25 - Attack of the Mutant Read Free Page A

she shot back. She laughed.
    “ High School Harry comics never go up in value,” I informed her. “Even
the Number Ones are worthless. You couldn’t get five dollars for your whole collection.”
    “Why would I want to sell them?” she argued. “I don’t want to sell them. And
I don’t care what they’re worth. I just like to read them.”
    “Then you’re not a real collector,” I said.
    “Are all the boys at Franklin like you?” Libby asked.
    “No. I’m the coolest one,” I declared.
    We both laughed.
    I still couldn’t decide if I liked her or not. She was pretty cute-looking.
And she was funny, in a nasty sort of way.
    I stopped laughing when I glanced out the window and realized I had
definitely passed my stop. I saw the bare trees of a small park I’d never seen
before. The bus rumbled past it, and more unfamiliar stores came into view.
    I felt a sudden stab of panic in my chest. I didn’t know this neighborhood at
all.
    I pushed the bell and jumped to my feet.
    “What’s your problem?” Libby demanded.
    “My stop. I m-missed it,” I stammered.
    She moved her legs into the aisle so that I could squeeze past. The bus
squealed to a stop. I called out good-bye and hurried out the back door.
    Where am I? I asked myself, glancing around. Why did I let myself get into an
argument with that girl? Why didn’t I pay attention instead?
    “Are you lost?” a voice asked.
    I turned and saw to my surprise that Libby had followed me off the bus. “What
are you doing here?” I blurted out.
    “It’s my stop,” she replied. “I live two blocks down that way.” She pointed.
    “I have to go back,” I said, turning to leave.
    And as I turned, something came into view that made my breath catch in my
throat.
    “Ohh.” I let out a startled cry and stared across the street. “But—that’s impossible !” I exclaimed.
    I was staring at a tall building on the other corner. A tall, pink stucco
building with a bright green, domed roof.
    I was staring at the secret headquarters of The Masked Mutant.

 
 
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    “Skipper—what’s wrong?” Libby cried.
    I couldn’t answer her. I stared goggle-eyed at the building across the
street. My mouth dropped open. My jaw nearly hit my knees!
    I raised my eyes to the bright green roof. Then I slowly lowered them over
the shiny pink walls. I had never seen colors like these in real life. They were
comic book colors.
    It was a comic book building.
    But here it was, standing on the corner across the street.
    “Skipper? Are you okay?” Libby’s voice sounded far away.
    It’s real! I told myself. The secret headquarters building of The Masked
Mutant is real!
    Or is it?
    Two hands shook me by the shoulders, snapping me out of my amazed thoughts.
“Skipper! Are you in shock or something?”
    “Th-that building!” I stammered.
    “Isn’t that the ugliest thing you ever saw?” Libby asked, shaking her head.
She pushed back her carrot-colored braid and hiked her backpack onto her
shoulder.
    “But it—it’s—” I still couldn’t speak.
    “My dad says the architect had to be color blind,” Libby said. “It doesn’t
even look like a building. It looks like a blimp standing on its end.”
    “How long has it been there?” I asked, my eyes studying the glass doors that
were the only entrance.
    Libby shrugged. “I don’t know. My family just moved here last spring. It was
already here.”
    The clouds darkened overhead. A cold wind swirled around the corner.
    “Who do you think works in there?” Libby asked. “There’s no sign or anything
on the building.”
    Of course there’s no sign, I thought. It’s the secret headquarters of
the world’s most evil villain. There’s no way The Masked Mutant would put a sign
out front!
    He doesn’t want The League of Good Guys to find his secret headquarters, I
told myself.
    “This is crazy!” I cried.
    I turned and saw Libby staring at me. “You sure you’re okay? It’s just a
building, Skipper.