25 - Attack of the Mutant Read Free Page B

No need to go ballistic.”
    I could feel my face turning red. Libby must think I’m some kind of a nut, I
realized. “I—I think I saw this building somewhere,” I tried to explain.
    “I’ve got to get home,” she said, glancing up at the darkening sky. “Want to
come over? I’ll show you my comic book collection.”
    “No. I’m late for my orthodontist appointment,” I replied.
    “Huh?” She narrowed her green eyes at me. “You said you were going to a comic
book store.”
    I could feel my face turning even redder. “Uh… I’m going to the comic
book store after my appointment,” I told her.
    “How long have you had your braces?” she asked.
    I groaned. “Forever.”
    She started backing away. “Well, see you sometime.”
    “Yeah. Bye.”
    She turned and jogged down the street. She must think I’m a total geek, I
thought unhappily.
    But I couldn’t help it. I really was in shock, seeing that building. I turned
back to it. The top of the building had become hidden by the lowering clouds.
Now the building looked like a sleek, pink rocket ship, reaching up to the
clouds.
    A moving truck rumbled past. I waited for it to go by, then hurried across
the street.
    There was no one on the sidewalk. I hadn’t seen anyone go into the building
or come out of it.
    It’s just a big office building, I told myself. Nothing to get excited about.
    But my heart was pounding as I stopped a few feet from the glass doors at the
entrance. I took a deep breath and peeked in.
    I know it’s crazy, but I really expected to see people wearing superhero
costumes walking around in there.
    I narrowed my eyes and squinted through the glass doors.
    I couldn’t see anyone. It appeared dark inside.
    I took a step closer. Then another.
    I brought my face right up to the glass and peered in. I could see a wide
lobby. Pink-and-yellow walls. A row of elevators near the back.
    But no people. No one. Empty.
    I grabbed the glass-door handle. My throat made a loud gulping sound as I
swallowed hard.
    Should I go in? I asked myself. Do I dare?

 
 
7
     
     
    My hand tightened on the glass-door handle. I started to tug the heavy door
open.
    Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blue-and-white bus moving toward
me. I glanced at my watch. I was only five minutes late for my appointment. If I
jumped on the bus, I could be at the orthodontist’s office in a few minutes.
    Letting go of the handle, I turned and ran to the bus stop, my backpack
bouncing on my shoulders. I felt disappointed. But I also felt relieved.
    Walking into the headquarters of the meanest mutant in the universe was a
little scary.
    The bus eased to a stop. I waited for an elderly man to step off. Then I
climbed onboard, dropped my money into the box, and hurried to the back of the
bus.
    I wanted to get one last look at the mysterious pink-and-green building.
    Two women were sitting in the back seat. But I pushed between them and pressed my face against the back window.
    As the bus pulled away, I stared at the building. Its colors stayed bright,
even though the sky was so dark behind it. The sidewalk was empty. I still
hadn’t seen anyone come out or go inside.
    A few seconds later, the building disappeared into the distance. I turned
away from the window and walked up the aisle to find a seat.
    Weird, I thought. Totally weird.
     
    “And it was the exact same building as in the comic book?” Wilson asked. His
blue eyes stared across the lunchroom table at me.
    I nodded. “As soon as I got home yesterday afternoon, I checked out the comic
book. The building was exactly the same.”
    Wilson pulled a sandwich from his lunch bag and started to unwrap the foil.
“What kind of sandwich did your mom pack for you?” he asked.
    I opened mine. “Tuna salad. What’s yours?”
    He lifted a slice of bread and examined his sandwich. “Tuna salad,” he
replied. “Want to trade?”
    “We both have tuna salad,” I told him. “Why do you want to