1. Into the Graveyard

Eerie Elementary The Locker ATE Lucy! By Jack Chabert Illustrated by Sam Ricks

INTO THE GRAVEYARD 1 "Come on. This will just take a minute," said Sam to his friends, Antonio and Lucy. It was Monday morning before school. They were standing outside the entrance to the town graveyard, Eerie Cemetery. "Sam, do we really have to do this?" Lucy asked. "I've got the willies, big time." "Me, too," Antonio said. "I'm allergic to graveyards."

Sam Graves turned to his friends. "We need to figure out how to stop our evil school, right?" he said. "Then we have to do this. We have to learn as much about Eerie Elementary as possible. That way, we'll be able to fight it!" The three friends stepped through the iron gate. The graveyard usually gave Sam the creeps, but it didn't seem so scary now— not after everything that had happened.... It was one week ago that Mr. Nekobi, the old man who took care of Eerie Elementary, had chosen Sam to be the new hall monitor.

Years ago, Mr. Nekobi had been the school's hall monitor. He showed Sam the truth about Eerie Elementary: It was alive! The school was a living, breathing, evil thing. Then, on Friday, the school had tried to swallow Lucy and Antonio during the class play! Sam had saved them in the nick of time. The three friends and Mr. Nekobi were the only ones who knew the truth about the school. They had to keep everyone safe. "There!" Lucy said, pointing to a hill dotted with cracked headstones. "The book says that's where the Eerie family is buried." Lucy held a thick and dusty book in her hands: Eerie: A Town History.

The three friends had spent the weekend at the town library looking for information. From this book, they learned that a family with the last name of Eerie started the town hundreds of years ago. The book said that the Eerie family was buried in this graveyard. It also said that each member of the Eerie family had started part of the town— the library, the hospital, and even the school! Sam hoped that by seeing the graves they might learn more about the school's history. Sam eyed the headstones. Each headstone had the name Eerie on it. It felt as if the headstones were watching him. Sam counted them: twelve. "Lucy, can I see the book?" Sam asked.

Lucy handed it to Sam. He flipped through the pages. "Guys, this is strange," he said. "The book says there were thirteen members of the Eerie family. So there should be thirteen headstones. But there are only twelve. One family member is not buried here." "Weird..." Antonio said. "You know, it's no surprise all this creepy stuff is happening in a town named Eerie— 'eerie' does mean spooky and strange." "Whose grave is missing, Sam?" Lucy asked. Sam's eyes darted over the names on the headstones. Then he looked in the book.