he pleases. He never listens..."

Billy's father listened to her in silence. He lighted up a cigar and threw himself in an armchair.

"If he wants to leave, he leaves anytime he wants, without asking permission. He spends all day long with that chubby boy he's got nothing to learn from. And he comes home late, even after dark..."

"I'll talk to him," Mr. Pride said in a husky tone.

"It won't help!" she raised her voice. "You have talked to him before and nothing happened. He behaves a day or two, and after you leave, he starts all over again. He doesn't do much at school either. I've been talking to Miss Summer, his teacher. She told me he has the feeling that he deserves and owns everything."

"So what is it you suggest?" Mr. Pride asked sick and tired of the conversation.

"Why can't we send him to a boarding school? It would be much better for him. For all of us..."

Mr. Pride rose from the armchair. He didn't look that calm anymore, "I won't do that, Julia! Please, do not insist."

"Why? I don't understand ..." she said in a faint voice, and tears came to her eyes.

"Because I don't want him to live by strict rules which will turn him into a cold, heartless being."

"But he already is a cold, heartless being!" she shouted.

Then, she threw herself in one of the armchairs, shaken by sighs.

Mr. Pride made no gesture what so ever, staring at the fire burning in the big, marble fireplace.

"You don't know how lonely I feel in this place. You're always away. I'm just sitting here all day long, between these four walls. This house feels like a prison. For almost ten years... Ten years of loneliness and unhappiness..." she sighed.

"Maybe if you behaved more like a mother, you wouldn't feel so lonely," he said to her through clenched teeth. Then, he headed with big steps towards the door.

"I AM NOT HIS MOTHER!" she shouted behind him.

But Albert Pride didn't even look at her and stormed out the door.

Julia Pride stood there for a while, sobbing in the armchair, holding her legs close to her chest, like a punished baby. Then she wiped off her tears with a silk handkerchief she took out of her sleeve, rose from the armchair and left the room. Ferry decided it was about time to get out of that room, too. He didn't want to be caught sneaking around. Yet, Mrs. Pride's last words made him wonder. He couldn't understand what they meant. But he thought it would be better to keep that discussion to himself. He entered the house in a hurry, looking for his mother. Searching for Billy's bike with so many people around didn't seem like the wisest choice anymore.

The house was now full of servants toiling and moiling like ants in an anthill. The saloon was now decorated with flowers and candles. On the second floor, every guest room was being cleaned up. He found his mother pottering about with great diligence.

"Can I help you, Mum?" he asked.

"No, dear, I'm fine. I wish you could stay close, though. I've just met Billy, he was coming down for breakfast. And I wouldn't want you to meet him, considering the... lack of friendship between you two."

But that's when a thought came to Ferry's mind. If Billy was having breakfast, he was to search for that mysterious object in his room. Who knew, maybe he would get lucky.

He knew that the bedrooms of the Pride spouses were placed across the guest rooms. His mother let him know he shouldn't get near. But, with the fuss in the house, it was easy for him to sneak to the other side of the floor.

A 'STAY AWAY' sign let him know he had found Billy's room. He got in, slowly shutting the door behind. The room was sumptuous, just like the whole house, with robust mahogany furniture. It was very tidy and clean. Even the bed was made. It didn't look like a child's room at all. If he hadn't seen Billy's manuals on the big table by the window, he would have thought he had mistaken the room.

Yet, he didn't dare to rummage in such a neat room. He opened the wardrobe which covered the whole wall across the bed and looked inside. Billy's clothes were perfectly arranged on hangers. Ferry didn't dare to touch anything. Nothing seemed out of place. So he shut the wardrobe's doors, sighing.

He then searched with his eyes in the entire room. Nothing. He decided it was time to leave. But when he was just about to do so, something caught his eye. A sparkle. A ray of light descended on the bed and continued on the floor. It amazed Ferry to see how colored sparks were coming from under the floor. The floor creaked under his foot and Ferry could see one of the floorboardswas loosened. He pressed with his palm and to his wonder, he could see a hidden slot from where the sparks emerged. Inside, there was a metal box, not too big. It was locked. In the sunlight, he could see something was sparkling inside through a small crack in the box. So Matilda was right. Billy did use a sparkling, mysterious object to win. And that object was in that box. He couldn't come up with anything on how to open it without Billy knowing. He had to find the key. But where?

