Eerie Elementary #1: The School Is Alive! (A Branches Book) Read online

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  It was like a long octopus tentacle. The hose

  crashed into the old man and knocked him to

  the floor. Then it came for Sam.

  Sam ducked as the fire hose whipped above

  his head.

  BLAM!

  The heavy metal nozzle slammed into

  the lockers.

  "That thing almost hit me!" Sam gasped.

  The fire hose wasn't done. It kept whipping

  through the air.

  "Wrestle it!" Mr. Nekobi shouted.

  "ARE YOU NUTS?!" Sam screamed.

  "Grab on to it!" Mr. Nekobi yelled from

  down on the floor.

  Sam gulped. The fire hose whipped around

  again. Sam leapt up in the air just as the hose

  flew beneath him. He wrapped both his arms

  around it and held on tight.

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  "AHHH!" he screamed.

  "Tie the hose!" Mr. Nekobi

  yelled.

  Sam grabbed the hose

  and tugged. He used all his

  might to pull the hose back

  around itself. He knotted

  it like a giant shoelace. The

  monstrous fire hose shook.

  It was choking!

  The hose crashed to the ground.

  WHOOMP! Sam smacked against the cold

  hallway floor.

  And just like that, everything stopped: the

  wild fire hose, the banging lockers, and the

  flashing lights.

  " The school hasn't been this active in

  a very long time. . . ." Mr. Nekobi said,

  getting to his feet.

  Sam blinked twice. "Um, what?"

  "Never mind. It's late. You should go home."

  "But the school, it's — it's alive?!" Sam said.

  "I don't understand —"

  Mr. Nekobi handed Sam his

  backpack. "Get home. Now,"

  he ordered.

  Sam wanted answers. But

  even more than answers,

  he wanted out of that school.

  He turned on his heels,

  shoved open the now

  unlocked double doors,

  and ran home. He didn't

  stop once.

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  "Where have you been?!" Sam's mom yelled

  as Sam came running through the door. "I was

  worried sick."

  Sam threw his backpack onto the kitchen

  floor. He kicked off his sneakers. One nearly

  hit his mom in the head. The other bounced

  off a cabinet. "Mom, you wouldn't believe

  it!" Sam said. In between gulping for air, he

  began to tell the tale: "First, I almost got eaten

  by quicksand! Then a tree broke through the

  classroom window and —"

  "Sam," his mom said, cutting him off, "tell

  me the real reason you are late."

  Sam sighed. Of course she wasn't going

  to believe him. Antonio and Lucy had not

  believed him, either.

  At last, Sam said, "Hall monitor duty."

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  I, Peter Pan, challenge the friendly pirate

  Noodler to a fight!" Antonio yelled. He swung

  an invisible sword through the air.

  It was Tuesday morning, and Sam, Antonio,

  and Lucy were walking to school. They were

  practicing their Peter Pan lines.

  BELIEVE ME!

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  But Sam couldn't focus on his lines. He

  could not stop thinking about what had

  happened the night before.

  Antonio laughed. "Sam, you have the worst

  part in the play. You only have a few lines

  toward the end. And, really, who wants to be a

  friendly pirate anyway?"

  "Huh?" Sam said.

  "Sam's not even paying attention!" Lucy

  moaned. "This play is going to be a disaster.

  Everything is going to go wrong!"

  Antonio patted his pocket, smiling. "Not

  as long as I have my lucky

  sandwich." Antonio and

  Sam had been friends

  since kindergarten.

  And Antonio had

  always carried a

  peanut butter and jelly

  sandwich around in

  his pocket.

  Sometimes he carried the same sandwich

  around for weeks. Sam thought it was a little

  bit disgusting but also a little bit awesome.

  Sam stopped walking. "Guys, I really need

  to tell you something."

  Sam looked around to make sure no one

  was nearby. He pulled his friends in close.

  "Remember the quicksand I told you about

  yesterday? I know you didn't believe me.

  But after school, more weird stuff happened!

  I fell asleep while on hall monitor duty —"

  "I believe that!" Antonio joked.

  "Listen!" Sam said. "When I woke up, the

  school was going crazy! I was attacked by the

  oak tree! Then Mr. Nekobi saved me! But I

  think he might be a bad guy or something —

  he's super weird!"

  Antonio frowned. "You're losing your mind."

  Lucy agreed. "I'm starting to worry about

  you, Sam."

  Sam ran his hand through his hair and said,

  "Just wait until we get to school.

  You'll see! There's a broken window

  and busted lockers! And the fire

  hose is tied in a big knot!"

  When they got to school, Sam

  rushed past his friends and up the

  front steps.

  What he saw blew his mind.

