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She stopped The boy was holding out the box to her Jenny hesitated, nonplussed
"You can hold it if you want," he said gently
"Okay," Jenny said, eerly between her palhty enough to be intriguing Sohtly, mysteriously There was a quality about it that Jenny couldn’t describe, a sort of electric current that ran up her fingers as she held it
"We’re closing," the boy said briskly, with another of his arbitrary onna buy it?"
She was She knew perfectly well anybody crazy enough to buy a box without looking inside it deserved whatever they got, but she didn’t care She wanted it, and she felt a strange reluctance to take the lid off and peek in No reat story to tell To happened to me today "
"How much?" she asked
He went to the counter and hit a key on an antique-looking brass cash register "Call it twenty"
Jenny paid She noticed the cash draas full of odd-looking ether: square coins, coins with holes in the center, cruness of that cut into her pleasure in the box a little, and she felt another chill, like spiders walking on gooseflesh
When she looked up, the boy was s at her
"Enjoy," he said, and then his heavy lashes drooped as if at a private joke
From somewhere a clock chimed the little unfinished tune that lanced down at her watch and stiffened in horror
Seven-thirty-it couldn’t be! There was no way she could have been in this store for over an hour, but it was true
"Thank you; I have to go," she gasped distractedly, heading for the door "Uh-see you later"
It was just a politeness, not meant to be answered, but he did answer He murmured what sounded like "at nine" but undoubtedly was "that’s fine" or so like that
When she looked back, he was standing half in shadoith the stained glass of a la blue and purple stripes on his hair For just a second she caught sory look A look completely at odds with the indifferenttiger about to go hunting It shocked Jenny so oodbye" froze in her throat
Then it was gone The boy in black reached over and turned the acid house ht as the door closed behind her and theoff the lingering ie of those blue eyes Now if she ran all the way hoht just have time to throw some Cheez Whiz in the microwave and shove a handful of CDs in the player Oh, God, what a day!
That hen she noticed the tough guys
They aiting for her across the street, hidden in the blue-gray shadows of dusk Jenny saw the and felt a jolt to her sto behind her for the doorknob Where was it? And as she so stupid today? She should have asked the guy in black if she could use the phone; she should have called Tom-or Dee-Where was the knob?
They were close enough that she could see that the one in the flannel shirt had bad skin The one with the bandanna was grinning in a very creepy way They were both co doorknob? All she could feel behind her was cool, painted concrete
Where is it where is it -
Throw the box at theht, suddenly calm and clear Throw it and run Maybe they’ll stop to investigate it Herfor a doorknob that wasn’t there Waste of time
With both hands she lifted the white box to throw it She wasn’t sure exactly what happened next Both guys stared at her and then-they turned around and started running
Running Flannels was in the lead, and Bandanna just a length behind hirace and economy of motion Fast
And Jenny hadn’t thrown the box after all
My fingersI didn’t throw the box because I couldn’t let go because ers
Shut up, her h to care more about a box than about your own life, okay, but at least we don’t have to dwell on the subject
Walking quickly, sweatered ar the box to her chest, she started for home
She didn’t turn around to see how she’d missed the
doorknob with all her behind-the-back fuot
It was ten to eight when Jenny finally neared her street The lighted living rooms in the houses she passed looked cozy She was out in the chill dark
Sos about the game Her ht this-thing-without even knowing exactly as inside Even as she thought it, the box seeed with hidden power
Don’t be silly It’s a box
But those guys ran, souys were spooked
As soon as she got hohly
A wind had sprung up and wasthe trees on Mariposa Street Jenny lived in a sprawling ranch-style house set a slunk furtively by the front doorway A shadow-a s at the back of her neck
Then the shadow liest cat in Aray and creae, Michael said), and its left eye had a pero, and it was still wild
"Hey, Cosette," Jenny said, darting forward and petting the cat as relief swept through her I’ht, scared by every little shadow
Cosette put her ears back and growled like the possessed girl in The Exorcist She didn’t bite, though Animals never bit Jenny
Once in the front hallway Jenny sniffed suspiciously Sesa for the weekend If they’d changed their minds
Alar rooalloped to the kitchen
"At last! We were beginning to think you weren’t coirl who’d spoken earing an ar on the counter, one incredibly long leg braced on Jenny’sHer hair was cropped so close to her head it looked like little nubs of black velvet on her skull She was as beautiful as an African priestess, and she was grinning wickedly
"Dee " Jenny began
The other inhabitant of the kitchen earing a black-and-white houndstooth-check jacket and Chanel earrings Around her was spread a sea of utensils and ingredients: s, a can of ba on the stove
" and Audrey!" Jenny said "What are you doing here?"
"Saving your butt," Audrey answered cal!"