Scare School Read Free Page B

Wednesdays, and Fridays,” Mr. Kimpall continued. “I guess no one told you the schedule. You need to get up to Mr. Kelly in the band room as fast as you can.”
    A sigh of relief escaped my mouth. I picked up mysaxophone case and hurried out.
    Mr. Kelly, the band instructor, greeted me at the door to the band room on the top floor. “How’s it going, kid? Did you get lost? First day isn’t exactly a piece of cake—is it!”
    He was big and gruff and talked out of the side of his mouth in a raspy, deep voice. He wore a baggy gray sweatshirt over loose-fitting khakis. He reminded me more of a football coach than a music teacher.
    The room was big and high-ceilinged. A row of windows looked out on the back of the school.
    About twenty kids sat in three rows of folding chairs behind music stands. They were warming up their instruments. A short, red-haired boy stood behind a snare drum, pounding out a frantic rhythm.
    Mr. Kelly led me to the center of the room. “This is Sam Waterbury, everyone. Sam plays heavy-duty sax. When he auditioned for me last week, I knew we had someone who could help our band—big-time.”
    A fat kid with a tuba blasted out a rude sound.
    Several kids laughed.
    “You can leave your case over there,” Mr. Kelly instructed me. “Then take a seat next to Teri, the clarinet player.” He pointed to a blond-haired girl in the second row.
    I unpacked my sax and put it together. I pushed the mouthpiece into place and slid the strap over my back as I walked to my seat.
    “Hi,” I said, sitting down next to Teri. “How’s itgoing?” I licked the mouthpiece and pushed my fingers down, testing the pads.
    She flashed me a short smile. She had awesome green eyes. “That sax looks pretty new,” she said.
    I held it up. “Yeah. It was a birthday present.”
    Her eyes locked onto mine. “Well, you’d better get a good lock for the case,” she said.
    I stared hard at her. “A lock? Why?”
    She shrugged. “You’re a new kid in this school, right?”
    I nodded. “Yeah. So?”
    “Well, didn’t they tell you anything ?”
    “No,” I replied. “No one told me anything, Teri. Why do I need a lock on my sax case?”
    It took her a long time to answer. Finally, she whispered, “You’ll find out … soon enough.”

8
    After school, I found Tonya waiting for me in front of the building.
    The clouds were low and dark. A few raindrops fell on my shoulders.
    Tonya didn’t see me at first. She appeared tense. She kept twisting a strand of her straight black hair around a finger.
    When she turned and spotted me, two circles of pink darkened on her cheeks. “Follow me,” she whispered.
    She led the way to the street. She didn’t say anything till we were away from the school.
    Our shoes crunched over the wet dead leaves that covered the patchy grass. We stopped beside a thickand gnarled old oak tree.
    Tonya glanced all around, as if making sure no one was spying on us.
    “What’s going on?” I asked again, “Why are you acting so mysterious?”
    “There is something you should know about this school,” she said. She spoke just above a whisper.
    A van filled with kids rumbled past. The horn honked. I couldn’t hear what she was whispering.
    “Tonya, what are you talking about?” I asked eagerly. “What should I know?”
    She glanced around again. Then she leaned close to me and whispered. “It gets kind of dangerous here—especially for a new kid. The new kid is always It .”
    A gust of wind shook the old tree. Cold rainwater sprinkled down on us from the bare limbs.
    I shivered. I suddenly realized I had run out of the school without my jacket!
    I knew I had to go back for it—but not now. First, I wanted to hear what Tonya had to say.
    “But—what does that mean?” I asked.
    She pushed her black hair over the collar of her coat and turned to the street. “An imp lives in the school building,” she said softly.
    “Excuse me?” I cried. “A what ?”
    “An imp,” she