The Hidden Beast (12) (Spooksville)

Product Description

A dragon causes flaming mayhem in this twelfth book in New York Times bestselling author Christopher Pike’s Spooksville series.

A fire-breathing dragon has appeared out of nowhere and is looking for its treasure in Spooksville. In fact, the dragon intends to destroy the entire town unless its jewels and gold are returned immediately. The only trouble is that Adam and his friends don’t know where this treasure is.

Worse, the hotheaded creature won’t listen to reason, and soon it’s laying waste to everything in its path with its fiery breath. The dragon has no problem turning kids to ash, either. Soon Adam and his friends are fighting flames—and for their lives!

About the Author

Christopher Pike is a bestselling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series,
The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including
Sati and
The Season of Passage. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Facebook.com/ChristopherPikeBooks.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Hidden Beast

1
It was Leah Poole, Bryce Poole’s cousin, who brought the gang the treasure map. The fact that Leah was related to Bryce made Adam Freeman and Watch suspicious. Even though Adam and Watch had shared a couple of adventures with Bryce—one on the other side of the Secret Path, the other when prehistoric dinosaurs invaded Spooksville—the guys simply did not trust Bryce. The fact that he said he wanted to share a treasure with them made them trust him less.

Even the girls had their doubts. While fighting the invasion of dinosaurs, Bryce had made a few bad calls that Sally Wilcox had not forgiven. But to Sally’s credit—perhaps a credit to her greed—she was the one most interested in the treasure hunt. Cindy Makey, on the other hand, didn’t understand why Leah Poole would go to complete strangers and offer them half of a supposedly fabulous treasure in return for a little help. Cindy liked Bryce, but his cousin was another matter. Yet maybe Cindy’s distrust of Leah was partly because Leah was so pretty, with her sandy brown hair and pearl white teeth. Prettier, in fact, than Cindy.

At least that was what Sally later said.

They were in their favorite doughnut shop when Bryce walked in and hit them with the idea of the treasure hunt. Leah was outside for the moment, out of sight. Apparently Bryce wanted to soften them up on the idea first. But he hadn’t been talking long when they were all over him with questions.

“Where did this map come from?” Adam asked.

“Where did the treasure come from?” Watch asked.

“Where did Leah come from?” Sally asked.

“Yeah,” Cindy echoed.

Bryce shook his head. “One question at a time. First, my cousin was born in Spooksville but moved away five years ago. She’s seventeen now, so she left here with my uncle when she was our age. It was her father, Uncle Charlie, who gave her the map just before he died. That was only two months ago—she’s still getting over the loss of her dad. It was her dad’s dying wish that she return here and find the treasure. Uncle Charlie was flat broke when he died, and Leah has no way to support herself.”

“She has no mother?” Cindy asked sympathetically. Blond and cute, Cindy was the gentlest one in the group, except when it came to dealing with Sally.

“Her mother died when she was two,” Bryce said. “Anyway, she returned here with this map but . . .”

“Yes?” Adam asked when Bryce didn’t finish. Although the shortest and the newest to town, Adam usually led the group.

“It’s in code,” Bryce said reluctantly.

“And you can’t figure it out?” Sally asked. Sally had long brown hair, and liked to ask hard questions.

Bryce hesitated. “I am having some difficulties.”

“Wonders never cease,” Watch said, glancing at one of the four watches he always wore on his arms.

“Where did Leah’s father get