Read Online Sunny Sweet Is So Not Scary by Jennifer Ann Mann - Free Book Online Page B

“Mrs. Song is in there.” She looked worried.
    â€œWe won’t wake her up, Alice,” I said. “We will be as quiet as four little mice.”
    She didn’t look convinced, but we couldn’t leave the big mirror on my mother’s dresser uncovered. And my mom had two giant windows in her room too.
    We lined up in front of the bathroom door. I held the flashlight, and Junchao and Sunny held the towels. Once we were all set, I slowly opened the door.
    I checked the hall.
    Nothing.
    I looked back at Sunny’s little meter thingy.
    It was quiet.
    â€œWhat happens if that thing goes off?” I whispered. “Maybe you should stay here in the bathroom.”
    â€œNO!” she cried. “I’m too scared.” She looked up at me with those giant blue eyes of hers and I couldn’t make her stay.
    â€œOkay, then stand right outside the door to Mommy’s room. Don’t come in. Just in case. We don’t want to wake up Mrs. Song.”
    â€œYes,” Alice said. “We don’t want to wake up Mrs. Song,” she repeated.
    I crept out into the hall. Alice, Sunny, and Junchao followed. We started down the hall toward my mother’sroom, sticking to the side of the hallway so the floor wouldn’t squeak. I’d learned from sneaking out of my bedroom at night for illegal snacks that the middle of the hallway was the squeakiest part. But it was hard to stick close to the wall with our hanger hats on. My pencils kept scraping the wall. If the ghost didn’t get us, my mom sure would in the morning for all the pencil marks.
    When I got to the door, I took a couple of deep breaths to make up for all the breathing that I wasn’t going to do once I got into the bedroom with Mrs. Song. Then I turned the doorknob and slowly opened the door.
    SQUEEEEEEAK.
    Alice poked me.
    I shrugged at her.
    â€œOpen it fast,” she whispered. “It squeaks less.”
    I opened it fast. No squeak. I smiled at her. This was good to know.
    I peeked over at my mom’s bed.
    There was Mrs. Song, a sleeping lump on the right-hand side of the bed. I could hear her quiet breathing, in and out, in and out, with a little whistle to the outpart. I turned and gave the “shh” sign to Alice, Junchao, and Sunny.
    I motioned to Alice, and mimed like I was opening a window.
    She got it.
    I motioned to Junchao, pointed at the towels she was carrying, and then motioned for her to follow me.
    She didn’t get it. She blinked in confusion.
    I opened my eyes wide and went through the plan again: pointing at the towels, pointing at her, pointing at me, and then pretended to hang an invisible towel over a mirror.
    She nodded her head. She got it.
    I breathed in deep through my nose to keep myself calm. Then I motioned for Sunny to stay just outside the door with her little machine.
    We went to work.
    Alice had to open two windows, one on either side of my mother’s bed. They were the kind with the crank handles that you had to turn. We had the big mirrorover my mom’s dresser to cover, plus her little makeup mirror.
    Junchao and I crept over to the dresser. I pulled a T-shirt from my mom’s dirty clothes and hung it over her makeup mirror. Junchao smiled at me in the dark. The big mirror was going to be a lot harder.
    I saw that I was going to have to climb on top of the dresser to get the towel up on each side of the big mirror. I put my hand up to Junchao, telling her to stay. And then I hoisted myself up on the side of the dresser, placing my knee on the corner, and then pulling up my other knee. I still couldn’t reach the top of the mirror, so I slowly stood. Junchao handed me one end of the bath towel and I hooked it over the corner of the mirror.
    I looked down at Junchao to give her a thumbs-up just as Mrs. Song sniffed and rolled over in bed.
    I froze.
    If she opened her eyes, she would see me standing on my mother’s dresser covered in baby powder and