Read Online Brittany Bends by Kristine Grayson - Free Book Online Page B

bacon or so they say.”
    Everything seems normal. How can it be normal? We’re in the middle of a blizzard.
    Ingrid looks up from her book. She seems calm.
    Her voice comes to me clearly, as if she has just spoken: So what’s it like to be a drama queen?
    Am I being a drama queen now? Megan says I need to take my cues from everyone around me. And they’re all acting like nothing’s going on.
    I swallow. I’m going to try to sound normal too.
    “They liked bacon last week,” I say. My voice doesn’t sound terrified. It doesn’t sound normal either.
    I clear my throat.
    Ingrid’s eyes narrow. “What’s going on with you? You never show up for breakfast in your robe.”
    For an eight-year-old, she’s pretty observant. Dang it.
    “It’s…snowing,” I say.
    “Yeah, so?” Ingrid says.
    “Isn’t it…?” I’m not sure if I should say something about a blizzard. Maybe they’re used to blizzards. The whole family calls this the Frozen Northland after all, and they warned me about the winters.
    “Early? Yeah, October seems early, but it’s not.” Mom’s standing in the dining room doorway, holding Pixie. Pixie’s squirming. She wants to get down and get back to her snacks. “Who let Hilde leave such a mess on the table?”
    “She’s done?” Ivan says. “She said she’d call me when she’s done.”
    “She didn’t bring her bowl in here,” Leif says. He waves the spatula at me. “Bacon or not? Last call.”
    “Bacon,” Mom says. “I’ll make coffee. And you, Ivan, will find out what Hilde has done with her bowl.”
    “Why me?” he wails.
    “Because you’re the one she said she’d tell when she was done.”
    “Jeez,” he says. “Then Ingrid has to watch the toast.”
    “No prob,” Ingrid says, still looking at me.
    Ivan stomps toward Mom.
    “And clean up that mess in there, would you please?” she asks.
    “Why?” Ivan says. “I’m looking for Hilde.”
    “Because your language has gotten foul,” Mom says.
    I think back. I didn’t hear foul. Then I remember the jeez . Karl says it’s a short version of Jesus , which means taking the Lord’s name in vain. I always want to ask why is Jesus such a big deal, but Megan told me after my first week here that I had to respect the whole family’s religious beliefs, even if they’re unfamiliar to me.
    “Jeez,” Ivan says, softer, as he passes me. I’m not sure Mom heard that.
    “You’re pushing it, Ivan,” Mom says. Ivan glares at her, but he goes into the dining room.
    She sets Pixie down, and Pixie runs back into the dining room. Clearly, Pixie is Ivan’s problem now.
    Mom looks at me. “We get snow in October sometimes. You’ll have to wear something warm today.”
    No kidding , I think, but don’t say. I nod instead. They gave me hand-me-down sweaters and stuff when I arrived. I wore one about a month ago, and everyone laughed—not because the sweater looked bad, but because (as Lise said) if I started wearing sweaters when it was in the fifties outside, I’d freeze my butt off when it got really, really cold.
    Leif puts the bacon in a pan, and it sizzles to life.
    “How much is it going to snow?” I ask. “I mean, are we…?”
    I don’t dare finish that question. Because no one said anything about being snowed in.
    And then I decide, screw it. Maybe they’re used to this stuff, but I’m not. “I mean, is this one of those…bli…um, snow storms you all told me about?”
    “Were you about to say ‘blizzard’?” Ingrid asks. “Really? You don’t know what a blizzard is? Mom, is she that dumb—”
    “Ingrid, enough,” Mom snaps. “You’re being rude.”
    Ingrid flushes and sits back. Even I know that “rude” is a cardinal sin around here.
    The smell of frying bacon makes my stomach growl. Leif dishes out the eggs, putting them in a gigantic serving bowl. The toast pops up as he does that, and Ingrid gets up to butter it, like she promised, probably happy for the distraction.
    “This is just the