54 - Don't Go To Sleep (8 page)

“I need to sleep in my old room,” I begged. “Please, Mom. Let me go upstairs
and sleep in my room. It’s a matter of life and death!”

“I don’t know you,” Mom said. “And I don’t know any Matt. You have the wrong
house.”

“This kid is some kind of wacko,” Greg said.

“Mom! Wait!” I cried.

Mom slammed the door in my face.

I turned around and started down the walk. What do I do now? I wondered.

Then I stopped. I glanced down the block. Three people were running toward
me. The last three people I wanted to see. Lacie, Bruce, and Wayne. The Reality
Police! They’d found me!

“There he is!” Lacie pointed at me. The three of them started to run.

“Get him!”

I turned and ran. It wasn’t easy. I couldn’t run very fast.

Why did I have to wake up chubby this time?

I did have one advantage. I knew the neighborhood inside out—and they
didn’t. I ran across the yard to the next-door neighbor’s house.

I glanced back. The Reality Police were gaining on me. They were half a block
away.

I disappeared behind the neighbor’s house. Then I sneaked back around to my
house.

At the back of the garage is a line of thick shrubs. I threw myself behind
the shrubs and held my breath.

A few minutes later, three pairs of feet hurried past me.

“Where’d he go?” I heard Lacie ask.

“He must’ve gone the other way,” Wayne said. “Come on!”

They ran off.

Whew. I could breathe again. I let out a whoosh of air.

Safe for now. But I knew the Reality Police would find me again.

I had to get back to my room. But there was no way Mom would let me in. She
thought I was a total nutcase.

There was only one thing to do. I had to break into the house.

I’d wait until nighttime. Till everyone was asleep.

Then I’d find an open window somewhere—or break one if I had to.

I’d sneak into my room and sleep there. I hoped I wouldn’t find someone else
sleeping there.

In the meantime, I had to wait for night. I stayed hidden behind the shrubs.
I lay as still as I could.

And I struggled to stay awake. I didn’t want to fall asleep again.

If I fell asleep, who knew what I’d be? I might never get to my room.

The hours ticked slowly by. At last night came. The neighborhood got quiet.

I pulled myself out of the shrubs. My legs and arms ached from hiding.

I looked at the house. Everyone had gone to bed, except for Mom. Her bedroom
light was still on.

I waited until it went off. I waited another half hour to give her time to
fall sound asleep.

Then I crept around to the front of the house. My room was on the second
floor.

I knew Mom had locked all the doors. I knew she’d locked all the first-floor
windows. She did that every night.

I had to climb to the second floor and sneak in through my window. It was the
only way.

I had to climb up the tree that grew by my window. Then reach out and grab
the rain gutter.

Then set myself down on the narrow ledge outside my window. I’d have to cling
to the gutter for balance.

If I could make it to the ledge, I might be able to open the window and crawl
in.

That was the plan, anyway. The more I thought about it, the more stupid it
sounded.

Better not think about it, then, I decided. Just do it.

I stood up on my toes, stretching toward the lowest branch of the tree. It
was just out of reach. I’d have to jump.

I bent my knees and sprang up. My fingertips grazed the branch, but I
couldn’t get a grip on it.

If only I weren’t so chubby! I could barely get off the ground.

I won’t give up, I vowed. If this doesn’t work, I’m doomed.

So I took a deep breath. I gathered all my strength.

I crouched down. I sprang up as high as I could.

Yes! I grabbed the branch!

I hung there for a second, wriggling. I kicked my legs. They were so heavy!

I twisted around and walked my legs up the tree trunk. With a grunt of
effort, I hoisted myself onto the branch.

Whew.

The rest of the tree was pretty easy. I climbed up until I reached the branch
just outside my window.

I grabbed a branch over my head as I stood up. I could just reach the rain
gutter. I sure hoped it would hold.

I grasped the gutter. I tried to put my foot on the window ledge.

I missed.

I was hanging by my fingertips from the gutter!

I looked down. The ground seemed far away.

I squeezed my lips shut to keep myself from screaming.

I panted, hanging there. I had to get my foot on that ledge—or I’d fall.

I wriggled to the left, trying to get closer to the ledge.
CRACK!
What
was that?
CRACK!
The gutter! It wasn’t going to hold!

CRACK!

I felt myself sink. The gutter was about to give way.

I mustered all my strength. Clinging to the gutter, I stretched one leg out
as far as it would go. My toes touched the window ledge.

I set one foot down. Then the other.

I made it!

I crouched on the ledge. I clung to the gutter with one hand, for balance.

I didn’t move. I tried to catch my breath. The night was cool. But I felt
drops of sweat trickle down my face. I wiped them away with my free hand.

I peered through the window. My room was dark. Was anybody in there?

I couldn’t tell.

The window was shut.

Please don’t let it be locked, I prayed.

If I couldn’t get in, I’d be stuck up on the ledge. I’d have no way to get
down.

Unless I fell down, of course.

I carefully tried the window. It slid up. It wasn’t locked!

I pushed it open. Then I crawled into the room. I tumbled onto the floor.

I froze. Did anyone hear me?

No sounds. Everyone was still asleep.

I pulled myself to my feet. There was my bed! My old bed! And it was empty!

I was so happy, I wanted to jump up and shout. But I didn’t.

I’ll save the celebration for tomorrow, I decided. If my plan works.

I took off my shoes and crawled into bed. I sighed. Clean sheets.

It felt good to be back. Everything was almost normal.

I was sleeping in my own bed. Mom and Pam and Greg were all asleep in their
rooms.

Okay, I didn’t look like myself. I didn’t have my old body back yet.

And my family didn’t recognize me. If they saw me now, they’d think I was a
burglar. Or a maniac.

