around the room. She inspected the windows and tested the locks. She rattled the handles on the doors to the bathroom and hallway. “Do these doors have locks?” she asked Dink.
“Um, yeah, but we never use them,” he answered.
“Is there a night-light?” she asked.
Dink pointed to a small blue light sticking from a wall socket.
Joan Klinker nodded. “I guess this will do,” she said. “Now may I see Sammi’s bathroom?”
Dink showed Joan the bathroom he and Sammi would share.
The woman checked out everything in the bathroom, then peeked intoDink’s room on the other side. “Who sleeps in here?” she asked.
“Me,” Dink said. “My parents’ room is downstairs.”
“Do they have their own bathroom down there?” Joan asked.
Dink nodded as they walked back into Sammi’s room.
Joan Klinker smiled at Dink. “This will be perfect!” she said. She patted Sammi on the head. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
Sammi looked at her nervously. “Where are you going?”
“To my hotel room,” Joan said. “But I’ll come back after dinner for your French lesson.” She took one more look around Sammi’s room, then left.
“Do you play Nerf ball in your country?” Ruth Rose asked Sammi.
Sammi shook his head. “What is Nerf?”
“This,” Josh said, tossing the foam ball to Sammi. It bounced off him and fell to the floor.
“Um, do you want to change?” Dink asked Sammi.
Sammi stared at his suitcase. “Your mother said she’d unpack for me,” he said.
“She will,” Dink said. “But for now, you can wear some of my stuff. Come on in my room.”
The four kids trooped through the bathroom and into Dink’s room. Loretta began running around her cage.
Dink found a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt in his closet. “These should fit,” he told Sammi.
Sammi looked at the clothes but didn’t take them from Dink.
“Who is going to dress me?” he asked.
CHAPTER 3
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose stared at Sammi.
“Um, what do you mean, who’s gonna dress you?” Dink asked.
“In my country, my servants dress me and undress me,” Sammi said.
“Yeah, right,” Josh said, grinning. “And my servants do my homework for me!”
“Do you really have servants?” Ruth Rose asked Sammi.
Sammi nodded. “I have five servants of my own. My father has twenty!”
“Twenty servants!” Josh yelled. “Are you guys rich?”
Sammi sat on Dink’s bed. “We are very rich,” he said. “My father is …”
Sammi didn’t finish what he was going to say. Instead, he burst into tears.
“Great, Josh, you made him cry!” Dink said.
“I did not! I just asked him if he was rich!”
Ruth Rose sat next to Sammi. “Why are you crying?” she asked.
Sammi didn’t answer. Big tears rolled down his cheeks.
Dink tossed the sweat clothes onto the bed. Then he ran into his bathroom and came out with a wad of tissues.
“Here,” he said.
Sammi took the tissues and wiped his eyes.
“Do you miss your mom and dad?” Ruth Rose asked Sammi. “Is that why you’re crying?”
Sammi took a deep breath and wiped at his tears. “I don’t know where my parents are,” he said. “They were kidnapped last week.”
“KIDNAPPED!” the three other kids yelled.
Sammi nodded. “My father’s enemiessnuck into the palace and took him and my mother.”
“Palace?” Josh said. “You live in a palace? What are you, a prince or something?”
Sammi nodded. “Yes. My father is the king of Costra. I am Prince Samir Bin Oz. I will be king someday.”
Sammi started crying again.
No one said anything. Even Loretta stopped running around in her cage.
Dink stared at Sammi. “You’re a prince?” he finally asked. “Does my mom know all this, Sammi? I mean, about your folks being kidnapped and everything?”
The boy shook his head. “Only my tutor knows,” he said. “My parents were kidnapped at night. I was sleeping. The next day I was snuck out of the palace and sent here so I would be
“Um, yeah, but we never use them,” he answered.
“Is there a night-light?” she asked.
Dink pointed to a small blue light sticking from a wall socket.
Joan Klinker nodded. “I guess this will do,” she said. “Now may I see Sammi’s bathroom?”
Dink showed Joan the bathroom he and Sammi would share.
The woman checked out everything in the bathroom, then peeked intoDink’s room on the other side. “Who sleeps in here?” she asked.
“Me,” Dink said. “My parents’ room is downstairs.”
“Do they have their own bathroom down there?” Joan asked.
Dink nodded as they walked back into Sammi’s room.
Joan Klinker smiled at Dink. “This will be perfect!” she said. She patted Sammi on the head. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
Sammi looked at her nervously. “Where are you going?”
“To my hotel room,” Joan said. “But I’ll come back after dinner for your French lesson.” She took one more look around Sammi’s room, then left.
“Do you play Nerf ball in your country?” Ruth Rose asked Sammi.
Sammi shook his head. “What is Nerf?”
“This,” Josh said, tossing the foam ball to Sammi. It bounced off him and fell to the floor.
“Um, do you want to change?” Dink asked Sammi.
Sammi stared at his suitcase. “Your mother said she’d unpack for me,” he said.
“She will,” Dink said. “But for now, you can wear some of my stuff. Come on in my room.”
The four kids trooped through the bathroom and into Dink’s room. Loretta began running around her cage.
Dink found a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt in his closet. “These should fit,” he told Sammi.
Sammi looked at the clothes but didn’t take them from Dink.
“Who is going to dress me?” he asked.
CHAPTER 3
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose stared at Sammi.
“Um, what do you mean, who’s gonna dress you?” Dink asked.
“In my country, my servants dress me and undress me,” Sammi said.
“Yeah, right,” Josh said, grinning. “And my servants do my homework for me!”
“Do you really have servants?” Ruth Rose asked Sammi.
Sammi nodded. “I have five servants of my own. My father has twenty!”
“Twenty servants!” Josh yelled. “Are you guys rich?”
Sammi sat on Dink’s bed. “We are very rich,” he said. “My father is …”
Sammi didn’t finish what he was going to say. Instead, he burst into tears.
“Great, Josh, you made him cry!” Dink said.
“I did not! I just asked him if he was rich!”
Ruth Rose sat next to Sammi. “Why are you crying?” she asked.
Sammi didn’t answer. Big tears rolled down his cheeks.
Dink tossed the sweat clothes onto the bed. Then he ran into his bathroom and came out with a wad of tissues.
“Here,” he said.
Sammi took the tissues and wiped his eyes.
“Do you miss your mom and dad?” Ruth Rose asked Sammi. “Is that why you’re crying?”
Sammi took a deep breath and wiped at his tears. “I don’t know where my parents are,” he said. “They were kidnapped last week.”
“KIDNAPPED!” the three other kids yelled.
Sammi nodded. “My father’s enemiessnuck into the palace and took him and my mother.”
“Palace?” Josh said. “You live in a palace? What are you, a prince or something?”
Sammi nodded. “Yes. My father is the king of Costra. I am Prince Samir Bin Oz. I will be king someday.”
Sammi started crying again.
No one said anything. Even Loretta stopped running around in her cage.
Dink stared at Sammi. “You’re a prince?” he finally asked. “Does my mom know all this, Sammi? I mean, about your folks being kidnapped and everything?”
The boy shook his head. “Only my tutor knows,” he said. “My parents were kidnapped at night. I was sleeping. The next day I was snuck out of the palace and sent here so I would be
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