Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods Read Free Book Online Page B

beanbag chair. For the first time in a long time, I had them totally to myself and that felt kind of awesome.
    â€œIt’s a type of cancer with a high cure rate,” Mom said.
    â€œThat means she’ll get all better?” I asked.
    Mom patted my hand. “I hope so, Zoe.”
    â€œQuincy could have stayed here with us, if I’d known,” Daddy said.
    I lit up. “Are you serious? Because maybe we can call his dad and he could bring him back and then he can still go to school here and—”
    Daddy interrupted me. “Calm down, Zoe. I was just thinking out loud. This is family business . . . their family business.”
    â€œBesides, he’ll probably be home before you know it,” Mom added, which got me thinking maybe she knew something I didn’t. Possibly there was another secret.
    I sat up in bed and asked, “Why do grown-ups think that it’s okay to keep secrets from kids?”
    â€œTo protect them,” Daddy replied.
    It was exactly the answer I’d expected. “But it’s not fair to lie to us,” I told them.
    This time, Mom answered. “It’s not lying.”
    I disagreed. “Seems like it to me.”
    â€œIt’s keeping the truth in, Zoe. Because sometimes the truth is hard,” Daddy explained.
    â€œOr sometimes we do it to keep kids from worrying too much,” Mom added.
    â€œBut when we finally find out, we still worry. Plus, if Quincy had known that his mom was sick, he could have been really nice to her, the same way she was being really nice to him. And I could have given her flowers before she went to the hospital instead of after. And that would have made her happy because she’s always saying how she loves orchids but they cost too much.”
    I suppose they thought we had reached the end of our parent-Zoe talk, because they both kissed me and said good night.
    But I still had more questions. “How come some people get really sick?” I asked.
    Daddy thought for a while before answering. “Human beings can be fragile creatures, fragile the way some flowers are.” He paused briefly, then added, “Some things are hard to understand when you’re young.”
    â€œSome things are hard to understand, period,” Mom said.
    â€œBefore you go, I have one more question,” I told them.
    Daddy sighed. “Hope we have the answer, Zoe.”
    â€œDo you guys have any important sad secrets I should know?”
    â€œNo, Zoe,” they said at the same time. “G’night, Zoe.”
    â€œG’night,” I said.
    â€œWant us to leave your door open?” Mom asked.
    â€œI’m not a baby.”
    â€œLove you,” they said softly.
    â€œLove you too.”
    I lay there wondering what Quincy was doing and if he’d gotten to San Francisco yet. It hadn’t even been a whole day, but I already missed him, and even though I supposed he was mostly worried about his mom, I secretly hoped he was at least a little lonesome for me. Being lonely for him tasted like something sour. And worrying about Kendra tasted even worse.
    For the first day in a very long time, Imaginary Zo e stayed completely away. Being so super-smart, she must have known it’s better to be quiet on a day of too much extremely sad news.
    I pulled the comforter up around my neck and watched the lights from Mrs. Warner’s candles dance across the walls of my room.

16
    The Hospital and Kendra
    O n the entire day and night of too much extremely sad news, Imaginary Zoe seemed to have vanished, but on the drive to the hospital, she suddenly reappeared.
    Zoe was holding a pot of gold coins. She was at a place called the New People Store, where people could be duplicated. And if someone you loved died, you just headed to the New People Store and shopped for another one just like him or her—same personality and everything. If Kendra didn’t get well, Zoe knew exactly where to