The Children of Fear
Author: R. L. Stine
Date: 1997-06-02 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Horror; Young Adult; Thriller; Historical Fiction; Childrens; Fiction; Paranormal; Gothic; Crime; Novels
Description: Luke hates listening to the townspeople talk about his sister, Leah. They call her evil, and say she has unnatural powers. Leah does have the strange talent of being able to communicate with animals. But Luke is sure Leah would never use her gift for evil—until their parents’ horrible accident.
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

About the Author

Prologue

The Dark Cellar

Cold. Icy needles that pierced to the bone.

Racked with chills, the young man huddled over the solitary candle. He stretched his frozen hands to the flickering orange light. Then pushed his fingers even closer to the flame.

He smelled the skin on his fingertips burn. But felt nothing.

Totally numb.

Cold death is coming, he thought.

And soon. Too soon.

He shuddered. The wavering flame glowed dimly. And beyond the pale yellow glow, the darkness shifted and coiled.

For in the darkness, they waited.

Waiting only for the flame to sputter out and die, he knew. Then they’ll come for me. I won’t escape. This dank cellar will be my coffin.

His weary, burning eyes closed. His chin dropped heavily to his chest.

Outside the stone walls, he heard the raging storm claw at the night. Icy rain pelted the tiny window; a freezing wind rattled the glass.

He lifted his head and stared at the window. If only I were a little boy again … if only my shoulders weren’t so broad … my legs so long … I could break that glass and squeeze out through the window.

But there’s no way out for me now. The window is too small. And the oak door is too thick. I could never break it down.

Luke stared back at the candle and listened to water dripping along the stone walls. A steady rhythm that beat out the words… .

No way out. No way out.

Lightning flashed.

His eyes flew open.

In the blink of an eye, he saw them.

Their thick, scaly bodies coiled and slithered across the stone floor. His breath caught in his throat as he heard a low hiss. Their lifeless black eyes fixed on him … waiting … waiting for the flame to die.

The darkness closed in around him again. His heartbeat roared in his ears. The flame sputtered. Grew smaller.

“Not yet!” his mind screamed. “You can’t go out yet. You have hours left to burn. Hours!”

The flame flickered and nearly went out. He gasped.

Then the yellow light flared up again, burning low. He watched large drops of molten wax slide down the side of the thick candle and pool on the cold floor. Like bits of sand in an hourglass. Each drop marking another moment of his life, gone.

Someone will find me someday, he thought. They’ll find my bare white bones scattered over this filthy floor. I want them to know how I died. I want them to know why I died!

He cupped his hand around the flickering flame and lifted the candle off the floor. He took a step back.

A loud hiss rose from the shadows. He heard a swish—cold scales slithering over stone.

He held his breath and took another cautious step back.

He heard another swish. Faster than before. A rattle, as though a baby played in the corner with a wooden toy.

But he knew there was no baby in the cellar.

No wooden toys. Only death.

Another hiss echoed around him. His head spun to the other side and he peered into the pitch-black darkness. He couldn’t see them. They could be anywhere.

His knees felt rubbery as he took another slow step backward.

Swish. Hiss. Rattle.

He swallowed hard. His hand trembled and the candle nearly went out.

He took a deep breath.

Stepped back.

Hiss. Swish. Rattle.

He took another step back, and then another, until he finally felt the damp stone wall against his shoulders.

He waited.

The hissing rose and rose. Louder and louder. Until the very air vibrated with the sound. Vibrated right through him. Then it grew softer, fading into a low whisper.

He slowly released his breath.

They won’t come as long as the candle burns, he realized.

The candle looked a few inches longer than his index finger. If he handled it carefully and the flame didn’t go out, he guessed that it might burn for a few hours more.

Maybe, just long enough. Enough time to tell my story.

He crouched and placed the candle on the floor. The flame danced. His shadow floated over the wall.

What can I use? he wondered. What can I use to tell my story?

He searched the small surrounding circle of light on the floor and walls. Reaching down, he picked up a nail. Bent, crooked, rusty.

He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. Then fiercely stabbed the nail into his palm. He gasped with the pain and stared down at the blood pooling in his hand. He watched as the red drops splattered on the floor.

