R. L. Stine_Mostly Ghostly 07 (7 page)

Thursday after school, I went home with Aaron. I wanted to show him the tricks I planned to do for Ballantine.

Aaron looked even weirder than usual. That's because he still had the cell phone glued to his ear.

“It's kinda nice for making calls,” he said as we climbed the stairs to his room. “I never have to look for the phone. But it's hard to power up. I have to lean my head close to the charger and hold it there for about an hour.”

“How long are you going to keep it there?” I asked.

Aaron shrugged. “My doctor tried everything
to remove it. But he couldn't do it. He called the glue company to send someone to look at me. Maybe they can help.”

I set up my tricks on Aaron's desk. He sat down on his bed to watch.

“Is that a new Jennifer Garner poster?” I asked, pointing to the wall behind his bed. Aaron had taped posters and pictures over the entire wall.

“Yeah,” Aaron said. “Check it out.”

I stepped up to the poster. It was a scene from the first season of
Alias.
Jennifer Garner's hair was blowing behind her. She had a shiny gun in her hand.

“Hey!” I read the handwriting near the bottom. It was a message written in blue ink: To Aaron, Love always—Jennifer.

“Wow!” I cried, turning to Aaron. “She signed this for you?”

He shook his head. “No. I wrote that. Cool, huh?”

“Yeah. Sure,” I said. I walked back to the desk. “Here's a new trick. I made it up just for Ballantine.”

I held up two drinking glasses. “The Amazing Moving Water Trick!” I announced. “Watch carefully.”

The glass on the left was filled with water. I held a red handkerchief in front of the glasses, hiding them from view.

“The water moves in mysterious ways!” I boomed in my loud magician's voice. I whipped the handkerchief away—and both glasses were now half full.

“Awesome,” Aaron said. “The water really did move.”

“Keep watching,” I said. I hid the glasses behind the handkerchief. “Move, water!” I shouted. I pulled the handkerchief away—and all the water was now in the second glass.

“Awesome!” Aaron repeated. He clapped his hands. “How do you do that?”

“Wait. I'm not finished,” I said. I lowered the handkerchief again and said some magic words. This time, both glasses were empty. The water had disappeared.

Aaron jumped to his feet. “That is way cool!” he exclaimed. He slapped me on the back. I staggered into the desk, and both glasses started to tumble off.

Luckily, I made a great catch and grabbed them before they fell.

“Ballantine will go ape for that trick!” Aaron said.

“Please don't mention monkeys,” I begged.

He stared at me. “Huh? Excuse me?”

“Never mind,” I said.

“Did you know I'm allergic to monkeys?” Aaron asked.

“I have some more tricks,” I said.

Aaron picked up the two water glasses. “Bet I can do the water trick,” he said. He raised the two glasses to his face and studied them.

I laughed. “Since when are you into magic?” I asked.

I heard a noise outside the bedroom window. Someone was shouting out there.

I ran to the window, stuck my head out, and glanced around. I heard more shouts. Then I saw some kids in the yard across the street.

The Wilbur brothers. They were beating up a little kid. He was screaming for help.

I watched Billy Wilbur rip the boy's shirt up the back. Willy Wilbur held the kid down and gave his head a hard knuckle rub.

“Hey! The Wilbur brothers are beating up a kid across the street!” I called to Aaron.

“So what else is new?” Aaron replied. “Dude, they beat that kid up every afternoon. It's their after-school activity.”

I watched for a few more seconds. The little kid kicked Willy in the leg, then ran away.

A happy ending.

When I turned back to Aaron, he had a worried look on his face.

“Uh … Max? I'm in a little trouble here,” he said. He raised his hands. Both hands were stuck inside the water glasses.

“Take them off. That's not how you do the water trick,” I told him.

“I … can't get them off,” Aaron said. He held his hands out to me. “Help me, okay?
Pull!”

I tried pulling the glass off his left hand. Then the right. I pulled as hard as I could. But I had to be careful. I didn't want to break the glass.

I tried twisting them off. Then I tried pushing and pulling.

No way.

Those glasses were stuck on tight.

“I'm not happy about this,” Aaron said, shaking his head. The cell phone on his ear shook too.

I had to laugh. He had a phone stuck to his ear and two glasses stuck to his hands.

“I know what we can do,” Aaron said. “My tool kit is under the bed. Get the hammer and smash the glasses.”

I frowned at him. “I don't
think
so!” I said. “I need these glasses. They're trick glasses. They make it look like there's water inside. But there's no water in this trick.”

“Come on, Max. Use the hammer,” Aaron begged. “I'm desperate here.”

“No way,” I said. “Your hands will be cut. You'll bleed all over the place.”

That's when Aaron's mom burst into the room. Her mouth dropped open when she saw the glasses stuck on Aaron's hands.

“I don't
believe
this!” she screamed. “This isn't happening.”

Aaron nodded. He had both hands raised in front of him. “Yes it is,” he muttered.

“I have to take you to the emergency room
again?”
his mom cried.

“It's Max's fault!” Aaron exclaimed. “It's his magic trick. He said I should do it.”

“No, wait—!” I cried. “That's not true. I—”

“Aaron, you're grounded for
another
lifetime!” his mom shouted.

Then she turned to me. “You made Aaron do this? When I get back from the hospital, I'm calling your mom. She should ground you, too!”

My heart pounded as I watched her drag Aaron to the car. Aaron turned and waved to me, his hands trapped inside the glasses.

