Read Online Claws (9780545469678) by Rachel Mike; Grinti Grinti - Free Book Online

celebrate yours if you want. I’ll get you something extra tasty to eat.”
    Jack laughed in his strange cat way. “Since cats don’t bother with calendars, either, why don’t we just assume my birthday is tomorrow, too.”
    â€œDeal,” Emma said, yawning again. She couldn’t remember walking into her room, but her bed was right there. She curled up on it. Jack was saying something to her, but it was too hard to pay attention, too much effort to open her eyes. She slept.
    * * *
    â€œEmma, turn off that alarm and get out of bed!”
    Emma rubbed her eyes and sat up, blinking. Where was she? What time was it?
    Her mom loomed over her, hospital smells still clinging to her.
    Emma blinked again. Her alarm was going off. She didn’t remember setting it. “Sorry, Mom. I thought you were working all night.”
    â€œI did work all night, and, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get some sleep,” her mom said. “Which means I need to get you to school.”
    School? How could it be time for school? Emma reached out and banged on the alarm until it finally shut up, then peered at the time: 6:55 a.m. She’d been asleep for over twelve hours.
    â€œThank you,” her mom said. Satisfied that Emma was finally awake, she walked out of the room.
    Emma poked Jack, who was asleep under her blanket and out of sight. “Why’d you let me sleep so long?”
    â€œI was sleeping, too, you know,” Jack said, yawning widely and showing off his sharp teeth. “Your dad tried to wake you, but he gave up after you tried to scratch him. You’re a cat now. You’ll get used to it.”
    Emma pushed herself out of bed. At least she was already dressed. She ran a brush through her long black hair and smoothed down her bangs.
    â€œI don’t know why you’re bothering,” Jack said. “Pride-Hearts don’t need to go to school.”
    â€œTry explaining that to my mom,” Emma said.

CRAG FACT OF THE DAY:
    â€œAll books of magic sold on eBay are fakes. Even if the photos look real, it’s still a scam.”
    CraigWiki.org

    E mma could barely keep her eyes open during the drive to school, but eventually she noticed that her mom kept glancing over at her.
    â€œYour dad’s making cassava cake and
pho
, for tonight,” her mom said, eventually. She paused. “Are you going to be okay today? I know it’s tough having to go to school and act like everything’s normal.” She sighed. “It’s hard for me, too, going to work and thinking that she’s still out there somewhere.”
    â€œYeah,” Emma said. There didn’t seem to be much more to say to that. Or maybe there was too much more.
    Her mom tried to smile. “Remember last year, when Helena kept pretending she was expecting a car for her birthday, just to see how worked up your dad would get? She even bought one of those little tree-shaped air fresheners.”
    Emma nodded. “And she acted all excited when he got out his car keys to take us to dinner as if she thought he was going to give them to her.”
    Their dad had grumbled about spoiled American teenagers and how their grandfather would have cried to see what this country had done to his grandchildren. Helena had burst out laughing and couldn’t stop for nearly half an hour. In the end, their dad had laughed, too. This year he’d been planning to get her a toy car as a joke.
    Emma’s mom put a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe we should have let you stay home today. You know, if you need to talk to someone . . . maybe your school guidance counselor can help you. Would it help you to talk about things?”
    â€œThere’s nothing to talk about,” Emma said. “Once Helena’s back, everything’s going to be fine.”
    They pulled into the school lot behind the other cars dropping kids off. “Emma, I know your dad still thinks he can find her,