Lottery
Page 23
Suddenly, the guy was leaning across the aisle and shoving the note into her hand. Wrinkled and moist from so many sweaty palms, the back was plastered with the usual graffiti. Flipping it to the front, Sal read the original salutation: THIS NOTE IS INTENDED FOR THE EYES OF GILLIAN SPADA ONLY.
It wasn’t for her. Sal’s heart quickened, and her stomach gave a brief acid surge. Fixing her eyes on Ms. Demko’s back, she leaned forward and slid the note into the waiting hand of the girl seated in the desk ahead of her. The girl caught the eye of the guy across the aisle and nodded, then sent the note onward. Unable to believe what had taken place, Sal glanced at the guy across from her, but he was keeping his gaze riveted to the chalkboard. Slowly, she let her eyes trail across the rest of the class.
The wall was alive. It could think, breathe, learn. Brick by brick, it could change and choose, just as she’d changed and chosen. Dusty was right. Anything could happen, it had just happened, and it would continue happening for the rest of her life.
Smiling, she leaned back in her chair and hummed a quiet blue song.
Also by award-winning author BETH GOOBIE:
Before Wings
In Adrien, Beth Goobie has created a memorable character — intelligent, strong, irreverent, stubborn, funny, independent, fragile — who learns to confront the reality of her own death and to “believe” in life.
“Beth Goobie just might be the best YA writer in the country ...” – TIM WYNNE-JONES
• CLA Young Adult Book Award Winner
• Saskatchewan Book Award Winner
1-55143-161-0 • $19.95 CAN; $16.95 USA; cloth
1-55143-163-7 • $8.95 CAN; $7.50 USA; paperback