All the Answers Read Online Free PDF

desk. “How was your math test today?”
    â€œOkay,” Ava said.
    â€œBetter than okay,” Sophie added. “Ava aced it.”
    â€œThat’s not really—” Ava began.
    â€œThat’s great!” Mom leaned over, juggling her folders, and kissed the top of Ava’s head. “You’ve had the force all along, my dear.”
    â€œIt’s
power
, Mom. Glinda said, ‘You’ve had the power all along.’ You’re confusing
The Wizard of Oz
with
Star Wars
.” Ava rolled her eyes. She and her mom had this thing where they quoted books they’d read together, trying to work the characters’ sayings into real life, only Mom always messed up the quotes. Usually, Ava liked laughing with her about that. But lately, the whole silly tradition felt embarrassing when other people were around. Even Sophie. “We won’t get the test back until later this week. But I think I did all right.”
    â€œWell, congratulations.” Mom picked up the cookie napkins from Ava’s desk and left, closing the door behind her.
    Sophie let out a deep breath. “That was a close one with the pencil.”
    â€œYeah …” Ava felt that way, too. But she hadn’t really meant to hide the pencil from her mom. Had she? “Do you think we should tell somebody about this? What if it’s dangerous?”
    â€œSeriously? It’s fine, Ava.” Sophie pulled open the desk drawer, and Ava looked in. The pencil looked so ordinary, sitting there with the pens and paper clips. It was hard to imagine it doing anything bad. “Besides, nobody would believe us even if we did tell.”
    â€œProbably not,” Ava said. What was it the professor in
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
had told the kids when they got home from Narnia? Don’t tell anybody about your weird magical trip unless you find out something similar happened to them? It was something like that, and it made sense. “I guess it’s okay.”
    Sophie pulled the pencil from the drawer and twirled it between her fingers. “Let’s go to the store and get a soda. And then we’re going to have some serious fun with this thing.”

When Ava and Sophie opened the door to Anderson’s General Store, the bells on the handle jingled like always. Ava’s dad looked up from the counter where he was writing something in Magic Marker. “Hey, girls! Grab a treat. How was your day?”
    â€œGood.” Ava tucked her legal pad under one arm and grabbed an atomic fireball from the candy counter. “Hey, Dad?” she asked casually, pulling the blue pencil from her pocket. “Any idea where this came from? It was in the kitchen junk drawer.”
    He shrugged. “Maybe from Grandpa’s place. Mom and I swept about a year’s supply of pens and pencils out from under his radiator when we were cleaning his apartment this summer. But finders keepers, I’d say. It’s all yours.” He went back to his lettering.
    Sophie stretched a candy bracelet over her wrist and nibbled on one of the beads. “How is your grandpa?” she asked Ava.
    Ava shrugged. “All right, I guess. But he seems even saddersince he moved. He’s had heart problems, so he can’t live alone anymore, but I don’t think he likes Cedar Bay.” Grandpa, Ava’s mother’s dad, had been on his own since Grandma Marion died five years ago, but now he couldn’t take care of himself and hardly ever talked. The doctors weren’t sure if he was losing his memory or just depressed, but either way, they’d recommended Cedar Bay. Mom had called it a long-term memory care facility. All Ava knew was that it was full of old people who usually seemed like they were somewhere far away in their minds.
    Ava’s dad sighed. “It must be tough to give up living on your own.” He put the top back on a Magic Marker and stepped back to look at his