floor. Chicken and ketchup splattered everywhere.
Maeve started. Sam never yelled, and he never threw stuff. Certainly not plates. But surprisingly, her mother didnât even look mad.
âOh, Sammy,â she said, taking him in her arms. She had tears in her eyes. Nobody even got up to sweep the broken bits of plate.
Maeve wished she were eight, like Sam, and could throw something, too. But she wasnât. She was almost thirteen and had to act rational, even though it felt like her whole world was collapsing. Why did everything have to be so confusing?
Her mother was smoothing Samâs hair and talking in that voice she used when she was in planning mode. She sounded upset, but calmer. Maeve heard only bits and pieces. âToo much tension in the house latelyââ¦âneed some time apartââ¦âgoing to be better for you guys not to have so much arguing in the house.â
âI donât see how itâs going to be better for us,â Maeve managed to gasp.
âWell, it may not be for anyone at first,â her father admitted. âThereâs going to be a lot to get used to. But weâre hoping that in the long run itâll be better. Your mom and I think we need to do this now. Remember, weâre still your mom and dad, and we still love you. Even though we think we need to separate.â
âWhat do you mean, separate ?â Maeve demanded, suddenly realizing that this was going to have a huge impact on her and Sam. âWhat happens to US?â
âWe talked about that,â her mother said quickly, still stroking Samâs hair. She glanced across the table at Maeveâs father. âYour dadâs found a place in Washington Squareâ¦itâs only a little more than a mile away, and you can take the trolleyâ¦â
Maeve felt bewildered. âYou canât move out,â she said, turning toward her father. She was so confused. Her dad lived hereâwith Sam and her. And Mom! This was home. None of this made any sense. âWhen?â she asked dully. âWhenâs all of this supposed to happen?â
Her dad looked awkward. âNext weekend,â he said at last. âWe wanted to give you a little while to get used to the idea. But we didnât want it hanging over your heads for weeks, either. Itâs a big change, but making it happen soonerâ¦well, we thought that might be easier.â
âNextââ Maeve was aghast. She hadnât dreamed this could all happen so fast. âBut what about my awards ceremony?â she demanded. âTHATâS next weekend! You canât split up now! Not when Iâve actually been nominated for something!â
Her parents looked at each other. âWeâll still come,â her mother said. âWeâll both be there for you, Maeve. Just like we promised.â
She barely heard what her parents were saying. It appeared that she and Sam would have âschedules.â Theyâd stay at home with Mom during the week, and every other weekend theyâd spend at Dadâs. But because Dad would still be running the cinema, heâd be downstairs every day after school. Theyâd spend every afternoon together. And that would be a big help, because their mom had decided to go back to work part-time.
âWork?â Maeve repeated blankly. Okay, she thought, just keep throwing this stuff out at us. What was coming next?
Her mother actually looked happy when she talked about this part. Sheâd wanted to do this for a long time. Sheâd always been interested in businessâshe loved helping to run the cinema. And there was a company in Brookline that needed a part-time office manager/bookkeeper. Sheâd had her second interview this afternoon, and theyâd offered her the job.
âYou know how much I love organizing things,â she said with a sheepish smile. âI think I may actually be kind of good at this.â She
Josh Greenfield
Mark Urban
Natasha Solomons
Maisey Yates
Bentley Little
Poul Anderson
Joseph Turkot
Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
Eric Chevillard
Summer Newman