13th Street #1 Read online

  Dedication

  To my cousins Kristi Pérez and Joseph Casas,

  for all the secret adventures. —DB

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1: Bad Dreams and Breakfast

  Chapter 2: A Shady Shortcut

  Chapter 3: No Exit, No Escape

  Chapter 4: Scary Squawks and Squeaks

  Chapter 5: Desperate for a Door

  Chapter 6: A Ghostly Host

  Chapter 7: Rooftop Run

  Chapter 8: Strange Storekeeper

  Chapter 9: Depot of the Dead

  Chapter 10: Sweet-Smelling Strategy

  Chapter 11: Beating the Bats

  Chapter 12: Boss Battle

  Chapter 13: Malia and the Mouthwash

  Chapter 14: Exit and Escape

  Chapter 15: Game Over?

  Activities

  About the Author and Illustrator

  Back Ad

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Chapter

  1

  Bad Dreams and Breakfast

  In the dream, Malia kept running and running. She was trying to beat the dark shadow that had blocked the sun. Something was coming for her. A cold wind blew her hair into her face.

  Then the smell of fresh tortillas and the sound of music woke her. Opening her eyes, Malia looked around the unfamiliar pink room. It took her a second to remember where she was.

  Aunt Lucy’s apartment in the Little Mexico neighborhood of Gulf City was much cooler than her family’s home in the sleepy town of Nopalitos.

  She was spending the whole summer here. “Yes!” she whispered. She grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand and went to the living room.

  “Oh, great. Almost forgot.” She sighed at the two boys still asleep on the sofa bed. Her cousins, Ivan and Dante. Unfortunately, they were spending the summer with Aunt Lucy, too.

  “Hey, goofballs!” Malia said. “Get up already!”

  Dante groaned. “Yes, boss.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.” Ivan yawned.

  “Shouldn’t have stayed up late playing video games,” Malia said.

  “That was me,” Dante said. “Walking brain here was reading a book.”

  “And you were texting your friends, Malia,” Ivan said. “Don’t judge.”

  She rolled her eyes and walked away. The boys followed behind her.

  The kitchen was colorful, full of clay pots and copper pans from Mexico. The music Malia had heard was coming from a little speaker on the counter. It was a cumbia, a happy, upbeat song. Aunt Lucy danced to the rhythm as she cooked.

  The last flour tortilla puffed up, steaming. Aunt Lucy grabbed it, spun around dramatically, and dropped it onto a plate.

  “Good morning, sleepyheads!” she exclaimed. “Ready for a late breakfast and some summer fun?”

  Malia smiled. “Yes, please!”

  The three of them sat at the table as Aunt Lucy served, singing the song under her breath.

  “Uh, what’s in the eggs?” Ivan asked.

  “Onion, tomato, chorizo,” Aunt Lucy replied.

  “Chorizo?” Ivan seemed confused.

  “It’s sausage.” Dante chuckled. “He’s not all that Mexican, tía.”

  Ivan’s face went red. “Not cool, Dante.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed, m’ijo! We’ll fix that soon enough!” Aunt Lucy winked at Ivan and he smiled.

  Thankfully, it turned out that Ivan liked chorizo just fine. The cousins ate everything on their plates. Orange juice helped wash it all down.

  “Okay,” Aunt Lucy said, clapping her hands together. “There’s a neighborhood water park. Super close. Lots of fun stuff to do there. Pool, hot tub, high dive, and . . . a water slide!”

  Ivan sat up straighter. “How tall?”

  Aunt Lucy stretched her arm to the ceiling. “Crazy tall!”

  Dante gulped. “Um, sounds dangerous.”

  “But you need to hurry to beat the crowds,” Aunt Lucy said.

  Ivan and Dante raced each other to the bathroom. Malia changed in the guest bedroom. In a flash they were ready, waiting by the front door.

  “Now, it’s not far,” their aunt said, giving them detailed directions. “The slide rises up above the sign to the water park. Can’t miss it!”

