managed all right for eight years,” came her biting reply. “Surely we can endure each other’s presence long enough to help these kids through this difficult time.”
“Which brings me to my next question.” He met and held her gaze. “How long do you plan on staying?”
“Until I’m convinced you—” embarrassment flooded her cheeks, “—they don’t need me anymore.” She studied Will, who’d abandoned stacking the blocks in favor of chewing on them. Insecurity instantly swelled to strangle her. What made her think she could do this? How could she possibly help these kids when she couldn’t even bring herself to touch them? “Look, I know I’m not the best person for the job. Far from it. But I’m the one Lindsay chose.” Her friend’s wedding picture towered over the fireplace, and Rebecca couldn’t help but feel that—wherever she was—she was watching her. “I won’t let her down again. I can’t.”
Zach’s face mirrored exasperation and frustration, but at the same time his lips slackened with acceptance. In his eyes she caught a gleam that hadn’t been there before. Was it admiration or outright terror?
“Then we have one more thing to sort out.” He buried his fingers in his hair again. “The sleeping arrangements.”
Noah sat on his bed, playing Pokémon. Uncle Zach thought he’d spent enough time in front of the television set, so he’d told him to go find something else to do. Noah hadn’t bothered arguing. Instead, he’d trudged to his room and fished out his Game Boy. The fact that Uncle Zach had no idea he was still playing video games filled him with satisfaction.
Who did he think he was, anyway, moving into his house and telling him what to do? Noah didn’t have to take his uncle’s crap…or his aunt’s for that matter. As if having Uncle Zach here wasn’t bad enough, now Aunt Becca had to come live with them, too. He hadn’t seen her since he was seven, and all of a sudden, here she was, moving into their house.
He didn’t get it. She didn’t even like kids; he could tell. Every time she smiled she looked like she was sucking on a lemon. She reminded him of his grade one teacher, Mrs. Reid. She didn’t like kids, either, which was weird ’cause she was a teacher and had to hang around kids all the time. It made no sense, like Aunt Becca moving in.
The door swung open, startling him. Noah shoved his Game Boy under his sheets, but it was Kristen who came crashing in, not Uncle Zach.
“What do you want?” he grunted, getting back to his game.
“I played tag with Kanela.” His sister hopped onto his bed. “I won.”
Noah shrugged, not even bothering to look at her. He had to keep his eyes on the game or he’d lose. “Big deal. That cat is so fat she can barely run.”
“Not true! She’s very fast, but I’m faster.”
He snorted. “Who cares anyway?”
“You’re so mean!”
“And you’re such a baby.”
His sister gave him a nice hard shove. He missed his next move, ended up getting killed. “What d’you do that for?”
“Don’t call me a baby.” She folded her arms over her chest and frowned. “Mommy and Daddy hate it when you call me that. When they wake up—”
Noah had had enough. “They’re not going to wake up! Don’t you get it? They’re dead.” His throat thickened so much it hurt, like he’d swallowed a sourball and it had lodged itself in his esophagus. That’s what it was called, an esophagus. He’d learned it at school last year.
Kristen didn’t know what an esophagus was, just like she was too dumb to understand their parents weren’t coming back—ever.
All because of me.
“Don’t say that.” Her bottom lip quivered, and she started breathing real funny. “The witch—” she panted. “The witch put a spell on them—”
She stopped talking. Her skin turned a frightful shade of blue. His own breath hitched. “Crap.” Noah shot to his feet and sped to the door. “Uncle Zach,” he hollered.
“Which brings me to my next question.” He met and held her gaze. “How long do you plan on staying?”
“Until I’m convinced you—” embarrassment flooded her cheeks, “—they don’t need me anymore.” She studied Will, who’d abandoned stacking the blocks in favor of chewing on them. Insecurity instantly swelled to strangle her. What made her think she could do this? How could she possibly help these kids when she couldn’t even bring herself to touch them? “Look, I know I’m not the best person for the job. Far from it. But I’m the one Lindsay chose.” Her friend’s wedding picture towered over the fireplace, and Rebecca couldn’t help but feel that—wherever she was—she was watching her. “I won’t let her down again. I can’t.”
Zach’s face mirrored exasperation and frustration, but at the same time his lips slackened with acceptance. In his eyes she caught a gleam that hadn’t been there before. Was it admiration or outright terror?
“Then we have one more thing to sort out.” He buried his fingers in his hair again. “The sleeping arrangements.”
Noah sat on his bed, playing Pokémon. Uncle Zach thought he’d spent enough time in front of the television set, so he’d told him to go find something else to do. Noah hadn’t bothered arguing. Instead, he’d trudged to his room and fished out his Game Boy. The fact that Uncle Zach had no idea he was still playing video games filled him with satisfaction.
Who did he think he was, anyway, moving into his house and telling him what to do? Noah didn’t have to take his uncle’s crap…or his aunt’s for that matter. As if having Uncle Zach here wasn’t bad enough, now Aunt Becca had to come live with them, too. He hadn’t seen her since he was seven, and all of a sudden, here she was, moving into their house.
He didn’t get it. She didn’t even like kids; he could tell. Every time she smiled she looked like she was sucking on a lemon. She reminded him of his grade one teacher, Mrs. Reid. She didn’t like kids, either, which was weird ’cause she was a teacher and had to hang around kids all the time. It made no sense, like Aunt Becca moving in.
The door swung open, startling him. Noah shoved his Game Boy under his sheets, but it was Kristen who came crashing in, not Uncle Zach.
“What do you want?” he grunted, getting back to his game.
“I played tag with Kanela.” His sister hopped onto his bed. “I won.”
Noah shrugged, not even bothering to look at her. He had to keep his eyes on the game or he’d lose. “Big deal. That cat is so fat she can barely run.”
“Not true! She’s very fast, but I’m faster.”
He snorted. “Who cares anyway?”
“You’re so mean!”
“And you’re such a baby.”
His sister gave him a nice hard shove. He missed his next move, ended up getting killed. “What d’you do that for?”
“Don’t call me a baby.” She folded her arms over her chest and frowned. “Mommy and Daddy hate it when you call me that. When they wake up—”
Noah had had enough. “They’re not going to wake up! Don’t you get it? They’re dead.” His throat thickened so much it hurt, like he’d swallowed a sourball and it had lodged itself in his esophagus. That’s what it was called, an esophagus. He’d learned it at school last year.
Kristen didn’t know what an esophagus was, just like she was too dumb to understand their parents weren’t coming back—ever.
All because of me.
“Don’t say that.” Her bottom lip quivered, and she started breathing real funny. “The witch—” she panted. “The witch put a spell on them—”
She stopped talking. Her skin turned a frightful shade of blue. His own breath hitched. “Crap.” Noah shot to his feet and sped to the door. “Uncle Zach,” he hollered.
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