Double Trouble (4 page)

“SO DID YOU
decide what we're doing for your birthday?” Liam asked as we left the lunch line and wandered toward our table, where Bianca was saving us seats.

I shook my head. “Cassie and I haven't had much time to discuss it yet.”

“Did you tell her about my monster-movie idea?” he asked eagerly.

Before I could answer, Gabe Campbell stomped past us. “Out of the way, freaks,” he said, purposely
bumping Liam hard with one shoulder. He paused just long enough to glare at me. “Especially
you
, superfreak!”

“Ow,” Liam muttered, rubbing his arm as Gabe took off. “What was that all about?”

“Who knows?” I stared after Gabe. He was always calling me names—Cassie, too—but “superfreak” was a new one.

Bianca glanced up from her book as Liam and I sat down. “Hey, Caitlyn,” she said. “Ms. Xavier was just here looking for you.”

“She was?” I glanced around. “Why?”

“Don't know,” Bianca replied. “But here she comes again.”

Sure enough, the teacher was barreling toward us with a big smile on her face and her patchwork peasant skirt swishing around her legs. “Caitlyn!” she exclaimed breathlessly. “You rushed out of class so fast that I didn't get a chance to touch base with you. Have you given any thought to my idea?”

“Your idea?” I'd nearly forgotten our conversation the day before. “You mean about the project?”

“Yes, of course.” She leaned on the table, almost putting her hand down on Bianca's sandwich. “I mentioned it to your twin, too, but she said she'd have to speak to you about it. So what do you say? Are you two in?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my friends trading perplexed looks. “I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to think about it yet. Can I get back to you?”

“Of course. No pressure!” She laughed loudly, then patted me on the arm. “I just really think it could be . . . enlightening. Hmm? But yes, let me know what you decide after you've discussed it with Cassie.”

“Okay.”

“What was that all about?” Bianca asked once the teacher had gone.

I sighed. “Nothing. Just some idea she had about Cassie and me working together on the social studies project.” I filled them in on what Ms. Xavier had said. “What's the deal with her, anyway?” I added. “She seems almost obsessed with the whole twin thing.”

“She's interested in all kinds of weird stuff.” Liam
shot me an apologetic look. “Not that being twins is weird.”

“It's okay; I know what you mean.” I smiled at him. “So what else is she into?”

He shrugged. “Lots of things. Like last year she decided everyone would learn more if she hung crystals all over the room. Oh, and she was into aromatherapy for a while. She made the whole school smell like lavender for months.”

“The principal stopped her from teaching a unit on voodoo, though,” Bianca put in. “That was too much for Aura.”

“She's not from here,” Liam added. “She married into Aura. Her husband's family has been here forever, but she lived in New Orleans before.”

I was already losing interest in Ms. Xavier. Whatever her obsession with twins, it was a little odd, but no biggie. Kind of cute, actually.

“I'll have to let her down easy on the twin project idea,” I said.

Liam took a sip of his water. “So you're not going to do it?”

“No way. It's been hard enough to get Cassie to work with me on our birthday party—doing a social studies project with her would be a disaster!” I laughed. “Anyway, speaking of the party, Cass and I are supposed to figure out a plan tomorrow.” Suddenly I had a great idea. “Hey, why don't you both come over? You can help us brainstorm.”

“Sure, that sounds fun,” Liam agreed immediately.

“Cool! Bianca? What about you?” Neither of my friends had been to my house yet, and I was looking forward to hanging out with them more outside of school.

“Can I let you know in the morning?” Bianca said slowly. “I'm not sure if I can make it or not.”

“Sure, no problem.” I smiled at her, waiting for an explanation. But Bianca was staring down at her food, her brow furrowed. She looked sad again—like she had yesterday. I couldn't help feeling a flash of worry. What was going on with her?

“Liam! Dude!” A large boy with spiky brown hair rushed toward us. Right behind him was a smaller
kid with lots of freckles and a crooked smile.

Liam grinned at them. “Josh, Goober,” he said. “What's up?”

The three boys started jabbering about some science fiction movie they'd seen on TV, and Bianca added a few sarcastic comments, that brief sadness no longer evident on her face.

Like Mom says, don't borrow trouble
, I told myself.

“LIGHTS OUT, GIRLS.”
Mom stuck her head into our room just long enough to flick the switch off.

“Good night,” I said, but she was already gone.

Cassie and I were both in bed. I was reading a book, and she was lying on her side fiddling with the necklace from the package.

“Typical,” she muttered. “Ever since yesterday, it's like Mom can't get away from us fast enough.”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “It's pretty obvious she doesn't want to talk about what happened.”

