Nine Doors by Vicki Grant

Copyright © 2009 Vicki Grant
    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.
    Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
    Grant, Vicki
    Nine doors / written by Vicki Grant.
    (Orca currents)
    ISBN 978-1-55469-073-2 (pbk.).--ISBN 978-1-55469-074-9 (bound)
    I. Title. II. Series: Orca currents
    PS8613.R367N55 2009               jC813’.6               C2009-900017-2
    Summary: The game of Nicky Nicky Nine Doors seemed harmless enough when they started, but Emery and Richard discover there are serious consequences to scaring your neighbors.
    First published in the United States, 2009
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008943721
    Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.
    Cover design by Teresa Bubela
Cover photography by Firstlight
    Orca Book Publishers                             Orca Book Publishers
PO Box 5626, Station B                                    PO Box 468        
Victoria, BC Canada                                  Custer, WA USA   
  V8R 6S4                                                98240-0468 
    www.orcabook.com
    Printed and bound in Canada.
    Printed on 100% PCW recycled paper.
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This book is dedicated to my much older brother, Robert G. Grant, QC, in belated thanks for—among many, many other things—making sure I never lost my retainer.

prologue
    Despite what my math teacher might think, I’m not stupid.
    I’m not mean either. At least I try not to be.
    So that’s not how I got into this mess.
    I got into it because I was bored.
    I know that’s a dumb excuse, but I bet I’m not the first person to use it. My guess is boredom’s the reason lots of people get into trouble. It can drive you nuts. It can make you do stuff you’d never do in a million years.
    For me, that meant hanging out with Richard.
    That sounds cruel, but what can I say? If you knew the guy, you’d probably feel the same way.
    There’s nothing wrong with him—at least, not really. In fact, it’s almost the opposite. Spend more than a couple of minutes with Richard and you end up feeling like there’s something wrong with
you
.
    I don’t know how he does it. He just stands there all innocent and smiling, but somehow he makes you feel like garbage. It’s as if the guy’s a pickpocket, only he doesn’t take your wallet or your cell phone or anything easy like that. He takes your brain. When he’s done messing with you, you can’t even think straight anymore.
    That probably doesn’t make any sense. It’s kind of hard to explain, but here’s an example. Maybe that will help.
    My name’s Emery. I can’t say I love it, but that’s my name. Usually, I don’t think too much about it one way or the other. It just is.
    So one day I ran into