The Secret of the Scarab Beetle (Horace j. Edwards and the Time Keepers #1)
Chapter One Lying beneath the swing the right side of his face smashed firmly against the ground Horace wondered how he’d gotten himself into this mess For over a month now he’d managed to go unnoticed well at least as much as any new kid could And that wasn’t easy considering Niles was the smallest town Horace had ever lived in But now with Seth looming over him and Seth’s gang of sixth-grade goons ready to pounce things didn’t look good Horace tried to slowly push himself off the ground spitting out a mixture of dirt and twigs He barely got to one elbow before a second forceful kick sent him sprawling out across the woodchips 1
The Secret of the Scarab Beetle What d’you think you’re doing mocked Seth Trying to get out of more work Seth was the meanest kid in Niles and also the biggest bully Horace had routinely watched him trip unsuspecting classmates in gym and even kill innocent squirrels with his slingshot on the playground And while Horace had done his best to avoid any trouble with him for over a month this morning when Horace had refused to let him copy his homework Seth had lost it Look look at how Horace is trying to squirm away The other boys around Seth were now laughing Then one of them pressed his foot on Horace’s wrist Do you need to use the little girls potty Horace dared a quick glance to the side wondering if either Anna or Milton his two best friends well really his only friends since he’d moved were nearby But there was no sign of either one Not even Ms Shackles the lunch lady was in sight and she constantly patrolled the yard looking for kids to drag to the principal’s office What do you think we should do with him one of the other kids asked Seth 2
Chapter One Horace grimaced at the thought of what Seth might have in mind A sharp pain soon followed as a second shoe from another boy pressed down on his wrist Seth smirked Don’t worry I’ve got an idea He reached down and picked up Horace’s sketch pad from the ground It was the one Horace always carried with him to class and the one he’d been drawing in before getting ambushed on the swings Look at all these pretty drawings drawings Seth said sarcastically Don’t don’t touch those For the first time Horace found his voice Seth’s eyes lit up Oh really Are these special Seth flipped to another page What’s this It was a drawing of a farm Maybe you should have spent more time working on our project instead of these stupid drawings Horace was growing desperate and he began to plead I’m sorry Seth I’ll tell Mr Petrie after lunch it was my fault Just leave my stuff alone Too late for that And with a sharp splitting sound that seemed to tear Horace’s insides in half Seth ripped the drawing in two 3