“Understatement of the century,” Cassie said with a snort. “But she can't avoid us forever.” She sat up, staring at me in the dim light seeping through
the window from the streetlamps. “But listen—I've been meaning to tell you. I saw Gabe Campbell today after we were talking. You know, before lunch?”

“Yeah? So?” I was only half listening, distracted by thoughts of Mom. Why had she taken our letter and that dusty old book? And why did she shut us down every time we tried to ask about it? I kept telling myself she had to have a reason. The trouble was, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what that reason might be.

“He was standing right outside the room,” Cassie went on. “And he gave me a super-intense look when I passed him.”

That got my attention. “I saw Gabe in the caf right after that, and he called me a superfreak.” I gulped, as a reason for that particular name occurred to me. “What if he heard us?”

“I don't know. But it gives us even more reason to figure things out fast.” Cassie sounded grim. “And now that we know there's someone out there who can help us, there's no reason to bumble along like idiots.”

“You mean our grandmother?”

“Duh, of course.” She was playing with the necklace again. “We have to get that letter back. No matter what.”

“Okay.” I felt a little uneasy. It was too dark to see Cassie's expression clearly, but she sounded pretty determined. “Maybe we should just try talking to Mom again. We could tell her about the visions and ask her to help.”

“What's the point? She has to know we're having visions. Otherwise, why did she freak out when she saw that letter?”

I sat up. “Wait. Maybe it's not about the Sight at all, though. Maybe she just doesn't want us to find out anything about our dad.”

“But why? It has to be connected.” She tapped the pendant against her chin. “She's kept the truth about Dad's family from us all these years. We need to find out why.”

I didn't say anything. Lying back down, I couldn't help wondering if my sister was right. It stressed me out to think that Mom would keep such an important
secret from us. I was trying to assume she had a good reason, but . . .

“Anyway, we can't talk to her tomorrow,” Cassie broke into my thoughts. “She's working all day, remember?”

“Right.” Mom hadn't talked much at dinner this evening, but she'd told us that much. “Remind me to check with her in the morning—I forgot to tell her I invited Liam and Bianca over to help with our party plans.”

“You did?” Cassie said. “Because I invited Megan and Lav. They're coming right after lunch. Megan even managed to get out of helping her mom with some dumb dinner to come. I'm sure they'll have lots of good ideas, so maybe you should call your friends and cancel.”

“Why?” I felt a flash of annoyance. “Your friends aren't the only ones who can come up with something fun.”

“I beg to differ.” She let out a snort. “When I need to plan a nerd convention, I'll totally call Liam. For a cool birthday party? Not so much.”

I frowned. “Whatever, Cassie,” I said with a flash of irritation. Every time I thought maybe Cass and I were connecting for a change, she had to go and say something obnoxious. Something that reminded me just how different we'd become. “They're coming, okay? You and your
cool
friends will just have to deal.”

“Whatever yourself,” she retorted. Flopping back onto her bed, she pulled the sheet up to her chin. “Now be quiet so I can go to sleep.”

“GEEZ, I THOUGHT
she'd never leave,” I muttered, flipping back the curtain in the front window.

I watched as Mom's car backed out of the driveway and tooled off down the road. Then I let the curtain fall.

Caitlyn was observing me from the sofa, where she'd spent the last few minutes flicking idly through the TV channels. “What are you going to do?” she asked, switching off the TV.

I glanced at her. We hadn't talked much that morning. Caitlyn seemed a little cranky. Was she seriously holding a grudge because I'd pointed out that her friends were nerds? I was just being honest.

But I couldn't focus on that. I had more important things to worry about, so I was doing my best to ignore her attitude.

“I'll tell you what I'm going to do.” Striding across the room, I yanked open the drawer in Mom's desk, which was tucked into a corner of the living room. “I'm going to find that letter.”

“What?” Cait sat up straighter, looking alarmed. “Hold on. We're not supposed to go in Mom's desk.”

“Well, people aren't supposed to steal other people's mail either.” I shoved aside some pens and a pair of scissors, digging into the back of the drawer. “Isn't that a federal offense or something? Mom could totally arrest herself for that.”

Caitlyn jumped to her feet and came a few steps forward. “So talk to her about it,” she said. “You can't just rip the house apart looking for that letter!”

“Can't I? Watch me.” There was no sign of our stuff in the desk, so I headed for the hall. “It's got to be somewhere, right?”

“Cassie, stop.” Cait followed as I headed toward Mom's bedroom. “Seriously. If Mom catches you, we're both dead!”

