Afraid (6 page)

The old fur coat would help. The rats couldn't bite through the heavy fur. Rondelle wrapped it tightly around her body, and tucked in her feet and arms. Then she started to rock back and forth. If she kept moving, it might scare the rats away.

Rocking made Rondelle feel much better. It reminded her of how her mother had rocked her when she was a baby. She'd felt so safe, cradled in her mother's arms, and she needed to feel that safe again. The rocking motion calmed her fears, and without really thinking about what she was doing, Rondelle began to recite a nursery rhyme.

“London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down. My fair lady.”

Rondelle stopped abruptly, and frowned.
“My fair lady.”
She was fair, but Alice wasn't. Alice had stolen her boyfriend. Alice was horrible, and she deserved to be punished for what she'd done.

As Rondelle sat there thinking about punishing Alice, the scratching, scrabbling noises started again. They seemed louder and much more ominous, and Rondelle's eyes went wide with terror. The rats were moving again! They were coming closer and closer, and she had to do something to stop them!

But the rats had been quiet when she'd recited her nursery rhyme. Rondelle didn't take the time to wonder why. She just started to recite again.

“There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children, she didn't know what to do.”

The moment Rondelle started reciting again, the noises stopped. It was working! The rats liked nursery rhymes! If she kept on rocking and reciting, she could keep them away!

Rondelle recited on and on, into the night, huddled in the old fur coat. She recited every nursery rhyme she could remember:
Old Mother Hubbard, Jack Be Nimble, Hey Diddle Diddle, Mary Had a Little Lamb,
and
Jack and Jill.
When Rondelle had gone through every nursery rhyme she knew, she started all over again. She recited hour after hour, afraid to stop for even a moment, rocking back and forth like a pendulum.

The rats stayed away as long as she recited and rocked, even though her voice faded to a hoarse whisper. And in the middle of one of her favorite nursery rhymes, something snapped in Rondelle Green's mind.

S
teve pulled up in front of Donna's house at five minutes before midnight. The party had been wonderful, with incredible food and a really great band. Donna had danced with Steve all night, and now they were here, in front of her house. Donna wasn't quite sure how she should end their date. Would Steve want to kiss her? And should she let him?

“You look worried, Donna.” Steve sounded amused. “Were you wondering if I was going to kiss you?”

Donna felt her cheeks grow hot and she knew she was blushing. But Steve was right, and she nodded. “Yes, I was.”

“Well, you can stop worrying.” Steve sounded even more amused. “I just saw your mother pull back the curtains so I'd better walk you up to the door.”

Donna waited until Steve had walked around the car to open her door. He was old-fashioned that way and she liked it. Even though she was entirely capable of opening it by herself, it made her feel special when he did it for her.

They walked up the steps to Donna's front door, and Steve reached out for her hand. “So what are you doing tomorrow afternoon?”

“Not much.” Donna felt her heart beat faster. Was Steve going to ask her for another date? “I don't really have any plans. I was just going to hang around the house.”

“Let's drive to Rondelle's house and ask her some questions. I talked to a couple of people at the party, and they were sure the red shoes were still in the dressing room when she used it.”

Donna frowned slightly. “But will it do any good to confront Rondelle?”

“We won't confront her. We'll just say we know she had a lot of other things on her mind, playing the lead in the play, and then landing a part in Mr. Michaels' movie.”

“You're right,” said Donna. “With all those other things on her mind, she probably forgot about seeing the red shoes. But now that she's had a chance to calm down from all the excitement, she might remember.”

“Exactly! We'll be giving her an excuse she can use. Rondelle might have lied to us deliberately, but this'll give her a second chance to tell the truth.”

“What do you really think, Steve?” Donna was very serious. “Did Rondelle take the red shoes?”

Steve shrugged. “They were there when she used the dressing room, and they were gone when we checked it later. Mr. Parks said that Rondelle was the last person to leave the theater, and the red shoes couldn't walk away all by themselves.”

“I don't know about that.” Donna couldn't resist teasing him. “You're forgetting that the red shoes are cursed, and cursed shoes could have magical powers. They might have danced off into the night.”

Steve laughed. “Right. If you believe in magic, I guess that's possible, but I'm willing to bet that Rondelle knows exactly where they are.”

“And if Rondelle thinks she won't get into trouble for taking them, she might give them to us?”

“It's worth a try.” Steve nodded. “I'd better let you go in. It's getting cold out here.”

