what Martha said about people back then being suspicious of foreigners? Remember the war was just over, and peoplewere kind of mixed up. Maybe it was too easy for them to believe that the foreigner, the man from France, had to be the liar.’
‘So everyone automatically trusted the local guy?’
Kate nodded. ‘I guess so.’
‘But that’s so unfair!’
Kate nodded again. ‘I agree.’
For a minute I felt really, really angry. How cruel was it for everyone to judge Jean-Marc because of the way he looked and the way he spoke? Didn’t anyone ever stop to consider his feelings?
But then Kate looked up at me, and I remembered what she was like when I first met her. Back then I decided I didn’t like her just because she had messy hair and didn’t wear cool clothes.
‘What?’ she asked.
I realised I was staring at her. ‘Oh, nothing,’ I said quickly. ‘I was just thinking that sometimespeople can’t help being prejudiced. What’s important now is that we try to make things right again.’
‘But how?’
‘Er, I’m not sure yet. Just give me a bit of time, and I’ll think of something.’
We tidied up the newspapers and took them back to the desk.
‘You girls don’t look very happy,’ the librarian said. ‘Weren’t you able to find what you were looking for?’
‘Yes and no,’ I said. ‘We found something, but it’s not what we’d hoped for.’
‘Thanks anyway,’ said Kate, and then the two of us went back to her place to try to come up with a plan.
Chapter Ten
P atrick was playing with Simon in the garden when we got back. We told him about our failed morning at the police station and the library.
‘So now what are you going to do?’ he asked.
Kate and I shrugged. ‘We’re all out of ideas,’ I said.
‘I know,’ said Patrick. ‘Why don’t you study the stars? The answer is always in the stars.’
‘’tars,’ said Simon, pointing up at the sky.
‘That’s a totally brilliant idea, Dad,’ said Kate. ‘We can draw up charts and stuff, and plan what to do next.’
‘And there’s a full moon tonight,’ said Patrick.‘Conditions should be just perfect for prophecies and predictions.’
I watched as the two of them went on about the stars. Kate and her dad argue a lot, so I was totally glad to see them agreeing about something. Only thing was, I wished they weren’t agreeing on something so totally weird.
How were the stars supposed to tell us what to do?
Then I noticed that Kate and Patrick were rolling on the grass, laughing.
‘Your face was so funny,’ said Kate. ‘You looked like you wanted to choke or something.’
‘I knew you were kidding,’ I lied.
‘Sorry, Eva,’ said Patrick. ‘I couldn’t resist teasing you.’
Kate was wiping her eyes. ‘Everyone confuses astrology and astronomy, Eva,’ she said.
‘They do?’
‘Dad’s hobby is astronomy,’ she said patiently. ‘That’s basically looking at stars and stuff andstudying them. Astrology is totally different. Astrologers believe that stars can influence your personality and change your life. Dad and I think that’s kind of weird.’
Kate must have guessed how embarrassed I felt. ‘It’s OK,’ she said. ‘It was totally mean of Dad to tease you like that.’
Patrick stood up. ‘Kate, do you think you could watch Simon for a bit? I’ve got some work to do – and the stars predict that this is a good time for me to do it.’
Then, after he and Kate had had another good laugh, he went inside.
Kate lay on the grass and Simon sat on top of her belly. For the next twenty minutes, he bounced up and down, while tickling her nose with a long stalk of grass. This made them both laugh like maniacs.
It was funny watching them, and even funnier when Kate pushed Simon’s bottom off her face.
‘Eeew, Simon, that’s gross,’ she screeched.‘Dad! Zoe! Come quickly!’
Zoe came running out, looking worried.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked. ‘Is someone hurt?’
‘Worse than
‘So everyone automatically trusted the local guy?’
Kate nodded. ‘I guess so.’
‘But that’s so unfair!’
Kate nodded again. ‘I agree.’
For a minute I felt really, really angry. How cruel was it for everyone to judge Jean-Marc because of the way he looked and the way he spoke? Didn’t anyone ever stop to consider his feelings?
But then Kate looked up at me, and I remembered what she was like when I first met her. Back then I decided I didn’t like her just because she had messy hair and didn’t wear cool clothes.
‘What?’ she asked.
I realised I was staring at her. ‘Oh, nothing,’ I said quickly. ‘I was just thinking that sometimespeople can’t help being prejudiced. What’s important now is that we try to make things right again.’
‘But how?’
‘Er, I’m not sure yet. Just give me a bit of time, and I’ll think of something.’
We tidied up the newspapers and took them back to the desk.
‘You girls don’t look very happy,’ the librarian said. ‘Weren’t you able to find what you were looking for?’
‘Yes and no,’ I said. ‘We found something, but it’s not what we’d hoped for.’
‘Thanks anyway,’ said Kate, and then the two of us went back to her place to try to come up with a plan.
Chapter Ten
P atrick was playing with Simon in the garden when we got back. We told him about our failed morning at the police station and the library.
‘So now what are you going to do?’ he asked.
Kate and I shrugged. ‘We’re all out of ideas,’ I said.
‘I know,’ said Patrick. ‘Why don’t you study the stars? The answer is always in the stars.’
‘’tars,’ said Simon, pointing up at the sky.
‘That’s a totally brilliant idea, Dad,’ said Kate. ‘We can draw up charts and stuff, and plan what to do next.’
‘And there’s a full moon tonight,’ said Patrick.‘Conditions should be just perfect for prophecies and predictions.’
I watched as the two of them went on about the stars. Kate and her dad argue a lot, so I was totally glad to see them agreeing about something. Only thing was, I wished they weren’t agreeing on something so totally weird.
How were the stars supposed to tell us what to do?
Then I noticed that Kate and Patrick were rolling on the grass, laughing.
‘Your face was so funny,’ said Kate. ‘You looked like you wanted to choke or something.’
‘I knew you were kidding,’ I lied.
‘Sorry, Eva,’ said Patrick. ‘I couldn’t resist teasing you.’
Kate was wiping her eyes. ‘Everyone confuses astrology and astronomy, Eva,’ she said.
‘They do?’
‘Dad’s hobby is astronomy,’ she said patiently. ‘That’s basically looking at stars and stuff andstudying them. Astrology is totally different. Astrologers believe that stars can influence your personality and change your life. Dad and I think that’s kind of weird.’
Kate must have guessed how embarrassed I felt. ‘It’s OK,’ she said. ‘It was totally mean of Dad to tease you like that.’
Patrick stood up. ‘Kate, do you think you could watch Simon for a bit? I’ve got some work to do – and the stars predict that this is a good time for me to do it.’
Then, after he and Kate had had another good laugh, he went inside.
Kate lay on the grass and Simon sat on top of her belly. For the next twenty minutes, he bounced up and down, while tickling her nose with a long stalk of grass. This made them both laugh like maniacs.
It was funny watching them, and even funnier when Kate pushed Simon’s bottom off her face.
‘Eeew, Simon, that’s gross,’ she screeched.‘Dad! Zoe! Come quickly!’
Zoe came running out, looking worried.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked. ‘Is someone hurt?’
‘Worse than
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