The Bare Bum Gang and the Valley of Doom by Anthony McGowan Read Free Book Online

hissed and spat at me as
she walked away.

Chapter Fourteen
OVERHEARD
    So, that wasn't very good, I think you'll
agree. I stayed in the box and closed my eyes
and kept them shut until the bell sounded.
I didn't want to see anything that was
happening around me, because it would
most likely be something terrible, and the
chance of it being anything apart from
terrible was maybe one in a million.
    It was actually quite pleasant, lying
there on top of the soft beanbags as the
playground sounds grew quiet, like the
water slowly growing cold around you in
the bath.
    Lying there meant I was going to be late
back into class, but I decided I'd tell Miss
Bridges that I'd fallen down and hurt myself
and that was why I was late, which was
nearly true.
    I'd just decided to get up when I heard
some voices. Quiet voices. Not quiet because
they were far away, but quiet because they
were whispering. It's always extra interesting
when people whisper. In fact whispering is
the worst way of keeping a secret, because
people always know you're saying something
worth listening to. Especially if the whispers
are angry whispers.
    I peeped over the
top of the box

    The first thing I
saw was Dockery's
back. The next thing
was Alfie's front. Alfie
and Dockery were
whispering together. I
strained hard to hear
what they were saying:
'You filthy sneak. You betrayed us. You
were supposed to betray them. We had them
cornered in the woods, and you helped them
get out. You get a thump for that.'
    'No, no, it was all part of the plan.'
    Then there were some bits I could hardly
hear at all, except for the odd word:
'Money . . . sweets . . . Ludo . . . Bare Bum . . .
ha ha ha.' That sort of thing. And then I saw
Alfie give something to Dockery. It looked
like it might have been money, although it
could also have been an amulet or some
magic beans, although that's not very
likely.
    'I'll let you off, this time,' said Dockery,
louder. 'But any more mess-ups and you're
gonna find yourself wearing your own bum
for a hat.'
    Then they both started to walk back
towards the classrooms, and I ducked down
into the beanbag box.
    Interesting.
    Very interesting, I thought (I mean about
Dockery and Alfie, not the beanbag box,
which was really quite boring).
    But what could it all mean?

Chapter Fifteen
AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
    The doorbell rang. It was half past seven,
and I'd just finished my literacy homework,
which was all to do with words,
and I was about to start my numeracy
home-work, which was mainly to do with
numbers.
    When our doorbell rang it was usually
someone asking if we wanted to change
our gas supplier, or sometimes two nice
men asking if we wanted to be saved from
the Horrible Burning Fires of Hell. If my
dad answered the door, he would either just
say no thanks, or sometimes start ranting
at them, saying things like, actually he'd
rather have his nose chewed off by a pack
of weasels.
    What I saw when I opened the door
surprised me as much as if it had been a
pack of nose-eating weasels. Or two packs,
for that matter.

    Noah.
    I have to tell
you something
about me and
Noah, to explain
why I was so
upset about him
not believing
me and joining
the others in chucking me out of the
Gang. You see, I had known Noah
before either of us could even walk. Our
mums used to put us in the same playpen
together when we were still shuffling
about on our bottoms. We used to chew
each other's chewy toys, and drink out of
the same beaker and even poo in the
same potty. When we were three we were
sent to the same nursery, a scary place
full of children who would bite you given
half a chance, and grown-ups who seemed
to think that carrot sticks counted as a
treat.
    At big school we'd stuck together through
thick and thin, me watching his back and
him watching mine. When we were old
enough, we formed the Gang, before it
was even called the Bare Bum Gang. I
was Leader and he was Gang Doctor. The
others, The Moan, Jamie, Jennifer, they all
came later. We were the originals. We