"Extra homework last night?" Mares asked, watching as Paige shifted the bookbag to her other shoulder.

"Not really."

"What's in the bag, then?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Hello, we've been friends how long? I always keep your secrets."

"Okay, I'll show you."

Paige opened the bookbag and pulled out a metal box, about the size of a shoebox. It was covered in elaborate engravings of knotwork, and it had a tiny keyhole on the front. Mares's eyes widened.

"Where'd you get that?"

"I found it outside last night."

"You didn't steal it did you?"

"What? No! I found it in my front yard when I was taking out the trash."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Who would leave it outside like that, though? It's probably worth something."

"Yeah, I know. I think it's an antique."

"Did you look for a date on it?"

"No."

"Here, let me see it. There should be a company name and the year it was made on the bottom."

"Don't turn it upside down!"

"Geez, okay. What's the big deal?"

"There's something alive in there."

"What?"

"Last night I could hear it scratching around, probably trying to get out."

"How can anything breath in there?"

"There's tiny air holes hidden in the engravings for it to breath."

"Well what about food and water? It's probably hungry."

"I know. That's why I'm taking it to the locksmith after school."

"After? You have time to drop it off now if you hurry."

"Yeah, but I want to be there when they open it."

"I wonder how old it is. Or what it's made of. I've never seen any metal like this before."

"It almost looks like iron, but how could anyone carve iron like that? You don't think it was cast like that, do you?"

"No way. It would be nearly impossible to cast something that detailed, especially if it was made a long time ago."

"Maybe it was."

"Trust me, it wasn't. My parents collect this kind of stuff. There's no way that was cast."

"What do you think is inside?"

"Dunno."

"I hope it's not a rat or something nasty like that."

"Rats aren't nasty, Paige. They're cute."

"Nasty."

"Oliver's cute."

"That's different. Oliver's a tame, clean, good-mannered rat, not some wild disease carrier."

"In other words, you're afraid I won't talk to you if you don't like Oliver."

"Yeah, well you've done it before."

"And with good reason."

"Really?"

"Yes. You offended my poor Oliver."