LIBRARY FINES AND MYSTERIOUS RHYMES
Becca glanced behind her as she marched. Sam was following, dribbling the whole time. Rufus lumbered along next to him, also dribbling.
“You’re lucky I’m so fast,” Sam said, dribbling between his legs. “I ran back home and told Dad you were marching off on your mission, and he said it was okay as long as I went with you.”
He grinned evilly at her. “Don’t worry, little sister; I’ll make sure you don’t get up to any trouble.”
“You’re only one year older than me,” Becca pointed out. “You’re not my dad and he isn’t my dad. I care about his permission about as much as I care about that squirrel’s permission.” She pointed at a fat gray squirrel in a nearby tree that was probably more fun to talk to than Stephen R. Danielson III.
She could practically hear her stepfather in her head. He’d probably said something like, Don’t be out too long! We’ll wait for you, but dinner may not. One of those lines that was almost clever or a joke.
And it wasn’t like she was hitchhiking to another town. Kyle’s house was only four doors down the street.
Sam tried to dribble once on each of the stepping-stones that made up the path to the Words’ front door, but on the third one, he stumbled over his own shoelace and missed.
The ball careened into a bush and Sam careened after it … and Rufus careened after Sam.
“So mature,” Becca muttered as she knocked. She knew boys weren’t as mature as girls, but most of them didn’t hit age four and then stay that way for the rest of their lives.
The door opened and Mrs. Word appeared in a flour-dusted apron. She was a professional baker and made the most delicious desserts imaginable—and probably unimaginable, too.
“Hi, Becca,” she said. “Hi, Sam. Sorry it took a minute. Kyle must not have heard you.”
“Thanks,” Becca said, stepping inside. Only then did she realize what time it was—time for Kyle’s favorite TV show. He wouldn’t get up from Allosaurus, MD if an earthquake split the house in half, as long as he and the TV ended up in the same half. It was Kyle’s absolute favorite show in the world.
“Hey, Mrs. W.,” Sam said, “any chance there might be some baked goods that need testing? You know I’m happy to donate my taste buds to science.”
“I’m sure we can find something for you to research,” Mrs. Word said with a smile.
“I’ll catch up in a sec,” Sam said, and followed Mrs. Word into the kitchen, Rufus trotting at his heels and drooling slightly more than usual. Even though Becca was tempted by the delicious smells, she knew that cookies could wait. Her library fine couldn’t.
But as soon as she walked into the living room, she knew something was wrong. Her writer’s eye for detail instantly noticed three things:
1. Not only was the TV not on …
2. … but Kyle wasn’t there.
3. And there was a backpack in the middle of the rug. A backpack with sparkly pink starfish stickers all over it.
Becca frowned. She’d know those stickers anywhere—they belonged to Halley Pierce-Blossom, Miss Know-It-All of Greenfield Elementary. Those pink starfish stickers sat front and center in class.
But what was her backpack doing here?
Becca and Halley got along okay, as long as Halley talked about only one of the documentaries she’d seen the night before instead of all three. But Becca knew for sure—as sure as the sky was blue—that Kyle and Halley couldn’t stand each other. Kyle had even named one of the villains in the Worthy stories the Vile Fanged Halleyodon after her.
“Weird,” Becca muttered.
“Did foo thay thomething?” Sam asked as he sauntered in with a full mouth and a plate of slightly burned cookies. Rufus was orbiting him, licking up any crumbs that dropped to the rug.
But Becca didn’t bother to reply. She’d just spotted something else that didn’t fit in Kyle’s living room.
She pushed aside Halley’s bag. Behind it was a small wooden crate filled with straw. The straw had a musty, oaky smell like it’d been sitting in the crate for years.
There was panting in Becca’s ear, and she turned slightly to see Rufus’s giant pink tongue next to her. She grabbed his collar before he could jump in like a five-year-old into a pile of leaves. Mrs. Word only reluctantly allowed him in the house at all after the Pudding Disaster.
“Could you hold Roo?” Becca asked Sam through gritted teeth. Rufus was just as much Sam’s responsibility as hers. Sam took one more bite of cookie, then reached for the dog.