“She had no right.” The more I thought about what Mom had done, the angrier I got. “That package was addressed to us. She shouldn't have taken it away. Especially with no explanation.”

I shoved open the door. Mom's bedroom was as neat as a pin. Twenty years in the army and lots of moves had taught her to travel light. The only pieces of furniture in there other than the bed were a small table with a single drawer and a bureau with a mirror.

Stepping over to the bedside table, I yanked open the drawer. Caitlyn grabbed my arm.

“Cassie, stop!” she pleaded, on the verge of tears. “This isn't right. Mom's going to notice everything's messed up, and then she'll never trust us again.”

That stopped me. Whirling around, I glared at
my sister. “That's fine,” I spat out. “Because I'll never trust her again either!”

Cait's eyes widened with horror. “Don't say that.”

“Why not?” Hands on hips, I glared at her. Even a Goody-Two-shoes like Cait had to see what was going on by now. “Think about it, Cait. She knew what was happening to us all along and didn't say a word.”

“We don't know that for sure,” she said.

“Sure we do.” I returned my attention to the drawer. “It's the only explanation for how she knew to grab that letter when she saw it.”

My sister was silent for a second, watching as I slammed the drawer shut and turned my attention to the bureau. “Maybe,” she said at last. “I mean, I've been trying to think of another reason, but I haven't come up with one yet.”

“That's because there isn't one.” I opened the bottom bureau drawer and shoved aside a pile of shirts.

“Okay. But even if Mom knew about the Sight, she had no way of knowing we were actually having visions. Maybe she was waiting for us to say
something. Maybe she assumed we'd tell her about something like that.”

“Are you serious?” I couldn't believe she could be so dense. “Yeah, okay, maybe she didn't know right away. But what about what happened at the football game last week? If she didn't know before, she had to know then.”

“Oh. I forgot about that.” Caitlyn bit her lip. “Still . . .”

I didn't bother to respond as I dug through more of Mom's clothes. No matter how sunny-side up she could be, Caitlyn had to realize I was right. We'd both seen visions involving Gabe's uncle breaking into the police station to frame Mom, and because of them, we got to him before he did any serious damage. Oh, we hadn't come right out and told her what we'd seen. But I'd never forget that long, searching look she'd given us when we'd urged her to go check on things at the precinct
just in case
.

“I still don't think you should be doing this,” Caitlyn said after a moment. “Two wrongs don't make a right.”

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to respond. “Where'd she put that stupid thing, anyway?” I muttered, slamming the top drawer shut.

I headed for the closet. It was just as tidy as the rest of the room. There were only a few places to search—a couple of shoe boxes and garment bags.

As I slid a hand into the pockets of Mom's winter coat, I heard a noise and glanced back. Caitlyn was easing open the top drawer of the bureau.

“I already looked in there, genius,” I told her.

“Duh,” she said. “I was here. I watched you. I'm trying to neaten it up so Mom doesn't figure out what you did.”

Despite my mood, I almost laughed. “You? Clean? Don't worry, I'm not planning to leave any evidence. I'll fix everything after I find the stuff.”

But I didn't find it. There was no sign of the package, the letter, or the dusty old book. Not in Mom's closet; not anywhere in her bedroom. It wasn't in any of the other closets in the house either. I even checked the cabinets in the bathroom.

Finally I stomped into the living room, glancing
around for more hiding places. “Where could it be?” I exclaimed.

Caitlyn was still following me around. “Think about it, Cassie,” she said with a hint of sarcasm. “Mom took everything with her when she left for work the other day. Which means it's probably at the police station. Are you planning to rip that apart next?”

I stared at her, my heart sinking. “You're right,” I said. “It probably is at work. Or maybe in her car—I can try to check there later.”

She frowned. “Are you going to chill out now? Because my friends will be here soon, and I'd rather not have them see you acting like a maniac.”

Once again, she was right. Checking my watch, I realized that Megan and Lavender would be arriving in a few minutes. “I'm done,” I said. “At least for now. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up.”

Cait didn't respond. I shrugged, then headed back into Mom's room to straighten up her drawers.

By the time I emerged, Liam and Bianca were there, lounging on the sofa, and Caitlyn was puttering around in the kitchen.

“Hi, Cassie,” Liam said. “Happy almost birthday.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, heading to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Playing detective was thirsty work, especially during a heat wave in a house with inadequate AC.

“Want some lemonade?” Caitlyn asked. “I made it earlier.”

“No thanks.” I gulped down half my water. “So where are you and your friends planning to hang out? Because the girls will be here any second.”

