Read Online Liar Liar by R.L. Stine - Free Book Online Page B

shouts. Angry, excited shouts. Across Wilshire Boulevard, a block away.
    I crossed Wilshire, followed the voices—and found myself on a street lined with small stores. They were all closed. The sidewalk was deserted—except for the shouting men.
    Three L.A. cops surrounded a young man. Two of the cops held the guy tightly by his arms. The third cop stood in front of the guy, blocking my view of him.
    What’s going on? I wondered.
    I ducked behind the trunk of a huge palm tree and watched from my hiding place.
    The cops were wearing uniforms I’d never seen before. Uniforms that looked like spacesuits, shiny silver and padded, and helmets just like the ones astronauts wear. Weird.
    â€œLooks like we caught one,” one of the cops said.
    â€œYep. He’s an Intruder,” another one said excitedly. “I’ve never seen one—have you?”
    â€œNo. But let’s keep this quiet,” he answered. “We don’t want the neighborhood in a panic.”
    I moved in the shadows. Ducked behind another tree to get a closer look.
    Finally I could see the young man. He had long, blond hair. Wild, blue eyes. A tattoo snaking along one arm.
    He was struggling to free himself from the two cops who held him. Bending and twisting. He started screaming at the top of his lungs, his hair flying up, head tossed back.
    â€œI’m not an Intruder!” he shrieked. “I’m not! You’ve got the wrong guy!”
    The cops weren’t buying it. “Calm down,” one of them said. “Save your strength.”
    â€œWhy fight?” the other cop shouted. “You don’t have much time.”
    â€œGive up.”
    Instead, the man lurched forward with a furious cry, struggling to burst free.
    The two cops lost their hold for a moment. Crying out, they made a wild grab for him. And ripped off the man’s sport shirt.
    One of the cops screamed. Another one shut his eyes and turned away.
    I gaped in amazement at the man’s bare chest. I could see his heart pumping inside him … see his stomach churning and bobbing … see blue blood pulsing through his veins, his guts twisting and curling.
    I could see right through him!
    Suddenly the man doubled over. He uttered gasp after gasp. The light faded from his eyes. He hugged himself tightly. “The pain …” he moaned. “Ohhhh, help me. I can’t stand the pain.”
    His screams and cries rang in my ears. My head started to throb.
    I shrank back. Pressed myself against the tree. I shut my eyes and covered my face with my hands.
    It was all true, I realized.
    My twin had told the truth about Intruders. He had told the truth about me.
    I didn’t belong here. I was an Intruder, too.
    And in a day or two … in a day or two …
    I’d be gone. Forever.

The cops shoved the poor Intruder into the back of a van. The van sped off quietly. No flashing lights. No siren.
    I was the only one on the sidewalk. I felt paralyzed, frozen with fear.
    How could I save myself? How could I return to my own world before I faded away?
    My head felt ready to burst. My panic made my heart leap around in my chest.
    How did I get here in the first place? I asked myself.
    The portal … the portal …
    â€œWhoa!” I let out a cry. My twin had already told me the answer. It was so simple!
    Max’s swimming pool! That’s where he and I had seen each other for the first time. That’s the portal between our two worlds!
    I had just been there a few minutes ago, in Max’s backyard. I was so close … so close to returning home … and didn’t even realize it.
    Yes!
    I pumped both fists in the air. I let out a happy shout.
    I turned and made my way back across Wilshire Boulevard. Back down Rodeo Drive. I knew what I had to do. It was so clear, so easy.
    I’ll return to Max’s backyard, I told myself. And I’ll jump into the pool. Clothes and all. I’ll dive down