School of Charm Read Free

wrong?”
    Grandma hurried over, too, but I poked my head inside. And there, right by Grandma’s big, winding, stairs, was a bear. A real, full-grown, eat-you-alive bear. Sure, it was dead and stuffed, but it was growling with its arms out, and it was easy to imagine it grabbing you for a little midnight snack.
    I ducked into another room to get away from it. But that room was filled with dead animals too. Turkeys hanging on the wall next to deer heads. A stuffed mountain goat rearing on its back legs next to a big stone fireplace. Then I spotted a dead fish on a plaque, all shiny and curled up, like he was trying to peel himself off the wall and get back to the water.
    You really have to hate animals to kill them and stuff them and leave them right in your house. She’d probably love to have my turtle on her shelf too. I backed out of the room and bumped right into her. I jumped.
    â€œI see you’re making yourself at home,” she said, crossing her arms.
    I crinkled my nose. “Why do you have all these scary, dead animals?”
    â€œMy word, how rude. My husband was a trophy hunter.”
    Mama came up behind us holding Ruthie’s hand. “See, darlin’? They’re not alive. They’re just like big stuffed animals. Go on. Touch one.”
    Ruthie reached out and tapped the back of an elk standing by the door.
    Charlene tried to smile, but her lip was quivering.
    I couldn’t believe we were moving into an animal cemetery. On purpose.
    â€œChildren.” Grandma clapped her hands. “Start unloading your things.”
    Since we’d sold most of our things with the house, it only took us a few trips to officially move our stuff into Grandma’s. Mama settled right back into the room she used to live in. Charlene got the great big guest room, and Ruthie got a small bedroom with a canopy bed.
    Then Grandma looked at me. “Follow me.” I walked behind her down the hall. Grandma swung her hips when she walked and her pale blue dress made a swooshing sound.
    She stopped in front of a door and gave the knob a good shake. “Stay out of here. This room is off-limits.”
    I shrugged. “Okay.” What worse thing than dead animals could she be hiding in there?
    â€œOkay? Don’t you mean, ‘Yes, ma’am?’” Her big brown eyes blinked fast.
    My shoulders slumped. “Yes, ma’am.” I tried not to growl the words.
    She walked down the hall a few more steps and flung open a door. “I had to give up my sewing room for you, young lady.”
    I peeked in and saw a bed and a dresser. Two dead ducks stood on top, their beaks touching like they were kissing. A stuffed owl with glassy eyes stared at me from the bedside table. A hawk hung from the ceiling with its wings stretched out. There was a sewing machine on a table and boxes of old fabric and patterns were lined up against the wall. It didn’t seem like she was giving up her sewing room if all the stuff was still there.
    â€œThank you, Grandma,” I said. But she didn’t know I said it in the voice I used when I didn’t really mean it, like when Billy did a handstand and asked if his legs were perfectly straight. They never were, of course.
    Grandma was still staring at me. “And change into fresh clothes for dinner. I won’t have ragamuffins at my table.”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œYes, ma’am.”
    â€œYes, ma’am.” I was starting to think the stories Mama had told about Grandma during the car ride might be some of her true ones. Grandma sure seemed like the type of person who’d make turtle soup. She probably even enjoyed eating it too.
    Grandma went to help Mama unpack, and I got to work putting away the few things I’d brought. I’d sold most of my old toys at our garage sale. I was still real upset about selling my bike. Daddy had given me that red banana-seat bike when I was eight. It had tassels on the handles and