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spaghetti and passed it over to Josh, who cheerfully took it, head bobbing and mouth still chewing the last
forkful. My dad s shoes scraped on the faded linoleum when he turned back around, and I breathed in the scent
of oil and ink that clung to him from work as he came back to the table. His thoughts were clearly not on dinner.
They were probably on me.
My dad was the classic lab rat, kind of tall, thin, geeky maybe when he had been younger, more comfortable in
a lab coat than a tie or trendy shirt. Apart from the gray starting to show in his hair and the faint smile wrinkles
around his eyes, he looked the same as he had when he and my mom had separated almost ten years ago.
Mom had moved to Florida with me in tow. She was a variable funds procurement expert, which basically
meant she was a hired gun for reputable charities. Her specialty was seducing money from old women
something she was really good at but that was a constant source of strife between us when I couldn t stomach
putting on my white gloves and serving as a prop in her spiel. My dad had stayed here.
The rumble of thunder was faint but growing stronger, and the haze of sun coming in the window dimmed as
the clouds overtook it. An early dusk was starting to take hold. I skated another wad of spaghetti around on my
plate, cringing when I met Nakita s eyes. She had an entire plateful. I made a nod toward Josh for her to give
him at least a forkful, and her lips pressed as she thought it over.
My dad sat down and leaned back, assessing me as he chewed.  You two ladies don t look too skinny, he said,
his brown eyes still holding a layer of hurt.
 What? I stammered, looking down at myself.
 Must be a high school girl thing, he added, smiling at Nakita.  Tell you what. How about you help me make
dinner tomorrow night, Madison? Whatever you want.
Josh snorted, hunched over his plate, and I winced, remembering making dinner with my dad when I d been
five. Having a preschooler cook peas did not make her any more eager to eat them, but my parents choking
down the barbecue-sauce-laced veggies had been hilarious to my five-year-old self. The evening had ended in
giggles and laughter. Maybe we should have had barbecue peas more often.  Okay, I said, eyes lowered as I
remembered.
Again my dad made that mmmm sound, as if looking into the future. Or maybe the past. A melancholy sadness
had taken me, and I forced down a bite of pasta, trying to enjoy the tang of tomatoes and the musky sweetness
of the oregano.
I d been shipped up here almost six months ago, right at the tail end of my junior grade. I d missed my prom
and everything. What had been the straw that broke my mom s camel s back was still a mystery. It could have
been the cops bringing me in for breaking curfew when she thought I d been upstairs on the internet. Or my
going to that beach party when I said I wasn t, or that twilight cruise with the guys and swimming around the
far buoy which was totally not my fault. I d called to say where I was. My mom had nearly popped her pearls
that time.
But for whatever reason Mom had decided to ship me back north, I was glad for it, and I smiled as I looked at
the ugly wallpaper with yellow roses on it that I vaguely remembered from my childhood. I had thought it was
going to be a transfer from one unreasonable jailer to another, but getting to know my dad again had been a
pleasant surprise, especially when he actually listened to me when I told him why I had to have one pair of
sandals over another. My mom didn t get my sense of style at all. My dad didn t, either, but at least he tried.
In all seriousness, I was trying to be good. I hadn t snuck out of the house in almost a week, apart from the time
I had to keep black wings off of Josh. I called when I was going to be late, and I was always here for dinner
unless I was pretending to eat at Josh s house. It would get harder, though, if I were fighting off dark
timekeepers and trying to save souls.
 All of you are very quiet, he said out of nowhere, and I jerked my head up.  School okay today?
Crap, he wants to talk about school?
 I m taking home economics, Nakita offered hesitantly, seeing me almost panicking.
A faint grimace crossed my dad s face, but he relaxed, putting an elbow on the table.  I hated that class. Do
they have you making book bags this year?
Nakita wedged the wad of pasta off her fork and started to wind up another spool.  Why would a book need a
bag?
 Uh, Nakita and I are taking photography together, I broke in, trying to distract him from her puzzled
expression. For all my dad knew, Nakita was from Nova Scotia and spoke French as her first language. That the
school thought she was living at my house was a bit of angel intervention. No one had bothered to check
whether she was. Actually, I didn t know where she went when she left.
Josh ate a bite of bread.  We ve got physics together, he said around his food.  Yay.
I smiled at his lackluster exclamation.  It was great to get back and see everyone, I said as I wound up another
fork of pasta.
My dad smiled knowingly.  This year will be better. Just you watch, he predicted as he pulled a chunk of
bread from the loaf and dipped it in the olive oil and vinegar.  And then college.
 Can I get through physics first? I asked with a moan.  At least I ve got photography this year. That will be
fun.
My dad s head bobbed.  That reminds me, he said, glancing over my shoulder at the corkboard by the phone
on the wall.  I got a call from your photography teacher with a list of class supplies. Why on earth didn t she
just give it to you when you were at school?
 Ms. Cartwright? I asked, feeling a flush of worry, and he nodded.  Um, maybe she didn t know at the time, I
offered, trying not to lie. Great, I thought as I glanced at Josh, who shrugged.
 Do you need to run out to the mall tonight? my dad asked, his gaze touching on Nakita s black fingernails.
 I can take you, Josh volunteered, clearly seeing a way to get back into the scythe prevention, but my first
impulse to say yes died. It would be a great way to slip off my dad s radar for a couple of hours, but I couldn t
leave until he thought I was in bed.
 Uh, no, I stammered, and Josh stifled his disappointment.  I ve probably got most of it upstairs. I hadn t
seen the list, but I had all my stuff from last year.
 I need a camera, Nakita said suddenly, her voice worried.
 I ve got one you can borrow, I said quickly.  Don t worry about it, Nakita. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]