by Annie Bryant
“Charlotte!” Dad was shouting from the bedroom window. He never shouts. “Where are you? Are you responsible for these stairs? You haven’t been up to the third floor, have you?”
I told myself not to panic. Maybe I could get upstairs and close the trap door before Dad looked at the Tower. But what about Marty? I took a deep breath. Avery and I had prepared for this. I ran out of range of the window and reached into my backpack for the emergency doll clothes I had borrowed from Katani.
“This is for your own good,” I said, holding Marty between my knees while I tied the nightcap around his chin.
The dress was tough. Every time I tried to pull his paws through the sleeves, he rolled in my arms.
“Come on, Marty! It’s for your own good. You don’t want us to get kicked out of the house, do you?”
His brown eyes went all liquidy as he stared up at me. Suddenly, I heard a creak from the back of the house, then a faint laugh. I suddenly remembered the day I called “Hello” to the empty house, and thought I heard an answer. The hair on Marty’s back rose as fast as the goosebumps on my arm and he growled when I yanked his paws through the sleeves and spun around.
“Who’s there?”
My voice was caught in my throat.
“What do you mean, who’s there?” said Dad at the front door in his pajamas. “When were you going to tell me about those stairs? I thought we’d agreed ‘no exploring’ until we spoke to Miss Pierce. Charlotte, you’re in trouble.”
He noticed Marty cradled in my arms.
“What in the world is that? I thought you stopped playing with dolls five years ago!”
“It’s for school!” I blurted, while I rocked Marty in my arms like a baby.
Dad grunted.
“We’ll talk about this later,” he grumbled, and went inside. Whew! All I had to do now was get Marty into the Tower. I stuffed him into the duffel, until only his nightcapped head stuck out.
I tiptoed up the front stairs and past the kitchen. Unfortunately, Dad picked that instant to appear in the kitchen doorway with a plate of sizzling bacon.
“Would you like some breakfast?” he asked.
Who knew a small dog wearing a dress could jump out of a backpack? Shock couldn’t begin to describe the look on Dad’s face as Marty charged into the living room with a piece of bacon hanging from his mouth, and of course, wearing a dress.
“What the heck?”
He chased Marty through the hall only to see him bound up the Tower stairs.
As Dad headed for the steps, I cried, “No, Dad! Please don’t go up there!”
“CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH RAMSEY! WHAT IS GOING ON?”
CHAPTER 30
CHARLOTTE
The Tower Falls
I never broke my promise to the BSG and our new Tower Rules. I told Dad about my friends and discovering the Tower and finding Marty, but I kept our meetings and our Bill of Rights a forever secret. After seeing what a mess I was over the whole thing as we talked in the living room, Dad agreed not to come upstairs until we had cleaned everything out. But he only gave me two days.
“I’ll respect your privacy, Charlotte, but everything has to be out by Saturday night, or I’m going up there. The dog goes to the shelter as soon as I get home from work today.
“Wait,” he remembered. “I have meetings this afternoon. And tomorrow. Just great. The dog will have to go to the shelter on Saturday.
“I just don’t understand you, Charlotte. You say you love this house and you love living in Brookline. Yet you’re willing to risk it all by breaking the only rules we’ve got. One—don’t enter a part of the house that doesn’t belong to us without permission from Miss Pierce. And, we haven’t even met her yet! Sliding panels and telescoping ladders ought to tell you that that Tower was private. Two—no pets. What were you thinking?”
Where could I even start?
“I’m disappointed in you. We’ve never kept secrets from each other. Why now? Help me out here.”
I picked at the arm of the living room chair. How could I explain? Dad was right. Honesty was a major thing for me. I don’t know how it happened…. Suddenly, I was in deep trouble. I lied to Dad about Marty, and I lied to my friends about the Tower. For the first time in my life the price of not having friends was higher than the price of not sharing everything with him.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I’m really sorry, Dad.”
He just had no idea how sorry I really was.
