“You okay, Emma? I hope you’re not getting what I had,” Reggie said with genuine concern.
“Yeah, I’m all right,” Emma answered. “I guess I’m just not hungry.” Reggie could be annoying at times, but he could be really sweet too. Emma wondered why he wasn’t sitting with Clarice and was just about to ask him when Clarice appeared.
“Reggie, why didn’t you save Susie and me a place to sit?” Clarice asked, obviously put out.
“Well, you didn’t want to sit with me yesterday because you said I was still contagious,” Reggie replied defensively.
“That was yesterday,” Clarice said as if she were talking to a child. “Surely, you’re still not contagious today.”
“I guess not,” Reggie answered uncertainly.
“Just bring your tray, and we’ll find another place to sit,” Clarice ordered impatiently. And as she turned away, she noticed Emma’s new hairstyle. It was very becoming on Emma, but she wasn’t about to tell her that. Quickly she turned her attention back to Reggie and gave him a look that conveyed more clearly than words that he’d better get a move on.
Without hesitation, Reggie moved to obey. Emma and Martha sat in amazed silence as Reggie left with Clarice. “Can you believe that?” Martha asked when she managed to find her voice. “He must have it really bad for Clarice to let her order him around like that.”
“Yeah, and she knows it too,” Emma said with disgust. “Reggie’s really sweet, and she treats him like her personal slave.”
“That’s how Clarice treats everybody,” Martha said with a grin, and then suddenly she grabbed Emma’s arm, her smile quickly fading.
“What is it?” Emma asked in alarm.
“Doug just walked in.”
Emma felt her pulse quicken, and the butterflies she’d felt earlier began to do loops in her stomach.
“Just act natural,” Martha told her.
That’s easier said than done, Emma thought. Nonetheless, she picked up her fork and made a pretense of eating. She needn’t have bothered. Doug didn’t even look their way, and after he’d gotten his tray, he sat at a table on the opposite side of the room.
All of this Emma learned from Martha who had kept up a running commentary from the moment Doug had entered the dining hall. Emma was relieved and disappointed at the same time. She had wanted to see Doug’s reaction to her new hairstyle, but he hadn’t even looked her way. Emma had to admit to the possibility that he just didn’t care and felt the pain of rejection all over again. Forcing a smile, she swallowed the lump in her throat and said, “Well, at least we don’t have to avoid him anymore.”
Martha wasn’t fooled for a minute. She knew Emma was hurting but didn’t know what to do. “Let’s get out of here,” she said, unable to keep her anger at Doug out of her tone.
After emptying their trays, they quickly left the dining hall. Martha wondered what would happen later that afternoon in history class. That was the one class they had with Doug. She needn’t have worried. Doug came in after she and Emma were already seated and, as in the dining hall, he didn’t even glance their way. If Emma noticed, she didn’t let on, but later in the hour, Martha noticed that Emma was working on the assignment Grimstock had given them with extra diligence.
Emma was relieved when the time for hobby class finally rolled around. As the afternoon had worn on, she’d realized she needed a little time away from even Martha. Although she appreciated Martha’s concern, her looks of sympathy were about to wear Emma down. Emma didn’t really know any of the other girls in her hobby class, so she could just concentrate on her project. Miss Jennings had them get out their afghans, and as they crocheted, she came by to check on each girl’s progress. Emma’s afghan was coming along nicely, but she was going to have to put in some extra hours if she was going to complete it in time for Christmas. She not only had to finish the afghan but get it in the mail so that it would arrive at her home before Christmas. Emma hadn’t thought of her father and home in a long time. Since coming to Dinswood Academy and meeting Martha, this had seemed more like home to her. She felt a part of things here in a way that she never had in her father’s house. That was the way she thought of it too, as her father’s house. Emma tried to remember the way it had been when her mother was alive. She had been very little when her mother had died, and the few memories she had of her mother were beginning to fade. Emma kept a picture of her mother on her nightstand, but with each passing year it was getting harder and harder to remember what it had felt like to be loved.
