my bed.
Several pairs of jeans. Several T-shirts. A couple of sweatshirts. My only dress-up skirt.
That’s strange,
I thought. Mom was such a neat freak. If she had washed these things, she surely would have hung them up or put them into dresser drawers.
Sighing wearily, I started to gather up the clothes and put them away. I figured that Mom simply had too much to do to be bothered. She had probably washed the stuff and then left it here for me to put away. Or she had put it all down, planning to come back later and put it away, and then got busy with other chores.
Half an hour later, I was tucked into my bed, wide awake, staring at the shadows on the ceiling. Some time after that — I lost track of the time — I was still wide awake, still thinking about Petey, thinking about the new kids I’d met, thinking about the new neighborhood, when I heard my bedroom door creak and swing open.
Footsteps on the creaking floorboards.
I sat up in the darkness as someone crept into my room.
“Amanda —
shhh
— it’s me.”
Alarmed, it took me a few seconds to recognize the hushed whisper. “Josh! What do you want? What are you doing in here?”
I gasped as a blinding light forced me to cover my eyes. “Oops. Sorry,” Josh said. “My flashlight. I didn’t mean to —”
“Ow, that’s bright,” I said, blinking. He aimed the powerful beam of white light up at the ceiling.
“Yeah. It’s a halogen flashlight,” he said.
“Well, what do you want?” I asked irritably. I still couldn’t see well. I rubbed my eyes, but it didn’t help.
“I know where Petey is,” Josh whispered, “and I’m going to go get him. Come with me?”
“Huh?” I looked at the little clock on my bed table. “It’s after midnight, Josh.”
“So? It won’t take long. Really.”
My eyes were nearly normal by now. Staring at Josh in the light from the halogen flashlight, I noticed for the first time that he was fully dressed in jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt.
“I don’t get it, Josh,” I said, swinging around and putting my feet on the floor. “We looked everywhere. Where do you think Petey is?”
“In the cemetery,” Josh answered. His eyes looked big and dark and serious in the white light.
“Huh?”
“That’s where he ran the first time, remember? When we first came to Dark Falls? He ran to that cemetery just past the school.”
“Now, wait a minute —” I started.
“We drove past it this afternoon, but we didn’t look inside. He’s there, Amanda. I know he is. And I’m going to go get him whether you come or not.”
“Josh, calm down,” I said, putting my hands on his narrow shoulders. I was surprised to discover that he was trembling. “There’s no reason for Petey to be in that cemetery.”
“That’s where he went the first time,” Josh insisted. “He was looking for something there that day. I could tell. I know he’s there again, Amanda.” He pulled away from me. “Are you coming or not?”
My brother has to be the stubbornest, most headstrong person in the world.
“Josh, you’re really going to walk into a strange cemetery so late at night?” I asked.
“I’m not afraid,” he said, shining the bright light around my room.
For a brief second, I thought the light caught someone, lurking behind the curtains. I opened my mouth to cry out. But there was no one there.
“You coming or not?” he repeated impatiently.
I was going to say no. But then, glancing at the curtains, I thought,
It’s probably no more spooky out there in that cemetery than it is here in my own bedroom!
“Yeah. Okay,” I said grudgingly. “Get out of here and let me get dressed.”
“Okay,” he whispered, turning off the flashlight, plunging us into blackness. “Meet me down at the end of the driveway.”
“Josh — one quick look at the cemetery, then we hurry home. Got it?” I told him.
“Yeah. Right. We’ll be home before Mom and Dad get back from that party.” He crept out. I could hear
Several pairs of jeans. Several T-shirts. A couple of sweatshirts. My only dress-up skirt.
That’s strange,
I thought. Mom was such a neat freak. If she had washed these things, she surely would have hung them up or put them into dresser drawers.
Sighing wearily, I started to gather up the clothes and put them away. I figured that Mom simply had too much to do to be bothered. She had probably washed the stuff and then left it here for me to put away. Or she had put it all down, planning to come back later and put it away, and then got busy with other chores.
Half an hour later, I was tucked into my bed, wide awake, staring at the shadows on the ceiling. Some time after that — I lost track of the time — I was still wide awake, still thinking about Petey, thinking about the new kids I’d met, thinking about the new neighborhood, when I heard my bedroom door creak and swing open.
Footsteps on the creaking floorboards.
I sat up in the darkness as someone crept into my room.
“Amanda —
shhh
— it’s me.”
Alarmed, it took me a few seconds to recognize the hushed whisper. “Josh! What do you want? What are you doing in here?”
I gasped as a blinding light forced me to cover my eyes. “Oops. Sorry,” Josh said. “My flashlight. I didn’t mean to —”
“Ow, that’s bright,” I said, blinking. He aimed the powerful beam of white light up at the ceiling.
“Yeah. It’s a halogen flashlight,” he said.
“Well, what do you want?” I asked irritably. I still couldn’t see well. I rubbed my eyes, but it didn’t help.
“I know where Petey is,” Josh whispered, “and I’m going to go get him. Come with me?”
“Huh?” I looked at the little clock on my bed table. “It’s after midnight, Josh.”
“So? It won’t take long. Really.”
My eyes were nearly normal by now. Staring at Josh in the light from the halogen flashlight, I noticed for the first time that he was fully dressed in jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt.
“I don’t get it, Josh,” I said, swinging around and putting my feet on the floor. “We looked everywhere. Where do you think Petey is?”
“In the cemetery,” Josh answered. His eyes looked big and dark and serious in the white light.
“Huh?”
“That’s where he ran the first time, remember? When we first came to Dark Falls? He ran to that cemetery just past the school.”
“Now, wait a minute —” I started.
“We drove past it this afternoon, but we didn’t look inside. He’s there, Amanda. I know he is. And I’m going to go get him whether you come or not.”
“Josh, calm down,” I said, putting my hands on his narrow shoulders. I was surprised to discover that he was trembling. “There’s no reason for Petey to be in that cemetery.”
“That’s where he went the first time,” Josh insisted. “He was looking for something there that day. I could tell. I know he’s there again, Amanda.” He pulled away from me. “Are you coming or not?”
My brother has to be the stubbornest, most headstrong person in the world.
“Josh, you’re really going to walk into a strange cemetery so late at night?” I asked.
“I’m not afraid,” he said, shining the bright light around my room.
For a brief second, I thought the light caught someone, lurking behind the curtains. I opened my mouth to cry out. But there was no one there.
“You coming or not?” he repeated impatiently.
I was going to say no. But then, glancing at the curtains, I thought,
It’s probably no more spooky out there in that cemetery than it is here in my own bedroom!
“Yeah. Okay,” I said grudgingly. “Get out of here and let me get dressed.”
“Okay,” he whispered, turning off the flashlight, plunging us into blackness. “Meet me down at the end of the driveway.”
“Josh — one quick look at the cemetery, then we hurry home. Got it?” I told him.
“Yeah. Right. We’ll be home before Mom and Dad get back from that party.” He crept out. I could hear
Similar Books
