The Stepsister (2 page)

“I'll bring the suitcases up later,” Mr. Wallner said, heading toward the kitchen.

Nancy led Rich up to his room, the very narrow room that up until a few days before had been a storage closet at the end of the hall. “Come on, Jessie,” Emily said brightly. “I'll show you our room.”

“Great,” Jessie said, smiling at Mrs. Wallner. “We'll be down in a few minutes. I'm starting to feel really hungry too.”

“I'll get everything ready,” Mrs. Wallner said happily, following her husband to the kitchen. “Hey, Hugh—don't eat up everything before the kids get a bite!”

Jessie followed Emily up the carpeted stairs, which creaked and shifted under their feet. “Ta-daa! Here it is,” Emily said, ushering Jessie in.

Jessie frowned as her eyes quickly surveyed the room. “Kind of small,” she muttered.

“Huh?” Emily wasn't sure she heard right. Jessie had such a whispery voice.

Still frowning, Jessie walked over to the open window and, leaning against the sill, looked out. “Fear Street. What a name.”

“It's a very interesting neighborhood,” Emily said.

“How long have you lived in this old dump?” Jessie asked, turning to Emily. It seemed more like an accusation than a question.

“Uh . . . about six years, I guess,” Emily said, trying to think how old she was when they moved here. “My parents like old houses. I mean
liked.
My dad, he was really handy. He loved to fix things up.”

“Is your mother always so cheerful and enthusiastic
like that?” Jessie asked, quickly changing the subject. She rolled her eyes. “I mean, wow.” She stepped back from the window and sat down on Emily's bed, then lay back, supporting her head in her hands.

Uh-oh, Emily thought. Jessie is so different as soon as the adults are out of sight. She was so sweet downstairs. But now she has a whole new personality. Is this what she's
really
like?

“Mom was just excited,” Emily said uncomfortably.

Jessie sat up and picked up Maxie, Emily's treasured old teddy bear. “You don't look like your mom,” she said, looking Emily up and down.

She's staring at my big hands, Emily thought. She clasped her hands behind her back and walked over to the desk. “No. But my sister looks exactly like her. Exactly.”

“I never liked red hair,” Jessie said, making a face. She examined the old teddy bear, then looked back up at Emily. “There isn't much closet space in here, is there? What am I supposed to do with all my stuff?”

She must have caught the wary look on Emily's face, because she immediately started to apologize. “I'm really sorry. Please. Forget everything I've said up here. I—I'm just so nervous.”

“I'm nervous too,” Emily admitted. “You really don't have to apologize.”

“Yes, I do. I was just being stupid. This—it's all been so hard. I mean, it's been terrible.”

Emily turned the desk chair around to face Jessie and sat down in it. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, as soon as Mom found out that Daddy was
getting remarried, she couldn't wait to shove Rich and me off on him. It's not too cool to find out your own mother doesn't want you around.”

“I'm sorry,” Emily said softly.

“Rich and I have been like yo-yos,” Jessie said bitterly, staring down at the carpet. “It's like we've been shuttled back and forth between the two of them our whole lives.” She tossed the teddy bear from hand to hand. “Also, I had to leave everyone. All my friends. My best friend, Debra. Debra and I—we were really close. I miss her already.”

“I'm really sorry,” Emily repeated. “I didn't really understand how hard this is for you.”

“Well, it's tough,” Jessie said, still unable to look at Emily.

“I'll try my best to—” Emily started. But she was interrupted by the familiar tiny thunder of dog paws. Tiger burst into the room, leapt up onto the bed, and tried to lick Jessie's face.

“Ugh! Get away!” Jessie screamed, shoving Tiger away. “Get off me!” She shoved him hard. The confused terrier let out a confused yelp as he hit the floor. “That awful dog will get hair all over my new sweater!” Jessie wailed. “Get him out of here!”

“Tiger—out,” Emily said firmly.