Later that evening, Emma and Martha sat on Emma’s bed with a copy of the riddle spread out before them. Clarice and Susie had gone to the library to study with Reggie, so they had the room to themselves and could talk freely about the treasure.
After several minutes of complete silence while they studied the riddle, Martha finally sighed and said, “If we missed something, I don’t know what it is.”
Emma had to agree with her. They’d done everything the riddle had said and followed every clue. Then a thought occurred to her. “Maybe the riddle contains some kind of code. You know, like the first letter of each word spells out another clue or something.”
“It’s possible,” Martha said hesitantly.
“I’ll get some paper, and we can try to see if there’s a hidden message,” Emma said, jumping off the bed to retrieve paper and pens for Martha and herself. An hour later, the floor was littered with crumpled paper, and they were no closer to the answer. They had tried every letter combination they could think of and had come up empty.
“Where’s that word nerd Reggie when you need him?” Martha asked, running her hands through her hair in frustration. Martha hadn’t been serious, but now that she thought about it, Reggie might actually be able to help them. Did they dare risk showing him the riddle? What would Doug and Sebastian think about it if they brought Reggie into the picture? Before she could voice her thoughts, Emma was already shaking her head in the negative.
“No, Martha. We can’t ask Reggie to help us. We made a pact with Doug and Sebastian that we would keep this between the four of us. As much as we could use his help, we can’t trust Reggie not to tell Clarice. And if Clarice finds out, it won’t be long until the entire school knows. We just can’t risk it.”
“I guess you’re right,” Martha said, sighing once again. “Let’s get this mess picked up before Clarice and Susie get back.” Climbing off the bed, she began to gather the wadded balls of paper and toss them into the wastebasket.
Later that night, Emma lay awake in bed, going over the riddle in her mind. She knew Martha was on the verge of giving up. She wished she could talk to Doug; surely he hadn’t given up on the treasure. After all, his father’s job depended on it. As she thought about Doug, she had to admit how much she missed hanging out with him and Sebastian. That stupid dance had ruined everything. Emma began to replay the events of that night in her head. Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was to wonder who had been calling her name when she’d been out on the terrace and why.
The next two weeks flew by. All of the teachers at Dinswood were really piling on the homework. When Emma wasn’t working on her schoolwork, she was frantically trying to complete her afghan. She had not spoken to Doug in all that time, and he had not made any attempt to speak to her. Although it still hurt terribly, she was beginning to get used to the new way of things.
The day of her birthday dawned overcast and bone-chilling cold. The clouds had that leaden look that usually preceded snow, and the wind could be heard whistling around the windows and doors of the castle. Emma hadn’t told anyone that it was her birthday. She wasn’t used to anyone making a fuss over her birthday, and she preferred it that way. Besides, the only one who would have cared in the least was Martha. The previous day, Emma had received a birthday card from her father and stepmother with some money enclosed. She was supposed to use it to buy herself a birthday present, at least that’s what the short handwritten note had said. Emma recognized her stepmothe
r’s handwriting and doubted her father even knew the card had been sent. Well, at least someone had remembered her birthday, and Emma was glad that her family had sent money. Now she would be able to get a nice Christmas gift for Martha the next time they went down to Windland.
Classes went as usual that day, but during history class, Emma happened to look out the window and saw that it was beginning to snow. The flakes were small at first, but as Emma continued to watch, they got progressively larger and began to come down faster and faster. Before long, the front lawn was completely covered. Emma was thrilled! It was the best birthday present she could have received. She had been looking forward to the first snow since before even arriving at Dinswood. The brochure she’d gotten back in the summer had shown pictures of Dinswood Academy during the winter, and Emma had been eager to see the breathtakingly beautiful winter wonderland for herself.
