She could close her eyes and picture those men, just as he had described-the strange, old tuxedos; the grayish-white skin; the freakishly chapped lips. She had seen those men before.
But where?
An involuntary shiver ran through Charlotte. That thing in her brain started to dance around urgently. She regarded her cousin carefully.
"You think I'm barmy?" muttered Zee.
Slowly Charlotte shook her head. "No," she mumbled. "I don't think you're nuts."
And that left only one option…
Could he really be telling the truth?
Charlotte chewed on her lips. Her stomach was still floating around in her belly, and her skin felt prickly. She couldn't get the afterimage of those man-like men out of her mind. She looked up at her cousin, who was regarding her closely. His eyes were big, and for a moment he seemed very small. They looked at each other for a while, saying nothing. Zee gulped.
"So," he said in a whisper, "do you believe me?"
The words hung in the air. Charlotte couldn't help but notice how desperate he sounded. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. She closed her eyes. She shuddered. "Maybe?"
Zee exhaled loudly. "Okay. Okay," he said. "If you want, well, I know a way…I could prove it to you."
Charlotte ducked into her room to pick up what they would need, and then she and Zee walked down the stairs together as quietly as they could. Charlotte knew a confrontation with her mother was inevitable, but she still held out hope that the world was a magical, wonderful place where she could sneak in and out of the house without her mother even noticing.
"Charlotte?"
Alas, the world was not such a place.
"Mom?" Charlotte called innocently. She and Zee froze by the coat closet. Bartholomew, who had followed them downstairs, started running back and forth along the front hallway.
"What are you doing?" Mrs. Mielswetzski's voice carried in from the living room. Charlotte glanced at Zee.
"We're going out!" she said brightly.
"Oh, are we?"
Charlotte sighed as she heard footsteps approach. Her mother stood in front of them, hands on hips. "And just where do you think you're going?" she said in her very motherly way. Bartholomew started batting at her ankles.
Charlotte's eyes grew wide. "We have to give Maddy her homework. Zee wanted to come with." This is what made Charlotte a good liar; she was quick thinking, earnest, and remorseless. In fact, she was at her most sincere when she was lying. Her parents still hadn't caught on.
"Oh, did he?" Mrs. Mielswetzski gazed at Zee, and then back at Charlotte, in her I know this is all your fault kind of way.
"Mom, he's fine. He said he was feeling much better." Charlotte elbowed Zee in the kidneys.
"Um, yes, Aunt Tara," he added quickly. "I could really do with some exercise. I feel much better, but I really need some fresh air."
Charlotte exhaled. He had said just the right thing. Her mother was a great believer in fresh air.
Indeed, Mrs. Mielswetzski visibly relaxed. "All right," she said. "Just… be careful. Bundle up."
"Mom! It's really warm."
"Charlotte, there's something going around. You're lucky I'm letting you out of the house."
"Bundling up's not going to help," Charlotte muttered, glancing at Zee. She grabbed her coat.
Mrs. Mielswetzski had not heard. "I'm sure I'm going to regret this. I've never heard of them canceling school," she sighed. "You be careful out there. And your father says dinner's in an hour. Don't be late. And Charlotte?"
"Yes?"
Her mother's expression softened. "You're nice to help your friend. Tell Maddy I hope she feels better soon."
"Thanks, Mom." Charlotte smiled a little.
But her mom wasn't looking at her anymore. "What is that cat doing?"
Charlotte and Zee turned to look. Bartholomew was standing directly in front of the front door, staring at Charlotte and Zee. Her tail had puffed out to twice its size, and a low growling sound was emanating from somewhere deep within her. Charlotte and Zee took a step toward her and the growling grew louder. She backed up against the door and starting hissing.
"See?" Mrs. Mielswetzski said, laughing a little. "Even the kitten doesn't want you to go out."
Eyes wide, Charlotte approached Bartholomew, picked up the hissing, growling, scratching, puffy hell beast, and gingerly set her aside.
Charlotte had not been completely lying to her mother; they were going to Maddy's house. She had been truthful about the destination of their visit, if not the reason, the best lies having some truth to them, and all.
The cousins walked along in silence in the cooling evening air, while Charlotte mused further on Zee's story. It did sound crazy, but who was to say there weren't weird, creepy, tuxedo-wearing shadow thieves wandering around? It was possible. Anything's possible.
And, of course, Uncle John and Aunt Suzanne's reaction was so classic. Her parents would have sent her into therapy too. It would just never occur to them that he might actually be telling the truth.
And if it was true, none of them, neither the Millers nor the Mielswetzskis, were going to be any help at all. Which was so typical.
"Now," Charlotte said when they got to the Rubys' door, "let me do the talking."
Zee coughed a little. Charlotte rang the doorbell. Mrs. Ruby answered the door, looking even more tired than before. "Charlotte? Hello. Come on in."
"Hi, Mrs. Ruby," Charlotte said. "I wanted to give Maddy today's homework. Oh, this is my cousin Zee." Zee stiffened and stuck out his arm. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Mrs. Ruby blinked and shook his hand formally. "And you, Zee."
"He's from England," Charlotte explained. "How's Maddy?"
"Oh, well… I'm sure she'll be better soon." Mrs. Ruby smiled thinly. Mrs. Ruby was not a very good liar. Charlotte's stomach turned.
Maddy's room was the same dark, cold place it had been when Charlotte last saw it, and Maddy looked just as lifeless as she had before. She smiled at Charlotte, but she didn't even lift her head, and for a moment Charlotte forgot why they had come.
"Hi, Maddy," Charlotte said softly, sitting down next to her friend. "Are you okay?" It was so dark in the room she could barely see her face.
Maddy shrugged.
Charlotte leaned in. "What's wrong?"
Maddy's eyes grew into small, round moons. "I'm just so tired," she said weakly.
"It's okay, Maddy," she said softly, grabbing her friend's hand. "You'll get better."
"I don't know" Her eyes traveled to Zee, who was standing in the back of the room. "Oh!… Hi…"
In the sickbed moment Charlotte had almost forgotten the reason for their trip, but at the reminder of Zee's presence in the room everything came flooding back to her. She stiffened, then said, too brightly, "Zee's here… he wanted to say hi."
"Oh!" Maddy said, casting a you should have warned me look at Charlotte. She moved, as if to sit up.
"No, it's all right." Zee stepped forward anxiously. "Don't… don't. I just wanted to say… I hope you feel better."
"So," Charlotte interjected breezily, "I've got your homework. Mr. Metos said you don't have to worry about the rest of the unit, isn't that nice? And do you know there's no school all week? So you won't be missing anything. Cool, huh? With the long weekend, that makes a whole week off. You'll be back in school with the rest of us on Wednesday. Then you can get back to helping me with my math." Charlotte smiled limply, while Zee stepped back into the shadows. Meanwhile, Maddy had faded into her pillows.
"Hey, um, Maddy?" Charlotte said tentatively. "Can we ask you something?"
"Yeah?"
"When you were walking home on Monday, you know, when you got sick? Did anything, um, happen?"
"Huh?"
"Oh, you know… did you see anything… weird? Or… anyone?" Charlotte eyed her friend carefully. Maddy shook her head. "No. No," she whispered. "I was just walking, and I don't know. I must have fainted or something. I was fine, and then I woke up on the ground. I could barely get home."