The dog didn't have to be told twice. His stub of a tail straight up in the air, he turned and trotted out.

“He's really very sweet,” Emily said, annoyed at Jessie's violent reaction to Tiger.

“He's disgusting,” Jessie said, searching her sweater for dog hairs.

“He doesn't shed much at all,” Emily told her.

“He could've torn it,” Jessie whined. “Do you know what this sweater cost?”

“It's very pretty,” Emily said, a little embarrassed. To change the subject she asked, “Are you starving now? You want to go back downstairs?”

“Yeah. I guess.” Jessie moved Emily's old teddy bear from hand to hand.

“I was given that bear on my first birthday,” Emily told her. “It was always my favorite.”

“Really?” Jessie pinched the bear's nose. “It's pretty tacky now, isn't it?” She laughed, a whispery, high-pitched laugh.

“It means a lot to me,” Emily replied.

“Guess I'll take this bed, Emily. I can't stand sleeping by a window.”

“But that's always been
my
bed,” Emily protested. “We bought that new bed by the window for you.”

“Well . . . then I think we have a problem.”

Jessie glared unhappily at Emily. Then she looked down and tore the head off the teddy bear.

The Last Camp-out

J
essie laughed a startled, high-pitched laugh.

Emily was still too shocked to say a word. Was this really happening?

Jessie quickly choked off her laughter. “I'm so sorry,” she said, looking down at the teddy bear head in her left hand and the body in her right hand, gray stuffing falling through the open neck. “It was an accident. Really.” She looked up at Emily, as if to see if Emily believed her.

Emily didn't believe her. “You pulled Max's head off,” she said. For some reason it came out more like a question than an accusation.

“No. It just came off in my hands,” Jessie insisted. “Really. I barely touched it. You do believe me, don't you?” Her large blue eyes burned into Emily's, as if challenging Emily to agree it was an accident.

Emily didn't reply.

A shadow fell across the room. It was caused by clouds covering the sun outside the bedroom window. The room darkened so suddenly it gave Emily an eerie feeling. She had this strange sensation that Jessie had brought on the darkness. Emily shivered, suddenly chilled.

It was a silly thought, of course. But the picture of Jessie in the darkened room sitting on Emily's bed with Max torn in half on her lap would stay with Emily for a long, long time.

The shadow lifted.

“Hey, guys.” Nancy walked into the room. She was carrying a handful of cassettes. “How's it going? Do you want these back, Em? I borrowed them last week and—”

She stopped in midsentence. “Hey—what happened to Max?”

“It was an accident. Really!” Jessie cried, sounding very defensive. She stood up quickly and walked over to Nancy, holding up the two teddy bear parts. “It just came off in my hands.” Jessie's voice trembled.

Nancy put the cassettes down on the desk and took the teddy bear from Jessie. “Maybe it can be sewn,” she said. She looked at Emily.

“Maybe,” Emily said doubtfully.

“Hey, your brother sure is quiet,” Nancy said to Jessie, deliberately changing the subject. She handed the teddy bear to Emily.

“Tell me about it,” Jessie said dryly. “Rich is quiet, okay? But once you get to know him, he's just about silent!”

Nancy laughed. Jessie laughed at her own joke. Emily still didn't feel like laughing.

Jessie has a real mean streak, she thought. She's only been here a few minutes, and she's already putting down her brother.

Then she realized that maybe she was being ridiculous. Jessie had just made a joke, after all. And maybe the teddy bear thing
was
an accident. Max had been practically falling apart for years. Here Emily was, thinking the worst about Jessie when she should have been trying to make her feel at home, feel like part of the family.

She
is
part of the family now, Emily told herself. You've
got
to get along with Jessie.

“It must be hard for Rich,” Emily said sympathetically. “Starting all over in a new school is rough.”

“Tell me about it,” Jessie said with some bitterness. Then she laughed, a nervous laugh. “Rich is okay, I guess. He and I really don't talk much. It's hard to get close to him. He's sort of in his own world. Always walking around with some creepy book in his hand. He must be the biggest Stephen King fan in the world. He even writes him letters.”

