Finding Fortune by Delia Ray Read Free Book Online Page A

photograph. She wore a puffy white dress and a tall crown, and she sat on a throne tucked inside a giant fake clamshell. It looked like she was riding on a fancy float like the ones in the Macy’s parade that Nora and I watched on TV every Thanksgiving.
    â€œIs that—?”
    â€œIt’s Hildy!” Hugh pointed to the words engraved on the bottom of the frame. Queen of the Fortune Button Festival—June 1950 . “She says she was the last queen ever because the river ran out of shells and they stopped having the festival.”
    I bent closer. “She was so beautiful.” The girl in the picture had a cloud of dark wavy hair and china-doll skin, but you could still tell it was Hildy, even without the wrinkles and lipstick and the lopsided wig. She had the same mischief in her smile, the same stubborn tilt to her chin.
    â€œLook how happy they all are,” I said as I stared at the faces in the crowd. “I’m glad Hildy’s making a museum. Otherwise how would people know this stuff ever happened?”
    Hugh took the picture and set it back in its stand on a card table. “You want to see her crown?” he asked. “It’s made out of buttons.” He picked up a pink velvet bag from the corner of the table, but before he could get the drawstring untied, we heard Hildy’s raspy voice. It sounded like she was coming down the hall, talking to somebody on her cell phone.
    â€œSay that again,” I heard her squawk. “We got a bad connection. I can’t quite hear you.” My heart jumped. What if she was talking to Mom? Had Nora given up and spilled the beans already?
    Hugh held a finger to his lips and pulled me down to a crouch. Then he motioned for me to stay low and follow him through another obstacle course of cardboard boxes and wooden crates. When we finally stood up straight, we were in a dark storage room off the gym.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” I whispered. “Why are we hiding?”
    â€œI don’t want Hildy to see us,” Hugh said softly. “She doesn’t like me exploring the museum when she’s not there.” Before I could wonder more about who Hildy had been talking to or whether she was looking for me, Hugh grabbed my hand. The next thing I knew, we were stepping out into the blinding sunlight and a flower garden that bordered the side of the school.
    On the other side of the garden there were two women in sun hats bent over a row of white flowers. They straightened in surprise when they spotted us. When one of them pushed back the brim of her hat, I realized who they were—the sisters from the second floor. I could tell they expected us to stop and say hello, but Hugh was already scurrying along a dirt path that led back to the front of the school. I gave the sisters a little half wave and trotted after him.
    Hugh didn’t slow down until he had rounded the corner of the building and slipped behind a gnarled lilac bush. “Jeez,” I huffed once I had scooted into the space beside him. “What’s going on? I feel like I’m in a video game dodging old ladies.”
    Hugh leaned his back against the brick wall of the school to catch his breath. “That was Sister Loud and Sister Soft,” he panted, and readjusted the pencil behind his ear. “They’re always trying to get me to help pull weeds in their soap garden. If we had stopped, I’d never get to finish showing you around.”
    I leaned against the wall beside him. The bricks felt warm on my back. “You really call them that?” I smiled. “Sister Loud and Sister Soft?”
    â€œNot to their faces. Just with Mine. We can’t tell them apart unless they’re talking … or yelling.” Hugh peeked out from the branches of the lilac to check whether the coast was clear. When he turned back to me, his expression was somber. “Are you afraid of heights?” he asked.
    â€œUm. What kind of