  “Wait,” Dante said. He sounded worried. “You’re not coming?”

  “Oh, no, cutie. I’ve got a bunch of work to do. You three can handle this. Right, Malia?”

  “Yes!” her niece replied.

  They hurried out the door. Malia blinked. The sun was shining. The day was already getting hot.

  Then, out of nowhere, a cold gust of wind blew Malia’s hair into her face.

  She shivered, remembering her nightmare.

  Chapter

  2

  A Shady Shortcut

  Malia turned to her cousins, holding up her hand.

  “Listen up, boys. I’m the oldest, so I’m in charge. Follow my lead.”

  Ivan smiled. “You’re two months older than me. Big deal. I’m taller and smarter.”

  “Whatever.” Malia turned to Dante, who was shorter and . . . not as smart. Still, sometimes he acted a little stuck-up. “Any problem?”

  Dante shrugged. “Nope. You’re the boss. He’s the brain.”

  Ivan laughed. “What does that make you?”

  “The beauty, of course,” Dante replied.

  “Come on, slowpokes. We’re wasting time,” Malia said.

  Off they went. Ivan had decided to wear ALL his swimming gear because he liked to be prepared. “I’m ready!” he shouted.

  Dante grinned. “Time to show off these hazel eyes in the hot tub.”

  Malia sighed at her weird cousins.

  As they headed down 11th Street, she patted the head of her yellow duck floatie. “I’m going to float all afternoon. When I’m not speeding down the slide, I mean.”

  “Hello, children!” a sweet voice exclaimed. It was an old woman, sweeping the sidewalk in front of a little house. “You must be new to Little Mexico.”

  “Yes, ma’am. We’re visiting our aunt for the summer,” Malia replied politely.

  The old woman’s eyes twinkled. “Going to the water park, I see.”

  “Yes,” Ivan said.

  The old woman glanced at Malia. “Why carry a purse, m’ija?”

  “It has my phone and other important stuff in it,” she answered.

  “Valuables! Good. Still, what’s most important is in your heart,” the old lady replied.

  Dante giggled. “Hear that, boss?”

  The old woman raised an eyebrow at him. “Boss? Maybe you should learn to act on your own. Be a little braver, m’ijo.”

  Malia was getting a little freaked out by this lady. “Well, uh, thanks! We’ve got to go.”

  “There’s a shortcut, you know,” the woman said. “Turn right before the bakery. The alley’s the quickest way to summer fun!”

  Dante gave her a thumbs-up. “Thanks, ma’am!”

  “Call me Doña Chabela.” She pronounced the first word don-ya. “I’ll see you three on your way back!”

  Malia didn’t like to take shortcuts. But they were in a hurry.

  The alley was behind a bakery and smelled like Mexican pastries. It was shady and cool, but as the kids walked, the sky got darker. When they stepped out of the alley, the wind started to moan and it began to sprinkle.

  “No fair!” Dante cried. “What if they close the water park?”

  Malia put her arm out to stop them from entering traffic. But there were no cars coming or going. No people crowded the sidewalks. No horns. No voices. No music.

  Just eerie silence.

  Chapter<
br />
  3

  No Exit, No Escape

  Ivan glanced around the empty street. Most buildings had boarded-up windows. “Is a storm coming?”

  Malia pulled her phone from her pink purse. “My weather app says sunny skies.”

  Dante looked up at the dark clouds. Two drops of rain hit him right in the eyes. “Ugh! Well, your phone’s wrong.”

  Ivan looked worried. “Where’s the water park?”

  Dante shrugged. “Aunt Lucy said we’d see it when we hit 12th Street.”

  “Uh-oh,” Ivan said, pointing at the street sign. “This is 13th Street!”

  Malia squinted. “But we didn’t cross any other roads, right?”

  “Dunno. We were just following you, boss. As ordered.” Dante saluted.

  “Maybe the smell of sweet bread distracted her,” Ivan said. “She’s got a weakness for empanadas.”

