Buch lesen: «Mega Sleepover 5»

by Louis Catt

It’s odd, isn’t it? I mean, Thursday the 7th, or Monday the 24th – I bet you never even notice those days! Well, not unless it’s your birthday or something like that. I mean, have you ever forgotten your own birthday? No! Of course not – and I’d never forget mine – it’s June 9th, the best ever time of year to have a birthday because it’s exactly half way between Christmas.

And I’d never forget the birthdays of the rest of the Sleepover Club either. Not that they’d let me! Just imagine if I forgot Frankie’s birthday! She’s my best mate, but she’d still kill me if I forgot. Actually, I suppose I’d kill her if she forgot my birthday – but I bet we’d make up soon after. Frankie and I are like that – we’re always arguing, but it doesn’t mean anything. Frankie says we argue because I’m a Gemini and I can’t ever make up my mind (which isn’t true). I say it’s because she’s an Aries and she’s a pig-headed ram. Well, maybe she isn’t exactly pig-headed – but she does like to boss us about…

Lyndz has four brothers so it always seems to be someone’s birthday in her house. Her mum makes just the coolest birthday cakes! She used to be a domestic science teacher, and she’s a whizz at cooking. When Lyndz’s little brother, Ben, was four her mum made him a chocolate cake in the shape of a gorilla, and it was the scrummiest thing you’ve ever eaten. Lyndz’s birthday is in October. Frankie says she’s a typical Libran – easy going and always trying to keep the peace. She even seems to like her brothers.

I don’t know how I’d feel about four brothers. Lyndz says it’s OK, so maybe it is. I’ve got two older sisters, Emma and Molly. And believe you me, two sisters is the worst thing that could ever happen to anybody, especially when one of them is like my sister Molly.

Nobody has got a sister as awful as she is – I call her Molly the Monster, and I think that’s being really nice. The worst thing is we have to share a bedroom, and she fusses and moans non-stop. I can’t leave one sock on her side without her going mad. And what’s really unfair is she won’t even let me keep my rat in the room! I tell her it’s cruelty to animals, but she doesn’t listen. She just puts on this stupid face and says, “Oh Laura, I do wish you’d grow up!” She knows I hate it when anyone calls me that. The rest of the Sleepover Club call me Kenny, because of my surname – McKenzie.

Fliss has her birthday soon after the summer holidays and she starts planning her cake the second term starts… not to mention all her presents! One year she had a cake covered with little pink roses and purple ribbons. Frankie said she just knew Fliss would be wearing purple ribbons in her hair – and she was! All the presents from Fliss’s mum were tied up with pink and purple string – and you can guess what colour the balloons were! Fliss’s mum must have spent ages and ages getting everything to match… but she’s like that. I think Fliss is, too. Maybe it’s because she’s a Virgo. Frankie says Virgos like everything to be perfect.

Rosie’s the fifth member of the Sleepover Club. Her birthday’s July 15th. The last one after mine. Rosie’s mum makes a huge thing about her birthday. I think it’s because she worries that Rosie doesn’t get as much attention as her brother and sister, so she makes it up to her then. Frankie and I were talking about it the other day, and we both think Rosie deserves a special birthday.

But hang on, I’m sidetracking. Why was I talking about birthdays? Oh yes! I was saying that mostly people don’t notice what day and date it is… but Friday 13th. Eeeeeek! You always notice that date. And that’s the day we had this totally scary sleepover at my house. I’ll tell you all about it in just a minute… it was brilliant.

I don’t know if you’re superstitious. I’m not, not really – but Friday 13th does make you feel a bit creepy, doesn’t it? And if you drop a cup, or fall over, or break something, you can’t help thinking it all happened because it’s an unlucky day, even if you fall over twice as much on other days.

It’s also a great day for telling horror stories and, as you know, I love horror stories. I know some true ones, too, because my dad’s a doctor, and sometimes he tells us stories about what happened in the old days. Did you know that doctors used to saw off people’s legs while they were still wide awake? It’s true. They’d give them a bit of leather to chew on, but that’s all. And when they were finished they just threw the old leg into a bucket – and by the end of the day the bucket was full of legs!

