Free The Children of Fear by R.L. Stine

foot.
    The woman laughed lightly. “Of course you’ll grow. You’ll grow to be big and strong.”
    â€œHe doesn’t talk,” Leah said impatiently.
    The woman’s blue eyes widened in surprise. “He doesn’t talk?” She looked first at Leah, then at Luke. “He doesn’t talk?”
    â€œNo, ma’am,” Luke said.
    â€œThen he’s a dimwit,” Alfred said, “and he won’t do at all.”
    â€œHe’s not a dimwit,” Leah snapped. “He’s cursed. We’re all cursed.”
    The woman gasped and stepped back.
    â€œLeah!” Luke scolded. “Don’t tell lies.”
    â€œBut it’s true,” Leah said, her eyes widening. “Look at our name. Fier. If you rearrange the letters, it spells f-i-r-e. Fire! Fiery deaths have followed our family through the centuries. Our house was set on fire. That’s why we had to run away. Father told me—”
    The woman grew pale and grabbed her husband’s arm. “I don’t think this child is for us.”
    Luke watched the couple hurry away. He felt theanger rise within him. Anger at Leah because she was making this so difficult.
    â€œDon’t tell any more lies,” Luke ordered.
    â€œI wasn’t lying. Our house was set on fire,” she insisted. “Didn’t Father ever tell you that our family is cursed?”
    â€œNo,” Luke said. “But if he had told me we were cursed, I wouldn’t have told those people. You frightened them away.”
    â€œI didn’t like them.” She lifted her hands and wiggled her fingers. “Oh, Alfred!” she squealed in a high-pitched voice, imitating the woman who had just walked away.
    Luke fought back a smile. Then he gave a snort of laughter. He couldn’t help himself.
    Leah reached up, pinched his cheek, and wrinkled her nose. “Aren’t you a doll? Shall I put you on a shelf in the parlor? I promise to dust you once in a while.”
    Luke laughed. “All right. You made your point. They aren’t exactly what we want.”
    She pushed out her lower lip. “Besides, they wanted only Corey. Not you and me. We all have to stay together.”
    Luke couldn’t argue with that. He put his hand on Leah’s shoulder. “I won’t let anyone take just one of us. I promise you that.”
    â€œYou promised you wouldn’t put us on the orphan train, and here we are!” she reminded him.
    Luke sighed in exasperation. He glanced around the train depot and platform. He watched as the children’s faces brightened whenever someone stopped to talk with them. As the people walked away, their faces would fall.
    Luke saw a man lift a little girl into his arms. Hiswife tweaked the little girl’s nose as they walked away. At least she found a home, he thought.
    His gaze fell on Mike. Mike was talking to a smiling woman in a fancy white dress. She seems to like him, Luke thought. I hope she adopts him. Then I’ll have one less thing to worry about.
    The woman began to nod her head, and Mike gave her a wide grin.
    Luke heard a low growl. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large collie rush past. It sprang on Mike and knocked him to the ground.
    Mike dug his fingers into the animal’s fur, but he couldn’t move the dog off his chest. “Help!” he shrieked.
    Luke heard the snap of the dog’s powerful jaws as its large teeth sank into Mike’s cheek. It jerked its head back and forth—and ripped a chunk of flesh from Mike’s face.
    Mike uttered a shrill squeal of agony. Blood spurted from the gaping wound, showering the hem of the woman’s white dress in red. She shrieked.
    Mike screamed again, shoving at the dog. Snarling, it pulled its lips back and bared its bloodied teeth.
    Luke heard cries of terror as people began to run for the safety of the nearby trees. Like a mother hen, he saw the matron began to gather up the smaller