I couldn’t face telling the girls in person. Every time I rehearsed, I pictured Avery in tears when I told her about Marty going to the shelter on Saturday. I pictured Katani, furious about losing her business headquarters, and Maeve carrying her costumes and stereo away in an absolute huff!
The thought of telling them I’d lied about the house was too much. In the end, I did what I always do when I can’t face up to things: I wrote. I couldn’t tell them in person. For once, writing was agony for me. I knew it was cowardly. But, I couldn’t tell them face to face.
To: Kgirl, flikchic, 4kicks
From: Charlotte
Subject: I’m so sorry
i really don’t know how to tell u all this in person so here I go via e-mail. the Tower was never mine to share. i wanted to share it with u so bad after avery found the stairs that i pretended it was mine. i pretended so hard even i started to believe it. the truth is my dad and i dont own the house. We’re only allowed on the second floor. the lady who lives downstairs owns it and she doesnt allow pets.
dad is taking marty to an animal shelter saturday morning. u have to come get your things saturday. i hope u don’t hate me. your friend forever even if u do hate me, charlotte
CHAPTER 31
CHARLOTTE
Not About the Dog
I always thought lunch the first day at a new school is the worst. It’s not. Lunch when you’ve made best friends and they won’t talk to you is much worse. I bumped into Maeve at our lockers, and she turned bright red and started stammering. I just stared at her. I didn’t know what to say. And the next thing I knew, she had twirled her lock combination shut and backed away, looking miserable. I bet she hates me. They all must. I don’t even blame them.
At lunch, I didn’t even wait to see if they saved my old seat. I was too upset…and I felt too bad. I took my tray outside; it was cold and windy. A blank, white sky had replaced the gorgeous blue one. I didn’t care. I carried my tray to the day care playground and watched the little kids on the swings. They looked like they didn’t have a care in the world. I felt like I’d do anything to be five or six again.
I saw Katani and Avery deep in conversation across the playground, and my stomach felt queasy. Were they talking about me? I hung my head, tears pricking behind my eyelids.
“Hi Charlotte!” came an enthusiastic voice from the swings. “Are you my new best friend?”
It was Kelley. Kelley on the swings. The one person who liked me no matter what. I set down my lunch, and went over to her. We didn’t talk. Kelley sang while we swung. Back and forth. Up and down; it felt good to be like a little kid again and not to think.
Ms. Mathers was watching from the edge of the playground, chatting with Mrs. Fields. When the bell rang, she called, “Time to go, Kelley.”
“I don’t wanna go!” said Kelley, pumping harder. “I wanna stay outside with my new best friend Charlotte.”
I knew exactly how she felt. Having to face those girls in class was weighing on me like a ton of bricks. It was much easier to be with someone like Kelley. Right now everybody else was too complicated.
Mrs. Fields sent Ms. Mathers back to the classroom and came out to the swings to get Kelley herself.
“It’s all right, Kelley,” I said, slowing down. “We can do this again.” My voice wobbled. Like when, I thought?
“It’s all right,” echoed Kelley, trying to convince herself.
When the swing stopped, she walked over and gave me a hug.
“I love you, Charlotte.”
I had managed to keep myself together the whole time Dad was telling me how disappointed he was in me. And even when I saw my friends—my old friends, I held it together. But when Kelley hugged me, I just cried and cried. Then Kelley started crying, too. Mrs. Fields told me to wait on the swings while she brought Kelley back to class.
I broke down and told Mrs. Fields everything. How I had lied to the girls about the whole house being mine, how I’d snuck into the Tower. Even about Marty. As always, she acted as though there was nothing else on her schedule, and I was the only person in the world that mattered. When I told her we were meeting at the house Saturday to clear everything out, she said, “You know, Charlotte, I may just be able to take care of this.” I was confused. What could a principal possibly do to help?
When I got home after school, the house was empty. Really empty. “Better get used to it,” I figured.
