Her Evil Twin (5 page)

That day, after her last class, Anna went by Emma’s locker, hoping she might be able to convince her to come to Moxie after all. Emma wasn’t there, so Anna lingered for a few minutes in case she showed up.

Just a few lockers down from Emma’s, the Jackals were clustered around Jessamyn’s locker, gossiping. When Jessamyn noticed Anna watching them, she narrowed her eyes, as if to say,
What are
you
looking at?
The other Jackals turned and looked at Anna.

With their eyes on her, Anna gave up on waiting for Emma and scurried away.

By the time she got to Moxie, the place was packed. Anna made her way past the tables of kids scarfing bread sticks and pizza slices. The air was
full of the jangle of pinball machines and the smell of burnt pizza crust.

She found Benny in the back by the air hockey table. “Hey!” he exclaimed happily when she walked up. “I was worried you weren’t coming. Anna, do you know Pete and Eamonn?”

His two friends glanced up and nodded, then went back to their air hockey game.

“They’ve been hogging the table,” Benny said. “But I’m up next.” He pointed to a little stack of quarters on the side of the table. “Want to get a slice while we’re waiting?”

“That’s okay … I’m not really hungry,” Anna fibbed. She was ravenous, but she’d left what money she had at the diner.

“But you have to have a slice! It’s Moxie!” Benny exclaimed. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.”

Anna watched as Benny strode over to the counter. He chatted for a minute with a guy at the register and waved to someone in the kitchen. They both peered over the counter at Anna, who blushed.

Benny returned a few minutes later carrying a tray with pizza slices and two Cokes. He set it down on a wooden table plastered with bumper stickers.

“Dig in,” Benny said as he picked up his slice.

Anna hesitated. “Were you … going to pay for it?” She didn’t want to end up in another dine-and-ditch situation.

Benny waved a hand. “My aunt and uncle own this place. So I pretty much get to eat for free. My uncle’s the guy in the back throwing the pizza dough. Go on.” He nudged Anna. “It’s best when it’s really hot.”

Anna relaxed and picked up her slice. Strings of molten cheese oozed off the sides. When she took a bite, the cheese burned the roof of her mouth, but she didn’t care because the sauce was tangy and the crust was chewy. Benny was right. It was the best pizza she’d ever had.

While they ate, they laughed at the bumper stickers on the table.
Honk if you like Heron’s Pretzels. Visualize Whirled Peas. What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it’s all about?
Anna had the feeling that Benny had probably read them all a hundred times before, but he still laughed every time she pointed out a funny one.

“That one’s mine,” Benny said, pointing to a sticker that read
Go Hounds! 2010 Junior Hockey League Champions.

“You play hockey?” Anna asked. “I didn’t know there was a team at school.”

“There isn’t,” Benny told her. “I play in a club league. Two-time champs! Put ‘er there!” He held up his hand so Anna could slap a high five.

“Practice starts next week for this season,” Benny told her. “Man, I can’t wait! Sometimes in the summer, when the ice rink shuts down, I ride my bike over anyway, just to imagine being out on the ice again.” Benny glanced at Anna with an embarrassed smile. “I guess that sounds kind of dumb, huh?”

Anna smiled and shook her head. She’d been thinking how different Benny seemed. At school he was such a goofball. But when he was talking about hockey he sounded so sincere.
There are so many things about a person you can’t tell just by looking at them,
she thought.

“Speaking of hockey,” Benny said, glancing toward the air hockey table, “I think we’re up.”

“Uh-uh. No way,” said Anna. “I’m not ready to go up against a professional.”

Benny took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Come on,” he said. “Sometimes you just gotta be brave.”

They played three rounds of air hockey. Benny goofed around a lot, trying to make shots behind his back, and he cheered whenever Anna scored a goal. After that, they played pinball and Anna beat him. She played his friend Eamonn and beat him, too. Even though Benny said he didn’t like pinball, she could tell he was having a good time, because he kept calling “Rematch!” and putting more quarters in the machine.

By the time Anna remembered to call home it was after five o’clock. Benny listened with a sympathetic look on his face while she apologized to her mom half a dozen times for not calling sooner.

“I have to go home,” Anna said when she’d hung up. “She’s pretty mad. I promised her I’d get the bus right now.”

“You’re too late for the school bus. And the city bus will take forever,” Benny said. “I’ll give you a ride.”