So warm, he thought. At last my fingers will be warm.

The candlelight shimmered off his bright red blood. He dipped his fingers into the glistening pool, giving them a moment to thaw.

Then he stood. He coated the nail with his blood and began to write on the stone wall:

If only I had known the horrors that my silence would bring… .

Chapter
1

Western Pennsylvania, 1876

Luke Fier slapped the heavy reins over the mule’s backside.

“Get on there,” he ordered, pushing hard on the plow. He felt his anger rising as the mule slowly turned its big head to stare back at him.

“Go on now! Pull!” Luke urged with another slap of the reins. The mule took a slow step forward. Then another.

Luke plodded behind the slow mule. His arms ached from pushing the plow. He felt the sun high over his shoulder and knew that the morning was almost half over. He had been at work since sunrise and had only two long furrows to show for his efforts.

We’ll lose the farm at this rate, he thought wearily. I was born on this farm. So was my father and his father before him. I’ve lived here for sixteen years. I don’t want to live anywhere else.

He felt the sweat slide down his back and wiped his shirtsleeve across his sweat-covered brow. He imagined a cool drink of water or lemonade sliding down his parched throat.

No time to stop. Keep going, he pushed himself. He looked ahead to the end of the row, trying not to think about water.

The mule stopped, refusing to pull anymore. Luke dropped his chin to his chest. I might as well pull the plow myself.

He swept his battered brown hat from his head and tossed it to the ground. The warm breeze whipped his black hair across his face. He stood straight up and pressed his fists against the small of his back. He felt a fierce burning ache. It felt worse every day. He straightened and heaved a deep sigh.

“Pa, could you talk to Henrietta—”

The words clogged his throat. He still couldn’t believe that his father was dead.

“You could always make Henrietta obey,” he whispered hoarsely. “I don’t have your skill. Or your gift.”

Luke looked toward the house. His gaze fell to the huge white stone that stood beneath the towering oak tree. The smooth marble bore his mother’s and his father’s names. A chill swept through him.

“How could you die and leave me alone?” he asked in a raw voice. “How could you?”

He closed his eyes against the pain and the bitterness.

I know I’m not alone. I have Corey and Leah. And the farm.

But you should be here to take care of them. To take care of me.

He could see so clearly the afternoon his parents had died. Gray clouds massed in the sky. A cool wind carried the scent of rain.

Luke stood on the front porch of their two-story clapboard house. He watched as his father helped his mother into the wagon. They were going to the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

His mother straightened the bow on her best bonnet. She glanced at Luke. “Promise me you’ll take good care of your sister and brother, Luke,” she asked him. Luke nodded in answer.

Then she turned to Leah and Corey. “And you two must obey your brother. Or there’ll be no presents when we return. Do you understand?”

Leah nodded sulkily at her mother and Corey said nothing. He frowned and twisted a rag toy in his small, soft fist. “We want to go with you, Mama. Please?” he asked one more time in his lispy voice.

“Corey, you know you must stay here with Luke and Leah,” she reminded him. “Be good children and we’ll bring each of you a present,” their mother promised.

“I don’t want a stupid present,” Leah whined. “I want to go too.”

“Shush up,” Luke scolded. He glared at her. He hoped his parents hadn’t heard Leah’s complaining. They’d already heard enough of it.

Earlier that morning, Corey had cried and tugged on his mother’s skirt. Leah hadn’t shed tears. But she’d been sulking for days. Both were unhappy because their parents were leaving them behind. Leah was thirteen. Corey was six. They were huddled so close together on the porch steps that they reminded Luke of a pair of Siamese twins he’d seen at the circus the year before.

They both had black hair. Their green eyes glittered with angry tears.

“They’ll do their chores and go to bed early every night,” Luke promised.

From the corner of his eye, Luke saw Leah stick her tongue out at him. Luke laughed.

I’ll be in charge, he thought as he watched his father climb onto the bench seat and release the brake. I can take care of them and the farm too. My folks will be surprised when they get back and see how well I’ve run everything here.

“Take care now, children,” Luke’s father called out. “We’ll be back next Saturday.”

