The Blueprint Read Online Free PDF Page B

moved to give her room to climb in next to me.  She laid down, and I clung to her like we were falling and she was my parachute.  My head was on her shoulder and my tears wet her nightgown.  This time she didn’t scold me for crying.  I think she may have even joined me, but she’d never admit it. 
    At our old house, Dani and I shared a room and a mattress on the floor.  Daddy called it our shotgun house and Momma called it a bad word that also starts with "sh."  All the rooms were lined up one right after the other:  the living room, my parents' room, me and Dani's room, and the kitchen.  Because Momma needed the most rest, the walls and windows in her room were painted black.  Every time I walked through it felt like I'd crawled out of a hole.  I would've liked to sprint my way in and out, but Momma didn't do much cleaning and I was forced to pick through the mess so I wouldn't trip.  It was one of those rooms that feels wrong and dangerous like an old cellar.  It's no wonder that at 18 months I kept climbing out of my crib in the middle of the night.  Daddy found me curled up with Dani every time. 
    So there I stayed and became her responsibility. She'd play with me like the living doll I was, tending to all my real and made-up needs.  She bathed me, dressed me, entertained me, and fed me.  I'd never known anything different.
    Anytime Momma was around or awake, Dani and I would stay hidden in our room.  It seemed the safest place from her crazy moods. On nice days, we’d jump out the window rather than disturb her by leaving through a door.  Dani made up adventures for us like the ones she’d read in her Nancy Drew books, and I followed along like a puppy. Then when Daddy returned home from work he’d come find us, and we’d help him make dinner.      
    Dani cleared her throat. “I came here to get some sleep, not take a bath.”
    “How did you get in here with that creepy Johnny guy out there on watch? ”
    “I have my wa ys.  Don't worry about it and don’t try and come to me.  I'll come to you.  Got it."  Her grip on my arm tightened until I agreed.  "I’ll try and get in here every night if I can.  Let’s get some sleep.  We start school tomorrow, and I want to look good.”
    I woke the next morning to our door thrown open and all the lights flipped on which was as jarring as walking out of a movie theater after sneaking into a matinee.  Instinct told me to cover my eyes, and as I pulled at my blanket I realized Dani was gone.  My brain took its time sorting out my location, rewinding through the drama. 
    Kimmy skipped to me with her long yellow hair bouncing along and chirped, “Today you start school.  We need to get ready before breakfast.  Come on.” 
    Jenny, Karen, and Amy weren’t f ar behind, and they tutored me through the morning ritual.  No one mentioned hearing me cry or seeing my sister in our room last night and I was grateful.  Had I gotten away with it, or were my friends just being nice?  Kimmy gave me lots of big smiles, but I couldn’t tell if that was because she knew my secret, or because I knew hers.  My sister and her friends sat with us at breakfast and this time nobody seemed surprised.  I felt dazed from a lack of sleep and all that had happened in the last 24 hours. The oatmeal was gummy and hard to swallow, but I discovered that wasn't the only reason my group was the last to leave the dining hall.
    Karen sprung from her seat and called, "Let's go."
    I was already in the habit of following these girls so I jumped up too.   We dumped our goopy scraps in the trashcan, stacked our trays, and scampered off in the direction of the activity room.  I asked, "What are we doing?" and was hushed with a force far louder than my words.  I took the hint and became a silent participant.
    We stopped in front of the window facing the front of the home and looked down.  I spotted the top of Ms. Sweaney's head with her hairspray stiffened hair,