Free Philip and the Superstition Kid (9781452430423) by John Paulits Page B

outside
if you can, yeah, outside would be better. When you get her away
from the front door, Emery and I will sneak in that way, and she
won’t know we were ever outside.”
    “ Yeah,” Emery agreed
enthusiastically. “You can do that, Leon. Your life’s already a
mess.”
    Leon nodded. “It is. It really is.”
    “ Go, Leon,” Philip said,
giving Leon a shove on the shoulder.
    Leon walked away mumbling,
“Why did I have
to be the one to get triskaidekaphobia?”
    “ Let’s follow him,” Philip
said softly. “And be ready to duck inside.”
    Emery nodded.
    The boys hid behind the two rose bushes that
grew alongside the doorway to Emery’s house.
    Leon stood in front of the door, staring at
it.
    “ Knock,” Philip called in
a loud whisper. “And do what I told you.”
    Leon nodded, sighed and knocked.
    The door opened and Amanda
cried, “What! Not you again. What did I tell you? How did you . .
. OW!”
    Leon kicked her hard on the knee and then
raced past her into the house.
    “ Hey you little . .
.”
    Philip and Emery looked at each other,
astonished at the language Amanda used as she turned and ran after
Leon.
    “ Come on, Emery. Now’s our
chance.”
    Philip tiptoed up to the door Amanda had
failed to close and peeked in. He ducked back quickly and pointed
toward the inside.
    Emery could hear Amanda shouting at Leon to,
“get back here, you little . . .”
    “ She knows a lot of
words,” Emery whispered awestruck.
    “ Okay,” Philip said after
peeking in. He ran to the stairs and went up quickly, Emery right
behind him.
    When they reached Emery’s bedroom, they
stopped and listened. Below, they could still hear Amanda screaming
at Leon. After a few moments it got quiet.
    “ There,” said Philip and
he brushed his hands together as if cleaning them off. “We’re all
finally in.”
    “ Good plan,
Philip.”
    “ When vampire girl throws
Leon back in here with us, let’s make sure he doesn’t do another
thing that could possibly get us in trouble. I hope when he goes
back home, the trisaphobia goes back home with him. Get your mother
to clean this room real good after he leaves.”
    They waited. Five minutes. Ten minutes.
    “ Where is he?” Emery
wondered.
    “ We better go down and
look.”
    They left the room and casually went
downstairs to the kitchen.
    “ I don’t hear anything,”
Emery said. “I’ll go look.” He walked to the living
room.
    Philip followed behind.
    The front door was wide open, and the living
room was empty.
    Suddenly, Amanda stomped into the house and
slammed the front door angrily behind her.
    “ What’s wrong with that
cousin of yours?” She glared at Philip.
    “ Uh, he’s Emery’s cousin.” Philip
threw a thumb Emery’s way.
    “ Well?” she demanded,
glaring at Emery. “What’s wrong with him?”
    “ He’s got
trisatrikaphobium,” Emery replied nervously.
    Amanda stared.
    “ This whole family’s nuts!
Go back upstairs where you belong,” Amanda ordered.
    The boys went slowly toward the stairs.
    “ Okay she’s gone. Where is
he?” Emery whispered once Amanda had disappeared into the living
room.
    Philip peeked into the living room. Amanda
saw him and pointed up. Philip ducked back and said, “Check the
house quick.”
    Leon was nowhere to be found.
    Amanda appeared outside the living room.
    “ Up, I said. And if either
one of you comes down here before your parents get home . . .” She
ran a finger across her neck.
    Philip and Emery jumped and went up the
stairs.
    In Emery’s room they sat on the edge of the
bed perplexed.
    “ Where do you think . . .
?” Emery began.
    Suddenly they heard a little voice come
through the window.
    “ Hey guys.”
    Philip and Emery looked at one another.
Leon!
    They went to the window and looked out.
There was Leon sticking his head out from behind the tree.
    Emery raised the screen.
    “ What are you doing out
there?” Emery called, hoping Amanda had the TV turned up real
loud.
    “ She didn’t