Luke admired the easy way his father snapped the reins and set the four horses into motion.

Luke’s mother turned on the bench and began to wave.

Luke waved back. “Wave good-bye,” Luke instructed his sister and brother.

“No,” Leah said, crossing her arms over her chest. She pushed out her lower lip in a pout.

“No,” Corey said, imitating his sister’s actions.

“We wanted to go with them,” Leah whined. Luke jumped at the sharp sound as she angrily stamped her foot on the porch step.

Corey jumped up and did the same. Luke began to scold him.

Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky. Thunder rumbled and Luke felt the earth beneath his feet shake. A fierce blast of wind sent a frigid chill slicing down his back.

Then Luke heard the hysterical scream of the horses harnessed to the wagon. He watched in horror as they reared up and clawed the air. Then began a wild gallop.

He saw his father working desperately on the reins and heard him calling out to calm the terrified animals.

Luke shot off the porch and raced after the wagon.

“Stop!” he yelled. “Stop!” But his voice drifted on the wind. Not strong enough to stop the stampeding horses.

The horses raced on toward a deep ravine, dragging the wagon behind them. He saw his father flung backward into the box, slamming headfirst into a wooden barrel.

Clinging to the side of the wagon, his mother looked back at him. The wind had torn off her bonnet and her hair whipped wildly around her head.

Snorting with rage, their lips curled back against their teeth, the horses galloped madly along the ravine. The wagon teetered on the edge… .

Then it rolled over.

Chapter
2

Luke shuddered with the memory. Ten months later he still didn’t understand why the horses had bolted.

Was it the lightning? The thunder? he wondered for the hundredth time. He’d never known his father to lose control of any animal. No matter what. His father had a gift when it came to handling animals. A gift he had passed on to Leah.

If only I had the gift too. Maybe then we’d have a chance. Maybe then I could at least get this stupid mule to pull this plow.

He stared at the unplowed fields surrounding him. Doubts and worries swarmed within his head.

I don’t know what to do, he realized. I don’t know how to keep the farm.

He thought about his visitor the day before—Mr. Stone, the president of the bank.

He felt hot anger mingle with his fears. Mr. Stone had threatened to take the farm away if Luke didn’t make a payment on the land soon. What would happen to Leah and Corey then?

I’m sixteen, old enough to take care of myself, but Leah and Corey are both too young to be left alone. They need me to be strong. Who would take care of them if I didn’t?

With determination, Luke slapped the reins. “Come on, you stubborn mule. We’ll stay in these fields all day and all night if we have to.” The mule brayed and took a step forward.

“That’s a start,” Luke said as the strap from the plow dug into his shoulders. He tightened his grip on the handles and pushed the plow, turning the black dirt. Every muscle in his body strained with his efforts.

We won’t lose the farm, he vowed. I’ll do whatever I have to do to stay on the land.

He turned at the sound of someone yelling his name. Leah raced across the field, tugging Corey along behind her. Her black braids flapped wildly against her shoulders.

“Luke!” she screamed.

Luke’s heart thudded painfully in his chest. Something’s happened, he thought. Something horrible has happened again.

He began running as fast as he could toward his sister and brother. “What is it?” he yelled. “What’s wrong?”

Leah stopped and began to laugh. “Don’t worry, Luke. Everything is fine.”

Luke stumbled to a halt, breathing heavily. “Why are you yelling for me?”

Her green eyes sparkled. “You promised to take us into town for the centennial celebration. Don’t you remember?”

The centennial celebration. He’d forgotten all about it. Stormy Ridge was having its own centennial celebration. It would be nothing like the exposition his parents had planned to attend in Philadelphia, but it would be exciting.

“Leah, I’m sorry, but I can’t take you to town today. I have too much work to do.” He waved toward the unplowed fields.

Her green eyes darkened. Her mouth turned down into a frown. “But you promised!”

“I know I did, but—”

He felt a hard tug on his trousers. He looked at his brother. Tears welled up in Corey’s green eyes.

Luke knelt in the brown soil. Corey’s and Leah’s green eyes were like their father’s, a strange sort of green that would be light one moment, dark the next.

“Do you want to go to town, Corey?”

