Promise by Judy Young Page A

said.
    â€œIt’s a rasp. I’m making a walking stick for Gram.” Kaden pointed to a long stick with a big knob of wood on one end leaning in the opposite corner of the tower. “I’ll scrape it with the rasp until it’s the right thickness for Gram’s hand. Then I’ll have to sand it smooth, and I’m going to carve a crow from that knob.”
    Yo-Yo put the rasp back, pulled out the binoculars, andlooked out the windows. Kaden sat back down on the floor, continuing to pet Kubla. Kubla made little gurgling noises of contentment, almost like a cat’s purr.
    â€œEmmett’s pretty cool showing you how to get up here,” Yo-Yo stated as he looked through the binoculars.
    â€œYeah, it was my tenth-birthday present from Emmett. Gram gave me Cabin Two with a set of intercoms, but Emmett gave me a secret hideout.”
    â€œSo this,” Yo-Yo said, waving his arm around the tower, “and that,” he added, pointing to Kubla, “is your secret.”
    â€œYeah,” Kaden answered.
    â€œHow come you keep this a secret? If you told everybody, you’d be the kid with a tower, not the kid with the dad in prison.”
    â€œCan’t. We’re not really supposed to be up here. Emmett’s a good friend of the sheriff’s and he said it was okay if I didn’t tell anyone. Besides, telling would only make things worse. Everyone knows the reason the stairs were removed.”
    Kaden said nothing more. He just continued petting Kubla, who had settled comfortably in his lap. Yo-Yo waited but when Kaden didn’t explain, he finally said, “I don’t.”
    Kaden poked the straw into his second juice box and slurped on it until the sides of the box collapsed inward. He tossed the empty box into a corner. The movement caughtKubla’s attention and he hopped over to inspect it.
    â€œWhen they caught Dad stealing in Chapston City, they searched the cabins, too. They found stuff there but they also found a bunch of his stolen goods stashed up here. And that was the end of the bottom stairs.”
    â€œWhen they searched the cabins was it like on TV?” Yo-Yo asked excitedly. “Did they have those forensic guys and stuff?” He tossed his second empty juice box into a different corner. Kubla marched over to investigate it, too.
    â€œI don’t know. At the time, I didn’t know about any of it, not about Dad stealing, getting caught, going to prison, none of that,” Kaden said. “I was just three.”
    â€œSo when did you find out?”
    â€œIn first grade. Luke told me. I used to play with him at school. Then he had this birthday party. That’s when he told me.”
    â€œFigures it’d be Luke,” Yo-Yo said, “but I can’t believe he invited you to his party.”
    â€œHe didn’t. I found out about my dad when Luke told me I wasn’t invited because his dad said my dad was a thief.”
    â€œSo what did you do?”
    â€œI didn’t believe him. But I was upset I wasn’t invited to the party and when I told Gram why, she was madder than a hornet. But she also told me it was true. She said my dadwas in prison for stealing but it had nothing to do with me or anybody else. And that’s about all she’s ever said. All the rest I’ve picked up along the way. People talk a lot in Promise and they must think I’m deaf.”
    â€œWhat does Emmett say?”
    â€œHe’s never told me much either. It’s like this big secret.”
    â€œWell, I’ve noticed Luke isn’t into secrets,” Yo-Yo said.
    â€œYeah, he brings it up whenever he gets a chance. You want a cookie?” Kaden said, changing the subject.
    Yo-Yo pointed to Kubla. “I don’t think it’s possible, not with that thief over there.” The word “thief” had popped out without any thought and Yo-Yo instantly regretted it. But it didn’t upset