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 It s my turn to babysit tonight, he mumbled.  I swapped so Jenna could hang with Noah.
 Who said you could swap the schedule? Ren frowned. Now Jenna turned beet red.
 It s just until Joey s more mobile, she stammered.  I ll pay back the babysitting hours later, when he s
better and wants to run  Her sentence jerked to a stop at Ren s frown. Jenna threw a guilty glance toward
Isabelle.
Isabelle felt sorry for the girl. She d already suspected Jenna and Noah were an item. Her impatience with
Ren grew. Why shouldn t the girl go meet her beau, though Lord knew what there was for them to do around
here. Ren must have read her thoughts, for she grudgingly complied.
 Okay, you can swap tonight. But no more schedule switches without clearing it with me first. I need to know
who s where, doing what.
Joey and Jenna exhaled in relief. Joey left to follow Mouse, and Jenna continued to clear the table.
 Let me help. Isabelle collected the dirty dishes.  Please let me wash up. She was trying desperately to
smooth over Jenna s embarrassment.
 I ll get coffee. Ren stood.  With a shot of brandy. Jenna, you get going, we ll finish up. With a grateful
smile Jenna untied her apron and headed for the door.
 What on earth is there for them to do around here? Isabelle asked as she piled the sink full of dishes and
ran the water.
 Plenty. Here, let me help. Ren took up a dish towel and began to dry as Isabelle washed.
Later they sat on the cookhouse porch and sipped brandy-laced coffee.
 The valley is magical at night. Ren sounded content.
A plaintive howl echoed from the forest below, and Isabelle shivered under her thick jacket.  The valley
sounds dangerous. It s the mountains that are magical. She gazed at the circle of snowy peaks; they glowed
against the velvet night sky.
Another howl rent the night air.
 God, listen to that. Will they be all right out there? Isabelle asked nervously.
 That wolf is miles away. The acoustics of the valley make it sound closer. A chorus of howls answered the
first cry, and for a moment the whole valley resonated with the eerie melody.  Sounds like a party.
 I can see why it s called the Singing Valley. Isabelle settled back in her seat and watched the tip of the
waxing moon balance delicately on a distant mountain ridge. The sky was cloudless and the night air crisp
and sharp. A million stars swathed the heavens above them in expansive swirls of design.
 It s beautiful here. Isabelle s breath escaped in little misty puffs.  I wish I knew the constellations.
 See that W shape? Ren pointed overhead.  That s Cassiopeia. And right up there, Ursa Major, or the Big
Dipper. She continued to point while Isabelle struggled to see what she was actually pointing at.
 Wait. What W shape?
A cry from the bunkhouse brought Ren to her feet before Mouse s scream had even registered with Isabelle. By
the time Isabelle stood, Ren was already halfway across the yard, running for the other building. Isabelle
chased after her. She arrived at the bunkhouse in time to see Ren bend over a tearful Mouse. She was sitting in
her bunk crying and had obviously woken from a nightmare. Isabelle was full of sympathy. She d suffered
enough nightmares to last a lifetime.
 What is it? Joey hobbled in bare-chested from the washroom. Toothpaste rimmed his mouth.
 Just a bad dream. Ren lay Mouse back down and tucked the blankets up under her chin.  It s okay,
Mouse.
 It s under the bed. Mouse kicked the blankets off again and sat up.
 What is? Ren asked.
 The vampire. Mouse was very determined to exit a bed that had a vampire under it.  I was sleeping and it
touched my arm and I screamed and it vanished.
 Vampire? Ren glared over at Joey. He went chalk white.  Have you been showing her those stupid comics
again?
 No, Ren. Honest. He backed up a little.
 Ren. No more shouting, please. Isabelle went over and gathered Mouse in her arms. She perched on the
edge of the bed and cuddled her on her lap. Mouse burrowed into her. Although her tears had stopped, she
was still upset.
 There s nothing under the bed, honey, Isabelle said.
 There is. I saw it.
 You saw it? Under the bed? Goodness. Isabelle sounded suitably surprised.
 Uh-huh.
 Nonsense. There s no such thing as vampires. I told you before. Ren said.
 Ren. Isabelle looked over Mouse s head.  Check under the bed, please.
 What?
 Check under the bed. Mouse says she saw a vampire, and I want you to check.
 You want me to look under the bed? Ren was astounded.
 Yes, please, Isabelle said calmly.  If a vampire is stupid enough to come into this bunkhouse and hide
under Mouse s bed, I want you to find it and give it a pounding it never forgets. Better still, it tells all its
friends that Singing Valley is off-limits to vampires unless they want a pounding, too.
With a puff of exasperation, Ren bent on one knee and dipped her head to look under the bed.
 There s nothing there.
She stood and looked at Mouse curled up on Isabelle s lap. Her face held a strange expression that Isabelle
found impossible to read.
 See, honey. There s no monsters under there, Isabelle murmured into Mouse s sweaty hair.  Vampires are
afraid of Ren. They know she d chase them away.
 Yes, she would. She d bite them bad. Mouse mulled over this new logic. It seemed to calm her. She still
clung to Isabelle s neck. Isabelle rubbed her thin little back with big, soothing circles. She liked comforting
Mouse. Mouse needed hugs.
 Of course she would. And then there s Joey, and Jenna, and Noah, and Patrick, too. Think about it. A
vampire would never come here. They d bash him good. You re safe here, Mouse. This is the safest place in
the whole world. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]