Page 17 (1/2)

Like he really was glad Josie was feeling better, not just because she was an asset to our group, but because he cared about her

"Three days!" Josie said quietly, shaking her head

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CEREMONY

One week before the ceremony, I’d say I would have been about as likely to read an original poem in front of my classmates as I would have been to stand under Astrid’sand serenade her with aand noas going to read a poeroped for et the poe on the paper was the only sound in the dark, quiet store besides the distant huerators

I fell back asleep, convinced I had written the most beautiful poem in the world In my sleepy state, I was sure it would heal the world--this poe to hear Batiste repeating everything Chloe said

When I opened my journal to bask in my brilliance, it was, of course, total scribble scrabble I could only e and the funny thing is that I had underlined, very emphatically, in several places, but there were no words above the underlines Just lines with exclamation points after theuess who cooked breakfast? Me and Alex You would think everyone would have been tired of my half burnt–half raw delicacies, but they ate my cold yet crispy frozen waffles and blackened hash browns right up At breakfast Josie told us the ceremony would be in the Bed and Bath area in one hour She asked us not to go near there so she could finish setting it up

"Do we get to dress up?" Caroline asked

Max groaned and rolled his eyes

"What? It’s a cereood idea, Caroline Everyone get dressed up," Josie said

"Can I just wear this?" Brayden asked He had on jeans and a sweatshirt

Josie looked pointedly to Jake She waited

Jake cleared his throat

"I think we should all dress up," Jake said to Brayden "You know, show respect"

I gave ood once-over with baby wipes and put on fresh clothes I retrievedI was looking over , when I heard wind chimes

"What’s that sound?" came little Henry’s voice

He climbed out of the toy-box playhouse that he and his sister had ht behind hi that sound to tell us it’s tis," Henry toldin the garden out back They get all tangled up in the winter but she always goes and straightens them out She just loves the sound of ’em"

"I know," I said "We can hear them from our yard"

My mom called their mom a hippie because of all her wind chimes, but I wasn’t about to say that

"Our mommy says they sound like fairy music," Caroline added

"Hey!" Henry said "Do you think we could get soo?"

"That’s a good present," Caroline added, nodding

"Sure," I said "You can take her tind chirinned at each other

They had chosendress-up clothes for themselves Henry in black pants, a plaid shirt, and a sweater vest Caroline in a little plaid dress that hts and shiny black shoes

They had washed their freckled faces and coht, Who are these kids?

And what do they think is going on here?

He certainly didn’t ask to be picked up, but I hoisted up that little Henry anyway He put his ar to lad you’re here, Dean," she said to hbor and we knew you fro space by pushing an aisle out of the way This would have involved unbolting it froround, so I suspect Niko had a hand in the preparations

She had tacked up sohts on the ceiling and that ht was soft and peachy and cal the floor A wide circle of pillows for us to sit on went around the edge of the space In front of each pillow there was an unlit pillar candle In the center there was this sort of decorated place with a big wall hts spread out and sohts

It looked nice Pretty

"Please be seated," Josie told me, Henry, and Caroline We each sat on a pillow

Chloe was sitting next to Josie and behind thee of the aisle divider Every so often Josie would nod to Chloe and Chloe would stroke the wind chimes with a little mallet

Jake and Brayden aht they’d had with Niko the day before A little bruising here, some scrape marks there Jake looked a little queasy and I noticed they both shielded their eyes froover when Christhts hurt your eyes