Nine Doors Read Online Free Page B

trouble.
    The hinges squeaked. The door was opening.
    The fire was still burning. I did the only thing I could think of doing. Not quite “stop, drop and roll” but close enough.
    I sat on it. The fire went out with a little puff and a whistling sound.
    Someone said, “Hello?”
    I looked up. This girl with long black hair was standing there looking down at me.
    She had the brownest eyes I’d ever seen. She scrunched them up as if to say, “What are you doing?” (Or maybe she was asking, “Why is there smoke coming out your pants?”) I put my hands up like “I don’t know.” I must have looked ridiculous. She shook her head. Then she kind of smiled.
    I tried to smile back, but you wouldn’t believe how hot that chewy caramel filling suddenly was. I started to worry I was doing serious damage to myself. Some day I wanted to have children.
    â€œIs something the matter?” she said.
    â€œNo. Um...It’s just...,” I said.
    This loud voice from inside the house went, “What’s burning? Is something burning, Bebi?” The guy had a really thick accent.
    I looked at her, all panicky, and shook my head. I whispered, “No! No!”
    I could see the girl wasn’t sure if she should help me or not, but I mouthed the word
Pleeeease
in the most pathetic way I could. She pretended to look mad at me for a second, but then she said, “No, Dad, it’s nothing.”
    That didn’t stop him from coming to take a look for himself. He obviously wasn’t too impressed to find me sitting on the porch like that. I would have stood up, but I didn’t know what kind of mess I’d leave behind.
    â€œI smell something,” her father said.
    The girl shrugged and shook her head like she had no idea what he was talking about.
    â€œI don’t,” she said. Then she looked at me. “Do you?”
    I shook my head too—but just gently. I was trying to keep myself out of the boilingcaramel as best I could. Any movement at all was proving painful.
    Her dad looked back and forth between the two of us. He clearly thought we were up to something. He started talking to her in a language I didn’t recognize.
    â€œDad!” she said. “You’re wrong. He’s in science camp with me! He’s one of the kids on the team.”
    Her father said something else. She sighed and went, “Because he came a long way, that’s why! He’s tired. Right...um, Donald?”
    I figured that was me. I nodded.
    â€œYeah,” I said, “it’s been a long day.” That much was true.
    Her father tilted his head and looked at her with one eye. She didn’t even blink. He shook his finger at her and then said something. She went, “Da-ad! You’re so suspicious. Like it’s a crime to sit on someone’s porch!”
    He went into the house. She got this embarrassed look on her face and said, “Sorry about that.”
    I couldn’t believe it. She was apologizing to
me
? It was almost funny.
    I said, “No. No. I’m the one who should be sorry.”
    She was already closing the door. She said, “I better go,” and then in a louder voice so her father could hear, “I’ll find that book and bring it for you tomorrow, Donald.”
    I hoped she meant it. For a second, I almost forgot I wasn’t in science camp with her. I really wanted to see her again.
    The door clicked shut. She peeked out the window and gave one of those little twiddly waves with her fingers.
    I stood up. The chocolate bar—or at least what was left of it—had started to harden. These gross gooey strings of dirty brown caramel went from the porch to the back of my pants. I could just imagine what it looked like. (Bebi probably had never heard of stunt poo.) I backed down the stairs— and all the way across the street.
    Richard was laughing so hard itsounded like he was having an asthma attack.
    I