  Malia groaned. “Knock it off, you two. Let’s just retrace our steps.”

  But when they turned to reenter the alley, it was gone!

  “Okay,” Malia said, trying to stay calm. “Maybe we walked too far away from the entrance.”

  “We took like three steps, Malia.” Dante’s voice trembled. “No. Something’s not right.”

  “I’ll use my map app to get a better route,” Malia said.

  But her phone couldn’t find their location.

  “Could be the storm,” Ivan said. “Try looking up the street name.”

  Malia’s thumbs bounced all over the screen. Then, eyes wide, she gave a horrified GASP.

  “Guys, the map says . . . there is no 13th Street. Not in this town. Not in the WHOLE STATE!”

  Dante shuddered. “¡Uy, cucuy!”

  Ivan looked at him funny. “Monster? What monster?”

  “No monster, dude. I just say that when I’m freaked out,” said Dante.

  “Don’t talk about monsters, guys,” Malia scolded. “It’s bad luck!”

  Lightning flashed overhead. Thunder shook the ground under their feet.

  “Too late,” Ivan said.

  “Come on!” Malia ordered. “Let’s just turn on the first street we find. That should take us back the way we came.”

  The cousins hurried up the sidewalk. They passed business after business, all closed, windows shuttered.

  They jogged a hundred feet. Two hundred. Three hundred. Businesses became apartment buildings. Their windows were dark, their stoops were empty.

  There were no other streets. There were no other alleys.

  Ivan kicked off his flippers and began to run. Malia and Dante were right behind him. Block after block they ran.

  But there was no exit, no escape.

  Thirteenth Street went on forever and ever.

  Chapter

  4

  Scary Squawks and Squeaks

  Out of breath, the three cousins slowed and stopped.

  “This,” gasped Dante, “is crazy. Call Aunt Lucy.”

  Malia nodded, pulling out her phone. But now she had no signal.

  “Not good,” Ivan muttered.

  “Remember what Doña Chabela said,” Dante reminded them with a smirk. “What’s most important is in our hearts.”

  “Gimme a break!” Malia said.

  Suddenly Ivan lifted his hand. “Shhh. Do you hear that?”

  There was a faint sound in the distance. With the rustling came a creepy clicking and scratching that sent chills down their spines. Then they heard squawks and squeaks echoing all around them.

  “What is that?” Dante asked, horrified.

  “Sounds like a bunch of birds with broken beaks,” Ivan replied.

  “And they’re getting closer!” Malia pointed out, spinning around and around.

  Dante swallowed hard. “Guys, this is really creeping me out!”

  The sounds got louder and louder!

  WHOOP! WHOOP!

  CLICK-SCRAAAATCH!

  CLICK-SCRAAAATCH!

  SQUAAAAWWWWK!

  SQUEEEEAAAAK!

  The kids backed up until their butts bumped into a building. Malia pulled her floaties down onto her fists, lifting them like a boxer.

  That’s when a gigantic bat dropped from the sky.

  It was ENORMOUS! Its leathery wings were as wide as garbage trucks. Its thick, stumpy legs ended in shiny sharp claws, and it had huge pointed ears that could hear every move of its prey.

  THUD!

  The monster landed in the street in front of them.

  SCREEEECH!

  It made an earsplitting sound as it slowly turned its head.

  Malia wanted to scream. Ivan was ready to run.

  Dante’s heart was racing. He could hardly move, but he opened his mouth and whispered two words.

  “¡Uy, cucuy!”

  Chapter

  5

  Desperate for a Door

  Malia turned to Dante. “Don’t say that again. Do something!”

  “L-like w-what?” Dante stuttered. He was so afraid he could barely think.

  “I don’t know! You’ve got to be good at something!” Malia said.

  “Just video games,” Ivan muttered.

  Something clicked in Dante’s brain. Ivan had said the magic words.

  “Oh.” Dante’s eyes got big. “Oh! That’s it!”

  He turned and looked at the door behind them.

  “No, not this one,” he said.

