Lost in Cyberspace by Richard Peck

English.”
    â€œGreat. So if Camilla’s here, why do I have to keep off my phone?”
    â€œJosh, you are so immature. Think. Now that I’m in with Camilla, everybody will be calling.” Heather did six more dance steps toward the door and left, taking my phone.
    Then she was back, handing me my phone.
    â€œListen, if I get a call, take a message. Stay in your room. You don’t need to meet Camilla. I don’t want anything to go wrong. Are there any questions?”
    â€œLook, Heather, I’ve got a lot on my mind,” I said. “Maybe you could just tell me why Camilla Van Allen is here and what it has to do with Feona. Keep it short. I thought you didn’t like Feona. You said she smelled like horse—”
    â€œBut I remembered that Camilla Van Allen’s family has a horse farm in Far Hills. Feona’s on Camilla’s social level, but English. She rides. She’s going to teach me to ride. I’m going to get a good seat. Camilla will invite me to Far Hills. What am I going to wear? I happened to mention Feona in school where Camilla could hear. I didn’t say Feona was an O Pear, for heaven’s sake. I said she was like related to us. Do you know what her last name is?”
    â€œDidn’t catch it.”
    â€œFoxworthy,” Heather breathed.
    Feona Foxworthy?
    â€œThe Foxworthys are practically royalty. Their name rang a bell with Camilla. Feona’s family lives in two places: London and their country estate.”
    â€œOur mom and dad live in two places. New York and Chi—”
    â€œNot like that.”
    â€œI thought Feona wasn’t staying. She thought we had stables and horses. She thought we stalk and shoot.”
    â€œBut we’ve got Central Park. Camilla’s telling her how you can rent horses from a stable over on West Eighty-ninth Street.”
    â€œGreat,” I said. “Brill.” But Heather was out the door.
    When I was sure she was gone, I punched the Zimmer penthouse number again, just to be on the safe side. I told their housekeeper that Aaron and I would leave from here for school tomorrow. I’d loan him a clean shirt and underwear.
    â€œSay what?” she said. I repeated myself. She said okay.
    When I signed off, the phone rang. “Hello,” said this voice. “This is Muffie MacInteer. Is Camilla Van Allen there?”
    I took a message. The next day I had to go back to school. And Aaron wasn’t going to be on the bus.

10
    To Horse and Away
    Feona was an early riser. I had a quick breakfast with her. She wore her velvet riding hard hat at the table and was reading a magazine called Horse and Hound. She sort of fed and watered herself.
    I was at school by seven-thirty. The media center in Vanderwhitney House wasn’t officially open yet, but it was unlocked. I crept past the books back to the Black Hole. That door was locked.
    The situation looked hopeless. My head hurt from worrying. I rested it against the door.
    A voice spoke from the other side. “Mrs. Newbery?” A familiar voice.
    â€œAaron?”
    â€œJosh?”
    Now I was annoyed. I practically hadn’t slept all night. Now this.
    â€œGet the key,” the small voice said. “It’s in Mrs. Newbery’s top left-hand desk drawer. Under her bottle of Maalox.”
    I went for it and got lucky. Mrs. Newbery didn’t come in to find me rifling through her desk. She was due any minute.
    When I opened the door, Aaron was standing there in yesterday’s clothes. Red rims circled his eyes. He was eating an apple. He looked around me.
    â€œYou were just kidding about Buster Brewster and a gun, right?”
    I sighed. “Aaron—”
    He put up a small hand. “Josh, it’s too late for skeptical. You were there. And then I wasn’t. Right? You can’t deny it.”
    â€œBut I didn’t see anything. You were gone. And where did you get that apple