The Burning

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

IT BEGAN IN FIRE …

… the fire that burned innocent Susannah Goode at the stake. But the Goodes had their revenge. They cursed the Fiers forever.

The curse brought death and destruction to generations of Fiers—until Simon came along.

Simon thinks he's beaten the curse. He's changed his family name to Fear. He has the powerful amulet his ancestors wore. He's gone to New Orleans to start a new life. Nothing's going to stop him.

That's what Simon thinks.

No one escapes from the curse.

It began in fire … and now it ends with The Burning.

Books by R.L. Stine

Fear Street

ALL-NIGHT PARTY

BAD DREAMS

THE BEST FRIEND

THE BEST FRIEND 2: SPECIAL EDITION

THE BOY NEXTDOOR

THE CHEATER

COLLEGE WEEKEND

THE CONFESSION

THE DARE

DEAD END

DOUBLE DATE

THE FACE

FINAL GRADE

THE FIRE GAME

FIRST DATE

HALLOWEEN PARTY

HAUNTED

INTO THE DARK

KILLER'S KISS

THE KNIFE

LET'S PARTY

LIGHTS OUT

THE MIND READER

MISSING

THE NEW BOY

THE NEW GIRL

NIGHT GAMES

ONE EVIL SUMMER

THE OVERNIGHT

THE PERFECT DATE

THE PROM QUEEN

THE RICH GIRL

THE RUNAWAY

SECRET ADMIRER

THE SECRET BEDROOM

SKI WEEKEND

THE SLEEPWALKER

THE STEPSISTER

THE STEPSISTER 2

SUNBURN

THE SURPRISE PARTY

SWITCHED

THE THRILL CLUB

TRAPPED

TRUTH OR DARE

WHAT HOLLY HEARD

WHO KILLED THE HOMECOMING QUEEN?

THE WRONG NUMBER WRONG NUMBER 2

Fear Park

THE FIRST SCREAM

THE LOUDEST SCREAM

THE LAST SCREAM

Fear Street Cheerleaders

THE FIRST EVIL

THE SECOND EVIL

THE THIRD EVIL

THE NEW EVIL

CHEERLEADERS: THE EVIL LIVES! (A Fear Street Super-chiller)

Fear Street Duet

FEAR HALL: THE BEGINNING

FEAR HALL: THE CONCLUSION

Fear Street Trilogies

The Cataluna Chronicles

THE EVIL MOON #1

THE DARK SECRET #2

THE DEADLY FIRE #3

99 Fear Street: The House of Evil

THE FIRST HORROR

THE SECOND HORROR

THE THIRD HORROR

Fear Street Saga

THE BETRAYAL #1

THE SECRET #2

THE BURNING #3

THE AWAKENING EVIL

CHILDREN OF FEAR

DANCE OF DEATH

DAUGHTERS OF SILENCE

FORBIDDEN SECRETS

HEART OF THE HUNTER

THE HIDDEN EVIL

HOUSE OF WHISPERS

THE SIGN OF FEAR

A NEW FEAR

Fear Street Super Chillers

BAD MOONLIGHT

BROKEN HEARTS

THE DEAD LIFEGUARD

GOODNIGHT KISS

GOODNIGHT KISS 2

HIGH TIDE

THE NEW YEAR'S PARTY

PARTY SUMMER

SILENT NIGHT

SILENT NIGHT #2

SILENT NIGHT #3

Other novels

HOW I BROKE UP WITH ERNIE

PHONE CALLS

CURTAINS

BROKEN DATE

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

R.L.STINE

SIMON PULSE
New York London Toronto Sydney Singapore

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

First Simon Pulse edition October 2002

Text copyright © 1993 by Parachute Press, Inc.

Originally published as an Archway Paperback in October 1993

SIMON PULSE An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

Printed in USA

20  19  18  17   16  15  14  13  12  11

ISBN 0-671-86833-0

ISBN 13: 978-0-671-86833-8

eISBN 978-1-439-12035-4

FEAR STREET is a registered trademark of Parachute Press, Inc.

THE FIER FAMILY TREE

T
he candle flickered low. Candle wax puddled on the narrow wooden tabletop.

Nora Goode set down her pen and stretched. Her shoulders ached. She rubbed her tired eyes.

Shadows cast by the single candle danced around the small room. Nora raised her eyes to the small window. Pale gray light seeped in between the bars.

The first light of morning, Nora thought. She felt a stab of panic in her chest.

The first light of morning, and I still have so much to write.

She flexed her aching fingers, then picked up the pen. “I must finish my story before they come for me,” she murmured.

The story of the two families—the Fears and the
Goodes. The story of the evil curse that followed them through time.

So much to tell.

She had been writing all night, but she knew she had to continue. Nora swept her dark hair back over her shoulders. Then gave a start.

What was that darting shadow against the wall?

Nora turned to see a scrawny rat scamper across the bare floorboards toward her feet.

Ignore it, she told herself. Do not be distracted, Nora. This story is too important.

It must be told. It must be written.

If I do not finish the story of the Fears, no one will know how to stop the evil. Then the horrors will continue forever.

Nora hunched over the table and started to write again. I must now tell the story of Simon Fear, she decided.

To try to avoid the family curse, Simon changed his name from Fier to Fear. As a young man of twenty-one, he moved to New Orleans to seek his fortune.

Nora shook her head bitterly. Did Simon really believe he could leave two hundred years of evil behind him?

Ignoring the scratching of the rat, ignoring the sputtering of the dying candle, Nora dipped her pen in the inkwell and continued to write….

S
imon Fear stopped in front of the white picket fence that stretched the length of the sprawling white mansion. Through the enormous front window he could see the partygoers in fancy dress.

It was brighter than day inside the ballroom. The light from the window swept over the front lawn. Horse-drawn carriages waited in line by the entrance to let off their passengers. A row of servants in uniform stood ready to assist them.

Simon hesitated. He pulled at the cuffs of his jacket. The sleeves were too short. His shirt cuffs were frayed. He had no ruffles on his shirtfront.

These are the wealthiest society people in New Orleans, he told himself, watching a woman in a full, three-tiered pink ball gown enter the white-columned
mansion. Do I really have the nerve to enter this party without an invitation?

The answer, of course, was
yes
.

Before dressing for the party, Simon had made a mental list of his assets:

I am good-looking.

I can be very charming and witty if I desire to be.