Free Day of the Dragon by Matt Christopher, Stephanie Peters Page A

scary face I carved?”
    Unfortunately, X’s costume was not a success. Even though the judges agreed it was the most original, they couldn’t award X first prize because he hadn’t worn the costume for the entire parade.
    “The inside of a pumpkin doesn’t smell so good,” X had admitted later. “Plus, I kept bumping into people. At least I think they were people. Might have hit a telephone pole or two.”
    Mark smiled at the memory. He couldn’t wait to hear what X had dreamed up for his costume this year. Then he looked at the paper again. “Hey, there’s a new category of costume this year,” he said. “‘Groups of three to six people may combine to form one costume.’ What does that mean?”
    “That,” X said, rubbing his hands together, “means that this year, we’re all in this together. We’re going to come up with the biggest, best, most
outrageous
costume ever! So, any ideas?”
    The other kids looked at one another. X sighed. “Okay, I’ll think up something. But you guys have to promise me you’ll all be in it. Deal?”
    Mark wasn’t sure he wanted to promise to be part of a costume X had thought up. But he didn’t want to disappoint his friend, either. “I’m in,” he said. Everyone else agreed, too.
    “Great!” said X happily. “Now, what were we doing before I called the meeting?”
    “Let’s see,” Jonas said. “You, me, and Charlie were ridin’ the rails. Bizz and Savannah were mastering the kickflip. And I believe Mark was working on his kick-
flop
!”

    Mark laughed at Jonas’s joke with everyone else. But inside, he was a little embarrassed. It was hard knowing his friends thought he was a klutz.
    But what can I do about it?
he asked himself.
There’s no miracle cure for clumsiness!

CHAPTER THREE
    Mark left the skatepark soon after. He wanted to thank Alison for trying to teach him the kickflip. She’d taken off already, however.
    Mark decided to cut through the Square on his way home. The Square was a wide brick street lined with little shops and restaurants. When the weather was good, vendors sold cool stuff from outdoor carts. No cars were allowed in the Square, so it was a great place to hang out. If it wasn’t too crowded, kids were allowed to skateboard there, too.
    As Mark boarded through the Square, he heard someone call his name. It was Alison.
    “I was just thinking about you,” she said. She pulled open the door to a large brick building. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
    Mark joined her. “Is it okay for us to be in here?” he asked, walking into the building.
    “Don’t worry,” she assured him. “My uncle runs this place.” She flicked on some lights.
    Mark was standing in a huge room. The floor was wall-to-wall mats. Mirrors covered the front wall. Hanging on another wall were dangerous-looking weapons: long swords, spears, daggers, and short poles joined by chains.
    “What is this place?” Mark whispered.
    “It’s my uncle’s kung fu school,” Alison told him. “I thought you might be interested in seeing it. Maybe meet my uncle, too.”
    “Why?”
    “Okay, don’t get angry at me,” Alison said. “But I’ve noticed that you’re, you know, clumsy.”
    Mark felt his face turn red. Before he could say anything, a deep voice interrupted.
    “I was clumsy, too, when I was your age.”
    Mark spun around. A muscular man came toward them. He smiled kindly at Mark.
    “Uncle Eric, this is the kid I told you about,” Alison said. “Mark, this is my uncle, Eric Hale.”
    “Uh, hi, Mr. Hale,” Mark said uncertainly.
What did she mean, “the kid I told you about”
?
    “Call me Eric. As I was saying, I used to be clumsy, too. When I was twelve, I went through a growth spurt. I went from being five foot two to five foot six in less than a year! My arms and legs felt like they belonged to someone else. Then I found something that helped me.” He fixed a steady gaze on Mark. “Alison was thinking it might help you,