“Your uncle can give me a lift?” Anna asked, relieved.

“Who needs him? I’ve got my own wheels,” Benny replied.

Anna gaped at him. “You have a car?”

Benny laughed. “Yeah, that’s right. My Benz. Come on.”

He said good-bye to his friends and led the way outside. In front of the building was a bike rack, with a beat-up mountain bike chained to it. “There she is. Benny’s Benz,” he said proudly.

Anna laughed. “But how are we both going to ride?” she asked.

Benny considered this. “You’ll have to sit on the seat, and I’ll stand on the pedals.”

“Is this safe?” Anna asked, climbing onto the seat as Benny held it steady.

“Probably not,” said Benny. “You should wear this.” He handed her his bike helmet. Anna put it on and fastened the strap under her chin.

“That looks good on you,” Benny said approvingly, and Anna felt her face get warm.

The sky was starting to turn pink as they set out for Anna’s house. Anna tried to balance on the seat as gracefully as possible, but it wasn’t easy. She had to hold her feet out to the sides to keep them from getting tangled in the spokes. There was nowhere for her to put her hands except on Benny’s waist. Out of shyness, she held him there as
lightly as possible as he pedaled them through the streets.

Despite how awkward it was, Anna thought it was the most romantic thing she’d ever done.

“There’s my house,” Benny said, nodding at a two-story white house. Anna craned her neck with particular interest as they passed it.

By the time they reached Anna’s street, the sun had begun to set. It had stopped raining hours before, and now the sky was aflame with red and orange clouds.

“You’d better drop me off here,” Anna said when they reached the corner. Benny braked, and she climbed off the bike. “Thanks for the ride.”

“No problem.” Benny stood there straddling the bike, looking as if he was waiting for something. They stared at each other for a moment.
In a movie, this is where we’d kiss,
Anna thought.

“Well, see you in school,” she said finally. She turned and started for home.

“Anna, wait!” said Benny.

Anna stopped and looked back, her heart starting to pound.

“I need my helmet,” Benny said.

“Oh! Duh.” Anna walked back to him, laughing as she undid the chin strap. She could feel herself blushing, and she hoped Benny couldn’t guess what had just been going through her head.

“See you tomorrow,” Benny said. Then he turned around on his bike and sped away.

Anna stood watching until the flashing light on the back of his bike disappeared around the corner. She had a funny, floating feeling in her chest.

Finally, she turned and walked slowly to her house. She knew she was going to get it from her mom.
But it was worth it,
Anna thought.
It was definitely worth it.

“Anna …”

Anna slowly opened her eyes. She could tell by the deep blackness of her room that it was very late at night. She glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand. The glowing green numbers read 1:46.

I dreamed someone was calling my name,
she thought sleepily.

She was just about to snuggle under the covers, when she heard it again, louder. Impatient.

“Anna!”

Anna jerked upright. Someone
was
calling her name. It sounded like it had come from outside.

Holding her breath, she tiptoed over to the window and pushed back the curtain. In the cherry tree
next to the house, she saw a dark figure crouched among the branches.

Anna sucked in her breath. She was about to scream, when the figure moved and she caught a glimpse of one long braid. “Emma?” she whispered.

“Anna! Come out and play.”
Emma’s voice was light and crooning. Anna could see her silver eyes shining in the moonlight.

Anna undid the lock and slid open the window. Cold air rushed in against her face. “What are you doing?” she whispered. “I can’t come out. It’s nighttime.”

“Come play with me!”
Emma stood up on her branch.
“You haven’t played with me in such a long time —”

“Careful! Emma, what are you doing? You’ll —” Anna gasped as Emma slipped from the tree.

But she didn’t fall. She floated gently to the ground, as if she weighed no more than a feather.

How could Emma float?

“I must be dreaming,” Anna said to herself. What a clear dream it was! Everything seemed so real. Her arms prickled with goose bumps. Somewhere in the neighborhood she could hear a dog barking.

“Anna!”
Emma called again. She was standing on the lawn now. Above her the bright, round moon looked like a coin in the sky, a shiny silver dollar. Anna was overcome with the urge to reach out and grab it. But —

“I can’t get down,” Anna said sadly. Oh, how she wanted to go out and play!

“Climb down.”
Emma pointed to the side of the house, where withering wisteria vines twined around a latticework trellis.

