The Boy Who Ate Fear Street (7 page)

“Because I'm a little excited.”
Why did I say that? I didn't mean to say that. Did I?

The pepper burned my throat. I swigged some milk from my container.

“I need your help! You're the only ones who can help me.”

“We'll help you,” Kevin said. “But you have to tell us what's wrong.”

“I know I've been acting kind of crazy, and it's all because I'm under a—”

“Under a what?” Lissa asked impatiently.

“What?” Kevin echoed.

“I'm under a chow chow poodle German shepherd.”

Huh?

Why did I say
that?

I definitely didn't want to say that!

Kevin and Lissa laughed.

“I'm under a terrier Lassie boxer Pekingese,” I declared.

Oh, no! What's going on? I know what I want to say! Why are all the wrong words coming out?

The lunch period warning bell rang.

“We have to go, Sam.” Kevin and Lissa stood up.

Tell them! Tell them about the dog food and the fleas!

My heart began to race.

I opened my mouth.

Would the right words come out?

I concentrated on what I wanted to say—and shouted, “Rin-Tin-Tin!”

Kevin and Lissa gathered up their books.

“Pit bull!” I cried out.

Why couldn't I say what I meant?

I had to tell them how Aunt Sylvie put a curse on me with those little black flakes.

That's it! I gasped.

That's why she came to school!

She knows I've figured out she's the one doing this to me.

And she doesn't want me to tell Kevin and Lissa!

So she came to school and sang that weird chant over my head—to strengthen the curse.

To make sure I'd never be able to tell anyone about it—ever!

“D
oberman beagle Newfoundland,” I screamed, trying to tell them about Aunt Sylvie. “Labrador schnauzer Lhasa apso!”

“Sam,” Lissa said. “Why are you doing this?”

“I'm trying to tell you why!” I shouted. But all that came out was “Schnauzer mutt Greyhound!”

“Stop it!” Lissa shook her head impatiently.

“Collie retriever—”

“Sam, stop it. I mean it!” Lissa reached over and socked me in the arm hard.

“Owww!” I yelled. “That really hurt!”

“I'm sorry,” Lissa apologized. “But I had to make you stop.”

“You didn't have to hit me so hard,” I said, rubbing my arm. “You could have broken something.”

Hey! I'm talking!

“Okay, quit joking around now,” Kevin said, “and tell us what you wanted to say.”

“I wasn't joking around,” I protested. “It's part of the curse.”

“What curse?” Kevin asked.

“The curse your Aunt Sylvie put on me!” I cried.

“Sam, you really are crazy!” Lissa shrieked.

“No, I'm not!”

I told Kevin and Lissa about eating the sponges. I reminded Kevin about the paste and the weird shocks. I told them how I wanted to eat Fred's dog food.

I told them about talking so fast yesterday, I couldn't even understand myself.

I told them that I ate fleas.

“And it all started after Aunt Sylvie put those black flakes in my rice pudding,” I finished. “I was fine before that. Perfectly fine.”

“Fleas! You ate fleas!” Lissa gagged. “That's disgusting.”

“But we all ate the rice pudding,” Kevin said. “Nothing weird happened to us.”

“No, you didn't,” I reminded him. “I was the only one who tasted the rice pudding. Then Aunt
Sylvie poured the black flakes down the drain. Remember—she wouldn't even taste them. She just threw them out. Then everyone ate ice cream.”

“Why would Aunt Sylvie put a curse on you?” Kevin demanded.

“Because she doesn't like picky eaters!” I exclaimed.

“That's ridiculous,” Lissa declared.

“Then how would
you
explain what's been happening to me?” I asked.

“I don't know, but it's not Aunt Sylvie's fault,” she replied.

“It is!” I insisted, totally frustrated. “Aunt Sylvie put a curse on me. You've got to believe me.” I banged my hand on the table hard.

“Look, Sam. You cut yourself,” Kevin said, gazing down at my hand.

“I don't care about my hand!” I shouted. “I'm under a curse!”

“Look at your hand, Sam!” Kevin exclaimed.

“Look!” Lissa said, her eyes growing wider and wider.

I gazed down at my hand.

Blood oozed from the cut and dripped onto the table.

A thick stream of blood.

Bright blue blood.

“B
lue blood!” I shrieked. “I have blue blood!”

“Is—is it real?” Lissa stammered.

“Of course it's real!” I shouted. I grabbed a napkin from the table and pressed it to my hand. The napkin soaked up the blood and turned bright blue instantly.

“Why—why is it blue?” she asked.

“I don't know why it's blue,” I cried. “Something made it blue—or someone.”

I lifted the napkin from my hand and a thick stream of blue blood squirted from the cut. It splattered all over Lissa's light yellow T-shirt.

“Ewww!” She jumped back. “Wipe it off me!”

Kevin grabbed a napkin and tried to blot the blood from Lissa's shirt.

“Now do you believe me?” I asked. “Something weird is going on. Something really weird! And it started after I ate those black flakes.”

“I can't believe this is Aunt Sylvie's fault,” Lissa argued. “She would never hurt anyone.”

Kevin agreed. “But I bet she can figure out what's wrong with you,” he said. “She knows all kinds of cool things.”

Right, I thought. Like how to poison someone.

