loud?”
“Sorry, Traci.”
Yawn, yawn.
She grabbed my wrist. “Max, you're trying to write with the eraser side of the pencil,” she said. “Use the
lead
side.”
“Oh. Yeah,” I murmured. My eyes were so tired, I couldn't see one end of the pencil from the other.
“You're a real clown tonight,” Traci said. “How come you're in such a jokey mood, Max?”
“Ha, ha,” I said. I couldn't think of a better answer.
I climbed to my feet. “I have to go up to my room and get my calculator,” I said. “I'll be right back.”
She didn't look up from her magazine.
Do you believe it? Traci Wayne was actually in my house, sitting across from me. And all I wanted to do was sleep. How bizarre was that?
Going to my room was a big mistake.
I started toward the desk to get my calculator. But I couldn't keep my eyes off my bed. It appeared to have a glowing light around it. And I heard a choir of angelic voices calling to me, calling me to the glowing bed.
I tried to fight it. But the bed pulled me like a strong magnet.
Before I realized it, I was curled up on top of the covers.
Just a short nap, I told myself. Just a few seconds. Nothing bad can happen in a few seconds.
I shut my eyes. I felt Inkweed stir inside me. I could feel him tense and grow alert.
Nicky came to the rescue again. I woke up with a gasp. He was shaking me by the shoulders. “No sleeping, Max,” he said. “Snap out of it.”
Blinking, I saw ink stains all over my bedspread.
“Just a few more hours to go,” Tara said,somewhere behind him. “A few short hours, and you'll be free.”
Nicky pulled me to the stairs. “Wake up, Max. Go finish Traci's homework. Then we can see about dealing with Inkweed.”
“Yes. Homework,” I muttered. My eyes were closed. I didn't see the first step.
My foot missed and I started to fall.
“Heyyyyy!”
I cried out in shock as I went tumbling down the stairs.
I landed at the bottom on something soft.
Traci!
“That's it! I'm
outta
here!” she cried.
“But, Tracy—”
She scrambled to her feet. “I warned you not to fall on me again, Max. How many times a day do you think you can fall on me?”
“Two?” I replied.
She let out a growl. Then, her blond hair flying behind her, she quickly gathered up all her books and papers. She stuffed them into her backpack and ran out of the house. The front door slammed hard behind her.
I picked myself up from the floor and tested my arms and legs to make sure I hadn't broken anything. I was still stretching and bending when my mom stepped into the room.
“Traci left so soon?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“How was the study date?” Mom asked. “Did you help her?”
“Oh, sure,” I said. “I did those problems with my eyes shut.”
“Don't brag, Max,” Mom said.
“Good night,” I said. I hurried back to my room. Nicky and Tara were waiting there. “Are you ready?” I asked. “Do you really think you can get rid of Inkweed so I can go to sleep?”
“No problem,” Nicky said.
“No problem,” Tara echoed. “We've got it all figured out.”
23
WEHADTOWAIT till my parents were asleep. Then I put on a jacket and we silently sneaked out of the house.
It was a cool, windy night. The bushes and trees all shivered and shook. The cold air helped refresh me.
We walked for miles, keeping in the shadows, darting through front yards. We hid whenever we saw the headlights of a car approaching.
“What are we doing?” I asked. “Where are we?”
I didn't recognize the neighborhood. We had passed all the houses. Squinting into the darkness, now I could see only woods and fields.
Nicky grabbed my shoulder. “Look up,” he said. He tilted my head upward.
I gazed into the black sky. “I don't see anything,” I said.
“That's the point,” Tara said. “No stars, no moon. This is the darkest night of the month. No moon tonight.”
“The darkest night,” I muttered. “Do you think this is what the old storyteller
“Sorry, Traci.”
Yawn, yawn.
She grabbed my wrist. “Max, you're trying to write with the eraser side of the pencil,” she said. “Use the
lead
side.”
“Oh. Yeah,” I murmured. My eyes were so tired, I couldn't see one end of the pencil from the other.
“You're a real clown tonight,” Traci said. “How come you're in such a jokey mood, Max?”
“Ha, ha,” I said. I couldn't think of a better answer.
I climbed to my feet. “I have to go up to my room and get my calculator,” I said. “I'll be right back.”
She didn't look up from her magazine.
Do you believe it? Traci Wayne was actually in my house, sitting across from me. And all I wanted to do was sleep. How bizarre was that?
Going to my room was a big mistake.
I started toward the desk to get my calculator. But I couldn't keep my eyes off my bed. It appeared to have a glowing light around it. And I heard a choir of angelic voices calling to me, calling me to the glowing bed.
I tried to fight it. But the bed pulled me like a strong magnet.
Before I realized it, I was curled up on top of the covers.
Just a short nap, I told myself. Just a few seconds. Nothing bad can happen in a few seconds.
I shut my eyes. I felt Inkweed stir inside me. I could feel him tense and grow alert.
Nicky came to the rescue again. I woke up with a gasp. He was shaking me by the shoulders. “No sleeping, Max,” he said. “Snap out of it.”
Blinking, I saw ink stains all over my bedspread.
“Just a few more hours to go,” Tara said,somewhere behind him. “A few short hours, and you'll be free.”
Nicky pulled me to the stairs. “Wake up, Max. Go finish Traci's homework. Then we can see about dealing with Inkweed.”
“Yes. Homework,” I muttered. My eyes were closed. I didn't see the first step.
My foot missed and I started to fall.
“Heyyyyy!”
I cried out in shock as I went tumbling down the stairs.
I landed at the bottom on something soft.
Traci!
“That's it! I'm
outta
here!” she cried.
“But, Tracy—”
She scrambled to her feet. “I warned you not to fall on me again, Max. How many times a day do you think you can fall on me?”
“Two?” I replied.
She let out a growl. Then, her blond hair flying behind her, she quickly gathered up all her books and papers. She stuffed them into her backpack and ran out of the house. The front door slammed hard behind her.
I picked myself up from the floor and tested my arms and legs to make sure I hadn't broken anything. I was still stretching and bending when my mom stepped into the room.
“Traci left so soon?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“How was the study date?” Mom asked. “Did you help her?”
“Oh, sure,” I said. “I did those problems with my eyes shut.”
“Don't brag, Max,” Mom said.
“Good night,” I said. I hurried back to my room. Nicky and Tara were waiting there. “Are you ready?” I asked. “Do you really think you can get rid of Inkweed so I can go to sleep?”
“No problem,” Nicky said.
“No problem,” Tara echoed. “We've got it all figured out.”
23
WEHADTOWAIT till my parents were asleep. Then I put on a jacket and we silently sneaked out of the house.
It was a cool, windy night. The bushes and trees all shivered and shook. The cold air helped refresh me.
We walked for miles, keeping in the shadows, darting through front yards. We hid whenever we saw the headlights of a car approaching.
“What are we doing?” I asked. “Where are we?”
I didn't recognize the neighborhood. We had passed all the houses. Squinting into the darkness, now I could see only woods and fields.
Nicky grabbed my shoulder. “Look up,” he said. He tilted my head upward.
I gazed into the black sky. “I don't see anything,” I said.
“That's the point,” Tara said. “No stars, no moon. This is the darkest night of the month. No moon tonight.”
“The darkest night,” I muttered. “Do you think this is what the old storyteller
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