dive-bombingâ¦
looping the loopâ¦
and dodging things with his eyes shut.
âNot bad,â said Boris with a grin. âNot bad at all. For a vampire.â
Just then the school clock struck one.
âYikes!â cried Lee. âThat was loud!â Then he remembered. âOne oâclock! Iâll be late for class! See you soon, Boris. And thanks for the tricks!â
Chapter 4
Growler the Fouler
Lee zoomed out of the belfry and back to his classroom. The others had already started to practice hanging upside down.
âCome along now, Lee Price!â said Miss Gargoyle sternly. âYouâre late. Donât hang around. Or rather, DO hang around. Hurry up and find an empty place.â
Billy and Bella had saved Lee a space on the curtains.
âWhere were you hiding?â whispered Bella.
âYeah, we couldnât find you anywhere,â said Billy.
âI was in the clock tower,â said Lee. âI met this real bat called Boris. Heâs so cool.â
He was about to tell them more when they heard a toot-toot and saw a bus driving through the school gates.
âLook,â said Bella. âThe werewolves are here!â
âAha!â said Miss Gargoyle, fluttering over to the window. âLee, Billy, and Bella, youâd better go and get ready for the game. The rest of us will be waiting to cheer you on!â
By the time the St. Orlokâs team got changed, the Chaney Street werewolves were already out on the field warming up under the floodlights.
Lee jogged over to Ollie Talbot, his friend on the werewolf team.
âHi Ollie,â he said. âGuess what? We had our first bat lessons today!â
âCool!â said Ollie. âSo this means youâre even battier than usual.â
âHa-ha, very funny,â groaned Lee. Ollie was always making terrible jokes.
Just then, a big werewolf pointed at them and sneered.
âUh-oh, here comes Robbie Growler,â sighed Ollie. âJust ignore him.â
âWhat! Growler the Fouler?â said Lee.
âThatâs him,â said Ollie. âThe dirtiest player in Chaney Street. Heâs our new shooter.â
There were two forwards, called shooters, on each team, and they scored most of the points. The vampire shooters were Bella, who was tall for her age, and an older girl named Naz Patel.
There were also three dodgers, whose main job was to keep the ball away from their own casket and pass it, dribble it, roll it, or throw it into the hands of the shooters.
Billy, who was small and very fast, was a fantastic dodger. The sixth player on each side was the ghoulkeeper, who defended the casket. That was Leeâs job.
âHey, Ollie,â cried Growler. âWhy are you talking to that sucker, huh? Get it? Sucker! Huh-huh-huh!â He loped up the field, snickering stupidly.
Lee was furious. He picked up a stick.
âLee, no!â gasped Ollie. âHeâll make mincemeat out of you!â
Lee grinned.
âDonât worry, Iâm not going to hit him. Just watch.â
Growler turned around and snarled. Lee whistled as if he were calling a dog, then threw the stick toward him.
âHere boy!â he called. âGood boy! Fetch!â
The vampires all laughed, and so did Ollie and most of the other werewolvesâwhen Growler wasnât looking.
Bella and Billy were in stitches. Growler glared at Lee.
âCome here, you little squirt,â he growled. âI feel like a snack.â
âNow, now!â said Mr. Tut, the
mummy referee. âThereâll be none of that, please! I want a good, clean game!â
Chapter 5
Mr. Tut in a Tangle
The two casketball teams took up their positions. Mr. Tut blew his whistle and the game began.
Billy got the ball and whizzed past the three werewolf dodgers before bouncing it to Naz Patel.
The vampires cheered Naz on as she charged toward the Chaney Street casketâwith