Anna had done this so many times in the bathroom at school she could have done it in her sleep. Hoisting herself onto the window ledge, she swung a leg over. She had to stretch to reach the trellis, but she managed to hook a foot in without too much trouble. As she climbed down, trying not to tangle her feet in the dry vines, she marveled at how real the leaves felt against her face, even though she knew she was dreaming.

Emma was back in the tree, hanging from a branch by her knees. Anna walked over to her, the cold grass numbing her bare toes.

“You came out!”
Emma sang, swinging gently back and forth.

“Yes, we can play now! What should we play?”
Anna felt like a little girl again. Like magic was possible, and anything could happen.

Emma’s back was to Anna as she swung back and forth on the branch. Suddenly, she flipped over, her feet hitting the ground. When she straightened up, Anna stepped back with a gasp. Emma’s face was twisted in a frightening sneer — and her silver eyes were
glowing.

“You’ve been a naughty girl, Anna.”
Emma growled.
“You’ve been ignoring me.”

“No I haven’t.” Anna shivered. She was starting to not like this dream anymore.

Emma’s lips peeled back from her teeth in a snarl.
“So Benny’s your new best friend? Is that it? Anna and Benny sittin’ in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G …”
she taunted. “I
thought we were friends, Anna. Best friends.”

“We are friends!” Anna cried, stumbling backward.

“Not just friends. Bessssst friends.”
Emma came closer. In the moonlight her braids seemed to twist like snakes.

Anna clamped her hands over her eyes. “It’s just a dream,” she told herself. “Wake up!”

“You shouldn’t have left me, Anna,”
Emma hissed.
“You’re going to be sorry. You and Benny, you’ll both be so ssssssorry….”

“Wake up!” Anna yelled at herself. “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”

“Wake up, Anna!”

Anna opened her eyes. Her room was filled with early morning light. Someone was knocking at her door. “Mmmm,” she groaned sleepily, hoping they’d go away.

“Time to get up!” Her father opened the door and came into her room. “Jeez, kiddo, it’s freezing in here. What’s the window doing open?”

“The window?” Anna sat up in bed. The sash was thrown all the way up. She didn’t remember opening it in the night.

“Brrr.
It must be forty degrees in here,” said her dad as he shut it. “Come on, up and at ‘em. You slept through your alarm. Better hustle, or you’re going to be late.”

As soon as he was gone, Anna leaned back on the pillows. She felt stiff and exhausted, as if she’d hardly slept at all. Bits of her dream floated back to her: the brightness of the moon, the cold, wet grass — it was all so vivid.

“Like it was real,” Anna murmured.

That’s stupid,
she thought. Why was she getting all worked up over a dream? She laughed at herself as she climbed out of bed and headed for the shower. But she felt a lingering uneasiness.

It wasn’t until she was standing under the warm spray of water that Anna started to feel better. She remembered her “date” with Benny from the day before, and her heart gave a little hop of happiness at the thought.

Anna and Benny sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G …

An image of Emma’s sneering face flashed through Anna’s brain. Quickly, she shook it away. She couldn’t imagine why she’d dreamed such a thing. Sure, Emma had seemed upset the day before at lunch. She’d probably just been in a bad mood, Anna reasoned. Anna would talk to her today and get it all straightened out.

But she didn’t see Emma at all that morning. She didn’t come by Anna’s locker, and Anna didn’t see her anywhere in the halls. Anna worried all through her morning classes, wondering if Emma was still mad at her.

When it was time for science class, Anna’s spirits lifted. At least she’d see Benny! She hurried to class and was the first one to take her seat.

Anna watched the rest of the students file in. Dory was back at school. She walked in with her chin held high, never once looking in Anna’s direction.
Fine,
Anna thought angrily,
two can play at that game.

By the time the bell rang, Benny still hadn’t showed up. Anna stared at his empty seat, crestfallen. Where was he? she wondered. Sick? He’d seemed fine the day before.

“Did you hear what happened to Benny?” said a voice behind her. It was Krystal, gossiping with her lab partner as usual.

Anna whipped around in her seat. “What about him?”

“He had a big accident last night.” Krystal widened her eyes in phony alarm, clearly relishing the attention.

Anna’s mouth felt dry. “What kind of accident?”

Krystal shrugged. “Nobody knows. But I heard he’ll be out of school for weeks. At least, that’s what his mother told the school secretary. I was in the office when she called,” she added importantly.

“Girls?” Mr. Cooper said sharply from the front of the room, giving them a warning look.

