The Dragon's Tooth Read Online Free PDF Page A

time, Skelton seemed less willing. His eyes were hard and nervous. His breathing had stopped.
    He dropped the keys onto Cyrus’s palm, winked awkwardly, and turned away. The old man’s back was suddenly more bowed. His skin had grown pale.
    Dan nodded, and Cyrus moved slowly toward the door.
    “I’ll park the Baron,” Antigone said. “The keys in it?”
    Dan nodded again, all the while keeping nervous eyes on the old man.
    Cyrus forced the door open and stepped to the side to let his sister through. He pointed at Dan. “Don’t even think about giving him my room.”
    Turning away before his brother could answer, he shivered out into the rain.
    “Where’s your shirt, Tarzan?” Antigone asked. She wrapped the hem of her own shirt around her camera cases while they walked. The rain was fading.
    Cyrus grunted.
    “That lightning was crazy.” Antigone pointed at a new pothole. “It melted a hole in the parking lot.”
    Cyrus didn’t answer. He was staring at the Golden Lady. She looked better than he would have thought possible—glowing, buzzing, hunting the sky.
    Antigone followed his eyes. “When did that happen?” she asked. “Was it the lightning?”
    “No.” Cyrus shook his head. “She came on when he leaned against her pole. Tigs, that lightning wasn’t normal.”
    “Lightning never is. If it weren’t still raining, I’d film the Lady.” Antigone moved forward. “She looks amazing.”
    Cyrus wiped the rain off his nose. Antigone shifted into a jog. “Hurry up. I want to look in his truck.”
    Cyrus followed his sister, scanning the parking lot as he went. Lightning flickered silently behind distant clouds, and he felt his body tense. Everything had been moving so quickly, too quickly to understand. Mrs. Eldridge wasn’t just a half-cracked guest; she was all the way cracked. William Skelton had known his parents.
    And he’d had a beetle that could call down lightning.
    Antigone reached the truck.
    “I wouldn’t open that!” Cyrus yelled.
    She pulled open the door. “Why not?”
    Cyrus caught up to his sister and stared into the cab. The seat was covered with old sheepskin, now worn down to flat wool. The passenger’s side was crowded with grease-dotted paper bags, ripped and folded atlases, paper cups, and a large metallic box that was probably a cooler. In the center of the driver’s seat, there was a small square of thick, rippled glass. Embedded inside, on its back with six legs folded in against its belly, there lay a single beetle.
    “That’s a fat beetle,” Antigone said. “Is that what he meant? That’s your tip?” She reached for it.
    “Don’t touch it!” Cyrus knocked away her arm.
    Antigone faced him, raised her eyebrows, then reached up to flick her brother’s ear.
    “Seriously, Tigs,” Cyrus said. “Don’t.” Antigone flicked, and Cyrus yelped, grabbing her wrist. “You don’t know what happened. Just listen for a second and don’t ask any questions. I have to get my head straight.”
    Antigone pulled back her arm. “Your head?”
    “My ears are still ringing, and I’m not sure how to say … nothing seems true right now. You’re not going to believe me.”
    “Mr. Mouth can’t find his words,” Antigone said. “Should I take a picture?”
    “Promise you’ll believe me,” Cyrus said.
    “Maybe I will,” said Antigone. “There’s a first for everything.”
    “Oh, shut up. You saw the lightning, right?”
    “I did. Did you skip school today? And why were you late? I made Dan wait for half an hour.”
    “Come on!” Cyrus slapped both hands onto his head, dragging them down his face. “Why now? I’m trying to tell you something.”
    “No,” Antigone said. She pushed her short, wet hair straight back and then crossed her arms. “You’re trying to get me to believe something. That’s different. You want me to believe you? Hit me with the truth about school. And Mom. You never miss a Mom day.”
    “Fine,” Cyrus said. “I skipped out of