and stretched before she rolled out of bed.
Downstairs, her mother was already up, sitting in her bathrobe, pecking away at the computer on the desk in the dining room. An empty space occupied the middle of the room where a table should have been.
“Good morning, Garnet,” her mother said. Her eyes, the same shade of violet as Garnet’s, looked over the top of the dark-framed glasses that she wore for reading and working on the computer. Her hair, unlike Garnet’s, was straight and cut short. It used to be brown before she started dying it auburn to cover the grey.
“Morning, Mom.” Garnet sat down in the chair beside her and looked at the screen. “Still searching for that skeleton in your closet?”
“Oh, Garnet! Why do you say it that way?” Garnet’s mother had recently discovered that her father, whom she had never known and thought to be dead, could still be alive. Using his name, she had begun an Internet search to seek any information she might find about him.
Garnet giggled. “You know I’m just kidding.”
Her mother clucked her tongue and rose from the chair. “Do you want to use the computer while I go make some breakfast?”
“Sure.”
“What would you like?”
“French toast.”
“Okay.”
Garnet took her mother’s seat and clicked on her email. She hoped there would be one today and silently cheered when she saw there was. It was from Amy, her best friend. They had been sending emails every day since Garnet had moved. Well, almost every day. It was more like every two to three days now. In fact, Garnet calculated, it had actually been a week since she had last received one. She had sent Amy two in the meantime. She wondered what kept Amy so busy that she didn’t reply sooner. The emails were her only link left to any friendships at all. Especially since she had not yet made any new friends at school.
Garnet noted the time this last email had been sent. Last night at midnight. When Garnet had already been in bed for two hours.
Hey, Garnet!
What’s up? How’s life out in Kitchener? Any better? Things are awesome here! I can’t wait til this weekend. Jody’s sleeping over tonight and tomorrow night we’re hitting one of the coolest parties! Kurt Henderson’s!! Ahh! I’m so psyched! Parent-free and the coolest people will be there!!! I wish you were here. We’d have so much fun! Party time! Hehe. The only thing is, my parents would totally freak if they found out, so they think I’m sleeping over at Jody’s. It’s going to be such funness!! Anyways, talk to you later.
Lotsa luv
A.
Garnet sat back in the chair, slightly dazed. Kurt Henderson! He was the most popular guy at their high school and was known for partying. Not that Garnet or Amy had ever gone to any of the parties he’d been at — they had only heard about them. Their mothers would never have allowed them to go.
And Jody! Jody was in Grade 11, a year ahead of Garnet and Amy. She lived down the street from where Garnet used to live but they had never been friends. She was one of those girls that Garnet hated, yet secretly envied. She always hung around with the “in crowd” and always seemed to be where the action was. But the worst part about Jody was that she had one of those goddess bodies that most mortals are not born with. She was tall with straight, long, black hair and a body with curves in all the right places. Kind of witchy, Garnet thought. And when she walked down the hall at school, she swung her hips a little and the guys noticed, often calling over to her and making flirtatious comments. Then she would just toss her head and give them a wide smile with her perfect teeth. Garnet had never liked Jody and now it looked like she was Amy’s new friend.
Garnet bit her lip. If only she could move back to Owen Sound. Back to her old house. She had lived next door to Amy for three years. Garnet felt the black digital watch on her wrist and recalled the day her friend had given it to her, shortly after she and her mother had moved from Toronto. She had been in Grade 7, and every day Amy would come to call on her to walk to school together. Garnet’s mother would have already left for work and Garnet would always be scrambling, still getting dressed. Finally, one day, Amy took off her watch and handed it to Garnet, saying, “Here, take this. You need it more than I do.” It was not an expensive watch and it skipped ahead a minute or two every week or so, so that Garnet had to remember how much ahead of time it was running or else readjust it. But she wore it, anyway. It reminded her of Amy.
And now she was stuck here where she had no friends and nowhere to go tonight. If only her mother hadn’t taken this transfer. Her only hope now was that the promotion her mother was expecting would fall through. Maybe then there’d be the chance they could return to Owen Sound and she could have her old life back.
“Breakfast is ready!” her mother called. Garnet punched the desk with her fist and went to the kitchen.
After breakfast, Garnet went upstairs and pulled on a pair of blue shorts and a white T-shirt. As she tied back her red curls, she glared at herself in the mirror. Nose too freckled. Lower lip too fat. Then she set off on her bike.
A white Sunbird was parked in Elizabeth’s driveway when Garnet arrived. She set her bike at the side of the house and climbed the stairs to the verandah. The faint strains of someone playing the piano filtered through the closed door. Garnet tapped the brass lion-head knocker and waited. A few moments passed before the door swung open, and she was startled to be greeted by a strange little woman with dark, questioning eyes. Her short brown hair, flecked with grey, began in the middle of her forehead and was combed back away from her face so that she reminded Garnet of a chimpanzee.
“Yes?” the woman inquired in a low tone.
“Oh! I was looking for Elizabeth.” Garnet frowned. “Is she here?”
“Who are you?” the woman asked, her eyes boring into Garnet’s.
Garnet suddenly became aware that the piano music had stopped.
“I’m Garnet Walcott. I helped Elizabeth yesterday when she fell. I just dropped by to see how she was.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth as though she were about to say something, when Elizabeth appeared at the door. She smiled when she saw Garnet and Garnet could see that she looked rested and more energetic than she had the previous day. “Hello, Garnet. So nice to see you again. Do come in,” Elizabeth invited, motioning with her hand.
The strange woman moved aside and Garnet stepped into the green-and-white-tiled entrance, where an antique oriental vase, decorated with colourful flowers and birds, rested on a small table and a grandfather clock stood in the corner, its pendulum swinging back and forth, announcing the half-hour with a gong.
“Gerdie, this is Garnet. I met her yesterday when I went out for a stroll. Garnet, this is Gerdie, my housekeeper.”
“Hello,” Garnet said, smiling weakly.
“Hello,” Gerdie grunted, making no attempt to return the smile. “Well, I’ve got work to do,” she muttered. She turned and shuffled away, climbing the floral-carved spiral staircase. One more unfriendly face in this city.
“Come, let’s go into the living room.” Elizabeth guided Garnet to the left, through the French doors. “You’ll have to excuse Gerdie,”
