The Second Evil by R.L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page B

the moon, which was now pale white and high in the black sky.
    â€œI guess,” Corky replied without enthusiasm. “But there’s something odd about her, don’t you think?”
    â€œOdd?” Chip shook his head. “Just her voice.”
    Corky stared through the restaurant window and focused on the back booth. She could see Sarah Beth Plummer sitting alone against the back wall, her slender hands wrapped around a white mug of tea.
    To Corky’s surprise, she had the strangest smile on her face.
    Not a pleasant smile, Corky realized.
    A cruel smile.
    Even from that distance, even through the hazy glass, Corky could see the gleam in Sarah Beth’s dark eyes, the unmistakable gleam of … evil.

Chapter 7
Cheers and Screams

    A fter school on Monday Corky hesitated at the double doors to the gym. On the other side she could hear shouts and the thunder of sneakers pounding over the wooden floorboards. The basketball team must also be practicing in the gym, she realized.
    Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, said a silent prayer, and pushed open the swinging doors. As if on cue, the voices of the cheerleaders rang out:
    â€œHey, you! Yeah, you! Are you ready? Our team is tough and our team is steady! We’re on the way to the top And we’ll never stop!
    The tigers are on the hunt. Hear them growl, hear them roar! You’d better hold your ears, ’Cause the Tigers will roar All over, All over you!”
    The cheer ended with an enthusiastic shout, and each of the five girls performed a flying split, their legs shooting out as they leapt into the air one at a time.
    â€œPretty good. Pretty good,” Miss Green, the advisor called out with her usual restraint, hands on the hips of her gray sweats, her expression thoughtful A compact woman with frizzy brown hair and a somewhat plain face, Miss Green had a husky voice that always sounded as if she had laryngitis.
    â€œTry it again,” she told them, “and this time get more height on those jumps. And
enunciate.
I want to hear consonants, guys! We’re not entering the Mumbling Olympics.”
    On the other side of the gym, Coach Swenson was blowing his whistle. The shrill sound echoed off the tile walls. Corky watched the basketball players form a line to practice running lay-ups.
    She turned her attention back to the cheerleaders, who were in position to do the cheer again. As Corky’s eyes moved from girl to girl, a flood of memories washed over her, holding her in place, frozen against the doors.
    There was Kimmy, the captain, her round face pink as usual, her black crimped hair bobbing on her head as she enthusiastically jumped into place andchecked to make sure the other girls were lining up correctly.
    Beside her stood freckle-faced, redheaded Ronnie, looking like a kid in gray sweat shorts and a white sleeveless T-shirt, whispering something to Debra.
    Debra smiled slowly, her cold blue eyes lighting up. Beside her, Megan Carman and Heather Diehl, best friends who always seemed to be together, were chatting animatedly.
    Kimmy blew a whistle and the cheer began.
    Corky watched them run through it again. It was crisper this time, and the flying splits were higher. Ronnie started hers too soon and landed awkwardly, but everyone else was right on the money.
    As the cheer ended, Kimmy noticed Corky. She jogged over. “Hi! You came!”
    â€œYeah. I’m here,” Corky said, smiling. “The routine looks excellent!” She took a few steps away from the door.
    A basketball bounced toward them. Kimmy caught it on the bounce and tossed it back to Gary Brandt, who was waving for it across the floor.
    â€œGood to see you, Corky. We’ve missed you,” Miss Green said, joining Kimmy. She turned back to the others. “Hey, look who’s here!”
    â€œAre you coming back?” Heather asked, as the girls surrounded Corky. They all began asking her questions at once.
    â€œGive her a