Heavenstone 01 - The Heavenstone Secrets

directly to my room to do my homework, but when I came to the stairway, I heard the sound of Cassie’s laughter. It was coming from the living room. Curious, I went down to see.
    She was sitting with Daddy, who was sipping some coffee. They both turned to me when I entered. The way Cassie was looking at me made me feel as if I had interrupted two adults having an adult conversation. Whatever it was, it wasn’t for my ears.
    “How was she?” Daddy asked quickly.
    I told him how she did seem to drift in and out.
    “Mrs. Bledsoe assures me it’s not unusual. In a few days, Dr. Moffet will stop by. Cassie was just telling me about some of the amusing and ridiculous things that happened in school today. I must say wehave to reconsider the idea of a private school for you two. I imagine you’d like that.”
    “Maybe,” I said. He looked surprised.
    “She’ll like it, I’m sure,” Cassie said. “For now, you’d better see to your homework. I’m too busy to go over it with you, Semantha. It takes her longer when I don’t help her,” she explained to Daddy. He nodded.
    That wasn’t completely true. It was only when I had some difficult math. I started to say something, but she turned away and whispered something to Daddy that made him laugh. Frustrated, I turned away and went upstairs.
    Cassie didn’t come up until much later, and she didn’t stop by my room. I heard her go into hers and close the door. I finished my homework and went to bed. I fell asleep quickly but was woken in the middle of the night by the sound of some commotion. It was just before three in the morning. I heard Cassie’s voice and quickly got out of bed, terrified that something had happened to Mother.
    Daddy was in the hallway. He was in his robe and slippers. Cassie, in her nightgown, was listening to him. I hurried to see what was happening.
    “What’s wrong? Is something wrong with Mother?” I asked, holding my breath and pressing my hand over my heart.
    “No,” Cassie said. “It’s Mrs. Bledsoe.”
    “She thinks she might have a bad case of the stomach flu,” Daddy said. “It’s terrible, Semantha. My fault. I should have made sure everything she needed was in that bedroom and bathroom.”

    “What do you mean, Daddy?”
    He shook his head.
    “Mrs. Bledsoe has the runs,” Cassie said, “and there was apparently no toilet paper or tissues. She’s messed herself the way some of her patients do. It’s quite unpleasant.”
    “But … I thought …”
    She turned back to Daddy. “If she might have the flu, Daddy, it’s very dangerous for Mother in her run-down state. I’ll see to Mrs. Bledsoe, but you should make immediate arrangements to send her home. Don’t worry. I’ll stay home tomorrow and take care of Mother.”
    Daddy was very flustered. He actually started in one direction and then went in another. “It’s so late. We can’t send her home in the middle of the night like this,” he decided.
    “She’s a nurse, Daddy. I would think she would be all right.”
    “I don’t know.”
    “I don’t even like you going in there now. Flu can be very infectious, and you could carry it into your bedroom and infect Mother.”
    He nodded. “But you …”
    “I won’t stay long, and I will be careful not to get too close to her or touch her.”
    She went to the hall closet and gathered up toilet paper and tissues and some clean towels and washcloths.
    “Go back to Mother, Daddy. I’m sure she’s disturbed. I can handle this.”
    “Yes, I …”

    “I’ll handle this,” Cassie said firmly. “Go on.”
    Suddenly, Daddy looked like a little boy eager to obey his mother. He nodded and went to his bedroom door. He paused there and looked back.
    “Go on, take care of Mother. That’s more important,” Cassie insisted.
    He nodded again and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
    “I thought you said you were in her bedroom checking that she had everything she needed, Cassie.”
    She looked at me a moment. In the dim hall light, her slight smile looked like a devil’s grin. “I must have overlooked things. You can go to sleep, too, Semantha. Unless Daddy takes you to school, you’ll have to go on the bus again,” she said, and went to Mrs. Bledsoe’s bedroom door. She squeezed her nose and smiled at me and then went inside, closing the door behind her.
    I stood there, amazed. I could never do what she was about to do.
    However, Cassie was going to get what she wanted. Mrs. Bledsoe