The room darkened again. The sky outside the window was completely gray now. The colors in the room all seemed to fade into shades of gray.

“I never liked Stephen King all that much,” Nancy said. “Of course now that I'm a senior, I don't have time to read
anything.
Just schoolwork. And college applications, of course.”

“Are you going out tonight?” Emily asked quickly.
She didn't want Nancy to get started on how hard it was being a senior and how much work she had to do. Nancy could talk for hours on that subject. It sometimes seemed to Emily that Nancy spent more time talking about how hard the work was than doing the work. And when she wasn't complaining about all the homework, she was complaining about her social life. “Don't you have a date with Gary Brandt?”

“He called and broke the date,” Nancy said, shaking her head. “Said he had a cold. But he didn't even have the decency to sniffle once or twice into the phone. I knew he wouldn't show.” She picked up the cassettes and then let them drop one by one back onto the desk. “Let's not bore Jessie with the details of my social life,” she said with a forced laugh. “It's been such a mess ever since—”

“I know, I know,” Emily groaned, rolling her eyes. “Ever since Josh broke up with you and started going out with me.”

Jessie climbed to her feet, looking very uncomfortable. “Maybe I should go downstairs,” she said, looking first at Emily, then at Nancy. “If you two want to tear each other's eyes out or something . . .”

“No, no,” Emily said, jumping up too. “Nancy and I have been over this a thousand times.”

“Two thousand,” Nancy said, brushing her copper hair back over her shoulder.

She looks just like Mom when she does that, Emily thought.

“Nancy, you know you couldn't stand the sight of Josh anymore,” Emily said, wondering why she was
bothering to defend herself again. “You told me you were going to break up with him, remember?”

Nancy flushed. She seemed embarrassed to be discussing this in front of Jessie. “You're right. You're totally right, Em. In fact, I really don't know what you see in him. He's such a creep!” She laughed, trying to make it all sound like a joke. She turned to Jessie. “Josh's idea of dressing up for a date is to turn his sweatshirt around so the dirty part is in back!”

“Hey, that's not fair!” Emily cried.

Jessie and Nancy laughed.

Why is she going into all this now? Emily wondered. Josh doesn't mean anything to Nancy. She's told me a million times that she doesn't care that I'm dating him now.

“I'm hungry. I'm going downstairs,” Nancy said, heading for the door. “You coming?”

“Be down in a second,” Emily said, setting the two parts of the teddy bear down on the desk.

“I like your sister,” Jessie said as soon as Nancy had gone downstairs. “She's so pretty. Are you really dating her old boyfriend?”

“They didn't go together that long,” Emily said brusquely. She really wanted to drop the subject.

“So, are we agreed?” Jessie asked. “I get the bed by the wall?”

“Well . . .” It isn't settled at all, Emily thought crossly. That's
my
bed!

“And can we move that night-table over to my side?” Jessie asked. Without waiting for a reply, she began tugging the night-table across the room.

“I'll have to empty it out for you,” Emily said quietly. Is Jessie trying to bully me? she wondered. Is she always going to have to get her way? Is she going to boss me around in my own house?

It's her house too, Emily reminded herself. It's her house too—from now on. . . .

♦ ♦ ♦

“Well, this is a real party!” Mrs. Wallner said, beaming happily from the head of the dining-room table. Mr. Wallner muttered agreement, a pleased smile on his usually dour face.

Emily and Nancy had decorated the dining room, stringing crepe-paper streamers over the doorway and over the dark green wallpaper above the buffet, and hanging big cut-out letters spelling
WELCOME
over the double windows. Their mom had put a white linen tablecloth on the table, a special departure from the straw place mats they usually used. Two dozen pink and red roses in a big cut-glass vase served as a beautiful centerpiece. Emily couldn't remember the old house ever looking this festive.