.” Campbell said. “She’s the sensitive one. When Mallory broke her leg, she thought that seeing bone protrude was interesting. Maybe it is emotional. I know how much emotional things can affect you physically.”
Mom spoke so sweetly and sadly that both girls thought, What’s with her? Did Campbell have an ulcer or something? Was Tim having an affair? Who’d have an affair with their father? When he wanted to get dressed up, he broke out a new ball cap.
Were they going to have something else to worry about?
Dark particles were whirling all around, and no one could see it except lucky people like Merry and Mallory. Couldn’t it at least stay out of their house?
PAST OR FUTURE?
T o their parents’ shock, the twins willingly jumped into the way-back seat—the place they normally exiled Adam. They weren’t out of the parking lot before Mallory whispered, “Okay, spill it. Now that I know you passed out because you saw, so what did you see?”
“Tape!” Merry said. “Tape on the bottom of somebody’s shoe but not just that. I also saw her hands!”
“Did you see the lion flip over the shoes?” Mally asked.
“No. Just the tape on the shoes,” Merry said. “But I saw someone doing it. Putting the tape on. Shut up about the lion. It’s like mixing nuts and oranges.”
“It’s apples and . . . never mind. It’s connected, Merry. I don’t want to get started with this now, but I saw the lion once before in a dream. Eden knows about the lion somehow. And it made me think. Do you know what you saw, up on the ridge? What made David scream?”
“I don’t. Just a flash of something. I try not to think about it. Did I even tell you I saw something?”
“Maybe you didn’t tell me speeshaw. Ad nye blocken hearsen,” Mally replied, slipping into twin tongue.
“Stop that,” Campbell said automatically, with bionic hearing that screened out anything but what she wanted to hear. She turned the radio on.
“Okay. Maybe you heard me think about it. Whatever,” Merry began again. “So you saw the cat twice, and you think it’s connected or you think it’s a coincidence?”
“I know it’s connected. I just said I saw it before, flathead! I saw it then, past tense, and now, present tense. Now, as in a couple of weeks ago. Then, as in up on a ridge, last winter. And I think it really was up on the ridge when David died. And . . . Eden has something to do with it.”
“Pull in here,” Campbell called out suddenly, as they passed Dean’s Dairy Den. “Tim, I want a green-tea milk-shake and fries with barbecue sauce. I heard that Shelby Dean will add any flavor you want now. Maybe I’ll have green tea and chocolate.”
“Oh gag!” Adam cried. “I’ll have a normal milk-shake and stand outside the car.”
“Mom,” Merry whined professionally. “I’m already years late for this sleepover! Can’t you go after you drop me off?”
Campbell sighed, then nodded. Tim drove on toward Haven Hills.
Merry dropped her voice again. She asked her twin, “Eden? Why Eden? She’s not a cheerleader.”
“I don’t know. But it was a cheerleader’s shoe that the lion flipped over.”
“Did it see tape on the shoe?” Merry asked. “You didn’t see the mountain lion look at tape on a shoe?”
“Who could see tape on a shoe? It’s invisible!” Mallory wanted to jump out of the car. They were already in the housing development and had so little time left to talk.
“Anyhow, I didn’t see the lion when I fell in Crystal’s hospital room,” Meredith said. “I only saw someone’s hands putting the tape on. And I think I know whose. I think I’m staying over tonight at her house.”
“For real? You think it was Neely? You said no way before.”
“Well, I don’t know how she would have known who to try to hurt. I haven’t figured that out. But whoever I saw had little hands, like mine and yours. Who else has little hands? Alli? Kim? I know it wasn’t them. The hands had gold rings.
Mom spoke so sweetly and sadly that both girls thought, What’s with her? Did Campbell have an ulcer or something? Was Tim having an affair? Who’d have an affair with their father? When he wanted to get dressed up, he broke out a new ball cap.
Were they going to have something else to worry about?
Dark particles were whirling all around, and no one could see it except lucky people like Merry and Mallory. Couldn’t it at least stay out of their house?
PAST OR FUTURE?
T o their parents’ shock, the twins willingly jumped into the way-back seat—the place they normally exiled Adam. They weren’t out of the parking lot before Mallory whispered, “Okay, spill it. Now that I know you passed out because you saw, so what did you see?”
“Tape!” Merry said. “Tape on the bottom of somebody’s shoe but not just that. I also saw her hands!”
“Did you see the lion flip over the shoes?” Mally asked.
“No. Just the tape on the shoes,” Merry said. “But I saw someone doing it. Putting the tape on. Shut up about the lion. It’s like mixing nuts and oranges.”
“It’s apples and . . . never mind. It’s connected, Merry. I don’t want to get started with this now, but I saw the lion once before in a dream. Eden knows about the lion somehow. And it made me think. Do you know what you saw, up on the ridge? What made David scream?”
“I don’t. Just a flash of something. I try not to think about it. Did I even tell you I saw something?”
“Maybe you didn’t tell me speeshaw. Ad nye blocken hearsen,” Mally replied, slipping into twin tongue.
“Stop that,” Campbell said automatically, with bionic hearing that screened out anything but what she wanted to hear. She turned the radio on.
“Okay. Maybe you heard me think about it. Whatever,” Merry began again. “So you saw the cat twice, and you think it’s connected or you think it’s a coincidence?”
“I know it’s connected. I just said I saw it before, flathead! I saw it then, past tense, and now, present tense. Now, as in a couple of weeks ago. Then, as in up on a ridge, last winter. And I think it really was up on the ridge when David died. And . . . Eden has something to do with it.”
“Pull in here,” Campbell called out suddenly, as they passed Dean’s Dairy Den. “Tim, I want a green-tea milk-shake and fries with barbecue sauce. I heard that Shelby Dean will add any flavor you want now. Maybe I’ll have green tea and chocolate.”
“Oh gag!” Adam cried. “I’ll have a normal milk-shake and stand outside the car.”
“Mom,” Merry whined professionally. “I’m already years late for this sleepover! Can’t you go after you drop me off?”
Campbell sighed, then nodded. Tim drove on toward Haven Hills.
Merry dropped her voice again. She asked her twin, “Eden? Why Eden? She’s not a cheerleader.”
“I don’t know. But it was a cheerleader’s shoe that the lion flipped over.”
“Did it see tape on the shoe?” Merry asked. “You didn’t see the mountain lion look at tape on a shoe?”
“Who could see tape on a shoe? It’s invisible!” Mallory wanted to jump out of the car. They were already in the housing development and had so little time left to talk.
“Anyhow, I didn’t see the lion when I fell in Crystal’s hospital room,” Meredith said. “I only saw someone’s hands putting the tape on. And I think I know whose. I think I’m staying over tonight at her house.”
“For real? You think it was Neely? You said no way before.”
“Well, I don’t know how she would have known who to try to hurt. I haven’t figured that out. But whoever I saw had little hands, like mine and yours. Who else has little hands? Alli? Kim? I know it wasn’t them. The hands had gold rings.
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