Red Shirt Kids by Bryce Clark Read Free Book Online Page A

touch it. If another player grabbed the ball and hit the failed fielder before he could touch the wall, then it was time to “line up.”
    Lining up was not an enviable situation. The player would have to stand against the wall—and then the boy who had hit him would get two free shots with the tennis ball. Most boys stood sideways when they had to line up, the theory being that standing sideways meant less surface area for the thrower and therefore a less likely chance of being hit.
    Ben was very good at suicide—it could be said that he was the best. He thrived on inflicting deep purple bruises with precision line-up throws. The game was fast paced, and the boys yelled and laughed as they played. Only the bravest of boys dared to play.
    Mike, Sam, and Amy stood on the sidelines watching the game. Mike had never seen it played before and, while it seemed like you could get pretty hurt playing, a large part of him was attracted to the challenge. Sam hated suicide and avoided playing at all costs.
    “Hey, Sam, we found Amy’s power,” said Mike.
    “Really?” Sam beamed. “What is it?”
    “Well, looks like whatever she draws comes to life,” Mike replied.
    “That’s awesome! How does it work?” asked Sam.
    “I was practicing this morning, trying to see if
everything
I draw comes to life. From what I can tell, when I’m wearing my shirt, every single thing I draw just … appears. It’s going to be tough in art class.”
    “Just take the red shirt off then,” said Mike.
    “Wow, Mike, I hadn’t thought of that. You’re a real mastermind.”
    “Shut up.”
    “Hey, Amy, can it work for food?” Sam wondered aloud.
    “Yeah, I drew myself a donut this morning.”
    “Hey!” said Mike. “That’s breaking the rules.”
    Amy shrugged. “Oh, like you haven’t gone invisible without us knowing?”
    Mike didn’t reply, as he was guilty as charged.
    “Awesome, Amy. That’s so cool,” Sam grinned.
    Amy laughed. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Anyway, I’ve been thinking about your grandma, Sam. She must know about the red shirts.”
    Sam’s smile faded. “I don’t know.” He looked away uncomfortably.
    “Sam, she gave you that key. She
has
to know about them,” Mike insisted.
    “It’s complicated.”
    “Complicated? What the heck does that mean?” Mike laughed as he said this.
    “It’s ‘cause my dad died when I was little.”
    Mike’s smile quickly left his face. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know about that.”
    “No, it’s okay. But my mom? She doesn’t really like me to talk about my grandma. I’ve only met her twice. Well, twice and then the time she gave me this.” Sam touched the medallion resting under his shirt.
    “When did that happen?” Amy asked.
    “It was this summer. Just before you guys moved here. It was night, and I was sleeping. My mom left my window open, and when I woke up my grandma was standing there. I was kind of scared. I thought she came through the window, but my room is on the second floor, so she couldn’t have. She was wearing this white nightgown, and she didn’t have any shoes on. It was weird.”
    “What did she say?”
    “Well, she handed this chain and medallion to me. She said that I should wear it at all times. She said I reminded her of my dad.”
    “That’s it?” asked Mike.
    “Yeah. She left. But I don’t know how she did. I was looking down at the chain, and when I looked up she was gone,” said Sam.
    “We need to talk to her,” said Amy. “Where does she live?”
    “She lives in a hospital.”
    “That’s right. Didn’t they think she was, um, crazy?” Amy grimaced but couldn’t think of a better word. “A girl at school said your grandma used to talk about magic and—Hey, she was probably talking about the shirts. I mean, if we told people what we could do, they’d think we were nuts!”
    “I guess they did. She’s in there. My mom doesn’t let me see her.”
    Amy’s eyes lit up. “I have an idea. I’m supposed to do