The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck by Emily Fairlie Read Free Book Online Page B

don’t want to audition! Sorry!” Bud’s feet finally got the message and turned and hurried out. He hated to be rude like that, but he had no choice. He knew one thing, though. He could never come back to the music hall again. Ever.
    Laurie was bouncing on the balls of her feet at the end of the hallway. “What happened to you?” she hissed. “Did she bust you? Give you detention? What happened in there?”
    Bud rolled his eyes at her. “Forget it, okay? Nothing happened.” He took off running down the hallway, his heavy footsteps echoing through the empty halls. The last thing he needed was a tardy the first week of school. His dad had enough stuff to worry about without Bud screwing up. That teacher was the least of his problems.
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    TARDY WARNING FOR
    Horace Wallace Jr.
    MR. WALLACE,
    This is to notify you that you have used your ONE (1) tardy warning for this semester. All subsequent tardies will be referred to the office and noted on your permanent record.
    You have been warned.
    Sincerely,
    MR. MARSHALL DEAL
    Sixth-grade science
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    â€œIt was a mistake, okay? I took a wrong turn.” Laurie tried to keep her temper under control as she finished filling Ponch and Jon’s food dish. Bud just frowned at her and attached the water bottle in silence.
    It’s not like Bud had even gotten a tardy; it was just a tardy warning. He was lucky Mr. Deal gave out warnings. Mrs. Humphries had just given her a flat-out tardy. If she didn’t watch it, she’d be explaining herself in front of Principal Winkle before long. But that wasn’t something she was going to think about now.
    â€œThere’s got to be stuff about Keats there. Something noticeable. A painting or something.” Laurie scowled at Ponch (or Jon), who was attacking a sunflower seed and looking at her in a threatening way. She wasn’t scared of him. Well, not now that she’d figured out she could just pour the new food into the bowl from three inches above the aquarium. So it was a little messy, so what?
    But Laurie’s hopes died when she and Bud made it to the English hall. Without a million kids rushing to class, it looked like the music hall’s stodgy twin brother. No painted cherubs, singing or otherwise, no bulletin boards, no paintings, nothing. It even smelled boring.
    â€œSo where’s the Keats shrine?” Bud asked, giving Laurie a snarky look. Never mind that the Keats thing was his idea. She needed taking down a peg. Mr. Deal was gunning for him now, and it was all her fault.
    â€œThere’s got to be something!” Laurie groaned, scanning the walls desperately. “What a lame hallway!”
    Bud couldn’t help but agree. It was definitely lame.
    Suddenly Laurie grabbed Bud by the arm. “Look! By the window!” At the end of the hallway, there was a small nook with a sculpted bust in it.
    Bud and Laurie both hurried to be the first one to the nook. Laurie could practically taste the treasure.
    â€œSee?” Laurie said, looking at the bust triumphantly. “Right there it says … oh, wait.”
    â€œHomer.” Bud couldn’t believe it. “What the heck, Laurie? Why Homer?”
    Laurie shook her head. It just didn’t make sense. Where was Keats? Shouldn’t it be Keats instead?
    There had to be a logical explanation, and Laurie wasn’t going to wait around for it to fall into her lap. She headed to the nearest classroom and stuck her head in the door. A teacher from the High-Water Pants and Overtucked Shirt School of Fashion was hanging a Globe Theatre poster with a smiley cartoon Shakespeare on his bulletin board.
    â€œHey!” Laurie barked. “I have an English question.”
    The teacher looked up hopefully. “Really? You do?”
    Laurie nodded and motioned for Bud to come over, but he didn’t move. He wasn’t about to get involved in another teacher situation, like with the music hall. Not