A noise at the door made him throb. He managed to put the box back. But he had no time to hide. So he burst out upon Billy who just entered the room.

At first, Billy looked surprised to see him there. But then, his face turned red with rage, "What are you doing here, Donovan?!!"

Ferry became flustered, "I─ I was just─"

"You weren't trying to steal anything, were you?" Billy spat the words.

"No, I swear, Billy! I wasn't trying to steal anything."

Billy snarled. His sneering, brash snarl Ferry hated so much. "I thought maybe I should call my father. He should know the troubles the children of his employees are making."

Ferry hated the situation he was in. He didn't care about himself. All he was thinking about was his parents. The thought they might lose their jobs terrified him.

"Please, Billy, don't tell your father..."

He could see how much Billy was enjoying the situation. "Hmm, let me think about what you can do for me so I won't tell my dad... I know! You're going to do my homework for a whole month! No, wait! Three months, until the school ends."

"Even Math?!!" Ferry panicked.

"Even Math," Billy grinned. "And you'd better do it well," he threatened him with his index finger.

Ferry had no choice. "So be it," he agreed with a heavy heart. "And then I don't want to have anything to do with you! Ever again!"

The two shook hands.

Ferry headed towards the door, but Billy stopped him on his way, "Before you go, tell your mother to come and clean up this mess."

"What mess?" Ferry wondered.

"This!" he said. And without hesitating, he pushed an immense flower pot which broke on the floor with a loud noise. Dozens of pieces mixed with soil scattered on the white carpet in Billy's room. It would have taken his mother a whole day to clean that mess.

Ferry's sight turned blurry. With a shout worthy a warrior, he threw himself on Billy and the two boys rolled over in the dirt on the floor. During the fiery fight, Ferry saw a small key hanging at Billy's neck. He thought that must be the key of the mysterious box under the floor; he managed to wrest the key from Billy's neck without him realizing. But the fight went on, turning Billy's room into a battlefield.

"Ferry, stop!" he could hear his mother's voice behind.

His poor mother was standing in the doorway, looking at the disaster in front of her, her hand covering her mouth.

The two boys eventually stopped. They were all full of leaves and dirt.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought you along," she said, tears almost falling from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mum... He did it on purpose, I swear."

His mother began to clean up the mess and Ferry helped her.

"There! Now it all has to be neat and clean," Billy snarled. "Ferry, you missed a spot," he said with the same smirk on his face.

And then the most curious thing happened. His mother raised her teary eyes from the ground and watched straight into Billy's. The boy became flustered and, with unsteady hands, he began to help them clean the dirt on the floor. That was how Billy's mother found them.

"What is going on here?" she asked in a cold voice.

Billy jumped to his feet, "Mother, Ferry broke the flowerpot," he said the moment he saw her.

"That's enough, Billy," she told him. "Now go wash," she said without looking upset. She was wearing the same silk robe Ferry has seen earlier.

"But, Mother..." Billy protested.

"I SAID GET OUT NOW!" she shouted so loud that Billy shivered. Then, he rushed out the door.

Ferry's mother dared to come closer, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Pride," she said in a faint voice.

Mrs. Pride's voice turned warmer, "Don't worry, Eileen. Go get someone to help you clean."

Ferry's mother went out of the room and Ferry turned back to clean what was left of the poor plant. But Billy's mother stopped him, "It is not your duty to clean after my son," she said. She lightened up a cigarette and now she was blowing the smoke in thin whirls which scattered when touching the ceiling.

Ferry stopped, unable to tell a word. Billy's mother was staring at him as people usually did, the first time they met him.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Pride," he muttered. "I didn't mean to─"

"You don't have to apologize," she cut him short. "I'm sure Billy was asking for it. You're probably the only one who can face him."

Ferry thought that day was definitely the day of surprises. He felt tired beyond words because of that.

"Go wash, now. The bathroom is at the end of the hallway," she said.

But before Ferry could get out of the room, she stopped him. Her ice-cold fingers gripped his arm.

"Don't ever give up on your dreams, Ferry," she hissed with a wild look on her face. "That spoilt brat deserves every mean word, every kick he gets," she added before storming out the room.

Ferry just stood there, near the door, all shaken and confused. He could still feel Mrs. Pride's fine perfume, mixed with the smell of tobacco and dirt.

⃰

The following days, Billy Pride avoided him and that couldn't be more obvious. He wasn't even looking at him. When Ferry asked him about their agreement, he muttered something like he wouldn't have trusted him to do his homework properly, anyway.