I took Marty out for a walk. He had spent most afternoons going to the field to practice soccer with Avery, so he dragged me in that direction. I let myself be pulled along and even though it’s downhill most of the way, it surprised me how quickly he got us there. I found a stick and threw it to him for a while, but Marty could tell something was wrong.
He came over and sat, cocking his head. It looked like he wanted me to explain what was going on. Or maybe he was wondering where Avery was, if she would come. I know that’s what I was wondering. I missed Avery. I missed taking shots on her in goal. I’ve always been a good student, but because of Avery, for once in my life, I’d felt like I was good at sports too. And that I even like them.
It was getting late, but I was stalling going back to the house. Nick would be at soccer practice by now, so I just walked past Montoya’s, even though Marty was interested in the smells. Maybe Yuri would cheer me up, I thought, but he had a line of customers that went out the door. I crossed Harvard Street. Then I saw Avery coming my way, her duffel slung over one shoulder.
“Hey,” I said as Avery stooped so Marty could jump into her arms. He gave her doggy kisses and wiggled.
“Hi,” answered Avery. She looked embarrassed and cleared her throat.
“I’m really, really sorry about Marty.”
“Poor Marty,” she murmured. “So I guess it’s the shelter, after all.” She scratched behind his ears.
“What do you say, pal? Wanna make a break for it?” She held him in front of her, looked into his doggy eyes, and hugged him.
“What do you want, Marty?” she whispered. “Huh, boy?”
“Wurff.”
“Me, too.”
Then she closed her eyes and lowered him to the ground.
“Well…I guess I better go. I’m late,” she said, chewing on her lip.
“Do you want to come see Marty tonight?” I asked.
“I don’t think so, Charlotte.” She wouldn’t even look at me.
“But it’s your last chance to see Marty,” I pleaded.
Avery looked as miserable as I felt. “Charlotte,” she said. “When we found Marty, I begged you to hide him in the Tower for a few days. You warned me then that you couldn’t have pets. ‘Just a few days,’ I begged. It’s been three weeks. That’s longer than I ever hoped. And after we plastered the streets with posters, and nobody called, I thought we could keep Marty always. But Marty has been walked and bathed and loved the whole time, which is a better life than he had in those bushes.
“You don’t get it, do you? I’m going to miss Marty like crazy, but that’s not totally what I’m upset about.”
“It’s not?” I said, confused. “Oh, because, I thought…I mean…”
“I’m upset because of what you said about the Tower. I know I was the one who ran up into the Tower, before you could stop me.
“But you said it was ours, Charlotte,” Avery cried, her voice sounding close to tears. “You promised it could be our secret ‘apartment’ forever. And it wasn’t even yours to promise…
“You lied. You broke one of the new Tower Rules…”
I started to cry…She was right…. What could I say?
She picked up Marty one last time, cradling him on his back, and rubbed his belly while he licked her nose.
“I’ll come tomorrow to get my stuff,” she said, handing me Marty.
CHAPTER 32
CHARLOTTE
Moments of Truth
The doorbell rang at seven in the morning; luckily, my father didn’t hear it. My stomach was in such knots. I’d been up since five writing in my journal, but I was still in my pajamas. I threw on a sweatshirt, ran downstairs, and peeked out the living room window. “It’s all over,” I thought. Mrs. Fields stood on the porch. For a principal to come calling on a Saturday morning at seven, you have to really have messed up. I should have known not to pour out all the stuff about me lying—especially when her granddaughter was one of the ones who had been lied to. She must be coming to have a conference with Dad.
I opened the front door a crack. “Um. My dad’s not awake yet.”
“Charlotte,” she said, “I’m coming in.” She marched through the door and into the front hall. But instead of asking for my dad, she stopped, closed her eyes, and inhaled. “Mmmm, mmmm,” she said. “This was a good times house. It even smells the same.”
What was she talking about?
“Where did you say that landlady of yours lived?”
Noooo! I thought. She’s going to make me apologize to the spooky landlady! Please, no, not that, anything but that. I was positive Dad and I would be history once she heard how I’d invaded her Tower and smuggled in a dog.
