This is Going to Suck
Alexandra sat down that night and wrote a long letter to Livia Pruett. She had to keep getting up to stretch and rub her neck - she could still feel the shaking Martha had given her.
She wrote about how she had grown up in Larkin Mills. She wrote about how she'd discovered she was a witch, and her first year at Charmbridge Academy. She wrote about discovering who her father was, and the years that followed: meeting her brother, meeting her sister, learning she had other sisters. Losing her brother.
–There are other things,†she wrote, –that I can't tell you in a letter. But I think all of Abraham Thorn's daughters have been through pretty rough times, and I'm sure you have too. Maybe that's why you don't want to talk to him or any of us. But there are questions you can answer, and I'm not just asking because I'm curious. Here in Larkin Mills there's an old abandoned Regal Royalty Sweets & Confections warehouse which was owned by the Pruett family. You'd be surprised what's in it. Want to know more? Write back, or call me. If you don't, I'll keep asking questions. I may not ask you, but I'll ask other people, and that might mean other people coming to ask you questions. I respect your wishes if you want to stay away from the wizarding world. Once you tell me what I want to know, I'll leave you alone and never bother you again if that's what you want. But I'm asking you as your sister, please answer me.â€
She thought about how to end it, and finally just signed the letter: 'AQ,' before putting it in an envelope with a stamp and addressing it to Dr. L.J. Pruett, marked 'Personal,' c/o Pruett Family Practice in Milwaukee. She mailed it the next morning.
As the week went on, she continued walking around the neighborhood and even downtown, trying to see more hidden surprises with her witch's sight. Nothing else in Larkin Mills appeared to be concealing any wizardly secrets, and Alexandra was becoming increasingly upset by her failure to find her wand, and increasingly angry at her father. She suspected him of deliberately sending her on a wild goose chase. Perhaps he'd reappear just before she returned to school to give her wand back to her. Or maybe he'd hidden it somewhere too clever for her to find, and he'd let her return to school without a wand. Alexandra didn't even know what happened to a witch who lost her wand in the Muggle world.
She also wondered what she'd say to Diana Grimm when she showed up. She knew the Special Inquisitor was going to show up: she always did after she thought Alexandra might have spoken to her father. Maybe she should just tell Ms. Grimm about the hag and the Regal Royalty warehouse. She did not like the thought of the Dark Convention operating some sort of smuggling ring right here in Larkin Mills. But she utterly mistrusted the Wizard Justice Department and was loathe to cooperate with them.
Thursday evening, the Seaburys returned to Larkin Mills. Brian came to the door on New Year's Eve and asked Mrs. Green if Alexandra could go skating with him. Alexandra was acutely embarrassed by her mother's amused smile as the two of them left the house.
Alexandra waited until they were out of her mother's sight. With her ice skates slung over her shoulder, she turned on Brian. –Why did you ask her for permission like that?â€
–To go skating?â€
–Yes!â€
He blinked at her. –Doesn't she need to know where we're going?â€
–No! I mean, yes, but - that's not the point!â€
–What's the point?†Brian stared at her helplessly, and she blew out an exasperated plume of breath and stalked ahead. He skidded to keep up with her, saying nothing until they were almost to the park with the city pond where everyone went to skate.
–I'm sorry?†he said, his voice making it half-apology, half-question.
–Whatever.†She sat down on a bench and began taking off her boots and putting on her skates. She looked up at Brian, who was still befuddled and a little hurt. –Forget about it. It's okay. I've just got a lot on my mind.â€
He sat down next to her and began putting on his own skates. –All that stuff that's been happening for the last three years?â€
–Yeah.â€
–Want to talk about it?†His face, earnest, a little anxious, reminded her of William. Brian's soft features were similar to the younger boy's, though he wasn't chubby, or quite as fair.
–Maybe later,†she said. –Where's Bonnie, by the way?â€
–Grounded, thank God. She was an incredible brat at Grandma's house.
Alexandra got to her feet. –Okay. I haven't skated in a while.â€
She had never been a great skater, but she'd never been a bad one, either. After a few circuits around the pond with Brian pacing her, she felt less likely to fall. There were lots of other people coming out to skate - teenagers and adults, mostly, as it was getting dark, though a few parents had brought younger children.
The town had changed, Alexandra thought. Or maybe she had just never paid attention to the community. Before she started going to Charmbridge, she'd been too young to be out this late. Now she was so used to brooms and winged horses and Apparition, she'd forgotten how much fun skating like a Muggle could be.