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  Everything was back to normal! It was

  like nothing had happened. The fire hose was

  wound up, and the lockers were closed.

  "No . ." Sam whispered. "This doesn't

  make any sense. . . ."

  Antonio gently punched Sam in the arm.

  "You should really get some more sleep. Your

  nightmares sound serious."

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  The morning bell

  rang, and everyone

  began filing into class.

  The huge window in

  Ms. Grinker's class wasn't

  broken. Even the oak tree looked normal.

  This was a regular Tuesday morning.

  But not for Sam.

  Sam wanted answers, and he thought he

  knew where to get them. But first —

  "Sam, hurry up!" Lucy said, running into

  class.

  Sam groaned. He had to check the halls and

  then get to class, too. His answers would have

  to wait.

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  As soon as the bell rang for recess, Sam went

  looking for Mr. Nekobi.

  He spotted him outside the janitor's closet.

  Sam watched Mr. Nekobi open the closet

  door. Mr. Nekobi looked both ways down the

  hall, like he was afraid he was being watched.

  Then, very slowly, the old man reached into

  the dark closet. He grabbed hold of a dim,

  swinging light bulb. Mr. Nekobi tugged twice

  on the light bulb.

  INTO THE DARK

  N

  ESS

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  BRUMMMMMMM! There

  was a low rumbling noise as

  the rear wall of the closet

  began to move.

  A secret door! Sam thought.

  Mr. Nekobi stepped through.

  Sam swallowed. Sweat was pouring off his

  brow. He needed to know the truth about<
br />
  Eerie Elementary. This was his chance.

  Sam darted across the hall. He closed the

  closet door behind him. Then he leapt through

  the secret doorway.

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  Sam found himself in a large room with

  punching bags, pieces of old lockers, and

  school chairs with three legs. The room was

  dark. It smelled wet.

  "Sam Graves," Mr. Nekobi said. "I've been

  waiting for —"

  Sam cut him off. "What happened last

  night? And how is everything back to normal

  today? I know I didn't imagine all that stuff !"

  Mr. Nekobi said, "You imagined nothing.

  Place your hand against the wall, Sam, and

  focus."

  Sam frowned. "You're nuts."

  "Do you want to know the truth or not?"

  Mr. Nekobi said.

  Sam sighed, then placed his palm against

  the cool brick wall. The room grew quiet.

  Then, he heard it: the soft sound of air

  blowing. And he felt it: The wall was gently

  swaying.

  It was the school. The school was breathing.

  Sam backed away from the wall. "Wh-what's

  happening?" he stuttered.

  Mr. Nekobi walked toward Sam. As his face

  passed through the shadows, he looked almost

  inhuman. "Eerie Elementary is . . . alive," Mr.

  Nekobi said.

  Sam shook his head. "That can't be. That's

  impossible!"

  Mr. Nekobi continued, "This school is a

  living, breathing thing. It is a beast. A monster.

  And there is only one person who can keep

  its students safe."

  "Who?" Sam asked softly.

  Mr. Nekobi stooped down until he was

  face-to-face with Sam. "You, Sam Graves —

  the hall monitor."

  45

  In a strange, hidden room, this man was telling

  Sam that the school was alive? And that he was

  supposed to keep everyone safe? He couldn't

  believe it.

  "I, too, was a hall monitor," said Mr.

  Nekobi. "Eerie Elementary's first hall monitor.

  And since then, I have been here to fight the

  school and protect the students. But now I

  am old and weak. And the school knows it.

  The school knows that now is the time to

  strike. It is planning something big."

  HERO?

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  Sam collapsed in a chair. There were goose

  bumps all over his body. "But how can the

  school be alive? I don't understand."

  "The source of the school's power is a

  mystery," Mr. Nekobi said. "But I know this:

  It is evil. It feeds on students, and it has not fed

  in a long time. It is hungry. . . ."

  Sam's heart was pounding.

  Mr. Nekobi continued, "As hall monitor,

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  you have the ability to sense the school —

  to see and feel and hear what others cannot.

  But you must be careful, because the school

  can sense you, too. It has attacked you twice

  already. It knows you are its enemy."

  Sam gulped.

  Mr. Nekobi said softly, "You must be our

  hero now, Sam Graves."

  Do I have it in me? Sam wondered.

  Sam thought about the quicksand and the

  tree and the lockers. What if that had happened

  to Lucy or Antonio? The school could have eaten

  them! And if the school is planning something big,

  then my friends are in danger. . . .

  Sam turned to Mr. Nekobi and said, "Okay.

  I'll do what I must."

  Mr. Nekobi smiled. "Good."

  "So now what?" asked Sam.

