10 Manifest Destiny

Chapter 10 Manifest Destiny Well, now it looked as if the two people who could help the McDonald twins were both dead. Mya, the woman in red who saved their lives up on the cliff, had been shot in the neck with a poisoned dart. And now Bones, blown to pieces. For a moment, Coke thought about becoming Ace Fist the action hero and running back into the garage to save Bones. But the building had been obliterated. Nothing was left. There was no way anybody could have survived the blast. And it would be risky to try. Whoever set off that explosion was, in all probability, trying to kill him and his sister. The smart thing to do would be to get out of there as quickly as possible. "Do you think it's our fault that Mya and

Bones are dead?" Pep asked as they ran home. "Maybe we're bad luck." "Of course it's not our fault," Coke told her. "It's their fault. They're the ones who put us in danger. The people who have been trying to kill us just got them instead. No wonder Dr. Warsaw decided that it's up to kids to save the world. Grown-ups have no idea what to do." On the inside, though, both twins felt a twinge of guilt. Mya and Bones had been trying to help them, and now they were gone. Coke and Pep were on their own. There was a chill in the air as they got closer to home. Coke wished he hadn't so gallantly ripped his T-shirt in half when they were trapped in the burning school. He felt cold now. "Do you think Mom and Dad know what happened at school?" Pep asked her brother. "Are you kidding?" he replied. "Aliens could land on our front lawn, and Mom and Dad wouldn't notice. I bet all the parents were called. Mom and Dad probably didn't pick up

the phone or check their email." In fact, Dr. McDonald had checked his email. An emergency message had gone out to parents telling them the school had burned down after everyone had left for summer vacation. Dr. McDonald assumed it was another one of those internet hoaxes he received all the time. He deleted it from his in-box with a laugh. When the twins finally got home, their parents barely noticed them. They were in the middle of a heated discussion on the front lawn. "I can't believe this, Bridge!" Dr. McDonald complained. "The garbagemen took my garbage can!" "That's what they're supposed to do, Ben," Mrs. McDonald informed him. "No, they took my good garbage can," he added. "The small one in my office." "Well, why did you put your good garbage can out with the trash?" Mrs. McDonald asked logically. "I wanted them to take the garbage in the can,

not the can itself," he explained. "The can wasn't garbage. The stuff in the can was garbage. It was obvious!" "You shouldn't have put your good garbage can out on the lawn, Ben," she said. "It's your own fault." "Well, they shouldn't have taken it away!" The twins looked from one parent to the other as if they were watching a Ping-Pong tournament. "How are the garbagemen supposed to know what is or isn't garbage?" Mrs. McDonald continued. "They're not mind readers." "What do I have to do, spell it out for them?" "Apparently so," she replied. "Why don't you make a sign that says not garbage and put it on the can you don't want to throw away?" "I'm not making a sign for the garbagemen!" he said, exasperated. "You know, last year I was trying to throw away an old beat-up garbage can, but they wouldn't take it. They didn't think it was garbage. And now they took my good

garbage can that I didn't want to throw away. I'm telling you, Bridge, you can't win with these people!" Coke and Pep silently prayed that they would never become grown-ups. Their parents turned and faced them, finally realizing there were more important things in life than garbage cans. "It's about time you kids got home," Dr. McDonald said, pulling his children to him in a bear hug. "What happened to your shirt?" Mrs. McDonald asked Coke. "It ripped," Coke replied. It was, technically, the truth. "I had to throw it away." "Is that any way to treat your clothes? Shirts don't grow on trees, you know," his mother said. "They cost money. You need to take better care of your possessions. Ben, should there be consequences to this?" Dr. McDonald didn't like to hear his children being scolded. He always believed you get better

results by rewarding good behavior than you do by punishing bad behavior. "Anything exciting happen at school today?" he asked to change the subject. "Nope, other than the fact that it burned down," Coke said. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Dr. McDonald chortled. "I got that email too. You kids crack me up. Bridge, I'm so glad we decided to have children after all." Pep and her mom went inside to prepare dinner, while Dr. McDonald brought Coke around to the side of the RV, which was parked in the driveway. "We're heading out first thing in the morning," he told Coke. "And I have a job for you. I need you to clean the toilet." "Why do I have to clean the toilet?" Coke complained. "Why can't Pep do it?" "Because you're a guy," Dr. McDonald said, "and we guys are disgusting, filthy creatures, right? Besides, which would you rather do: clean