Only two things marred the evening. The first was when she heard something flap overhead and looked up too late to see it, but she was sure it had been a bird - probably a large, black one. Was Hagar spying on her? She was tempted to shout –Where's my wand?†Thus reminded of her still-missing wand, she fell into a less cheerful mood.
It became less cheerful yet when she saw Billy, Tom, Gordie, and several other teenagers lingering by the edge of the pond. Only Gordie was actually wearing skates, and when the others laughed derisively at him when he went out onto the ice, he quickly rejoined them and tossed off the ice skates. They saw Alexandra and Brian and pointed at them and began catcalling and shouting –Freak!â€
–Ignore them,†Brian said.
–Yeah, sure.†Alexandra wished she had her wand, and knew it wouldn't matter. Without skates on, the other teens just stayed by the pond's edge making noise until a police officer whom Alexandra recognized strolled over. Billy and his friends walked away.
They skated a while longer, but with their moods both dampened a bit, Alexandra and Brian drifted back to the shore and hobbled off the ice to take off their skates. Brian was silent as they put their boots on.
–We're going to see the fireworks show at midnight,†he said, after they began walking back to Sweetmaple Avenue.
–My mother and stepfather are both working, so I guess I'll see the fireworks from my bedroom window,†Alexandra said.
Brian shuffled his feet. –I could ask my parents if you could come along...â€
–Thanks, but you know your mother doesn't really like me.â€
–That's not true,†he said, with absolutely no conviction.
Alexandra remembered the afternoons Mrs. Seabury had watched her while her parents were working, after their house burned down. Brian's mother had been doing the decent, neighborly thing, and Alexandra had rarely felt so miserable; even Vacation Bible School had made her feel less unwelcome. She said nothing, just shook her head at him.
–I'm sorry,†he said. –I'm sorry for everything, Alex. I wish I hadn't acted like I did when you... when you became a witch. I wanted to talk to you and tell you I was sorry, and I didn't know how. And things always seemed to go wrong... I mean, that... that magic stuff...†Alexandra stared at him as he stammered out his apology. –It freaked me out, okay? Especially after what almost happened to Bonnie. I know that wasn't really your fault, but I just... I was stupid. And I'm really sorry, and I'm sorry I didn't stand up for you when everyone called you a freak, and that my parents are so... judgmental.â€
Apropos of the moment, snow began to fall - not light fluffy snow, but cold, wet flakes that were almost ice.
–What happened to Bonnie... was my fault,†she said. –And so's a lot of other stuff. Not everything - but your parents may not be wrong about me, Brian.â€
–I think they are,†he said. He had taken her hands before she realized he was stepping closer to her. And suddenly his face was right in front of hers.
She'd never seen anyone look so nervous. And then he kissed her.
She backed away, confused and caught off-guard. Brian let go of her hands immediately.
–I'm sorry,†he said quickly, face crimson.
–It's okay.†Alexandra brushed her bangs away from her forehead. They were getting long again, and now they were getting wet as snow clung to her hair. –I wasn't expecting...â€
–We'd better go,†he said. –It's starting to come down.â€
They walked in silence - Brian huddled inside his coat, unable to look at her, Alexandra trying to figure out what had happened and how she was supposed to feel about it. Did Brian want to be her boyfriend now? That was one thing that had never occurred to her in all the years she had known him. It was one thing to forgive him and be friends again, but to go from calling her a dangerous freak to kissing her? And didn't she already have a boyfriend? Thinking of Payton did not stir any feelings of guilt in her, only more confusion.
When they reached Sweetmaple Avenue, she said, –Brian, I don't know how to feel about this.â€
–You don't have to feel anything. I'm sorry - I shouldn't have done it.â€
–You're not going to get all weird and refuse to talk to me again, are you?â€
He finally raised his head. –No.â€
–Listen, you and Bonnie have to stop talking about me being a witch. Sooner or later the wrong people will take it seriously. And I don't mean Billy Boggleston and his idiot friends.â€
–I don't talk about it. It's Bonnie - ever since, well, Old Larkin Pond... and the mall... and then when she followed you to the pond again -â€
–That's not my fault.â€
–I know. Bonnie's just...†Brian made a vague, frustrated gesture with his gloved hand. –She still thinks all sorts of weird stuff goes on at Old Larkin Pond.â€
–It's just a pond, Brian.†She paused. It's just a pond. –I'm an idiot.â€
–What?†He blinked away snow crystals clinging to his lashes.