“What do you mean? We're planning to stay right where we are.” She glanced out through the archway into the living room.

“Then where are my friends and I supposed to go?” I demanded.

Before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door. I hurried over to answer.

“Hey, Cassie,” Megan said with a smile as she and Lavender stepped inside. “Cute house.”

“Thanks.” Megan seemed sincere, but I couldn't miss the look of disdain on Lav's face as she glanced
around the small living room. I couldn't help seeing it through her eyes. The dingy way-off-white carpet. The cloudy glass in the windows. The missing trim around one of the doorways. I'd already known the place was a dump. Somehow, though, all the work Mom made us do when we first moved in had disguised that a little. But only a little.

Finally Lavender's gaze settled on Liam and Bianca. “What are
they
doing here?” she said.

“Sorry,” I murmured. “My sister invited them.”

“Does that mean they'll be at your party?” Lavender sounded surprised.

“Sssh,” Megan hushed her. “It's no big deal. The more the merrier.” She waved and smiled brightly at the pair. “Hi, guys! What's up?”

Bianca just blinked, surprised that Megan was talking to her. No wonder. It was probably the first time ever.

“Come on over here,” I told my friends, leading the way toward the dining table. “Want some snacks or something?”

“No thanks.” Lavender settled herself in Mom's
chair. “We stopped at the store on the way over to drop off Amigo with my cousin.”

“Amigo?” Liam echoed curiously.

“My dog,” Lavender said, actually flashing him a brief smile. “He hates staying home alone, and he loves greeting all the customers. Everyone loves him, too—I swear the store sells, like, ten times as much stuff when he's there.” She giggled, then glanced at me. “Anyway, while we were there we had some ice cream.”

Thanks for bringing some for me
, I thought.

Lavender's family had been in Aura almost as long as Megan's. They owned the town's general store and often gave free snacks to Lav and her friends when they stopped in.

A second later Caitlyn came in and passed out lemonade and cookies to Liam and Bianca. “Okay,” she said, sitting down cross-legged on the carpet in front of the sofa. “Let's talk about this party.”

“Sure!” Liam replied eagerly. “I have lots of ideas. My favorite is a monster-movie theme. We'd dress up as our favorite monsters, and . . .”

“Monsters?” Lavender let out a loud snort. “Absolutely not.”

“Oh.” Liam looked momentarily deflated. Then he brightened. “Okay, then how about an outer space theme? I did that for my ninth birthday, and it was really fun.”

Megan looked dismayed. “Um . . . ,” she began.

“No way,” Lavender said bluntly. “Look, Cassie. You need to have a real party—no stupid themes, no monsters or space aliens.” She glared at Liam, then glanced around the room. “But now that I'm here, this place is definitely way too small. Have you checked into the hotel option?”

“Hotel option?” Caitlyn echoed. “What are you talking about?”

“There's a really nice hotel in Six Oaks,” Megan explained. “Lots of people throw parties in their ballroom.”

“Sounds nice,” Cait said. “But also expensive.”

“I'm sure it's not that bad.” Lav shrugged. “Anyway, you only turn twelve once, right?”

“Didn't you hear her?” Bianca spoke up. “She
said it's too expensive. And it's their party, not yours.”

Lavender's head whipped around to stare. That was probably the most I'd ever heard from Bianca.

“Excuse me?” Lavender exclaimed. “You don't have to be rude!”

“Apparently I do,” Bianca shot back. “Because you're not listening to anything anyone says.”

“Guys, guys,” Caitlyn said soothingly. “Let's not fight, okay?”

Easy for her to say—her friend had started it! But going off on my sister wouldn't help. Instead I touched the key necklace, which for some reason I found oddly comforting.

“Caitlyn's right,” Megan spoke up. “Let's just talk about the party, okay?”

“That's what I was trying to do.” Lavender glared at Bianca. “Until
she
got all in my face.”

Liam blinked. “No, she didn't,” he said. “She just said—”

“I heard what she said,” Lavender cut him off. “Unfortunately.”

Bianca didn't respond. She wasn't really looking at anyone.

“Sorry, Cait,” she said softly, standing up. “Could I use your bathroom?”

“Sure,” Cait said. “Down the hall, first door on the right.”

Bianca nodded and headed that way. As she passed me, her arm brushed mine.

I gasped as a vision hit me hard and fast. It was Bianca, of course. Her face was so clear that it was impossible to miss how upset she looked as she rushed past a sign that read
SIX OAKS HOSPITAL: ENTRANCE
.