by Alane Adams
“Do you believe that?”
Keely hesitated, and the light dimmed in her eyes. She shut the book with a snap. “Doesn’t matter what I believe. This isn’t going to help you pass your math test.” She held out the rune stone, but Sam shook his head.
“You keep it.” He didn’t want any reminders of his strange day.
She looked pleased, tucking it away in her bag before babbling on about angles and polygons.
Sam hardly heard a word she said. Overnight, Pilot Rock had gone from a boring little town to the epicenter of strangeness. And he had a feeling this was only the beginning.
Chapter Four
That night, Sam dreamed that his substitute English teacher was chasing him down the hallway at school. As Ms. Endera got closer, she changed into a black wolf with glittering green eyes, reaching for him with sharpened nails. He awoke with a start, tangled in the sheets.
Lying back on his pillow, Sam stared up at the ceiling, thinking about good old Mr. Platz. Why would a teacher pack up and leave in the middle of a semester without saying goodbye? Maybe if Sam figured that out, he could shake the nagging feeling that Ms. Endera had actually turned Mr. Platz into a lizard.
Because that was crazy.
Unable to go back to sleep, Sam threw off the sheets and got dressed. He crept down the hall past his mom’s bedroom. He could see her asleep, still dressed, on top of the covers. His mom worked the night shift at the local mill and came home long after he had gone to bed. Sam hesitated, then went in and pulled a blanket over her.
The sun was just rising when he set out for Platz’s house on his bike. He had been there once before with Howie to drop off a late assignment, and they had ended up playing a round of Zombie Wars with his teacher. The guy had crazy gaming skills and had shown them some secret back doors to upping levels. Sam figured he had just enough time to knock on Platz’s door, beg his teacher to come back, and make it to school before the bell rang.
Relieved to see his teacher’s aging Camaro in the driveway, Sam left his bike and crept across the lawn, leaving footprints in the crisp layer of frost. He peeked in the front window. A sofa lay tipped on its side. Papers were strewn all over the floor. It looked like the place had been ransacked.
He tried the door. Locked. He was about to go around back, when the garage rumbled open. Diving into the bushes, he peered over the top and saw Ms. Endera come out and walk to Platz’s car.
What was Ms. Endera doing at Platz’s house?
She carried a small wire cage holding the lizard she had shown them in class. Sam stared at the creature and felt a connection as the lizard’s eyes locked with his. A jolt of sadness and fear shot through him, as if the lizard were trying to communicate with him. Ms. Endera stopped, her head turning toward the lawn. Sam ducked down lower.
“Is someone there?” she called.
Sam froze, his heart jerking like a yo-yo. Ms. Endera studied the lawn. He had stupidly left footprints, he realized with a silent groan. But just as he was about to jump out and offer some lame explanation, Ms. Endera tossed the cage on the seat and started the car, throwing the Camaro in reverse, and backed right over Sam’s bike. Sam watched helplessly as the tires squashed his rim and the Camaro roared off down the street.
He waited a moment to be sure that she was gone, then retrieved his mangled bike. Far from feeling better, Sam was now dead certain that this Ms. Endera was somehow behind Mr. Platz’s disappearance. Stashing the bike in Platz’s side yard, Sam began hoofing it to school. He could think of a million things he would rather do, but he had to get some answers. And this lady teacher seemed to be at the center of the recent strange events.
He slipped in the side door just in time for the first bell. Kids milled about, talking aimlessly, like it was just another normal day at school. Sam wanted to shout out the truth, that their substitute teacher was some kind of enchantress, but instead, he headed for his locker and angrily spun the combination and opened the door.
A fanged creature with black wings and razor-sharp talons launched itself at him, ensnaring the front of Sam’s shirt. Its wings flapped in his face as it tried to sink its teeth into Sam’s neck. A thin stream of slime dripped from its fangs. Sam caught a glimpse of red eyes as he screamed, putting his hands around it and wrestling it away from his neck. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, it flew up into the heating vent and vanished, leaving Sam fighting with nothing but air.
