Read Online The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black by Eden Unger Bowditch - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Eden Unger Bowditch
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too?
“Hello,” the boy responded shyly. He extended a hand, as Jasper had done to Faye.
“I’m Jasper,” said Jasper, taking the hand gladly. “How long have you been here?”
“I arrived about an hour—no, two hours ago,” Wallace said, taking a look at the clock on the wall of the classroom.
“I helped Miss Brett make these, as I was the first to arrive,” said Faye, returning to the room with a tray of biscuits.
Jasper grabbed a biscuit and took a bite. “These are delicious,Faye,” he said, smiling at her.
Faye looked up, then blushed. “Well, I... well, don’t eat them all.” To Jasper’s disappointment, the sulk seemed to take over Faye once again, so he walked back over to Wallace, who had returned to his seat after taking a biscuit.
“Are there only five students?” Jasper saw there were only five desks and, so far, four children. Wallace’s desk was dead center, Jasper and Faye in front, and Lucy and someone named “NOAH” in back.
“He should be coming, too. Today, like the rest of us,” said Wallace. “That’s what Miss Brett said.”
“Does Miss Brett run the school? Is she the headmistress?” Jasper asked, finishing his biscuit.
“Well, I suppose,” Wallace said. “She lives here in the farmhouse, as will we, I imagine. She seems very pleasant to me. She’s certainly the nicest teacher I’ve ever come across. Well, except my mother.”
“Your mother is a teacher?”
“Um, well... she taught me. But Miss Brett seems very capable. She really is very, very nice. So far, this is all I’ve been able to conclude. Anything else would be guesswork.” Wallace looked up at Jasper through his thick glasses.
Jasper smiled and felt that, for the first time, he was speaking to a child who would have no interest in torturing him, no desire in hurting Lucy, and no reason to resent either of them for their intelligence. He looked at what Wallace was writing. It seemed to be an equation of sorts.
“Would you like to see my calculations on this chemical variant?” said Wallace. “I think I’ve worked out a kink in thedesign of this polymer. I’m trying to complete it and test it before... well, I only have a few weeks. Would you like to see?” Jasper leaned over as Wallace began to explain.
Lucy was still having trouble looking at anything but Miss Brett.
“Well, come on, Lucy, let’s bring your bag into your room, and then I’ll show you the kitchen,” Miss Brett said.
“Can I sleep with you, Miss Brett?” asked Lucy. “I’m very cozy, or so I’ve heard.”
“I’m sure you are,” Miss Brett said, trying to keep her smile from turning into a laugh. “But you’ll be sharing the big bed with Faye. Her bags are already in the room.”
After Miss Brett led Lucy to the white room, where Lucy placed her bag on the bed, she took Lucy by the hand and led her into the kitchen.
“Do you like butter biscuits?” said Miss Brett. “We have a batch about to come out of the oven, and we’ll need to put another batch in. I like to butter the top of each biscuit before I put them in to bake. Did your mother ever make butter biscuits?”
“Make them? You mean in the laboratory?” Lucy said, confused. “Butter biscuits sound like something lovely to eat. I thought they were something to eat.”
“Yes, they are, sweet angel,” Miss Brett said. “I meant did your mother ever bake them... in the kitchen... in an oven?”
“No, Mummy doesn’t know what an oven is,” Lucy said. “Hortensia the cook did everything in the kitchen.”
“I see,” Miss Brett said, smiling. “You’ll learn all about kitchens while you’re with me. Then you can teach your mother when...”
But Miss Brett did not know when.
“Everyone keeps saying ‘when,’” said Lucy. “I suppose that is much better than ‘if,’ and if it was ‘if,’ I would be so sad I would be crying, but I’m not crying, Miss Brett, because I am a big girl and I would only cry if the ‘if’ was
“Hello,” the boy responded shyly. He extended a hand, as Jasper had done to Faye.
“I’m Jasper,” said Jasper, taking the hand gladly. “How long have you been here?”
“I arrived about an hour—no, two hours ago,” Wallace said, taking a look at the clock on the wall of the classroom.
“I helped Miss Brett make these, as I was the first to arrive,” said Faye, returning to the room with a tray of biscuits.
Jasper grabbed a biscuit and took a bite. “These are delicious,Faye,” he said, smiling at her.
Faye looked up, then blushed. “Well, I... well, don’t eat them all.” To Jasper’s disappointment, the sulk seemed to take over Faye once again, so he walked back over to Wallace, who had returned to his seat after taking a biscuit.
“Are there only five students?” Jasper saw there were only five desks and, so far, four children. Wallace’s desk was dead center, Jasper and Faye in front, and Lucy and someone named “NOAH” in back.
“He should be coming, too. Today, like the rest of us,” said Wallace. “That’s what Miss Brett said.”
“Does Miss Brett run the school? Is she the headmistress?” Jasper asked, finishing his biscuit.
“Well, I suppose,” Wallace said. “She lives here in the farmhouse, as will we, I imagine. She seems very pleasant to me. She’s certainly the nicest teacher I’ve ever come across. Well, except my mother.”
“Your mother is a teacher?”
“Um, well... she taught me. But Miss Brett seems very capable. She really is very, very nice. So far, this is all I’ve been able to conclude. Anything else would be guesswork.” Wallace looked up at Jasper through his thick glasses.
Jasper smiled and felt that, for the first time, he was speaking to a child who would have no interest in torturing him, no desire in hurting Lucy, and no reason to resent either of them for their intelligence. He looked at what Wallace was writing. It seemed to be an equation of sorts.
“Would you like to see my calculations on this chemical variant?” said Wallace. “I think I’ve worked out a kink in thedesign of this polymer. I’m trying to complete it and test it before... well, I only have a few weeks. Would you like to see?” Jasper leaned over as Wallace began to explain.
Lucy was still having trouble looking at anything but Miss Brett.
“Well, come on, Lucy, let’s bring your bag into your room, and then I’ll show you the kitchen,” Miss Brett said.
“Can I sleep with you, Miss Brett?” asked Lucy. “I’m very cozy, or so I’ve heard.”
“I’m sure you are,” Miss Brett said, trying to keep her smile from turning into a laugh. “But you’ll be sharing the big bed with Faye. Her bags are already in the room.”
After Miss Brett led Lucy to the white room, where Lucy placed her bag on the bed, she took Lucy by the hand and led her into the kitchen.
“Do you like butter biscuits?” said Miss Brett. “We have a batch about to come out of the oven, and we’ll need to put another batch in. I like to butter the top of each biscuit before I put them in to bake. Did your mother ever make butter biscuits?”
“Make them? You mean in the laboratory?” Lucy said, confused. “Butter biscuits sound like something lovely to eat. I thought they were something to eat.”
“Yes, they are, sweet angel,” Miss Brett said. “I meant did your mother ever bake them... in the kitchen... in an oven?”
“No, Mummy doesn’t know what an oven is,” Lucy said. “Hortensia the cook did everything in the kitchen.”
“I see,” Miss Brett said, smiling. “You’ll learn all about kitchens while you’re with me. Then you can teach your mother when...”
But Miss Brett did not know when.
“Everyone keeps saying ‘when,’” said Lucy. “I suppose that is much better than ‘if,’ and if it was ‘if,’ I would be so sad I would be crying, but I’m not crying, Miss Brett, because I am a big girl and I would only cry if the ‘if’ was
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