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“Lira!” That made her jump and finally look me in the eyes. “What is going on?”
A scowl crossed her face. She stood up and knocked over her chair. “Next time, you do your own dirty work!” With that, she turned, grabbed her purse, and stomped out of the room.
All I could do was stare after her. What had gotten into her? At least she’d sold all the paintings. I wouldn’t have Mom breathing down my neck for the time being.
Jacob
“How was your visit?Did you get the painting?”
“Yeah.”
Bruno looked like he’d been struck by lightning. “What happened?” I asked him. “Did she suck your soul out?”
“What?” His face had screwed up, and he was looking at me as if he didn’t recognize me.
“You look dazed, like something has happened.”
He shook himself. “Come help me unload the car. I bought your painting.”
“The one with a wolf in it?”
“Yeah. It’s really somber.”
“Really? I thought it held a lot of hope. And what do you mean you bought it?”
“Just like I said. I gave her money, she gave me the painting.”
I followed him to the car as he said over his shoulder, “I have a city scene and a beach scene too. I thought the beach one would be great for Luc. It will annoy him to no end since we’ve been to the beach once.”
“Yeah.” I laughed at the memory. “We were having so much fun, none of us saw the shark until it was almost right on top of us. Good thing Luc was fast and carried us out of the water.”
“Yeah, that’s why I think we should give him the beach one. It will remind him of his heroism.” Bruno laughed, too, but I could tell it was forced. Clearly, something had happened at the gallery.
“Okay, I’ll ask the other family members.”
Bruno opened the car door and took out the beach painting. It was a nice painting, a bit too pleasant, but it might be perfect for Luc. I didn’t really look at it for long as my eyes shifted back to Bruno. He wasn’t his jovial self. There was no teasing, and that bothered me.
After we put the painting down in the living room and were heading back out to get the next one, I caught up to him and gave him a little slap on the arm. Sure enough, he exploded and snarled at me. Then, realizing what he’d done, he immediately ran away from me. I could do nothing except watch him shift and run into the woods.
What had happened?Worry consumed me, but I wouldn’t go tell Dad just yet. Bruno might come back tonight and let me know what was going on.
Sighing, I went to the car and grabbed the city painting, only to see the wolf one behind it. So, she really did sell it to Bruno. Why had she lied to me?
For some reason, I wasn’t upset, and that intrigued me. I was more curious at why she had come up with an elaborate story about keeping it safe for the new owner when there was no new owner. Clearly, she didn’t want me to have it. I felt my lips twitch, wanting to smile, but one glance at the woods made my smile disappear. I had Bruno to worry about now.
Millie
I woke up with a start.The dream had come back, and this time it was more vivid than ever. I breathed in deeply, in and out, trying to forget those poignant scenes. Memories of last night started seeping in, replacing the image of the wolf’s staring eyes.
I had called Lillian to see how it had gone at the art gallery last night after Lira had stomped off. She confirmed every painting had sold, including the one I’d asked to hold. Apparently, Lira had insisted we weren’t allowed to hold paintings, which I knew was true, and she had called Mom to verify, overriding my decision.
I slammed my palm into my face and slid it down my cheek on a sigh. I should have taken the painting down so Lira wouldn’t see it!
This meant there was only one thing for me to do—I would have to find the owner and plead with them to get it back. But what story would I need to come up with? There was a mistake and Lira didn’t know about it? But then I’d have to pretend I was Lira, who had been pretending to be me. Arghhh!
I gripped my head in both hands and groaned. This was why I didn’t like playing these games anymore. They always became so convoluted; I didn’t even know who I was by the end of it. Lira, on the other hand, reveled in them.
The Lira Factor. That’s what me and her friends called it. She could overpower everyone, sucking us into her orbit and talking us into wanting to be a part of any scheme she came up with, promising fun, excitement, and adventures. What we failed to remember was that at some point, the stories we concocted would eventually come crashing down upon us, and then we would be in trouble.
