Stone Ranger Read online

  Stone Ranger

  by

  Bob Blanton

  Copyright © 2018 by Robert D. Blanton

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, 2018

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to

  actual persons living or dead, or actual events

  is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Beginnings

  Tennis Anyone?

  An Unwelcome Guest

  Alex the Spy

  Vision Quest

  A White Thanksgiving

  A Reason for Thanks

  Shoot Her

  Game Time

  The Winter Ball

  Home for Christmas

  Terror’s Night Out

  Retribution

  After The Storm

  Obligations

  Beginnings

  Matthew was standing in front of Pacific Coast Academy, waiting for his new girlfriend, Brianna, to show up. She’d been to Aspen with her family for the weekend and hadn’t gotten back until late Sunday night. He’d tried to call her cell phone, but had only gotten voice mail.

  He was toying with the stone medallion that hung around his neck. His index finger was tracing the etching on the stone. His mother had gotten the Celtic translated for him, it said, “Under the protection of Rune Merlin.” Matthew had assumed it was a joke, a modern hoax, but now he wasn’t so sure. He’d discovered that the stone had powers.

  It should be safe to check on Brianna by now; she had to be up and at least on her way to school. Matthew relaxed his breathing; filling his mind with Brianna, he turned on his virtual camera. As he gazed ahead, he was not seeing the front of the school he was facing, but the side parking lot where Brianna was getting out of a car. She swung her backpack over one shoulder and walked toward Matthew. It seemed strange to be looking at Brianna as though he had eyes in the back of his head, but Matthew had gotten used to being able to see unusual things through his virtual camera.

  Brianna had almost reached him. As Matthew started to slowly turn so he would face her, she quickly darted to the right, trying to stay behind him. “She must be trying to surprise me,” Matthew thought.

  Brianna continued to sneak up behind him. As she was about to reach over his shoulders, probably to cover his eyes, Matthew decided to play with her a little. He took a couple of steps forward and stood on his tiptoes as though he was looking for her. She clenched her fist and gave a silent, “Ooh,” as she tiptoed up to him once more. This time, just as she was trying to reach over his shoulder, Matthew squatted down on his heels. Brianna almost fell over as she adjusted to his changing location faster than her sense of balance would allow. Regaining her composure, she bent down and covered Matthew’s eyes with her hands.

  “Guess who?” But of course Matthew knew who. “Brea!” Matthew said as he turned around and grabbed her into a hug. She fell on top of him as his added weight threw her off balance. They both fell to the pavement laughing.

  “Sorry, you surprised me,” Matthew lied.

  “That’s right, just remember, that no matter where you are or what you’re doing, I might be right behind you. So you’d better behave.”

  “Ohh! A spy. Well at least you finally made it back; I tried to call you this morning.”

  “Oops, my phone must still be in airplane mode.”

  “How was the ski trip?”

  “It was great; we had fresh powder both days and the weather was nice. It snowed Friday night and again Saturday night, but both days were sunny and warm.”

  “Nothing but the best for you.”

  “Of course.” Brianna gave Matthew a smug look. “It’s what I deserve. How was your weekend?”

  “Fine, I just hung out around the house doing stuff; took some great pictures of Mars through my telescope.”

  “Did the reporters finally start to leave you alone?”

  “Not really, but it’s starting to slack off; I don’t know how many times you have to say ‘No Comment’ before they get the picture.”

  “Well, it’s hard for them not to get a story from the new local hero,” Brianna eyes were flashing with admiration.

  Matthew had helped rescue the five-year-old sister of one of their friends from a child-kidnapping ring. It had been the first time he’d used the powers of the stone to do something special. The whole thing had happened just before Halloween. His actions had resulted in the apprehension of the ringleaders and the recovery of several other missing children. The story had dominated the local news last week and had even made the National news. Matthew had refused to be interviewed, but the reporters wouldn’t give up and had been hounding him and his family since.

  “Reporters, you can’t live with them and you can’t trust them to print what you say. They already have the story in mind and are just looking for the lines; besides I don’t like the attention.”

  “My poor hero,” Brianna said giving Matthew another hug.

  “Well, we had better get to class before the bell rings. Are we on for lunch?”

  “Sure, I’ll see you at the tables by the statue. Is it okay if Jason and Alex join us?”

  “Then the three of you will just talk about your ski trip.” Jason was Brianna’s older brother and Matthew’s best friend. Alex was his girlfriend.

  “No we won’t, we talked about it all the way home, so we’re pretty much talked out on that subject; besides, Jason wants to talk about what you’re doing for Thanksgiving.”

