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Next morning Michael found Lea in her usually seat
on the bus. He was full of ideas for revenge on Bicester
but she had issues of her own. It was rare that she
did something she regretted but this time she had, and
it took her almost the entire trip to tell the story.
It was a dark rainy morning. The sky was overcast and
the cars all had their headlights on.
"So," she concluded. "Now I just wish
I'd never taken it. She'll think I meant to keep it.
I wore it for the party because I've never had anything
with a diamond, and I was so careful with it, and I
brought it home safely, and I took it off and put it
in the top drawer of my dresser and I meant to sneak
it back last night when I got home but it wasn't there.
I turned the whole drawer out."
Lea, one of the calmest, most level-headed people he
knew, was on the verge of tears and he knew he had somehow
to help.
"Hey. It'll be OK. I'll come over tonight. We
can turn the room out."
"Yes?"
"Yes! We'll find the ring, get the homework out
of the way, and still have time to go to the park to
take another look at the house. It'll be cake."
She brightened. "Thanks."
"Any chance your mother took it back without telling
you? Maybe to teach you a lesson?"
"I don't think so. It was hidden pretty well.
Did you ever see that little jewelry box my sister gave
me? I keep it in the top drawer and I put the key in
a different place each month. This month it's on the
top shelf of the bookshelf, balanced on top of that
children's encyclopedia I never look at. It's still
just where I put it, right at the back, almost ready
to fall off."
"Well, we'll find it." He smiled. "Trust
me?"
She didn't look as if she did, but she nodded anyway.
They were apart for their first hour, Lea in a German
lesson, Michael in Spanish. The second lesson was History.
Bicester was already there when he arrived. On every
desk there was a sheet of paper, face down. Even before
he took his seat, Michael could make out the mirror
image of the word TEST at the head of the page.
Not again! No! Not again! Up with this we simply will
not put!
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