The Secret of the Scarab Beetle (Horace j. Edwards and the Time Keepers #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
The Secret of the Scarab Beetle Horace watched the pieces fall to the ground Please please stop What do you want from me Seth smiled and tore a second page in half I don’t want anything Horace I asked nicely for your homework this morning but I guess you were too busy drawing More pages fell to the ground Horace tried to get up again but Seth’s two friends continued to pin him to the ground with their feet His fingers were starting to turn purple from the pressure One of the kids shouted to Seth I think Horace is crying The other snickered Seth threw the remains of the sketch pad onto the ground Pick him up The two boys stepped off Horace’s wrists and yanked him into the air They pulled his arms behind his back Now Horace Seth was rolling up his sleeves I’m going to teach you a little lesson The next time I want to copy your homework you better let me Or else Or else what You’re going to beat me up just like you do to everyone else I’m sure that’s going to be really tough with both my arms pinned behind my back If you’re 4
Chapter One so strong Seth why don’t you fight me on your own Horace didn’t know why he said it in fact he probably never should have said anything but it just came out Seth started to grind his teeth Horace had him It was an unspoken rule of the playground If Seth didn’t accept the challenge he’d look like a coward especially since Horace was half his size Seth glanced over his shoulder to make sure there still were no adults around Then he snorted under his breath Fine Let him go This shouldn’t take long His usually confident voice hinted at the smallest morsel of doubt Finally free of Seth’s goons Horace wiped his face clean and pulled a woodchip from his hair There was no chance he could ever beat Seth in a fight He knew that But maybe just maybe if he could drag it out long enough the lunch bell would ring and delay the inevitable for another day A forceful shove by one of the kids behind Horace marked the start of the fight Just inches from Seth’s face he could smell the stench of potato chips and tuna fish from his lunch Horace stepped back and within seconds 5
