"Okay. Here's the deal," Spill said. "Mr. Polodichuck probably won't come down because he doesn't like to talk to 'the help,' and Mrs. Polodichuck is usually resting in her room at this time of day. Mrs. Miller is the housekeeper, and she'll let you inside."

"To use the computer?"

"Well . . . actually, you're going to have to be sneaky about it because there's no way they'd let you use it. That's why you can't use CyberSpeak. It keeps a record of your conversation. Email's more secure because you have to sign in to your account."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" My stomach already had b.u.t.terflies.

"Come on," he said. "Don't worry." He pushed the bike and trailer up close to the back door. "Once you're in the kitchen, there's a little built-in desk for housekeeping stuff. I used the computer once to check on an order, so I know it's there. Okay?"

"I guess. . . ." This did not sound good.

"Just use it quick and get out of there."

"Won't she notice?"

"I have to stack everything outside the door, and Mrs. Miller stands out here with me, checking things off the list."

"What happens if we get caught?"

"We're not gonna get caught. Be bold, Handsome Molly."

I took a deep breath for courage. I could do this, I told myself. I'd done a lot scarier things in the last two weeks.

"Okay. Let's go."

He took the tarp off the trailer and handed me a large wooden box. I'm strong, but my knees buckled under the weight. "My G.o.d, what's in here?"

"Sherry," he said.

I set the box down beside the pile he had started by the door. Sherry? Hadn't Spill told me that booze was really hard to get? He'd said he was a delivery boy, but I was starting to worry about who he might work for.

"If anyone asks, say you're with Quinn," he told me.

"Ha! Now I know your name."

He just shook his head. "Like these people know my real real one." one."

"Oh." How many names did he have?

I straightened my sweaty shirt while he knocked on the kitchen door. A woman in a long, black housedress answered, and a whoosh of cold air streamed out of the doorway. Unbelievable. They actually had air-conditioning. I'd heard of it, but I didn't know anyone who could afford it.

"You're late, Quinn," Mrs. Miller said.

"Sorry. I'll unload quickly."

"I'll get my clipboard," she said.

"Wait. Mrs. Miller? This is my cousin Miranda. I was just wondering if she could come inside for a minute and sit down. The heat's really getting to her."

I made my face go kind of slack to look like I didn't feel good.

"Oh, I don't know, Quinn," she said, looking over her shoulder. "The rules-"

"I know, but . . . I thought the air-conditioning . . . well, never mind. Maybe she can just go down to the lake and splash some water on her face."

"No, no . . . that's not a good idea. Mr. Polodichuck wouldn't like her down by his boat." She studied me. "All right, come in for just a minute, Miranda."

I smiled feebly and followed her inside.

"Sit there," she said, pointing to the little desk chair. "I'll get you some water."

Spill was standing in the doorway, and I gave him the thumbs-up. The air was as cool as the creek in the spring! I gulped in satisfying deep breaths. She handed me a gla.s.s of water with ice in it, and then the two of them went outside and shut the door. I was in! I turned to face the desk, but I couldn't see a computer anywhere. Would they have moved it? Spill seemed so sure this would be easy.

Think, Molly, think.

Of course! It was built into the desk. I ran my fingers under the edge and found the power b.u.t.ton. An infrared keyboard appeared instantly and the wall lit up, showing the desktop. High-definition projection. Wow! The color was so strong and three dimensional that I wanted to reach out and grab the spinning apple and take a bite.

Spill's voice outside the kitchen snapped me out of my daze and reminded me to hurry. I typed in my info to bring up my email program, but nothing happened. The apple continued to spin, antagonizing me. Did I need a pa.s.sword? How could I possibly guess?

"d.a.m.n," I said aloud.

"May I help you?" asked a smooth computer voice.

I jumped. It was voice activated. "Zippee email site," I whispered.

"One moment."

The screen instantly changed to Zippee and the sign-in page. I typed my name into the box, but nothing showed up.

"What the-"

"May I help you?" asked the computer's cool voice again.

"Quiet!" This time when I tapped a few keys and swore the computer asked in a quieter voice if it could help. "Keyboard," I growled, realizing how stupid I'd been.

Keyboard is now active ran along the bottom of the projection. ran along the bottom of the projection.

I signed in. There were a few old emails from some school friends, but I didn't have time to read them. Quickly I typed in email addresses for Mom, Dad, Katie, and Aunt Poppy, and then I wrote my message.

I'm all right. Still with Grandma & Grandpa. Will rtn ASAP. No $. Working on it. Don't worry. Love, M P.S. Tell Mom to stay in bed.

P.P.S. Delay the wedding! PLEASE!!!!!

