The Nightmare Game Read Online Free PDF Page A

question and escape. Instead of waiting for some lumpish, kindly girl who would give him a proper hearing, he spoke to the first person who looked his way. He blurted out his cover story all in one go, without a proper introduction.
    â€œHi can you help me I’m looking for someone—picked up my bag instead of his own—on the bus—no name—just a photo—”
    Before he was halfway through, he knew he’d made a dreadful mistake. The boy he’d stopped was already smiling down at him. With the sort of cruel, amused smile that Platt always gave him. Even before Warren had finished explaining what he wanted, the boy was calling over his shoulder.
    â€œHey, Fipper. Come and take a look at this. What do you reckon?”
    And then there were two of them. And other people were looking curiously as they went past.
    The boy called Fipper rolled his eyes in a way that Warren knew already. Much too well. When he looked the photo up and down, he recognized the face immediately. Warren could see he did.
    But what he said was, “Looks like the Queen to me.”
    The first boy pulled a face and shook his head. “You’re crazy. It’s Beckham. Old picture, before he changed his hair.”
    Fipper craned his head around to study the photo upside down. “Give it a rest, Ned. You’ve only got to look at the nose . It’s regal , that nose is.” He was holding on to the end of the paper now. Twisting it around.
    â€œPlease.” Warren tried to work it free without tearing it. “Please can I—”
    The instant he heard his own voice, he knew he was just making things worse. He was whining. And to boys like that he might just as well have been saying, Kick me. Pull my hair. They knew he was a loser now and in a moment they would start jostling him and stepping on his feet. Seeing how far they could go before he ran away.
    Fipper twitched the picture away from him, flapping it out of reach, and Ned laughed scornfully, glancing backward to see how many other people he and Fipper were amusing.
    â€œPlease—” Warren said again, sounding even more hopeless. Knowing that he might just as well abandon the picture and go. No one was going to answer his questions now. It was no use—
    And then he was saved. Just when he was about to turn and run, a girl came swooping through the crowd, elbowing Ned out of the way.
    â€œWhat are you doing ?” she said. “Don’t you two ever stop?”
    She was just the person Warren would have picked, if he’d had the sense to wait. Plump and confident, but slightly awkward, with big, soft eyes. She tweaked the picture away from Fipper and held it out to Warren.
    â€œHere. This is yours, isn’t it?”
    She obviously expected him to take it and scuttle off, but some instinct told him that this was the best opportunity he was going to get. He took the picture and held it up for her to see.
    â€œI was just asking—”
    She leaned forward to take a look and Fipper rolled his eyes at her. “Oh, come on , Shelley! You’re not going to tell him anything?”
    Warren started gabbling, desperate not to miss his chance. “I only want my bag. He took it on the bus. By mistake. I’ve got his, and I need my bag back—”
    His tongue was falling over itself, going around and around in his mouth, like Hope’s when she couldn’t get her words out right. Hasmegg. Nowass. Dohfuss. He was starting to panic.
    The girl’s face softened sympathetically and she put a calm, heavy hand on his shoulder. “It’s OK,” she said. “You don’t need to take any notice of Fipper and Ned. Nobody else does. Let’s get away from them.” She took his arm and led him off to one side.
    â€œUse your brains!” Fipper called after her. “You don’t know who he is. Maybe he’s working with international terrorists. His parents might be serial