Always, Clementine by Carlie Sorosiak

Author:Carlie Sorosiak [Sorosiak, Carlie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781536229981
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Dear Rosie,

We exploded into the house. Hamlet and I were holding each other in Gus’s pocket, and Pop bolted from the kitchen. “Oh, thank goodness,” he said, rushing toward us. “I was spinning myself into a ball of yarn, worrying about the three of you! I thought I’d go search, but I wasn’t certain where to look. All of these scenarios rushed through my mind! Kidnapped by the lab! Kidnapped by —”

“Pop!” Gus said, extracting us gently from the pocket. I clung to his wrist, visions of the researcher still glowing in my brain. “It was the lab. The ice cream truck! The ice cream truck!”

Pop paused, beard puffed like a cloud of flour. “I’m going to need more information.”

So, balancing on Gus’s wrist, I mimed what we saw, using my paws. The researcher! The park! Ice cream! I was very thorough.

“Nope,” Pop said, “still need more.”

“Someone from the lab’s surveilling the neighborhood!” Gus burst out. He said it so loudly, his glasses wobbled. “In an old ice cream truck! I should’ve left a note. Or tried harder to wake you up. Or not have left at all. I just got so worried about them. About both of them — Hamlet and Clementine — and all the other mice in the lab. What if they’re already smart? Really smart? And they’re showing signs that they’re different? What’ll the lab do to them? So I panicked and found this chess club that meets at the park and . . . I should’ve waited. But I didn’t think I had time to wait. But that was such a bad thing to do.” He paused, realization floating across his face. “My dad’s right about me, isn’t he? I am a bad kid. Stupid, stupid, stupid —”

Gus! I squeaked, clambering up to his shoulder. I tugged his earlobe. Once. Twice. Tug, tug. Because he wasn’t stupid. Or bad. He was a human trying the best he could.

Pop quickly shuffled over and placed a hand on Gus’s empty shoulder. “What? What are you talking about, my Gus? Listen to me. You have the biggest heart. The biggest heart. And it scares me when you put yourself in danger, because I love you more than my life. Do you understand? We will absolutely come back to this, but right now, I need to know what you saw. Exactly what you saw. How did you learn about this truck?”

My eyes widened, once more, at the memory.

Gus blinked frantically. “The posters! One of the researchers — the same guy who came to your house! When Clementine turned on the blender and stuff! He was hanging up these posters at the park. Posters with Clementine’s face on them! And —”

At this point, someone knocked on the door.

The noise jolted through us.

We were followed!

I squeaked again, directly into Gus’s ear, and I could hear Hamlet, still shivering in Gus’s hand. He was squealing, too. Calling out for me.

Was this the end? Was it? Was it, Rosie?

“This is all my fault!” Gus shout-whispered.

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