He was right. It was a cold night. But Donna hadn't even felt the cold before Steve had mentioned it. Perhaps it was because he was still holding her hand.

“I'll pick you up around three. Rondelle and her parents should be home by then.”

“Okay.” Donna smiled. And then something popped right out of her mouth before she'd had time to think. “If my mother wasn't watching, would you kiss me?”

Steve laughed. “You bet I would! Mr. Parks was right. You're wonderful, Donna.”

“You're wonderful, too.” Again, the words popped out before she'd had a chance to think. Was it wrong to tell a boy that he was wonderful? Donna wasn't sure, but Steve was still smiling and he looked as if he liked what she'd said.

The curtain fluttered again. Steve noticed, and he grinned at Donna. “Your mother's still watching.”

“I know.” Donna nodded.

“Let's show her what a nice guy I am.” Steve was still grinning as he bowed from the waist and raised her hand to his lips. He kissed it lightly and then he released it. “Thank you for a very enjoyable evening, Miss Burke.”

Donna giggled. And then she held out the corners of her skirt and curtsied, something she'd only seen in the movies. “Thank
you,
Mr. Harvey.”

“Until tomorrow?” Steve backed down the steps, grinning all the way.

“Until tomorrow.” Donna answered him. Then she opened the door, stepped inside, and smiled all the way up the stairs to her room.

 

The night seemed endless. Rondelle huddled in the old fur coat and recited to the rats until her eyes closed in exhaustion. But every time she fell asleep the rustling sound would awaken her and she'd have to recite some more. Finally, a faint gray light began to filter in through the attic vents. Morning was here, and she was sure she'd read somewhere that rats only fed at night.

She could sleep now. There was an old couch against the far wall, but Rondelle was too tired to drag herself across the attic floor. She stretched out by the door where she'd be sure to hear her parents when they came home, and tried to go to sleep.

But Rondelle couldn't sleep. Her eyes snapped open every time she thought of Alice with Craig. Alice had stolen her boyfriend. Her best friend had turned into her worst enemy.

What could she do to punish Alice? Rondelle sat up, her back propped against the attic door, and thought about it. But her thoughts were so jumbled, nothing seemed to make sense.

Rondelle was still thinking when the first rays of sun came in through the vent. They streamed across the floor, almost blinding her, stopping directly at her feet. The red shoes glowed brilliantly in the bright stream of light, the red shoes she'd stolen, the red shoes that some people thought were cursed.

“The red shoes!” Rondelle's hands were shaking as she reached down to take them off. She didn't know why, but she was sure that the red shoes were responsible for everything bad that had happened. Rondelle was about to toss them away, in the farthest corner of the attic, when she had a wonderful idea. She'd give the cursed red shoes to Alice.

 

“Hello?” Alice's voice was groggy with sleep when she answered the phone in her room. But she sat up straight and began to smile as she recognized the voice on the other end of the line. “Hi, Craig! What's going on?”

As she listened to Craig's voice, Alice glanced at the clock. She'd slept all morning, and it was already one o'clock in the afternoon!

“Sure. I'll be there.” Alice hung up and jumped out of bed. She had to hurry. She'd promised to help Craig clean up after the party, and he wanted her to meet him at the cabin in an hour!

Alice was singing as she turned on the water and stepped into the shower. She'd had a fantastic time last night, thanks to Rondelle. Alice really couldn't understand why Rondelle had left town without a word. Maybe her parents had forced her to go, but why hadn't she called Craig to cancel their date?

As she washed her hair, Alice sang at the top of her lungs. She knew she didn't get the melody right, but that didn't bother her at all. And even though the Jefferson High chorus director had asked her not to sing so loudly at their concert next week, Alice intended to ignore his advice. She liked to sing and enthusiasm should count for something. After all, chorus was supposed to be for everyone.

Alice frowned slightly as she began to get dressed. Rondelle would be furious when she got back to town and found out that she'd gone to the party with Craig. But Alice wasn't about to let a little thing like friendship stop her from enjoying her date this afternoon. It was all Rondelle's fault, and Alice didn't feel one bit guilty.

 

Rondelle was smiling as she put the red shoes in a shoe box, but it wasn't a nice smile. It was more of a grimace with her lips drawn back from her teeth, and her eyes glittering dangerously.

When Rondelle's father had heard her pounding on the attic door, they'd all rushed up the stairs. Her mother had stood by, wringing her hands, while her father had taken the door off its hinges. Even Janie had been very subdued, and the first thing she'd asked her older sister was whether the attic monsters had hurt her.

