Goosebumps: Revenge of the Invisible Boy

Back to School

Hannah awoke to something she hadn't seen in days: sunlight.

It was streaming into her room through her window, illuminating everything in a soft, golden light.

She had never seen something so beautiful.

The sun never shone in Horrorland. In fact, Hannah wasn't even sure that book had a sun. Instead, the whole world had been in a state of perpetual night, lit only by the light of the full moon.

As she shifted under the covers, stretching, she took a deep breath.

This was definitely her house. The smell of bacon and sausage lingered in the air, inviting her downstairs.

So, Hannah got up. Even though she was still tired, she was pretty hungry, now that she thought about it.

When she stood up, she winced. She was also pretty sore, it seemed. Most of her bruises had disappeared overnight, but her muscles were still in pain after all the running she had done. Still, she could walk.

She had a feeling she would not be running for a while.

Hannah walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, following the delicious scent of her dad's cooking.

Her dad was an excellent cook. He loved cooking breakfast for the two of them, and had done it quite often because he had been able to decide what time her school started. But now that Hannah was attending a real school, and he had an actual job, she was surprised he could find the time (he had told her all about his new job and his decision to let her go to real school when she had been eating dinner last night).

Stine was bending over the stove, poring pancake batter into a skillet.

"Good morning dad." Hannah said tiredly.

Stine turned around, surprised.

"Good morning, Hannah." He said. "I didn't know you would be up this early."

"Well, it's my first day of school, I kinda have to go, don't I?" Hannah answered with a yawn.

"Oh, Hannah, I don't expect you to go to school today," Stine said, crossing the room and giving his daughter a hug, then putting his hands on her shoulders. "You're exhausted, you need rest. School can wait till tomorrow."

Hannah sat down at the kitchen table as her filled her plate. It all looked so delicious.

"But Dad, I need to see Zach today!" She said, pouring syrup on her pancakes. "I mean, he doesn't even know I'm alive yet!"

"And I'm not telling you that you can't see Zach today." Stine said. "Lord knows he needs to see you as much as you need to see him. But at school, Hannah? And on your first day? I just don't want you to get in trouble for falling asleep in class."

Hannah thought about it as she took a bite of her pancakes. She was still exhausted. But... She just had to see Zach. She missed him so much.

Seeing her inner turmoil, her dad sat down at the table with her.

"Okay, how about this?" He said soothingly. "You stay here and get some rest for the whole day. Then, when school is about to end, come on to the school building. You can meet him there, surprise him, and spend some time with him. And maybe we can all go out to dinner tonight or something. How does that sound?"

Hannah smiled. "That sounds perfect, dad. Thanks."

"Good." Stine said, getting up and grabbing his briefcase. "I have to leave now, but I'll see you in a few hours, okay? Get some rest."