Read Online Secrets 01 Secrets in the Attic by V. C. Andrews - Free Book Online Page B

village, crying. Was it because of this?"
"Yes. I knew he would be coming to my room later. I was thinking of just walking forever, but I had no place to go, and it got cold."
"You could have come to my house."
"And then everyone would know, Zipporah. How would you like people to know that was happening to you?"
"Well, he should be arrested or something!"
"Oh, that would be just great. That would solve everything. The drugstore would go out of business, and we'd definitely be out on the street. Besides, how do you think people would treat me, look at me? I can tell you. Remember when we all learned that Paula Loomis's brother might have raped her? Remember how everyone treated Paula, stayed away from her? It was as if it was all her fault and she was dirty or something. It's why she dropped out and went to live with her aunt in New York City. Not that I really care what people here think of me," she said. "It's what would happen to my mother here. She would only blame me and hate me."
"Well, what are you going to do, Karen?"
"I don't know. Most nights, I lie here terrified and can't sleep. It upsets my stomach and gives me headaches."
"How many times has he come into your room?" "Enough."
"Did he do anything else?"
"What do you think?"
I shook my head. Dared I ask more, pursue, force her to give me the grisly details?
"I'll draw a picture for you. He comes in here with just his bathrobe on. He's naked beneath it."
"Oh," I said. Actually, it was more like a sigh of horror coming up out of my lungs. "I' m sorry," I said.
"Forget it. I don't want to talk about it. Don't ask me anything else. I'm getting sick again just telling you about it, and it's making my headache even worse."
"Doesn't your mother want to know why you're not feeling well?"
"She thinks it's just my time of the month. It's never been easy for me to have a period. She knows that, so she accepts that excuse."
I nodded. "Are you going to go to school tomorrow?"
"Probably."
A multitude of things ran through my mind, especially when I recalled my conversation with my mother. Karen could get pregnant. What should I do, say?
"And you still don't want to tell your mother about Harry and what he's doing?"
She looked away.
"Karen?"
"I said I was finished talking about it! I told you, it's making me sick to my stomach."
"Okay, okay. Do you want to know the homework assignments for tomorrow?"
I felt silly even mentioning it, but it was the fastest way to change the topic.
"Yeah, I'm dying to know," she said.
I looked down at my hands again.
"I wish I could help you," I said. "I really do. I wish there was something I could do."
"Well, there isn't, so stop thinking about it. Okay, what were the homework assignments for tomorrow?" she asked, and got up to get her notebook.
None of it seemed very important now, but I rattled it all off for her.
"I can help you with anything."
"I'll do it later," she said.
"You want to come over to do it? Ride your bike? Maybe you can come to dinner."
"No. My mother thinks I'm still not feeling well. I'll have to stay here tonight. Maybe tomorrow night," she added.
"Okay. Great."
I stood up and looked at her bedroom door.
"Why don't you put a chair up against it?" I suggested. "You know, brace it under the doorknob and . . ."
"Just go home, Zipporah," she said, and sighed as if I were a child "I'll see you on the bus in the morning."
"Right," I said. .I started out.
"Thanks for insisting on being my best friend," she said when I opened the door.
"You don't have to thank me."
"Okay, so I take it back," she said, and laughed.
Just like that, we were back to being who we were. It was as if we had both detoured through a nightmare and awoken together.
"Mindy Sages has a pimple the size of a pebble on the tip of her nose. You should see her. She walks around like this," I said, putting my hand over my face.
"She oughtta get one of those face masks that Arab women wear."
"Or just wear a bag over her head."
"Or wrap herself like the Invisible