Read Online Help Wanted by Richie Tankersley Cusick - Free Book Online Page A

react to that comment. “You’re just having a bad day—trust me, I have lots of them. Things will get better.”
    To her surprise, Claudia fixed her with a pleading look.
    â€œPromise?” she said.
    Robin swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes. I promise.”
    â€œIt’s so easy to be optimistic when you’re not the one in danger,” Claudia said.
    Robin had started to walk away, but now she stopped and looked back in alarm.
    â€œDanger? What are you talking about?”
    â€œNothing.” Claudia shook her head and quickly gathered up her books. “Please just forget I said that.”
    â€œYou can’t protect Claudia … no one can.…”
    Parker’s words came back with a jolt. What a stupid thing to say .… It doesn’t even make any sense . Annoyed, Robin put one hand to her forehead as if she could rub the memory from her mind.
    â€œHow can I forget,” Robin said slowly, “when you make it sound so mysterious?”
    â€œI didn’t mean to. I don’t know why I said it. I wasn’t thinking,” Claudia babbled. She stood up and stared as Robin reached slowly for her arm.
    â€œCome on,” Robin said uneasily. “It’s getting really cold out here.”
    â€œCold like the grave.” Claudia tilted her chin toward the gray, gray sky. “Cold like death. It’s nature’s way of preparing us to die, you know.”
    Robin shuddered. She pulled her jacket tighter and shoved her hands into her pockets, surprised when Claudia began to follow her back toward the building.
    For a long while neither girl spoke. Robin wished Claudia would say something more about herself, her house, her family, but to her dismay the other girl began to walk faster, passing Robin up. Robin sighed and concentrated on kicking leaves from her path. She didn’t see Claudia come to an abrupt halt ahead of her, and by the time she looked up again, Claudia was reaching out to grab her by the shoulders.
    â€œGod, Claudia, you scared me half to—”
    â€œDo you believe in fate?” Claudia interrupted.
    She leaned in close, her wide violet eyes only inches from Robin’s face. Robin frowned and tried to step back, but for all her delicateness, Claudia’s grip was like steel.
    â€œThings happening even when you do everything to keep them from happening?” Claudia went on, her voice breathless and urgent. “Things happening just because they’re meant to, no matter what?”
    Robin said nothing. She was still watching Claudia’s eyes, the way they kept growing wider and wider with some terrible desperation … some awful panic … just like her mother’s eyes … the eyes in the portrait …
    â€œWhat is it?” Claudia whispered. Her hands tightened on Robin’s shoulders, and she gave her a rough shake, her voice rising in sudden alarm. “What is it, Robin? What do you see?”
    â€œNothing—I—”
    â€œDon’t look at me like that!” Claudia cried. “Don’t look at me!”
    â€œClaudia—come back!”
    But before Robin could move, Claudia turned and raced across the yard, leaving Robin to stare helplessly after.

I should be happy about this .
    Robin stood outside the gates of Manorwood and looked bleakly through the iron bars. The wind had picked up just since she’d left school, and the trees were groaning, bending low over the fence, reaching out to her with scraggly limbs like claws.
    Go on in. Don’t be such a coward .
    She made herself angry when she acted like this. What did she have to be afraid of, anyway? Old Mr. Swanson had seemed to like her, and she’d already met Claudia. All the preliminaries were out of the way now; all she had to do was get down to work.
    So go on in. What’s stopping you?
    A feeling, Robin decided.
    That feeling again of something not quite right … something hanging in the air