Does that give you chills up and down your spine? It did when Dad told me – but I’m going to be a doctor when I grow up, so I’ve got to get used to all that kind of stuff. I practise by watching TV programmes like Casualty – and even when there’s blood everywhere, I love it!

I told the Sleepover Club about the bucket full of legs and Frankie said it was the best story she’d heard in ages. Fliss said it was disgusting – she’s a bit squeamish about things like that – but she still went and told her younger brother. And then her mum told me off because he woke up in the night screaming.

I think it might have been the leg story that started Frankie and me thinking about Friday 13th. Frankie had the idea to have a sleepover on that night, but it was my idea to make it a really really special one… well, I’m sure you’ll agree, it was much too good an opportunity to miss. We were going to make sure we had the creepiest, scariest Friday 13th ever!

Lyndz and Rosie thought it was a brilliant idea. Only Fliss didn’t, which wasn’t a great surprise. She said she couldn’t come because she goes to tea with her dad and his new baby on Fridays.

Frankie stared at her. “But you’re always home by about half-past six,” she said.

Fliss wriggled, and went pink. “I might have to stay later,” she said.

Frankie shook her head. “Felicity Sidebotham,” she said, “are you scared?”

Fliss went even pinker. “Of course I’m not,” she said, but her voice was a little bit wobbly.

Lyndz patted her arm. “It’ll be OK,” she said. “We’ll just have a lot of fun.”

“Yes,” Frankie said. “Lots of scary fun!”

“I’m not scared!” Fliss said, but she still sounded squeakier than usual.

“So does that mean you’ll come?” I asked.

“Of course I will,” she said. “Just as long as you don’t go too far.”

That made me laugh. I told Fliss she sounded just like her mum. Fliss tossed her head and said she didn’t, but we all knew that that was exactly what her mum would have said. Looking back on it now, maybe we should have taken more notice… but of course, we didn’t!

Everyone came round to my house after school the next day so we could sort out a plan. A Friday 13th super plan! We grabbed a packet of choccy biscuits, some crisps and a coke each, and sneaked up to my room. Molly the Monster was out somewhere, so we piled up the pillows and duvets from her bed and mine and made ourselves really comfortable.

“We need to make a list,” Frankie said. “Where’s a pen?”

I found a stubby old pencil under my bed. It’s always exciting, looking under my bed. The weirdest things pop out sometimes, and I know I haven’t put them there.

I mean, there was the time when Emma lost her best trainers. Anyone would have thought she’d lost the crown jewels, the way she went on about it. She kept looking at me, too, and she knows I don’t have the same size feet as her. Well, not quite. I have to stuff loads of extra socks on if I want to wear Em’s shoes.

Anyway, even Dad got involved and he ordered a huge search. And guess where they were? Yes – that’s right. Under my bed! I told Dad they must have walked there by themselves, but he just made a sort of humph! noise.

The problem was, in the hunt Mum found Molly’s homework diary under my bed, and Monster Features said it was my fault! Can you believe it? I never touched her diary, and if I’d known it was there I would’ve given it back to her. I don’t want anything of Molly’s in my half of the room.

Then Dad went on about the other things… two pairs of jeans (dirty), one sweatshirt (crumpled), one bag of rat food (just a little bit open), last week’s maths test (scrumpled), half a bar of chocolate (melted), lots of bits of paper, an empty coke can, one clean blue sock, one smelly green sock, one bedroom slipper, three pens, an old rubber… and some very interesting fluffy bits.

Mum had a go at me, too, and Molly moaned and groaned. It went on for ages. Personally I don’t know what they were fussing about.

