AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Evie’s eyes welled with tears, but she didn’t want to cry. She’d been lost in darkness for days. There was sun outside her window, and her friend was beside her.
“Here. Bend down. You’ve got hay in your hair,” Evie said.
Theta blushed, and Evie suppressed a grin imagining just how it had gotten there. Theta leaned forward and Evie brushed it free.
“Swell. I’m glad to know we’ve reached the grooming stage of our friendship.”
Evie’s smile was short-lived. “Theta.”
“What is it?” Theta patted at her coveralls. “Do I have a live chicken on me somewhere, too?”
“I have to put things right with Mabel. It’s my fault, and I’ve got to fix it.”
“Evil…”
“I’ve got to, Theta!”
“Okay,” Theta said. “But don’t fall into the same trap.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can’t do everything. Mabel has to want to fix it, too.”
“There’s one thing we can fix right now,” Evie said. “Darling Theta, can you help me get a bath?”
Theta wrinkled her nose and offered her hand. “I was afraid you’d never ask.”
After another day in bed, Evie begged to get up and be useful. She sat out on the front porch enjoying the May sunshine while she cut up potatoes for planting. Sarah Beth came to sit at Evie’s feet.
“Do you remember anything?” she asked.
“No. Not really,” Evie said.
“Me, either,” Sarah Beth said, and Evie didn’t know what she meant. With a giggle, Sarah Beth reached her fingers into the bowl of water, fished out a hunk of raw potato and popped it into her mouth, and then ran away, clearly gleeful to have gotten away with her potato theft.
Henry and Sam came by.
Sam leaned against the porch railing and grinned at Evie. “I heard the prettiest girl in the world was sitting on this porch in Nebraska.”
Henry batted his lashes. “Oh, gee. Thanks, Sam.”
Evie laughed. “I look pos-i-tutely a fright, Sam.”
“How would you know? You can’t see and you won’t wear cheaters,” Sam shot back.
“When are we going to start working on strengthening our powers?” Evie asked.
“Baby Vamp, you’re not well enough.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You got winded walking to this porch.”
“I was just excited about the cows. I heard they give gin. Oh, look, we’ve lost too much time already, and it’s all my fault!”
“A few more days, okay? I won’t almost lose you twice,” Sam said with such love that Evie was too undone to argue.
“All right, Sam. You win. A few more days. But I’m going to have to come up with a hobby to keep from losing my mind out here on the prairie.”
