Waking by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry Page B

when she pushed open the front door. The roses crowded her on either side, blooms fading. Petals sprinkled the ground like rain. She’d only been gone for a day, but it felt like a year. She half-expected the house to look different. It didn’t.
    She poured herself a glass of juice and sighed over the perfectly cubed cheese and sliced watermelon. Something had to be done. They couldn’t keep living like this. She ignored the plate her father had prepared for her and grabbed a handful of chocolate chip cookies instead.
    Chewing contentedly, she turned on her computer and decided to check her e-mails without even bothering to remove her coat. Sabrina had sent her a couple of messages . There was a chain letter forward, which she deleted immediately, and an advertisement promising to cure her male pattern baldness.
    Her hands froze over the keyboard when she saw Poe's name. The subject of his e-mail had been left blank.
    She smiled and jiggled her foot nervously. She opened the message and read it quickly. She felt self-conscious suddenly, as if he was watching her.
    Hey Beauty, Just wanted to say hi. Great presentation today in class. You look cute in long dresses. I stopped by your locker after school, but I guess I just missed you. Had a great time yesterday. Want to do something maybe this weekend? Poe.
    Beauty had never squealed before in her entire life. She made up for it now. She also jumped to her feet and did a dance of joy, which mostly consisted of flailing herself about until she got tired. She plopped back down into her chair, still grinning and panting.
    She decided Luna had to see the e-mail directly, and she’d call Sabrina tonight and tell her everything. She hit forward and typed in a quick message, barely glancing at the screen as she tried to figure out what she would write in her e-mail to Poe. It would have to be casual and witty and, of course, perfect.
    Luna, you are queen of the world. You have magic clothes. Can you believe it? Does he even know how beautiful he is? This is so unbelievably cool, I think I might throw up. Beauty.
    She hit the send button and sat back in her chair. She wanted to sound casual but interested and definitely not like all the other girls who probably e-mailed Poe. She bit her lower lip and stared at the screen thoughtfully, focusing.
    Something in the bottom of her belly turned over slowly and then began to spin around like pollen caught in a high wind. She grew very still except for the rapid blinking of her eyes as she focused.
    â€œNo,” she whispered. She touched the screen. “No, no, no.” Her e-mail service was telling her, clear as day, that she had not hit “forward” but “reply.” Her e-mail wasn’t whirling through cyberspace on its way to Luna’s mailbox. It was being shot straight toward Poe. “No!” she yelled and slapped the back button as many times as she could. She couldn’t cancel the e-mail or retrieve it or change it.
    She couldn’t even crawl into a hole and die.
    She jumped to her feet and began to pace back and forth, back and forth. Her hands flapped as she talked to herself.
    â€œIt’s okay,” she told herself in a falsely calm voice. “I’ll just leave town. People do it all the time. I’ll get a new identity. They’ve got to have some kind of witness protection program for idiots.” She groaned. “I hate computers.” She turned to glare at the offensive machine in question and then picked up the phone and dialed Luna’s number. “I really really hate computers,” she said without preamble.
    â€œWhat?” Luna asked. “Beauty?”
    â€œI’m running away. Wanna come with me?”
    â€œWhat happened?”
    Beauty paced again even though the phone cord only stretched about two feet.
    â€œI just sent you an e-mail,” she said.
    â€œOkay. Should I turn on my computer?”
    â€œDon’t bother. I