house.
“No,” I said hastily. “I trust you. My mom gave me your card, actually, so . . . I mean, it’s okay, anyway. My friend Jac
will be with me. I’ll meet you on the van Hecht’s back porch in an hour, okay?”
“Well —”
“An hour, okay?” I repeated.
Orin said okay, and I hung up before he could bring my mother up again. I walked to the window and stared out at the van Hecht
house.
I turned away from the window, picked up my phone, and dialed Jac’s number.
Rather than explain Jac’s presence to my mother, which would probably involve more lying, I told Jac to go straight around
the back of the van Hecht house to the porch. I wasn’t expecting her to beat me there, so when she said hello as I was opening
the porch door, I squealed.
“Ha! Scaredy Kat.”
“Oh, stop. You’d scream, too, if I jumped out of the shadows at you,” I grumbled, opening the porch door and going in.
“I didn’t jump out of anything,” Jac said cheerfully. “I didn’t move a muscle. I said ‘hiya,’ and you made a sound like a
kitten on a roller coaster. A biiiiiiig kitten with a healthy pair of lungs.”
I stuck my tongue out at her. Then I gestured toward the kitchen.
“The last time I was here, Jac, every cabinet door in that kitchen banged open and shut by itself.”
Jac paused to consider this, peering in through the window.
“Cool,” she said.
I was tempted to tell Jac I saw a bee. That would plant the ball of terror firmly in her court. But I resisted the urge.
“So, are you okay?” I asked.
Jac gave me a sideways look, then got up and rehung the wind chimes, brushing her fingers through them and making them sound
lightly.
“Not really,” Jac said.
“What can I do?” I asked. I studied her little face in profile, her red hair clipped short to reveal tiny ears, and her upturned
nose looking especially elfin today. She looked tired.
“Just this,” Jac replied, sweeping her hand toward the interior of the van Hecht house. “Be your unpredictable explosive supernatural
self. Call me to come along on your adventures. Help me to forget about the cello, and about . . . her. It’s such a relief
not to have to be that version of me, even if it’s just for a while. I hope we run into a whole team of vampires in there,
Kat. Seriously. The freakier, the better.”
I smiled.
“Happy to be of service,” I said. “And welcome to Kat’s House of Terror.”
Jac grinned.
“Now all we need is your hottie healer friend. Where is he, anyway?”
“I’m right here,” came a deep voice.
Jac and I both jumped. The screen door opened.
“Hi,” Orin said. “Sorry if I’m late.”
I shook my head.
“You’re not late,” I mumbled. “Um, this is my friend Jac.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Orin said. Then he grinned.
Had he heard Jac call him the “hottie healer”? He must have. My face was burning, and I was sure it was flushed a bright red.
“Well, are we ready to go in?” Orin asked. His face was more or less expressionless, but to me he seemed amused. I felt my
cheeks go even redder.
“I’m ready,” Jac said eagerly.
“Me, too,” I said quietly. Anything to get my bright red face pointing in another direction. Yikes.
“Just one thing first,” Orin said.
I froze.
Please don’t let him comment about the hottie thing,
I prayed.
“Kat,” Orin said.
I’d been staring in the opposite direction to hide my face, but I had no choice but to turn toward him.
“Close your eyes for a minute.”
Okay, that was weird. But I did it.
“I want you to visualize the stream of energy inside you. It starts at your feet and rises through your body like a river
of light, moving all the time.”
I’d done basic energy meditations with my mother, so this wasn’t too far out of left field.
“Okay,” I said.
“Now imagine that energy is coming out of the top of your head, and flowing down around you before going back into your feet.
It’s
“No,” I said hastily. “I trust you. My mom gave me your card, actually, so . . . I mean, it’s okay, anyway. My friend Jac
will be with me. I’ll meet you on the van Hecht’s back porch in an hour, okay?”
“Well —”
“An hour, okay?” I repeated.
Orin said okay, and I hung up before he could bring my mother up again. I walked to the window and stared out at the van Hecht
house.
I turned away from the window, picked up my phone, and dialed Jac’s number.
Rather than explain Jac’s presence to my mother, which would probably involve more lying, I told Jac to go straight around
the back of the van Hecht house to the porch. I wasn’t expecting her to beat me there, so when she said hello as I was opening
the porch door, I squealed.
“Ha! Scaredy Kat.”
“Oh, stop. You’d scream, too, if I jumped out of the shadows at you,” I grumbled, opening the porch door and going in.
“I didn’t jump out of anything,” Jac said cheerfully. “I didn’t move a muscle. I said ‘hiya,’ and you made a sound like a
kitten on a roller coaster. A biiiiiiig kitten with a healthy pair of lungs.”
I stuck my tongue out at her. Then I gestured toward the kitchen.
“The last time I was here, Jac, every cabinet door in that kitchen banged open and shut by itself.”
Jac paused to consider this, peering in through the window.
“Cool,” she said.
I was tempted to tell Jac I saw a bee. That would plant the ball of terror firmly in her court. But I resisted the urge.
“So, are you okay?” I asked.
Jac gave me a sideways look, then got up and rehung the wind chimes, brushing her fingers through them and making them sound
lightly.
“Not really,” Jac said.
“What can I do?” I asked. I studied her little face in profile, her red hair clipped short to reveal tiny ears, and her upturned
nose looking especially elfin today. She looked tired.
“Just this,” Jac replied, sweeping her hand toward the interior of the van Hecht house. “Be your unpredictable explosive supernatural
self. Call me to come along on your adventures. Help me to forget about the cello, and about . . . her. It’s such a relief
not to have to be that version of me, even if it’s just for a while. I hope we run into a whole team of vampires in there,
Kat. Seriously. The freakier, the better.”
I smiled.
“Happy to be of service,” I said. “And welcome to Kat’s House of Terror.”
Jac grinned.
“Now all we need is your hottie healer friend. Where is he, anyway?”
“I’m right here,” came a deep voice.
Jac and I both jumped. The screen door opened.
“Hi,” Orin said. “Sorry if I’m late.”
I shook my head.
“You’re not late,” I mumbled. “Um, this is my friend Jac.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Orin said. Then he grinned.
Had he heard Jac call him the “hottie healer”? He must have. My face was burning, and I was sure it was flushed a bright red.
“Well, are we ready to go in?” Orin asked. His face was more or less expressionless, but to me he seemed amused. I felt my
cheeks go even redder.
“I’m ready,” Jac said eagerly.
“Me, too,” I said quietly. Anything to get my bright red face pointing in another direction. Yikes.
“Just one thing first,” Orin said.
I froze.
Please don’t let him comment about the hottie thing,
I prayed.
“Kat,” Orin said.
I’d been staring in the opposite direction to hide my face, but I had no choice but to turn toward him.
“Close your eyes for a minute.”
Okay, that was weird. But I did it.
“I want you to visualize the stream of energy inside you. It starts at your feet and rises through your body like a river
of light, moving all the time.”
I’d done basic energy meditations with my mother, so this wasn’t too far out of left field.
“Okay,” I said.
“Now imagine that energy is coming out of the top of your head, and flowing down around you before going back into your feet.
It’s
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