I pushed those things out of my mind. I wanted to think about the morning.

What will happen tomorrow? I wondered sleepily.

Who will I be when I wake up? Will my life be normal again?

Or will I find Lacie and those two guys standing over me, ready to pounce?

There was only one way to find out. I closed my eyes and drifted off to
sleep.

I felt something warm on my face. Sunlight.

I opened my eyes. Where was I?

I glanced around. I was in a small, cramped, messy room full of junk.

My old room!

My heart skipped a beat. Did my plan work? Was I back to normal?

I couldn’t wait to find out. I threw off the covers and jumped out of bed. I
hurried to the mirror on the back of my bedroom door.

I saw a skinny, blond, twelve-year-old boy. Yes! I was back!

I was me again!

“Woo-hoo!” I cried.

Biggie nosed the door open and waddled into the room. He growled at me. He
barked.

“Biggie!” I cried happily. I bent down and hugged him. He snapped at me.

Good old Biggie.

“Matt!” I heard Mom’s voice call from the kitchen. My
real
mom’s
voice.

“Matt! Leave Biggie alone! Stop teasing him!”

“I’m not teasing him!” I yelled back. She always blames me for everything.

But I didn’t care! I was so glad to be back!

I scrambled downstairs for breakfast.

There they sat. Mom. Pam. Greg. Just the way I left them.

“The geek enters the kitchen for his morning feeding,” Greg spoke into his
tape recorder. “What does a geek eat? Let’s watch and find out.”

“Greg!” I sang. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him.

“Hey!” He swatted me away. “Get off me, geek!”

“And Pam!” I gave her a big hug too.

“What’s your problem, pea-brain?” she snapped. “I know—you got kidnapped by
aliens last night! Am I right? And they brainwashed you!”

I ignored her jokes. I patted the top of her Brillo pad hair.

“Cut it out!” she whined.

I gave my mom the biggest hug of all.

“Thanks, honey.” She patted me on the back. At least
she
was on my
side, once in a while.

“Get some cereal, Matt,” she said. “I’m running late.”

I sighed happily and fixed myself some cereal. Everything was back to normal.
No one even noticed I’d been gone.

I’m never going into that stupid guest room again, I vowed. Never. I’m going
to stay in my little room from now on—no matter how cramped it gets.

THWACK!
Something stung me on the back of the neck.

I whirled around. Greg grinned at me. He held a straw in one hand.

He spoke into the tape recorder. “What happens if you shoot a paper wad at
the geek? How does he respond?”

“I bet he cries like a baby,” Pam said.

I shrugged and went back to my cereal. “You can’t bother me,” I said. “I’m
too happy.”

Pam and Greg exchanged glances. Pam twirled one finger at the side of her
head. It was the international signal for “He’s nuts.”

“Something has happened to the geek,” Greg announced.

“Yeah,” Pam agreed. “The geek has changed.”

School was so much fun that day. It was great to be in seventh grade again.
So much easier than high school.

We played soccer in gym. I even scored a goal.

But on my way to my last class, I saw something that made my heart stop.

A girl walking down the hall. About my age. Long, thick blond hair in a
ponytail.

Oh, no.

Lacie!

I froze. What should I do?

Were the Reality Police still after me? I had fixed everything! They didn’t
need to put me to sleep anymore!

I’ve got to get out of here, I decided. I got ready to run.

Then the girl turned around. She grinned at me.

It wasn’t Lacie. Just some girl with long blond hair.

I took a deep breath. I need to relax, I thought.

It’s over now. It was all a bad dream. Sort of.

The girl walked away. I went to my last class. No sign of Lacie, Bruce, or
Wayne anywhere.

I whistled all the way home, thinking about how easy my homework was going to
be.

I walked into the house. “Hi, Matt!” Mom called.

“Mom?” I was surprised to see her. She was usually at work when I got home.
“What are you doing home so early?”

She smiled at me. “I took the day off,” she explained. “I had a few things to
do around the house.”

“Oh.” I shrugged and turned on the TV.

Mom switched it off. “Matt—aren’t you curious?”

“Curious? About what?”

“About what I’ve been doing all day?”

I glanced around the living room. Everything looked the same.

“I don’t know,” I said. “What have you been doing?”

She smiled again. She looked excited about something.

“Have you forgotten?” she said. “It’s your birthday this week!”

Actually, I
had
forgotten. So much weird stuff had been going on.

When you’re running for your life, you don’t think much about your birthday.

“I have a special surprise for you,” Mom said. “Come upstairs and I’ll show
you.”

I followed her upstairs. I started getting excited. What could the surprise
be?

It wasn’t like Mom to make such a big deal about my birthday. The surprise
must be something really great, I decided.

She stopped in front of my bedroom door.

“Is the surprise in my room?” I asked.

“Look.” She pushed open the door.

I peered inside. My room was filled with cartons. Big boxes from floor to
ceiling.

Wow!

“Are all those presents for me?” I asked.

Mom laughed. “Presents? All those boxes? Of course not!” She cracked up.

I knew it had to be too good to be true.

“Well—what’s the surprise, then?” I asked.

“Matt,” she began, “I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day. And
I decided you were right. Your room is too small for you. So I’ve turned it into
a storage closet.”

“You—you what?”

“That’s right.” She walked across the hall.

She threw open the guest room door. “Ta-da!”

No. Oh, no.

It can’t be. Not that.

“Happy Birthday, Matt!” Mom shouted. “Welcome to your new room!”

“Uh… uh… uh…” I couldn’t say a word.

My bed, my dresser, all my posters and books—they were all set up in the
guest room.

“Matt? What’s the matter?” Mom cried. “This is what you said you wanted!”

My mouth fell open. I started to scream.

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