to get help.”
“I’m sorry,” the boy says. It looks as if he’s talking to the ground.
“I’m sorry, too.” Are we both talking about Cassie? I don’t think so.
“Come inside.” There’s a little tea in the canister. Maybe …
He follows us and I light the gas lamp. “What’s your name?” I ask at last.
“Anton.”
I nod and then I remember Xenia.
She’s been shut up in the barn for hours. True, she has hay and water, but no food. She must have digested the curtains hours ago.
“Just sit at the table,” I say to them. “I’ll be right back.”
I grab up a scoop of goat food for Xenia and walk around the table. As I do, I glance at Anton. His hair is down over his ears; he’s wearing a thin shirt. He must have been cold outside. His hands are covered with a smear of something blue.
I follow the fence around to the barn and slide open the doors. Xenia is in her stall. In the dim light I see that her eyes are closed; she’s curled up against the wall, looking perfectly comfortable. “I’m sorry, Xenia,” I say anyway. “I know you don’t like to miss a meal.”
Something else is in the stall with her. I see the outline of a figure and step back.
The dark shape moves and I’m ready to run. Then I see who it is. I sink to my knees. “Cassie.” I’m crying now and I reach out to her and our hands meet over Xenia’s back.
“What are you doing here?” I’ve never felt such relief. “I love you.” I have to say that fast; already I want to yell at her for causing this whole mess. “Didn’t you hear us calling? Didn’t you know we’d be looking for you?”
“I didn’t want to answer,” she says. “I was going to run away, back to Miss Mitzi maybe.”
I shake my head, wondering.
“But I didn’t have any money.”
“You had the change from the paint.”
She’s crying, too, now, a real Cassie crying, loud and grating.
Never mind. She’s here and she’s safe.
I crawl around Xenia. Cassie and I sit together, leaning against the wall of the stall. We hold hands. I can’t believe that. We haven’t been this close since we were little.
“I didn’t have the change,” she says at last. “I lost it somehow on the way home from the paint store. It was raining and I put my hands in my pockets. I don’t know how the money slipped out. I went back and back, but it was gone.”
I shake my head. Careful Cassie.
“The real estate man came this morning,” she says.
“In the car? But he’s early. The rent isn’t due for two days.”
Cassie shrugs. “I didn’t have the money anyway.”
“Of course we do. It’s in the kitchen cabinet.” I lean my head back against the wall. I’m so tired. It’s hard to keep my eyes open. And both boys are waiting for me. I start to get up.
“No, it’s gone. I lost that, too.”
“What do you mean?” I sink back down.
“I took every bit of the money with me to town,” she says, “to buy the paint.”
Xenia makes a little sound of contentment. I shake my head. What is she talking about?
She says it again. “I took the money. I was angry. I was going to bring it back, but I don’t know what happened to it.”
The money’s gone? All of it?
I begin slowly. “We have only half a box of stale crackers, jars of beans and tomatoes, and fish in the stream. We don’t know where Pop is, and we don’t have the money for rent. Or seed.”
“Right.” She seems almost pleased that I finally know what she’s talking about. But she begins to cry again. “I didn’t even have the money to run away.”
That Cassie. I blow air through my lips.
“You sound like Xenia,” she says.
“You don’t sound as worried as you should be.”
“It’s because I told you. Now I don’t have to worry about this by myself anymore.”
My face is hot. I want to scream. Wait, I try to tell myself. Wait.
I know I love Cassie, but she’s orange, as orange as a Halloween pumpkin.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I never get to make those cups of
“I’m sorry,” the boy says. It looks as if he’s talking to the ground.
“I’m sorry, too.” Are we both talking about Cassie? I don’t think so.
“Come inside.” There’s a little tea in the canister. Maybe …
He follows us and I light the gas lamp. “What’s your name?” I ask at last.
“Anton.”
I nod and then I remember Xenia.
She’s been shut up in the barn for hours. True, she has hay and water, but no food. She must have digested the curtains hours ago.
“Just sit at the table,” I say to them. “I’ll be right back.”
I grab up a scoop of goat food for Xenia and walk around the table. As I do, I glance at Anton. His hair is down over his ears; he’s wearing a thin shirt. He must have been cold outside. His hands are covered with a smear of something blue.
I follow the fence around to the barn and slide open the doors. Xenia is in her stall. In the dim light I see that her eyes are closed; she’s curled up against the wall, looking perfectly comfortable. “I’m sorry, Xenia,” I say anyway. “I know you don’t like to miss a meal.”
Something else is in the stall with her. I see the outline of a figure and step back.
The dark shape moves and I’m ready to run. Then I see who it is. I sink to my knees. “Cassie.” I’m crying now and I reach out to her and our hands meet over Xenia’s back.
“What are you doing here?” I’ve never felt such relief. “I love you.” I have to say that fast; already I want to yell at her for causing this whole mess. “Didn’t you hear us calling? Didn’t you know we’d be looking for you?”
“I didn’t want to answer,” she says. “I was going to run away, back to Miss Mitzi maybe.”
I shake my head, wondering.
“But I didn’t have any money.”
“You had the change from the paint.”
She’s crying, too, now, a real Cassie crying, loud and grating.
Never mind. She’s here and she’s safe.
I crawl around Xenia. Cassie and I sit together, leaning against the wall of the stall. We hold hands. I can’t believe that. We haven’t been this close since we were little.
“I didn’t have the change,” she says at last. “I lost it somehow on the way home from the paint store. It was raining and I put my hands in my pockets. I don’t know how the money slipped out. I went back and back, but it was gone.”
I shake my head. Careful Cassie.
“The real estate man came this morning,” she says.
“In the car? But he’s early. The rent isn’t due for two days.”
Cassie shrugs. “I didn’t have the money anyway.”
“Of course we do. It’s in the kitchen cabinet.” I lean my head back against the wall. I’m so tired. It’s hard to keep my eyes open. And both boys are waiting for me. I start to get up.
“No, it’s gone. I lost that, too.”
“What do you mean?” I sink back down.
“I took every bit of the money with me to town,” she says, “to buy the paint.”
Xenia makes a little sound of contentment. I shake my head. What is she talking about?
She says it again. “I took the money. I was angry. I was going to bring it back, but I don’t know what happened to it.”
The money’s gone? All of it?
I begin slowly. “We have only half a box of stale crackers, jars of beans and tomatoes, and fish in the stream. We don’t know where Pop is, and we don’t have the money for rent. Or seed.”
“Right.” She seems almost pleased that I finally know what she’s talking about. But she begins to cry again. “I didn’t even have the money to run away.”
That Cassie. I blow air through my lips.
“You sound like Xenia,” she says.
“You don’t sound as worried as you should be.”
“It’s because I told you. Now I don’t have to worry about this by myself anymore.”
My face is hot. I want to scream. Wait, I try to tell myself. Wait.
I know I love Cassie, but she’s orange, as orange as a Halloween pumpkin.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I never get to make those cups of
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