Traffic in the hallway ground to a halt as every kid stared at Sam as if he had the plague. Howie came up and put his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Dude, what’s with all the screaming?”
“Didn’t you see it?” Sam gasped. “That thing attacked me.”
Howie raised an eyebrow. “What thing?” He looked inside Sam’s locker. “You losing your marbles?”
Sam gingerly fingered the tiny tears in his shirt. No way had he imagined that.
The warning bell rang, and students darted in every direction.
“Get it together, my man. You don’t want to be late to English, or Ms. Endera might turn you into a lizard,” Howie razzed.
Sam grabbed Howie by the arm. “There’s something going on with her. I went to Platz’s house this morning, and she was there. We need to find out what she’s up to.”
But Howie backed away from him, his cheeks reddening. “Is there a problem, Mr. Baron?” Ms. Endera’s voice sounded in Sam’s ear.
She had snuck up on him like a dark shadow. Sam turned and met the glittering look in her eyes. His courage wavered.
“There’s no problem, Ms. Endera.”
“Good. Come along, boys. You don’t want to miss today’s lesson. It’s going to be very enlightening.”
Sam watched her go, her heels clicking and clacking down the hall.
“Thanks a lot,” Howie muttered, slinking along behind her.
But Sam didn’t follow, his feet rooted in place. He had such a feeling of dread, such an aversion to going to class, that he literally couldn’t move. The second bell rang, and the halls emptied. He started to walk then, feeling like a prisoner going to the gallows. He stopped outside the door of the classroom. He could see Ms. Endera inside, stalking back and forth in front of the chalkboard. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He wanted to puke right there, wishing himself a deadly disease that would get him out of class.
As he reached for the handle, the fire alarm on the wall gave him an idea. Before he could change his mind, Sam lifted the lever and took a step back, slightly panicked, as the alarm started to sound shrilly.
Doors flung open in the hallway. Sam nearly wept with relief as students poured out, jostling him as they hurried for the exit. Ms. Endera’s eyes met his over the crowd of students leaving her class, and he couldn’t help grinning. But his smile faded as she glared at him like she wanted to eat his liver. Sam backed away, but not before he saw her pointing at him and tilting her head back to laugh.
At lunchtime, Sam waited in line at the cafeteria, trying not to think about lizards or wolves or substitute teachers. He was surprised to see Keely sitting at a table with Leo and Howie, laughing at everything they said. Sam stuck his plate out, not caring what the lunch lady put on it, watching Keely’s hands flutter in the air as she told some story.
She waved him over to her table, and Sam took a seat. Howie was spooning up chocolate pudding. Howie liked to eat dessert first.
“That looks delicious,” Leo said politely, nodding at Sam’s plate.
Sam looked down. He had a big slop of spaghetti and meat-balls. Great—he was probably going to get sauce all over his face. He stabbed at a meatball as they resumed talking. Everyone seemed to like the new guy, Leo. Even Howie asked nonstop questions about the reservation.
Sam fumed in silence, wishing someone would ask him if he was okay, if he had been attacked by any strange creatures that flew out of his locker, and whether their missing teacher was really a lizard. He grew more and more angry as he tried to stab the meatball that kept sliding around on
his plate.
Something was off. The noodles seemed to be moving. He would stab at the meatball, and it would slide away. Sam held his fork up and watched as the noodles inched along like worms, slithering around and around. He looked to see if anyone else had noticed, but the cafeteria had gone quiet, even though kids were still talking and laughing and eating their lunches. It was as if Sam was locked in his own world. He looked back at his plate and watched the noodles spin and dance, forming a tunnel in the center like a vortex. The meatballs swirled around the bottom. Sam stared, fascinated by what was happening, and then it suddenly blew up into his face, spattering him with noodles and red sauce. One meatball landed on his head.
The roar of laughter penetrated his haze. Sam wiped the sauce away from his eyes with one hand. Leo stared, and Keely’s mouth hung open. And then she started laughing and Howie joined in. Leo continued to stare, a frown marring his features.