It continued to snow the rest of the afternoon and throughout the night, and by the time she woke up the next morning, there were several inches of snow on the ground. Emma couldn’t believe it. She’d never seen so much snow. She couldn’t wait to get outside and walk around in it, maybe even go sledding. Today she had classes, but tomorrow was Saturday, and as cold as it was, Emma was fairly certain that the snow would be hanging around for a while.
When Emma awakened early Saturday morning, the winter sun was shining in through the dorm windows. Emma opened the window closest to her bed and took a breath of the frigid air. The sun reflected brightly off of the fallen snow, nearly blinding her. She looked over to where Martha lay still sleeping and was just going over to wake her up when Clarice grumbled groggily from the far corner of the room, “Shut that window! What are you trying to do, give us all pneumonia?”
“Sorry,” Emma said, hurrying back to close the window. When she turned around she saw that, thanks to Clarice, Martha was beginning to stir. “Wake up, Martha,” she said excitedly as she retraced her steps and jumped on the end of Martha’s bed.
“What’s all the fuss? Did Santa Claus come or something?” Martha asked sleepily, her eyes barely open.
“No, silly. Let’s get ready so we can go outside and stomp around in the snow.”
“I’ve never seen anybody get so worked up over a little snow,” Martha said between yawns. Then she pulled back the covers and mumbled something about never getting enough sleep. Still mumbling under her breath, she got up and staggered over to her dresser.
“You’re the greatest!” Emma said, giving Martha a quick hard squeeze. Then she dashed into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
After a hasty breakfast, Emma and Martha returned to their dorm room and donned their heaviest winter coats, knit caps, scarves, mittens, and boots. Bundled up as if they were preparing to cross the Arctic, they left the castle by way of the main entrance. Emma sucked in a breath as she took in the wintry scene before her and immediately regretted it as the frigid air hit her lungs. She quickly exhaled and pulled her scarf up around her mouth and nose so that only her eyes were exposed. Next to her, Martha was doing the same thing.
The school’s custodians had cleared the snow from the front steps and the walkway around the fountain the previous day. Large, white pellets testified to the fact that salt had been scattered as an extra precaution. Even so, Emma and Martha took their time as they descended to ground level. The fountain, which had been emptied of water the month before, was covered in a blanket of white and glistened brightly in the morning sun. Leaving the walkway, Emma and Martha headed away from the castle, the snow crunching loudly beneath their feet. The snow was deeper than Emma had expected, almost overtopping her boots and making walking difficult. As they trudged along in silence, Emma took in the beauty around her. The oak trees in the front lawn stood like silent frozen sentinels, their branches white and unmoving. Every now and then they encountered small tracks in the snow, their pattern identifying them as those of a rabbit, but they saw no other footprints.
As it was still early, no one else was about. Emma knew, however, that in another hour or so the front lawn would be filled with other Dinswood students, all eager to build a snowman with the first snow of the season. Emma was content just to enjoy the scenery and was glad that she and Martha were the first ones outside. They continued across the lawn until they reached the woods on the north side of the school. At the edge of the woods, Emma and Martha turned to look back at the school and could see smoke billowing from its many chimneys. Huge icicles hung from the eaves, giving the castle a more medieval look than usual. She was just about to comment on this to Martha when she was startled by the sound of a twig snapping in the woods behind her. Whirling quickly, she looked into the forest for the source of the sound, thoughts of wild bears running through her mind. Goosebumps that had nothing to do with the cold popped up on her skin. It was obvious from Martha’s expression that she had heard the sound too. She gave Emma a questioning look but didn’t speak. Standing as if they’d been rooted to the spot, they peered into the forest, but couldn’t detect any movement, and silence had fallen once again.
“What was that?” Martha finally whispered.
“I don’t know,” Emma whispered back.
“Do you suppose it was a bear?” Martha asked worriedly.
Emma shook her head. “It couldn’t have been a bear,” she stated logically now that she’d had time to think about it. “We’d have seen it. Where’s an animal that big going to hide? Plus, it would have made more noise. Maybe it was a rabbit or something.”
