Read Online Tut by P. J. Hoover - Free Book Online Page B

a disaster, and his wire-rimmed glasses sat crooked on his nose.
    I cringed. “Uh, sorry about that.”
    â€œWhat a horrible cat,” Henry said, straightening his skewed glasses.
    Horus hissed.
    Henry wiped at the blood with his fingers, and his hands shook. Almost getting disemboweled by a cat can do that to you. At least he started to breathe again.
    Horus jumped off the futon and headed for the fire escape.
    â€œWait,” I said. Horus had vital information I needed.
    Horus rubbed up against a golden cat statue in the corner. I joined him, praying the shabtis wouldn’t pick that moment to show themselves.
    â€œHow do I find the scroll?” I whispered. I pretended like I was scratching behind his ears so Henry wouldn’t think I was totally crazy.
    â€œTalk to Colonel Cody. I briefed him while you were busy entertaining your guest.” He said the word guest in the same way he would have said rodent . Or pest .
    â€œWait until he leaves,” I said. “I’ll get rid of him.”
    Horus rubbed against a catnip toy near the windowsill. “Too late. Gil will be home any minute. And Bast is waiting.”
    â€œBast? Are you kidding?”
    â€œWe have a date.”
    A date! Here I was worried about battles between the gods, and Horus was going on a date?
    â€œIt can’t wait?” I asked.
    â€œIt can’t wait.” When he wanted to, he could almost disguise his voice like a meow. Either that or I’d lived with a cat for too long. And then he really did meow. This meant our conversation was over.
    I gave up. When it came to Bast, Horus completely lost his head.
    â€œMight I say your spots look especially clean tonight,” I said. And it was true. Horus was a good-looking cat—an Egyptian Mau. Sleek. Spotted. Regal. Even with the missing eye.
    Horus flicked his tail and jumped onto the fire escape and into the night.
    Now to get rid of Henry.
    â€œWhat’s Bast?” Henry asked. He’d smoothed his hair back to its normal messy state.
    â€œNot what. Who,” I said, hoping he hadn’t heard Horus talking in return.
    â€œOkay, who?” Henry said.
    â€œShe’s this cat Horus goes to see from time to time.” I patted the golden cat statue. “She looks like this.”
    Like lots of other stuff, the statue belonged to Horus. Having an idol of a powerful goddess around couldn’t be a bad thing.
    â€œShe’s shiny,” Henry said. “So where are your parents?”
    â€œI live with my brother. But he’s out right now.”
    â€œWhere?”
    Great Amun, Henry asked a lot of questions.
    I shrugged. “Getting dinner.”
    Henry eyed the closet door, but it was still closed. “Just you two live here?”
    I nodded at the loft, to Gil’s bedroom door, which was painted solid black with a giant red X in the middle. My door, on the other hand, was painted gold, at the insistence of Colonel Cody. He’d tried to use real metal, saying it was the only thing befitting a pharaoh, but I convinced him paint was acceptable. “Yep. That’s his room.”
    â€œWhy a red X ?”
    â€œIt means ‘Do Not Enter.’ He figured it was a universal sign.”
    â€œAnd do you ever go in when he’s not home?” Henry said.
    â€œNo.”
    Henry gave me a you’re-full-of-complete-hooey look.
    â€œOkay, fine. A couple times. But don’t you dare tell him.”
    Gil loved his privacy. He’d lock himself in his room and listen to music or play video games for hours. He never even let the shabtis in to clean his room.
    â€œWhat happened to your parents?” Henry asked.
    A lump in my throat formed before I could even think about it, and my scarab heart sped up. This was another reason I didn’t want friends. They made you talk about things you’d left behind thousands of years ago. “They’re dead.”
    â€œDead,” Henry said. “Wow,