CHAPTER ONE Summer was a busy time at Mick’s Diner Located right off Highway 84 in Somerville a town so small you’d miss it if you blinked while passing by it was the perfect place to stop for a good meal in the middle of a long journey Fortunately for Amelia and Jason Vega the owners of Mick’s Diner that’s what plenty of people did each summer Over the years word had gotten out about the delicious donuts at Mick’s as well as the cheap gas at Earl’s Gas Station and the appeal of a handful of other places in town Plenty of travelers marked Somerville on their maps as the place to pause stretch their legs and take in the town’s charm before heading on to bigger more exciting destinations
The Vegas children 12-year-old Rowan and 11 year-old Astrid were not as thrilled with summer life in Somerville They found themselves either frantic while helping out during a rush at the diner or bored to tears during the downtimes Following the exciting events that had started their summer the kids now felt that the boring times were finally here When two new Somerville residents 12-year-old Jace and his young mom Evie arrived in town they brought with them plenty of mystery As Rowan Astrid and Astrid’s best friend Quinn befriended Jace they were curious about the pair and began asking questions and gathering clues In the end they learned that Jace and Evie were actually brother and sister and the two of them had been relocated to Somerville to hide out after their secret agent parents found themselves in trouble The Vegas Quinn and her
parents and Somerville Police Captain Joel Osgood rallied around Jace and Evie and vowed to keep their true identities a secret so they could remain safely in town Things settled down quickly after that and a few weeks later Evie was enjoying her new job at Mick’s Diner and making friends while Jace had become inseparable from Rowan Astrid and Quinn The foursome had fallen into an easy summer routine of helping at the diner and hanging out As the days went on however they grew antsy with the monotony Jace and Rowan tried to break up the boredom by starting what they called the Ultimate War Tournament The boys had been hooked once Mr Vega had taught them the card game in which the person with the high card wins each round and tries to collect all of his or her opponent’s cards They decided that whoever had the most wins by the end
of the summer would be declared the Ultimate War Champion Astrid and Quinn enjoyed playing sometimes but Jace and Rowan were way ahead of them There was plenty of summer left but they had already begun taunting each other with each victory Winner winner chicken dinner Jace exclaimed as he scooped up the last of Rowan’s cards Jace beamed as his black hair fell over his pale green eyes Whatever Rowan grumbled as he added a line under Jace’s name on their tally sheet While Jace and Rowan may have been different in many ways Jace was tall and laid-back while Rowan was small for his age and tended to be more serious neither of them liked to lose Make sure you make that mark nice and dark Jace continued teasing his friend I’m pretty sure that win puts me in the lead
