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I had expected Debbie to dress up, but she was in a pair of jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, wrapped in a long, heavy coat

I noticed she earing a pair of red gloves

"You found the gloves?" I asked

She roaned "They’d fallen behind the radiator Of course, I only found the around outside without them

"Are your father and brother here?" she asked

"Mr Cre - I mean, Dad’s out Evra’s in" I paused "There’s so you should know about Evra" I said

"What?"

"He’s not like other people"

"Who is?" Debbie laughed

"You see," I began to explain, "Evra’s a -?

"Look," Debbie interrupted, "I don’t care what kind of an odd bod he is Just take rinned shakily and gestured for her to enter Debbie swished confidently ahead of me A couple of steps into the room, she spotted Evra and stopped

"Wow!" she exclaimed "Is that a costu in front of the TV, arms crossed stiffly

"Debbie," I said, "this is Evra, my brother He’s -?

"Are those scales?" Debbie asked, surging forward

"Uh-huh," Evra said

"Can I touch theers up his left arht

"Wow!" Debbie gasped "Have you always been like this?"

"Yes," Evra said

"He’s a snake-boy," I explained

Debbie whirled fiercely onto say!" she snapped "You shouldn’t call him na hian, but she interrupted

"Hoould you like it if somebody made fun of that stupid costume you wear?" she fumed I looked down at my suit "Oh, yes!" she sneered "I could have said plenty about that crazy getup, but I didn’t I figured, if you wanted to look like so out of Peter Pan, that was your choice"

"It’s okay," Evra said softly "I am a snake-boy" Debbie stared at Evra uncertainly "I am, really," he vowed "I have many serpentine qualities: I shed my skin, I’m cold-blooded, I have snakelike eyes"

"Still," Debbie said, "it’s not nice to be cohed

"Oh" Debbie looked back at me, half ashamed "Sorry," she said

"It’s okay," I said, secretly pleased that she’d reacted the way she had - it proved she wasn’t prejudiced

Debbie was fascinated by Evra and kept asking him questions What did he eat? How often? "Was he able to talk to snakes? After a while I told hiue and was able to stick it up his nose

"That’s the grossest, greatest thing I’ve ever seen!"

Debbie hohen Evra de abilities "I wish I could do that It’d freak the life out of everybody at school"

Eventually it was time to leave for the movies

"I won’t be back late," I told Evra