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Dervish has to go away for a couple of days "Meera’s heading off for pastures distant, oodbye in style"

"’In style’?" I smirk Meera Flame is one of Dervish’s closest friends Definitely his sexiest She’s hotter than a hot dog that’s been cooked extra HOT! "Are you and Meera finally going to get it on?"

"Don’t be ridiculous," Dervish snorts "We’re just friends You know that"

"That’s what you always tell me" I tease

"Well," Dervish huffs, "it’s true I’ve never made a pass at her and I don’t intend to start now"

"Why not?" I ask, genuinely interested

Dervish pulls a saintly expression "Grubbs," he says softly "Remember when I told you that your dad was Bill-E’s dad too?"

"Yes" Warily

"What I didn’t tell you was that your ht of as your mum only met your dad after you were born Meera" He stops

I gawp at hi My world starts to explode

Then I catch his grin

"You son of a jackal!" I roar, swatting hi head "That wasn’t funny"

"Oh, it so was," he laughs, wiping away tears

Most of the tiet a kick out of Dervish’s warped sense of huets up rowl "Maybe I’ll tell Misery Mauch about you I doubt if he’d see the funny side of a sick joke like that Wouldn’t surprise me if he took me out of your custody and put me some place where the people are halfway norhs, then squints at me "I don’t want to lay it on heavy, but I’ve so to say and I want you to pay attention"

"What now?" I ask with a sulky sneer "Ma and Pa Spleen are -lost brother?"

"This house has been wrecked once already," Dervish says "I don’t want it destroyed again Keep your freakish little friends under as much control as you can A certain amount of wear-and-tear is unavoidable, I accept that, but they’ll only run wild if you let thee And for heaven’s sake, don’t let any of theuarded by spells, so if anyone wanders in there uninvited"

"What are you babbling about?" I snap I hate when he starts on a spiel withoutit clear what the subject is

Dervish frowns "A bit slow today, aren’t you?"

"What?" I roar i away" He raps my head with his knuckles "You’ll have the house to yourself" He raps it again "It’s the weekend"

He goes to rap hting up with a set it At the exact same moment we exclaim, me excitedly, Dervish sarcastically-

"Paaarteeeeeee!"

"Strip poker," Frank says earnestly "It’s a must"

"Hey!" Loch barks "My sister will be there"

"So we’ll wait till she sneaks off with Grubbs, then ba-buhs, even Loch

"Have you told the girls yet?" Charlie asks

"No I wanted to discuss it with you lot first, get some ideas, like how many people to invite, should I have a theme, if-"

"Theme?" Loch snorts "This isn’t a fancy dress party, fool!"

"I wouldn’t invite too many," Leon says, a worried look on his face "I made that mistake once Had just about the whole school back toI did what I could to clean up the next day but it was impossible"

"Yeah," Frank nods "This is your first party You don’t want to blow it by taking on more than you can handle"

"Especially since there’s so rees "That hly valuable over the next few years Loads of rooms-loads of bedroooldot to tread carefully If we trash the house now, Dervish ain"

The discussion continues Everyone-Loch, Frank, Charlie, Leon and Robbie-chips in with their own ideas Music, food, drink, the guest list each is debated at great length But the guest list is the one we keep co back to, the topic that creates the uy," Frank insists "If not three"

"Nah," Robbie grunts "Equal nu up on us"

"What do you care?" Leon challenges him "You only have eyes for Mary"

Robbie winks "A lot can happen at a party"

Out of the blue, Charlie shouts, "Jelly beans You’ve got to have jelly beans Plates of them everywhere"

"You’re a bloody jelly bean!" Loch roars as we fall apart in tears of laughter

"What are you hyenas splitting your sides about now?" Reni asks, appearing on the scene without warning, Shannon by her side

"We’re-" Charlie starts

Loch elbows him and nods sharply at me-my party, my news

"Dervish is away this weekend," I tell Reni, wishing my heart wouldn’t throb so loudly-I’ a party"

"Great," Reni smiles "I hope we’re invited?"

"Of course," I sayfor cool, "But don’t tell anyone I want to keep it exclusive-just a select handful ofacquaintances"

"Nice," Reni says and strides away, sharing a giggle with Shannon

" ’More discerning acquaintances’," Leon mimics as the others poke me in the ribs and make cat-calls "You’re full of it sometimes, Grady"

Word spreads quickly about the party I’ve never been so popular, surrounded at the start and end of classes, pued with requests for an invite I think the location of the party is aselse Everyone in the Vale knows about the spooky old mansion where I live but most have never been inside

At lunch I’ry teens, all in search of a golden ticket I feel like a king, hearing petitions, flanked by my royal advisors (Loch and co) I play it icy at Loch’s advice, saying numbers are limited, I can only invite a select few I don’t say an absolute no to anyone and promise to take all requests into consideration

So I’s for class,aardly, even more so than usual "Hi Grubbs"

"Hi"

"How’s tricks, Spleenio?" Loch says, putting out his hand I groan as Bill-E falls for the trick again, makes to shake and is humiliated when Loch whips his hand away "Sucker!"

I don’t wait for Bill-E or Loch to say anything else "Have you heard about the party?" I ask quickly