The Color of Fear by Billy Phillips, Jenny Nissenson Read Free Book Online

into the rest of their dinner.
    After supper, Caitlin suddenly found her dad standing in the kitchen with a birthday cake. It was big, it was chocolate, and it was just what Caitlin needed at that moment.
    They sang “Happy Birthday,” and then Harold Fletcher shared a birthday kiss and hug with Caitlin.
    “Congrats on your second year of teenagerdom, Caity-cakes!” Natalie said and gave her a head-butt.
    Caitlin’s dad handed her a thin box wrapped in silver foil. “I know how much you love writing, honey.”
    Caitlin apprehensively peeled away the wrapping. Her eyes grew as bright as twin light bulbs.
    A mini tablet!
    Dad beamed. “Now you can write articles from anywhere. For your blog.”
    Caitlin was truly grateful. She hugged her father tight.
    “Thanks so much, Papa Bear.”
    “Whattaya say, Caitlin?” her dad said as he cleared away the plates. “Sure you don’t want to come trick-or-treating with us tonight?”
    “I’m too old for youthful indulgences like knocking on doors in search of sugar.”
    Caitlin watched as Natalie stretched her bright-yellow raincoat over the bulbous pod that served as the frame for her ridiculously oversize chili pepper outfit. She hooked her pumpkin-shaped candy-collection bucket over her arm and snapped her coat.
    “For the record,” Natalie said, looking up at her father. “We don’t say ‘trick-or-treat’ in London. Kids here say ‘Happy Halloween.’”
    Her dad smiled. Then he put on the silliest-looking court jester hat Caitlin had ever seen and left with Natalie.
    Caitlin spent the next half an hour dishing out candies to every superhero, phantom, pirate, princess, and witch who knocked on the door. She also booted up her new tablet to check the London-Guildford train schedules.
    When her dad and Natalie returned from their trick-or-treating, Natalie quickly disappeared into the bedroom with her bucketful of treats.
    “It’s getting late, pumpkin,” her father said. He plopped down on the sofa next to Caitlin in the living room. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the dance?”
    Caitlin sighed. “I don’t know. I’m feeling a bit tired.”
    I’m getting cold feet about going alone to Guildford.
    Harold Fletcher looked at his daughter with mournful eyes. “Mom would have wanted you to go. She was always so outgoing and spirited.”
    Caitlin despised hearing about what her mom would have wanted so she shut down the conversation. She knew her father was trying his best— or denying his best! She didn’t want to say anything that would make him feel worse than he already felt on the anniversary of her disappearance, her birthday aside.
    “I’ll see how I feel later.”
    “Whatever makes you happy.” He kissed her on the forehead.
    Caitlin headed upstairs. When she entered the bedroom, Natalie was passed out, snoring just like her father. Sugar crash, no doubt.
    Her bag of superabundant Halloween calories lay at the foot of her bed with a “don’t touch or else” sign on top of it. Sometimes Girl Wonder did act her age.
    Caitlin’s phone vibrated. A text from Jack popped up on her screen.
    C u soon.
    Caitlin slumped onto her bed. Her clock read 5:42 p.m. She had to be at Waterloo station by 6:15 if she was going to catch her train to Guildford.
    That meant she had to leave right away to make it on time. Caitlin bowed her head and sighed. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t pull this off. She’d tried, but there was no way it was going to happen. She picked up her cell to text Jack. She’d say she was feeling fluish. No, she had a migraine. No, it was that time of month.
    If he hated her now for bailing on him, so be it.
    Caitlin paused. Then she typed on her phone. She exhaled and then she hit Send.
    On my way! B there soon.
    Without allowing a second for grim thoughts to sabotage her bold decision, she beelined to her closet, looking for a change of clothes. Am I not adventurous?
    Caitlin preferred genderless fashion so she slid on a pair of