Turning Pages

Chapter Ten

"Yeah, I thought someone was in here murdering you." 

"And that makes what you did all the more brave." I decided not to embarrass him further, so I stopped talking as he left my room, Mom close behind. 

I checked my bed for rat droppings, then climbed in. The timing-things that perfect just couldn't be planned. I closed my eyes, but I couldn't stand it. I got up, dashed into Mom's room, and burrowed into bed with her. 

"Can I sleep in here tonight?" I asked through the comforter that was over my head. 

Her soft chuckle came to me in the darkness. "Yes, I suppose you can. But tomorrow, you have to be a big girl and sleep in your own room." 

"Okay, Mommy," I said, returning her tease as I relaxed into her pillow-top mattress. Soon, her gentle breathing filled the room, and I realized how very blessed I was to have such a family. Then I began to laugh, and had to muffle my face with a pillow to keep from waking Mom up.

??

I was not at my best in class the next morning. I was tired from all the excitement the night before, but I also had a hard time concentrating. One minute, I was reliving the terror of that moment when four little rat claws went running across my legs, and the next, I was trying not to laugh about it. I wasn't surprised in the slightest when Mr. Jensen asked to see me after class. Blake would just have to understand when I showed up late-again. 

"How are things going, Addie?" the professor asked. "Are you settling back into your routine?" 

"I think so. My mom's feeling pretty good, and work's going all right." I paused, debating. I didn't know if I should launch into the whole sorry saga of the library's eventual shutdown and how it was affecting everything in my life and consuming my thoughts day and night. It would probably be kinder of me to leave that out. "Yeah, I think things are fine." 

"You seemed distracted in class today."  

I knew my mind was playing tricks on me, but for a second, it sounded like he said "dist-rat-cted." I pressed my lips together, trying not to grin. "I'm all right. I'll do better, I promise." 

He picked up a sheet of paper from the desk. "I have noticed a definite improvement from your previous test scores to now. You got a ninety-eight percent on this last exam." He handed the paper to me, and I smiled when I saw the number written at the top. "I'm proud of you, Addie. Now, if you can just concentrate a little better during class time . . ." 

I nodded. "It's a promise."

??

Mom got the job-she was now a teller at the bank. It would be weird, having her gone. She'd stayed at home since marrying Dad and was a full-time mother to me, and then later to Benji and Jenni as they came along. But she'd been able to arrange a work schedule that allowed her to see the kids off to school, and she'd be home shortly after they were. With our plan to move in next to Aunt Kathy, the kids would have someone nearby all the time. 

We had an appointment to go see the twin home. We wanted to be punctual, but it was hard to get ready that morning. Benji and Jenni walked in slow motion, and I don't think I was much faster. Mom was starting to lose her patience by the time we were all buckled up and ready to go. Her hands clenched the steering wheel as she drove. I didn't know if that was out of frustration with her children, or nervousness about seeing the house. Maybe it was both. 

We climbed out of the car and surveyed the home. It was pretty from the outside, with cream brick, dark green trim, and window boxes. A couple of trees were planted midway across the yard, and it had a two-car garage. The other half, the side that would belong to Aunt Kathy and Uncle Tim, was identical, only a mirror image. The real estate agent stood on the front porch and waved at us.