“How do I look?” she asked, fixing her blouse.
“Lovely,” Tom said.
She sighed. “Thank you, Tom. Laura?”
“Lovely,” I said. “Like you just came from the beach. And forgot sunscreen.”
She scowled. “I think the beds are stronger here. Are we all ready?”
The toaster popped. “Not exactly,” I said, glancing at it.
“Well, eat your breakfast in the car,” she replied hurriedly. “I don’t want to be late.” She opened the door to the basement where the sound of banging could be heard clearly. “We’re going!”
The hammering stopped. “To bed?” my dad asked.
My mom rolled her eyes. “It’s morning, dear.”
“Oh,” he said. “Well, have a good day!” The hammering started again.
“Your father has officially lost it,” my mom said.
“Join the club,” I muttered, slathering my muffin with jam.
—
Shal and Mia and I met up before the first bell and stuck together for most of the day. I managed to get in a bit of reading between subjects, and I even tucked the bulky guide into my desk so I could read it during math. As Ms. Haddock wrote out some equations on the board, I slouched down a little and opened the guide. Most people around me seemed to be either quietly chatting or dozing off, so no one noticed. Well, Liam was watching Ms. Haddock eagerly and taking notes, but that was no surprise. Making sure Shal or Mia wasn’t looking over, I started reading. The handwritten table of contents was first.
Contents
A History of Monster Crushing……………………..1-58
The Tunnels…………………………………………………59-90
The Great Monster Crushers……………………….91-115
Tips on Monster Crushing………………………..116-150
A Guide to Monsters……………………………….151-200
Notes………………………………………………………..201-300
Frowning, I carefully turned the page, which felt almost brittle. Everything was written in flowing black script, but it didn’t look like a normal book. Lines were crossed out, sentences were added in, and notes were scribbled in the margins. It looked like five different people had written the first page with five different pens. I read the title.
The Complete Guide to Monster Crushing
By
Daniel the Dragon Killer
AND Gregory the Giant’s Bane
AND
Thomas the Goblin Terror
AND Ivan the Ogre Crusher
AND Paul the Imp Chaser
I flipped through the book. All the sections were the same. Different people had added their own notes and histories throughout the book, creating a confusing mess of scribbles.
This should be fun, I thought vaguely.
I flipped back to the first page.
If you are reading this book, you have been selected as the next Monster Crusher in Riverfield. You may be wondering what that means. The complete history and guide to becoming a successful Monster Crusher are contained within this book. You have three jobs:
1. Keep the monsters OFF the surface
.
2. Guard the tunnels and keep their existence a SECRET
.
3. PROTECT the people of the Under Earth
.
How do you do all that? By crushing monsters. Before you continue, please flip to the Guide to Monsters section. It’s time you see your enemies
.
This is not cool, I thought, flipping to page 151. A picture of a grotesque-looking creature filled the page, sketched with pencil or charcoal. The creature was hunched and bent, with a bald head, pointed ears, and rows of sharp teeth. It wore a metal cap and was holding a crooked black sword. I read the explanation.
Goblin
These fell creatures come in many shapes and sizes. They are the most common monster in Derwin. When attacking, try to keep the hammer from swinging too far from your body, or they will sneak in and stick you with a knife. Short swings are best
.
There were a few scribbled notes in the margins, but one in particular caught my eye:
I find a strong overhead blow is best. Don’t listen to Daniel—he was killed by a goblin
.
I frowned and turned to the next page. There were more monsters like the ones I had seen in the murals and in the courtyard: trolls, imps, ogres, dragons, giants, sea creatures. I saw more huge spiders that made my stomach turn. I flipped through the monsters, getting more and more concerned as I saw fangs and claws and swords.
Liam answered a question and someone behind me groaned. Glancing back, I saw Allison leaning on her elbow, looking completely disdainful. Her dark eyes flicked toward me and then fell on the book. I quickly moved it out of her view.
“What are you reading?” she asked quietly.
“Textbook,” I murmured, turning back to the front.
What was I thinking? Never make eye contact with a bully.
“I see,” she said.
For a few minutes I just stared at the board, too nervous to open the book again. But after awhile I heard Allison whispering to Carl, and I continued reading, turning to the Great Monster Crushers section.
One thing in particular caught my eye.
To ensure that only a worthy Monster Crusher would ever discover the elevators, the Brotherhood put a spell on all the houses. Only the next Monster Crusher can live in that bedroom and discover the panel. Once they open it, they are without question the Monster Crusher, and training can begin immediately
.
* Take care of my bedroom, by the way
.
* It’s my bedroom now.
*Not anymore. P.S. I carved a message in the panel
.
* Saw that. Maybe you could have been a little clearer? Like: if you go in here, you have to kill monsters.
I sat back in my chair, my hands shaking. Eldon was right: the spell must have been broken somehow. I flipped through the rest of The Complete Guide to Monster Crushing. It seemed each Monster Crusher had written his own story, and I found at least twenty blank pages at the back. There were blank pages scattered throughout the book, actually. I guess the future Monster Crushers were supposed to add to the tome. I tucked the book back into my backpack after math, looking around nervously to make sure no one noticed.
I really needed to talk to Eldon. I still wasn’t sure if I believed any of this, but even
