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widened and my heart melted. LD had never talked before, but it had to be him calling for me like that!
    I hurried to the crib and scooped the poor, terrified little guy into my arms. He buried his face against my chest, still sobbing, and I realized he was as frightened as I was. Maybe more so.
    I moved to the rocking chair, sat, and began to rock. LD continued to wail. Desperate, I started crooning the lullabies my mother had sung to me when I was little. I started with “Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral” and made it through Brahms’s “Lullaby” and “Tell Me Why” before the baby stopped fussing.
    I looked down at him. The kid was cute, even in monster form.
    What is it about babies? I wondered for the umpteenth time.
    Still looking at the furry bundle in my arms, I had another thought: I wish Lily was here. She’d know what to do with a baby monster .
    I sat up, earning a squawk of protest from LD. Why hadn’t I thought of Lily to begin with? I had to call her.
    I immediately realized two problems. (1) I didn’t know her number—heck, I didn’t even know if the Carkers had a phone. (2) Even if I found the number, what if when I called, I got Gnarly instead of Lily? I decided if that happened, I should just hang up.
    Mom keeps a phone and phone book beside her bed. I carried LD to her room and put him down next to the pillow. He whimpered a bit but didn’t raise a major fuss. I turned on the lamp on Mom’s nightstand.
    It didn’t take long to find a “Carker,” but the initial after it was A , not G . I thought it must be the wrong Carker until I realized Gnarly was probably a nickname. (I mean, who would name a kid Gnarly?) I checked the address. Thirteen Cemetery Lane. Had to be the right place!
    I took a deep breath, gave the nightstand five taps, then punched in the number. It rang several times. I was about to give up when I heard Lily say, “Carker residence. Who’s calling, please?”
    â€œThank goodness!” I said. “I was terrified I would get your grandfather.”
    A long silence followed. Finally she said, “It’s nice to hear from you, Juliet, but I don’t understand why you’re calling.”
    I pulled the phone from my ear and stared at it.
    Who the heck was Juliet?

7
(Lily)

INTO THE CLOSET
    I t took Jacob longer than it should have to figure out that I called him “Juliet” because I didn’t want my grandfather to know who I was talking to! For a smart guy, he can be a little slow on the uptake.
    He finally got it. “Sorry!” he said hastily. “I don’t want to get you in trouble, Lily. But I really, really, really need to talk to you.”
    â€œCan’t it wait until tomorrow, Juliet ?”
    â€œNo, it can’t! The baby just turned into a monster!”
    I could hardly keep from laughing. Trying to remain serious, I said, “Oh, Juliet! I know this is your first time being a big sister, but you have to understand that this happens sometimes. The baby is probably just teething.”
    â€œNo, Lily, you don’t understand! I’m trying to tell you that LD just turned into a monster—as in, he grew fangs and fur. I think he’s bigger, too. I’m afraid he’s gonna bust out of his pj’s!”
    I was starting to get angry. Jake and I had invented some great imaginary games, but calling me at home was too much. I carried the phone into the hall. Keeping my voice low but still worried about my grandfather overhearing, I hissed, “Listen, Juliet , this could be fun but you can’t call me like this. We can start the game tomorrow.”
    â€œThis isn’t a game, Herbert ! Do you think I wanted to take a chance on your grandfather picking up? I called because LD has turned into a monster with fur and fangs and he’s still cute but also sort of terrifying and my mother isn’t here and I don’t know what to do so I called you