relaxed. I envied her innocence, knowing my future dreams would be far
from peaceful.
I crossed over to my wall calendar by my desk.
I picked up a pen and made a note on Saturday:
Nevada/Dominic.
Looking at the calendar, each dated square of
empty white loomed ominously. Moments left of
my life. I thought of the deadly witch ball prediction. Five days from yesterday. Placing my finger
on today's date, I traced a path across the squares,
counting down four more days.
Thursday, I realized with a sick feeling.
Would I make it to Saturday?
I had to take control of my future-no matter how
short it might be. I was playing a dangerous game
where losing could be fatal.
Waiting for calendar days to pass would make
me crazy, so I needed to discover what powers I was
up against. But I'd already asked Opal, and her answers were less than reassuring. I couldn't ask Nona
for advice without risking her health. I considered holding a seance, but Nona had warned me never
to invite unknown spirits into our home. So what
else could I do?
That's when I had a great idea. Okay, it wasn't
that great, but it was the only idea I had, and it was
better than sitting around hoping to hear from
Josh. I knew he wouldn't call me until after noon
since he liked to sleep in late on weekends. Jill, on
the other hand, boasted about being an early riser.
I left a note for Amy and Nona, then pulled my
bike out of the garage and headed for Jill's house,
which was about a mile away.
Jill's stepfather, a scrawny, bearded middleaged guy named Phil, answered the door in teddy
bear boxer shorts and a T-shirt stretched over his
belly. "You're too late," he told me. "Jill left for her
job already."
Too late? But it wasn't even nine o'clock yet!
And what job? Jill was always lecturing the squad
that their full-time job was to balance cheerleading
and schoolwork. She warned that missed practices
or failing grades could get them kicked off the
squad.
Phil told me she was at the CVJ Plant, only a
few miles away. So I hopped on my bike again. The crisp morning air felt great and I realized I was enjoying myself. Amy and I would have to go biking
later. I'd taught my sisters how to ride when they
were little and we used to go riding a lot ... before
things changed.
The CVJ Plant was the largest employer in
Sheridan Valley. They made pipes and all kinds of industrial materials. Big trucks with the CVJ logo lumbered regularly up and down the roads. But on
Sunday morning, the parking lot was almost deserted, only a few cars and semi-trucks. Hulking,
darkened buildings appeared locked. I had no idea
how to find Jill-until I noticed a side door propped
open. Parking my bike under a tree, I approached
the door.
"Jill?" I called out, peering inside what appeared to be some sort of delivery entrance. "Anyone here?"
I heard a muffled answer from the back of the
building, so I entered and walked down an echoing
hall. No sign of Jill, but as I turned a corner I saw a
custodian in a brown uniform, pushing a cleaning
cart. Wait a minute-the custodian was Jill!
Her blue eyes widened when she saw me, and
her hands flew to her face. "Sabine!" she exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you."
"But how did find me?"
"Your stepfather told me."
"I'll kill him!" She pursed her lips. "No one
was supposed to find out where I worked! This is
just great-now everyone will know."
"So what?" I didn't get why she was so angry.
"There's nothing wrong with having a job."
"Not a job like this." She swept her hand toward the cleaning cart. "I can just imagine PennyLove's reaction when she finds out her squad captain
scrubs toilets."
"She won't care," I insisted although I wasn't
really sure. Penny-Love had funny ideas about how
people should behave and could be very critical.
"I'm so busted." She gave me a pleading look.
"Please don't tell anyone."
"I won't say a word."
"Not even to Penny-Love?"
I crisscrossed a
from peaceful.
I crossed over to my wall calendar by my desk.
I picked up a pen and made a note on Saturday:
Nevada/Dominic.
Looking at the calendar, each dated square of
empty white loomed ominously. Moments left of
my life. I thought of the deadly witch ball prediction. Five days from yesterday. Placing my finger
on today's date, I traced a path across the squares,
counting down four more days.
Thursday, I realized with a sick feeling.
Would I make it to Saturday?
I had to take control of my future-no matter how
short it might be. I was playing a dangerous game
where losing could be fatal.
Waiting for calendar days to pass would make
me crazy, so I needed to discover what powers I was
up against. But I'd already asked Opal, and her answers were less than reassuring. I couldn't ask Nona
for advice without risking her health. I considered holding a seance, but Nona had warned me never
to invite unknown spirits into our home. So what
else could I do?
That's when I had a great idea. Okay, it wasn't
that great, but it was the only idea I had, and it was
better than sitting around hoping to hear from
Josh. I knew he wouldn't call me until after noon
since he liked to sleep in late on weekends. Jill, on
the other hand, boasted about being an early riser.
I left a note for Amy and Nona, then pulled my
bike out of the garage and headed for Jill's house,
which was about a mile away.
Jill's stepfather, a scrawny, bearded middleaged guy named Phil, answered the door in teddy
bear boxer shorts and a T-shirt stretched over his
belly. "You're too late," he told me. "Jill left for her
job already."
Too late? But it wasn't even nine o'clock yet!
And what job? Jill was always lecturing the squad
that their full-time job was to balance cheerleading
and schoolwork. She warned that missed practices
or failing grades could get them kicked off the
squad.
Phil told me she was at the CVJ Plant, only a
few miles away. So I hopped on my bike again. The crisp morning air felt great and I realized I was enjoying myself. Amy and I would have to go biking
later. I'd taught my sisters how to ride when they
were little and we used to go riding a lot ... before
things changed.
The CVJ Plant was the largest employer in
Sheridan Valley. They made pipes and all kinds of industrial materials. Big trucks with the CVJ logo lumbered regularly up and down the roads. But on
Sunday morning, the parking lot was almost deserted, only a few cars and semi-trucks. Hulking,
darkened buildings appeared locked. I had no idea
how to find Jill-until I noticed a side door propped
open. Parking my bike under a tree, I approached
the door.
"Jill?" I called out, peering inside what appeared to be some sort of delivery entrance. "Anyone here?"
I heard a muffled answer from the back of the
building, so I entered and walked down an echoing
hall. No sign of Jill, but as I turned a corner I saw a
custodian in a brown uniform, pushing a cleaning
cart. Wait a minute-the custodian was Jill!
Her blue eyes widened when she saw me, and
her hands flew to her face. "Sabine!" she exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you."
"But how did find me?"
"Your stepfather told me."
"I'll kill him!" She pursed her lips. "No one
was supposed to find out where I worked! This is
just great-now everyone will know."
"So what?" I didn't get why she was so angry.
"There's nothing wrong with having a job."
"Not a job like this." She swept her hand toward the cleaning cart. "I can just imagine PennyLove's reaction when she finds out her squad captain
scrubs toilets."
"She won't care," I insisted although I wasn't
really sure. Penny-Love had funny ideas about how
people should behave and could be very critical.
"I'm so busted." She gave me a pleading look.
"Please don't tell anyone."
"I won't say a word."
"Not even to Penny-Love?"
I crisscrossed a
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