SNAP! and the Alter Ego Dimension Read Online Free PDF Page B

you and I that came with Etsu. Etsu and I must eat first.”
    Tammy held on to the end of the curtain. The sword was not as sharp as she thought and it was definitely not made to cut material with. With much difficulty Hiroshi managed to cut, or rather saw, the top part of the curtain off.
    Tammy folded the curtain in half. Then she asked Hiroshi to thrust the sword through the material to make a hole big enough for her to pull the curtain over her head. He did that and eventually Tammy could put the curtain “dress” on. The material on either side of the curtain was long enough to reach her wrists. She took the thick piece that had formed the top edge of the curtain and tied it around her waist.
    “Beautiful dress,” Etsu said. “Now you be warm.”
    The thick material made Tammy feel warmer already. It was only her bare feet that were still cold. But at this stage there was nothing to be done about that. Perhaps there was something in the wardrobe that she could use. Tammy looked down at the colored blocks on the material. They were pink, blue and purple. Some two years ago she had gone with her mother to the shops to buy these curtains. Never in her life had the thought crossed her mind that she would one day use them for a dress. Despite the ridiculous situation, she grinned. She would really like to see herself in a mirror now.
    She squinted at Etsu and Hiroshi. They were sitting back to back flat on the grayness, each with a bird in their hands, busy plucking the feathers. There were feathers floating all over the place. The sword was lying across Hiroshi’s lap.
    Goodness, she was wondering what she looked like. How very vain at a time like this. Instead, she should have been thinking about a plan to get them out of this godforsaken place. It was a simple fact that without food and water, even with her “new dress”, she couldn’t hope to last very long. She was feeling a little hungry already. And thirsty. At home she would just go down to the kitchen and grab herself a sandwich or something. Or even dinner.
    But at the moment she would rather die than take a bite from a raw bird. She believed that the Japanese are used to eating raw fish and sushi. She supposed a raw bird was not that bad for them. But what was she going to eat? How was she going to get home again? Did her mother even know she was gone? Or did her alter ego already exist in her home, having taken her place?
     

Chapter Five
    IT WAS PAST EIGHT in the evening when Wayne decided to call Tammy’s home phone. It was already dark outside. Tammy hadn’t been in touch to tell him where she’d been all afternoon, and he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to know if she was okay. The worry made it difficult to concentrate on his assignment; his mind was constantly drawn to Tammy. He knew that as soon as they spoke and he thanked her for her efforts in finding all the relevant information, he would be able to focus better. In fact, he felt really bad because he hadn’t left her the chocolate. He was always doing the wrong things.
    He dialed Tammy’s land-line and waited. Mrs. Delport answered and he could hear the expectation in her voice. He realized that Tammy was still missing.
    “Mrs. Delport, Wayne speaking. Is Tammy there yet?” he asked, although he already guessed the answer.
    Tammy’s mother started to cry.
    “No, Wayne . . . The police are out looking for her . . . They brought a sniffer-dog to smell her clothes. The dog checked by the swimming pool and the garage. Plenty of scent there, but nothing outside the gate. There was no scent of her in the street.” Mrs. Delport paused. Then she continued: “The police implied that she had run away, and that somebody must have picked her up inside the yard. Lots of youngsters her age run away from home, they said. But no suitcase is gone, Wayne. Her purse with her debit-card is still here. Who would run away without money or a phone?”
    “Do you have any idea where she can be, Mrs.