A. J. Cattapan - 7 Riddles to Nowhere

Advance Praise for Seven Riddles to Nowhere

With a fast-paced story andcompelling characters, A.J. Cattapan's Seven Riddles to Nowhere inspiresyoung readers not only to spend time reading, but also to believein their own ability to make a difference in this world. Highlyrecommended for middle schoolers, and the grown-ups who love them!-Lisa M. Hendey, author of the ChimeTravelers series

A.J. Cattapan has a knackfor getting into the hearts and minds of middle-schoolers. Kidswill be hooked from the first page (and parents tempted to readover their shoulders) as they follow an intrepid troop of friendson a quest to save their school. SevenRiddles to Nowhere has it allaction,cryptic clues, unique settings, and a hero every kid can rootfor."-Stephanie Landsem, author of The Living Watersseries

"Seven Riddles toNowhere is a blast, taking the reader on anexciting tour of Chicago streets and churches, while charactersgain insight into mysteries and symbols of our faith as theystruggle to solve riddles. The tension and suspense mount right upto the very end."-Theresa Linden, author of Roland West, Loner

A fun and informativemystery for Catholic middle-schoolers or anyone who has eyed aCatholic church or cathedral and wondered about the meaning in itsstructural details and symbols.-Cynthia T. Toney, author of theBird Face series

Seven Riddles toNowhere will keep teens turning pages,even while they gain an appreciation for Church history, its richsymbolism, and the universality of the faith. Parents, beware! Yourkids will want to stay up late finishing this book - and you might,too!-Stephanie Engelman, author of ASingle Bead

7 Riddles ToNowhere

A.J. Cattapan

VinspirePublishing

www.vinspirepublishing.com

Copyright 2016 A.J. Cattapan

Coverillustration copyright 2016 Elaina Lee/For the MuseDesigns

FirstEdition

Printed and bound in the United States of America. All rightsreserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted inany form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includingphotocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrievalsystem-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in areview to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on theWeb-without permission in writing from the publisher. Forinformation, please contact Vinspire Publishing, LLC, P.O. Box1165, Ladson, SC 29456-1165.

Allcharacters in this work are purely fictional and have noexistence outside the imagination of the author and have norelation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. Theyare not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknownto the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

ISBN: 978-0-9971732-5-3

Published by VinspirePublishing, LLC

This book is dedicated inloving memory of my mother, Marjorie Cattapan, who passed awayshortly after it was accepted for publication.

Two of Moms great loveswere children and her faith. She made it her mission to make sureall children knew they were special and loved by God.

May my work as an authorcarry her mission forward to future generations ofchildren.

Kameron Boyd hadnt spokena word in school for seven years. This, however, did not stop histeacher from asking him to stick around after class.

Mr. Boyd. Mrs. Harriseyed him over the rim of her tortoise-shell glasses. Youll needto see me after school again today.

Again? Kams heart sank as he lowered his eyes to his desk. He knewexactly how this after-school meeting would go. The same as all theother ones. Mrs. Harris would talk, and Kam would stand theredumbly, shaking and nodding his head at the appropriate times. Whena small movement of the head wasnt enough, hed scribble a briefnote on his whiteboard.

As Mrs. Harris continueddiscussing the nights homework with the rest of the seventhgraders, Kam let his mind wander. There was nothing he could doabout staying after school or the impossible homework assignmentMrs. Harris had dreamed up. Besides, he had other concerns on hismind. Like what sort of riddle had his friend Vinwhose full namewas Arvin Cheng, but dont call him Arvintexted him just as recess wasending.

The moment the bell rang,thirteen students rushed to grab their jackets and bags from thecoat closet. Kam dug out his cell phone, his pulse racing. Vin andKam were always texting each other riddles and timing each other tosee how fast the other could respond with the correct answer. Nofair of Vin to send it just as the bell was ringing for class tostart up again. Hed been forced to wait all afternoon to see whatit was. Riddles should be saved for non-school hours when theycould speed-round them.

Before breakfast thatmorning, Vin had sent a riddle that was easier than a spelling teston three-letter words.

How many animals of eachspecies were on the ark with Moses?

A quick reader wouldrespond two, but that would be wrong. Kam was a careful reader.He texted back: None. Noah was on the ark,not Moses .

While munching on hischocolate krispies at breakfast, Kam responded with a riddle of hisown while Gram huffed that he spent way too much time on thatphone.

Kam shrugged. He had to send a riddle back.He owed it to Vin.

What is between heaven andearth?

This one required a bit ofthought. Kam wondered how long Vin would take to solve it, but Vinwas fast. Before Kam could clear away his breakfast dishes, Vinresponded:

The word and.

Kam grinned. His friendwas good. He waited for a new riddle back in response, but when Vindidnt respond right away, Kam figured he would wait until afterschool. How unfair of him to end up sending it during recessinstead!

Now, as his classmatesshoveled books into their backpacks, Kam switched on his phone andfound the texted riddle from Vin.

Who designed Noahsark?

Bet you cant solve thatone fast. Vin stood nearby, zipping up his bag.

Kam lifted a shoulder asif already apologizing for his slow response and leaned his head inthe direction of the teacher.

Vin glanced at Mrs. Harrisbefore speaking again. Oh, right. Meet you by the bike rack. Heheaded out the door with the rest of the seventh grade.

Shuffling around textbooksand spiral notebooks, Kam packed his bag. Among his homeworkassignments, he stuffed in a letter from the principal that he wassupposed to take home today. He tried not to think about the lettertoo hard. Was it possible St. Judes might really close? Hed hadenough of changing schools and didnt want to think about doing itagain.

Mr. Boyd. The classroomwas now empty except for Kam and Mrs. Harris. She sat at her desk,scribbling something in her lesson plan book. When she finished,she looked over the rim of her tortoise-shell glasses. Comehere.

Kam hefted his bag ontohis back and then grabbed his notebook-sized whiteboard and dryerase marker. Mrs. Harris had been a great teacher in the fivemonths hed been at St. Judes, but he wasnt looking forward tothis conversation. His stomach gave a little lurch.

I know this oral reportassignment frightens you. She adjusted the orange scarf over herpurple top.

Kam uncapped his dry erasemarker. Frightened wasnt the right word. Not talking in schoolwasnt a matter of being afraid. It was simply a matter of ability.He scribbled four words on his white board.

I cant do it.

Kameron. Mrs. Harristried to look him right in the eyes, but his gaze fell to herwrinkled hands and the colorful rings she wore. Kameron, you and Iboth know thats not true. I visited your house, and we had alovely conversation about your yo-yo competitions. Youre perfectlycapable of holding a conversation with me.

Kam grabbed a tissue offhis teachers desk and wiped the white board clean.

Mrs. Harris sighed. Ivebeen doing some research. Youre not the only student in the worldwho has trouble talking in school.