10 MOM'S STORY

CHAPTER 10 MOM'S STORY Did Mom and Grandmom and Grandpop say we could stay at the library?" Little John asked Claire as soon as they were outside Eli's house. "Are Grandmom and Grandpop still there? Or did they go back to Valley View?" Kaz asked. "What about Beckett?" Little John asked. "Have you seen Beckett? We couldn't find him before we left." "Why don't you guys let the girl talk instead of asking so many questions," Finn said.

Claire raised her water bottle to her eye level so she could talk to the ghosts while she walked down the street. "Thanks, Finn," she said. "Okay, here's what happened. I came home from school yesterday and your parents and grandparents were really mad. They crowded around me and wanted to know where you were and when you were coming back." "What did you say?" Kaz asked.

"I told them you were safe and that you weren't coming back until they said you could stay at the library," Claire said. "Then your mom was all, 'children don't make the rules.'" She copied Mom's voice. Kaz gulped. "On a scale of one to ten, how much trouble are we in?" "That's the thing," Claire said as she crossed the street. "I don't think you are in trouble. After they talked to me, your mom and your grandparents had a big talk with Beckett—" "So Beckett is still at the library?" Little John interrupted. "Yes," Claire said. "I wouldn't say everything's peachy between Beckett and your family, but things are better. They all want you to come home, so they made a deal. Beckett is going to live in the library. Your grandma and grandpa are going to go back to Valley View. But you and your parents are going to live above the library. Where my family lives. You don't have to go to

Valley View. And you can visit Beckett whenever you want." "Hooray! We don't have to go to Valley View." Little John clapped his hands. Kaz wasn't ready to celebrate just yet. Just because their parents had said he and Little John didn't have to go to Valley View didn't mean they weren't in trouble. But maybe when their parents saw Finn, they'd forget all about whatever trouble Kaz and Little John were in. And they'd all live happily ever after. "There you are!" Kaz and Little John's mom said when Claire walked into her living room. The ghosts passed through the water bottle and started to expand. "Don't you ever—" Mom stopped midsentence. She blinked, then rubbed her eyes and blinked again. "Finn?" she said. She turned to Claire and Kaz and Little John. "You found Finn?"

"MICHAEL! MOM! POPS!" Mom called. "YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO'S HERE!" She threw her arms around Finn.

"Oh my goodness," Grandmom said as she and the rest of the family wafted into the room. They raced toward Finn, hugging and kissing him. Woof! Woof! Cosmo barked. Finn expaaaaanded over his family's heads. "Cosmo? Is that you?" His tail wagging, the ghost dog worked his way toward Finn and started licking him all over. Finn laughed. "I haven't seen you in so long, old buddy!" he said, hugging his dog. "Thank you for finding Finn," Mom said to Claire. "I didn't find him," Claire said. "Kaz and Little John did." "Good thing we ran away from home, huh?" Little John said. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have found Finn." Mom frowned. "Yes, we're going to talk about that."