"What did you do to Billy that's he's so quiet?" Matilda wondered.

"Nothing..." said Ferry. He had decided he should keep the happenings at Billy's home for himself.

"And what are we going to do with that box you said you saw? I'm sure that's where he keeps the mysterious object."

"I don't know, Matt. But isn't that enough that we know he cheated?"

"No, it's not," she persisted. "I am not giving up, until he admits he cheated, in front of everybody. I'm better than him!"

Ferry shrugged. Matilda could be so stubborn sometimes. However, he didn't intend to go near Billy's house anytime soon.

Yet, he was happy his father hasn't found out about his fight with Billy. Without knowing why he knew Billy wouldn't tell. Maybe Ferry didn't discover the mysterious object. Instead, he discovered that even Billy Pride had a heart.

⃰

"What are you thinking about, Ferry?" Ben asked him.

They were doing their homework at Ben's, as usual. But Ferry's mind was somewhere else. He found it difficult to stay inside when everything was so vibrant outside. He could almost feel the earth breathing.

"How can you stay inside on such a beautiful day?" he asked Ben.

"Well, I like to stay outside. But sometimes I find it hard to concentrate. Lately, I can barely concentrate just about anywhere..."

"How so?"

"There's a funny thing going on each time I look at your drawing," he said, rising from the table. "Each time I look, it seems like it turns alive. If I watch it closely, it looks like it's turning into something else. Like magic. Like it isn't what it should be."

"What do you mean?" Ferry wondered.

Ben was watching the drawing from Ferry again as if charmed.

"It looks so alive... How did you ever come up with such an amazing drawing?" he asked Ferry.

Ferry sighed, "I didn't. Each time I drew, it was as if my hand was guided by someone else."

"Like someone would have controlled you? You mean like possessed?"

"Something like that, only I was aware of it. But now I can't draw anymore. It just stopped," said Ferry with sadness.

"But why?"

"I don't know. I just couldn't anymore. As if this talent vanished."

"That's strange..." Ben said, lost in thought.

But Ferry didn't have the time for Ben's theories. He collected his books from Ben's table.

"What are you doing?" Ben asked.

"I can't possibly concentrate on such a beautiful day. I'm going to study outside. Are you coming?"

Ben sighed. "I can't. I promised my sisters I would play with them in the backyard. I'm supposed to be the brave knight who saves them from the dragon. Izzy is the dragon."

Ferry couldn't help but smile. He could imagine Ben wearing a silly costume, protecting the loud princesses from a lizard. He said goodbye to his friend, intending to stop under the first tree it came in his way.

A gentle sun was making him feel warm, inside and out. He was surrounded by the sweetest scents of flowers and fresh grass. And the trees' foliage was a gift to his sight.

Yet, his feet led him somewhere else. And soon, he found himself heading towards the forest. His raven was watching him from above. When he saw where he was going, the raven began to croak, flying in big circles above him. But Ferry didn't mind him. He kept going. He stopped at the edge of the forest, though. The grass under his feet was fat, and Ferry threw himself on it, his eyes to the sky. There was no cloud on the clear, high sky. In the distance, he could hear birds singing and the forest was undulating under a soft breeze, rustling its fresh leaves. Ferry forgot about his books or studying. His schoolbag lied somewhere close, abandoned. Even his raven stopped from croaking, landing on a nearby branch. A pleasant torpor took him over, little by little. And maybe he would have fallen asleep if not the sound of steps somewhere close.

In the blink of an eye, he was up on his feet. He could see someone coming. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized that person. It was old Mrs. Cobbs, leaning on her crane, groping on the path coming from the forest. Ferry couldn't help but wonder what was that poor, almost blind lady doing in the forest everyone was so afraid of.

He decided to stay still, hoping the old woman wouldn't see him. Strangely enough, her watery eyes focused on him as she came closer. She began to walk towards him, faster than Ferry would have expected. Yet, he didn't dare to move.

The old lady wore the same old clothes, once so elegant. But she also wore some a dark cloak over which made her look like a ghost from a terrible nightmare.

When she was only a few steps away, she looked at him with her dingy eyes and said in a dark, husky voice which gave Ferry the shivers:

"It is happening again..."    

Well, this is another chapter full of clues :) Can you guess? Can't wait to hear your thoughts. As always, don't forget to vote!