Bone Gap by Laura Ruby Read Free Book Online Page B

people.”
    Finn leaned on the handle of his shovel and pointed past the fence. “Maybe you should go ask Amber what happened to that pink bicycle.”
    â€œYeah? Maybe you should ask your brother to teach you how to fight.”
    If he were talking to me, maybe I would.
    Suddenly, Mustard went rigid, rearing and barking at the cornfields.
    â€œSee? He’s barking at the corn,” said Miguel. “You can’t say I didn’t tell you.”
    â€œWhat is it, boy?” Finn said. They stood there, scanning thefields, the dog barking, the corn waving.
    Just like that, Mustard stopped barking. He leaned his weight against Finn to move him closer to Miguel, as if that would keep the flock safe.
    Late that night, Finn sat at the kitchen table, test prep books spread in front of him, steam curling from his fourth cup of tea. Calamity Jane, also spread out on the kitchen table in a nest of papers, watched as Finn poured nearly half a jar of Hippie Queen Honey into the cup.
    â€œI know,” Finn said. “I should just skip the tea and drink the honey instead.”
    But he drank the tea anyway, frying the taste buds off his tongue, because he didn’t drink coffee and because he wanted to stay awake. The clock read two in the morning, and his body begged for sleep, but Finn was having none of that. Even if he got in bed, there would only be twisted sheets and damp pillows as he thrashed and sweated out all the hours of the dark. Maybe other guys would watch TV all night, but TV was just a bunch of noise, and when Sean came home, if he ever came home, he would tell Finn to turn it off.
    So he rubbed his eyes and leafed through the prep books that he would have to study for the next four months. It did not help that he was bad with tests. It did not help that he kept mixing up the test and the scholarship and the application deadlines—June? September? October? November? It did not help that even thetests had essay questions. It did not help that all the questions were stupid. Do you think that cities have the right to limit the number of pets per household? Do you think that high school should be extended another year? Do you believe that previous failures always lead to later successes?
    He tapped the pencil on the paper, searching his brain for answers. Through the open window came the sound of a horse snorting.
    â€œI could do without the commentary,” said Finn.
    Calamity yawned.
    â€œFrom you, too.”
    The cat blinked, once, twice, three times.
    â€œI don’t speak blink.”
    Instead of limiting the number of animals, cities could make ordinances to keep people from hoarding chickens in living rooms. High school can be extended five or even ten more years, but only for people named Rude. Previous failures will mean that your brother will work extra shifts and come home at dawn so that he doesn’t have to see you anymore. They mean that your brother will hate you and the town will hate you and you will hate you and you will never sleep.
    Somewhere, the horse snorted again.
    â€œShut up, already.”
    The man was tall. And he was so still. I’ve never seen anyone that still. But when he finally moved, he moved like a cornstalk twitching in the wind.
    A sharp whinny. Calamity swiveled her head toward the window.
    â€œIt’s just a horse,” Finn said.
    Another whinny.
    â€œA loud one. Possibly with fangs.”
    A thud. Like hooves against a barn door.
    â€œIs that our barn door?” Which it couldn’t be, because the only things that lived in the barn were the mice and the birds. Except . . .
    Finn pushed back his chair and went to the window. He squinted, trying to make out the barn in the dark. He was about to sit down again when he heard the second thud and saw the barn doors shake. He left Calamity to guard the books and the honey and raced outside, skidding to a stop right in front of the slanted structure. The horse—he hoped it