Fiendish Deeds Read Online Free PDF Page A

blue.
    In front of him he pushed a squeaky trolley on which something sat upright, covered by a sheet. He turned to the audience as he walked, gazing out at them with piercing eyes. In the center of his forehead, a swollen ugly bruise seemed to almost visibly throb.
    “Behold!” cried Mayor MacBrayne, yanking the sheet away with a flourish. “The artist’s conception of the new MISTY MERMAID WATER PARK! Coming soon to DARLINGTON, CITY OF THE FUTURE!”

    Byron Wells hadn’t been paying the slightest attention to what was going on up on the stage.
    How could he, when sitting directly in front of him was Lucy Primrose?
    Which meant that—completely unobserved and without arousing any suspicion—he was able to bask in the golden light of her being, or at least the smaller but no less wonderful glow coming from the right side of her face as she turned to whisper to her best friend, Ella. In a semiswoon, he’d noticed the green plastic clips Lucy wore to hold back her long hair, her little ear like a cream-colored seashell below.
    The fascination was quite unexpected for eight-year-old Byron. Was he the only boy this age who felt like this? He looked at the others in his row—scrawling on the backs of seats with markers, examining trading cards with a tiny camouflage flashlight, huddling over a handheld video game—and thought, maybe it is just me.
    At any rate, such feelings were something to be kept to himself. Lucy was a Darling, after all, and he was a Spooky. Such a romantic liaison was completely unprecedented—not to mention unthinkable.
    And then there was Joy. The idea of her little brother having a crush on one of those “prissy little snobs” would surely make her physically ill, at the very least. Would she ever even speak to him again?
    No, it was a secret he’d resolved to take to the grave.
    When he heard a loud gasp around him, Byron looked up at the stage. He was astonished to see how many people had joined Principal Crawley up there: a large bear of a man with golden hair, a spidery man in a dark suit, and someone Byron recognized as the annoying dark-haired boy from his class named Morris. Between them was a large panel depicting a system of winding slides and what appeared to be a gigantic wave rising up out of a pool. At the top it read misty mermaid water park—artist’s conception.
    Everyone was very excited now, including Lucy, apparently. Was it a field trip, Byron wondered? He suddenly felt scared—he didn’t even know how to swim, and some of the slides looking terrifyingly high, clinging to a cliff’s face.
    “Once again, young Mr. Mealey, the City of Darlington appreciates your great, great idea,” said the big man. “And in thanks, I am happy to offer you a season pass!” he added, handing Morris a ticket.
    The children managed a burst of exhausted applause as Morris held his prize aloft, as if it were the decapitated head of a bitter enemy.
    “See you all there next summer!” cried the mayor. The man in the dark suit wheeled away the display. Principal Crawley, looking at his watch worriedly, quickly dismissed everyone, and the whole auditorium descended into chaos.
    The children rushed down the aisles, talking excitedly. Joy stayed in her seat, waiting for the crowd to disperse while Byron was swept out of the auditorium like a stick in a raging river. Once outside, he broke from the current and slipped into the washroom.
    The boys’ room was eerily quiet. Byron decided to forgo the urinals and lock himself into a stall. It was always a good precaution for a small Spooky whenever within kicking and screaming distance from things that flush.
    Nevertheless, his blood froze when he heard footsteps. Hard-soled shoes. He breathed out in relief upon hearing grown-up voices.
    “The boys’ washroom, delightful,” said a man, sounding fatigued. “I see they are still decorating the ceiling with balls of wet toilet paper.”
    “Don’t be such a snob, Phipps,” replied a man