–I know where my wand is.â€
He stared at her. –Old Larkin Pond? How -?â€
She put her hand over his mouth. –Ssh.â€
–You aren't going to Old Larkin Pond now, are you?†His voice through her hand was muffled but still audible.
–No, of course not.†She took her hand away. –Brian... thanks. I mean it. See you tomorrow?â€
He nodded.
–Good night,†she said.
She went into her house. Her mother had already started her evening shift at the hospital. Archie was waiting for her, dressed in his gray police sergeant's uniform, beneath a black poncho with reflective yellow stripes and a waterproof hat. –I was beginning to think I'd have to come get you,†he said.
Alexandra rolled her eyes.
–Well, I'll be arresting drunk drivers all night,†he said. –With this weather, be lucky if Claudia doesn't wind up busy at the hospital as well. You stay inside. You've got the numbers to call -â€
–Jeez, Archie, I've only known what to do when I'm home alone for years! Of course I'm going to stay inside, where am I going to go?â€
–Don't take that tone with me, Alex.†This was such a familiar exchange over the last few years, he sounded almost affectionate when he said it. –Behave yourself.†He straightened his hat.
–Yes, Archie,†she said with exaggerated, sardonic politeness as he went out the door.
She peeked out the front window, waited until his police SUV had disappeared around the corner, and then grabbed a flashlight from the supply cupboard, ran upstairs, and put on her weatherproof cloak and charmed mud-repelling boots, pausing a moment to consider the Seven-League Boots sitting next to them, before deciding to leave them in her closet.
She looked out her window. The snow was lighter now. The neighbors' houses glowed with light, but no one was visible in their windows.
Which was the greater risk - being caught by Archie or some other patrol officer on the streets, or being caught on her broom by Diana Grimm? Pretty much all of the Larkin Mills Police Department would be on duty New Year's Eve, but the Office of Special Inquisitions couldn't be tracking her every movement if they didn't know about Martha at the Regal Royalty warehouse.
Charlie clacked disapprovingly as she took her broom out of her closet.
–You're coming too,†she said.
Charlie screeched.
–I know, the weather sucks. But I need you.†She thrust the broomstick at the bird, until Charlie hopped onto the end of it.
–Troublesome vexes, Troublesome woes,†Charlie said.
Alexandra opened her window and looked around. Still no sign of observers. She floated out the window on her broom, shut her window from the outside, and flew straight up until someone looking up from the ground wouldn't see more than a blurry shadow in the sky. Then she turned her broom toward the highway and shot off across Old Larkin.
A little snow was still coming down as Alexandra landed at the edge of Old Larkin Pond. It was dark; from here, the stars above were barely visible pinpoints of light. In winter time, the murky pond was frozen over and the smell of algae and decay hovering over it in warmer months was absent. There wasn't much snow accumulation, so the ground was just cold, hard mud.
She swung her leg over her broom to dismount as Charlie landed on her shoulder.
–Keep an eye out, Charlie,†she said. Charlie flew into the air, cawing reproachfully.
She walked out onto the ice, stepping carefully. Her boots made a crunching sound, but the ice felt solid, and it was rough enough not to be too slick.
How had she not known this was where her father would hide her wand? In a way, this was where her life as a witch had begun, where she had first entered the wizarding world.
She staggered to a halt and held out her hands as the ice cracked ominously beneath her. Carefully, she took out her flashlight and shined it on the frozen pond at her feet. A split in the ice extended from where she stood to the deepest part of the pond, where she could see the ice was thin and clear.
But the feeling she'd known only as an absence for days had been replaced by something as tangible as a hickory wand in her hand. Beneath the frozen surface, her wand lay at the bottom of Old Larkin Pond. She could feel it.
The ice cracked some more.
–Great,†she muttered. Apparently finding her wand wasn't enough. Retrieving it would be a test, too.
She pointed her flashlight into the water, toward where she felt her wand. All she could see was green and brown. Her wand had no filigree or bands or jeweled inlays, as some wands did, nothing that would reflect light. Of course, it was made of wood, so it should float, but her father must have weighed it down somehow, or simply embedded it in the muck at the bottom.
Balancing precariously on the ice, she held out a hand. She wasn't holding her wand, but maybe it was close enough to count.
