Read Online The Fire Within (The Last Dragon Chro) by Chris D'Lacey - Free Book Online Page A

swinging down the hall. “We don’t want to
scare
people away.”
    “Charming,” David muttered, and rattled some cornflakes into a dish.
    He was reaching for the milk when the front door opened and he heard Lucy say, “Oh, it’s you.”
    “Haven’t got long,” Mr. Bacon boomed. “Step aside, child. Where’s the boy?”
    David closed the fridge and went to investigate. “What’s up, Henry? I’m having my breakfast.”
    Mr. Bacon held up a tuft of gray fur.
    Lucy gasped and stumbled back against the stairs.
    David felt his stomach sink into his socks. “W-where did you find that?”
    “Snagged on a corner of my window box,” said Henry. “Think you need a good pair of goggles, boy. That rat you saw belongs up a tree.”
    “You leave him alone!” Lucy cried, stomping forward.
    David intercepted fast. “Calm down,” he hissed, pulling her aside. “He didn’t say he
caught
anything, did he?”
    Lucy’s eyebrows knotted together. David turned to Mr. Bacon again. Choosing his words very carefully he asked, “Are you saying you’ve seen a
squirrel?”
    “Couldn’t miss it,” Henry rapped. “Sitting on my windowsill, clear as a nut. Practically knocking on theglass, it was. Nearly spilled my coffee down my pants with the shock.”
    “You should have!” snapped Lucy.
    David turned on her again. “Lucy, will you let
me
deal with this?”
    Lucy folded her arms and huffed.
    David floated a hand about chest height. “So, it was … well off the ground, you mean?”
    Mr. Bacon’s mustache wiggled with impatience. “Should I draw you a diagram, boy?”
    “I’m not sure,” said David, scratching his head.
How could Conker get onto a windowsill?
“This squirrel, how many eyes did it have?”
    “Is this a joke?!” barked Henry. “Two, you fool.”
    “Two?” gasped Lucy.
    Mr. Bacon leaned down to her height. “One on either side of its ratty little nose.”
    That was one gibe too many for Lucy. With a rush of vehemence she kicked the door hard, slamming it shut in Henry’s face.
    David emitted a horrified squeak. “Lucy! What areyou doing?” He yanked the door open. Mr. Bacon was holding a hankie to his nose. “Sorry, Mr. Bacon. Wind blew it shut. Back door. Just a draft. Happens all the time.” He gave a jovial smile and stepped onto the porch, guiding Henry down the path. “So, it was a squirrel all along? Well, well. Easy mistake to make at a distance. Still, now that we know there isn’t a rat, you won’t need to bother with the trap — will you?”
    Mr. Bacon stood to one side. “Squirrels are the scourge of the garden, boy. Sooner we snare the beast, the better.” And with that he turned crisply on his heels, marched across the drive, and got into his car.
    David said a swear word under his breath. He turned back to the house. Lucy was tapping her foot against the step. “Let
me
deal with this,” she toadied, and slammed the door on David as well.
    Sputtering furiously, he flipped the mail slot open. “Lucy, let me in. It’s freezing out here.”
    “Don’t care. I wish you never came.”
    “Right now, so do I. Open up, we’ve got to talk. That wasn’t Conker on the windowsill.”
    “Yes, it was.”
    “No, it wasn’t. A one-eyed squirrel couldn’t jump up there. There must be another squirrel in the garden.”
    “It was Conker!”
    David banged the mail slot shut. He opened it again with a fresh argument. “All right, if it
was
Conker, that means his injury must have healed. Now, let me in — or I’ll ring the bell until your mom comes down.”
    “Don’t bother, she’s already here,” said a voice.
    The door swung open. Liz was holding Lucy by the shoulders like a hostage. She looked as if she were about to explode. “What’s going on?”
    David ran in, rubbing his arms. “Henry saw a squirrel.”
    “It was Conker,” cried Lucy. “And Mr. Bacon’s going to try
extra
hard to catch him! And it’s all
his
fault!” She stabbed a toe at David’s