Read Online Hide and Seek by Caryn Larrinaga - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Caryn Larrinaga
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magically appear on Christmas morning.
Hidden somewhere .
Agatha sat up very straight. She knew that her stepfather had hidden the Christmas presents somewhere in the house. They weren’t under the tree yet. She supposed he could have hidden them in his car, but it didn’t seem likely. The twins had been screaming for a matching set of Easy Bake Ovens (with which they’d bake bits of glass into mini muffins and feed them to kindergarteners, Agatha assumed), and it was doubtful that her stepfather would want them taking up his entire trunk.
That meant there was a place that the twins couldn’t access. Somewhere they wouldn’t think to look for the presents… or for her.
In a flash, she darted off the window seat and began combing the first floor. Behind the wood paneling, maybe , she thought, pressing on the walls in the den. If she’d learned anything from Nancy Drew, it was that secret passages were everywhere. Agatha didn’t have any luck with the walls, but as she re-entered the living room the fireplace caught her eye. Her heart began to pound, and all thoughts of her stepsisters were driven out of her mind by a sudden certainty that there was a staircase hidden behind the red bricks surrounding the grate. A staircase that led to something magical, something wonderful. She systematically pressed on each brick in turn, hoping that one would slide backwards and reveal the house’s secret.
None of them moved.
Agatha furrowed her brow. She wasn’t ready to give up just yet, and got down onto her hands and knees to peer upward into the chimney. A draft of cold air blew onto her face from above, but there was no sign of a hidden door anywhere in the blackened column.
“What on earth is she doing?” came a high voice from behind her.
Agatha froze. The excitement she’d felt during her search evaporated. She turned her head and stared at her stepsisters, who stood side-by-side in matching blue dresses. They were always dressed like that, in cute patterns and bright colors, with curly ribbons at the ends of their long yellow braids. Agatha thought it might be their idea of camouflage, to put people off their guard.
“She’s probably looking for Santa,” said Rain. Her voice was nearly identical to Summer’s, the main difference being that she tended to rush a bit when speaking.
“Ooh, you’re probably right. Is you wooking for Santa Cwaus?” crooned Summer.
As Agatha could think of no better explanation, she decided to let the twins assume she’d been on such a quest. She crawled backwards out of the fireplace and stood up, brushing her sooty hands off onto her corduroy pants and straightening her own messy braids. She wavered for a moment, trying to pick the attitude that would result in the least amount of torment—a difficult choice, as nearly every scenario had a 100% chance of ending with some kind of bodily injury.
“Yes,” she lied. “I’m worried he won’t be able to find me here.”
“Oh, you don’t need to be worried about that,” said Rain. Her words were sweet at first, but Agatha had learned to wait for the sharpness that inevitably followed. “He won’t have anything for you anyway. Santa doesn’t bring presents to stupid kids like you.”
Agatha bit down on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from responding.
“Come on,” said Summer, grabbing Agatha’s arm. “We’ve got a new game we want to play, and I think you’re going to like it.”
“What is it?” asked Agatha.
“Hide and Seek.”
In Agatha’s old neighborhood, Hide and Seek was a simple game. Whoever was It would cover their eyes and count out loud to sixty, and all the other players would find someplace within the yard to hide. Once the counting stopped, the It player would search for the rest of the children, and the round ended when each player had either been found or had made it back to home base without being tagged. The first person tagged or found was It for next round. Agatha had
Hidden somewhere .
Agatha sat up very straight. She knew that her stepfather had hidden the Christmas presents somewhere in the house. They weren’t under the tree yet. She supposed he could have hidden them in his car, but it didn’t seem likely. The twins had been screaming for a matching set of Easy Bake Ovens (with which they’d bake bits of glass into mini muffins and feed them to kindergarteners, Agatha assumed), and it was doubtful that her stepfather would want them taking up his entire trunk.
That meant there was a place that the twins couldn’t access. Somewhere they wouldn’t think to look for the presents… or for her.
In a flash, she darted off the window seat and began combing the first floor. Behind the wood paneling, maybe , she thought, pressing on the walls in the den. If she’d learned anything from Nancy Drew, it was that secret passages were everywhere. Agatha didn’t have any luck with the walls, but as she re-entered the living room the fireplace caught her eye. Her heart began to pound, and all thoughts of her stepsisters were driven out of her mind by a sudden certainty that there was a staircase hidden behind the red bricks surrounding the grate. A staircase that led to something magical, something wonderful. She systematically pressed on each brick in turn, hoping that one would slide backwards and reveal the house’s secret.
None of them moved.
Agatha furrowed her brow. She wasn’t ready to give up just yet, and got down onto her hands and knees to peer upward into the chimney. A draft of cold air blew onto her face from above, but there was no sign of a hidden door anywhere in the blackened column.
“What on earth is she doing?” came a high voice from behind her.
Agatha froze. The excitement she’d felt during her search evaporated. She turned her head and stared at her stepsisters, who stood side-by-side in matching blue dresses. They were always dressed like that, in cute patterns and bright colors, with curly ribbons at the ends of their long yellow braids. Agatha thought it might be their idea of camouflage, to put people off their guard.
“She’s probably looking for Santa,” said Rain. Her voice was nearly identical to Summer’s, the main difference being that she tended to rush a bit when speaking.
“Ooh, you’re probably right. Is you wooking for Santa Cwaus?” crooned Summer.
As Agatha could think of no better explanation, she decided to let the twins assume she’d been on such a quest. She crawled backwards out of the fireplace and stood up, brushing her sooty hands off onto her corduroy pants and straightening her own messy braids. She wavered for a moment, trying to pick the attitude that would result in the least amount of torment—a difficult choice, as nearly every scenario had a 100% chance of ending with some kind of bodily injury.
“Yes,” she lied. “I’m worried he won’t be able to find me here.”
“Oh, you don’t need to be worried about that,” said Rain. Her words were sweet at first, but Agatha had learned to wait for the sharpness that inevitably followed. “He won’t have anything for you anyway. Santa doesn’t bring presents to stupid kids like you.”
Agatha bit down on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from responding.
“Come on,” said Summer, grabbing Agatha’s arm. “We’ve got a new game we want to play, and I think you’re going to like it.”
“What is it?” asked Agatha.
“Hide and Seek.”
In Agatha’s old neighborhood, Hide and Seek was a simple game. Whoever was It would cover their eyes and count out loud to sixty, and all the other players would find someplace within the yard to hide. Once the counting stopped, the It player would search for the rest of the children, and the round ended when each player had either been found or had made it back to home base without being tagged. The first person tagged or found was It for next round. Agatha had
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