Free The Bully Bug by David Lubar Page B

But as soon as he saw me, he fainted again. Finally, on the third try, Norman said to him, “It’s just Lud. Try to deal with it.”
    Sebastian nodded, though I noticed he wouldn’t look in my direction.
    â€œI can see where he’ll be a lot of help,” I said.
    â€œHe will be,” Norman said. “As flaky as he might appear, I know I can count on him in an emergency. Except for this irrational problem he has with insects, he’s really pretty brave. He’s been through a lot. Actually, he went through something like you did, but not quite so hairy an experience. Now, me, I was a lot hairier. Thank goodness that’s over with.”
    I didn’t know what he was talking about.
    He turned back to Sebastian. “You okay now?”
    Sebastian nodded. He sat up. Then Norman told him what had happened to me.
    And after all that, neither of them had any idea what to do to help.
    I got up and walked over to a small mirror on Norman’s wall. Man, I was ugly. Big fly eyes. My jaw was all funny, like it could move sideways. I didn’t seem to have a nose. And my body was just as bad, all stiff and hard and covered with those thick hairs. “Why couldn’t I be a butterfly or something?” I said. “I had to be something ugly.”
    â€œThat’s it!” Norman shouted.
    â€œWhat?” I asked.
    â€œI have an idea. It’s dangerous, but it might be your only chance. Are you willing to take a risk?”
    I glanced back at the mirror. I thought about how scary and ugly I was. But I could fly. And I could dig. And I could figure out how fast a plane was going just by looking at it. For a kid who never got anything better than a C on a math test, that was something pretty cool. And if I became me again, was I any better off? People would still be scared of me. I’d be stupid and ugly, and I wouldn’t be able to fly.
    â€œI have to think about it,” I told him.
    â€œYou’d better think fast,” he told me.
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œThere isn’t much time,” he said. “Pretty soon, I suspect you won’t be able to think at all.”

 
    Twenty
    KEEP THE CHANGE
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    I didn’t know what he was talking about.
    â€œYou’re like a bug on the outside,” he said. “But you haven’t changed completely. You can still talk. And a bug can’t do that. It can make sounds, but not anything resembling human speech. So I think you’re still changing inside.”
    â€œThat’s crazy,” I said. But as I spoke, I realized that my voice sounded even rougher than before. Maybe my throat was changing inside, like he said.
    â€œEven worse, your mind is changing. Right now, you can still think. But eventually, you’ll be all insect. Both your body and your mind. You probably don’t even realize you’re grooming yourself.”
    I looked at my hands. I was in the middle of licking one, and I was running the other up and down one of my antennas.
    â€œThere’s another thing,” Norman said. I could tell from his voice that this was the worst news of all.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œMimic bugs are ephemeral,” he said. An instant later, he howled—“Ouch!”—as my hand clamped on his arm. “That means—”
    He stopped and looked at Sebastian.
    â€œTell me,” I said.
    â€œIt means they don’t live very long.”
    I thought about the dried bug bodies underneath the washing machine. “Maybe it’ll be different for me,” I said. “People live longer than bugs.”
    â€œI’ll tell you something,” Norman said. “I know what it’s like to be different. You and me, we’re both different. I’m smart and, let’s face it, a nerd. You’re big and scary and kind of rough. But you know what?”
    â€œWhat?” I asked.
    â€œAs long as I’m human, I’m not alone.” He looked over at