Shadow Girl Read Free Page A

when they were alone. “They’re frozen. They’re going to hurt like crazy when I get my skates off.”
    “Mine, too. But so what? We’re tough, aren’t we?”
    “Tougher than tough.”
    “And fast.”
    “Faster than a speeding bullet!”
    “Supermen!”
    They raced each other around the rink for another fifteen minutes, pretending to be ice skaters in a competition.
    “I don’t want to go home, but I’d better before my toes fall off,” Patsy finally said.
    “Can’t let that happen. I’ll walk you to the end of the street.”
    They made their way through the small park. The road Patsy took to Teresa’s was never plowed in winter. Snow got packed to the pavement by cars,and if the snow melted a bit and then the temperature dropped, the road became icy and easy to skate on.
    They arrived at Bloor Street, said good-bye, and Jules retraced her steps, turning back through the park and into her own backyard.
    A light shone from the kitchen window.
    He’s home!
    Jules opened the back door quickly. “Hi, Dad!” She took her skates off in a minute. There was a lot of noise coming from the kitchen, which meant her father was cooking.
    We’re going to eat a regular meal. A perfect end to a perfect day!
    “What’re you making?”
    “Spaghetti.” He filled a pot with water for the noodles and gave the sauce a stir.
    Jules got plates from the cupboard and set the table. “Do you think there’s a Christmas program or movie on tonight we could watch together?”
    “Dunno.”
    Jules’s dad used to have the Christmas spirit long before the holiday arrived. He loved Christmas programs, Christmas songs on the radio, decorations, and lights – that’s why Jules loved Christmas so much herself. But in the last couple of years, he’d changed. And Jules had to work really hard to get him in the mood.
    “Are you going out tonight?”
    “Nope. Maybe tomorrow. After I get home. After the shopping.”
    On Friday nights, her dad went to Loblaws at the Six Points Plaza.
    “Do you want me to meet you at Loblaws? I can help.”
    “No. You’ll just want me to buy all kinds of stuff.”
    “No, I won’t. Honest. But you should see all the Christmas decorations in the stores. And there’s all kinds of great toys and chocolate and candies in Zellers.”
    “Sounds as if someone’s hungry.”
    Jules laughed. “I can hardly wait to eat.”
    He put the dried noodles in the boiling water. “Shouldn’t be long now.” He turned around to look at the table. “Pretty bare, huh? It’d be good if we could put cheese on this spaghetti or eat it with garlic bread.”
    “There’s Cheez Whiz in the fridge, but it’s kinda dried-up and old.”
    “Doesn’t matter. We’ll eat what we’ve got.”
    “Then maybe watch TV together?”
    “Sure.”
    Jules didn’t know how much boys ate, but she seemed to eat a lot for a girl – or so her dad said. But she just ate when she was hungry and until her stomach was full. Tonight she ate two plates of spaghetti. When they were finished, her dad went into the living room to watch the news while she did the dishes.
    When she joined him, Jules kept her fingers crossed that there’d be something good on. “
Mr. Magoo’sChristmas Carol
’s just starting. Want to watch it, Dad?”
    “Sounds good.”
    Her father loved Mr. Magoo, but his “bumblingness” drove Jules crazy.
    Doesn’t matter. Just watching a Christmas show with him’ll be fun
.
    Even before the program was over, Jules felt herself getting sleepy. She’d eaten so much spaghetti that her belly was bulging. The warm house and food made her warm inside, and she couldn’t keep her eyes open.
    “I’m going to bed, Dad.”
    “Okay.”
    “Have a good sleep.”
    “You, too.”
    When she got to her room, she changed quickly.
    Yikes! It’s like the North Pole up here
.
    She got into bed as fast as she could.
    I won’t be imagining anything tonight. I’m falling asleep standing up!

CHAPTER
4
    T he alarm clock rang.