Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber Page A

pile of rocks up ahead, and maybe enough ground coverage to make a call. I scrambled up, clutching Gobi's phone, trying not to make too much noise as I panted for breath.
    At the top, I stopped and looked back.
    From here, the park looked empty.
    I sucked in a deep, rib-aching breath and listened to the faint noises of the city filtering through the trees: voices, car horns, the horses from hansom cabs clip-clopping up along Central Park South. I inhaled New York and breathed out Perry Stormaire. The world smelled like budding leaves, algae, and fresh-cut grass. Given a moment of calm and sufficient oxygen, my mind flooded with images and jumbled thoughts. The old man choking on his own blood as he sloped to the floor of the bar ... Gobi clutching me tightly and staring right into my eyes ... the way that Milos had jerked backwards and gone pale when she gave her name. What had he meant about things being "regrettable"? How had he known her?
    Keeping absolutely silent, I looked back down the walkway and saw nothing but trees and grass and the shimmering darkness of the pond. The traffic on Fifth Avenue was a world away. The loudest noise was the thudding of my own pulse, pushing on my eardrums. Looking up, I realized that I could see my dad's office building rising way up on Third Avenue. There were lights on at the top, one of the partners working late in the corner office.
    I touched a button on the phone. The screen lit up instantly, casting a glow on my face. I dialed my home number and waited while it rang and rang.
    Finally, Annie's voice answered:
    "Hello?"
    "Munchkin," I whispered. I could hear the TV in the background, music playing. She'd been listening to a lot of hip-hop and R&B since she'd turned twelve. "It's me."
    " Perry? Where are you? Mom and Dad went to the city looking for you and Dad's super pi—"
    "Annie, listen to me. You have to get out of the house, right now."
    "What? Why?"
    "It's not safe in there. You have to get out. Go to the Espenshades' down the street—just get out of there."
    "Perry, it's like, midnight. I promised Mom I wouldn't leave the house. I'm not even supposed to answer the phone unless it's an emergency, and I'm like, how am I supposed to know it's an emergency unless I answer it, you know?" I heard her crunching on something, popcorn or nachos, followed by a slurp of soda. It made me feel better, knowing that she'd raided the pantry and was hanging out, alive, eating nachos. "Anyway, what are you doin'? You sound out of breath. Are you still in New York?"
    "Annie, listen. There's a bomb in the basement."
    "A what?"
    "A bomb in the basement of our house."
    "Ha-ha, very funny."
    "I'm not joking. Gobi put it there."
    " Gobi? Our foreign exchange student?"
    "She's not a foreign exchange student—she's some kind of international assassin, and you have to get out of there, do you understand me?"
    It was quiet for a long time, and the TV and music went away. Annie had either turned them off or gone into another room and shut the door.
    "Munchkin? Are you still there?"
    She breathed.
    " Annie? "
    "Do you promise this isn't some trick, Perry?" she said. "Because if it is, it's really mean."
    "It's not a trick," I said.
    "You swear?"
    "I swear," I said. "Just get out of there."
    "Okay."
    "And call the police as soon as you get to the Espenshades'."
    "Perry?"
    "What?"
    "I heard Gobi talking one night in her room when she didn't think anybody was there. I think she might have been talking about guns. She kept switching from English to Lithuanian. I didn't say anything because I thought I must have been hearing her wrong." Annie's voice warbled toward tears. "I'm kind of scared, Perry."
    "Are you outside the house yet?"
    "Yeah..."
    "On the cordless?"
    "Uh-huh..."
    "Just keep walking," I said. "Get as far away from the house as you can. I'm going to stay on the phone till you get to the Espenshades' front door, okay?" I waited. "Annie?"
    No answer. Had we lost the signal? Then I heard the sound