Rondelle had concentrated on one thing and one thing only. She had to convince everyone that she was fine so they'd leave her alone. She'd told her parents that they didn't have to worry about her. Of course she'd been bored, all alone in the attic, and her back hurt from sleeping on the floor. What she really wanted to do was take a nice, hot shower and stretch out on her bed for a long nap.

Perhaps she really was a good actress. Rondelle gave a small, bitter laugh. She'd been so convincing, she'd persuaded her parents to go right on with their plans to take Janie to a friend's birthday party. Janie hadn't wanted to go. Questioning her big sister about the terrors of the attic was much more interesting than watching someone else open birthday presents. But Rondelle had promised to tell Janie all about it when she got home, and Janie and her parents had left.

It didn't take long to wrap Alice's package. Rondelle used silver paper and tied a beautiful red bow on the top. It looked very professional, as if it had been wrapped by a shop in the mall. Then she printed Alice's name on a card and taped it to the box.

The moment she was through, Rondelle raced for the door. Alice lived over two miles away, but she ran almost all the way there. Rondelle placed the package in front of Alice's door, and then sprinted down the sidewalk, as if the rats in the attic were chasing her.

By the time Rondelle got home, she was exhausted. She flopped down on the couch, curled up into a ball, and began to rock slowly back and forth. The red shoes would work. They would punish Alice, and she wouldn't have to do a thing.

“Y
ou look great, Donna!” Steve turned to smile at her as he started his car.

“Thanks, Steve.” Donna's eyes sparkled. She was wearing another of her instant creations, a tan jumpsuit her father had brought back with him when he'd inspected a pipeline the government had built in Alaska. The jumpsuit was standard issue. All the government inspectors had worn them. But Donna had shortened the legs and sewn wide elastic around the waist. She'd added a bright blue belt, tied a long blue scarf around her neck, and now the jumpsuit looked like something she'd bought at the mall.

They talked about the red shoes on the way to Rondelle's house. Steve was sure they had nothing to do with Tammy's accident, and they weren't really cursed at all.

“I hope that's true.” Donna looked a little worried. “I'd like to believe it was only a coincidence. But something very strange is happening.”

Steve reached out to squeeze her hand. “Go on, Donna. I'm listening.”

“I talked to Lisa this morning. She told me that Rondelle's been wanting to date Craig for years. We were right there when he asked her to his party and Rondelle said yes.”

“I know.” Steve nodded. “But I heard that she had to go out of town with her parents.”

“Maybe that's true, but Rondelle didn't call Craig to cancel their date. She just stood him up. Don't you think that's a little strange?”

Steve nodded. “Definitely. It only takes a minute to call.”

“I've been thinking about it all morning, and I'm sure Rondelle has the red shoes. If she was wearing them the night she read for that part in the movie, it would explain why Mr. Michaels was so impressed with her. What if Rondelle didn't go with her parents? What if she stayed home? And what if she wore the red shoes?”

“We'll know soon.” Steve squeezed Donna's hand, again. “Rondelle's house is right around the next corner.”

Steve parked in front of the house, and they got out. As they walked up the sidewalk to the door, Donna felt very anxious. She was really worried about Rondelle.

It seemed to take forever for someone to answer the door, but at last they heard footsteps approaching. And then it opened, and Rondelle stood there in the light.

“Rondelle?” Donna's mouth dropped open. Rondelle looked awful! There were dark circles under her eyes and she was swaying back and forth as she held on to the doorjamb. “What's the matter? Are you sick?”

Rondelle swayed again, and Steve grabbed her arm to steady her. But Rondelle just smiled a strange smile, and shook her head. “I'm fine, just fine. I've never been better.”

Donna exchanged glances with Steve. It was clear that Rondelle wasn't fine.

“Come in, come in.” Rondelle's voice was hoarse, and she leaned heavily on Steve's arm as she led the way to the living room. “I was just sitting here reciting a poem. Do you know
London Bridge is Falling Down?”

Steve exchanged another glance with Donna. There was something very wrong with Rondelle. “Sure, we know it. Are your parents home, Rondelle?”

“No, not yet.” Rondelle sank down on the couch. “I'm so tired of
London Bridge.
I had to recite it to the rats all night, to keep them from eating me. I was locked in the attic and they were very hungry.”

“I . . . see.” Steve nodded, as if he understood. And then he looked at Donna. His message was clear. Rondelle had flipped out, and he wasn't sure what to do next.