  The gigantic bat twitched its ears and took a step toward them.

  THUD!

  Though his legs were trembling, Dante rushed up the sidewalk a few feet. He stared at the next door. Then he shook his head.

  “Not this one, either.”

  THUD!

  “Dante?” Malia asked, her voice shaky. “Whatever you’re doing, hurry!”

  Ivan sniffed at the air. “Do you smell that?”

  THUD!

  The bat leaned forward, snarling and hissing at them.

  Malia gagged. The creature’s breath STANK!

  Ivan dropped to his knees, pinching his nose shut with his fingers.

  “That’s DISGUSTING!” he moaned.

  Dante didn’t seem to notice. He was squinting, looking across the street, beyond the giant bat. “Maybe?” he said to himself.

  Then, over the roofs of the buildings, came hundreds of smaller, people-sized bats.

  A wave of wings, claws, and sharp teeth was heading straight for the cousins!

  “Dante!” shouted Ivan, looking up. “The stinky monster’s got a bunch of friends! Please tell us you found something!”

  “I . . . I think so. You know how some games mark doors you can go through? Like with a green light versus a red one? Well, across the street there are two doors with the exact same symbol. It might mean we can open them.”

  Malia looked at the buildings Dante was pointing out. On each doorframe was a mark. Two horizontal bars, one on top of the other. Three dots in a line above them.

  “Well, maybe we should . . . ,” Malia began. Then something grabbed at her hair!

  Twisting around, she saw bats climbing down the front of the building! One of them hooked its claws in her curls. It was trying to yank her into the air! Nasty bat breath spilled all over her.

  Malia pulled away and rushed into the street with a scream. “Run!”

  Ivan hurried after her. The bats launched themselves into the air.

  “Oh, Dante, you’d better be right!” Ivan shouted. They all raced toward the nearest marked door.

  Malia reached it first. A dozen bats swooped toward her! They opened their nasty jaws. The odor was almost too much!

  Malia held her breath, grabbed the doorknob, and turned.

  There was a click. Malia yanked the door open.

  Just then, Ivan and Dante slammed into her from behind!

  The three cousins went tumbling into the darkness inside.

  Chapter

  6

  A Ghostly Host

  “Oh no! You’re going to let them in!”

  It
was a girl’s voice. She sounded worried.

  With good reason. The gigantic bat’s face was looming just outside the door!

  “Close up, Kalaan!” the girl shouted.

  The door slammed shut.

  The cousins had tumbled to the floor. Malia stood up and flipped the light switch near the closed door.

  They were in a lobby. Standing at the foot of the stairs was a girl.

  And she was transparent. Malia could literally see the staircase through the outline of the girl’s body.

  Malia shuddered and squeezed her yellow duck. The air blew out with a squeak. The girl giggled.

  “A ghost!” Dante said. He sat up and crossed himself.

  “Hmm . . . I don’t think I’m a ghost,” the girl said. “I don’t feel dead, anyway.”

  Ivan was still on the floor. “Well, you sure are see-through. And,” he added, putting his cheek against the tile, “whoa, and your feet aren’t touching the ground.”

  “My name is Yoliya,” the girl said. “And you’re lucky you got away from the Snatch Bats when you did.”

  Ivan sat up. “I’m Ivan, and that’s Malia and Dante.”

  The girl smiled, like she was happy to have company.

  “What was that thing you said?” Ivan asked. “‘Close up, Kalaan.’ Is that the reverse of ‘open sesame’ or something?”

  Yoliya nodded. “Yes, more or less. Except to open a door, we say, ‘Open, Hebaan.’ Uh-oh!”

  WHAM! The door opened.

  Dozens of Snatch Bats screeched and zoomed toward them.

  Malia jumped back, startled. Then she reached out and slammed the door shut before the monsters could get inside.

  “Okaaaay,” Malia said. “Look, we’re not from here. We got lost.”

  “I’m not from here, either,” Yoliya said, tears forming in her eyes. “I . . . don’t remember where I’m from.”