Becca looked back at the box. In the middle of the straw was a giant book. Gold lines accented the dark leather cover. It looked like it belonged in the study of a haunted mansion.
Okay, this was definitely strange. The situation was getting less and less Kyle-like every second.
Sam picked the book up.
“Hey!” Becca protested. “You shouldn’t have touched that—now your fingerprints are covering up those of whoever replaced Kyle’s personality! Because that’s the only explanation for Kyle to have this book.”
Sam ignored her and flipped the book over. “It says Romeo and Juliet.”
“I’ve heard of that. It’s a—” Becca cut off as she lunged after a now-free Rufus, who was wiggling toward the straw. “Sam, I told you to hold on to him!”
“Romeo and Juliet is a loooove story, you know,” Sam said, batting his lashes. “Maybe Kyle got this for you, to show his truuue feelings.”
“Don’t be dumb,” Becca said. “Though I guess that’s like telling you not to be tall.”
She tightened her grip on Rufus. “I was going to say it’s a play by William Shakespeare. But the book must belong to Halley. Could you please just…”
She reached up with her free hand, but Sam lifted the book out of her grasp. “Kyle and Becca, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N—”
“Put it down!”
Becca tried to keep Rufus still as she stretched for it, but Sam was just too tall. He opened to the first page, and a slip of paper fell out. She reached for it, but his basketball reflexes meant he nabbed it first.
“Well, maybe this is the clue we need,” Sam said. “Finally the truth from ol’ kissy-wissy Kyley Wyley, right, Rufus?”
Rufus barked once and wagged his tail harder.
“Stop that,” Becca scolded her traitorous dog.
Sam looked down at the paper with evil delight, but as Becca watched, his expression changed to confusion.
“What is it?” she asked.
Frowning, Sam read out loud:
ENJOY YOUR GET LOST BOOK CLUB ADVENTURE!
Sincerely,
As pizza is more than just round, flat dough,
The tale inside is not just simple woe.
His family is her kin’s ancient foe,
Yet you must get the lovers’ love to flow.
Then read the final page to reach “The End,”
And soon enough, you will be home again.
“What does any of that mean?” she asked. It all sounded like gibberish.
“I don’t know…,” Sam said. He riffled through the pages.
“Oh, so at last the big sixth grader doesn’t understand something?” Becca asked. “But I thought you were soooooo old and wise.”
“Give me a moment,” he snapped, and ran his fingers through his hair. With his hair as short as it was, it looked more like he was trying to comb his brain back into place.
Still frowning, he turned to the first page. “It says Prologue—hey!” He looked up at her. “Maybe this actually has something to do with going pro! Did Kyle mention any interest in sports recently?”
Becca peered over his shoulder. “I think prologue just means the story before the story. I’ve seen it in the front of comic books before. Regular books, too.” For a moment, she wondered if she should quickly write a prologue to add to their Storyland submission. Maybe the story of how Mal and Cal first learned of their abilities …
Sam cleared his throat and read again, “Prologue. Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene…”
As Becca listened, Sam’s voice got a weird echo to it, as though they were in a big marble hallway instead of in Kyle’s living room. She shook her head. Maybe she’d gotten water in her ears after Sam drenched her.
Suddenly Sam’s eyes bugged and he dropped the book. It hit the floor with a huge thump.
“What was that for?” Becca asked.
“It got too heavy!”
“What do you mea—?”
But when she took a second look, she saw exactly what he meant. The book on the floor was twice as big as she remembered it being just a few seconds ago. In another second it was twice as big as that.
Becca let go of Rufus, but for once the puppy didn’t zip away—he seemed just as shocked as she was. Was Sam playing another prank on her?
The book was expanding outward before her eyes. The room shook. Rufus whined and hid behind Becca’s legs as the book flipped open.
Chomp! Chompchompchomp!
The book snapped open and shut again and again, looking, Becca noticed with alarm, hungry. The room looked like it couldn’t decide if it was melting into a puddle or crinkling up and blowing away. Suddenly the whole world was printed ink on paper, rushing and rushing around them.
