hiding something. It’s like you’re trying to run out of your own skin.”
He shakes his head, keeps punching buttons. “I don’t know what to do with you.”
I smile. “You could just tell me what you’re thinking.”
“Hold on,” he says and then tells lssie what we found. She says something back and he hangs up.
“Well?”
He shifts his weight and slips his cell into a little nook between us. “She thinks it’s a reference to the old medieval line, ‘Here there be dragons.’ It was used on maps and stuff to warn sailors away from dangerous places.”
“I knew it sounded familiar.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“But that doesn’t make sense.”
“Why?”
I point at the first two words. “It says not to fear.”
“And it’s not dragons.”
“It’s tigers.”
“Weird.”
Betty comes to the front door and yells, “Are you two going to sit out there forever?”
I blush. “I should go.”
“Yeah.”
I step out of the car. The cold air bashes against me as I stuff the library book into my bag with all the others. I hoist the bag onto my shoulder, buckling under the weight.
Nicks jumps out of the car so quickly that I don’t even notice it, and he’s suddenly beside me, taking the bag off my shoulder. “Let me get it.”
I am all for equal rights and everything, but it’s pretty heavy. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” he says, walking with me to the porch where Betty’s still standing, arms crossed over her nonexistent chest, smiling at us. Nick lowers his voice to a whisper. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“You either,” I whisper back.
Betty snorts as we clomp up the steps. “Well, Mr. Colt. Would you like to join us for dinner?”
“She’s cooking,” I warn.
Betty swats me with a dish towel. “Spaghetti. What can I do to spaghetti?”
Nick puts my bag just inside the door and actually looks scared. “That’s okay. I’ve got a steak planned at home.”
“Fine,” Betty winks at him and then winks at me. Nick blushes. “I’ll let you two say your good-byes.”
“How embarrassing,” I mutter.
Nick laughs. Dimples crinkle up the skin near his lips. I will not look at his lips. How can he never have used those? That’s a crime against humanity right there.
“Bye,” he says. “See you in school.”
“Bye,” I say, and he walks away. The sun is pretty much gone. The woods are dark, tall masses that lock the sky to the ground. Anything could be hiding there. I watch him get in the car. I watch him drive away. The whole time I expect something to jump out, grab him, and take him away, a blood tribute. I shake my head. The taillights disappear around a curve.
Betty’s hand comes around my waist and I jump.
“You’re letting the cold in,” she says, and she shuts the door.
“So, John McKee’s son has a ruptured appendix,” Betty says as the water for the spaghetti boils.
I put forks on the table. The tongs of my fork touch an old water stain that looks like a cloud on wood. “That’s too bad.”
“It’s more than too bad,” Betty grumbles. “It means that I might get called in. We’re the only paramedics in town. We’re the only ones who can handle anything big. The first responders are just the drivers. They need John or me to deal with the big stuff.”
“So?”
“So? So?” She tosses the pasta into the pot in one big clump. Half of it pokes out above the rim. “So that means I have to figure out what to do with you.”
My words come out slowly the anger right beneath the surface, bubbling. “What to do with me?”
“If I have to go.”
I push her out of the way, grab the pasta spoon tiling, and push at the spaghetti so it goes down beneath the boiling surface. “You can leave me here. I’m a big girl.”
“I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
“Why?”
“People get more depressed at night. Almost all my suicide calls are at night. We just want… we want you to be okay, Zara.”
I turn the heat off high so the water
He shakes his head, keeps punching buttons. “I don’t know what to do with you.”
I smile. “You could just tell me what you’re thinking.”
“Hold on,” he says and then tells lssie what we found. She says something back and he hangs up.
“Well?”
He shifts his weight and slips his cell into a little nook between us. “She thinks it’s a reference to the old medieval line, ‘Here there be dragons.’ It was used on maps and stuff to warn sailors away from dangerous places.”
“I knew it sounded familiar.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“But that doesn’t make sense.”
“Why?”
I point at the first two words. “It says not to fear.”
“And it’s not dragons.”
“It’s tigers.”
“Weird.”
Betty comes to the front door and yells, “Are you two going to sit out there forever?”
I blush. “I should go.”
“Yeah.”
I step out of the car. The cold air bashes against me as I stuff the library book into my bag with all the others. I hoist the bag onto my shoulder, buckling under the weight.
Nicks jumps out of the car so quickly that I don’t even notice it, and he’s suddenly beside me, taking the bag off my shoulder. “Let me get it.”
I am all for equal rights and everything, but it’s pretty heavy. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” he says, walking with me to the porch where Betty’s still standing, arms crossed over her nonexistent chest, smiling at us. Nick lowers his voice to a whisper. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“You either,” I whisper back.
Betty snorts as we clomp up the steps. “Well, Mr. Colt. Would you like to join us for dinner?”
“She’s cooking,” I warn.
Betty swats me with a dish towel. “Spaghetti. What can I do to spaghetti?”
Nick puts my bag just inside the door and actually looks scared. “That’s okay. I’ve got a steak planned at home.”
“Fine,” Betty winks at him and then winks at me. Nick blushes. “I’ll let you two say your good-byes.”
“How embarrassing,” I mutter.
Nick laughs. Dimples crinkle up the skin near his lips. I will not look at his lips. How can he never have used those? That’s a crime against humanity right there.
“Bye,” he says. “See you in school.”
“Bye,” I say, and he walks away. The sun is pretty much gone. The woods are dark, tall masses that lock the sky to the ground. Anything could be hiding there. I watch him get in the car. I watch him drive away. The whole time I expect something to jump out, grab him, and take him away, a blood tribute. I shake my head. The taillights disappear around a curve.
Betty’s hand comes around my waist and I jump.
“You’re letting the cold in,” she says, and she shuts the door.
“So, John McKee’s son has a ruptured appendix,” Betty says as the water for the spaghetti boils.
I put forks on the table. The tongs of my fork touch an old water stain that looks like a cloud on wood. “That’s too bad.”
“It’s more than too bad,” Betty grumbles. “It means that I might get called in. We’re the only paramedics in town. We’re the only ones who can handle anything big. The first responders are just the drivers. They need John or me to deal with the big stuff.”
“So?”
“So? So?” She tosses the pasta into the pot in one big clump. Half of it pokes out above the rim. “So that means I have to figure out what to do with you.”
My words come out slowly the anger right beneath the surface, bubbling. “What to do with me?”
“If I have to go.”
I push her out of the way, grab the pasta spoon tiling, and push at the spaghetti so it goes down beneath the boiling surface. “You can leave me here. I’m a big girl.”
“I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
“Why?”
“People get more depressed at night. Almost all my suicide calls are at night. We just want… we want you to be okay, Zara.”
I turn the heat off high so the water
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