But there I go, sidetracking again. I was telling you about our sleepover, wasn’t I? So, anyway, I found the pencil and tore a piece of paper out of an old notebook. Then we got planning. Frankie wrote down:

1. Check sleepover OK with Kenny’s mum.

2. Get rid of Molly.

I sighed when she put down number two. Some chance! If Molly has a friend to stay I’m quite happy to make myself scarce and share Emma’s room. There’s always loads of interesting things to poke around in in there, so you’d think Molly would be pleased to do the same for me… but oh, no. She hates moving out of our room, and she hates all my friends, too.

“Maybe she’ll be away that night,” Fliss said hopefully.

I began to giggle. “Yeah – after all, it is Friday 13th! Maybe she’ll be off scaring small children!”

“Frightening little old ladies!” said Lyndz.

Rosie sniggered. “Turning the milk sour on people’s doorsteps!”

“Sending murderers screaming home to their grannies!” Frankie shrieked.

That cracked us all up. We rolled about on the floor, we were laughing so much. Some coke cans fell over and the crisps got scrunched into the carpet, but we just couldn’t stop.

At last we sat up, and I scrabbled around for the piece of paper. It had got very soggy, so I tore out another sheet and we started again.

“What shall we do about food!” I yelled.

We all started grinning at each other. As you know, food is a favourite Sleepover Club subject.

“Green spaghetti!” said Frankie.

“Green pizza!” said Lyndz.

“Green jelly spiders!” shrieked Rosie.

“Green jelly worms!” said Fliss with a shudder.

Frankie looked excited. “Maybe we could make a huge bowl of green slime! We could put the jelly spiders and worms in it – and then everyone has to eat them without using fingers!”

“Yeah!” I said. “Cool!”

We’ve only just discovered green slime. Actually, it was Lyndz who invented it. Rosie was round at her house and they were helping Lyndz’s mum make green jelly. Lyndz was supposed to be stirring the jelly cubes in hot water to make them melt, but she was talking to Rosie and didn’t stir them enough. Then she put in just a bit too much cold water by mistake.

“Whoops!” Lyndz said. “Oh well. I don’t suppose it’ll matter,” and she tipped the whole lot into the bowl where it was meant to set… but it never did! It turned out all slithery and – well, slimy. The bits of jelly cube that hadn’t quite melted were floating on the top. When Lyndz and Rosie fished them out and ate them they were like jelly sweets – all rubbery. Ben, Lyndz’s little brother, thought it tasted gross, but Lyndz didn’t, and neither did Rosie. They ate the whole lot… with straws! We’ve been eating green slime ever since. It’s a Sleepover Club special!

“What else?” Lyndz asked. “What other food is creepy?”

I was playing with the pencil. “Um… I don’t know.”

“OK.” Frankie snatched the pencil off me and turned to face us all. “So what sort of things shall we do? How can we set it up so it’s really scary?” She wrote Plans! on the paper, and drew a creepy face with long pointy teeth underneath.

Fliss gave a little shiver. “We don’t want to go too far…”

We all started eyeballing each other and Fliss quickly shut up.

“Booby traps!” I said. “We ought to have booby traps! And horrible noises!”

Frankie let out a loud and horrible wail. She was sitting right next to me with chocolate crumbs all over her face… but still it sent a quivery chill up my spine. Fliss squeaked, and Rosie and Lyndz clutched each other.

“Wow!” I said. “Maybe we could tape you! That’d sound completely gruesome in the dark—”

I didn’t get a chance to finish. Frankie gave another wail and grabbed me. “Kenny. You’re a genius! That’s it. We’ll make the spookiest tape ever, full of shriekings and wailings!”

“And horrible gurglings!” shouted Rosie.

“Slow dragging footsteps!” yelled Lyndz.

Even Fliss was beginning to look enthusiastic.

We were so excited we didn’t hear the banging. We were all jumping up and down on my bed, and I was waving a pillow round and round – just as Molly burst through the door. It wasn’t my fault she walked straight into the pillow.

“Oooof!” Molly made an amazing spluttering noise and sat down on the bed with a flump. She looked so funny we all fell about laughing.

