Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent Read Free Page B

carrying a football and followed at a much more leisurely pace by two girls.
    â€˜Hi!’ exclaimed the boy when he reached Arthur. He slowed and walked nonchalantly next to him.
    â€˜Hey,’ said Arthur.
    â€˜Did you move in?’ The boy was panting from his sprint as he spoke.
    â€˜For a little while, yeah.’
    â€˜I’m Max. Max Barry.’
    â€˜Arthur.’
    â€˜Hi, Arthur!’ He pointed back with his thumb over his shoulder. ‘They’re my sisters. Do you like football?’
    â€˜You will soon,’ said one of the sisters who’d just caught up. She looked about Arthur’s age and wore her auburn hair in a neat ponytail. She was also wearing the ugly brown uniform. ‘I’m Ashling. Ash.’
    â€˜This is Arthur,’ Max spoke up for him. ‘He just moved in.’
    â€˜Yeah, we gathered that, Max,’ said the other sister. She was just like an older version of Ash – probably about seventeen – and was wearing a different uniform. ‘I’m Stace, Arthur. Or Art, or Artie? What do you prefer?’
    â€˜Well, my mum always called me Arthur.’
    â€˜Arthur it is then.’ She shook his hand.
    Max was bored of all the introductions and, as they turned the corner onto the main road, raised the topic of football again.
    â€˜Yeah, it’s all right. I kind of prefer basketball, though,’ Arthur answered.
    â€˜Oh, well I love football!’ Max went on. ‘My favourite team is Arsenal and my favourite player is Fabregas. Do you know him? Fabregas? He’s really good. Do you want to play football with me some time? Ash and Stace won’t play with me and –’
    â€˜Soooo,’ interrupted Ash as she clamped her gloved hand over her little brother’s mile-a-minute mouth, ‘you’re going to Belmont?’
    Arthur raised his eyebrows, slightly perplexed. She nodded to his uniform. ‘Oh!’ he exclaimed. ‘Yeah, I am. Sorry, I’d forgotten that was the name of the school. Sixth class.’
    â€˜Me too! You’re going to love Miss Keegan. Every Monday she does this thing where we study something in the news; it’s so much fun. Stace goes to the secondary school –’
    â€˜In fact that’s where I’m going now,’ interrupted Stace, turning off in the opposite direction with a wave. ‘See you later.’
    â€˜And Max –’ Ash continued.
    â€˜I go to Belmont too!’ yelped Max, struggling out of his sister’s grip. ‘And I’m in first class and my teacher is Mrs McKenna and she’s kind of old, like really old, but she’s nice and sometimes she lets us play –’
    â€˜Football?’ asked Arthur with a wry smile to a giggling Ash.
    â€˜Yes!’
    Arthur took the ball from Max’s arms and squeezed it as if to test its strength.
    â€˜Can you dribble the ball?’ he asked Max.
    Without a moment’s hesitation, Max knocked the ball from Arthur’s grip to the ground and tapped it from one foot to the other.
    â€˜That’s all right, I guess,’ Arthur said with the apparent knowledge of a talent scout, ‘but most footballers manage to dribble the ball while running …’
    â€˜I can do that too!’ Max dashed off ahead of them, controlling the ball as he went. A couple of pedestrians had to move against the wall or on to the road to avoid a head-on collision with the young footballer. ‘Out of the way! Sorry! Thank you!’
    Ash and Arthur burst out laughing. It took a few moments before Ash could catch her breath enough to speak. ‘You’ve got a fan there.’
    â€˜Looks like it,’ laughed Arthur.
    â€˜So where are you from? Why’d your family move?’
    â€˜I’m from Kerry. My dad got a job here. He’s working on that new Metro tunnel. Not as interesting as it sounds.’
    â€˜And what about your mom?’
    â€˜She, uh … she