  "Now you begin your training," said Mr.

  Nekobi. He yanked on a filthy white sheet,

  uncovering what looked to be a large metal

  monster. Then he walked back out through

  the secret door, leaving Sam all alone — or so

  he thought.

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  The giant metal thing was made up of

  different parts: an old refrigerator, pieces of a

  vending machine, and banged-up lockers. It

  had a rusty head dotted with two splashes of

  red paint. There were brooms, buckets, and

  wooden hockey sticks jutting out from it, too.

  Sam took a deep breath. He was about to

  step toward it, when —

  "Sam!" a voice shouted.

  THE MACHINE

  10

  Sam spun around. It was Antonio!

  "Antonio! What are you doing here?" Sam

  exclaimed.

  "I followed you, since you've been acting

  like a total weirdo. I was hiding behind some

  junk over there," Antonio said.

  "Did you — did you hear everything Mr.

  Nekobi said?" Sam asked.

  Antonio nodded.

  "Do you believe him?" Sam asked.

  "Not really. I think you're both crazy," said

  Antonio. Then he walked over to the machine.

  There was a note taped to the front. Antonio

  tore it off.

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  Antonio smiled and said, "I may not believe

  you, but I will help you train. This big monster

  machine-thing is awesome!"

  Sam perked up. Having a friend by his side

  made him feel 1,000 times better.

  "Look, there's a switch on the front,"

  Antonio said. He flicked the switch and the

  machine came to life.

  Antonio jumped back. The giant machine

  charged toward Sam. The top part spun, and a

  hockey stick lashed out. Sam rolled underneath

  the hockey stick. He came up behind the

  machine. The machine's head whirled around.

  It began shooting tennis balls out of its big,

  round eyes!

  "Watch out!" Antonio said.

  Sam threw his arm over his face, but the

  tennis balls knocked him to the ground.

  54

  Sam pounded his fists on the cement floor.

  "This is ridiculous! I don't know how to do

  any of this!" he yelled.

  Antonio stuck out his hand, quickly helping

  his friend to his feet. "Try using what's around

  you."

  VAA-SHOOOOM!!

  A tennis ball whizzed between Sam and

  Antonio. Antonio dove behind a nearby trash

  can. Sam looked around and saw a busted

  locker door.

  Here goes nothing,

  he thought.

  Sam grabbed

  the locker door,

  held it up like

  a shield, and

  ran straight at

  the machine.

  The tennis balls

  bounced off it.

  55

  When Sam got close enough, he tossed the

  door aside and climbed on top of the machine.

  Then he yanked the electrical cord from its

  head.

  The machine rumbled and coughed. Finally,

  it went silent.

  Sam hopped down.

  "Wow," Antonio said, scratching the back

  of his neck. "Dude, you're kind of awesome

  right now!"

  Sam turned to his friend, smiling. "But it

  sounds like this was only the beginning."

  56

  For the next two days, Sam and Antonio

  trained before school, during recess, and after


  school. Lucy now thought both of her best

  friends were losing their minds. She wouldn't

  believe a word they said.

  Sometimes Mr. Nekobi poked his head in

  to check on Sam, but the old man didn't do

  much else. Sam understood that Mr. Nekobi

  was weak. Now it was Sam's job to protect the

  school.

  While Sam was walking home alone on

  Thursday, Mr. Nekobi's words echoed in his

  head: "The school is planning something big. . . ."

  SOMETHING BIG

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  What could the school — Sam's thoughts were

  interrupted by the feeling of cold fingers on

  his back.

  "Eek!" Sam shrieked. He spun around. "Lucy!

  You scared me!"

  "Did you think it was the school trying to

  eat you?" Lucy teased. "I don't know what you

  and Antonio have been doing the past three

  days, but you'd better be ready for tomorrow."

  "What's tomorrow?" Sam asked.

  Lucy rolled her eyes. Then she shoved a

  crumpled-up piece of paper into Sam's hands.

  As Sam read the words, his heart began to

  pound. It all made sense. Sam knew exactly

  when the school would strike!

  58

  It was opening night, and the school

  auditorium was packed.

  Sam stuck his head through the

  red curtains and peered out. He saw

  hundreds of parents and teachers in

  the audience. He even saw his mom,

  and Lucy's little brother.

  BEAST FROM BELOW

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  Students were changing into their costumes

  backstage. Antonio, as Peter Pan, was wearing

  green from head to toe. And Lucy wore a

  yellow dress as Wendy.

  Sam pulled Antonio aside. "I've got a feeling

  something really bad is going to happen," he

  whispered. "Maybe we should stop the play.

  We could tell Ms. Grinker —"