The Nightmarys by Dan Poblocki Read Free Book Online

returned any of my messages
    lately. Is everything okay with her? How’s
    Ben?”
    She’d hit the nail on the head.
    “I’ve got a run, Mrs. Chen,” he said. “Thanks
    for the ride!”
    “O-Okay then,” she said quietly. “See you
    boys after practice.”
    As Timothy entered the locker room, he
    realized he didn’t want to be there. After
    everything that had happened that day, al he
    real y wanted to do was curl up in bed and

    real y wanted to do was curl up in bed and
    continue reading The Clue of the Incomplete
    Corpse. He was determined to nd his own
    clue regarding the names writ en on pages 102,
    149, and 203. Maybe the answer was in the
    story.
    The locker room’s dim lighting, high ceilings,
    and dark stone wal s created a unique cryptlike
    atmosphere deep inside the building. Timothy
    found a spot in the farthest corner away from
    the showers, hidden at the end of the longest
    row of lockers. From his bag, he lifted away the
    mysterious book and careful y placed it onto
    the bench beside him.
    “Let’s hustle, July,” cal ed Coach Thom from
    the far end of the row. Clapping his hands and
    moving on, he shouted, “Water’s waiting, Chen.
    Move it.”
    Timothy’s face burned. So much for hiding
    out now. He ung his bag into the nearest
    locker. He quickly changed into his bathing
    suit, before grabbing the book from the bench.
    Zelda Kite’s worried eyes glanced over

    Zelda Kite’s worried eyes glanced over
    Timothy’s shoulder, as if she knew that
    someone had crept up behind him.
    Spinning around, Timothy was met with a
    smile by Stuart, standing inches away. Timothy
    nearly jumped but managed to control himself.
    “What do you want?” he said.
    “Scare you?” said Stuart. “Sorry.”
    “You didn’t scare me,” said Timothy. “I just
    didn’t expect you there.”
    “Right.” Stuart brie y looked at the book in
    Timothy’s hands. “Pret y funny what happened
    today, don’t you think?”
    Timothy shoved the book into his locker,
    snatched his towel o the oor, and wrapped it
    around his shoulders. “What was funny?”
    “What happened to your partner,” said
    Stuart. “The water bal oon?”
    “How do you know it was a water bal oon?”
    said Timothy, playing the game.
    Stuart smiled. “Whatever, dude. We al
    thought it was pret y funny.”

    thought it was pret y funny.”
    “Wel , I didn’t. I got pret y soaked.”
    “Whose fault was that?”
    Timothy shook his head. “Are you saying I
    threw the water bal oon at myself?”
    “No. I’m saying you were too close. You
    stand next to the target, you get wet.”
    “Stuart …” Timothy’ face turned red. “You’re
    such a … a fart-slap.”
    “A fart-slap?” said Stuart, laughing. “What the
    heck is a fart-slap?”
    Timothy stared at the oor, thinking of
    Abigail’s cleverness. “It’s not good,” he
    answered, then climbed over the bench and
    brushed past Stuart, heading for the showers.

    12.
    The water was cold. Swimming freestyle,
    Timothy stared at the ceramic tiles drifting
    away into the hazy deep end. When he reached
    the wal underneath the diving platforms, he
    noticed that Coach Thom was speaking with
    Stuart, two lanes over and a pool length away.
    Stuart sat on the water’s edge in the shal ow
    end. Their voices echoed throughout the large
    room.
    “Where was it?” said Thom.
    Stuart shook his head, closed his eyes, then
    pointed at the deep end. Thom peered into the
    water. “I’ve got a clear view of the entire
    bot om of the pool, Chen. I can assure you, I
    don’t see any monsters. You want to get back in
    the water now?”
    Monsters? Timothy chuckled before he
    ducked back under and pushed o the wal .
    What a freak! He’d heard a ton of excuses for

    What a freak! He’d heard a ton of excuses for
    wanting to sit out a lap or two, but that was the
    craziest in a very long time.
    The weird thing, though, was that Stuart had
    looked truly scared. Timothy swept the bot om
    of the pool with