Free They Call Me Creature by R.L. Stine

Then he shoved open the Jeep door and jumped out.
    He grabbed my arm and started to pull me. “Get in, Laura. I don’t have time for this.”
    â€œOw! You’re hurting me!” I cried. I tried to pull free.
    He tightened his grip. And dragged me around to the other side of the Jeep.
    He has totally changed, I thought. He isn’t the same person. He has turned into some kind of monster !
    He forced me into the passenger seat and slammed the door.
    My whole body trembled. I hugged myself to stop the shaking.
    How can this be? I thought. I’m terrified. Terrified of my own father….
    The week passed slowly. I didn’t feel very well. I felt tired and weak, as if I had the flu. The wound on my neck ached and throbbed.
    Dad didn’t mention sending me off to Mom again. My stomach felt twisted in knots as I waited for him to say something about it. But he never brought it up.
    I was really looking forward to Ellen’s birthday party, and I spent the week planning it. I wanted it to be a lot of fun—for Ellen and for me, too. I needed something to cheer me up.
    I woke up Saturday, the day of the party, and ran to the window. Yes! The weather was going to be great. It was a sunny, warm day. The air smelled fresh and sweet. The green trees of the woods glowed like emeralds. It was the perfect day for a party.
    Blue is Ellen’s favorite color. So after breakfast I ran outside and covered the backyard with blue streamers and dozens of blue balloons. I hauled our picnic table to the center of the lawn and covered it with a blue tablecloth.
    I even had blue icing on Ellen’s birthday cake!
    When Ellen arrived, she couldn’t believe the backyard. “It’s awesome, Laura. Awesome!” she declared. She gave me a hug, then hurried off to talk to two boys who had just arrived.
    Up to the last minute Ellen had kept adding people to the guest list, then changing her mind and cutting them off.
    Finally I just invited everyone from our class.
    I cranked up the portable CD player and brought out trays of pizza. About twenty kids had shown up. They were laughing and kidding around and eating.
    Ellen, surrounded by boys, flashed me a thumbs-up. I could see she was enjoying the party.
    Where is Joe? I wondered. I kept waiting for him to arrive. I was dying for Ellen to meet him.
    I checked to make sure there were enough Cokes. Then I brushed some flies away from the birthday cake.
    When I looked up from the food table, I saw Dad crossing the lawn, making his way into the shed. His expression was glum. He kept his head down and didn’t seem to notice the kids or the party.
    â€œDad—do you want some pizza?” I called.
    He waved his hand, signaling no. Then he disappeared into the shed, quickly closing the door behind him.
    I turned back to the party. I didn’t want to think about Dad now.
    Yes, he had given me permission to have the party in the backyard. “Just make sure no one goes into the woods,” he said sternly. “I mean it, Laura. No one.”
    I sighed, remembering my birthday parties when I was little. We always had a scavenger hunt in the woods. Dad always set them up. He would hide things up in trees and under rocks, and sometimes even floating in the stream.
    Dad was a lot of fun in those days, I thought.
    I gazed sadly at the shed. Then, shaking away my unhappy thoughts, I turned back to the party.
    â€œTime to cut the cake, everyone!” I shouted over the music. “Hey—who wants birthday cake?”
    A few kids wandered toward the food table. Some girls were dancing in the middle of the yard. A bunch of guys were tossing a Frisbee around.
    â€œHey, Ellen—come cut your cake!” I shouted. I searched the yard for her. “Has anyone seen Ellen?” I asked.
    A few kids looked around, trying to help me find her.
    â€œShe went off with Stevie,” a boy called.
    â€œHuh? Where?” I asked.
    The boy pointed to the