“Sam, what the heck?” Keely said, giggling at him.
A wave of rage washed over him, blanking out Sam’s thoughts and leaving behind feelings so primal he wanted to howl. He started to rise out of his seat, when he saw Ms. Endera leaning against a wall in the corner of the cafeteria, her eyes on him like burning emeralds.
She had done this to him. She had made him look a fool. He was certain.
Ms. Endera moved away, but not before he caught a glimpse of the satchel she carried over her shoulder. A scaly lizard’s head poked out, desperately trying to escape. She roughly shoved the reptile back down and departed.
After lunch, Sam spent the day like a shadow, bouncing from class to class and staying as far away from Ms. Endera as he could.
When the final bell rang, he hurried to leave the building and ran straight into Keely.
“What’s the matter with you?” Keely blocked the door, looking impatient. “You act like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I’m fine. I just need to go. Howie’s waiting for me,” Sam lied, listening for the clicking of Ms. Endera’s heels.
“He’s going to be a while. Ms. Endera asked him to help her with something.”
Fear spiked through him. Sam gripped her arm. “Where were they going?”
“Lay off! It’s like you’re about to explode.”
She was right. Sam did feel like he was about to blow his lid, because nothing was making any sense. He relaxed his grip. “I’m sorry. It’s just . . . you wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
Sam studied her face. “Okay, what would you say if I told you that I think Ms. Endera really did turn Mr. Platz into a lizard?” There. He had said it out loud.
Predictably, Keely rolled her eyes. “Sam, if this is some kind of a joke—”
“It’s not a joke. She’s after me for some reason, and I think she’s using Howie as bait.”
Keely took a deep breath. “You know how crazy that sounds, right?”
“Look, I don’t expect you to believe me—I wouldn’t believe me, either. Just tell me where Howie is.”
“She told him to meet her in the gym.”
Without another word, Sam rushed off in that direction.
“Sam, wait!” Keely caught up to him and yanked him to a halt. “I want to help.”
“Then come on,” he said, grabbing her hand and running. “We have to stop her.”
Outside the gymnasium, they peered in through the glass door panels. The place was dark. It looked deserted.
“They’re not in there,” Keely said.
Sam ignored her and pushed open the door. The gym smelled of sweat and old leather. Voices sounded from the other side of the room. Sam dragged Keely out of sight under the bleachers. They crept forward to peer through one of the rows.
The lights snapped on. Howie walked alongside Ms. Endera across the basketball court, carrying a ladder. He seemed to be chattering away, like nothing was amiss.
“He’s fine,” Keely whispered.
“Wait,” Sam whispered back. “Let’s just make sure.”
Howie put the ladder under the backboard and climbed up. He stood on the top, teetering slightly, then reached and lifted something off the back of the rim.
Sam leaned forward for a better look. It was Ms. Endera’s lizard, clinging to the metal basketball rim.
Sam was so surprised, he raised up, bumping his head against the bench above him.
“You can come out, Mr. Baron,” Ms. Endera called. “Your friend, too.”
Reluctantly, Keely and Sam crawled out from under the bleachers and stood next to a rack of balls. Howie climbed down with the lizard, looking at Sam as if he were from another planet.
“Isn’t this convenient,” Ms. Endera said to Sam. “Now I don’t have to come looking for you.”
The lizard jumped out of Howie’s hands onto the floor, scampering for the exit door. Ms. Endera waggled her fingers and zapped it with a crackling green light that leaped from her fingertips. The lizard began to grow, its legs extending and its snout enlarging. As its torso thickened and stretched, its head grew larger and a row of ugly teeth sprouted. Thick scales covered its body. It rose up on muscular hind legs, towering six feet tall as it pawed the air with its front claws.
“Sam, what is that?” Keely said, clutching his arm so tightly that her nails dug into his skin.
“I don’t know.”
The lizard turned toward Howie. “Run, Howie!” Sam shouted, but Howie didn’t move. His hands hung at his sides; his jaw hung open in utter shock.
