Read Online Secret Weapons by Zilpha Keatley Snyder - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Ads: Link
listened—and then almost stopped breathing. Because they all heard it too. They all could hear the soft, shuffling sound of footsteps coming nearer and nearer across the floor of the Pit.
Chapter 14
A RI WAS STILL HOLDING his breath when a hand reached in, jerked the tent flap open—and two faces appeared. Web Wong and Carson Nicely. Web’s sharp black eyes darted around the tent, seeing everything in a flash. Ari had the feeling that if someone blindfolded Web immediately and took him away, you could ask him tomorrow and he would remember every person and thing that had been in the tent. The eight people, and Lump, and all of the flashlights and karate mats, and maybe the beepers, too, even though some of them weren’t out in plain sight. And he would probably even be able to remember who had been eating what. Web was like that. But no one blindfolded him and he didn’t go away. Instead he just nodded slowly and said, “What are you guys doing in here?”
“Yeah,” said Carson, who was peering around Web’s shoulder with his bristly hair standing on end and the light from the flashlight reflecting off his glasses. “Yeah, what?”
Ari looked around at the other members of the A.T. Club. They were all looking at each other, obviously waiting for someone else to decide what to say.
“Well?” Web said.
Kate spoke first. “We’re having a club meeting.”
Athena waved her gavel in the air. “Yes. We’re having a club meeting. And this is my gravel because I’m the president. I already called the meeting to order so you better sit down and shut up.”
Web nodded solemnly. “Okay, we will,” he said. “Come on, Carson. Sit down.” Web sat down in front of the tent flap and pulled Carson down beside him. Everyone stared at them. “Please pass the popcorn,” Web said.
Someone started the popcorn toward Web, but when it got to Bucky he stopped it. “I don’t know about that,” he said. “This is an official meeting of the A.T. Club and you twerps aren’t members.”
“All right.” Web stood up. “Come on, Carson.”
Looking hungrily toward the popcorn, Carson got slowly to his feet. Web lifted the tent flap and went out, but then he put his head back in and asked Bucky, “What is A.T. an acronym for?”
“A what for?” Bucky said.
“What does A.T. stand for?”
“Ohh,” several people said at once. “Animal Trainers. It means Animal Trainers.” And then Kate added, “We’ve been training Lump to do tricks.”
Everyone nodded.
“Yeah,” Bucky said. “Eddy’s been teaching Lump to drool. Show them, Eddy.”
Everyone was smiling when they looked at Eddy, but after a second they stopped. Because Eddy wasn’t smiling, or anything like it. What Eddy looked like was—worried and determined. “Listen, you guys,” he said. “I think we ought to tell them the truth. I mean, Web and Carson ought to know if anybody does. They’re the ones in the most danger.”
For a moment no one said or did anything, but then Carlos first and then some other people started nodding their heads. And then Kate said, “Yeah. Wong is right. Web and Carson ought to know.” Then everyone was nodding, even Bucky.
Web and Carson came back inside the tent and sat down, and Eddy started in on how these two guys in a black van had been hanging around the cul-de-sac because they wanted to steal a science-fair project. “Yours and Carson’s,” Eddy said. “At least that’s what we heard.”
Web’s slow smile said he didn’t believe it. He smiled first at Carson and shook his head, and Carson smiled back. Then he looked at Eddy and asked, “Why?”
Eddy looked a little embarrassed. “Well, what we heard was that you guys are making a secret weapon and these two terrorists …”
When Eddy said the words secret weapon Ari felt his face go stiff. Behind his stiff face he was thinking frantically, This is it! This is when they find out that I just made up that part about the secret weapon. But
Chapter 14
A RI WAS STILL HOLDING his breath when a hand reached in, jerked the tent flap open—and two faces appeared. Web Wong and Carson Nicely. Web’s sharp black eyes darted around the tent, seeing everything in a flash. Ari had the feeling that if someone blindfolded Web immediately and took him away, you could ask him tomorrow and he would remember every person and thing that had been in the tent. The eight people, and Lump, and all of the flashlights and karate mats, and maybe the beepers, too, even though some of them weren’t out in plain sight. And he would probably even be able to remember who had been eating what. Web was like that. But no one blindfolded him and he didn’t go away. Instead he just nodded slowly and said, “What are you guys doing in here?”
“Yeah,” said Carson, who was peering around Web’s shoulder with his bristly hair standing on end and the light from the flashlight reflecting off his glasses. “Yeah, what?”
Ari looked around at the other members of the A.T. Club. They were all looking at each other, obviously waiting for someone else to decide what to say.
“Well?” Web said.
Kate spoke first. “We’re having a club meeting.”
Athena waved her gavel in the air. “Yes. We’re having a club meeting. And this is my gravel because I’m the president. I already called the meeting to order so you better sit down and shut up.”
Web nodded solemnly. “Okay, we will,” he said. “Come on, Carson. Sit down.” Web sat down in front of the tent flap and pulled Carson down beside him. Everyone stared at them. “Please pass the popcorn,” Web said.
Someone started the popcorn toward Web, but when it got to Bucky he stopped it. “I don’t know about that,” he said. “This is an official meeting of the A.T. Club and you twerps aren’t members.”
“All right.” Web stood up. “Come on, Carson.”
Looking hungrily toward the popcorn, Carson got slowly to his feet. Web lifted the tent flap and went out, but then he put his head back in and asked Bucky, “What is A.T. an acronym for?”
“A what for?” Bucky said.
“What does A.T. stand for?”
“Ohh,” several people said at once. “Animal Trainers. It means Animal Trainers.” And then Kate added, “We’ve been training Lump to do tricks.”
Everyone nodded.
“Yeah,” Bucky said. “Eddy’s been teaching Lump to drool. Show them, Eddy.”
Everyone was smiling when they looked at Eddy, but after a second they stopped. Because Eddy wasn’t smiling, or anything like it. What Eddy looked like was—worried and determined. “Listen, you guys,” he said. “I think we ought to tell them the truth. I mean, Web and Carson ought to know if anybody does. They’re the ones in the most danger.”
For a moment no one said or did anything, but then Carlos first and then some other people started nodding their heads. And then Kate said, “Yeah. Wong is right. Web and Carson ought to know.” Then everyone was nodding, even Bucky.
Web and Carson came back inside the tent and sat down, and Eddy started in on how these two guys in a black van had been hanging around the cul-de-sac because they wanted to steal a science-fair project. “Yours and Carson’s,” Eddy said. “At least that’s what we heard.”
Web’s slow smile said he didn’t believe it. He smiled first at Carson and shook his head, and Carson smiled back. Then he looked at Eddy and asked, “Why?”
Eddy looked a little embarrassed. “Well, what we heard was that you guys are making a secret weapon and these two terrorists …”
When Eddy said the words secret weapon Ari felt his face go stiff. Behind his stiff face he was thinking frantically, This is it! This is when they find out that I just made up that part about the secret weapon. But
Similar Books
