Shelby and Shauna Kitt and the Dimensional Holes. P. H. C. Marchesi

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СКАЧАТЬ and its peeled-off corners shivered in the frigid November wind. As Shauna stood next to her brother – who was now taller than her, much to her dissatisfaction – she began to freeze. Her old and faded blue jacket was no match for the icy wind, so she started hopping up and down to warm herself up. Shelby, who had lost his gloves and had never told his mother, quickly squeezed his hands inside the worn pockets of his brown jacket.

      “I can’t believe you actually bit that guy,” he said, laughing.

      “I hope Ms. Mould doesn’t call mom today,” said Shauna, blowing on her fingers to keep them warm.

      Shelby shrugged, trying not to look worried. He was worried, however: only the previous week, as he sat in detention, he overheard Ms. Mould talking about them on the phone with a friend, complaining about “the girl with her crazy whims,” and “the boy with his terrible attitude.” Shelby knew she was just hoping for an opportunity to kick them out of school.

      The bus finally came into view, lazily turned the corner, and screeched to a halt by the stop. Shelby and Shauna hopped in quickly and flopped onto their seats, relieved to be out of the cold.

      “I wish the diva would get sick occasionally,” said Shelby, looking out at the gray neighborhood. “If mom never gets to sing, no one will see how good she is.”

      Shauna nodded. Their mother had left Chicago to be an understudy in a Broadway musical, but the current leading actress, sensing her potential, took extra pains to block all her opportunities, secretly hoping that the beautiful, dark-haired singer would give up sooner or later. As far as the diva was concerned, anyone who was a single mother of two, and worked at a diner by day and at a theater by night, should have reasonably given up all hopes of being anything by now.

      After a few more exchanges regarding their mother’s evil nemesis, Shelby took his drawing pad from his backpack. His usual motion sickness was beginning to kick in, and drawing was the only thing that made him feel less nauseous – illogical as that might seem to anyone else. Shauna, who had never had motion sickness in her life, looked on as he opened his pad and showed her his newest drawing.

      “I did it during History,” he said, sounding highly pleased with himself.

      Shauna examined the picture closely, and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

      “You actually drew Ms. Mould?” she asked, delighted to recognize the face of the headmistress on a giant, twisted monster.

      “I think it’s one of my best. Do you think you’ll have place for it in your story?”

      “Well, maybe for my next chapter. But you’ll have to change the face. I don’t want Ms. Mould anywhere near my stuff.”

      Shelby laughed. Many an art teacher had been disgusted at the “weird” creatures he liked to draw. As a result, he no longer showed anyone his drawings – except for Shauna, of course. She was the only one who could truly appreciate his art.

      Shauna leaned back, and stared at the dirty bus window, barely noticing the faded buildings go by. What would her next chapter be about? Something exciting. Maybe she should put Ms. Mould in there, and space-wreck her in a planet full of creepy carnivorous plants.

      Shelby was still finishing his new monster, and Shauna was still daydreaming about a planet with invisible mountains, when they realized the bus had arrived at their stop. They scrambled out at the last minute, their imaginary world fading at the dissonant sounds of traffic and the abrupt touch of the cold air.

      Walking quickly, Shelby and Shauna crossed several long blocks, until they finally arrived at The Broadway Diner. Nearly frozen, they hurried into the half-empty diner and sat at table in a corner. A woman in uniform, whose wavy black hair refused to be contained within one thick braid, finished taking an order and walked over to where they were.

      “How was school today?” Fran Kitt asked, bending down to give each of her darlings a kiss.

      “Exciting,” said Shelby, weakly attempting to look away. Fran Kitt’s gaze, however, was not something that could be ignored. Her eyes were jet black, and intense in their brightness. Shelby and Shauna had already noticed that most people avoided meeting her eyes, as if afraid of being pulled right in. Now it was Shelby’s turn to feel uneasy: if he so much as glanced in her direction and met her gaze, she would know everything.

      “Hey, Fran!” called Mr. Burgess, coming out from behind the kitchen counter and saving Shelby from a reluctant confession. “I just got some news.”

      Fran nodded, looking considerably paler at the old cook’s announcement.

      “Ok, Shelby,” she said, with a worried smile. “I’ll figure out whatever it is that you don’t want to tell me later. I’ll get you both some eggs with a side of veggies.”

      “Veggies,” complained Shauna, as Fran walked away. “When are we gonna hear that French fries are good for you?”

      “Or onion rings?” began Shelby, when a plate crashed loudly to the floor. Fran had dropped a burger and fries, and was now quickly picking up the scattered pieces. Shelby and Shauna hurried over to help her, but she asked them to go back to their seats in a tone they decided not to contradict, though they lingered near her just long enough to hear what she said next.

      “I thought the diner would pull through this time,” she whispered to Mr. Burgess, who was picking the top half of the hamburger bun from the floor.

      Shelby and Shauna had heard that the diner might be going out of business, but they had simply assumed it would not happen.

      “Mom, you’ll find another job,” said Shauna, when Fran finally came back with their dishes.

      “Pretty soon you’ll be famous, and you’ll forget all about this place anyway,” offered Shelby.

      Although a cloud had crept over her bright eyes, Fran smiled, and then left to refill the coffee at a nearby table. An hour later, when her shift ended, the three of them left the diner. It was dark now, and the wind cut through their faces as they walked briskly down the block. The theater was only a block away, and they reached its back door in record time.

      “Stay out of everyone’s way, ok?” Fran said, as they rushed in.

      Shelby and Shauna were used to the routine. As Fran hurried off to the dressing room, they meandered towards a corner full of large props, and waited there for their faces, hands, and feet to thaw. Shelby sat on a giant throne he knew would not be used until act two, and Shauna picked a fake, wrinkled log that had tiny, squeaky wheels on the bottom.

      As the actors and members of the production crew hurried back and forth, they pretended not to see Shelby and Shauna. No one was particularly happy that they were there when there was so little space to begin with, but for some reason no one ever complained. Everyone was used to seeing them around, and occasionally Shelby and Shauna were even allowed to peek from backstage and watch their mother singing in the chorus. To them, she stood out from everyone else, with her alluring dark eyes shining even more brightly under the intensity of the stage lights.

      Wishing he had a more comfortable seat, Shelby took out his drawing pad and focused on the new shape that started to emerge from his pen. Shauna watched him, enviously. She could not explain why, but she felt too restless to write. She fidgeted nervously, wondering what was wrong with her, when she thought she heard a very distant cry for help. She sprang up, scanning the corridor, but there СКАЧАТЬ