Field of Screams (11 page)

R
obbie felt exhausted as he climbed the attic stairs. He was so tired he couldn't even float up.

He couldn't remember feeling this tired before.

He began the night with so much energy. Now he had almost zero. He didn't have enough energy to be bothered when his sister danced around the attic taunting him.

He was too tired to care!

“Mr. High and Frighty,” Dora teased. “What a terrible ghost you are!”

“Cut it out,” Robbie moaned. “Just shut up.” He slumped in the armchair, so weak he couldn't even raise dust.

Dora did a little tapdance. “Don't you worry, Mr. Useless Excuse for a Nightmare!”

“Don't worry? Even
you
can't scare Oliver Bowen. Nothing works,” Robbie mumbled. “We've tried everything we usually do.”

Dora grinned. “Right. So it's time for something completely different. Let's follow Oliver to school—and haunt him out in the open, in front of other kids!”

What a mean plan!

Robbie felt so encouraged and happy, he even managed to smile.

*   *   *

Both ghosts clung to Oliver's shadow as he went inside the big redbrick school next morning. There were so many students in the halls that Robbie was confused. He hadn't seen this many people in one place in a long time! If ever—outside of TV.

Oliver's first class was English. Robbie was relieved to get to a room where they could stay still for a while. It was hard following Oliver when he dodged between people. This school was huge and noisy!

Dora didn't start anything yet. Robbie wondered if something was the matter with her.

Maybe she was just trying to get used to being in this big building! It felt strange to be outside the house.

By the end of Oliver's class, Robbie began feeling better. More himself. Dora seemed to perk up too.

Oliver's second class was math. Robbie found it
easier navigating the halls this time. Dora winked at him. She must be ready for the big scare, Robbie thought.

The teacher, Mr. Gerard, handed out a math test. “Now that we've gotten the introductory material out of the way, I want to see where you all are in math. We have some new faces in Shadyside this year.” He smiled at Oliver.

Oliver smiled, looking embarrassed. He peeked at the kids near him. Robbie checked them out too. They were studying Oliver. He was the new kid, after all.

“Oh, yeah,” Dora murmured. “This will be good. Now everybody's looking at him.”

Dora clasped her hands above her head and shook them like a champion. Robbie rolled his eyes.

“Here's an extra sheet of paper,” Mr. Gerard continued, passing out blank paper to all the kids. “Remember, show your calculations, everyone!”

Some kids groaned and mumbled that it was too hard, but Robbie noticed Oliver went right at it. Oliver must be good at math.

Oliver was breezing through the third problem when Dora sprang into action. She grabbed the pencil out of his hand. She zoomed up and drilled the pencil point-first into the ceiling.

Oliver blinked, stared at his paper and his hand.

He peered down at the floor.

No pencil.

But also, no reaction. Oliver didn't seem to think anything was wrong.

Robbie knew what Dora's mistake was. She performed the pencil trick so fast Oliver didn't even know what had happened!

Oliver yawned into the back of his hand, dragged out his backpack, and pulled out his three-ring binder.

He flipped it open and took another pencil out of the pocket in front. Then he went back to work.

“Do it slower,” Robbie suggested. “He has to be able to see where it goes.”

“Shut up!” Dora snapped.

But Robbie noticed that she did what he said. For once.

She grabbed Oliver's pencil slowly this time. She waved it around in front of his eyes to make sure he was watching what she was doing, then zapped it up into the ceiling. It hung quivering next to the other pencil.

Oliver stared at the two pencils for a second.

Then he got out another one and went back to work.

Dora's mouth dropped open. So did Robbie's.

“How can he ignore those pencils? Doesn't he even think it's weird?” Dora demanded. Robbie shrugged.

Dora tried again. But this time, Oliver clutched his pencil so tight Dora couldn't snatch it away!

“Let go!” she screeched in frustration. Since she couldn't get the pencil away, she jiggled it so Oliver scribbled on his math paper.

He frowned and erased the squiggles.

And went back to work!

By this time, Robbie noticed, other kids were peeking at Oliver. The girl at the desk to Oliver's right sat staring at the pencils in the ceiling, her mouth open. The boy to Oliver's left narrowed his eyes, glancing from the pencils to Oliver and back.

