Bad Dreams Read Free Page A

so
gorgeous!”
Andrea gasped. “Look at the carving on the posts.”
    She was right. The woodwork was stunning, with intricate carved pinecones poking over the top of the canopy. “Do you think they’re going to come back for it?” Andrea asked.
    Maggie frowned. That hadn’t occurred to her. Maybe she wouldn’t get to keep the bed after all. “Beats me,” she said thoughtfully. “Why would they take everything else and leave this for later? It doesn’t make sense.”
    â€œYou’re right,” Andrea said. “I think they deliberately left it behind.”
    Andrea gave Maggie a friendly smile. I know that smile, Maggie thought. In fact, Maggie could predict everything that was about to happen.
    Andrea was trying to act calm, but Maggie could tell how tense she was. And she knew why Andrea was tense. Andrea wanted the bed. Desperately.
    â€œSay, Mags,” Andrea began. “Mags, you know how I’ve always wanted an old-fashioned bed like this one, right?” Andrea bit her lip.
    Here came the question Maggie had silently predicted.
    Sure enough, Andrea demanded, “Can I have it?”
    Can I have it?—
Andrea’s four favorite words.
    Andrea stared at Maggie, pleading with her eyes. Maggie lowered hers to the bed.
    What should I tell her? Maggie asked herself. What should I do?
    Should I avoid a fight and give it to her?
    What should I say?
    If Maggie had known the horrors that awaited her in the old canopy bed, her answer might have been different.
    But she had no way of knowing why the bed had been left behind.

chapter

3
    â€œF inders keepers,” Maggie told her sister.
    Andrea flinched as if Maggie had punched her. “Finders keepers? Oh, give me a break!” Andrea cried heatedly. “You’re not going to be that childish, are you?”
    Maggie’s smile faded fast. “It’s not childish. We chose the rooms last time we were here. You wanted the bigger room, the one in the back of the house, the quiet room, off the street. Remember? The one with the great window seat.”
    â€œBut that was before we knew they were going to leave the bed behind,” Andrea whined. “It’s not fair.”
    â€œAndrea,” Maggie said. “I’m sorry. It was just luck. Look, sometimes I get lucky, sometimes you—”
    â€œThat’s such bull, Maggie, and you know it!” Andrea snapped. “You
always
get your way!”
    â€œNo, that’s not true, that’s—”
    â€œIt
is
true! I don’t believe you! You never give me a break! Never! You are a totally selfish pig!”
    As far as Maggie was concerned, it was always Andrea who started the name-calling and yelling first. It was certainly true now. Andrea was shrieking at the top of her lungs.
    The louder Andrea yelled, the quieter Maggie became. “Andrea, what if the bed had been in
your
room? Would you give it up?”
    Andrea had been pacing around the bed. Now she slapped her forehead in disbelief.
“I would if all your life you had dreamed of having a canopy bed!”
she screamed.
    â€œAll your life, since when, Andrea?” Maggie replied. She was trying to remain calm, but her voice was shaking. “Since five minutes ago?”
    She could hear footsteps hurrying up the stairs.
    â€œMom!” Andrea pleaded as Mrs. Travers hurried into the bedroom. “You tell her! Haven’t I always wanted a canopy bed? Haven’t I?”
    â€œHold it, hold it, hold it,” Mrs. Travers said wearily. “Please, whatever you do, don’t shout.” Then her eyes fell on the bed, and her jaw dropped.
    â€œOh, my goodness,” Mrs. Travers cried. Her eyes lit up. “They left that beautiful antique behind?”
    â€œYes!” cried Andrea. “And Maggie says—”
    Mrs. Travers wasn’t listening. She walked across the room slowly and stared at the bed as if it were amirage.