I glanced down at my hand. Fresh blood dripped from the cut. Fresh blue blood.

“I'm going home!” I told them. “I have to find my parents and tell them what's been going on. I have to tell them before it's too late.”

I wrapped another napkin around the cut and ran all the way home.

“Mom! Mom!” I called from the front door. “Come quick.”

Fred trotted over to greet me. He sniffed at my bandaged hand and backed away.

“Mom! Where are you? I need you.”

My mother wasn't home.

I raced into the kitchen to find Dad's telephone number at work. I called his office, but the man who answered the phone said Dad was out to lunch.

What am I going to do now?

I don't know where Mom is. Or when she'll be back. I can't wait for Dad to come back from lunch
—
I don't know how long someone can live with blue blood.

A doctor! That's it—I'll call a doctor.

I searched through Mom's phone book.

I skimmed every single page.

But I couldn't find the name of a single doctor—except for Dr. Stone, Fred's veterinarian.

Should I go to the vet?

Yes. I had no other choice.

I dashed out of the house and ran right into Kevin and Lissa.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“We came to help you,” Kevin said. “Where are you going?”

“I'm going to see Dr. Stone,” I said.

“Where's Fred?” Lissa asked, searching for Fred.

“I'm—I'm not taking Fred. I'm going for—me.”

“You're going to a veterinarian!” Lissa cried. “That's ridiculous.”

“I don't know what else to do!” I shouted. “Mom's not home. Dad's at lunch. I can't find the name of a regular doctor. And my blood is still blue!” I held up my hand and showed them the dried blue blood.

“No way!” Kevin protested. “You are not going to a vet. You are coming with us.”

“I am
not
going home with you!” I declared.

“Something
is
wrong with you, Sam,” Lissa said. “And Aunt Sylvie will know what to do.”

“She's done enough!” I yelled.

“What if we sneak into her room and search through her stuff. See if we can find anything about a black-flake curse,” Kevin suggested, rolling his eyes.

I thought about that for a moment.

Maybe that made sense.

Maybe we could find a cure in her room for the curse.

Dr. Stone probably wouldn't know anything about the black-flake curse.

“Okay.” I gave in. “But I don't want her to know I'm there. We have to sneak into the house.”

Kevin and Lissa agreed.

As we walked along Fear Street, I noticed a tall maple tree a few houses from the corner—in the Knowltons' front yard.

I'd never seen such a tall tree before. Its branches towered over all the houses around it.

“How long has that tree been there?” I asked.

“Probably about a million years,” Lissa said.

I stared up at the tree. At its red and gold leaves
as they floated to the ground. “I wonder why I never noticed it before.”

“Why would anyone notice a maple tree?” Kevin said. “They all look alike.”

“How could you miss that tree?” Lissa declared. “It must be thirty feet tall.”

I stopped at the Knowltons' gate. I pushed it open and walked into their front yard. I gazed down at the ground.

“Sam, what are you staring at?” Kevin asked.

“The leaves,” I replied. “They look so delicious.”

I sank to my knees—and began stuffing the red and gold leaves into my mouth.

I grabbed handful after handful from the ground. I stuffed my mouth full with leaves. They tasted drier than sand, but I couldn't stop.

“Sam!” Kevin shouted. “Get up!”

“We have to stop him, Kevin,” Lissa wailed. “We have to do something!”

Kevin and Lissa each grabbed one of my arms. They tried to tug me away from the leaves.

“Let me go!” I shouted. “I have to eat these leaves!”

Lissa grabbed my head in one of her karate holds and yanked me back.

“Please, just one more leaf,” I begged. “Just one more.”

“Don't believe him, Lissa,” Kevin shouted. “I've seen him eat paste. Once he starts, he can't stop. If you let him go, he'll eat every tree on Fear Street!”

Lissa and Kevin dragged me back to the sidewalk.

I took a deep breath.

“Thanks. I'm okay now,” I told them.

“Boy, you really do need help,” Lissa said, shaking her head. “That was disgusting, Sam. Really disgusting.”

I picked a leaf out from between my teeth. “I know,” I moaned.

We walked a few steps—right by my front door.

I thought about Aunt Sylvie.

About her mocking laugh. Her evil chant.

I decided to go home.

“Oh, no, you don't.” Kevin pulled me back. “We're going to my house, remember?”

Kevin tugged me past my house. We walked by Mrs. Kowalski's front lawn—and I took a dive. Right into her flower garden.

“Sam, please. No more leaves!” Lissa cried.

Not leaves, Lissa. Dirt. Dark, rich, wet dirt.

I threw myself to the ground.

I didn't even bother scooping up the dirt with my hands.

I lowered my head to the ground—and licked it up with my tongue.

Delicious dirt.

“Oh, noooo,” I heard Lissa moan.

I paid no attention.

I buried my head in the dirt and lapped it up.

My eye caught a chrysanthemum. A pretty yellow mum. I snapped its stalk and shoved the flower into my mouth.

And then I spotted a worm. A big, juicy worm.

I opened my mouth and dangled it over my waiting tongue.

I dropped it in. I felt its slimy body slither across my teeth.

I bit into it.

Mmmmm. So moist. So tasty.

I reached down into the soil for another one—and everything went black.