The Time Fetch by Amy Herrick Read Free Book Online Page A

gone. The guy was serious. Before Edward could say another word, Danton had grabbed him by the arm.
    “Come on, Eddie,” he said. “I saw her back at the corner going into Mike’s deli.”
    “All right,” Edward said. “All right. Would you mind just letting go of the jacket, please? And the name’s Edward.”
    Brigit, who was about to head up the hill toward home, saw the two boys pass by. She smiled to herself. They were such a comical looking pair, Danton with those ridiculously long arms and legs, bouncing around, practically levitating off the sidewalk. Edward, on the other hand, looked kind of like Winnie the Pooh, shuffling along, shaking his head “no” like a bear trying to get snow out of his eyes.
    What could they be whispering about? A certainty came out of nowhere that they needed someone to watch over them. She knew better than to ignore a feeling like this. Quick as a sparrow, she flitted behind a parked car and watched to see where they headed.
    When they entered the deli, Feenix was nowhere to be seen. Edward was relieved. Then he heard the voice of Beatrice the Poisonous Toadstool.
    “And did you get a look at that hair, with that mousse or whatever it was? Somebody’s got to tell her.”
    “I’ll tell her,” volunteered Alison the Hangnail. Edward thought of her that way because she was always biting at her cuticles. Also, that was exactly the kind of pain she was. Small and excruciating.
    The girls were somewhere behind the magazine rack. There was a low, bored, answering murmur. Feenix.
    “What is that scent you’re wearing, FeeFee?” asked Beatrice. “It’s so awesome.”
    “You’re smelling things. I’m not wearing any scent.”
    Danton gestured to him and they edged down the aisle where the girls wouldn’t see them, but could be spied upon.
    Feenix was slinking along, now and then reaching out to touch a glossy magazine. Alison and Beatrice followed behind, chattering away.
    The girls came out into the center aisle where the gum and candy were. Feenix darted a quick glance around, grabbed a Three Musketeers bar, and shoved it into her coat pocket. She headed casually toward the door, the other two following. A damp draft rushed in as the girls pushed their way out. Then they stopped and stood there, Beatrice and Alison blah, blah, blahhing away.
    Danton and Edward waited inside, watching. Feenix gazed around herself, listening to the two other girls with a distant look on her face. After a couple of minutes she interrupted them, saying something that Danton and Edward couldn’t hear. Alison and Beatrice headed off along the avenue, and Feenix stood there for a while, looking around. Then she reached into her pocket and took something out.
    “There it is!” hissed Danton.
    They watched her examine the rock, turning it around and around and even sniffing at it. Then she put it back in her pocket and seemed to make a decision. She began striding up the avenue into the wind, munching on the Three Musketeers bar as she went.
    They watched, waiting a couple of minutes, and then Danton gestured to Edward. “Come on.” He pushed the door open.
    Edward couldn’t believe he was actually doing this.
    It was damp. It was cold. It was miserable. And here he was trying to keep up with Bigfoot. Up ahead, Feenix flapped along in her great black coat. What if she turned around and saw him?
    He would be dead.
    But she didn’t turn until she got to Ninth Street. Then she made a left and headed up the hill. She seemed to be completely unaware that she was being followed.
    Every time Edward tried to ask Danton what his plan was, Danton gestured for him to be quiet.
    For a while, the holiday decorations were strung carnival-like over the streets—red and green and blue, bells and candles and stars. But when you hit Seventh Avenue where life was more upscale, the decorations became white snowflakes. Edward suddenly realized that it was already beginning to get dark. Boy, these December