The door shut behind him. The car backed down the driveway.

I watched until it disappeared down the street.

“Hey, I can't be grounded!” I called after them. “Saturday is going to be the biggest day of my life!”

F
RIDAY AFTER SCHOOL
, T
RACI
pulled me into the teachers' parking lot. It was a warm, breezy day. The wind kept blowing her blond hair into her face. She kept brushing it back with one hand, glancing around, making sure none of her cool friends saw her talking to me.

She wore an olive green sweater that matched her eyes. And olive cargo pants that matched the sweater that matched her eyes.

Keep it together, Max, I told myself. But I realized I was already making that
hee-haw
sound I've been making lately whenever she comes near me.

“Remember about the party tomorrow evening?” she asked.

“Hee-haw,” I said. “You and I—”

“Remember we're going in separate cars?” she said. “And don't talk to me too much at the party. Just in case someone cool shows up.”

“Hee-haw,” I said. “No problem.”

“And promise you won't embarrass me in any
way,” Traci said. “These kids are all geeks and freaks. But I still don't want to be embarrassed.”

“Hee-haw,” I said. “Hee-haw.”

Traci brushed back her hair. Then she handed me a flashlight.

“What's this for?” I asked.

“It's a flashlight party,” she said, rolling her eyes. “My cousin's house is going to be totally dark. And you need a flashlight to get into the party.”

“Cool!” I said.

“No, it's totally
uncool,”
Traci replied. “I told you my cousin Stella is a drip.”

She hurried away.

I staggered back against one of the cars. I couldn't believe it! I was going to a flashlight party with Traci Wayne! Of course, we wouldn't talk to each other or anything. But how
exciting
was this?

“Hee-haw. Hee-haw.”

Why did I keep making that sound? Did it mean true love?

I started to walk home. The wind blew at my back. I felt as if I could lift off the ground and float home.

I felt a strong puff of air. At first I thought it was just a gust of wind. Then I realized Nicky and Tara were at my sides.

“Maxie, why are you grinning like that?” Tara asked.

I stared at her. “Don't know,” I said. “Just grinning.”

“Are you grinning because you decided to be a nice guy and help Tara and me on Saturday?” Nicky asked.

I stopped walking. We were at the corner of Powell and Bleek, my street. The wind suddenly picked up. I shivered. It had been warm, but now the breeze felt cold.

Gray clouds floated close overhead.

“Listen, guys,” I said quietly. “I know how badly you want me to do that chimp thing for you. I've been thinking and thinking about it all week.”

“And?” Tara demanded.

I shook my head. “I can't do it. It's just too scary. And too dangerous.”

They both groaned. Tara took my arm. “Come on, Max,” she said. “You promised you'd help us, remember? When we first came to your house?”

“I never promised I'd switch my brain with an animal brain,” I said. “Look, guys, you know I'm your friend. You know I want to help you. But—”

I didn't finish. The wind howled. A powerful gust shook the trees all around. Darkness fell, as if the clouds had dropped over us.

The sky was suddenly black as night.

Another howl. Like a wild, angry animal.

The tree leaves were all shaking now. The tree limbs, too. It grew even darker. The wind swirled around me.

“What's up with this?” I cried.

I staggered back as a creature lurched toward us. Out of the blackness, it shot forward.

I saw its yellow eyes first. Angry yellow eyes.

Then I saw its black panther head. Its curved teeth bared. Its angry expression.

A creature on two legs. Huge and howling. Its eyes fierce as fire.

“Noooooo!” A shriek of horror escaped my throat.

We started to run. All three of us. My two ghost friends and me, bent low into the howling, swirling wind. Struggling to run, to fight the wind and the darkness—and to flee this thing!

I heard the hard thumps and bumps of its heavy paws on the pavement. A gust of hot wind—its
breath
on the back of my neck!

What was it?

Some creature of darkness! Yellow-eyed and angry.

And loping after us. Taking its time. Howling out its fury.

The darkness grew deeper. Colder.

Hard to breathe. My leg muscles cramping. Hard to move.

And then I saw the creature grab them.

It grabbed Nicky and Tara in its front paws. Long, curved ivory talons closed around my friends.

The creature bent low, holding the two ghosts high in front of it—and sprang away. Leaped into the darkness on two powerful legs, still howling, those headlight eyes still prowling.

“Help us! Max—help us!”

I heard their terrified cries in the howl of the wind.

I
FROZE
.

The wind blew harder, pushing me back, shoving me away from the creature.

The huge animal tossed back its head and sent a long howl up to the dark sky. I could see Nicky and Tara gripped in its talons, squirming and thrashing, struggling to free themselves.

“Help us! Max!”

“Max! Help!”

What could I do?

I gaped at the horrifying creature—like a monstrous black panther, bounding on its hind legs. As it turned away from me, I saw its tail, curled up on its back like a long black snake!

“Help us! Max—do something!”

My whole body trembled, violent shudder after shudder. The flashlight nearly slid from my hand.

The flashlight!

An idea burst into my mind. A desperate idea. But maybe … just maybe …

I gripped the flashlight tightly. I raised it to my waist and pointed it at the howling creature.

I remembered the evil ghost Phears, who had wanted to destroy Nicky and Tara.

I remembered the first time Phears came after me.

Bright car headlights had scared him away.

Phears couldn't stand bright light. It made him helpless. It burned his ghostly skin like fire.