anyway.
“G’nite,” Penny called as she climbed the ladder to her attic room. She heard Susan’s reply, something about bedbugs.
She waited for a quarter hour, making sure Susan was done roaming the house for the night, then used her mirror to call on Zoe.
“Hey Penny.” Zoe looked surprised but pleased. “What’s going on? Something wrong?”
“Nope,” Penny said, almost giddy with excitement. “Is your grandma sleeping?”
“When isn’t she sleeping?” Zoe sat up and Penny saw her perspective shift, giving her a good view of her small closet’s door.
“Good. We’ll talk again in a few seconds.” Penny slid from her own bed and approached her new wardrobe. “Just try not to scream, okay?”
“Uh, sure … okay.” Zoe looked beyond puzzled now.
Penny said “goodbye,” and Zoe’s face faded from her mirror.
Penny stopped in front of her wardrobe and considered.
Zoe’s closet door opens outward, so ….
She opened the door and stepped inside, pushing a few coats and hanging shirts aside. The good thing about being a pip-squeak, she decided, was being able to fit easily into a small wardrobe.
She closed her eyes, although the complete darkness inside the wardrobe made it unnecessary, and touched the tip of her wand to the door. She visualized the room on the other side of this door, not as her own, but Zoe’s. She imagined Zoe sitting on the edge of her bed on the other side at that very moment, waiting for something strange to happen. She could almost hear Zoe grumbling about it now.
Penny shoved on the door with her free hand, but it stayed shut, resisting Penny’s attempt to push it open.
What ?
Then she understood what was wrong, there was a doorknob on Zoe’s side of the door, but not hers, and knocked instead.
There was indeed a short squeal of surprise from the other side of the door.
“Come on, Zoe. It’s me. Let me in.”
A moment later the door swung open, and Zoe stood on the other side, mouth gaping and eyes wide.
It had worked !
Penny grinned hugely at her and stepped from the inside of her wardrobe into Zoe’s bedroom.
“You figured it out?” Zoe bounced up and down in place, and Penny thought she was resisting the urge to scream with excitement.
“No, Ronan showed me,” Penny admitted. “And don’t scream … you’ll wake your grandma.”
“A little warning would have been nice, you know,” Zoe said, but her smile remained, belying any real anger. “The last time something came out of my closet it was ten feet tall, had wings, and tried to kidnap me.”
Penny hadn’t thought about that.
“Maybe we should give Kat a heads-up before we step through?” Penny made the suggestion, but it took a bit of the joy out of her.
Zoe considered this for a moment before shaking her head. “Naw. That’s no fun.”
A minute later Zoe was talking to Katie.
“You alone right now?”
“I was sleeping,” Katie grumbled. Penny heard her yawn. “Everyone’s in bed. Well, technically my dad is on the couch.”
“Good,” Zoe said. “We’ll talk to you again in a minute.”
Katie said goodbye and Zoe tossed her mirror onto her bed.
“You ready?”
“Wait, does Kat’s closet door open in or out?” Penny didn’t know how much this mattered, strictly speaking, but didn’t want any screw-ups.
“In, I think,” Zoe said. She’d been to Katie’s house a few times, but Penny had never gone. Katie didn’t think it would be good for her father to arrive home early from work some day to find that girl sitting in his living room. “It’s a walk-in.”
Penny passed her wand to Zoe and told her what to do.
They stood outside her closet door for a minute, Zoe’s eyes pinched shut, visualizing for all she was worth, then Zoe said, “Okay, lets go.”
Penny turned the knob and pulled the door open.
Katie greeted them with a barely stifled shriek.
Chapter
“G’nite,” Penny called as she climbed the ladder to her attic room. She heard Susan’s reply, something about bedbugs.
She waited for a quarter hour, making sure Susan was done roaming the house for the night, then used her mirror to call on Zoe.
“Hey Penny.” Zoe looked surprised but pleased. “What’s going on? Something wrong?”
“Nope,” Penny said, almost giddy with excitement. “Is your grandma sleeping?”
“When isn’t she sleeping?” Zoe sat up and Penny saw her perspective shift, giving her a good view of her small closet’s door.
“Good. We’ll talk again in a few seconds.” Penny slid from her own bed and approached her new wardrobe. “Just try not to scream, okay?”
“Uh, sure … okay.” Zoe looked beyond puzzled now.
Penny said “goodbye,” and Zoe’s face faded from her mirror.
Penny stopped in front of her wardrobe and considered.
Zoe’s closet door opens outward, so ….
She opened the door and stepped inside, pushing a few coats and hanging shirts aside. The good thing about being a pip-squeak, she decided, was being able to fit easily into a small wardrobe.
She closed her eyes, although the complete darkness inside the wardrobe made it unnecessary, and touched the tip of her wand to the door. She visualized the room on the other side of this door, not as her own, but Zoe’s. She imagined Zoe sitting on the edge of her bed on the other side at that very moment, waiting for something strange to happen. She could almost hear Zoe grumbling about it now.
Penny shoved on the door with her free hand, but it stayed shut, resisting Penny’s attempt to push it open.
What ?
Then she understood what was wrong, there was a doorknob on Zoe’s side of the door, but not hers, and knocked instead.
There was indeed a short squeal of surprise from the other side of the door.
“Come on, Zoe. It’s me. Let me in.”
A moment later the door swung open, and Zoe stood on the other side, mouth gaping and eyes wide.
It had worked !
Penny grinned hugely at her and stepped from the inside of her wardrobe into Zoe’s bedroom.
“You figured it out?” Zoe bounced up and down in place, and Penny thought she was resisting the urge to scream with excitement.
“No, Ronan showed me,” Penny admitted. “And don’t scream … you’ll wake your grandma.”
“A little warning would have been nice, you know,” Zoe said, but her smile remained, belying any real anger. “The last time something came out of my closet it was ten feet tall, had wings, and tried to kidnap me.”
Penny hadn’t thought about that.
“Maybe we should give Kat a heads-up before we step through?” Penny made the suggestion, but it took a bit of the joy out of her.
Zoe considered this for a moment before shaking her head. “Naw. That’s no fun.”
A minute later Zoe was talking to Katie.
“You alone right now?”
“I was sleeping,” Katie grumbled. Penny heard her yawn. “Everyone’s in bed. Well, technically my dad is on the couch.”
“Good,” Zoe said. “We’ll talk to you again in a minute.”
Katie said goodbye and Zoe tossed her mirror onto her bed.
“You ready?”
“Wait, does Kat’s closet door open in or out?” Penny didn’t know how much this mattered, strictly speaking, but didn’t want any screw-ups.
“In, I think,” Zoe said. She’d been to Katie’s house a few times, but Penny had never gone. Katie didn’t think it would be good for her father to arrive home early from work some day to find that girl sitting in his living room. “It’s a walk-in.”
Penny passed her wand to Zoe and told her what to do.
They stood outside her closet door for a minute, Zoe’s eyes pinched shut, visualizing for all she was worth, then Zoe said, “Okay, lets go.”
Penny turned the knob and pulled the door open.
Katie greeted them with a barely stifled shriek.
Chapter
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