  “Okay then, but no going on about Aspen,” Matthew looked very officious, and then he broke into a smile and gave Brianna a quick kiss. “See you at lunch.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  At lunch, Matthew grabbed a table for him and his friends. He was early relative to the rest of the group since he brought his own lunch. Although he was attending Pacific Coast Academy, an exclusive private school in Rancho Santa Fe, he was far from rich. Bringing his own lunch was one of the ways he tried to help out on the family budget. Although things were much better after the reward money he’d received for rescuing Sonja Stevenson, his family was still tight when it came to money. Now it was a completely different story when it came to Jason and Brianna, they were from a relatively rich family and lived in a huge house; Jason had gotten a top of the line Lexus SC for his sixteenth birthday and Brianna seemed to wear a new outfit every time Matthew saw her. Matthew was glad they had school uniforms; it made it much easier to fit in.

  “Yo, Matt, how’s it going?” Jason said as he came up to the table, carrying a tray with food on it for Alex and himself.”

  “Hi, Matt,” Alex said as she sat down at the table.

  “I’m good; you guys sure look tan.” Both Jason and Alex had very distinctive tans which highlighted the outline of their ski goggles. “Why doesn’t Brianna have a tan like that?”

  “She wore sun screen, didn’t want to mess up her looks,” Jason’s voice was tinged with sarcasm. “Alex and I wanted everyone to know we’d been skiing.”

  “Well they can sure tell that. Where’s Brianna?”

  “She was slow getting into line,” Alex said. “You know her last class is all the way across campus.”

  “Oh! That’s right, I forgot.”

  “There she is.” Alex stood up and waved to Brianna.

  “Sorry I’m late.” Brianna set her tray on the table and slid in beside Matthew. “My last class is all the way across cam
pus, so I always make it to the cafeteria when the line is longest.”

  “That’s okay,” Matthew said.

  “Thanks, but it’s a real pain; and they’re always out of the best food by the time I get through the line. It wouldn’t be a problem if a certain someone would give his sister a ride to the mall for lunch.” Brianna gave Jason a mean look.

  “Come on, I give you a ride to school, and besides, I thought you liked having lunch with Matt,” Jason tried to look innocent.

  “Well we could both use a ride.”

  “I bring my lunch. I can’t afford to buy something at the mall every day.”

  “You could bring your lunch with you; there are lots of places where we could eat together after I found something decent to eat.” Brianna gave Jason another nasty look.

  “Okay, okay, I’ll try to remember to give you a ride if Alex and I are going. Now can I please eat my lunch in peace?”

  “Sure, no problem.” Brianna looked very pleased with herself.

  “Jason, Brea said you wanted to talk about Thanksgiving,” Matthew asked, trying to stem the sibling rivalry.

  Jason had just taken a huge bite out of his hamburger and he mumbled, “Uh-Uh,” as he tried to swallow.

  “Chew your food,” Alex said. “While we were in Aspen, we started talking about what we were going to do for Thanksgiving. Do you have plans already?”

  “I think we’re staying here.”

  “We’re going to go to Vail for all four days; why don’t you come with us?” Brianna asked.

  “I don’t think I can afford it.”

  “It won’t cost that much; we’re going on a private jet and have a huge house rented so since those fixed costs are already covered, there won’t be much to pay for,” Jason said.

  “I don’t want to leave my mom alone; it’s the first Thanksgiving since Dad died.”

  “Well if you change your mind, we’ll have a spot for you.” Brianna looked disappointed.

  Emily Stevenson was walking back from the parking lot when she saw the group. She came over to their table, “Guys, did you hear the news?”

  “What news?”

  “They’ve caught a terrorist at the San Ysidro border crossing trying to come in from Tijuana.”

  “That’s great, one more down, who knows how many more to go,” Jason said with his usual sarcasm.

  “I think it’s scary, we don’t know why he was coming to San Diego.”

  “I agree with Emily, this could mean that they’re planning something big here,” Alex said.

  “It could also mean that San Diego borders Mexico, and has one of the worlds busiest borders,” Matthew said. “Besides, you would think a serious terrorist would find a way in besides crossing the border than at a U.S. border crossing. They could fly in or come by boat and probably never be noticed.”

  “Well, I’m going to keep a sharp lookout. This is a big military town, and we’re probably just full of targets,” Alex said.

  “Oh great, I’ve got an FBI wannabe as my girlfriend.” Jason was holding his head in his hands for emphasis.

  “I think CIA is probably more like it,” Brianna said.

  “No, I think MI-6,” Matthew said, “we’re probably looking at the next 007.”

  “I think Alex would prefer 001,” Emily said with a chuckle.

  “I’m sure,” Brianna agreed.

  “Well, you can joke all you want, but this is a real war,” Alex got up and stormed off toward the school.

  Jason rolled his eyes, “Okay, we’ve got to lighten up here; we’re going skiing on Thanksgiving, and I don’t want her in a bad mood.”

  “Sounds like you’re whipped,” Matthew gave Jason a pat on the back.

  “I don’t think it’s an exclusive club; I see your nose ring is starting to grow out,” Jason retorted, “I know my sister.”

  Brianna and Emily laughed together as the four friends headed back to the school, following Alex.

  As they entered the school building, Emily grabbed Matthew’s arm as they continued to walk toward their Advanced Novels class. “Matt, I think this could be real serious.”

