Beckoners by Carrie Mac Page B

that she took her over to the playground as an apology. April was there with Lewis, and Shadow too, of course. They’d built up a bank with holes along one side of the wet sandbox. Lewis was very carefully parking a car in each little cave.
    â€œHey,” Zoe said.
    â€œHey.” April took a handful of cars from a plastic tub and lined them up for Lewis to park.
    â€œWhat are you doing?”
    â€œWhat does it look like?” She lined them up by color. Reds first, blues, then blacks.
    â€œWell, I just—” Zoe looked away. “I just wanted to say thanks. For looking after Cassy last night.”
    April shrugged.
    â€œYou were so asleep when I got home, I figured why wake you.” Zoe nodded for no particular reason. “I thought you might wake up. But you didn’t.” Zoe nodded again. “You’re not talking to me?”
    â€œIt’s supposed to be the other way around, last time I checked.” April eyed Zoe, and then glanced down the path. “So what, the Beckoner’s are around the corner, waiting for some kind of signal?” She gave Zoe the finger. “How about that? Is that what they’re waiting for?”
    â€œI’m all alone. I swear.”
    â€œUh-huh.” April started collecting the cars. “That sounds familiar.”
    â€œHey! Stop it.” Lewis grabbed a car out of her hand.
    â€œPut the cars away, Lewis.”
    â€œNo!”
    â€œPut the cars in the tub! We’re going.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause I said so.”
    Lewis dropped to his knees and doubled over, clutching the cars to his stomach.
    â€œI’m not going and you can’t make me!”
    â€œIt’s okay, Lewis.” Zoe took Cassy’s hand. “You stay. We’ll leave.”
    â€œFine.” April folded her arms.
    Zoe tried to pick up Cassy, but she was not about to cooperate. She arched her back and screamed, hitting Zoe in the face with her sandy fists. April watched for a second, and then wordlessly lifted Cassy from Zoe’s arms. Cassy rested her head on April’s shoulder. She sniffled and glared at Zoe.
    â€œNever mind,” April said. “You don’t have to leave. I wasn’t sure if you were really alone, that’s all. I thought it was a trap. I just thought that maybe after last night you and the Beckoners—”
    â€œDon’t worry.” Zoe pulled her jacket under her bum and sat on the damp edge of the sandbox. “I’m done with the Beckoners.”
    â€œDone?”
    â€œSick of them. Finished. Done.”
    â€œDone, huh?” April set Cassy down beside Lewis, who had resumed his parking project. “How’d you manage that?”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œYou can’t just walk away from the Beckoners.”
    â€œWell,” Zoe shrugged. “That’s what I did.”
    â€œYou might think you did.”
    â€œI did. I’m finished with them.”
    April laughed. “But they’re not finished with you.”
    â€œWe’ll see about that.”
    â€œYeah, we will, won’t we?” It was bizarre, the two of them using “we” like that, like they were in something together, other than Mrs. Henley’s Private Club for the Bright and Bullied.
    April moved the line of cars forward, beeping and putt-putting for Lewis. Zoe considered telling her about the party, but the couple of times she opened her mouth to start, whatever she had to say fell out onto the wet sand and flopped there like a dying fish.
    Zoe watched them play; Cassy driving a red fire engine up and down the edge of the sandbox, Lewis parking his cars, April handing out the cars like she was God of Small Four-Wheeled Things. In the moment, Zoe wished she were Cassy and the only thing on her mind was keeping all her wheels on the ground. Shadow stood and stretched. He came over and rested his grizzled chin on Zoe’s knee. He smelled sour and old and