go?”
“It just doesn’t seem right,” Mr. Rowan muttered.
Tears scratched to get out from behind Elly’s eyes. “Nothing seems right anymore. I never do anything right for you.” Her hands were shaking.
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Mr. Rowan said angrily. He scraped his chair away from the table and stomped to the back door. “I’m going out for a drive.” The door slammed behind him, and Elly sat in confused silence. It seemed to her that her father didn’t care about her anymore.
“Honey,” Mrs. Rowan said as she reached for Elly. Elly jerked her shoulder away.
“I’m going to my room.” She snatched her crutches and limped off.
That night, Elly dreamed that she was walking down the school corridors, opening doors, looking for something. In every room, kids sat facing forward. They turned unsmiling faces her way as she scanned the room for—for what? Embarrassed, Elly retreated from every room, shutting one door and opening the next, only to be greeted by hollow, staring eyes.
She felt panic as she searched and searched the endless hallway of doors and rooms. Her heart pounded and her palms began to sweat. It grew difficult to move, as if she were pushing against a powerful force.
She awoke, gasping in terror. The cocoon of darkness settled around her.
What was I looking for?
She had no answers. But her cheeks and pillow were soaking wet.
TEN
“T he least you can do is come to the mall with me and help me pick out something to stand around in at the dance.” Joy’s tone of voice made it sound as if it were all Elly’s fault that Joy didn’t have a thing to wear to the dance that Saturday. To avoid an argument, Elly agreed to go to the mall, hobbling along on her crutches. All the while, she wanted to be back home.
“What do you think of this?” Joy paraded in front of Elly in the dressing room. She was wearing a bright outfit—a green top and white pants.
She thought it looked better on the mannequin. “I think it looks interesting,” Elly hedged.
Joy frowned at her reflection and tugged at the too-tight pants. “I look like a stuffed potato and you know it.”
“Okay, so maybe you’d look better in darkercolored pants.”
“Thanks a lot.”
Elly rolled her eyes. “How about a root beer? All this shopping is making me thirsty.”
Joy grumbled as she changed. Then the two of them strolled through the mall toward the nearest snack bar.
“Here, go buy me a root beer. I’ll wait on this bench,” Elly directed, thrusting some money into Joy’s hand. She settled onto the wooden bench beneath a hanging planter of flowers and propped her crutches next to her. Sunlight flooded from the skylight above, causing the flower petals to shimmer. Suddenly, Elly heard boys’ voices behind her. One male voice stood out from all the others. It made her stomach feel peculiar. The hair along her arms stood up.
“I tell ya, we’ll kill West High this afternoon. I plan to pitch a no-hitter.”
“I don’t know, big man,” another voice chimed in. “West High’s got the best batters in the league.”
Elly froze.
Russ Canton
. She looked in the direction of the voices. Sure enough, Russ and his three buddies were less than twenty feet away, tossing down soft pretzels. He was dressed in his baseball jersey, and it stretched tightly across his muscular shoulders. His blond hair trailed over his forehead. His hands were large and powerful—an athlete’s hands. She remembered them on the steering wheel of his car.
“Listen, those guys won’t know what hit them. Coach clocked my fastball at eighty miles an hour.” “
I know where you live. Let’s go for a ride.
” Elly trembled and sunk down into the bench, trying to make herself disappear.
“Well, your pitching better be good, Canton. Your batting stinks.”
“Look, it’s been a rough few months. I’m lucky I made it through basketball playoffs.” “
I’ll go around the block and let you off. Then Kathy and I can
“It just doesn’t seem right,” Mr. Rowan muttered.
Tears scratched to get out from behind Elly’s eyes. “Nothing seems right anymore. I never do anything right for you.” Her hands were shaking.
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Mr. Rowan said angrily. He scraped his chair away from the table and stomped to the back door. “I’m going out for a drive.” The door slammed behind him, and Elly sat in confused silence. It seemed to her that her father didn’t care about her anymore.
“Honey,” Mrs. Rowan said as she reached for Elly. Elly jerked her shoulder away.
“I’m going to my room.” She snatched her crutches and limped off.
That night, Elly dreamed that she was walking down the school corridors, opening doors, looking for something. In every room, kids sat facing forward. They turned unsmiling faces her way as she scanned the room for—for what? Embarrassed, Elly retreated from every room, shutting one door and opening the next, only to be greeted by hollow, staring eyes.
She felt panic as she searched and searched the endless hallway of doors and rooms. Her heart pounded and her palms began to sweat. It grew difficult to move, as if she were pushing against a powerful force.
She awoke, gasping in terror. The cocoon of darkness settled around her.
What was I looking for?
She had no answers. But her cheeks and pillow were soaking wet.
TEN
“T he least you can do is come to the mall with me and help me pick out something to stand around in at the dance.” Joy’s tone of voice made it sound as if it were all Elly’s fault that Joy didn’t have a thing to wear to the dance that Saturday. To avoid an argument, Elly agreed to go to the mall, hobbling along on her crutches. All the while, she wanted to be back home.
“What do you think of this?” Joy paraded in front of Elly in the dressing room. She was wearing a bright outfit—a green top and white pants.
She thought it looked better on the mannequin. “I think it looks interesting,” Elly hedged.
Joy frowned at her reflection and tugged at the too-tight pants. “I look like a stuffed potato and you know it.”
“Okay, so maybe you’d look better in darkercolored pants.”
“Thanks a lot.”
Elly rolled her eyes. “How about a root beer? All this shopping is making me thirsty.”
Joy grumbled as she changed. Then the two of them strolled through the mall toward the nearest snack bar.
“Here, go buy me a root beer. I’ll wait on this bench,” Elly directed, thrusting some money into Joy’s hand. She settled onto the wooden bench beneath a hanging planter of flowers and propped her crutches next to her. Sunlight flooded from the skylight above, causing the flower petals to shimmer. Suddenly, Elly heard boys’ voices behind her. One male voice stood out from all the others. It made her stomach feel peculiar. The hair along her arms stood up.
“I tell ya, we’ll kill West High this afternoon. I plan to pitch a no-hitter.”
“I don’t know, big man,” another voice chimed in. “West High’s got the best batters in the league.”
Elly froze.
Russ Canton
. She looked in the direction of the voices. Sure enough, Russ and his three buddies were less than twenty feet away, tossing down soft pretzels. He was dressed in his baseball jersey, and it stretched tightly across his muscular shoulders. His blond hair trailed over his forehead. His hands were large and powerful—an athlete’s hands. She remembered them on the steering wheel of his car.
“Listen, those guys won’t know what hit them. Coach clocked my fastball at eighty miles an hour.” “
I know where you live. Let’s go for a ride.
” Elly trembled and sunk down into the bench, trying to make herself disappear.
“Well, your pitching better be good, Canton. Your batting stinks.”
“Look, it’s been a rough few months. I’m lucky I made it through basketball playoffs.” “
I’ll go around the block and let you off. Then Kathy and I can
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