  “What could be serious?”

  “The terrorist.”

  “It could be, but we can’t do anything.”

  “Why not?”

  “What can we do that the FBI and CIA can’t do, were just a bunch of kids?”

  “Well, one of us has the ability to see and hear things in a very special way.”

  “I’m sure the FBI has enough wire taps to cover it. Besides, I wouldn’t know where to look so my little gift is pretty useless.”

  “Come on, you can do better than that.”

  “I don’t see how. Now we’d better get seated, class is about to start.

  Tennis Anyone?

  The next day at lunch Brianna ran over to Matthew as he was eating on the school’s outside patio. “Matt, Mommy finally relented and said I could try out for the tennis team.”

  “Great, I’m fine, how are you?”

  “Sorry, how are you doing?” Brianna said as she gave Matthew a light kiss.

  “It’s okay, I know you’re excited.”

  “But I’ve been waiting so long to be able to play again.”

  “Isn’t the season almost over?”

  “It ended last week, but club play starts up this week.”

  “What’s club play?”

  “You know, just like the soccer club that Jen plays on, just another form of organized play.”

  “Oh, right; how come it’s your mom saying you can play, I thought you were waiting for a fracture to heal?”

  “I was, but according to the doctor, it’s been fine for a couple of months, but Mommy wouldn’t let me play until she was absolutely sure it was completely healed. We went to the doctor yesterday and he convinced her it was okay.” Brianna had a huge smile on her face. “My foot looks just perfect on the x-ray.”

  “You’ll have to get me a copy for my wallet; that way I can show it to all my friends.”

  “Don’t be silly. There’s Emily. Emily!” Brianna hollered out across the patio while she waved ferociously.

  Emily waved back and changed her course to come over to Brianna and Matthew’s table. “What’s up?”

  “I’m getting to try out for the Turf Tennis Club.”

  “That’s great, but tryouts were over two months ago.”

  “I know, but Mommy wouldn’t let me tryout then. Now I have a clean bill of health.”

  “And the x-ray shows she’s in perfect condition,” Matthew volunteered.

  “That’s great, but I’m not sure the coach will let you try out.”

  “Oh yes she will; she said I could try out whenever I was ready.”

  “Well great, I wish you the best of luck.”

  “Bye, I’ve got to go find her and get it set up.” Brianna charged off to find the coach.

  Emily looked at Matthew, “I hope she’s got her story straight.”

  “Why, sounds pretty clear to me?”

  “The coach is usually a stickler for the rules, generally she’s not that flexible, and the parents take the selection process pretty seriously. I don’t see why she’d make an exception and risk all the flack.”

  “Maybe it’s because Brianna is nationally ranked in her age group,” Matthew offered.

  “What?” Emily looked surprised.

  “Didn’t you know? She’s played since she was five, and has been a topped ranked player since she was ten.”

  “That’s pretty amazing, she’s never mentioned it.”

  “It’s probably because she thinks it’s just normal. Her mom played on the pro circuit for years.”

  “I guess I should have assumed the whole family would be into tennis, given how good Jason is.” Emily was referring back to the time that Jason had totally dominated her and Matthew during a doubles match back in October.

  “None of them talk about it much; even Cara never says anything about it when she’s giving me
lessons.”

  “Well, you never know.”

  “We’d better head to Advanced Novels.” Matthew scarfed down the rest of his fries. “Do you think the coach will let me watch the tryout?”

  “They’re generally open, so I’d guess so; but who knows?” Emily was a little disconcerted as she followed Matthew toward their class.

  Matthew wondered if Emily was feeling threatened by Brianna. Emily had played on the varsity team as a sophomore and had been elected Co-Captain this year, even though she was only a junior. She had gone to a top tennis camp over the summer, and had been getting private lessons from one of the top trainers in San Diego. She was by far the top player on the team. Brianna was two years younger, so Matthew couldn’t believe that Emily would feel threatened.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  Brianna’s try out was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. The coach had selected three of the top players from the Turf’s sixteen and under team to test Brianna.

  Brianna was warming up, hitting balls against the wall when Matthew showed up.

  “Hi, are you ready?”

  “Sure, just waiting for the coach to show up.”

  “Hello, Miss Winthrop,” the coach said as she walked onto the court followed by the three players. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you have.”

  “I’m looking forward to showing you,” Brianna replied with confidence.

  “Good, I’ve asked Teri, Jackie and Morgan to help me with my assessment. So let me know when you’re ready.”

  “I’m ready.”

  “Okay, why don’t you show me your serve while everyone else warms up?”

  “Sure, which side do you want me to start from?”

  “Just serve toward me, I’ll switch it up as we go.”

  Brianna hopped over the net and set up to serve.

  “Do you want me to play ball boy?” Matthew asked.

  “That would be nice; I don’t believe I know you?”

  “I’m Matthew, a friend of Brea’s.”

  “She’s got a basket of balls so you should just focus on collecting them. There’s an empty basket over there to put them in.”