Starter House by Sonja Condit

Author:Sonja Condit
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780062283061
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-11-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-six

ERIC’S PHONE WENT STRAIGHT TO VOICE MAIL, so maybe he was already on his way to Lex’s, or home. Lacey didn’t leave a message. When she turned from the refrigerator with two eggs in her left hand, she came face-to-face with Drew. Usually he slid up behind her, or beside her, and she felt him before she saw him. This time, he flicked into existence without warning, dazzling like a camera flash. She flung her hands up, and the eggs splashed on the floor. “Don’t do that,” she snapped. “Look what you made me do.”

“Let’s finish the game.”

“Let me . . .” No, not that voice—she sounded like a frantic child. She opened the back of her throat and let the teacher voice rise out, alto and firm. “Let me get these eggs cleaned up.”

“I was winning. I want to finish.”

On her first day of practice teaching, her mentor had warned that children, like feral dogs, could sense fear and would eat her alive if they had the chance. She stopped herself from agreeing with Drew, anything he wanted if he promised not to hurt her and the baby, and she held the teacher voice, the voice that ruled the room. “You see those eggs on the floor,” she said.

“So?”

“So dried egg is way harder to clean than wet egg. It won’t take a minute.”

“So?”

“So I’m going to clean them up, and then we’ll play.” It was important to appear normal, to keep Drew in the mode of ordinary child, not angry ghost, until she worked out what to do next. She tried a smile and hoped it worked; the muscles above her lip didn’t seem to be moving right.

“You’re just scared of losing,” Drew said. “Scaredy scaredy scaredy.”

“Sweetie, it’s Chutes and Ladders, not the Super Bowl. I’ll get over it.” Lacey scooped up the eggs in a paper towel, sprayed cleaner on the floor, and scrubbed with another paper towel. Bibbits patted in, busy little feet rapping on the floor. He stood on his hind legs and turned a circle for her, then stood up, with his front paws paddling in the air. Ella Dane had gone out without feeding him. And he was on another brown-rice-and-vinegar purge, poor thing.

“Let’s see.” Lacey opened the pantry. To appear normal—feeding the dog, that was a thing she’d normally do. “There’s tuna, maybe.” Bibbits dropped to the floor and stood with his head down, panting. That short dance had exhausted him; there’d been days when he skipped from room to room on his back feet, poor old boy. She wished she had something better than tuna to give him.

“Play with me,” Drew chanted at the kitchen table, “play with me, play with me.”

“I’m just going to feed the dog.”

He stuck out his lower lip. “You said you’d just clean up the eggs.”

“And now I’m just going to feed the dog. It won’t take a minute.”

“You said you’d play with me. You promised.” Bibbits, seeing the can in Lacey’s hand, was dancing again.

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.