The Dangerous Days of Daniel X Read Online Free Page A

gets to take a huge bite out of you first?” he asked with the other.
    Speed is the key,
I thought—and still keeping up with the truck, I stuck finger after finger into at least a dozen of the creep’s eyes. Then I held on to both of his ears and yelled, “Who sent you after me? I want to know right now!”
    The cretin actually started laughing. “You’re getting
ahead
of yourself, punk,” he said with one mouth. “I’m not
after
you, I’m still to come,” he said with the other.
    “Say again,” I told him.
    “Number 6 sent me, and you better go back the way you came. You better run the other way! You get it? You turn around, you boogie, or you die a horrible death in the near future.”
    Then the voice changed before I knew what was happening. “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Please let me go,” he wailed. “Please,
please,
I’ve learned my lesson!”
    And I knew why—because suddenly he was the truck driver again, and I was practically tearing the poor knucklehead’s ears off.
    “Drive safe,” I said, and let him go.
    So—Number 6 somehow knew I was coming. What other powers did Ergent Seth have that were as impressive as my own?
    Chapter 11
    BY TEN O’CLOCK, completely wiped and with still no sign of civilization, I decided to call it a night.
    I stepped off the road into the dark woods, kicking myself for staying up late to watch
The Blair Witch Project
a couple nights before. I found a level clearing about thirty yards in that was as good a spot to camp as any.
    I opened my minitent and made a little fire. Then I sat beneath the northern stars, propped against a fir tree, cold hot dog in one hand, warm Gatorade in the other. Ahhh, the great outdoors. Could it get much better?
    I hoped so, because it was pretty lonely, actually. And scary, considering that I’m often hunted by aliens.
    That’s when I heard a bunch of footsteps just outside the firelight.
Uh-oh.
    “Quit tripping me, doofus.” I heard a girl’s voice.
    “That’s not me. It’s Willy,” said a boy. “You know what a klutz he is.”
    “No, it’s not. It’s Dana,” said another boy. “I’m not a klutz.”
    “You are
such
a klutz.”
    “Hello? Does anyone notice that it’s like pitch-black?” said yet another girl’s voice.
    “No, Emma, we didn’t notice that.”
    “Hey, guys,” I finally called out to the intruders. “What took you so long?”
    My best friends—in the whole universe—had just arrived.
    Let the party begin.
    Chapter 12
    MY BUDDIES WILLY, Joe-Joe, Emma, and Dana had come to keep me company. Just like I do with my parents, I create them. And if you think about it,
creating
is the best superpower of them all. It’s a whole lot better than being part
spider.
    “Survival training. I love it,” Willy said, punching fists with me. “The great outdoors! The Pacific Northwest! Wow! You know how to travel, Daniel.”
    Stocky and headstrong, with shoulder-length black hair, Willy is around my age—fifteen or so. He’s always ready, willing, and able to try anything, and mix it up with any
thing.
If anyone enjoys chasing down aliens as much as I do, it’s Willy. The guy is fearless, loyal to a fault, and all heart.
    “Chex Mix! Righteous!” Joe said, plopping down and snatching the bag out of my hand. Joe-Joe, on the other hand, is more like
all stomach.
Which is crazy, because he’s super skinny. He’s also messy, an athlete at nothing but competitive eating, and the most sarcastic, funniest motormouth I know.
    “Oh, wow!” Emma said, twirling around. “Spruce, cedars, Douglas firs, cypresses. Amazing! I love it here. Great spot, Daniel.”
    Emma’s a year younger than Willy, and she’s his sister. She’s also our little group’s Earth Mother. Compassionate to a fault, Emma loves two things: the planet Earth and all of its animals, even the insects.
    “Hey,
you,
” Dana said, smiling at me with a jaunty shake of her head. “Decided to take us camping, huh? Interesting. I mean, heat and indoor