The Destiny of Linus Hoppe by Anne-Laure Bondoux

Author:Anne-Laure Bondoux [Bondoux, Anne-Laure]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-48375-1
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2001-02-06T05:00:00+00:00

“Did you sleep in your clothes or what?” Mieg said when she saw Linus enter the kitchen the next morning.

“Just about.”

Mieg raised her eyebrows. She was busy blending fruits—kiwi, mango, kumquat, citron, blueberry—with mixed exotic nuts, carob, and a lot of yogurt.

“Do you want some?” she asked, watching Linus yawn.

He smiled. “I'll take a double dose.”

They sat opposite each other, savoring the mixture ceremoniously. Mr. and Mrs. Hoppe were still upstairs. The fog in Linus's mind gradually cleared, and the events of the past night loomed up with dreadful clarity. There was no time to lose. He had to speak to Mieg.

“You know, I don't find you fat at all,” he said, trying to put his sister at ease. “That was silly what you said yesterday.”

“That was only because I wanted to talk to you,” Mieg admitted. “Though it's true I've put on eleven pounds.”

“What did you want to talk to me about? My grades?”

Mieg lowered her eyes and fiddled with the glass between her fingers.

“I heard the conversation Mom had with your headmistress.”

“You're always all ears,” Linus said. “Why did you say Chem and I were making a huge, stupid mistake? Did you snoop around my room?”

Mieg got up and went to the sink.

“Answer me! Did you snoop?”

“No,” Mieg said, turning around.

Linus believed her.

Mieg sat down at the table again. “The day before yesterday, a guy came up to me as I was leaving the institute after class. I didn't know him, but he introduced himself as one of your friends. He looked pretty unusual. His hairstyle, for one … well, it was unique.”

Linus felt himself go pale. “Yosh,” he muttered.

“Yosh, that's it. We talked for quite a while, even though it was windy and chilly. But his story was so astonishing, I was glued to the spot, if you see what I mean.”

“You mean Yosh told you everything?” Linus shrieked. “He's completely nuts!”

This piece of news was hard to take. Try as he might, Linus had trouble believing Yosh would do anything so foolish. In fact, it wasn't foolishness; it was sabotage. Linus banged his fist on the table.

Mieg winced. “Calm down! Mom and Dad will hear you!”

“I don't care!” Linus shouted. “The whole thing is hopeless now!”

“Let me finish,” Mieg pleaded, lowering her voice. “Yosh explained to me how the two of you met. And, more importantly, what your plans are. At first, I refused to believe him. It seemed crazy to me. But the more he spoke, the more I realized he was telling the truth. You can't imagine what a shock I got!”

“Yosh is a traitor!” Linus said, furious. “He's—he's scum.”

“Yesterday, that was all I could think about,” Mieg continued. “Last night, I couldn't keep quiet anymore. Especially when I heard you were getting low grades. I realized all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Your bad moods, your weird questions, your secrets. I've tried talking to you, but you tune me out.”

“Why did Yosh do it?”

“Because he got cold feet.”

“What about me? Don't you think I've got cold feet?”

Mieg pursed her lips and looked at her brother sadly.

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