Come a Stranger Read Online Free PDF Page A

looking around at the other three. “For science, or social studies.”
    â€œWhat wouldn’t I give not to have to do book reports.” Charlie sighed.
    They all three lived in New York City and went to private schools, but different schools. Isadora’s rich father sent plenty of money for her and her mother to live on, whether Isadora had a stepfather or not. Tansy’s father was a special kind of dentist, called an orthodontist, and Charlie’s father worked in advertising. Their mothers didn’t have jobs and they had been interested to hear that Mina’s mother did. About everything in their lives was different from Mina’s, and she loved hearing them talk about their lives.
    â€œI wouldn’t mind book reports. I like reading,” Mina said.
    Charlie dismissed that. “You just don’t know any better.”
    â€œAnyway,” Isadora interrupted, “who has an idea for what we can do?”
    Tansy did. Tansy really wanted not to dance, but to choreograph. She had an idea all worked out. “If there are two of the children, a boy and a girl—I could be the boy because I’m so small and all—and Charlie would be the girl—and Isadora would dance Aslan, all in gold, and Mina would be a Tarkaan but she’d turn into Tash, in the middle—”
    â€œHow would she do that?” Isadora asked.
    â€œBy turning around, or maybe with a mask. I know I can think of a way,” Tansy said.
    â€œLike in Swan Lake ?” Mina asked. She had loved that momentwhen the magician swept his cape aside to reveal Odile, as if she had appeared by magic.
    â€œYes, or something like that. It would start out with the children on stage, being—happy or something—and then the Tarkaan would come in . . .” Tansy stood up from the floor of the practice room where they were working out their project and acted out the parts. “He’d try to be nice first and bribe them. Then he’d try to force them—”
    â€œForce them to what?” Mina asked.
    â€œTo go with him, to be one of his people,” Isadora explained quickly. Then she said, “I’m sorry, Mina, I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
    Mina hadn’t been offended. She didn’t think Isadora had snapped at her. She waited to hear the rest of Tansy’s idea.
    â€œThen Aslan comes in and the Tarkaan seems to give up, but he turns into Tash and they fight over the children. Aslan wins and Tash—is defeated.”
    Mina could almost see the dance Tansy was talking about. “That sounds really good,” she said. “Doesn’t it?” she asked the other two.
    â€œWhat about me doing the Tarkaan, instead?” Charlie asked. “Miss Maddinton says I’m the most dramatic dancer.”
    Tansy shook her head. “It wouldn’t be as good.”
    â€œI know what you’re thinking,” Charlie argued.
    â€œDon’t be stupid,” Isadora answered. “You’re dramatic but you don’t—Mina has that presence. Miss Maddinton told her that and she’s right.”
    â€œOnly because I’m taller than everybody else,” Mina said, trying to pretend she wasn’t flattered. It wasn’t just being tall, she knew, it was her personality too.
    â€œBut can you be bad?” Tansy asked her. “Really, really bad—Tarkaan is bad, but Tash is—evil.”
    Mina stood up and turned her back to them. She thought: dark, evil, dangerous. She let that run all through her body, until she spun around to face them, tall and stiff; then slowly—to music playing lento in her head—she went through the five positions, feet and hands, thinking all the time of dark and of evil, and how the dark, evil thing would want to spread out and wrap itself around the three girls in the room. When she finished, she smiled at them.
    â€œOh, wow,” Isadora said, clapping. “That was neat.