Sybil at Sixteen by Susan Beth Pfeffer Page A

bad all night, between the rain and the tension. She wondered what it would do to Meg if she had to use her crutches the rest of the day. Meg would probably blame it on Linda Steinmetz. She might even have some cause.
    â€œI’ve never seen Megs so upset,” Sybil said as they began their walk.
    â€œShe’s terrified,” Nick replied. “And she’s angry at Evvie as well. And Sam. You can tell Daisy anything, and if she loves you, she’ll accept it, but if she finds out she’s been lied to, she gets terribly hurt and angry.”
    â€œWould you have lied, the way Sam did?” Sybil asked. “To protect your mother?”
    â€œI used to lie for her all the time,” Nick said. “When she broke something, I’d say I did it. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it made things worse.” He stopped for a moment. “Don’t ever feel you have to protect me,” he said. “I can handle anything that comes along.”
    â€œI know that,” Sybil said. She did. There was nothing Nick or Claire couldn’t handle if they had to. Of course, she’d always thought that was true of all of them, but she still was sure about Nick and Claire.
    â€œI think Daisy’s right, though,” Nick said. “I think the possibility for disaster is enormous. And Sam and Evvie can get caught right in the middle of it.”
    â€œYou mean they might actually get hurt?” Sybil asked.
    â€œIt could happen,” Nick said. “I’m more worried that Sam might get arrested. I doubt they’d go down hard on him, Linda Steinmetz is his mother after all, but you never can tell. And it isn’t like he’s here, where we could help out. Evvie wouldn’t tell us where he was, although I assume she knows.”
    â€œShe wouldn’t tell Claire and me, either,” Sybil said. “Not that we asked.”
    â€œDaisy asked,” Nick said. “Along with a lot of other questions Evvie didn’t answer.”
    Sybil nodded. She’d been upstairs resting when Evvie had told her story the second time. The painkillers had made her drowsy. When the choice was between being awake and in pain or asleep and in pain, she frequently chose the latter.
    â€œI’d feel better if I just knew where Sam was,” Nick said. “I have connections all over the country. If we needed to get him a lawyer fast, it would help if I already had some names prepared.”
    â€œWhat would Evvie do?” Sybil asked. “If Sam got hurt or arrested?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Nick replied. “Frankly, it worries me sick to even think about it.”
    â€œAnd it’s not just the FBI that’s after Sam’s mother,” Sybil said. “Evvie said the police are still searching for her, and there’s that reward, too.”
    â€œWhat reward?” Nick asked.
    â€œEvvie didn’t tell you about the reward?” Sybil asked.
    â€œMaybe she did, and I’ve forgotten,” Nick replied. “There was a lot I had to take in last night. And frankly, I was worried about you, too. I was distracted.”
    â€œI’m all right,” Sybil said. “You know this kind of weather always makes me ache.”
    â€œI know you’ve been through too much pain already,” Nick said. “When I was a boy, and my lies wouldn’t work, and my stepfather would beat up my mother, I’d think, ‘I’ll never love anybody again; it hurts too much to see them suffer.’ It felt worse when he hit her than when he hit me. And then, in spite of myself, I fell in love with Daisy, and then you girls were born, and the thought of any of you in pain was a nightmare to me. I hope you never know that kind of fear. Evvie’s learned it far too soon.”
    â€œShe’s sick with worry about Sam,” Sybil said.
    Nick nodded. “It’s almost as bad as your accident,” he said. “That horrible