It was a pity Mum was right behind her. We had really and truly meant to tidy up all the crisps and crumbs – and of course we were going to make the beds. It’s always the same though, I expect you’ve noticed – no one ever surprises you when your room is all neat and tidy and spotlessly clean. No, it’s only ever when it’s totally upside down. And upside down was exactly what my half of the room was – and Molly’s half wasn’t much better.

We got it sorted out. Well, we had to. Mum stood in the doorway with her arms folded until it was back to normal. Molly tried to boss us about, too, but luckily the phone went and Mum sent her downstairs to answer it and she was gone ages.

I didn’t ask Mum about having a sleepover straight away. It didn’t seem quite the right moment. Just then she seemed really keen on getting rid of everybody – not on having them around. Still, I wasn’t too worried, I was sure I could find a way round her somehow, even if it meant doing the washing-up or some other gruesome task for a week. It was going to be the best sleepover ever – and nothing was going to stand in our way – we just had to make sure Molly didn’t stick her nose in and spoil it!

After the gang had gone I went back inside expecting to find Molly waiting to yell and scream and throw a fit or two – all in my direction. I was ready for it – but it never happened! She was in the kitchen talking to Mum, and as I went past she actually waved at me – if you’d been there you would have heard my jaw fall thunk on the floor. I leant against the wall to recover. Yes, OK I leant against the wall to recover and to see if I could listen in and find out what was going on. Wouldn’t you have done the same?

“That’s fine,” I heard Mum say. “It’ll be nice for you to have a night away with a friend, and it’s not as if you have school the next day. You can collect your things when you get home from school, and I’ll give you your bus fare then.”

My jaw thunked on the floor for the second time in minutes. Molly going away? With a friend? And then it clicked… Mum had said she wouldn’t have any school the next day – Molly was going to be away on Friday night!

It took a ginormous effort not to dash to the phone that second and ring Frankie and Fliss and Lyndz and Rosie. But somehow I restrained myself. Somehow I managed to stay where I was until Mum and Molly had finished chatting, and Molly was back on the phone.

“Zoe?” she said. “Mum says it’s OK. I’ll zoom home from school and get my stuff, and then I’ll catch the first bus over.”

As soon as Molly was out of the way I wandered into the kitchen trying to look as if I didn’t really want anything. Mum was tidying up, so I thought it might be a good idea to hang up a few mugs. After all, it wasn’t that long since I’d been blasted for being messy, untidy, and a few other things that I couldn’t remember.

Mum looked at me suspiciously. “Hmm,” she said. “Let me guess… you want to have a sleepover here on Friday night.” Then she nodded. “I don’t see why not. It’ll be much easier for you with Molly away – but I want your room spotless by the time she comes back again!”

I gave her a huge hug. “I promise!” I said, and I meant it. Cross my heart and hope to die. Then I helped put away all the rest of the crockery.

I had to wait until school the next day to tell the others. Mum said the phone bill was already staggering under the weight of all my calls, and I’d only said goodbye to my friends half an hour before. When I burst into the cloakroom and told them that the sleepover was all fixed and Molly was going to be away Frankie whooped, Lyndz cheered and Rosie grinned all over her face. Only Fliss shuffled a bit.

“What’s the matter?” I asked. “You’re not chickening out after all, are you?”

Frankie banged Fliss on the back. “You said you’d come!”

Lyndz nodded. “It wouldn’t be the same without you,” she said.

Fliss started to look really pleased. For a moment I felt bad, and I wondered if we were a bit hard on Fliss sometimes.

Then she shuffled her feet again. “It’s the burglar,” she said. “My mum isn’t sure if I should spend the night away from home.”

We all stared at her. “Burglar?” Rosie said. “What burglar?”

“It was in The Mercury,” Fliss said. “Three houses were broken into last week, and another one this week. One of the houses was just round the corner from where I live!”

Frankie gave a loud snort. “You’ll be just as safe at Kenny’s house as you are at home,” she said. “After all, it’s only a burglar – it’s not a murderer.”

