The Return of the Titans Read Free Page B

the people reading weren't moving. He thought he
noticed something odd about the readers.
    He focused on them and realized that they
all looked similar. They were all men wearing dark brown suits. It
struck Justin as odd that three men would be wearing suits and
reading in a library on a Saturday afternoon. And they all had
short brown hair. None were wearing glasses and all were staring
intently at the books in front of them.
    Justin watched them for a long minute. He
felt a stab of anxiety in his stomach. Something was not right
here. He looked around one last time and decided that it was time
to go. He doubted that the librarian could show him any other books
about Titans anyway. And he was really hungry now. Maybe Mrs. P had
left him a snack in the fridge.
    He turned to go and then heard the squeal of
a chair sliding across the marble floor. He looked back and saw all
three men stand up at the same time. Each one was looking at him.
They said nothing, just pushed the chairs back against the desks
and began to move toward him.
    Justin's stomach clenched. He turned and
started to walk toward the front entrance. As he left the building
and the afternoon sun made him squint after spending hours indoors,
he thought he heard footsteps behind him. He hurried down the steps
and turned toward home. As he walked he looked back at the library.
All three men walked out one after the other. They moved down the
steps and then stopped. All of them were watching him intently.
Justin looked away and started walking more quickly.
    He glanced behind him every few minutes on
the walk home. The men were following him, he was sure of that. But
they weren't hurrying to catch up to him. If he increased his pace,
they increased theirs. When he tried slowing down to see what would
happen, they slowed as well. He was frightened but also
confused.
    Why should anyone, let alone three people,
want to follow him? And if they wanted him for something, which he
didn't want to think about, why weren't they trying to catch him?
All he knew was that he had to get home where it was safe.
    By the time Justin got to his building, he
was panting and sweating. He hurried up the front steps and took
one last look behind him. The three men were still behind him but
they had stopped at the corner of the building and just stood
there, staring. He watched them for a moment and then they moved
toward him. He turned and raced into the building, slamming the
front door behind him.
    “What's the rush,
Justin?”
    He jumped and gave a little yelp. Wilson
stood just inside the lobby entrance, his mop in one hand and a
dust rag in the other. He was wiping down the edge on the door
frame.
    “Wilson!” Justin just
stared at the old man for a moment.
    The man stopped cleaning and looked at the
teen. “You're white as a sheet, lad! What's going on?” He sounded
concerned.
    “I...I was followed. Home.
From the library.” Justin felt dizzy with relief at being home and
seeing Wilson but he was also frightened.
    “Followed?” The old man
dropped his rag and started for the door. “Followed by who? What
does he look like?”
    “Wilson, wait!” Justin
grabbed his arm. “There are three of them. Don't go out
there.”
    The man stopped and looked down at Justin.
“Three?” The boy nodded. “But why would three men be following you?
That doesn't make sense.”
    “I know, I know. I can't
understand it either.” Justin swallowed and took a deep breath,
trying to calm down. “They were in the library and when I left, all
three followed me.” He shook his head. “And it's even weirder,
Wilson. They're all dressed alike and even look alike. I don't get
it.”
    Wilson's eyes narrowed. “Dressed alike? What
are they wearing?”
    “They're all wearing
brown, three piece suits. And they all have short brown hair. It's
creepy.”
    Wilson turned back to the door, muttering
what sounded like curses under his breath. “Wait here, Justin,” he
said and slammed the door shut