Gallows Hill by Lois Duncan Page A

had been so earnest, and his voice had held a disturbing note of somberness that seemed totally out of character. At the end of the morning, when Eric intercepted her at her locker to tell her about the next week's appointments, she found that she had serious reservations.
     
    "I've set you up with four clients for next Friday," he told her, obviously expecting her to be pleased.
     
    "I don't know," Sarah said hesitantly. "There was one that didn't go so well last time. I'm starting to wonder if we shouldn't think twice about going on with this."
     
    "What do you mean, one didn't go well?" Eric asked her. "As far as I know, they were terrific! Jennifer and Danny have talked you up to the point where kids are standing in line to make appointments. I'm thinking of raising the price so that we can all get rich on this."
     
    "But Debbie was so angry—"
     
    "That's the greatest promotion she could give you. She's spread it around to everybody that you can really see the future. What you told her about her sister running off with that bodybuilder—how did you ever come up with a gem like that?"
     
    "There was information about Buzz Tyson in Kyra's Cliffs Notes," Sarah said, skirting the question. "How does she know so much about so many people?"
     
    "She's a wannabe," Eric said. "Wannabes are like that."
     
    "A 'wannabe'?" Sarah repeated blankly. "What sort of 'wannabe'?"
     
    "A wanna-be-all-of-the-things-that-she-isn't," Eric said. "Cheerleader, star of the Drama Club; big-busted sex symbol; a beautiful, mysterious crystal-gazer who tells heart-stopping fortunes. Wannabes soak up information about the people they envy, and now Kyra's got the chance to spout it all out again. The poor kid takes after her mom, who's a wannabe career woman, though now, I guess, she's switched back to being a wannabe housewife."
     
    "Everybody's a wannabe something," Sarah said.
     
    "But some of us make things happen, while others just sit there. You and I are among the movers of mountains, and that, my lovely soothsayer, is why you can't back down on me for Friday. All your clients have paid in advance, and, like I said, you're going to have one more than last time. Actually I could have scheduled triple that number, but I didn't want to wear you out. Besides, if people can't get what they want immediately, it makes them a lot more eager, don't you agree?"
     
    Without waiting for a response, he proceeded to take her books from her hands and walk her down the hall to her next class, just like Jon used to do at her school back in Ventura. Eric even walked like Jon, with super-long strides, so Sarah had to do a double-time trot to keep up with him. She was acutely conscious of the curious glances they were getting, glances that asked, "Is there something romantic going on here?" Despite her irritation that he had taken her agreement for granted, it was an ego trip to be escorted to class by the Sun God. And to be honest, she had to admit that her enjoyment was intensified by the sight of Kyra, who was trudging past them in the opposite direction, carrying her own books and glaring.
     
    "So, what's with you and Sarah?" Kyra demanded as she scrambled into the passenger seat of Eric's car. "I saw you trotting down the hall like her pet puppy dog. The two of you looked like you were headed for the altar."
     
    "Don't be silly," Eric said. "I'm just doing my job. The goose that lays the golden eggs has got to be pacified. I may even take her to a movie or something to keep her happy. Do you know how much we're going to be charging on Friday? Twenty-five dollars per reading!"
     
    "You're kidding!" Kyra exclaimed.
     
    "Nope. And nobody's complaining. Four people at twenty-five bucks per head is one hundred dollars. That's fifty for Sarah and twenty-five for each of us. That's not bad for an hour's not-so-hard labor."
     
    "Why does Sarah get more than we do?" Kyra demanded.
     
    "Because she won't do it for less, and it won't work without her.