Story Thieves Read Online Free PDF Page A

before? And what if I change a book’s story, especially one that’s as popular as Kiel Nope-Fingers? People are gonna notice something like that in seconds! I have nightmares about what could happen.”
    He started to say something, then stopped and opened the book. “I don’t want to meet Kiel,” he said finally. “He’s not even in this chapter. I just . . . His teacher, the Magister, has this spell book, and—”
    â€œMagic?” Bethany almost shouted, then quickly quieted down when everyone turned to look at them again. “Are you kidding me? You want to learn magic ? Did you hear what I just said about nightmares? That’d be like ten times worse!”
    â€œThere’s a spell,” Owen told her. “Kiel’s used it before. It helps you find things.” He paused, as if he were considering something. “I didn’t know about your father, not before. But now that I do, there’s a spell in this book that could find him for you. You learn the spell, and cast it here, or there, however it works. And it’d locate him.” He shrugged. “I just thought that might help you. And if after that you want me to forget all this, that I ever saw you, that’s up to you.”
    Bethany stared at him, her mouth hanging open. He wanted to help her? “No. No. It’s way too risky. I’m sorry, that was actually . . . nice of you. But no.” She stood up and turned to leave, then paused and pushed the gobstopper over to him before walking straight out of the library.
    As soon as she passed through the sliding doors, she stopped and turned around. Owen had picked up the candy and was staring at it sadly, like it was all that was left of his Christmas after the Grinch came through.
    Ugh. UGH! He’d been trying to do something nice. Obviously, he wanted to visit the book too, just for fun, but besides that, he’d been thinking about her . And this is how she treated him for it?
    But there was no way she could do that. It was just asking for trouble. She couldn’t!
    Bethany fell back against the library wall. She hadn’t even checked out a new book to search for her father. But there was no going back in now, not with Owen still there. Great. Was she going to have to avoid the library all the time now?
    At least she still had some books back home. Okay, she’d already looked for her dad in them, but sometimes you just needed a Little Prince night, sitting alone on his planet while he was down on Earth, talking to the pilot.
    She gave Owen one last look through the library doors, then tried to forget this whole night ever happened as she set off home.
    Ten minutes later, turning the key in her front door, she heard the TV and knew her mother was home. It sounded like the news was on, but not about anything important, just something about how some first issue of a comic book had sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars since no one could find any other issues in the series anymore. Hugely important news, obviously.
    But her mom being home early meant something was wrong. Something wrong like maybe Owen had said something he shouldn’t have?
    â€œMom?” Bethany said in a voice even quieter than she meant to use.
    She heard her mother sniff loudly, and the TV sound disappeared. “Bethany?” her mom said, and sniffed again. “Is everything okay? Why are you late?”
    â€œJust, uh, stayed after school to do some homework with someone from my class,” Bethany said. “Why are you home?”
    Her mother appeared in the hallway, a smile on her face despite her red eyes. “Oh, I just felt a little sick. It’s going away, though.”
    Relief flooded through Bethany, and she gave her mother ahug. “Want me to make you some soup or something?”
    â€œOh, that’s ridiculous. I’m fine,” her mother said, sniffing again. “See? Probably just a