17 - Why I'm Afraid of Bees Read Free Page B

let out a bloodcurdling scream.

 
 
6
     
     
    Frantically, I ripped the blankets off my bed. In the dim light coming in
through the window, I could see the rat—fat and hairy, its red eyes gleaming
at me.
    I screamed again.
    Then I heard laughter down the hall. Krissy’s laughter.
    My stomach sank. I made my way to the switch and turned on the light.
    Sure enough. The rat still stared at me from my bed. But now I recognized it.
A gray rubber rat. One of Claus’ favorite toys.
    In her room down the hall, Krissy squealed with laughter.
    “I’m going to get you, you little brat!” I screamed. I thought about going
down the hall and really thumping her. But I quickly decided against it.
    Even though Krissy is only nine, she happens to be pretty strong. There was an excellent chance she could beat me up.
    With an angry growl, I grabbed the rat off my bed and heaved it into the
corner of my room. Then, my heart still pounding with rage, I turned off the
light and climbed back under the covers.
    “Tomorrow,” I promised myself in the dark room. “Tomorrow, you, Gary Lutz,
are going to check out that ad and find out if you can change your life. Even if
it’s only for a week, it has to be better than this miserable life you have
now!”
     
    The next day I kept my promise to myself. After breakfast, I walked the six
blocks to Roach Street and started reading the street numbers, trying to find
number 113.
    I guess I was looking for some kind of big, glass office building. But when I
finally found number 113, it was on a small, gray building that looked something
like my dentist’s office. A little sign on the outside read:
     
    PERSON-TO-PERSON VACATIONS,
    Suite 2-B
     
    I opened the door and walked up a flight of steps. At the top, I opened
another door and went into a kind of waiting room with beige carpeting and tan
leather chairs.
    A dark-haired woman sat behind a big glass window. She smiled at me when I
came in, and I walked over to talk to her.
    “Good afternoon,” she said into a microphone.
    I jumped. Even though the woman was right in front of me, her voice came out
through a speaker on the wall.
    “Uh… um,” I stammered nervously. “I came about the message on the
electronic bulletin board?”
    “Oh, yes,” the woman replied with another smile. “A lot of people learn about
us from their computers. Pardon me for staying behind this glass shield. But the
equipment behind me is so delicate, we have to be very careful about protecting
it.”
    I peered over the woman’s shoulder. I could see gleaming metal counters and a
wall of electronic equipment, including what appeared to be heart monitors,
video screens, X-ray machines, and cameras. It looked like something right out of Star Trek!
    I suddenly had a heavy feeling in my stomach. Maybe this is a bad idea, I
thought. “Y-you probably don’t like kids hanging around in here,” I stammered. I
started backing away toward the door.
    “Not true,” she said. “Many of our customers are young people such as you. A
lot of kids are interested in changing places with someone else for a week. What did you say
your name was?”
    “Gary. Gary Lutz.”
    “Nice to meet you, Gary. My name is Ms. Karmen. How old are you. About
twelve?”
    I nodded.
    “Come over here for a minute,” Ms. Karmen said, motioning with her hand.
    Cautiously, I walked back over to the glass booth. She opened a little slot
at the bottom of her window and pushed out a book. I picked it up and saw that
it was a photo album, like the one my parents have from their wedding.
    I opened it and started looking through it. “It’s kids!” I exclaimed. “All
about my age.”
    “Correct,” said Ms. Karmen. “They’re all interested in switching lives with
someone else for a week.”
    “Wow.” I studied the album.
    A lot of the kids in the pictures looked big and strong. And cool. Kids like
that wouldn’t be afraid of anything, I told myself. I wondered what it would