do to her, if it succeeded, and if it would leave any aftereffects. I told her it should improve
her playing ability, but that’s all. And that she should be normal again in a week or so.”
“But it’s lasted longer than that,” Penny said. “A lot longer. Jonny, I can’t believe you.”
Jonny nodded. “Yeah. I know,” he murmured. “I can’t believe me, either.” He sounded sick.
“Why did you do it?” Penny asked. “Why didn’t you pick on another animal? A dog, for example. Or a cat?”
He lifted his shoulders. “The Hawks were losing games, that’s why. And the infielders were playing the lousiest of anybody.
Including you, Penny. Harold and I used to talk about it. And I thought . . . well, if my experiment worked, I would turn
Shari into a superplayer first, then, one by one, you other infielders, and the Hawks should start winning. When Karen saw
how Shari was playing after I gave her the treatment, I had no trouble convincing her to have it, too. She thought it was
fun. And exciting. Well, I did, too. And Harold helped by getting us all together.”
“Didn’t Karen notice that the treatmentalso affected Shari’s personality? And worry that it might affect hers the same way?”
“Yes. But I told her it was temporary. Not anything to worry about.” He shook his head, and Penny could see that he was really
suffering over this now. “I’m really sorry, Penny,” he said. “I really am.”
“Sorry?” She looked at him squarely. “Sorry won’t help, Jonny. The parents of those girls must have noticed that something
is different about their daughters by now. If they find out that you’re behind it, you’ll really be in hot water! Jonny, you’ve
got to change them back, you hear me? You’ve got to bring those girls back here and turn them into normal human beings again!”
Her anger mounted, and she clenched her fists and felt like pounding him on the chest to let him know she meant it. “Do you
hear me, Jonny?” Her voice rose in a crescendo as the words left her mouth. “You’ve got to change those girls back to normal!
Now!”
Jonny’s face seemed even paler than before, his voice almost inaudible as he stared at her and said, “I can’t, Penny. I don’t
know how.”
TWELVE
A LL LIFE SEEMED to drain out of Penny as Jonny’s raw, slowly delivered words registered in her mind. She had to find a chair and sit down,
she thought, or she’d faint.
A worn cushioned chair with wooden armrests was directly in front of her, facing the right-hand side of the computer closest
to her. She went to it and sat down, resting her elbows on the armrests and her forehead in her hands. She closed her eyes,
Jonny’s words still humming in her ears: “
I can’t, Penny. I don’t know how
.”
But he
had
to know how! If he could change them into superstars, there
had
tobe a way that he could change them back!
She lifted her head and looked at him. His worried blue eyes looked back at her. There couldn’t be any delay in trying. Now
that she was here with Jonny she was going to
force
him to try. She could see now that he was concerned, frightened.
“Jonny,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm, steady, “you’ve got to do something. You can’t say you can’t. You’ve got
to change those girls back.”
He looked more worried than ever. “Oh, man, Penny. I didn’t think . . . I didn’t realize what I did. I mean, I never dreamed
that Karen — my own
sister
— Shari, and the others would stay that way. I told you, I thought it all would be just temporary.”
“But it isn’t,” Penny said tersely. “Look at Karen. She — ” She cut herself off. How could Jonny even try to restore one of
the girls to her normal self if none of them was present?
“Where’s Karen now?” Penny asked sharply.
Jonny shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably at our aunt’s. She’s been going there a lot lately instead of to her friends’.”
“Call
her playing ability, but that’s all. And that she should be normal again in a week or so.”
“But it’s lasted longer than that,” Penny said. “A lot longer. Jonny, I can’t believe you.”
Jonny nodded. “Yeah. I know,” he murmured. “I can’t believe me, either.” He sounded sick.
“Why did you do it?” Penny asked. “Why didn’t you pick on another animal? A dog, for example. Or a cat?”
He lifted his shoulders. “The Hawks were losing games, that’s why. And the infielders were playing the lousiest of anybody.
Including you, Penny. Harold and I used to talk about it. And I thought . . . well, if my experiment worked, I would turn
Shari into a superplayer first, then, one by one, you other infielders, and the Hawks should start winning. When Karen saw
how Shari was playing after I gave her the treatment, I had no trouble convincing her to have it, too. She thought it was
fun. And exciting. Well, I did, too. And Harold helped by getting us all together.”
“Didn’t Karen notice that the treatmentalso affected Shari’s personality? And worry that it might affect hers the same way?”
“Yes. But I told her it was temporary. Not anything to worry about.” He shook his head, and Penny could see that he was really
suffering over this now. “I’m really sorry, Penny,” he said. “I really am.”
“Sorry?” She looked at him squarely. “Sorry won’t help, Jonny. The parents of those girls must have noticed that something
is different about their daughters by now. If they find out that you’re behind it, you’ll really be in hot water! Jonny, you’ve
got to change them back, you hear me? You’ve got to bring those girls back here and turn them into normal human beings again!”
Her anger mounted, and she clenched her fists and felt like pounding him on the chest to let him know she meant it. “Do you
hear me, Jonny?” Her voice rose in a crescendo as the words left her mouth. “You’ve got to change those girls back to normal!
Now!”
Jonny’s face seemed even paler than before, his voice almost inaudible as he stared at her and said, “I can’t, Penny. I don’t
know how.”
TWELVE
A LL LIFE SEEMED to drain out of Penny as Jonny’s raw, slowly delivered words registered in her mind. She had to find a chair and sit down,
she thought, or she’d faint.
A worn cushioned chair with wooden armrests was directly in front of her, facing the right-hand side of the computer closest
to her. She went to it and sat down, resting her elbows on the armrests and her forehead in her hands. She closed her eyes,
Jonny’s words still humming in her ears: “
I can’t, Penny. I don’t know how
.”
But he
had
to know how! If he could change them into superstars, there
had
tobe a way that he could change them back!
She lifted her head and looked at him. His worried blue eyes looked back at her. There couldn’t be any delay in trying. Now
that she was here with Jonny she was going to
force
him to try. She could see now that he was concerned, frightened.
“Jonny,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm, steady, “you’ve got to do something. You can’t say you can’t. You’ve got
to change those girls back.”
He looked more worried than ever. “Oh, man, Penny. I didn’t think . . . I didn’t realize what I did. I mean, I never dreamed
that Karen — my own
sister
— Shari, and the others would stay that way. I told you, I thought it all would be just temporary.”
“But it isn’t,” Penny said tersely. “Look at Karen. She — ” She cut herself off. How could Jonny even try to restore one of
the girls to her normal self if none of them was present?
“Where’s Karen now?” Penny asked sharply.
Jonny shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably at our aunt’s. She’s been going there a lot lately instead of to her friends’.”
“Call
Similar Books