“Maybe,” Martha replied uncertainly. “I think we’d better head back to the school. I’m feeling a little spooked.”
“Me too!” Emma said in wholehearted agreement. Without any further discussion, they turned, and walking as quickly as the snow would allow, made their way up the hill toward the castle. As they trudged up the sloping front lawn, Emma had the eerie feeling that someone was watching them. Without slowing her pace, every now and then she looked over her shoulder, half expecting someone to be chasing them. The thought that someone might be after them made her walk even faster; Martha, close beside her, struggled to keep up. Both girls let out a sigh of relief when they reached the large wooden doors of the castle entrance. Emma was just reaching out to push on the door when it was abruptly opened from the other side. Spooked as they were, both girls jumped back and gasped in surprise.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Sebastian said after he’d recovered from his own surprise.
Doug, who was standing right behind Sebastian, noticed their flushed faces and frightened expressions. “Are you guys okay?” he asked with genuine concern.
Emma hadn’t expected to run into Doug like this and couldn’t manage to find her voice. Martha, noting her friend’s distress, answered for both of them. “We’re fine. It’s just a little cold out there.” Now that they were inside the school and safe, Martha felt a little foolish. What they’d heard in the woods had probably just been a small animal, and they had let themselves get spooked. She wasn’t about to admit that they were a pair of scaredy cats to Doug and Sebastian. Without a word and not looking at Doug, Emma pushed past them and turned down the west hall toward the girls’ dorm. Understanding, but embarrassed by Emma’s rudeness, Martha looked sheepishly at Doug and Sebastian and said, “Well, uh, see you guys later.”
Doug, who was watching Emma’s retreating back, barely heard her. He hated that Emma wouldn’t talk to him. He was still waiting for the right opportunity to set things right. He just hoped it wasn’t too late. Shaking his head, he turned and followed Sebastian outside.
The temperature warmed as the day wore on, and by the afternoon, the mercury had risen above the freezing mark. The wet snow was perfect for constructing a snowman. After lunch, Emma and Martha, feeling a little braver with so many of their fellow students around, went back outside to build their own snowman. By the end of the day, the front lawn was dotted with an army of snowmen; no two exactly alike, but each reflecting the creative talents of their makers.
The weather continued its warming trend, and by the next weekend, the snow and all of the snowmen had melted completely away. The following week was Thanksgiving. Most everyone, including Martha, would be going home for the holiday. Emma, however, would be staying at the school. Her family couldn’t afford to fly her home for just four days. Emma really didn’t mind; the time alone would give her a chance to work on her afghan and get caught up on her reading. She’d been so busy with her other homework that she hadn’t had a chance to get very far in the book she was reading for English class.
Wednesday afternoon she hugged Martha goodbye and watched from the ballroom windows as the buses filled with students bound for the airport pulled away from the castle. Clarice, Susie, Reggie, and Sebastian were among those leaving. Emma had to admit she wasn’t going to miss Clarice. As it turned out, there were quite a few students who would be staying at Dinswood for the Thanksgiving holiday. Of course, Doug would be staying at the school with his father, but Emma didn’t expect to see much of him. He had been ignoring her since the dance, and she could think of no reason why things should change now. Turning away from the window, she went to the lounge with her book and settled into one of the big armchairs by the fireplace. She spent the next couple of hours happily engrossed in the adventures of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.
The sun was just beginning to set when Emma finally put her book down. The light in the lounge had dimmed to the point that it was difficult to read. Emma reached over to switch on the lamp that sat on the small, round table by her chair just as the clock on the fireplace mantle began to chime the hour of five. Supper wouldn’t be served for another hour, so she decided to read a little while longer. She was just getting back into the story when a dark shadow obscured the page she was reading. Emma looked up to see who was blocking her light and was startled to see Doug standing over her. She would have gotten up to beat a hasty retreat, but Doug was standing so close she would have had to literally push him out of the way. Unwilling to do anything that undignified, she remained where she was and waited for him to speak.
The Secret of Dinswood Page 15