Despicable Me by Annie Auerbach, Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio Read Free Book Online

moment of yearning before he hears…
    “Only forty-eight hours until the rocket launch, and all systems are go!” exclaims Dr. Nefario.
    Gru nervously begins to pick up after the girls—shoes, socks, toys, even crackers arescattered about. “Um, about that. I was thinking maybe we could move the date of the heist.”
    Dr. Nefario is taken aback. “What? Why?”
    “No reason,” Gru says, trying to act casual. “I just thought that—”
    Dr. Nefario puts his hands on his hips and squares his jaw. “Is this because of the girls’ dance recital?”
    “No no no! The recital? No,” Gru replies quickly. “I just think it’s kind of weird to do it on a Saturday. I was thinking maybe a moon heist is more of a Tuesday thing.”
    But Dr. Nefario isn’t buying Gru’s excuse. “That’s it! You are on the verge of becoming the greatest villain of all time, Gru. ‘The Man Who Stole the Moon’!”
    “I know,” Gru says quietly.
    “These girls are becoming a major distraction,and there is absolutely no reason to keep them here.”
    Gru can’t believe what he is hearing.
    “They need to go,” Dr. Nefario adds cruelly. “If you don’t do something about it, I will.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

    “I am the greatest
criminal mind
of the century!”
    —Gru

    The next day, Gru is having a tea party with the three girls when the doorbell rings. He opens the door to see Miss Hattie on the other side. “What are you doing here?” he asks.
    “I’m here for the girls,” she replies. “I received a call that you wanted to return them.”
    Gru is stunned. He never placed that call!
    “I also purchased a Spanish dictionary,” continues Miss Hattie. Then she slaps Gru across the face with it. “I don’t like what you said!”
    At that moment, Gru hears someone behind him clearing his throat. He turns to see Dr. Nefario across the room. He gives Gru a thumbs-up. Gru is shocked that Nefario has made good on his promise. The scientist had called the orphanage.
    Feeling utterly trapped, Gru soon realizes he has no choice. He turns back to Miss Hattie and mutters, “I’ll get the girls ready.”
    A little while later, Gru carries the girls’ bags to the car. Despite the girls’ eyes welling up with tears, Gru does his best not to let any feelings show.
    Suddenly, Agnes grabs Gru’s leg. “Don’t let her take us back, Mr. Gru,” she pleads. “Tell her that you want to keep us.”
    Gru wants to respond, but he can’t do it. The disappointment he sees in the girls’ faces devastates him.
    Miss Hattie snorts. She’s had enough of this nonsense. “All right, girls. Come on, let’s go.”
    Gru watches the car drive away, his heart breaking.
    Happy to see the girls leave, Dr. Nefario is ready to get back to business. “I did it for your own good. Now, let’s go get that moon!”
    Gru looks at him but just can’t summon up the same degree of excitement. Dr. Nefariowatches as Gru heads back into the house, clearly depressed. From the windows, the minions watch as well, sobbing uncontrollably.
    That day Gru sees the girls everywhere he turns. He picks up the dolls they have left behind. He watches the minions clean the wall where the girls drew themselves below the family tree. Finally, in an effort to stop feeling so blue, Gru throws himself into his mission to steal the moon.
    With his space suit on, Gru walks through his lab and stops to look up at the rocket. He has to admit that it
is
impressive. Along with a minion, he rides a lift to the top of the rocket. The minion hands him something.
    “What is this for?” asks Gru. He looks down and realizes it is a ticket for the dance recital. He pushes down his true feelings and yells, “I am the greatest criminal mind of the century! I don’t go to little girls’ dance recitals!”
    Gru throws the ticket in the air and turns back to the rocket, ready for the moon heist. What he doesn’t see is that the minion has caught the ticket and has secretly stuck it into one