Chapter One Go on Get out of here Mr Meeres pushed Patrick out the door You’ll just be in the way until the movers finish Patrick glared at his father I wasn’t in the way Mr Meeres sighed Patrick you were sitting in the middle of your bedroom floor reading The house could burn down and you wouldn’t notice The movers could smash you flat and you’d never see them coming But Dad there’s nowhere to go 1
Well find some place Where’s your sense of adventure New town new neighborhood Put the blasted book down and go find some new friends Don’t need any new friends Patrick said sullenly I’ve still got Reggie That makes a lot of sense Patrick Reggie is back in New Castle Now get going The screen door slammed shut and Mr Meeres disappeared inside Patrick stared after his father then stumbled off the porch and dragged him self across the lawn He sat down against a fence that separated his yard from the neighbors and opened his book barely noticing the two men wrestling a refrigerator out of the moving van Before Patrick could get lost in his book a high-pitched voice from beyond the fence interrupted interrupted him He peered through the pickets and saw a scrawny redheaded girl standing in the front yard Her hips gyrated and her shoulders swayed as a bright green Hula-Hoop orbited her waist One two three she droned 2
The book slipped from his fingers as he watched jealously Patrick had hurried to buy a Hula-Hoop when they’d first appeared but had quickly discovered he couldn’t keep one rotating rotating for more than two or three turns But this hoop flew around the girl in effortless circles Seventeen eighteen nineteen She can do that forever a voice said Patrick peered up at a taller version of the little Hula-Hooper leaning over the fence Marla’s going to wear a hole right through her middle She can do a thousand no problem But who’d want to right I’m Nairen Potter and I guess you’re Patrick Meeres Yeah how’d you know Patrick asked suspiciously suspiciously He didn’t bother standing up Your dad’s the new principal at Craven Hill Word gets around about stuff like that Good thing you moved here in the middle of the summer summer Gives you a chance to make friends before school starts Nothing worse than starting school without knowing anybody 3
Patrick shrugged and turned back to his reading What’re you reading asked Nairen craning to see Patrick’s book I just love to read especially mysteries Nothing like a good mystery don’t you think Or a scare-the-snot-right-out-of-you ghost story Is that a ghost story Yeah and I’m right at the best part Patrick mumbled Nairen came around the fence and stood in front of Patrick Refusing to look up Patrick stared straight at two long skinny legs jutting out of pink pedal pushers I need to finish this he said waving the book slightly Nairen squatted to get eye level with Patrick Got any brothers or sisters she asked Where’s your mom Is she in the house How about I go get my mom and she can come over and say hi No Patrick jumped up Nairen tumbled backward in surprise No he said more quietly No brothers or sisters Just my dad 4
