Dollenganger 06 My Sweet Audrina by V. C. Andrews Page A

them, nothing else.
    Watching him, I could tell he was a hard worker from the diligent way he set about cleaning up the yard, which was a wilderness of tangleweed, briars, Virginia crabgrass, spidergrass.
    He wore faded blue jeans that fit skintight, as if he'd outgrown them or they'd shrunk. His thin old shirt might once have been bright blue, but now it was faded gray-white. From time to time he'd stop to rest, to look around and whistle in imitation of some bird. Then, after a few seconds, he was back to work, pulling up weeds and throwing them in his pail, which he dumped often in a huge trash can. This boy didn't scare me, even though Papa and that rocking chair had taught me to be terrified of what boys might do.
    Suddenly he tore off the worn canvas gloves he wore, hurled them down and spun around, directly facing the tree I was hiding behind.
    "Isn't it time you stopped hiding and
watching?" he asked, turning to pick up his pail of weeds to empty it in the larger can. "Come on out and be friendly. I don't bite."
    My tongue stayed glued to the roof of my mouth, though his voice was kind.
"I won't hurt you, if that's why you're afraid. I even know your name is Audrina Adelle Adare, the girl with the beautiful long hair that changes colors. All the boys in Whitefern Village talk about the Whitefern girls and say you're the most beautiful one of all. Why don't you go to school like other girls? And why didn't you write me a note and thank me for that box of Valentine candy I sent you months and months ago? That was rude, you know, very rude not to even call on the phone . . ."
My breath caught. He'd given me the candy and not Vera? "I didn't know you knew me, and no one gave me the candy," I said in a small, hoarse voice. I wasn't sure even now that he'd send a totally unknown girl a box of expensive candy when Vera was pretty enough and already shaping into a woman.
"Sure I know you. That's why I wrote you that note with the candy. I see you all the time with your parents." He continued, "The trouble is, you never turn your head to see anyone. I'm in your sister's class in school. I asked her why you didn't go to school and she told me you were crazy, but I don't believe that. When people are crazy it shows in their eyes. I went into the drugstore and looked for the prettiest red satin heart of all. I hope Vera gave you at least one piece, since it was all yours."
Did he know Vera that well, enough to suspect she'd lie and eat it all? "Vera said you gave the box of candy to her."
"Aha!" he said. "That is exactly what my mom said when I told her you must be a very ungrateful kind of girl. And even if you didn't eat a piece, I hope you realize I did try to let you know there's one boy who thinks you are the prettiest girl he's ever seen."
"Thank you for the candy," I whispered.
"I deliver the morning and evening newspapers. It's the first time I've spent my hard-earned money on a gift for a girl."
"Why did you do it?"
He turned his head quickly, trying to catch a glimpse. Oh, his eyes were amber-colored. The sun was in them, making him almost blind, but showing me in detail what a pretty color they were, a lot lighter in shade than his hair. "I guess sometimes, Audrina, you can look at a girl and know right away you like her a lot. And when she never even looks your way, you've got to do something drastic. And then it didn't work."
Not knowing what to say, I said nothing. But I did move a little so he could see my face, while my body stayed safely hidden by the bushes.
"Darn if I can understand why you don't go to school."
How could I explain when I didn't understand? Unless it was like Aunt Ellsbeth said, that Papa wanted to keep me all for himself and "train" me.
"Since you haven't asked, I'll introduce myself. I'm Arden Nelson Lowe." Cautiously, he stepped closer to my hiding place, craning his neck in order to see me better. "I'm an A name, too, if that means anything, and I think it does."
"What do you think it means?"