The Invisible Enemy by Marthe Jocelyn Read Free Book Online Page A

“I’ll be there, too! I’m sleeping over tonight.” He smiled. “It’sgood to have girls phone a pajama party, eh, Hubert?”
    Hubert looked at me, and I realized we were both blushing.
    “Party?” I said.
    “Just us,” said Hubert quickly.
    Then, as I stood there wishing I was ten miles away, Jean-Pierre’s hair faded and vanished. Alyssa was touching his hair! He clearly felt nothing, and his tan face kept grinning at us.
    “Aaay!” yelped Hubert. “Don’t!” I screamed. It wasn’t funny this time.
    Alyssa let go. Jean-Pierre looked normal again, but completely confused.
    “I have to go,” I said, backing away. “I have to go home right now. I’m late.” I didn’t trust Alyssa for one more second. I wanted to run. I wanted to run till I fell down floppy like an old stuffed bear.
    I did run, and pretty fast, too. Down Mac-Dougal Street to Houston, across at the light, and along Houston to Thompson Street.
    “Billie! Wait up!” Alyssa’s voice came from quite a ways behind me.
    I ducked down Thompson and kept jogging as far as the M&O Grocery at Prince Street. The cold pinched my nose, and my breath came out in little frosty puffs.
    Curiosity stopped me short. I could see my breath. I turned around. It was cold enough to see my breath. Could I see Alyssa’s breath, too?
    Lots of people were hurrying past on Prince Street, some with shopping bags, some with dogs. I stood there, panting from my run and squinting, trying to see if Alyssa’s breath would announce her arrival.
    “Thanks for waiting,” she blurted sarcastically into my ear. I jerked toward the sound.
    “Say that again.”
    “Say what?”
    Wow! Sure enough. A tiny cloud of steam hovered in the air for a moment.
    “Wow,” I said. “I can see your breath. I didn’t notice before because I wasn’t looking in the right place, but—”
    “Big fat deal,” said Alyssa, shooting morehot air into icy puffs. “What are you running away for, Billie? I told you, I’m going to follow you until you give me the cure. I’m coming to your place whether you like it or not.”

12 • Jane and Harry
    I t took my dog, Harry, about three seconds to figure out that something was wrong. From the moment Harry heard my key in the lock, he started to jump as if he had springs on the bottom of his paws. I teased him with my mitten as we came in the door.
Boing, lick, boing, lick lick, boing.
Same greeting as every day.
    But then he tilted his nose and his feet stopped dead. His little body was quivering slightly and he started to bark; quick, yappy barks, as if he’d spotted a cat and wanted to pounce.
    “Uh-oh,” I said. “Harry’s too smart. And he’s not too good at keeping secrets.”
    “What’s bugging Harry?” called my motherfrom the kitchen area. “Make him shush, will you?”
    I picked him up and folded his face into the crook of my arm.
    “Stay right behind me,” I whispered to Alyssa. “And if you touch anything, I will tell Harry to chew off your hand!”
    “Hi, Mom!” I said as I passed the kitchen and headed for the space I share with my sister, Jane. I held my breath. Alyssa was completely unreliable. I could feel her brewing behind me like a sandstorm.
    “Hey! Where’s my kiss?”
    Aw, Mom! My mother kissed me and patted my hair.
    “How was the trip, honeybun?”
    I could hear Alyssa choke back a snicker. She was seeing a different side of Stone-Face Stoner, that’s for sure.
    “The bus was late coming back.” I just wanted to get to my room.
    “But how was the trip?” She was putting away plates from the dish rack, not listening too closely.
    “Really interesting.” If I said “really boring,” I’d get a lecture about how an intelligent person is never bored. And what if I told her the truth—that my Evil Worst Enemy had stolen my Secret Invisibility Powder and was now stalking me on home territory? “Gosh, honey-bun, I’ve always loved your imagination. Why don’t you write a story about it?” Oh,