Twice Cursed (Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions #4) , livre ebook

PUBLISHER S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-1-4197-2863-1 eISBN 978-1-68335-255-6
Text copyright 2018 Sheila Grau Illustrations copyright 2018 Joe Sutphin
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FOR LISA AND GORDY
Don t hug zombies. - GOOD ADVICE
I don t, as a general rule, hug zombies. Sure, the ones at school won t attack other students, but just being close to one leaves you smelling like death for the rest of the day. And bits of rotten skin fall off when you touch them. Ew . Just thinking about it makes my shoulders twitch.
Miss Merrybench, our former school secretary and current zombie, wanted a hug. From me.
Her sad, melty zombie face tilted sideways as she held out both arms, not in the usual zombie pose, with the hands hanging limp at the end of outstretched arms. No, her hands faced upward, waiting to catch a disgusted boy who d rather hug his ogre-man friend Boris, a guy who only bathes once a week.
I backed up, looking for an escape. She d cornered me in the dungeon, just as I was leaving Uncle Ludwig s secret library by the grotto entrance. Unfortunately for me, Uncle Ludwig was taking library security more seriously now that he was an official Covert Librarian, and he d installed a coded lock on the door. I d be wrapped in a full zombie hug before I could enter the first number.
The string of dim lightbulbs circling the underground lake illuminated the grotto just enough for me to see that I was trapped. Locked door behind me, fish monster in the water to my right, rocky dungeon wall to my left, and directly in front of me a zombie with a skull-revealing smile who wasn t taking no for an answer.
It s okay, Miss Merrybench, I said, holding up my hands in the don t come any closer position. I forgive you for trying to kill me. And for telling me my parents were here to find me when they really weren t. We re good.
Miss Merrybench was in a twelve-step Afterlife Redemption Program, trying to make up for the mean things she d done in her life. Step One was asking for forgiveness from the people she d tried to blow up. She shuffled toward me, making small moaning noises that didn t increase her appeal in any way.
The signs around the grotto all warned against going near the water because of the flesh-eating fish monster, but I decided to risk it. I burst forward, ducking under Miss Merrybench s outstretched arms and stepping into the water next to her. My foot slipped on a wet rock and I fell to my hands and knees, scrambling away from the zombie and the water as fast as I could. An open passageway was in sight, but just as I thought I d escaped, a tentacle fastened around my ankle and yanked me flat.
I screamed. Miss Merrybench screamed. I tried to kick my leg free, but the tentacle held tight, pulling me closer to the water. I desperately reached for a stalagmite and wrapped my arms around it.

Clarence, no! I yelled, because that was the fish monster s name. He didn t listen to me. Miss Merrybench! The stun pole! I pointed at the emergency box next to the warning sign. It held a long pole with electrodes at the end that would shock the fish monster into releasing me.
Miss Merrybench reached for the box, but she moved so . . . so . . . slowly. I held tight as she read the warning about the dangers of mixing electricity and water.
Just do it! I screamed right before I lost my grip and was pulled underwater.
I yanked the tentacle off my leg, but another one immediately took its place. This happened a few times, and I thought I heard monster giggles underwater. Clarence thought we were playing. Just as I was running out of air, something splashed into the water next to me.
A hand grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the surface. The strength of my rescuer was incredible. Not many creatures can win a tug-of-war with Clarence. I could only think of one: Frankie. I was pulled out of the water and lay on the gravel, gulping in air. Miss Merrybench stood above me and jabbed the stun pole at the tentacle still wrapped around my ankle, but she struck my shin instead.
I felt the quick, sharp sting of electricity, and I screamed again, closing my eyes and rocking back and forth. I heard an unearthly sound coming from the person who d pulled me out, who d also felt the jolt. I looked over and saw a small, freckle-faced girl wearing a Critchlore uniform with a first-year purple jacket.
Sara? I said.