–Accio wand,†she said. She figured when she told Diana Grimm about her father's visit, and his cruel prank, the Special Inquisitor might overlook the circumstances of her using magic again. But she wasn't really surprised when the wandless spell didn't work.
–Okay,†she said. She closed her eyes and composed the last few words of a rhyme in her head. She'd been working on it since leaving her house, knowing she might face just such a situation.
–In the pond where my father hid you,
Rise from the mud as I bid you.
Reunited, witch and wand,
Rise from the mud, to my hand.â€
She made a dramatic flourish with her hand on the final line.
Nothing happened.
It had good meter, she thought. Okay, 'wand' and 'hand' didn't quite rhyme, but the effectiveness of doggerel verse had never seemed to particularly depend on the quality of her rhyming.
She clenched her fist in frustration, and ice splintered from one end of the pond to the other. She cried out and staggered backward, slipped and fell on her butt, then held very still as more fissures radiated away from her.
Charlie flew about crying, –Alexandra! Alexandra!â€
–I'm okay,†she whispered. Aside from a rapidly freezing behind.
She held out a hand again, willing the water to bubble up through the ice and bear her wand to the surface, willing it to come to her with all her might. She clawed the air dramatically, narrowed her eyes and tried to make the gestures of a wandless Summoning Charm, and threw all her will and concentration into making her wand come to her!
The ice cracked some more. She scooted backward, sliding on her butt.
–Father...†she said.
She almost expected he would appear then, and actually looked around. But she was still alone.
Slowly, carefully, she rose to her feet. She stared balefully at the ice for a long time. Then she turned and walked back to the shore.
Charlie landed on a dead tangle of brush a few yards away and watched as Alexandra took everything out of her pants pockets and transferred them to the pockets of her jacket. Then she took off her cloak and her jacket, folded them, and laid them next to her broom. She was shivering as she took off her boots, glad that the snow had finally stopped falling, but unfortunately that was because the temperature had dropped still further.
–Alexandra,†Charlie said querulously.
–He wants me to prove myself,†Alexandra said, clenching her teeth. –He wants to test me. Fine.â€
–Alexandra!†Charlie sounded more concerned as she took off her sweater. She was now wearing only her socks, pants, and a long-sleeved shirt.
–Maybe there's some clever magical way I'm supposed to do this!†she shouted into the night. –But I don't know how! So I'm going to do it the not-so-clever way!â€
Only the sound of traffic from the Interstate answered her.
–Okay,†she said. She took off her socks. She spent what seemed like a long time thinking, as the breeze bit into her and the cold ground felt like knives against her feet, before she began unbuttoning her shirt.
–Stupid!†Charlie said.
She peeled off her shirt, gasped at the cold, and then pulled off her pants. She was standing in nothing but her underwear, with the temperature close to zero degrees Fahrenheit.
She picked up her broom in one hand, the flashlight in the other. –You get back in the air, Ch-Charlie. I r-really really d-don't want anyone s-sneaking up on me now!â€
–Crazy!†Charlie took off, but did not fly very high. As Alexandra eased herself onto the Twister, more grateful than ever for its cushioning charms but wishing she had one of the luxury brooms she'd heard about with built-in warming charms, Charlie continued flapping in a circle around her.
She floated to the point over Old Larkin Pond where she felt her wand most strongly, then slid off the broom, hanging from it as if doing chin-ups, with her feet dangling just over the ice. She raised her feet and brought them down, both heels slamming into and through the frozen surface of the pond. The ice disintegrated, splashing cold water that felt like acid against her feet and ankles.
Charlie repeated: –Crazy!â€
Alexandra pulled herself back onto the broom until she could float it down to just a few inches above the surface of the water. Then she carefully stood up on the broom. It was a difficult balancing trick, not quite as hard as it appeared, thanks to the Twister's magical stability, but made more difficult by her shivering.
–One,†she said, closing her eyes. –T-Two.†This is going to suck. –Three!â€
She took a deep breath and leaped into the water, plunging straight down, holding her flashlight in one hand.
