Starstruck

Chapter 25a: Absolute magnitude (part 1)

I wanted to tell her it wasn't my fault, that I'd done everything right, but instead I just nodded and hurried upstairs to shower.

"Oh, good, you're decently dressed," Aunt Theresa greeted me ten minutes later when I entered the kitchen, where she was cutting up mounds of peeled apples for applesauce. "Run upstairs and get that dress you're wearing to the dance tonight. The Stuarts will be here soon to take you and Rigel for ice cream, then they'll drop you at Brianna's house to get ready for the dance. You did say you and your friends planned to do your primping there, didn't you?"

I nodded, slightly surprised at her cordial tone. Maybe she was just looking forward to having me out of the house for the rest of the day.

"I'll go grab my stuff." I didn't mention that Bri hadn't yet told me what time to come over. I texted her from Rigel's phone the minute I got to my room, saying I might not be able to come over after all, but that I'd call later and let her know for sure. That should keep her from calling the house and messing up my cover story--if it was a cover story.

While I gathered up my (borrowed) dress, shoes, lip gloss and other paraphernalia, I kept glancing out my window to the street below, watching for the Stuarts' car. On my second or third glance, I saw a silver car with dark-tinted windows slow in front of our house.

Assuming it must be the car Shim had rented, I shoved my dressy underthings into the bottom of the bag with my shoes and stuff, ready to hurry downstairs--but then the car sped up again and went on. Frowning, I tossed my glittery barrette, the last thing I needed, into the bag and went back to the window.

A moment later, the same car came back from the opposite direction and again cruised very slowly past before speeding up and moving on. And then, maybe half a minute after that, a metallic green compact did the exact same thing. This car's windows didn't appear to be tinted, but from my angle above the street I couldn't see inside. What was going on?

Before I'd decided whether to be scared or not, the Stuarts' dark blue SUV pulled into the driveway. Exhaling with relief, I grabbed up my bag and my dress and ran down to the front door.

"Bye, Aunt Theresa!" I called toward the kitchen. "I'll see you after the dance tonight." I sure hoped that would be true.

"Be good--and don't be too late," she called back.

"Okay," I called over my shoulder, already heading out the door. I wanted to get safely into the Stuarts' car before either of those other cars came back.

Rigel was already out of the SUV and halfway up the walk when I came outside. "Hey, I didn't expect you to be ready yet," he said, taking my bag with one hand and my now-free hand with the other. "I figured I'd have to come in and wait."

That reminded me that he'd never actually been inside my house. But now was definitely not the time, with those mysterious cars cruising by and Aunt Theresa up to her elbows in applesauce.

"My hair's still damp, but, well, let's get in the car and then talk," I said, stumbling over my words the way I had when we'd first met--only this time I was nervous for a totally different reason.

Rigel opened the car door for me and I clambered in, dragging my dress on its hanger behind me, then saw that both of Rigel's parents, as well as Shim, were in the car.

"Uh, thanks for this," I said to all of them. "I . . . I guess Rigel told you what happened?"

Dr. Stuart, who was sitting in one of the middle seats, took the seafoam-green dress from me and hung it on a hook over the window. "Why don't you and Rigel sit in the back? Yes, he told us. I'm sorry--that must have been very frightening for you."

"Can you describe the man?" Shim asked, twisting around from the front passenger seat. Mr. Stuart was driving.

"Sure. He was sloppily dressed, almost in rags, like he was homeless or something, but I think that was just a disguise. He had . . . let's see, he had light brown hair and kind of bluish eyes, I think--I didn't really look at his eyes. He was taller than me, but not real tall. His hair was stringy and about shoulder-length, but I guess it could have been a wig or something."

Shim nodded as I spoke, as though ticking things off a mental list. "And he tried to touch you or stick you with something metallic?"

"That's what it seemed like to me. It was little, and I think it broke when I knocked it out of his hand, but I didn't get a good look at it."

"You knocked it out of his hand?" Dr. Stuart said in obvious surprise. "That was very-- Well, what's important is that you're safe now."

"For the moment." Mr. Stuart, Rigel and I all said it together.

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