Read Online Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mary Downing Hahn
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"The whole stupid world is funny."
"Ali's funny." Emma laughed shrilly. "Mommy's funny. You're funny. I'm funny. The lake's funny, the seagulls are funny, the—"
Suddenly, Sissy stopped laughing. Her face turned mean. "Shut up!" she shouted at Emma. "
You
aren't funny. You're stupid. And you're a copycat."
"I'm not a copycat." Obviously bewildered by Sissy's mood change, Emma began to cry.
"Baby, baby copycat," Sissy chanted, "sat on a tack and ate a rat." Without looking back, she ran toward the Cove, still chanting.
Emma threw herself against me and pounded me with her fists. "Look what you did! You made Sissy mad! Why can't you leave us alone?"
I grabbed Emma's shoulders and held her away from me. Little as she was, her punches hurt. "I didn't do anything to that brat. She's a troublemaker, she's mean to you, she's—"
"Don't you talk like that. Sissy's my friend!"
"Some friend," I muttered. "Calling you a baby, daring you to jump off the dock, knocking your castle down. Why do you want to be friends with a girl like her?"
"You're just mad 'cause she likes me, not you."
"Don't be silly. I don't like
her.
Why should I care that she doesn't like
me?
"
"Sissy says you're jealous—that's why you don't like her, that's why you're not nice to her. You want me all to yourself!" Emma muttered.
I stared at her, amazed. "How can you believe that?"
"'Cause it's true!" Emma shouted. "Sissy doesn't lie!"
With that, she ran away from me. Surprised by the speed of her skinny little legs, I chased her. What would Dulcie think if Emma came home crying?
By the time I caught up with her, it was too late. She'd flung herself into her mother's arms.
"I hate Ali!" she sobbed. "Make her go home. I don't want a babysitter!"
Dulcie looked at me, perplexed by Emma's words. "What's going on?"
"I'll tell you later." Without waiting for my aunt or my cousin, I trudged up the steps toward the cottage.
If Dulcie wanted to send me home, fine. Sissy had turned Emma into a nasty little brat, just like herself, and I was sick of both of them.
10
Dulcie fixed the usual peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate milk for lunch.
Emma pushed her plate away. "I don't like peanut butter and jelly," she whined.
Dulcie looked at her in surprise. "Since when?"
"Since now." Out went Emma's lower lip in a classic pout. "They're for babies."
"What do you mean? Ali and I eat them. We're not babies."
"I want cheese," Emma said.
"I thought you liked tuna salad," I said.
Emma glared at me. "I can like whatever I like!"
Dulcie put her hands over mine and Emma's. "Would you girls please tell me what's going on?"
"It's Sissy's fault," I told her. "She's a bad influence on Emma."
"She is not!" Emma scowled at me.
"Then why was she so nasty to you?" I asked, trying to stay calm.
"She wasn't," Emma said. "
You
were!"
I stared at my cousin, truly shocked. "What did
I
do?"
Emma turned to her mother tearfully. "Ali called me stupid and said I was a baby."
"I did not!" I told Dulcie. "I'd never say anything like that. Sissy called her names, not me."
Emma climbed into her mother's lap and began to cry. "Ali's not nice to me and Sissy," she insisted. "Just 'cause she's bigger, she thinks she's the boss."
Dulcie rocked Emma, but her eyes were on me. I had a sick feeling that my aunt wasn't sure which one of us to believe. From her mother's lap, Emma watched me closely, her face almost as mean as Sissy's.
"It's not true," I said weakly. "Sissy—"
"Ali pushed me off the dock, too," Emma interrupted. "If Sissy hadn't been there, I would have drowned—"
"That's a lie and you know it, Emma!" Close to tears I turned to Dulcie. "Sissy dared Emma to jump. I tried to stop her, but she got away from me. She wants to do everything Sissy does."
Dulcie looked from Emma to me and back to Emma, her eyes worried. "I can't believe Ali would push you off the dock, Emma."
