a bad idea, thought Dawn.
Not bad at all.
It would be a great surprise for the school.
Dawn walked across the stage.
She took little baby steps.
She had a cake box in one hand.
She had a can of chicken soup in the other.
A loaf of bread was tucked under her arm.
It was quiet on the stage.
Very quiet.
She was all alone up there.
Then she heard something.
Swish. Swish.
She looked over her shoulder.
Her red hood fell down over her eyes. She pushed it back.
She tried to walk faster.
Someone was coming from the side of the stage.
She looked again.
She saw hands. They had long pointy fingernails.
She saw a face. Hair was growing all over it.
“I’m going to get you!” the voice whispered.
It was a terrible voice.
Dawn screamed as loud as she could.
Ms. Rooney was sitting in the front row. She clapped her hands. “Wait a minute,” she said.
“That’s all wrong,” said Linda Lorca. Linda was sitting at the piano. “The wolf isn’t supposed to say that.”
“And Red Riding Hood doesn’t scream,” said Emily.
“I hope my idea doesn’t get wrecked,” Timothy said. “This play has to be a good one.”
Dawn put the cake box on the floor.
She put the bread on top of it.
She put her hands on her hips.
She looked at the wolf.
“How come you tried to scare me, Jason?” she asked.
The wolf disappeared behind the curtain.
“Jason?” Dawn asked.
Jason didn’t answer.
“Some wolf you are,” Dawn told him.
“Jason,” Ms. Rooney called.
Jason still didn’t answer.
Ms. Rooney stood up.
Dawn went to the back of the stage.
No one was there.
“Hey!” she said.
She went out front again. “He’s not there.”
In back of the auditorium the doors opened.
Everyone turned around.
It was Jason.
He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “I had to get a drink.”
He marched down the aisle.
Dawn’s mouth opened.
How did Jason get back there so fast?
One minute he had been on the stage. The next minute he was in the hall.
She blinked.
“You did the wolf part wrong,” Sherri Dent told him.
“You didn’t even growl a little,” said Matthew. He made a wolf face. “Grrr.”
“I didn’t even do the wolf part yet,” said Jason. He crossed his eyes at them. “I’m the best growler in the class.”
He went up the stage steps on his hands and knees. “Yuff yiff. Ai ai ai.”
Jason was right, Dawn thought. He was a terrific growler.
Jason looked around. “Where’s my wolf suit? Where are my fake fingernails?”
Dawn helped him look. “Where did you take them off?”
“I didn’t put them on yet,” he said.
Linda Lorca stuck out her lip. “Those fingers took a long time to make. You’d better find them.”
“Neigh,” said Dawn under her breath.
Jason crawled to the edge of the stage. He looked worried. “My sister Peggy will kill me. She doesn’t know I took her wolf suit.”
Ms. Rooney clapped her hands again. “It’s too late to start now,” she said. “It’s almost time to go home.”
The class lined up.
Dawn kept thinking about the wolf suit.
She thought about the long fingernails.
She thought about the voice. “I’m going to get you,” it had said.
She looked behind her.
“Are you sure it wasn’t you?” she asked Jason.
“Cross my toes,” he said.
They went into the classroom.
Dawn wished she were home. She didn’t want to tell anyone she was afraid.
She was a detective.
Detectives weren’t supposed to be afraid.
She could feel a lump of worry in her chest.
She wondered what would happen next.
CHAPTER THREE
I T WAS AFTER SCHOOL.
“Wait for me!” Dawn called to Jason.
She went into the auditorium.
She looked around.
Her red riding cape was on a chair.
She hoped no one had seen it.
The play was a surprise.
She went outside.
She and Jason stopped at the corner.
She wanted to show Carmen, the school crossing guard, how she looked.
Carmen wouldn’t tell anyone about the play.
Carmen blew her whistle. “Pretty nifty,”
Not bad at all.
It would be a great surprise for the school.
Dawn walked across the stage.
She took little baby steps.
She had a cake box in one hand.
She had a can of chicken soup in the other.
A loaf of bread was tucked under her arm.
It was quiet on the stage.
Very quiet.
She was all alone up there.
Then she heard something.
Swish. Swish.
She looked over her shoulder.
Her red hood fell down over her eyes. She pushed it back.
She tried to walk faster.
Someone was coming from the side of the stage.
She looked again.
She saw hands. They had long pointy fingernails.
She saw a face. Hair was growing all over it.
“I’m going to get you!” the voice whispered.
It was a terrible voice.
Dawn screamed as loud as she could.
Ms. Rooney was sitting in the front row. She clapped her hands. “Wait a minute,” she said.
“That’s all wrong,” said Linda Lorca. Linda was sitting at the piano. “The wolf isn’t supposed to say that.”
“And Red Riding Hood doesn’t scream,” said Emily.
“I hope my idea doesn’t get wrecked,” Timothy said. “This play has to be a good one.”
Dawn put the cake box on the floor.
She put the bread on top of it.
She put her hands on her hips.
She looked at the wolf.
“How come you tried to scare me, Jason?” she asked.
The wolf disappeared behind the curtain.
“Jason?” Dawn asked.
Jason didn’t answer.
“Some wolf you are,” Dawn told him.
“Jason,” Ms. Rooney called.
Jason still didn’t answer.
Ms. Rooney stood up.
Dawn went to the back of the stage.
No one was there.
“Hey!” she said.
She went out front again. “He’s not there.”
In back of the auditorium the doors opened.
Everyone turned around.
It was Jason.
He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “I had to get a drink.”
He marched down the aisle.
Dawn’s mouth opened.
How did Jason get back there so fast?
One minute he had been on the stage. The next minute he was in the hall.
She blinked.
“You did the wolf part wrong,” Sherri Dent told him.
“You didn’t even growl a little,” said Matthew. He made a wolf face. “Grrr.”
“I didn’t even do the wolf part yet,” said Jason. He crossed his eyes at them. “I’m the best growler in the class.”
He went up the stage steps on his hands and knees. “Yuff yiff. Ai ai ai.”
Jason was right, Dawn thought. He was a terrific growler.
Jason looked around. “Where’s my wolf suit? Where are my fake fingernails?”
Dawn helped him look. “Where did you take them off?”
“I didn’t put them on yet,” he said.
Linda Lorca stuck out her lip. “Those fingers took a long time to make. You’d better find them.”
“Neigh,” said Dawn under her breath.
Jason crawled to the edge of the stage. He looked worried. “My sister Peggy will kill me. She doesn’t know I took her wolf suit.”
Ms. Rooney clapped her hands again. “It’s too late to start now,” she said. “It’s almost time to go home.”
The class lined up.
Dawn kept thinking about the wolf suit.
She thought about the long fingernails.
She thought about the voice. “I’m going to get you,” it had said.
She looked behind her.
“Are you sure it wasn’t you?” she asked Jason.
“Cross my toes,” he said.
They went into the classroom.
Dawn wished she were home. She didn’t want to tell anyone she was afraid.
She was a detective.
Detectives weren’t supposed to be afraid.
She could feel a lump of worry in her chest.
She wondered what would happen next.
CHAPTER THREE
I T WAS AFTER SCHOOL.
“Wait for me!” Dawn called to Jason.
She went into the auditorium.
She looked around.
Her red riding cape was on a chair.
She hoped no one had seen it.
The play was a surprise.
She went outside.
She and Jason stopped at the corner.
She wanted to show Carmen, the school crossing guard, how she looked.
Carmen wouldn’t tell anyone about the play.
Carmen blew her whistle. “Pretty nifty,”
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