Read Online Quest Maker by Laurie McKay - Free Book Online

She was also a good, respectable ally.
    Beside her sat Ward. He was small with brown skin and brown eyes. He nodded. Ward, too, was a good ally, though a quieter one. As Caden was in seventh grade, they were also his eyes and ears in the sixth grade.
    Mr. McDonald started to fill in the form. “You don’t have a note, though.” He kept glancing at Caden like he expected a debate.
    Well, it would be wrong to deny him one. “I see,” Caden said, and smiled. “Then I’ll return to Ms. Primrose during the break and tell her you demanded a note.”
    He turned a ghostly white. “That’s not necessary—”
    â€œOf course it is,” Caden said. “You don’t trust that she summoned me. I’ll tell her you require proof. She’ll understand.” With a smile, he added, “Probably.”
    Mr. McDonald stared for a moment. Then he crumpled up the slip. “Forget it,” he said. “But if you’re late again, it’s detention.”
    â€œAgreed.”
    With a huff, Mr. McDonald trudged to his chair on the other side of the room. Caden took his computer seat between Tonya and Ward. In a lower voice, he said, “The gas incident was no accident.”
    Neither Tonya nor Ward seemed surprised.
    Tonya and Ward were excused at the normal time for first lunch. Normally, Caden would go to science. Sadly, the science room was locked and class was cancelled. Today, he had to spend an extra session in the literacy class. Caden’s attention wandered back to Mr. McDonald. Caden raised his hand and asked him who caused the gas explosion.
    Mr. McDonald’s eyes went wide. “I don’t know anything about anything,” he said. Caden couldn’t argue with that. “Why don’t you ask the science teacher?”
    Caden intended to ask everyone. “I will.” And he needed to look inside the science classroom. His and Jasan’s lives depended on it. “Anyone else I should ask?”
    Mr. McDonald stomped to the other side of the classroom. “I wouldn’t know,” he said as he plopped into his chair. “Don’t meddle,” he warned.
    â€œI’m not meddling,” Caden said, and turned to his computer. “I’m on a quest.”
    When the bell finally tolled, Caden hurried to unlucky locker twelve-four. He returned his reading book. Tito walked up to him and leaned against less unlucky locker twelve-three. “Found Speedy yet?”
    â€œNo, Jasan is shopping with Ward’s father.”
    Tito looked confused. “Shopping?”
    â€œIt means he’s alive.” Caden closed the locker door, wiped it down, and threw away the cleaning cloth. “We need to get inside the science classroom. Let’s go.”
    Tito didn’t go. “Bro, it’s lunchtime. Best time of the day. For an evil guy I hate, Mr. Rathis makes really good food.”
    Rath Dunn helped in the cafeteria only so that he had permission to leave the city limits for farm-fresh food, to go beyond Ms. Primrose’s territory even if only for a moment. Tito knew this. Was he trying to aggravate Caden? Yes. Probably so. “There’s no time for discussion. Come with me, now.”
    â€œYou know, you shouldn’t order people around so much,” Tito said, but he fell in step beside Caden. He dropped his voice so no one else could hear. “On Sunday, you’ll be following orders, and payback is a—”
    Caden cut him off. “What will happen on Sunday isn’t funny.”
    â€œIt’s a little funny.”
    Caden had seven days to complete his quest. But for three of them, he’d be cursed with compliance. And he still hadn’t asked Jasan about that dagger. Suddenly, he felt sick. He stopped walking and brought his arm to his middle. A group of eighth-grade girls passed them and bumped him. It was possible he might throw up.
    â€œHey.” Tito pulled him from the middle