Page 1 (1/2)

One

"Dad, you don’t understand"

"Mackenzie, enough"

Carrie Weston hurried through the lobby of her apart a dash for the open doors Her arroceries and decorations for her Christood idea to rush, since the two occupants appeared to be at odds--which could make for an aard elevator ride--but her arms ached and she didn’t want to wait Lack of patience had always been one of her weaknesses; equally lacking were several other notable virtues

TheCarrie had noticed him earlier, and so had various other residents There’d been plenty of speculation about the two latest additions to the apartment complex

"Thanks," she said breathlessly Her eyes irl was around thirteen, Carrie guessed They’d moved in a couple of weeks earlier, and fro until construction on their new holided shut, as slowly as ever, but then the people who lived in the brick three-story building off Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill weren’t the type to rush Carrie was the exception

"What floor?" the ed to slip her"Second Thanks"

The thirtyson smile as he pushed the button He stared pointedly away froer

"I’ broadly The surly tone was gone "This is my dad, Philip"

"I’roceries on one knee she was able to offer Mackenzie her hand "Welcorip firhter as though to say this wasn’t the ti toher father "You look like the only nor"

Carrie smiled despite her effort not to "I take it you met Madame Frederick"

"Is that a real crystal ball?"

"So she claims" Carrie remembered the first time she’d seen Mada her crystal ball, predicting everything from the weather to a Nordstrom shoe sale Carrie hadn’t knohat to think She’d plastered herself against the wall and waited for Madame Frederick to pass The crystal ball hadn’t unnerved her as lued over each eyebrow She wore a sort of caftan, with billowing yards of colorful s froed in an updo like that of a proht out of the sixties

"She’s nice," Mackenzie remarked "Even if she’s weird"

"Have you met Arnold yet?" Carrie asked He was another of the more eccentric occupants, and one of her favorites