"Yes, she would," Emma insisted. "Ali's so bad, even Hell doesn't want
"Ali's funny." Emma laughed shrilly. "Mommy's funny. You're funny. I'm funny. The lake's funny, the seagulls are funny, the—"
Suddenly, Sissy stopped laughing. Her face turned mean. "Shut up!" she shouted at Emma. "
You
aren't funny. You're stupid. And you're a copycat."
"I'm not a copycat." Obviously bewildered by Sissy's mood change, Emma began to cry.
"Baby, baby copycat," Sissy chanted, "sat on a tack and ate a rat." Without looking back, she ran toward the Cove, still chanting.
Emma threw herself against me and pounded me with her fists. "Look what you did! You made Sissy mad! Why can't you leave us alone?"
I grabbed Emma's shoulders and held her away from me. Little as she was, her punches hurt. "I didn't do anything to that brat. She's a troublemaker, she's mean to you, she's—"
"Don't you talk like that. Sissy's my friend!"
"Some friend," I muttered. "Calling you a baby, daring you to jump off the dock, knocking your castle down. Why do you want to be friends with a girl like her?"
"You're just mad 'cause she likes me, not you."
"Don't be silly. I don't like
her.
Why should I care that she doesn't like
me?
"
"Sissy says you're jealous—that's why you don't like her, that's why you're not nice to her. You want me all to yourself!" Emma muttered.
I stared at her, amazed. "How can you believe that?"
"'Cause it's true!" Emma shouted. "Sissy doesn't lie!"
With that, she ran away from me. Surprised by the speed of her skinny little legs, I chased her. What would Dulcie think if Emma came home crying?
By the time I caught up with her, it was too late. She'd flung herself into her mother's arms.
"I hate Ali!" she sobbed. "Make her go home. I don't want a babysitter!"
Dulcie looked at me, perplexed by Emma's words. "What's going on?"
"I'll tell you later." Without waiting for my aunt or my cousin, I trudged up the steps toward the cottage.
If Dulcie wanted to send me home, fine. Sissy had turned Emma into a nasty little brat, just like herself, and I was sick of both of them.
10
Dulcie fixed the usual peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate milk for lunch.
Emma pushed her plate away. "I don't like peanut butter and jelly," she whined.
Dulcie looked at her in surprise. "Since when?"
"Since now." Out went Emma's lower lip in a classic pout. "They're for babies."
"What do you mean? Ali and I eat them. We're not babies."
"I want cheese," Emma said.
"I thought you liked tuna salad," I said.
Emma glared at me. "I can like whatever I like!"
Dulcie put her hands over mine and Emma's. "Would you girls please tell me what's going on?"
"It's Sissy's fault," I told her. "She's a bad influence on Emma."
"She is not!" Emma scowled at me.
"Then why was she so nasty to you?" I asked, trying to stay calm.
"She wasn't," Emma said. "
You
were!"
I stared at my cousin, truly shocked. "What did
I
do?"
Emma turned to her mother tearfully. "Ali called me stupid and said I was a baby."
"I did not!" I told Dulcie. "I'd never say anything like that. Sissy called her names, not me."
Emma climbed into her mother's lap and began to cry. "Ali's not nice to me and Sissy," she insisted. "Just 'cause she's bigger, she thinks she's the boss."
Dulcie rocked Emma, but her eyes were on me. I had a sick feeling that my aunt wasn't sure which one of us to believe. From her mother's lap, Emma watched me closely, her face almost as mean as Sissy's.
"It's not true," I said weakly. "Sissy—"
"Ali pushed me off the dock, too," Emma interrupted. "If Sissy hadn't been there, I would have drowned—"
"That's a lie and you know it, Emma!" Close to tears I turned to Dulcie. "Sissy dared Emma to jump. I tried to stop her, but she got away from me. She wants to do everything Sissy does."
Dulcie looked from Emma to me and back to Emma, her eyes worried. "I can't believe Ali would push you off the dock, Emma."
"Yes, she would," Emma insisted. "Ali's so bad, even Hell doesn't want
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