Sucked Under Read Online Free

floor, and waited for the pain in his shoulder to let up. The lights in the room came on. Jasper took a deep breath and turned around.
    A small, thin man with a curly handlebar moustache sat cross-legged on the floor. He was nibbling at a peanut butter and jam sandwich.
    â€˜Señor Hermes,’ the man introduced himself, holding out his hand for Jasper to shake.
    â€˜Um. Jasper. Jasper McPhee.’ Jasper leant forward and shook the man’s hand. The moment they shook hands Señor Hermes had Jasper pinned down flat on his stomach, his arm twisted behind his back again.
    â€˜I see you are a slow learner,’ Señor Hermes sighed. ‘What was the first thing I said?’
    â€˜Um. One more move and the bone will snap,’ Jasper replied.
    â€˜No, no. After that. The bit about never assuming.’
    Jasper’s muscles felt as though they were being torn from his body. ‘Never assume I’m safe. Got it,’ he wheezed.

    â€˜Are you sure? Because I can hold your arm longer if you need some more time to think.’ Señor Hermes took another bite of his sandwich and waited for Jasper to nod, before releasing his arm.
    â€˜OK,’ said Hermes. ‘Now sit.’
    Jasper stepped backwards until he was sure he had left enough space between him and Hermes. He squatted down, ready to jump at the slightest movement.
    Hermes chuckled. ‘No, really. Sit. Cross-legged. And close your eyes.’ Jasper shook his head.
    â€˜Never assume I’m safe,’ Jasper replied. ‘I’m not that stupid.’
    Señor Hermes looked Jasper in the eyes.
    â€˜That is the first rule,’ he said seriously. ‘But the second rule in my class is that you must do as I tell you.’
    Your class? Jasper thought.
    â€˜Yes, this is a private class. Now close your eyes.’
    Jasper’s arm was still aching. He rubbed his shoulder and sighed. He sat down in front of Hermes, and closed his eyes.
    He felt Señor Hermes’ fingers brush across his eyelids. Jasper began to shake. He couldn’t help it. His whole body was shaking as though he had been shoved into a freezer.
    â€˜The whispering will come,’ Señor Hermes explained quietly. ‘It will come, and you will control it. You have a strong brain, but it needs to be taught how to understand the whispering.’
    Jasper opened his eyes. ‘Hang on. The whispering? You can hear the whispering too?’
    Hermes cocked his head to one side. ‘I’m sorry, Jasper. Most of my students are older than you. I can see I am going too quickly. Whispering doesn’t usually develop until students are at least in their second year and have a better understanding of monsters. Let me explain a little before we begin. Yes, I can hear the whispering, but I can’t hear what you can. I can hear whispering of my own. All the Whispered can. There are quite a few of us, you know.’
    Jasper’s jaw fell open. ‘The Whispered?’
    â€˜That’s the name for people who have been bitten by a monster,’ Hermes said simply. ‘Like you.’

7
    Jasper couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘I haven’t been bitten by a monster! I mean I've been Monstered here at school but –’
    â€˜No, no. A monster bite is different,’ said Señor Hermes. ‘You were bitten by a Scrambler, species Vernonvex, I believe. It happened when you were a small child.’
    â€˜But … what?’ asked Jasper. He’d never felt more confused.
    Señor Hermes looked at Jasper and sighed. ‘Let me start from the beginning,’ he said, settling into his seat. ‘You see, monsters are full of monsterness.’
    â€˜ Monsterness ?’
    â€˜Yes. Monsterness is what makes a monster a monster. When monsters hatch, they are like relatively normal creatures. They might look like a spider, for example, or an octopus. But monsterness causes them to mutate and form