Voyage to Viking Island

Chapter One
Rock Star Baby!

Delbert Dallas was a normal boy in a not so normal family. Big brother Danny did everything first. He went to the park without Mom and Dad first. He got his own room first, and next year, he would learn how to drive first.

"I'm first!" Danny shoved Delbert out of the way and sat in front of the computer. Their mom, Sergeant Dolores Dallas in the United States Army, waved happily from the barracks in Iraq. "Mom! We won, seven to nothing. We creamed South Division."

"That's great, honey. Who do you play next?"

Little brother Dougie came in, carrying his stupid old bunny rabbit. He was five, not two. What a baby.

"I wanna talk to Mommy." Dougie tugged on the back of Danny's T-shirt.

"Hey," Delbert said, "Get in line, squirt. I'm next."

"But I wanna talk now," Dougie whined.

"It's not your turn."

Mom said, "Boys, boys. Where's your father?"

"I'm here." Dad dried his hands on a towel.

Danny glared at them, then turned back to Mom. "As I was saying…"

Dad pointed at Delbert. "Let Dougie go next. The nicer you are to him, the nicer he'll be to you. Besides, don't you have to get something?"

"Yeah, Dad." Delbert scuffed out of the room. The only way to get Dougie to be nice was to give him what he wanted. Danny always went first and Dougie always got his way.

On his bed sat the best birthday present in the whole world a twelve-year-old could want. A blue and fire red Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. His fingertips were numb from practice. He placed the strap over his shoulder and plugged in the mini-amp. The size of a walkie-talkie, it fit perfect. Mom didn't get to stay on long and he ran back. No one had a guitar like this. Not bossy big brother Danny or bratty brother Dougie.

"Mom!" Dougie held up a dinosaur. "Look at this."

"Dougie, Mommy loves you. Kiss, kiss." She made smacking noises.

Dougie blew her a kiss.

Baby.

"Check it out, Mom." Delbert hit the seat the second Dougie slid off. "Can you see the blue and red flames? There's glitter in the paint and everything. Dad got me this awesome amp that runs on batteries so I can play outside. My fingers are getting tough, just like the book said they would. Dad says I have talent. So what do you think? Isn't it great?"

"It's awesome, honey. Can you play something for me?"

"Sure!" He got his fingers just so over the strings. He knew one song all the way through. The Star Spangled Banner. Dad said some dude played this song and set his guitar on fire. Who would be so mean to a guitar? For the end, he spun his arm in a big circle like a rock star.

Mom clapped. "That was super! You sound like Dad."

Dad wrote music for cartoons. Delbert wanted to be just like him. "Cool!"

"I have to go, but can you record that song for me?"

"I will, Mom."

Dad took his turn. "Be careful, babe. I love you."

"I love you back, honey-bunny." She giggled and blew him a sloppy kiss.

Gross. No kid should have to see gooey stuff between his parents.

* * *

"Delbert! Your lunch!" Dad waved a paper sack from the fourth floor landing of the apartment complex.

Delbert stopped in the grass. "I'll miss the bus."

"Catch!"

Delbert missed. The bag tore and the baggies filled with a tuna sandwich, chips, and Oreo cookies fell out. He scooped up the food and ran across the courtyard. He got there as Molly, the last one in line, began to board. Molly's family lived on the other side of the complex. She was right in the middle, like him, with a big brother, and a little brother, too. As far as girls went, she was okay.

He sat next to Austin, his best friend at Washington Elementary school. Austin eyed the tuna sandwich. "Forget your lunch again?"

"Dad does that all the time. He waits until I'm outside to see if I grabbed the bag. One of these days, I'll end up at school with tuna fish hair."

The bus rocked back and forth and turned toward school. Austin wiggled his eyebrows above his glasses. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"Walter's coming back today."

"How do you know?" Delbert swallowed hard.

Walter Wheeler was older. He got held back two grades. Instead of being in eighth grade, he was in sixth with them. He didn't look older, he was short and skinny, but he sure acted older. He didn't get along with anyone.

"Judy told Beverly and Beverly told my sister and my sister told me."

"Aw, you can't listen to girls." Delbert prayed they were wrong. "He's supposed to be suspended for a week or something."

"Nope." Austin chuckled. "Guess his mom didn't want him home anymore."

"Well, he better watch out, because I'm not gonna be so nice anymore."

"Ooo, big man!"

"Shut up."

"Make me—make me—make me."

Delbert grinned, balled up his fist, and pretended to hit him. Austin flinched and Delbert tapped him twice on the arm. "Two for flinching."

"I'll give you two." Austin went to hit him, but Molly popped up over the back of the seat in front of them.

"You guys are kicking my seat. Knock it off."

"You knock it off," Austin said and stuck out his tongue.

"I'll tell on you."

"Go ahead, be a little tattle-tale."

She smiled at Delbert. "I heard Walter's got it in for you."

"Well, girls talk too much, that's what I heard."

"Aren't you scared?"

He liked Molly okay, but not so much right now. "He doesn't scare me."

"He's really mean, and you aren't."

"I can be mean if I want to," Delbert said. "I just don't want to be like him."

"Whatever." Molly rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat.

Austin whispered. "Don't be like him Del; we wouldn't want to scare all the girls."

"Shut up."

Austin hit him twice.

"Ow!" Delbert rubbed his arm. "I didn't hit you that hard."

"Yeah," Austin said. "You sure are mean. I'm so scared; I'm shaking in my boots."