Donna took a deep breath for courage. She hated to ask Rondelle about the red shoes, but if the curse was responsible for Rondelle's condition, she might feel better if she gave them up. “We need the red shoes, Rondelle. Could you give them to us, please?”

“No, I can't.” Rondelle began to rock back and forth. “I can't . . . I can't!
One, two buckle my shoe!”

Donna put her arm around Rondelle's shoulder and, gradually, Rondelle stopped rocking and chanting. Donna spoke again, very softly. “Why can't you give us the red shoes? We really need them.”

“Because I had to give them to her! She went to the party with Craig. She stole my date, and she has to be punished!”

“She must mean Alice.” Steve reached out for Rondelle and held her tight, before she could start to rock again. “Listen to me, Rondelle. How did you know that Alice went to the party with Craig?”

“The answering machine told me.” Rondelle's eyes glittered strangely. “I heard it through the crack in the floor. So near and yet so far. I could see it, but I couldn't reach it. And I tried soooo hard.”

Rondelle started to rock again, faster and faster, and Steve reached out to calm her. “Donna? You'd better call Alice and tell her what's happened.”

Donna looked up Alice's number in the phone book, then dialed it on Rondelle's phone, but no one answered. “She's not home.”

“Keep trying. We can't drive over there now. We have to stay with Rondelle until her parents get home.”

Donna dialed Alice's number over and over but no one answered. “She's not home, Steve. Or she's not answering the phone.”

“Okay.” Steve nodded. “I guess we should take a run over there after Rondelle's parents get home. I want to make sure that Alice is all right.”

Rondelle started to rock again, so hard that she bumped her head against the wall. “Alice? Who's Alice?”

“Rondelle . . . take it easy.” Steve pulled her into his arms. He held her for another few minutes, and then they heard a car pull into the driveway.

“They're home.” Steve got up from the couch. “You stay with Rondelle, and I'll go out to meet them.”

Rondelle was rocking again, and Donna reached out to hold her close. She was quiet for a moment, but then she started reciting
“One, Two, Buckle My Shoe”
in a hoarse, whispering voice. The first line was right, but then Rondelle changed the words in a very frightening way.

“One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, the curse locked the door. Five, six, I couldn't get it fixed. Don't look back, the mirror just cracked.”

“Rondelle . . . you've got to calm down.” Donna tried to hold her, but Rondelle just jerked away. She seemed possessed by the awful rhyme she was chanting.

“Craig drove by, and I started to cry.”

Donna wasn't sure what to do, so she tried to reason with Rondelle. “Don't worry, Rondelle. It's all right now.”

“No, it's not! I can't stop! The rats are still here, and they're very near. Three, four, five. They'll eat me alive!”

“No, Rondelle. The rats are gone.” Donna did her best to soothe Rondelle, but it didn't work. Rondelle shook her head, and kept on rocking.

“Seven, eight, Alice took my date. Nine, ten, she'll die in the end! The cursed shoes are red, and Alice is dead!”

The frightening words that Rondelle chanted made the hair stand up on the back of Donna's neck. The night in the attic had taken its toll. Rondelle's mind had snapped.

As Donna held Rondelle, she felt her suspicions grow. Tammy had worn the red shoes, and now it would take painful months for her to learn to walk again. And when Rondelle had worn them, she'd lost her mind. Were the red shoes to blame? Donna still wasn't sure, but the evidence was stacking up. She just hoped they'd be able to convince Alice that the red shoes were dangerous before they claimed their third victim!

 

Alice was in such a hurry, she almost tripped over the gift-wrapped package on her porch. She picked it up and admired the wrapping, beautiful silver paper with a large, red bow. There was a card on the top with her name. It was a gift for her. And Alice knew of only one person who'd send her a beautiful gift like this. It was from Craig!

“How sweet!” Alice's fingers were shaking in excitement as she tore off the paper and opened the box. Craig had given her a pair of red shoes. It seemed like a strange gift, but the shoes were
beautiful.

The moment Alice slipped them on, she began to smile. They looked absolutely wonderful and they fit her perfectly! Craig must have asked one of her friends for her shoe size.

Alice stood up and twirled around. The shoes were comfortable and they were gorgeous. She could hardly wait to thank Craig in person!

In no time at all, Alice was heading down the road in her old green Chevy. When she saw the blue and red sign for Eddy's Drive-In in the distance, she had an absolutely brilliant idea. Craig had told her he was crazy about the stuffed mushroom appetizer they served at Eddy's, and it wouldn't take long to go through the line at the drive-up window. Craig would be impressed that she'd remembered, and it would be a nice way to thank him for her gift.

