The Old Willis Place

buried."
That made us both feel a little better, I think.
I tried to tell Dad what I knew about Miss Willis, but he said, "Hush, hush, let's not think about that old woman anymore. She'll give us nightmares for sure." He hugged me and kissed my forehead and tucked me under the covers, all tight and snug and warm.
MacDuff came to my room and jumped up on my bed. Dad usually chases him off, but tonight he said he could stay. MacDuff is the best old dog in the world, but even with him right here beside me I'm still scared.
I wish the wind would stop. I wish it was morning. I wish we lived in one of those nice little houses across the highway. I wish Diana lived there, too, and we went to the same school and took gymnastics together.
Most of all, I wish those children hadn't died in that cellar. They must have been so scared, Dee Dee.
Love, Lissa

Chapter 16
    When Georgie and I woke in the morning, the falling snow hung like gauze between the mouth of the cave and the ravine, blurring rocks and trees, earth and sky. The only sounds were the gurgle of the creek and the wind, now a soft murmur.
    Georgie peered out at the snow, at least a foot deep already, and laughed. "No school today!"
    It was a joke of long standing now, left from the time when we'd actually gone to school and celebrated days off.
    Nero sat at the cave's entrance, his displeasure evident. He looked at me as if to say, "What sort of bad joke is this?"
    "The little mousies are safe from you today," I told him.
    Nero twitched his tail and stalked to the back of the cave. There he snuggled in the blankets and watched the snow through slitted eyes.
    "Do you think the police will come in this weather?" Georgie asked me.
    The night before, I'd told him what I'd asked Lissa to do. I'd thought he'd be angry, but he'd listened calmly. "It's the first step." He'd tapped the side of his head. "I feel it here. You know, like the rules."
    Now the two of us watched the snow fall: barefoot, barelegged Georgie, half naked, with feathers in his hair; me with my long braid, and Lissa's sweatshirt over Miss Lilian's flowered skirt. Neither of us knew what to expect next or how to prepare. Without saying a word, we left the cave and walked through the snow toward the house. We had to see the police come. We had to watch them go, too. We had to be sure.
    We met Lissa and MacDuff halfway down the driveway. She ran to us, her face pale despite the wind and snow. "I've been looking for you," she cried. "I was scared she might have gotten you last night."
    Lissa didn't need to say the name. We knew who she meant. "We heard her," I said. "She came close a few times."
    "Old witch," Georgie muttered. "She won't get us again."
    Lissa breathed a sigh of relief. "She caught me last night. She thought I was you, Diana."
    For once, Georgie looked at Lissa without sneering. "How did you get away?" he asked.
    Lissa shook her head. "I guess she wanted Diana, not me.
    "I bet you were scared," Georgie said, some of his old scorn returning.
    "I was terrified." Lissa began crying. "Dad went to the house to look for the children's bodies, and I got scared and followed him. That's when she grabbed me. She was so horrible...."
    I hugged her as if she were a little child, years younger than I was. "I told you she wouldn't hurt you," I whispered.
    "Did your father find the children's bodies?" Georgie asked.
    Lissa nodded. "Just where Diana said they'd be. He called the police. They're supposed to come today." She looked around doubtfully. "But with all this snow..."
    I drew in my breath and took Georgie's hand. There was no turning back now. Whatever I'd begun the day I met Lissa had to run its course.
    "I see them." Georgie pointed down the driveway.
    The three of us ducked behind a tree. Led by a police car, a hearse made its way slowly toward us.
    "It's the same one that took Miss Lilian away," Georgie said.
    "How do you know that?" Lissa asked.
    "All hearses look the same." I spoke quickly to keep Georgie from saying anything else. "That's what he means."
    Georgie frowned, but he didn't argue as I'd feared he might. Instead, he gave Lissa a sassy look, which she ignored. The two of them would never be friends.
    The police car passed us, its lights flashing. An officer in the passenger seat was drinking coffee from a paper cup. The other was intent on driving. Behind them the hearse slipped and slid, but the driver managed to keep it on the driveway.
    "Where do you suppose they'll take us?"