Something Wicked by Gratz Alan

Author:Gratz, Alan [Gratz, Alan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Humour
ISBN: 9781440652639
Goodreads: 9991229
Publisher: Puffin Books
Published: 2008-10-16T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Terrence the sea urchin left his Hell’s Pipers friends behind and went around the far side of the path that circled MacRae Meadow. There wasn’t much out that way except some auxiliary parking and a food vendor or two. Maybe he was going for food. Maybe he was looking for a Porta-John. Maybe he was walking to the clan tents farther along on the other side of the meadow. But no matter where he was headed, he was going to find me.

I skirted the ridge where the rest of the Hell’s Pipers hung out so I didn’t draw a crowd, then fell into step about fifteen yards behind Terry. He sauntered down the path like he owned the place, then darted up a little bank and into the woods. I didn’t know what he was up to, but a few seconds later I followed him in.

The undergrowth was thick and it was hard to see too far ahead, but I could follow his trail well enough. I crept along quietly for another few yards until I saw a little clearing open up ahead of me. The sea urchin was easy to spot in his red tartan kilt, sleeveless black leather jacket, and ridiculous spiky red hair. He had his back turned to me, smoking a cigarette.

I came out into the clearing and he turned.

“Hello, Terrence,” I said. “Surprised to see me?”

He grinned. “Not especially.”

The rest of the Hell’s Pipers came crashing out of the woods all around us, and I realized I’d been lured in. Half of them sipped on bottles of IRN-BRU, and a couple of them carried black cases covered with band stickers. They snickered like I was the biggest patsy since General Custer. And maybe I was.

“You guys come up here to play with each other’s pipes?” I asked.

Terrence laughed, low down and mean. He nodded to a couple of goons behind me and they grabbed my arms and wrenched them behind my back. They knew what they were doing too; I couldn’t budge.

Terrence came over close, but not close enough for me to kick him. “We saw you get all worked up over what happened to poor Banks,” he told me, “and we just knew you’d come after us, thinking it was us that did it.”

“You did do it,” I told him. “And I want to know why.”

Terrence took another drag off his cigarette and let the smoke come out of his open mouth like a cloudy breath in my face. His sheep tittered. I kept my eyes glued to his.

“This goes way beyond stupid prank,” I told the urchin. “That competition was Banks’s one chance at going to college. You didn’t just ruin his day, you ruined his future.”

“Awwwww,” Terrence said, playing to his crowd. He put his hands to his chest. “You’re breaking my heart, mate.”

His crew laughed.

“Seriously,” he told me. “I think I might cry. His future?” He faked wiping a tear from his eye, then turned on me quickly, pulling his little ceremonial dagger out of his boot and holding it under my chin.

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