Page 10 (1/2)
"But only if you absolutely swear to me you didn’t do it"
"Oh, howyou all week I didn’t I never said a word to her I swear"
The first voice, which sounded taut and a little unbalanced, was Tanya’s The second was Kim the
Gymnast’s Despite her brave words, Ki on?)
(Trouble)
"Okay," Tanya’s voice was saying "Then this is your chance to prove it by helping me"
"Tan, look Look I’ up But maybe it’s not Gillian’s fault-"
"It’s completely her fault The stuff with Bruce was over You know that There was no reason for David
to ever find out-until she opened her ain!" Kim the Gymnast sounded ready to screaht I believe you" Tanya’s voice was calht
We’ve got to stick together Hand me that brush, will you?" There was silence for aher dark hair to a higher gloss, looking in ato do?" Kim’s voice asked
"Get both of them In a way, I hate him more I promised he’d be sorry if he dumped me, and I always
keepclothes on her right and left, Gillian had a wild and al on It was just such aa sitco
herself believe in it Here she was, listening to two people ere actually plotting against her She was
overhearing their plans to get her It was absurd Badanyway
Sheup slightly
(Angel-people don’t really do these revenge things Right? They’re just talking And-Iall this It’s soso ridiculous)
(You’re overhearing it because I brought you here You have an invisible friend who can lead you to the
right place at the right time And you’d better believe that people carry out these "revenge things" Tanya’s
never h)
(The future executive) Gillian thought it faintly
(Future CEO She’s deadly serious, kid And she’s ser felt like giggling
When she pressed her ear against the wall again, it was clear she’d missed some of the conversation
" David first?" Ki
"Because I knohat to do with hiet into Ohio University, you know? He sent the
application in October It was already going to be a little hard because his grades aren’t great, but he
scored really high on the SATs It was hard, but I’ to make it" There was a pause and
Tanya’s voice seemed to mellow and sweeten "Absolutely i to the university And to our principal and to Ms Renquist, the English lit teacher, and to
David’s grandpa, who’s supposed to be giving hie"
"But why? Inasty, they’ll just think it’s sour grapes-"
"I’lish lit last
year by cheating We had to turn in a term paper But he didn’t write the paper he turned in It was
bought Frouy in Philadelphia"
Kim’s breath whooshed out so loudly that Gillian could hear it "How do you know?"
"Because I arranged it, of course I wanted hiet into a university Toof himself But of course he can never prove all that He’s the one that paid for it"
A silence Then Kihtness, "But, Tan, you could ruin his whole
life"
"I know" Tanya’s voice was serene Satisfied
"But well, what do you want me to do?"
"Be ready to spread the word That’s what you do best, isn’t it? I’ll get the letters written by Monday
And then on Monday you can start telling people-because I want everyone to know Pri
"Okay Sure Consider it done" Kiet back
downstairs now-can I use the brush a second?"
"Here" A clatter "And, Kim? Be ready to help ot in
mind for her"
Kim said, "Sure,"-faintly Then there were a fewopen and
shut Then silence
Gillian stood in the stuffy closet
She felt physically sick As if she’d found so under her bed Tanya was crazy-and evil Gillian had just seen
into a el had said it
(Angel, what do I do? She reallyto destroy hi I can do about it)
(Thereto listen to reason I know she’s not Nobody’s going to be able to talk her out of it
And threats aren’t any good-)
(I said, thereyou can do)
Gillian came back to herself (What?)
(It’s a little complicated And well, the truth is, youfor David) Gillian’s response was instant and absolute Strange, how there were
soht I’ll explain everything e get hoet so fro soldier on her firstas she did exactly what Angel said, things were going to turn out all right
She went into the bathrooel’s instructions precisely without asking why Then she
went to get David to take her home from the party
"I’ on her bed, wearing the pajaht
and the house was quiet and dark except for the laht stand
"You know, I think you are ready"
The voice was quiet and thoughtful-and outside her head In the air about two feet away froel, sitting lotus style, with his hands on his knees Floating lotus style He was about
level with Gillian’s bed and he was looking at her searchingly His face was earnest and calht like the aurora borealis
As always, Gillian felt a physical reaction at the first sight of him A sort of shock He was so beautiful,
so unearthly, so unlike anyone else
And right now his eyes were more intense than she had ever seen them
It scared her a little, but she pushed that-and the physical reaction-away She had to think of David
David, who’d so trustingly taken her hoht now had
absolutely no idea as in store for hiel
She was braced She had no idea what it would take to stop Tanya, but it couldn’t be anything
pleasant-or legal Didn’tof a letdown
"You know you’re special, don’t you?"
"Huh?"
"You’ve always been special And underneath, you’ve always known it"
Gillian wasn’t sure what to say Because it sounded terribly cliche-but it was true She was special She’d
had a near-death experience She’d coel Surely only special people did that And
her popularity at school-everyone there certainly thought she was special But her own inner feeling had
started long before that, soined that everybody felt that way that
they were different from others, maybe better, but certainly different
"Well, everybody does feel that way, actually," Angel said, and Gillian felt a little jolt She always felt it
when she suddenly reel was going on "But for you it happens to be true Listen, what do you know about your
great-grandma Elspeth?"
"What?" Gillian was lost "She’s an old lady And, uland and always sends raph showing a wolasses, a tweed skirt and sensible shoes The worew up in England, but she was born American She was only a year old when she was separated
fro her It happened during World War One Everyone thought
she had no falish couple to raise"
"Oh, really? How interesting" Gillian was not only bewildered but exasperated "But what on earth-"
"Here’s what it’s got to do with David Your great-grandroith her real sister, with her