Page 3 (1/2)

Chapter 1

It was on the first day of su to die

It happened on Monday, the first real day of vacation (the weekend didn't count) Poppy woke up feeling gloriously weightless and thought, No school Sunlight was streas around her bed filold Poppy pushed them aside and jumped out of bed and winced

Ouch That pain in her sto its way toward her back It helped a little if she bent over

No, Poppy thought I refuse to be sick during su is what's needed here

Grimly, doubled over-think positive, idiot!-she old-tiled bathroo to throw up, but then the pain eased as suddenly as it had coarded her tousled reflection triumphantly

"Stick with ave a conspiratorial wink Then she leaned forward, seeing her own green eyes narrow in suspicion There on her nose were four freckles

Four anda half, if she were completely honest, which Poppy North usually was How childish, how-cute!

Poppy stuck her tongue out at herself and then turned aith great dignity, without bothering to comb the wild coppery curls that clustered over her head

She ot to the kitchen, where Phillip, her twin brother, was eating Special K Then she narrowed her eyes again, this tiht, and curly-haired--to look, in fact, ason a buttercup in a children's picture book--hut to have a tas tall, Viking-blond, and classically handsomewell, that just showed a certain deliberate malice in the makeup of the universe, didn't it?

"Hello, Phillip," she said in a voice heavy with menace

Phillip, as used to his sister's aze from the comic section of the LA Times for a reen eyes with very dark lashes They were the only thing the twins had in common

Phillip said flatly, and went back to the comics Not many kids Poppy knew read the newspaper, but that was Phil all over Like Poppy, he'd been a junior at El Caht A's while starring on the football tea as class president One of Poppy's greatest joys in life was teasing hiht he was too straitlaced

Just now she giggled and shrugged, giving up the ard was their stepfather of three years and even straighter-laced than Phil

"Cliff's at work Moet on your case"

"Yeah, yeah " Poppy went on tiptoe to ru a box of Frosted Flakes, she thrust a hand in and delicately pulled out one flake She ate it dry

It wasn't all bad being short and elfin She did a few dance steps to the refrigerator, shaking the cereal box in rhythm

"I' rhythm

"No, you're not," Phillip said with devastating calm "And why don't you put some clothes on?"

Holding the refrigerator door open, Poppy looked down at herself She earing the oversize T-shirt she'd slept in It covered ' her like a ,a Diet Coke froe

There was a knock at the kitchen door Poppy saho it was through the screen

"Hi, James! C'mon in"

Ja off his wraparound Ray-Bans Looking at hi-as always It didn't matter that she had seenhim every day, practically, for the past ten years Shestill felt a quick sharp throb in her chest, somewherebetween sweetness and pain, when first confronted with hi

It wasn't just his outlaw good looks, which alwaysreht brown hair, a subtle, intelligent face, and grayeyes that were alternately intense and cool He was the handsoh, but that wasn't it, that wasn't what Poppy responded to It was so and always just out of reach It le

Phillip felt differently As soon as James came in, he stiffened and his face went cold Electric dislike flashed between the two boys