Hold Fast (9780545510196) by Balliett Blue

Author:Balliett, Blue
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic
Published: 2013-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Crimp

Mr. Waive was a different man around Sum.

He spoke more slowly. He’d shaved and even combed his hair. It was as if he knew he had to behave more normally. Early watched and wondered.

“I retired early because of bad health: lung disease and rotten knees. Then my sister and her kids needed a place to live. Her husband died, and she had no income. It was like a game of dominoes. One piece fell, knocking down another.”

Sum nodded. “So sorry,” she murmured.

“My pension is stretched to the breaking point,” he whispered in that gravelly voice, “otherwise I’d try to help you more directly. But what I can do is some undercover investigating at the library. I’ll pretend to do research in Dashel’s department, and ask some questions. Observe. Poke around.”

“That would be wonderful!” Sum brightened immediately. “I’ve been dying to go in again myself, but of course I can’t — I’m instantly recognizable. And let me tell you, it’s a waking nightmare to feel so powerless. Invisible, yet too visible, if you know what I mean.”

Mr. Waive nodded, then shook his head, as if drawing tic-tac-toe boards in the air. He left without asking Sum if Early could come. Perhaps it was because Jubie had whined, “Can I go? Got lollipops there!” and Sum had said quickly, “Not this time, son.”

Early had to admit she was relieved.

Mr. Skip Waive was overwhelming one-on-one, and she wasn’t sure she was smart enough to keep up with him. Dash, who is this person? she asked silently. When there was no response, she looked again at the new list of words. Why did Mr. Waive use such strange vocabulary around an eleven-year-old?

And why, it suddenly occurred to her, hadn’t Dash tried to find him in recent years, especially since this teacher had helped a boy without parents believe he could succeed in the world? A boy who became a generous, outgoing man?

As Dash had taught her to do, she tried spinning Mr. Waive around in her imagination, but all she could see was that black mole on his eyelid and his way of grinning and frowning at the same time.

It was odd for a retired teacher with hardly any voice, but he felt like someone with deep secrets. And secrets, in Early’s world, were almost always dangerous.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.