The Time Fetch by Amy Herrick Page A

give a warning about something. Its face was white as plaster and it was dressed all in green. What could it be trying to warn people about, she wondered? Maybe there was a dog inside the house or something.
    While she stood there staring, she noted a darting movement from the corner of her eye. It was a sneaky movement. All her antennae went on the alert.
    People didn’t understand her. She was a sensitive girl.
    Don’t move. Act casual. Study lawn ornament. Now turn your head slowly.
    It was Danton! She was sure of it. He was hiding behind that minivan parked at the curb.
    Fabuloso! Something was happening. She cleaned an invisible speck of schmutz off her coat. To her delight, from the corner of her eye, she saw Dweebo’s baseball cap bobbing alongside Danton.
    Were they following her? Was it possible? Could Dweebo have such daring in him?
    She nodded at the gnome, or whatever it was, and walked along whistling.
    After half a block she reached into her pocket for her gloves and pretended to accidentally drop one. She bent to pick it up and peeked behind herself.
    Yes! They were following her. Excellent. Awesome. Just when she had thought the afternoon was going to be a complete dead end.
    She continued along slowly, heading toward the park, making sure she gave the boys plenty of time. She knew this park like the back of her hand. She’d lead them on a chase they wouldn’t forget and then lose them in the woods up by the waterfall.
    A low stone wall ran around the boundary of the park, with benches planted up against it here and there. On sunny days these benches were full of nannies with strollers, old people, and couples with their hands all over each other acting like they thought nobody could see what they were doing. But on this cold, damp afternoon, there was no one in sight all up and down the long tree-lined avenue. When Feenix reached the edge of the park she jumped up on a bench. For a few seconds she stood there, her long black coat blowing behind her. She waited to make sure that the boys would see exactly where she was going. Then she hopped up and over the stone wall.
    She walked slowly so that they would have no trouble keeping up with her. The playground was empty and the swings all hung from their chains, straight and still. She sat down on one for a minute, just to give them a chance to catch up. Edsel, as always, would need a little extra time.
    Down at the end, one of the swings began to creak back and forth ever so slightly, as if a person of very light weight were sitting on it, or as if a hand had pushed it. This gave her a start. It was the wind, of course.
    She rose up and passed through the playground and onto the path that went by the band shell. For once, there were no skateboarders there. Wow, it was getting dark fast. Not that she hesitated. She knew how to take care of herself. There would be dogwalkers on the ball fields, and, after all, the boys would be right behind her. She didn’t even need to turn to check on them. She was sure she heard their footsteps now and then.
    Whistling, she crossed the roadway and stayed on the path that cut through the ball fields and led to the pond. When she reached the pond, she stopped by the dog beach, the small roped off area, which had been thoughtfully set aside for woofers. A skin of ice had begun to form on the water and there wasn’t a beast or a master in sight. Feenix took a sneak peek behind herself.
    Whooaa. Where had this mist come from? It was slinking across the ball fields, moving low along the grounds. It reminded her of a cat hunting something, sneaking along. If the boys were out there, she couldn’t see them. She hesitated, wondering if it would be wiser to turn back. Then, right up close behind her, she heard something. A voice. She couldn’t hear exactly what it said because it was trying to whisper, but it was grumbling. That had to be Dweebo.
    Up she went, following the long curve. She could hear the sound of the waterfall