There were only two cars in line as Alice drove in. She gave her order to the crackling voice on the speaker, and drove up to the window to park behind the other cars. While she was waiting, Alice turned on the radio and smiled as she heard her favorite song. She was so happy, she started singing right along with the music.

Alice was delighted as she belted out the lyrics to the song. She really sounded good, much better than she had in the shower. All the notes were right and her voice soared out the open window. Their chorus director was crazy. She had a fantastic voice!

Alice was still singing as another car pulled up behind her. The driver heard her singing, and he leaned out his window to stare at her. Alice sang even louder. If he didn't like her voice, that was just too bad. But the driver was smiling as he got out of his car and walked up to hers.

Alice kept right on singing, but she raised her eyebrows in surprise. Something about him was very familiar. When the song had ended, Alice stuck her head out the open window. “Did you want something?”

“Yes.” The man smiled. “I want you.”

“Excuse me?” Alice started to laugh. It was a great pickup line, but she was taken.

“I'm serious. We just lost one of our backup singers, and we need to replace her.” The man reached in his pocket and handed Alice a card. “You sounded really good, and I want you to audition. How about coming down to The Hot Spot around eight tonight?”

Alice glanced down at the card. And then she almost fainted in shock. No wonder he looked so familiar! She'd seen his face on CDs and posters, all over town. It was Shane Summers, and his band was in Jefferson City for a concert!

“Well? How about it?” Shane leaned against her car. “The audition's just a formality. I'd hire you right now, but I'd like the rest of the guys to meet you first.”

Alice was so excited her head was spinning, but she decided to play it smart. She shrugged very casually and smiled at him. “Why not? I guess I could be there at eight.”

After he'd thanked her and gone back to his car, Alice took out his card and stared at it again. She had an audition with Shane Summers tonight! This was incredible luck!

Alice pulled up to the window to pick up the stuffed mushrooms. She set them down on the passenger seat, and drove out onto the highway. Alice could hardly wait to tell Craig what had happened.

Alice zipped along the highway, lost in her dreams of fame and fortune. If she was a singer with Shane Summers' band, she'd go on tour and meet all sorts of fascinating people. Maybe she'd even marry someone incredibly talented like Shane Summers, himself.

The turn for the lake was just ahead, and Alice was so excited, she took it much too fast. Her tires slid on the gravel road and she hit the brakes, fishtailing to a stop. She had to be careful. The gravel road around the lake had lots of tight curves and they hadn't graded it recently. They would scrape it smooth before next summer, but the ruts were deep at this time of the year.

As she put the car into gear again, Alice laughed out loud with delight. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind. She'd really sounded fantastic at the drive-in and she would be sure to get the job. In the space of an hour, her singing had improved a thousand percent!

But why did she suddenly sound so good? Alice remembered the curse of the red shoes. Any girl who wore them was supposed to show incredible talent, but there was a price to pay. She'd have incredibly bad luck.

Alice glanced down at her feet, and then she shook her head. There was absolutely no reason to worry. Her red shoes weren't cursed. How could they be when they were a present from Craig?

 

Donna and Steve took turns calming Rondelle while her parents called the doctor. He wanted to see her at the hospital right away, so they helped to get Rondelle settled in the backseat of her parents' car. The moment they had driven away, Steve grabbed Donna's hand. “Come on, Donna. Let's go.”

As they drove to Alice's house, Donna began to think about what had happened. “Poor Rondelle. She seemed totally insane. Do you think it's because of the red shoes?”

“I don't know. It could have been the night in the attic. She must have been terrified, all alone in the dark.”

Donna shivered. It wasn't pleasant to imagine being trapped in a dark, spooky place with no way to get out. “When Rondelle was making some kind of sense, in between all that other stuff she said, she told me she saw something horrible in the attic mirror.”

“Was she wearing the red shoes?”

Donna nodded. “It was right after she put them on.”

“We're here.” Steve said a few minutes later, when they pulled up in front of a pink stucco house. He shut off his engine. “I'm pretty sure that Rondelle sent the red shoes to Alice. And even if they're not cursed, I think we'd better get them back.”

Donna held her breath as Steve rang the doorbell, but no one came to the door. He rang it again, with the same result, and Donna sighed deeply. “Alice must have left.”

“What's this?” Steve pointed to a box by the side of the door. It was the size of a shoe box and there was a torn piece of silver wrapping paper beside it.