Miss Merrybench looked down at the girl. In slow motion, her eyes went wide as she realized who this was: Sara, my vaskor friend. Sara was a monster, but she wore the glamour of a harmless girl. Miss Merrybench shuffled away, moaning. Even as a zombie, she was terrified of the vaskor.
Clarence, on the other hand, had a crush on Sara. His head popped out of the water and he burbled a greeting as he reached for her with a long tentacle, which she hugged, like it was a cute puppy or something.
Sara, what are you doing here? I asked. A large backpack lay on the ground next to her.
Runt, I need your help, she said. I think I made a terrible mistake.
But before she could say anything else, the secret door at the end of the grotto opened, and Professor Zaida stepped out.
She took one look at Sara and immediately frowned. Sara was supposed to be living at the Great Library with the rest of the vaskor, not sneaking around the dungeons here. Zaida tilted her head back toward the door.
Both of you. Inside. Now.
Clarence was a graduation gift to Dr. Critchlore from his mother. - INTERESTING FACT
Back in the library, Professor Zaida went from mad to furious as she emptied the contents of Sara s backpack onto a table. One jar of black face paint. Two black beanies. Two pairs of gloves. Two Pravus Academy uniforms. One map of the Pravus Academy.
She looked at me. What were you planning to do?
I had no idea. You tell her, I said to Sara.
Rescue Syke, Sara said. Her voice sounded so hoarse and deep, which was odd, coming from that little girl body. She s not safe.
Syke, my best friend, had gone undercover at the school of Dr. Critchlore s worst enemy, Dr. Pravus. She d wanted to steal back the Top Secret Book of Minions-Translated Edition that Pravus had stolen from the Great Library, but that mission changed when she found out there were much more sinister things going on at that school. She d been sending evidence of Pravus s plans for weeks now.
And you thought you could sneak in there and get her out? Professor Zaida said, looking at me. Something Dr. Critchlore has been trying to do for weeks. The man is worried sick. One minute he s planning an all-out assault to rescue her, the next he s angrily vowing to ground her for a year when she comes back.
Syke was his ward, but I d always known she was more to him than that.
May we? I asked, pointing to the dry clothes. At that moment I d rather wear the uniform of our rival than have Uncle Ludwig catch me dripping near his precious books. She nodded, so I ducked under the table to change. Sara changed in the stacks.
Runt, I realize it must be fun, knowing that you re a prince with an army of vaskor you can order to do as you please, Professor Zaida said. I nearly laughed out loud, because she had completely misread the situation. I couldn t order Sara to do anything anymore. You cannot make these kinds of decisions on your own. There s too much at stake. I thought you understood that.
I m sorry, I said. I m just really worried about Syke.
Mistress Moira is watching the Pravus Academy with her ravens, Professor Zaida said. She d tell us if Syke was in danger. You need to focus on your work here. Now, please order Sara back to the forest.
I will, I said.
Sara and I left, and I wondered how I was ever going to explain to Professor Zaida that I d freed Sara from her spell of obedience a few months ago.
I m not going back to the forest, Sara said as we walked upstairs. Syke s been cuffed.
Cuffed?
She has to wear a bracelet. It s impossible to remove. If Pravus doubts your loyalty, you have to wear one. That s why I couldn t take her out of there.
Because of a bracelet? I held the cafeteria door open and followed her inside. I assumed that she was hungry, mostly because she was always hungry.
If she tries to escape, they can activate it remotely.
Activate it to do what?
To kill her, she said. With poison.
I gasped. That was so evil. How are we going to get her out of there?
I thought you d think of something, she said. Like how you rescued me from the dungeon here.
The cafeteria was dark, so Sara and I snuck into the empty kitchen. I went to the pantry, where Cook kept a few clean uniforms for me. (Sometimes I showed up for meals dirtier than she liked.) I changed, stuffing the enemy clothes behind a crate in the corner.
I managed to dig up a bag of day-old doughnuts (literally, they d been in the garbage), and Sara lit up with happiness.
Awesome, I love doughnuts, she said. Dr.