WILLOW MANOR

Chapter Twenty-Four

When the hall clock struck three, Blake jumped up from his chair and slid his iPad across the table. "Done!"

"Done with your math right at three?" Katie was skeptical. "That seems awfully convenient."

"Just lucky, I guess." Blake laughed. "Can I go now?"

"Hold on." She opened his work on her tablet. "Let me just check this over."

"Ugh!" He nearly bent backward under the weight of the inconvenience. "I did it all."

And he had. All of the assigned work had been completed and done correctly. She smiled and nodded. "Looks good."

"Yes!" He bolted for the door. "I call the Xbox!"

"No, me!" Delia stood too. She pleaded with Katie. "It's my turn."

"Half an hour, Blake." She told him. "Then it's Delia's turn."

They both ran out of the room. Katie collected the tablets and papers and pencils they had been using that day. She sat down at one of the tables and began looking over the day's work. It was gratifying to her that both children had shown marked improvement in their studies, just over the short period of time she had been here.

She picked up their art projects that they had done earlier in the day. Both children were incredibly creative. Blake's drawing was an abstract work, conjoined circles with angular designs that almost looked like writing. Delia's drawing was even more interesting. Katie picked it up and examined it closely.

It looked like several figures standing near a body of water. Three were apparently women, since they had long hair and wore dresses. One was a man. One was a girl child. Was that Delia? All the adults were holding onto the child. Katie studied it closer. She couldn't tell if they were all pulling or pushing Delia. Then she saw something that made her drop the paper.

There, in the corner, under a tree, was a rabbit. It was sitting on its hind legs, and was wearing a pink dress, a feathered hat, and a ton of jewelry. Why? Why had Delia drawn that? She had never mentioned Grandma Fluffbottom to anyone here. How would Delia know? She looked around the room, as if there were someone there who could answer that question.

Katie was trembling as she picked the paper up and examined it once again. The girl was Delia. The man had to be Walter. The woman with the red hair was her. And the dark-haired woman—judging by the way her children looked—had to be Diedre. Then the blonde woman in the long dress... Was that Arabella? And the rabbit... Grandma? It was too strange to accept.

"I'm home!" The front door swung open, and Clarissa's voice carried down the hall.

Katie stood and rushed to meet her at the doorway, the drawing forgotten for now. Clarissa's face brightened a little when she saw her. She hugged her tightly.

"Oh Clarissa! I'm so glad you're okay." Katie said. "I was so worried about you."

"We all were." Walter carried her bag into the house and shut the front door behind them. "But everything is going to be okay now, right?"

"Right." Clarissa nodded. She looked up and Katie could see the dark circles under her eyes were fading and her cheeks held a bit of color. All in all, she looked livelier than Katie had ever seen her.

"Right." Katie said.

"Where are Blake and Delia?" Walter looked down the hall toward the library. "They'll want to know their sister is home from the hospital."

Katie laughed and pointed toward the family room. "Xbox."

"I'll go." Clarissa started down the hall. "I want to surprise them."