Miss Angela
came to the door as I walked up the sidewalk. She waved, and I looked back to see
Mrs. S sitting in her car, watching me. I had the weirdest feeling she was making
sure I actually got to the front door, like there was a chance something would happen
to stop me. Why would she think that? Divine's was probably the safest place in
the entire town, even including Oak Cottage with all the doors and windows closed
and locked and Miss Abby on duty.
"I imagine
you're just eaten up with curiosity over what Charlie and Rainbow sent me, aren't
you?" Miss Angela stepped back to let me go past her through the door. She
laughed when I just grinned at her and nodded and handed her the envelope.
She gestured
for me to follow her, and we went upstairs. Not to the second floor, to her apartment,
which I had expected. We went up to the third floor, and she pulled a ring of keys
out of her pocket and unlocked one of the doors.
"You
do know the difference between secrets that are bad for you to keep, and secrets
that are bad for everyone else if you don't keep them, don't you, Lanie?"
Miss Angela paused with her hand on the doorknob.
"I think
so."
"Not
that I doubt you, but…" She sighed. "Why don't you tell me the kinds of
secrets that are bad for you?"
"Well…
When somebody gets hurt, and they tell me I better not tell the teacher. Or Miss
Abby. Or you," I hurried to add. That got a twitch of her lips and she relaxed
just a little bit.
"This
is probably laying a burden on you far too soon, but I daresay destiny has already
marked you clearly enough." She got down on one knee so she could look me in
the eyes as she talked. "Say someone makes you do something that you don't
understand, but you know deep in your heart, it's wrong. You don't want to do it,
maybe it even hurts, but that person is much stronger than you, and they tell you
not to tell anybody. Maybe they even threaten to hurt you, or people you love, if
you tell anyone what they did."
"Those bad people can't find us here, in Neighborlee, can they?" I must have been scared. I know there was a queasy kind of sensation in my head and my stomach at the same time, and my voice dropped to a whisper.
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