Fliss went even pinker. “My mum says it might not be safe. She says burglars often murder people if they get in their way.”

Frankie made another snorting noise, but Lyndz patted Fliss’s arm. “We could come and collect you,” she said. “I could ask my mum to drive us both to Kenny’s house.”

Fliss looked a lot happier. “That would be great,” she said.

I wasn’t really taking much notice. I was thinking that things were getting better by the minute. Friday 13th – no Molly – a spooky sleepover – and now a burglar on the loose! What more could we ask for?

“Hey!” I said. “Maybe we could hunt down the burglar and catch him! Is there a reward, Fliss?”

Lyndz gave me a push. “Shut up!” she hissed, because Fliss was staring at me in her rabbit-caught-in-the-headlights kind of way. Catching burglars was about the last thing she would think of as fun.

“Just kidding,” I said, but I didn’t look at Frankie. I was pretty sure that she was thinking the same as me. But we didn’t have time to discuss the sleepover any more, because the bell for registration rang.

At lunchtime we got into a huddle to talk about the food, and Fliss was a lot more cheerful. She said she’d make a green cake, and when Rosie said she hoped it would be green inside, as well as having green icing, Fliss giggled and said, “Of course it will.”

I wondered if Fliss would have green hair ribbons to match.

“Bags I make the green spaghetti,” Rosie said. “I’ll put currants in it, and they’ll look like dead flies.”

“Or spiders without legs!” said Fliss, and we all laughed.

Lyndz said she’d already had an idea for a scary pizza. “What?” Frankie asked, but Lyndz shook her head and wouldn’t say. She’s completely brilliant at cooking so we didn’t make her tell us. If she had a good idea it was worth waiting for!

“I don’t mind doing the green slime and the jelly spiders and worms,” I said. “But what are you going to do, Frankie?”

Frankie rolled her eyes. “Wait and see!” she said. “Slugs and snails and puppy dog’s tails!”

“Yuck!” said Fliss, but she didn’t look totally grossed out.

You know I said how my jaw kept falling open so I looked like a gasping goldfish? Well, it happened again. As I staggered in through our front door that afternoon, I met Emma coming out with some girl I didn’t know.

“Hi,” I said, although I didn’t expect a reply. Sometimes Emma pretends I’m invisible when she’s with someone. Either that, or she talks to me as if I’m about six and she’s my ageing aunt. Today I was lucky, this time it was the ageing aunt.

“Hi,” she said, and ruffled my hair. She knows I hate it, but she still goes on doing it. “Look, Jade – this is my kid sister, Laura.”

Jade gave me the sort of look you’d give a passing beetle. “Oh,” she said.

“She’s got loads of funny little friends,” Emma said. “They have a club, and they all sleep over at each other’s houses. Cute, isn’t it?”

Jade didn’t look as if she agreed, but she nodded anyway. “Yeah. Cute.”

Emma ruffled my hair again. “You can really have fun on Friday, little sister,” she said. “I’m going to stay with Jade for the weekend. And she and the strange girl walked off.

I stood and stared after them, my jaw doing its thunking thing. Emma was going away for the whole weekend. Wow! And an idea crept into my head, and once it was there it grew and grew and grew: if I put all Molly’s things in Emma’s room, I could clear my room right out! For the first time ever we could have loads and loads of space!

I could just imagine it. No Molly hanging around telling us not to touch her things. No squeezing three extra sleeping bags onto the tiny bit of floor between my bed and Molly’s. I could push Molly’s bed right against the wall, push the dressing table back… or we could move the beds the other way… I dashed to the phone to tell Frankie, and to ask her to come round as early as she could on Friday to help.

Frankie was just as pleased as I was. Then she said something that I’d been thinking. I’d been thinking it, but not saying it on purpose. I suppose I was being superstitious – you can’t be too careful around Friday 13th, can you? But then Frankie came right out and said it.

“It all seems too good to be true,” she said. “Isn’t Friday 13th meant to be an unlucky day?”

So I’m blaming all the things that happened after that on Frankie.