Daniel Taylor and the Dark Legacy Read Online Free Page B

just wants to torment me!
    “Because today is such a lovely day,” his teacher said sarcastically, “I’ll ask the question one more time: Who was the first president of the United States, and when was he elected?
    The first president? Daniel’s brain flipped into high gear and he answered, “George Washington.”
    “And?” Kuwalski wasn’t going to let him off that easily. “When … was … he … elected?”
    Damn, he had no idea!
    The other students grinned at him. This was basic American history, the dates and facts that were drilled into every schoolkid from a young age, but somehow Kuwalski made him forget everything! In any case, Daniel had no interest in either American history or politics.
    Why did Kuwalski always have to pick on him? Sweat seemed to be streaming from every pore in his body. As though he weren’t already hot enough! The other students tittered over his stupidity. Man, how he hated everyone here!
    “The answer, Daniel!” The teacher, her hands firmly placed on her slim hips, fixed him with a predatory glare.
    No, Daniel corrected himself: with a bovine glare. Kuwalski had gigantic eyes, just like a cow. Otherwise she might have been attractive — well, if she didn’t always pull her hair into a tight bun and stare at everyone so grimly. A bitter spinster, his mother had called her, and Daniel suspected she was right.
    Kuwalski hates me. I’m all worked up, just because of this stupid cow! I deserved to get a better grade from her last year! he thought, his breathing shallow and frantic. Something enormous was brewing inside him, and it was about to erupt. Underneath his desk, he dug his fingers into the fabric of his T-shirt while his vision began to blur. Daniel’s pulse thundered in his ears and his heart raced as a light tremor shook the classroom. In this region, that was nothing unusual; all of California was basically situated on a fault line. Researchers were constantly speculating that the “Big One” would come, but it never seemed to materialize.
    After the tremor died down, which barely lasted two seconds, Daniel’s physical symptoms suddenly disappeared. Oddly enough, he wasn’t even hot anymore!
    The excitement subsided quickly, and Kuwalski was still waiting for Daniel to answer.
    “1789,” Vanessa whispered behind him, making him nearly fall out of his chair. He had heard her voice as though she had spoken directly into his ear, even though she was sitting at least a yard away. What would I do without you, Vanessa! I’m just lucky that you’re good at history! Vanessa was the only reason he hadn’t given up entirely. They had a few classes together, and Nessa helped him out when she could.
    “1789,” he repeated quickly, trying to hide his confusion. Of course, it was the right answer. Vanessa always knew everything; she was at the top of the class. But despite this, she was popular with their classmates. She seemed to be welcome in any group — especially among the “cool kids,” which really got on Daniel’s nerves. I don’t care if no one likes me and that even Dad let me down , he thought defiantly. I can’t stand any of them … except for Nessa.
    “You couldn’t possibly have come up with the right answer on your own, Daniel!” Mrs. Kuwalski strode between the desks and looked around as though she were searching for something. “So, which one of you told him?”
    Daniel thought he could hear Vanessa’s racing pulse and the quiet sigh she always made when she was excited. But that had to be a delusion, a product of the extreme heat that had been oppressing Little Peak for weeks. His brain must be fried. Or he was just slowly going crazy.
    Superhero hearing , he secretly hoped.
    “I’ll ask you one more time: Who told him the answer? If no one fesses up soon, you’ll have the entire chapter to read as homework, and a test on it on Monday!”
    There was a deathly silence in the classroom. Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel noticed that Toby