“Charlotte?” Mrs. Fields looked completely determined. All hope was lost. I could not get out of this.
I pointed to the back of the house.
Mrs. Fields marched ahead while I followed, my hands already trembling, my stomach doing flips. Suddenly, Mrs. Fields yelled so loud I almost jumped out of my skin.
“SAPPHIRE!”
Had she lost her mind? Next she knocked hard on the pantry door. Oh, boy. What if Miss Pierce was a psycho-murderer? I practiced my speech in my head: I’ll never lie again. I learned my lesson. The dog wasn’t my idea. Everything will be out by tonight. Please don’t kick us out. It wasn’t my dad’s fault and I’m just a kid. If you let us stay, I’ll never, ever go in your parts of the house again.
My thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice. “Coming, coming.” The pantry door opened, as if by itself.
“Sapphire?” questioned Mrs. Fields. “Where are you?”
“Right here,” murmured a quiet voice behind the door.
Mrs. Fields waved us into a room that looked more like the inside of a submarine than a pantry. Lights blinked from two walls lined with a wraparound desk covered with electronic equipment, including a giant flat-screen TV and two computer monitors.
THE ASTRONOMER
Hiding behind the door was a woman just my height wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt. She had a white braid coiled on top of her head. The thing I noticed most were her dazzling, almond-shaped green eyes, as she stared for a moment without speaking. Silence was definitely not a good sign. “I’m sorry…” I began to stammer.
But before I could get any more words out, Mrs. Fields said, “Sapphire, it’s been a very long time.”
The little woman didn’t say anything. She just dropped her chin.
“Sapphire,” said Mrs. Fields. “It’s really lovely to see you.”
“Ruby…I…it’s lovely to see you too,” said Miss Pierce, looking shyly toward Mrs. Fields.
Mrs. Fields put her hand on my shoulder and looked down at me. “Charlotte, I’d like you to meet my first best friend, Sapphire Pierce.”
What was going on?
“Hello,” I said, my voice catching in my throat.
“Hello,” said Miss Pierce, smiling. “I feel as though I know you a little, Charlotte…I’ve seen you coming and going many times.”
“You have?” I asked, worried.
“That first week, I h
eard you from your bedroom through the heating vent. I was concerned…I…school…friendships…except of course for you, Ruby…were difficult for me as well.”
“Charlotte,” said Mrs. Fields softly. “Sapphire and I were classmates together at a time when being black, or half-Chinese like Sapphire, sometimes meant you were excluded. It was a different era. And America was a different kind of country then.
“But Sapphire,” Mrs. Fields continued. “What has happened here…to you…to my old friend?”
Did I see a brief flash of embarrassment cross Miss Pierce’s face before she answered?
“May I offer you both some green tea?” Miss Pierce asked both of us. I nodded emphatically. This was getting good.
Miss Pierce beckoned for Mrs. Fields and me to sit down. She busied herself making tea in a cute little teapot and then served it in those little cups you get in Chinese restaurants—the ones without the handles.
“Ruby, you know that I was a very shy child. Our friendship was so important to me. But, instead of growing out of my shyness as I grew older, I grew more into it. And before I knew it, I just stopped being part of the world. I stuck with my stars. But when you, Charlotte, and your father moved in, I don’t know why, but I began to look forward to you coming home. The day you called out that you were home, I almost broke my twelve years of solitude,” she said.
“That was you?” I asked. “I knew I heard a voice!”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I should have come out. But a twelve-year habit was simply too hard to break.”
She looked so nervous; I wanted to make her feel better. “I know all about hard habits to break,” I said. “The first day of school I always have a disaster.”
Miss Pierce nodded. “I’d just like to say that I am happy that you and your father came to live in my house,” she said.
“You are?” I asked. She must not yet know all the rules I’d broken.
“Oh, yes. You’ve brought friends and laughter and memories to a house that Ruby used to call ‘The Good Times House.’ But it hasn’t been that for a long, long time.” Her green eyes filled up again.