Robbie tried to send a mental message to Oliver.
Just act scared,
Robbie ordered him.
Act scared and we'll leave you alone!

Oliver ignored the ceiling pencils, the other kids, and Robbie's thoughts, and went on working.

Robbie could tell Dora was really steamed now! She snatched Oliver's notebook off his desk and slammed it onto the floor!

Mr. Gerard looked up. Several heads whipped around.

“Uh,” Oliver mumbled. “Sorry.”

He leaned over to pick up his notebook. Dora grabbed his third pencil and shot it into the ceiling!

Oliver just got out another one.

Robbie shook his head. How can Oliver stay so calm? he wondered.

The girl next to Oliver gasped. “But—but—” she stammered, pointing at the ceiling.

“What?” Oliver asked. He glanced up. “Oh.” He
shrugged and gazed back down at his test. He studied the next problem on his paper, chewing on his pencil.

All the kids in the class stared at him. One or two giggled.

The boy to Oliver's left leaned over. “How did you
do
that?” the boy whispered.

Yeah, Oliver, Robbie thought, explain that one.

Oliver just smiled mysteriously and went back to work.

The room buzzed as the class muttered and murmured. Some kids pointed at the pencils in the ceiling.

“Class!” Mr. Gerard exclaimed. “What's all this noise? Get back to work!”

The kids stopped whispering. They bent over their math tests. They picked up their pencils and went back to work.

But everyone kept sneaking looks at Oliver.

No one could concentrate!

Dora swooped at Oliver's desk. She grabbed his math test and tugged it.

Oliver dropped his pencil on the desk and grabbed his test. Dora snatched his fourth pencil and jammed it into the ceiling!

Oliver sighed.

“Coo-uhl!” the boy on Oliver's left exclaimed.

Robbie couldn't believe it. All Oliver did was
open his notebook and reach into his Ziploc pencil keeper. He wasn't scared at all!

But this time Oliver's pencil keeper was empty.

He glanced at the girl next to him. She shook her head no.

He peeked at the boy to his left. Another head shake.

Oliver sighed again and stood up. He gazed at the pencils in the ceiling. He climbed onto his desk chair and reached for them.

“Oliver Bowen, exactly
what
do you think you're doing?” Mr. Gerard demanded.

That was when Dora did her worst. Or best, depending on how you looked at it, Robbie thought.

She grabbed Oliver and spun him around on the chair!

Robbie clutched his stomach. Oliver twirled so fast! If
he
was spun like that, he knew he would throw up.

Robbie flew up to the ceiling as the class went wild. Kids jumped to their feet. The whole room buzzed with their exclamations: “Wow!” “No way!” “How does he do that?” “Oh, man!” “Teach me to do that!”

Mr. Gerard tried to restore order. “Oliver Bowen!” he shouted. “Stop that! Oliver Bowen! Do I have to send you to the principal's office? Class! Settle down!” He hit his desk with a steel ruler.

Still the kids pointed, talked, and stared.

Dora spun Oliver six times. Then she let go of him.

Robbie gazed at his sister. She was fading. Her outline was beginning to blur. She used up a lot of energy moving something as big as a boy! She looked a little green.

But what about Oliver? Did Dora's haunting work? Was he afraid? Robbie turned to face him.

Oliver swayed on his chair, trying to steady himself.

He opened his eyes really wide.

And his mouth!

His face twisted.

Dora had done it, Robbie realized.

Oliver was going to scream!

R.L. Stine, the creator of
Ghosts of Fear Street,
has written almost 100 scary novels for kids. The
Ghosts of Fear Street
series, like the
Fear Street
series, takes place in Shadyside and centers on the scary events that happen to people on Fear Street.

When he isn't writing, R.L. Stine likes to play pinball on his very own pinball machine, and explore New York City with his wife, Jane, his teenage son, Matt, and his dog, Nadine.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Aladdin

An Imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright © 1997 by Parachute Press, Inc.

FIELD OF SCREAMS
WRITTEN BY P. MacFEARSON

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

ISBN 0-671-00851-X

First Minstrel Books paperback printing July 1997

ALADDIN and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc.

ISBN 978-1-4424-8618-8 (eBook)