Fangtastic! by Sienna Mercer Read Free Book Online Page A

Rudy opened his mouth and shut it again, clearly not
understanding where he’d gone wrong.
    “Poor
guy,” Sophia whispered in Ivy’s ear.
    Next
was Will Kerrell. Nervous at the best of times, he glued his eyes to his
notebook and read in a rushed monotone, “ ‘Those Beasts are into heavy metal
music, and everyone knows that if you play that stuff backward, it will make
you eat the head off a bat, and then you’ll run into the street screaming and
your eyeballs will explode and your brains will go everywhere!’ ”
    “Who
said that?” asked Serena.
    “My
cousin Charlie,” Will told her. “He’s in high school.”
    “Well,
he’s absolutely right,” Serena said. “Unfortunately, heavy metal is old news.”
    At
this rate, Ivy
thought hopefully, I just might get the assistant job. She took a deep
breath and raised her hand.
    “Let’s
hear it,” invited Serena.
    “My
quote is from Franklin Grove’s very concerned guidance counselor, Mr. Reginald
Slipson,” Ivy said. “Mr. Slipson has long suspected that something is very
wrong with students in Franklin Grove. According to him, this latest incident
at the graveyard was a perfect example of the sinister problem that is
threatening our community.”
    “This
sounds promising,” Serena murmured. Sophia looked at Ivy encouragingly.
    “Mr.
Slipson has done some digging into the school records,” Ivy continued, “and he’s
noticed a disturbing pattern. It appears students aren’t getting enough sleep
at night. In fact, he would bet that Franklin Grove has more students falling asleep
in class than anywhere else in the nation!”
    “Why?”
asked Serena.
    “Yes,
why is that?” asked Principal Whitehead.
    Ivy
raised her eyebrows. “I think you’ll all be shocked by the answer,” she said.
Then she paused for effect and cleared her throat. “I quote Mr. Slipson
directly: ‘What, exactly, are these students doing when normal people are in
bed? Horrible things. Unnatural things!’ ”
    Serena
Star’s eyes were wider than Ivy had ever seen them. Ivy leaned back in her seat
and shared a triumphant look with Sophia.
    After
a second, Serena said, “Don’t stop there.”
    “W-what?”
Ivy stammered.
    “Tell
us the rest of your quote. What kind of ‘unnatural’ things?”
    Ivy
hesitated. She had really hoped that what she’d read would be enough to do the
trick.
    “Go
on!” Serena insisted, and Sophia looked at Ivy hopefully.
    Ivy
read Mr. Slipson’s quote in its entirety, her voice getting quieter and quieter
as she went along. “ ‘What, exactly, are these students doing when normal
people are in bed? Horrible things. Unnatural things! Eating junk foods
packed with additives, listening to portable music devices, surfing the
Internet, playing video games, watching satellite television beamed from the
sky. This insomniac epidemic is destroying our youth!’ ”
    Serena
tapped her pink fingernails on the table. “I liked the beginning,” she said, “but
then you lost me. Help me out here. Is the scoop that kids are staying up late?”
    “Exactly,”
Ivy agreed.
    Serena
nodded. “I was afraid so.” Then she added, “What a snooze.” Everyone laughed.
    Ivy
pressed her hands into the table. “The truth is sometimes less sensational than
we imagine, Ms. Star.”
    “I
know,” Serena said. “Isn’t that the worst ?”
    Ivy
closed her notebook, trying not to look defeated. She knew that her quote wasn’t
what Serena Star was hoping for, but maybe the beginning would be good enough
to get her the assistant job. Or at least, Ivy thought doubtfully, convince
her that there’s no deep, dark secret in Franklin Grove.
    Soon
the only person left to try out was Toby. He pulled a leather briefcase up onto
the table and said, “Before I begin, allow me to thank you, Serena Star, for
this extraordinary opportunity.” Then he opened the briefcase and pulled out a
single piece of typed paper, as if he were about to present an opening argument
before