Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? by Belle Payton Page B

I’m petrified,” Ava admitted, leaning against a sink. “Are you in trouble? What happened?”
    â€œRosa lost her silver bracelet,” Alex said.
    â€œAnd?” Ava couldn’t believe they were hidden away because of a bracelet. “Did you take it?”
    â€œOf course not! But we’re going to find it.”
    â€œI’m still not getting this. You want me to help you look for Rosa’s bracelet?” Ava asked. The sink dripped behind her. The gray tile smelled of cleaning supplies.
    â€œYou and me. Together. With our Power,” Alex said quietly. “Like we do when we read minds.”
    â€œWe don’t read minds,” Ava scoffed. She couldn’t believe her sister was getting so hung up on this stuff. Alex was usually the logical one.
    â€œI think we can.” Alex gave her a really intense look. “I promised Rosa we’d try. That together we could see where her missing bracelet is.”
    Ava blew out her breath. “We could just look around the school.”
    â€œShe did that. Listen, Ave, everyone is counting on us to do this. And I really think we can. This is the good thing I was telling you about,” Alex explained. “This bracelet is important to Rosa. You kind of owe it to her to try.”
    â€œThe bell’s going to ring in a few minutes,” Ava said. This whole idea was too weird.
    â€œWe’ll try really quickly. Come in here.” Alex pulled Ava with her into a narrow stall. They squeezed on either side of the toilet. “I think it will work better if we’re really close together.”
    â€œIt stinks in here, Al.” Ava felt silly standing with her sister in a stall. “What if someone walks in?”
    â€œThey’ll think it’s a twin thing,” Alex replied.
    â€œGoing to the bathroom together? Oh, that’s great.” Ava blew out her breath. Then she sucked it back in. It really did stink.
    Alex grasped both of Ava’s hands over the toilet. “Close your eyes.”
    Ava closed her eyes. “You owe me big-time.”
    â€œShhh. Now think about Rosa’s bracelet. It’s silver. It used to belong to her mother when she was a girl,” Alex said.
    Ava thought about a bracelet. She had no idea what Rosa’s looked like exactly. “Is it working?”
    â€œIt doesn’t happen that fast,” Alex said. “Really concentrate on the bracelet. I will too. And try to form a picture in your mind of where it is right now.”
    The squeak of hinges alerted them to the opening of the bathroom door. Ava’s eyes shot open. Alex motioned frantically to the toilet.
    â€œWhat?” Ava mouthed.
    â€œGet up!” Alex pointed to the sides of the toilet seat. School toilets had no lid.
    Ava groaned. Gross! Then she heard the footsteps. And voices she didn’t recognize. Ava leaped onto the toilet seat. Her sneakers balanced on either side of the bowl.
    She tried not to look down.
    Tried not to think about falling into toilet water.
    Alex kept a grip on both her hands. Ava felt ridiculous. If any of those girls opened the stall door, what would they possibly think? She looked as if she were doing a circus routine!
    â€œIs that a new lip gloss?” one girl asked. She sounded as if she were over by the mirrors.
    â€œYep. Super-sparkle shine. And it smells like grapefruit,” said another.
    Alex gave her hand a hard squeeze. “Think about the bracelet,” she mouthed.
    Ava tried. She really did.
    The lip gloss girls left, and a pair of scuffed navy flats walked in. The girl headed toward the farthest stall.
    Bracelet, Ava reminded herself. How long would she have to stay perched on a toilet? She heard the girl using the toilet. Ava stared with disgust into the toilet water below.
    â€œAnything?” Alex mouthed.
    Ava shook her head. Alex frowned.
    They listened to the sink water run and the whir of the hand dryer. The girl left.
    Ava