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girl’s been waiting for me.”

Chapter 4

    Joss

    “…and then Sarah’s milk finally came
in—”
    “Mo-om…”
    “What?”
    “TMI. Geez. Let’s just leave out any details
regarding feeding and digestion, because I swear, if you start
describing its poops, I am so out of here.”
    “Joss, don’t you want to hear about your baby
cousin’s poops?”
    “I’m getting my jacket.”
    “Fine,” Mom said airily, gathering up the
baby photos she had spread out on the counter. “No more baby
talk.”
    I felt kind of guilty for cutting her off.
But I’d already gotten out of bed early on a Saturday to help out
at the store and, on top of that, listened to way more details
about childbirth and babies than I cared to. There was a limit to
daughterly devotion. “You should try Jill. She likes to talk about
poop.”
    “Good plan. So,” Mom glanced at me, “anything
interesting happen while I was gone?”
    “I’m sure Dad told you.”
    “He did. You okay, sweetie?”
    “Sure. Krista was in some of my classes, but
I didn’t really know her. I was surprised. I didn’t know she could
do anything. Guess we’ll probably never find out what her Talent
was. There doesn’t seem to be much gossip going around.”
    “Your dad doesn’t know anything either. He
doesn’t know how they knew about Krista, and that’s what’s got him
most upset.”
    “How upset is he?” This was code for: How
close is he to completely freaking out?
    Mom’s expression tightened, but she kept a
smile on and her voice easy. “I think he’s okay. It definitely
bothers him that no one seems to know about any incident where
Krista might have exposed her secret. He thinks that means someone
she knew turned her in, probably someone she trusted.”
    There was code here too. This is why your
dad doesn’t want you to get too close to people. This is why we
have to be so careful. I wish it didn’t have to be like this, but
it’s only because we love you.
    The front door buzzed, so I took the
opportunity to wander away and straighten up. Business started to
pick up, and I was busy for the next few hours, cleaning,
restocking, and helping customers.
    Just before noon I rang up a purchase, handed
over the bag, and thanked the customer. When the man walked away he
revealed that Kat had been standing behind him.
    “Well hi!” She looked out of place in the
Army Navy store with her trendy, colorful outfit and bouncy
hair.
    “Hey. What’s up?”
    “Do you get a lunch break? I was thinking we
could hang out.”
    “You…were?” Was the store ground zero for
random acts of social this week, or was it just more of me as a
plaything for the Random Amusements of the Universe?
    “Is this your mom? Hi, I’m Kat Dawson.” She
turned to Mom and stuck out her hand over the counter.
    “Joan Marshall. It’s nice to meet you, Kat. I
guess you know Joss from school?”
    “She hasn’t mentioned me. She doesn’t talk
much, does she?”
    Mom smiled. “No, I guess she doesn’t.”
    “Well, I talk a lot. And as I’m in need of
someone to talk at today, I came to take Joss out to lunch.”
    “Oh! Well. That sounds nice.” Mom tried
unsuccessfully to cover her surprise. “Go ahead, honey, get your
jacket.”
    “Um…shouldn’t I stay here with you? It’s been
kind of busy.”
    “Um…no,” Mom actually mocked me, “you should
go out with your friend and have a nice time. Your father and I can
handle any midday rush. He should be here any minute.” This last
was said with a gentle emphasis that meant: So go while you can
and before your dad starts asking questions about your
friend.
    As much as I was not interested in Kat’s
lunch plans, I really didn’t want to have Dad give either of us the
third degree.
    We ended up at the Pizza Pit. No big surprise
there. It was close to the shop, and that’s where kids—and other
people sometimes—go to eat. We got slices because they get those
out fast.
    “Relax,” Kat told me, popping the top