Pilfer Academy by Lauren Magaziner

Author:Lauren Magaziner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2016-01-28T16:00:00+00:00

What to Do

The next morning, George paced around his bedroom. Pale sun peeked through the curtains, making the room’s gold trim shimmer. George closed his eyes, knowing that when he opened them, he’d be staring at a stolen comforter on stolen furniture in a stolen house that rightfully belonged to the Duke of Valois.

He looked at all the items that rested on top of his dresser—the silver watch, gold cuff links, leather wallet, and antique alarm clock. And the teddy bear, which Strongarm had given back to him as a trophy. The stupid stuffed bear with its patchy, drool-crusty face glared at him with big glass eyeballs.

George covered it with a baseball hat. But he could still feel its eyes on him, so he covered the hat with a shoebox. Then he covered the shoebox with a lamp shade. Then he covered the lamp shade with a trash can. After that he felt safe from its judging glass eyes.

“What are you doing?” Milo groaned. “Go back to sleep, Beckett! Or get out.”

“Where should I go?”

“Into the whirlyblerg. Feel free to stay there forever.” And he collapsed back onto his pillow.

George scurried down to the dining hall, where the waitstaff were setting up a buffet for the second-year, third-year, and fourth-year students, who didn’t have an excused late wake-up time. When the doors to the dining hall finally opened for breakfast, George took one look at the buffet and blanched. All of the food in the buffet had been stolen from local restaurants—and he’d been eating it for nearly two months without a care in the world.

He swept out of the dining hall without a bite.

When it finally came time to go to class, he scuffed his feet along the polished floor. He didn’t want to go, but he couldn’t miss it or he’d meet severe punishment, frowny-face frowny-face. And as miserable as he was feeling, he was quite sure that severe punishment wouldn’t help.

He trudged into Ballyrag’s class and took his seat next to Tabitha, who was eager to hear Ballyrag talk about the midterm scores.

She flashed him a grin. “Bet we’re still top two,” she whispered to him as he sat down.

He returned a feeble smile.

“If we get top scores, let’s celebrate with junk food in the Robin Hood Room tonight, okay?” she said, chipper as a chipmunk.

He wasn’t remotely in the mood to celebrate, but he nodded anyway.

She stared at him shrewdly. “What’s wrong with you? You’re so quiet.”

Luckily he was spared having to answer her because Ballyrag banged his fist on his desk. “Sunny Kite—get out of my class.”

Sunny Knight looked around, confused. “Am I in trouble?”

“You’re moving up to year two. You’re ready.”

The class applauded, but Sunny looked stunned.

“Congratshoelations!” Ballyrag bellowed, taking one of the three shoes he was wearing around his neck and pelting it at her. She squeaked and jumped out of the way before running out of the room.

“She got the bestest score on that exam. And next bestest was . . .” He drummed his hands on his desk.

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