Sam tackled his friend as the giant lizard tried to bite Howie’s head off with its razor-sharp teeth. Then Keely screamed. The lizard had dropped to all fours and was waddling at high speed toward her.
Sam pulled Howie to his feet, and they rushed to Keely’s side. The reptile reared up on its hind legs and let out a snarling roar, beating its chest with its clawed hands. It snapped its jaws at them as it prowled forward, backing them up against the bleachers.
“Take Keely and make a run for it!” Sam shouted at Howie.
“No way! I’m not leaving you!” Howie hollered back.
Just then, a voice shouted from the other side of the gym. Leo stood in the open doorway of the boys’ locker room.
“This way, Sam!”
Chapter Five
Sam grabbed the rack of basketballs and knocked it over, tripping the giant lizard with the jumble of rolling balls. Running hard, they burst through the double doors into the locker room.
“Follow me,” Leo said.
Metal overhead lights dimly lit the sprawling space. They raced down the center aisle past rows of lockers. Ducking down a row at random, Keely and Howie crouched behind one bay while Sam and Leo pressed up against the next. The lizard entered the room, its claws clicking on the cement floor.
“Come out, come out; I just want to talk!” Ms. Endera called. “There’s nothing to be afraid of!”
Keely and Howie looked at Sam hopefully, but he shook his head. Ms. Endera was lying through her teeth.
The lizard jumped on top of the lockers with a thump that shook the rafters. Sam’s friends looked terrified, huddling down as if they could make themselves disappear. The monster was jumping from bay to bay, searching for them. It was only a matter of time before it discovered their hiding spot.
Sam could hear the lizard lumbering down their row. Sweat rolled down his temples. If he just sat there, they were going to be an all-you-can-eat lizard buffet. He had no choice. Before Leo could guess his intentions, Sam jumped out into the aisle and waved his arms.
“Here I am, lizard-man—try to catch me.” Sam jumped onto the bench and then levered himself up to the top of the lockers as the lizard snapped at him, narrowly missing him. He ran down the bay, then took a running leap at the next set of lockers. Sam laughed as his feet hit the metal with a thump. The lizard jumped after him but fell short, slamming into the ground. The exit door was in sight. Sam picked up the pace as he raced along the locker tops, and then he nearly choked, flinging his arms back to stop hims
elf from falling as Endera appeared in front of him in a puff of green smoke.
“Hello, Sam.”
“Leave me alone,” he said, backing away. But behind him, the Platz-lizard thing was making its way toward him.
“Oh, but I’ve come all this way just to see you.” She reached out a hand and grabbed him by his shirt. “And I can’t bear to leave without you.”
Whatever she was going to do next was lost in a sudden cacophony of noise as Sam’s three crazed friends ran toward them, bearing metal trash cans and beating them, hollering at the top of their lungs. Endera turned her head sharply toward the noise. Her hand came up, and a blast of green fire shot out of her palm, straight at Sam’s friends. Leo had the sense to raise the lid of his trash can like a shield. The blast of fire ricocheted off and shot up into the rafters. It must have hit one of the fire sprinklers, because before Sam could catch his breath, water poured down on them and the fire bells began to clang.
Sam was about to give Endera a taste of his knuckles, when she vanished in a puff of smoke, taking her ugly lizard with her. He spun around, searching, but Ms. Endera was nowhere to be seen. “She’s gone!” he shouted.
Leo helped Keely up, while Howie clambered to his feet. Sam jumped down to join them. Water from the sprinklers poured down, soaking them to the skin. They stared at each other in disbelief.
Leo spoke first. “We should go before someone comes.”
They headed for a side door that opened onto the practice field and ran all the way to the bleachers.
“You guys okay?” Sam asked, shaking the water out of his hair.
Howie gave him a weak thumbs-up, but Keely started shouting.
“Are you crazy? A giant lizard just attacked us. I’m the opposite of okay. What was that thing?”