She thought she was prepared for the cold. She had no idea just how cold cold could be. Old Larkin Pond was ice water, and in the instant she was submerged, she almost gasped all the air out of her lungs. Pain like nothing she had experienced since being Crucioed by John Manuelito stabbed her with long needles all the way to the bone. She grimly clamped her mouth shut to keep from screaming, slitted her eyes open, and curled into a ball as her feet touched the slimy, ice-cold mud at the bottom. Already it took every bit of her concentration to remember what she was supposed to be doing. The flashlight illuminated brown-black layers of muck embedded with branches, bottles, and cans, and just before it died - because it was not a waterproof flashlight - Alexandra saw a stick that was perfectly straight and smooth, the thing she'd been feeling since she first stepped out on the ice, and she reached out and snatched it from the mud, feeling triumphant as her wand came into her hand almost of its own volition.
She rose, straightening her legs and pushing off from the mud. Her head broke the surface and she made a sound that was half-moan, half-scream and grabbed the broom. It rose, carrying her with it, but she was only halfway out of the water when her fingers slipped. She was shivering too hard to hold on and she hit the water, one arm cracking through more ice. She floundered, trying to swim for the shore, but her thrashing hands and kicking legs just kept breaking more ice. She gulped a mouthful of frozen pond water and began sinking, choking, panicking. Her feet sank to the bottom, she kicked up desperately - and found herself standing thigh-deep in water.
Idiot! she thought. Old Larkin Pond at its deepest point probably did not come up past her head, and she was already in the shallows. Trembling violently, she grabbed her broom and threw it away from the pond, then wrapped her arms around herself and staggered to the shore. She could feel the water freezing to her skin already. She collapsed by her clothes. She had never been this cold in her life. Even wandering blindly through a blizzard when she was eleven hadn't been this bad. She was going to freeze to death. Her mind was blank. Charlie was screaming at her.
Someone shouted in her ear: –Alexandra!†Hands lifted her to her feet. Shivering, she tried to blink - it was difficult, because her eyelids were almost frozen shut - and then felt a stinging slap. Brian was standing in front of her, staring at her.
She slapped him back. He stepped back and put a hand to his face.
–I thought you were in shock,†he said.
–What are you d-d-doing here?†she stammered, teeth chattering.
–Please, put your clothes on!†He moved his hand to cover his eyes. Alexandra stumbled over to where she had piled her clothes on the ground. She managed to get her pants on, only falling down once, and then her shirt, though her fingertips were too numb to button all the buttons. When Brian handed her her sweater and helped her wrap her cloak around herself, she didn't object, nor did she say anything as he wordlessly held onto her while, trembling, she slid her socks on and then thrust one foot, then the other into her boots. By this time she was still shivering with cold and miserably uncomfortable.
Charlie landed on her shoulder and she raised a hand to let the bird step onto her wrist, then threw her cloak over her familiar.
Brian asked, –Did you find your wand?â€
–Yes.â€
He picked up her broom. –You're kidding me.â€
–What?â€
–You actually...?â€
–Yes.†She would have snatched it from him, except she was too cold and she was holding Charlie.
–That was the dumbest thing I've ever seen. You could have died.â€
–I wouldn't have died. Even if you hadn't showed up. Speaking of which -â€
–I know you. Of course you were going to go to Old Larkin Pond.â€
–And you followed me?†Her trembling drained the indignation from her voice.
–Oh, right, lecture me about doing something stupid.â€
She tried to glare at him, but her teeth were chattering. –So, you waited until I took my clothes off and jumped in the water?â€
–I only got here in time to see you coming out of the water. If I'd seen what you were going to do I would have tried to stop you.â€
–Oh, really?â€
–Do you really want to stand here arguing?â€
–No.†She started walking. Brian followed, still carrying her broom.
–So, Archie threw your wand into Old Larkin Pond?†Brian asked.
–Let's not talk about it right now.â€
–You really flew from your house to here on this?â€
–I mean it, Brian.â€
He said nothing until they reached the freeway underpass, and heard sirens not far away.
–Some car accident already,†he said.
She nodded. It sounded like the sirens were between them and their street. –If any cops see a couple of kids on the street - and most of the cops know me -â€
Brian sighed. –I'm so dead.â€
–How did you get out of your house anyway?â€
–I went out my window.â€
–Seriously?†Alexandra would have grinned if her teeth weren't chattering. –Your parents are totally going to blame me for corrupting you.â€
–I was hoping I'd be back before we go see the fireworks.â€
She reached out and took the Twister from him. –We can be.â€
He stared at the broom. –Oh, no way.â€
–It can carry two.â€
–You are crazy!â€
–Trust me.†With less grace than usual, she mounted her broom and allowed it to lift her off the ground. Charlie hopped out from beneath her cloak and walked sideways along the length of the broom.
