Read Online The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black by Eden Unger Bowditch - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Eden Unger Bowditch
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an old silo that had fallen into rubble,
Lucy pointed and gasped. Jasper followed the line of herfinger. There, standing in the doorway of what was clearly the schoolhouse, was a very lovely young woman.
“She’s beautiful,” Lucy said, practically breathing the words instead of speaking them.
Whether she was beautiful or not, Jasper could not tell, but the woman’s smile made him agree. It was a smile that said everything was going to be all right. Jasper wished he could believe it.
The woman approached the carriage, and her smile broadened as she saw little Lucy struggling to keep her eyes above the bottom of the window ledge.
“You’re like a princess,” Lucy said.
“Well, thank you, sweet angel. I’m so glad you’ve come,” said the woman. “And this is your brother? Welcome. I’m Miss Brett. I’m your teacher.” Her fair hair was pulled back into a braid, but several strands had escaped and framed her face as they fell. She had eyes the color of the darkening summer sky.
She did not wait for the coachman to open the door. Instead, the coachman threw her an indistinct look and went to fetch the baggage.
Jasper and Lucy stepped down from the carriage with Miss Brett holding their hands. Once they were down, Miss Brett knelt to meet Lucy’s gaze, eye to eye.
“I’m Lucy,” said Lucy.
“I’m Jasper,” Jasper said.
“Yes you are,” said Miss Brett, smiling, standing now and guiding the children to the schoolhouse. “We’ve been waiting for you...”
The classroom was marvelous to behold. There were microscopes and telescopes and, on one table, all manner of test tubes, burettes, and burners. On opposite corners of the ceiling, there were also paper flowers and a great paper sun and moon. There were shelves of books and rows of puzzles.
And also there, in that room, were two children around Jasper’s age.
At a desk, looking over a set of blueprints and comparing them to sketches in a notebook, was a girl the likes of whom Jasper had never before seen. The moment he saw her, he understood fully how beauty could take your breath away. He had seen portraits and photographs of beautiful women and girls, but never in his life had he seen one in real life. The girl had warm skin that looked not as if the sun had darkened it, but as if the sun had entered it. Her hair, almost a dark red with wisps of gold, was long, down below her waist, plaited into one thick braid.
As Jasper approached, the girl looked up from what she was doing. Her eyes were the greenest green, but at the same time, the goldest gold. Jasper reached out his hand automatically and tried to speak.
“I... me... I... my—”
The beautiful girl did not take his hand. Instead, she opened up that beautiful mouth of hers and, in a sultry voice that carried with it an essence of an Indian accent, she said, “Are you an idiot? What is this? Are there more of them? And this one doesn’t even know how to talk.”
Stung by her bite, Jasper was stunned and shaken. He looked down at his hand as if it was a traitor.
“I can speak,” he said, his voice squeaking. “My name is Jasper, and Lucy there is my sister.”
“Well, you should know your ruddy name, Jasper,” she said, pointing to a folded paper on one of the five desks. It said “JASPER.” “You’ve got some help now, so you can practice saying it. Now don’t disturb me.”
“Faye,” Miss Brett said, Lucy still at her side, “I told you that all the classmates were arriving today. Why don’t you go fetch the lovely biscuits we made this morning?” There was no scolding in her voice.
Her face lighting up, Faye ran across the classroom, opened the door on the far side of the room, and rushed through it.
“Faye arrived this morning,” Miss Brett said, “as did Wallace.”
The small boy sat at a desk on the far side of the room. He was writing in a small notebook.
“Hello,” Jasper said as he approached the desk, cautiously. Did this one bite,
Lucy pointed and gasped. Jasper followed the line of herfinger. There, standing in the doorway of what was clearly the schoolhouse, was a very lovely young woman.
“She’s beautiful,” Lucy said, practically breathing the words instead of speaking them.
Whether she was beautiful or not, Jasper could not tell, but the woman’s smile made him agree. It was a smile that said everything was going to be all right. Jasper wished he could believe it.
The woman approached the carriage, and her smile broadened as she saw little Lucy struggling to keep her eyes above the bottom of the window ledge.
“You’re like a princess,” Lucy said.
“Well, thank you, sweet angel. I’m so glad you’ve come,” said the woman. “And this is your brother? Welcome. I’m Miss Brett. I’m your teacher.” Her fair hair was pulled back into a braid, but several strands had escaped and framed her face as they fell. She had eyes the color of the darkening summer sky.
She did not wait for the coachman to open the door. Instead, the coachman threw her an indistinct look and went to fetch the baggage.
Jasper and Lucy stepped down from the carriage with Miss Brett holding their hands. Once they were down, Miss Brett knelt to meet Lucy’s gaze, eye to eye.
“I’m Lucy,” said Lucy.
“I’m Jasper,” Jasper said.
“Yes you are,” said Miss Brett, smiling, standing now and guiding the children to the schoolhouse. “We’ve been waiting for you...”
The classroom was marvelous to behold. There were microscopes and telescopes and, on one table, all manner of test tubes, burettes, and burners. On opposite corners of the ceiling, there were also paper flowers and a great paper sun and moon. There were shelves of books and rows of puzzles.
And also there, in that room, were two children around Jasper’s age.
At a desk, looking over a set of blueprints and comparing them to sketches in a notebook, was a girl the likes of whom Jasper had never before seen. The moment he saw her, he understood fully how beauty could take your breath away. He had seen portraits and photographs of beautiful women and girls, but never in his life had he seen one in real life. The girl had warm skin that looked not as if the sun had darkened it, but as if the sun had entered it. Her hair, almost a dark red with wisps of gold, was long, down below her waist, plaited into one thick braid.
As Jasper approached, the girl looked up from what she was doing. Her eyes were the greenest green, but at the same time, the goldest gold. Jasper reached out his hand automatically and tried to speak.
“I... me... I... my—”
The beautiful girl did not take his hand. Instead, she opened up that beautiful mouth of hers and, in a sultry voice that carried with it an essence of an Indian accent, she said, “Are you an idiot? What is this? Are there more of them? And this one doesn’t even know how to talk.”
Stung by her bite, Jasper was stunned and shaken. He looked down at his hand as if it was a traitor.
“I can speak,” he said, his voice squeaking. “My name is Jasper, and Lucy there is my sister.”
“Well, you should know your ruddy name, Jasper,” she said, pointing to a folded paper on one of the five desks. It said “JASPER.” “You’ve got some help now, so you can practice saying it. Now don’t disturb me.”
“Faye,” Miss Brett said, Lucy still at her side, “I told you that all the classmates were arriving today. Why don’t you go fetch the lovely biscuits we made this morning?” There was no scolding in her voice.
Her face lighting up, Faye ran across the classroom, opened the door on the far side of the room, and rushed through it.
“Faye arrived this morning,” Miss Brett said, “as did Wallace.”
The small boy sat at a desk on the far side of the room. He was writing in a small notebook.
“Hello,” Jasper said as he approached the desk, cautiously. Did this one bite,
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