Shifting by Rachel D'Aigle Read Free Book Online Page B

money, dreaming of a lavish shopping spree.
    “It may be enchanted mermaid money,” she sighed, “but it’s still the most money I’ve ever held at one time.”
    4
    The twins worried they would not be allowed to go into Grimble on their own; however, it had not been questioned. They were anxious to depart, but decided to wait for Jae and Mireya to leave for school.
    Ivan had not come home the night before. Everyone assumed he was still at work, which was apparently something he did often. Irving Mochrie, feeling recuperated enough, had left early to try to catch up on his own work. He was a banker.
    “Jae,” Sheila hollered. “I need you to go down to the basement and grab a jar of blueberry preserves for breakfast… don’t give me that look! Your father would never accept that behavior.”
    “I’ll come with you,” offered Colin, following Jae to a small closet. On the floor of the closet was a wooden door, which opened to a ladder leading down to a musty, dank and dark cellar.
    He wished he had not offered to go. Jae climbed down. Colin held his breath and followed. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the dark. The basement held boxes of canned foods, most covered in dust.
    As Jae searched for the right preserves, a strange noise distracted Colin. It came from behind and reminded him of feet, shuffling across gritty sand paper.
    “Jae, did you hear that?” he whispered.
    “I forgot to warn you!” gasped Jae. “I can’t believe it. Colin, meet Corny.”
    “Corny is a… person?” asked Colin, his nerves relaxing.
    “Yeah, old guy, lives in the basement.” Colin turned around and came face to face with a toothless grizzled man. A wad of chewing tobacco punched out his cheek and the smell of the tobacco turned Colin’s stomach sour. Jae went back to searching for the preserves.
    “Corny, nice to, ah, meet you,” gulped Colin.
    “You can talk all you want, he won’t talk back. He’s a little crazy.”
    “Really?” replied Colin not surprised by this fact. Corny gaped and grinned as tobacco juice dripped down his chin. Colin hurriedly climbed up the ladder deciding to wait for Jae at the top, hearing Corny shuffle his way back to his dark corner.
    “Who is Corny?” asked Colin as Jae’s head popped up into the house.
    29
    “He’s real name is Cornell Tibbit. He went crazy after his family died. Some by illness, some by old age, one by the Scratchers. He is the last in his family line. Poor guy, I guess he couldn’t handle it.”
    “Why does he live in your basement?” asked Colin, thinking no matter how crazy he was, that could not a pleasant place to live.
    “He chose to. We tried to get him to live upstairs, but he would disappear for hours. We always found him in the basement. Eventually, we couldn’t get him to stay anywhere else.”
    “How odd,” said Colin.
    “Yeah, he’s a mess. Never talks. Grunts now and then. I’m shocked he came out of his corner, he usually doesn’t do that.”
    “Leave it to me to attract the weirdoes,” joked Colin, in a mocking high-pitched voice.
    “Jae, stop lollygagging and get those preserves in here,” Sheila Mochrie’s voice ordered from the kitchen. As breakfast ended, the announcement came that the twins dreaded to hear. “So you’re aware, there are plans in the works for your education. I’m not sure exactly when, we need to figure out what you’re normally taught. Billie Sadorus thinks she has a book about it somewhere.”
    The twins instantly thought of sneaking into Billie’s cottage and stealing the book.
    Sheila Mochrie sent them off, handing them each a bag lunch as they departed.
    “Do your best and make your father proud,” she said to Jae and Mireya, kissing their foreheads. She waved to the twins; they were already opening the gate, eager to depart.
    Mireya’s frame dissolved into a small group of girls walking ahead of them.
    “Do you have any idea what you’re going to do with your uncle?” asked Jae, once