Brian's eyes were bulging. –Isn't this... against the rules?â€
–Yes. You have no idea how much trouble I'll be in if I get caught. So, want to risk it, or want to explain to your parents what you were doing with me at Old Larkin Pond?â€
It was not an easy decision for Brian. –Are you sure about this?â€
–Get on. Just swing your leg over. It's not as uncomfortable as it looks - it's magic. Now put your arms around me and hang on.â€
Brian followed her instructions, and was very careful as he slid his arms around her waist, but as she pulled up on the broom and they rose into the air, he tightened his grip until she said, –Brian! Relax!â€
–Oh my God, oh my God,†he mumbled as they flew away from the Interstate and soared over Old Larkin. She felt his face pressed against her shoulder and he was trembling almost as hard as she was. –I must be out of my mind, we're going to die...â€
–Just close your eyes,†she said. –We'll be home in minutes.†Below, she saw police cars and an ambulance with lights flashing. If any of the officers or paramedics below had looked up, they might have seen the red and blue light reflecting from her face, though this high up, they would hardly have been able to make out what they were seeing. It was probably some stupid drunk driver, she thought, and pointed her broom at Sweetmaple Avenue and flew onward.
She descended into the Seaburys' back yard with a drop that she barely noticed, even chilled as she was, but Brian almost fell over when he dismounted. He swallowed, and for a moment she thought he might throw up.
–You okay?†she asked.
He nodded. –You're shivering like crazy.â€
–Don't worry about me.†She hesitated, then leaned forward and kissed his cheek. She didn't pull away for a second, until she realized their cheeks were pressed together, and neither of them was moving, and then she stepped back, feeling all sorts of fluttery warmth inside that confused her and was the last thing she wanted to think about right now. Brian looked just as confused, and his cheeks glowed warm enough to make the snow steam against them.
–Get inside before your parents catch you,†she said.
–Go home before you get hypothermia,†he said.
She got on her broom, looked around, and took off again. From Brian's back yard to her own was more like one giant leap than a flight. She hovered before her bedroom window and opened it - striking stiff, frozen fingers against the sill several times before she finally managed to bend them sufficiently to get the window open - then practically tumbled across her desk. Charlie flew inside and directly to the cage sitting under a heating vent. Alexandra shut the window, pulled down the blinds, and quickly disrobed. She left her freezing wet underwear and the rest of her clothes on the floor, and didn't even bother to put her broom back in her closet. She toweled herself dry, changed into pajamas, put on her thickest, fuzziest robe, and barely managed to flip the light off before collapsing into her bed and wrapping herself in her blankets. She shivered and shook until finally, warmth seeped into her, possibly aided by her wand, which she clutched to her body as she curled up in bed.
Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.
Someone was shaking her. –Alexandra.â€
She moaned.
The shaker persisted. It was a gentle but insistent hand on her shoulder, and the voice said, –Alexandra,†again.
–Mmmgowasleep,†she said.
–Alexandra.â€
She opened her eyes. It was Archie's voice. She rolled over, and squinted at the light shining through her bedroom door from the little upstairs hallway. Archie had not turned on the light in her room, but he was kneeling next to her bed. With the light behind him, she could only see him in shadowy outline, still wearing his cold-weather poncho and hat.
His voice had been firm, insistent but not angry. So she wasn't in trouble. Her sleepy mind struggled toward wakefulness. Her stepfather almost never came into her room. If he was angry at her, he'd pound on her door or open it and yell at her, but she couldn't remember any time since she was a little girl that he'd come into her room while she was asleep to wake her up.
All of this came together in her mind, and the realization that it signified something out of the ordinary, something serious, something very wrong, brought her fully awake in an instant. She sat up and said, –Mom!â€
Archie held out a hand. –No, it's not your mother, she's fine.â€
–What...?â€
–It's your friend, Bonnie. Bonnie Seabury. She was hit by a car earlier tonight.â€
–Bonnie?†Alexandra was wide awake now, but no less confused.
–Claudia called me from the hospital.†Archie paused. –She says Bonnie's condition is... very serious. Her brother and her parents are there now. Claudia thought you might want to come.â€
Feeling a chill worse than her icy bath in Old Larkin Pond, Alexandra nodded mutely.
Archie stood up. –Get dressed. I'll be waiting downstairs.â€
Charlie made a long, mournful whistling sound. Archie walked out of her room and closed the door behind him.