I hit send, and relief washed over me like the air conditioner, but then I heard a noise in another part of the house. Footsteps! I quickly typed shutdown, shutdown, and the computer's projection and the keyboard disappeared. I jumped up and ran for the door, slipping out and closing it quietly behind me. and the computer's projection and the keyboard disappeared. I jumped up and ran for the door, slipping out and closing it quietly behind me.

"Everything okay, Miranda?" Spill asked.

"Fine. Everything's fine. Thanks."

"Glad to hear it," he said, winking at me.

I looked at the stack of boxes he'd unloaded. Sherry, fruit, a freezer box with HYPERFOIL FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS HYPERFOIL FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS printed on the side, which was probably full of meat. I kind of admired that he could get things the average person couldn't, but it also scared me a little. Who was this guy? And did I really want to owe him? printed on the side, which was probably full of meat. I kind of admired that he could get things the average person couldn't, but it also scared me a little. Who was this guy? And did I really want to owe him?

19.

July 29th-Don't throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds water.

-Scandinavian proverb

ONE MORNING DOUG AND I WERE FILLING WATER jugs at the outside tap when Grandpa showed up with a surprise. He stood there, grinning, with a green garden hose in his hand.

"Maybe this would help," he said.

"Do you know how hard hoses are to come by?" Doug asked.

"Well, yeah . . . that's why I didn't want to lend it to you. In case it got ruined . . . but, well"-Grandpa wrinkled his nose, which I'd noticed he did when it was hard for him to admit something-"you've helped my family out quite a bit, and . . . I'm grateful."

The kids came running over from where they'd been examining Michael's worm colony.

"What is it?" Brandy asked.

"Oh, let me show you!" I grabbed the hose from Grandpa and hooked it up. Water squirted out the end, and I sprayed it in an arc, laughing. "This is great! Thanks!"

"Yeah, thanks," Doug said, and he actually smiled.

"Watch out! You should never trust a teenager with a hose!" I turned the water on Grandpa's legs and he laughed, and jumped around like a chicken.

"Spray me! Spray me!" yelled Brandy.

"Me too!" Michael said.

I was so surprised Michael had spoken I accidentally dropped the hose, and it flipped around like a snake getting all our feet wet. He could could talk! I picked up the hose and squirted their legs. Brandy took Michael's hands, and they danced in and out of the water. talk! I picked up the hose and squirted their legs. Brandy took Michael's hands, and they danced in and out of the water.

"Time to get back to work," I said, after they were sufficiently drenched.

At lunchtime, Doug suggested that we celebrate our high-tech irrigation system with cheese and bread to go with dinner. He went off to the market to get it, but six hours later, he still wasn't back, so we ate without him. By nine o'clock, Brandy's and Michael's eyes were drooping with sleep, but I didn't want to take them back to an empty house.

"I guess they could sleep upstairs with me," I told my grandparents.

"I'd rather they were on the ground floor," Grandpa said. "I don't want them getting confused and falling down any stairs. Let's put them in our bedroom."

"All right," I agreed.

Grandma and I made up the foldout couch for them in the master suite, and we tucked the kids in together, and then I played Jewels for them for a while.

In the morning, I went to water the garden, but the hose was gone.

[image]

I was so mad I was just sitting on our deck with my arms crossed when Grandpa came outside.

"Don't you need to water?" he asked.

"I don't feel like it," I snapped. And then I explained about the missing hose. The thing was, the thought of all those thirsty plants relying on me made me feel too guilty to just sit there.

"Fine," I said. I stormed over to the garden.

Grandpa followed me to Doug's and helped me water in silence. After a while, Grandma came around into the garden for the first time ever, led by Brandy and Michael, who were each holding one of her hands.

Grandma seemed to want to work, so I gave them a job and watched from across the beds as they picked bright red cherry tomatoes, dropping them into a basket. Ever since we'd played in the water with the hose, Michael had started talking to us all, and the three of them were giggling like crazy together. I worked my way across the hills of squash until I was close enough to hear. It was as if Grandma was speaking a foreign language that only the children could understand.

Grandma: Something totally incoherent.

Brandy: "I like that part too, but my favorite is when Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit's hole."

Grandma: More mumbling that made no sense to me.

Michael: "I love that story!"

All three of them burst into laughter. How was it the kids could understand Grandma so well, but I couldn't? When I tried asking Brandy about it later, she just opened her wide blue eyes and stared at me like I was the one speaking in tongues.

We didn't see Doug for two days, and when he did finally straggle into the yard, he was unshaven, dirty, and had a black eye. He staggered into the house and didn't come out. I took the kids home with me that night too because I hadn't seen him again. If he noticed they were missing, he didn't come looking for them.