Anna turned back around in her seat, trying to process this information. What Krystal said couldn’t
be true — could it? Krystal often got her facts wrong. But then again, she said she’d heard it from the school secretary.

Finally, Anna decided there was only one thing to do — she would go to his house and see for herself.

As soon as school was over that afternoon, she walked the few blocks to Benny’s house. Her heart pounded as she rang the bell.

After a long moment, a petite dark-haired woman opened the door. “Yes?”

Anna introduced herself. “I have class with Benny,” she explained. “I heard he was sick, so I, um, brought his homework.” Anna had worked out that excuse in class that afternoon. “Is he, um, okay?”

“He’ll be okay eventually, although I don’t think he’s ready for any homework yet,” the woman said. She looked tired and worried. “But you can go see him, if you like. He’s in his room.” She moved aside and held the door open.

As Anna stepped inside, right away she noticed the hush, an unnatural quiet, as if the whole
house was holding its breath. She knew then that Krystal had been right — something really bad
had
happened.

“It’s the first door at the top of stairs,” Benny’s mother told Anna.

Anna climbed the stairs slowly, a little afraid of what she would find. When she reached the door, she took a deep breath, then gently pushed it open.

Benny was lying in bed, a blanket pulled over half his body. One leg was in a plaster cast, and a bandage was wrapped around his head. His closed eyes looked sunken in his face.

“Benny?” Anna murmured.

His eyes fluttered open. Anna smiled and started to step toward him, but the look on his face stopped her. “What are you doing here?” he said sharply.

“I brought your science homework, and, um …” Anna’s voice faltered. Why did he keep looking at her like that … like he was afraid of her?

Benny was struggling to sit up. “Who let you in here?”

“Your mom,” Anna said. “I heard at school that you got hurt. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“You wanted to see how I was
doing?”
Benny blinked, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “How did you think I’d be doing?”

Was this one of his weird jokes? “I don’t get it, Benny,” she said. “What happened to you?”

“You tell me,” Benny shot back. “Why were you here last night?”

“What?” Anna stared at him.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. I
saw
you.”

“Saw me where? What are you talking about?”

“Last night, you were in my backyard,” Benny said. “I was sleeping when I heard someone call my name. It was you, Anna.”

“You must have been dreaming,” Anna told him. “I wasn’t here last night. I was home sleeping.”

Benny shook his head, growing more agitated. “I wasn’t dreaming. I saw you, Anna. And I know you saw me. You waved at me. You called my name. I leaned out the window to see what you wanted, and then … something pushed me.”

Anna felt a shiver run down her spine. “You imagined it, Benny. I wasn’t here.”

“Stop
lying,
Anna. I
saw you!”
Benny’s voice rose to a shout.
“Just tell me what happened!”

Anna shook her head to say she didn’t know. She
had a cold feeling in her stomach, as if she’d swallowed a gallon of ice water.

“Are you afraid I’m going to tell on you? Is that it?” he snarled. “Well, you don’t have to worry. I didn’t. Everyone thinks I was sleepwalking. My mom didn’t find me until morning. She got up to let the cat in, and there I was, lying on the ground. She thought I was dead. And now I can’t play hockey. They said it could take up to two months for my leg to heal, maybe more. They won’t let me play this year if I miss two months of practice.”

A tuft of hair was sticking up on the back of his head, like ruffled feathers. Anna felt an urge to reach out and smooth it down. Instead, she took a deep breath.

“Benny, I swear to you, I don’t know who you saw last night, but it wasn’t me. I swear it.”

Benny gave her a long look, and for a moment Anna thought he believed her. But he shook his head. “You’re not who I thought you were, Anna. Go away. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

Anna quietly left the room. Her legs were trembling as she made her way down the stairs to the front door. She was relieved not to run into Benny’s mother on the way out.

Outside, she felt tears pressing at the back of her eyes. What was going on? Why was Benny saying those terrible things about her?

He said he hit his head,
Anna reminded herself. She had heard her mother tell stories about the crazy things people did and said when they had head injuries. Maybe something had happened to Benny’s brain so he imagined things that he thought were real.

Yes,
Anna decided.
That must be what happened. He’s just confused now. When he gets better, he’ll realize that none of it is true.

But she couldn’t shake the image of his eyes, glaring at her with hot hatred. His eyes had been so clear. He hadn’t seemed confused at all.