Corey nodded, his eerie silence raising the hair on Luke’s neck. His brother had not spoken a word since the day their parents were killed.

Luke brushed the dark hair off Corey’s brow. It fell back into place as though it had a will of its own.

Why won’t you speak? Luke wondered. Why can’t you say a simple yes?

He flicked a ladybug off Corey’s bare foot. Corey’s overalls were getting too short. Luke glanced at Leah. Her blue calico dress looked worn and faded. Until the crops came in, none of them would have new clothes.

“I know you want to go, but if I don’t get the field plowed, we won’t have a crop. Without a crop, we’ll lose the farm,” he explained.

“But, Luke.” Leah dropped beside him. She dug her fingers into his arm, her green eyes flashing excitedly. “There’s a horse race. The winner gets fifty dollars! And I know I can win!”

“Fifty dollars?” Luke echoed. Fifty dollars would surely be enough to keep them on the farm until the crop came in. Could Leah possibly win it for them?

Luke scoffed at the idea. He felt silly and childish for thinking for one moment that she could really win all that money.

“Leah, I know Pa taught you well about horses,” he told her. “But they’ll be a lot of people competing for that much money. And a lot of horses that are even faster than Phantom.”

Leah crossed her arms over her chest and angrily glared up at him.

“I can win it. I know I can,” she insisted. “And if you don’t take us to town, I’ll just go by myself.”

Luke knew that look. Short of locking her in the house for the rest of the day, he knew his sister would make good on her promise. He sighed and bent down to pick his dusty hat up from the ground.

“All right.” He nodded. “We’ll go.”

♦ ♦ ♦

With Corey perched on his shoulders, Luke trudged down the dirt road toward town. Leah walked beside him, leading her black horse, Phantom. She wouldn’t let them ride the horse to town because she didn’t want it worn out before the race.

Luke felt she could never win the race. But he forced himself not to say anything more about it.

When we get to town, Leah will see for herself that winning this race is just a dream, Luke thought.

They neared the town and heard the crowds and the sound of a brass band. As they turned up the crossroads and walked down Main Street, Luke saw banners strung up from one side of the road to the other and people milling about everywhere. He’d never seen so many people in the small town. Most of the clapboard stores had signs hanging in the windows or on the doors that said CLOSED FOR THE BIG RACE.

He spotted some signs that said the horse race would take place on Main Street at one o’clock. He guessed by the sun that it was nearly that time already.

“Isn’t it exciting?” Leah said. “It looks like everyone is here to watch the race.” Standing on tiptoe, she pointed to the town hall. A group of men—laughing and talking—stood on the porch and front steps in front of the building. Beside them, another man stood on a barrel. He held a wooden sign over his head that read SIGN UP FOR THE RACE HERE.

“That’s where I need to go,” she told Luke.

Luke nodded. “I’ll hold Phantom for you.”

He took the reins from his sister, shifted Corey on his shoulders, and followed Leah.

“I need to sign up for the race,” Leah said excitedly to the men standing on the porch. They suddenly grew quiet and stared at Leah as though she had sprouted another head. One tall young man with broad shoulders stepped forward.

“You can’t be in the race,” he told Leah. “You’re a girl.”

Leah tipped up her nose. “Thomas Wade, you show me the rules—in writing.”

Thomas Wade ran his fingers through his dark red hair. “The rules aren’t written, but we all know them,” he said. “No girls.”

“You don’t want me to enter because you know I’ll win,” Leah said.

Thomas narrowed his black eyes. “No one can beat the Wades,” he said, his voice low.

Luke stepped forward. He knew everyone in town feared the Wade brothers. They were the wealthiest family in the area. They had used their wealth and influence to run more than one family out of town. Luke didn’t like them, but he knew Leah had her heart set on entering the race.

“If no one can beat you,” Luke said, “then it shouldn’t bother you if Leah enters.”

“Luke’s right,” a deep voice agreed.

Everyone turned to see Earl Wade walk toward the town hall, leading two golden stallions with long silver manes. Luke’s gaze roamed over the horses’ powerful builds. He saw their muscles bunching as they followed their master. Luke’s heart sank. He knew Leah’s horse could never outrun them.

“Let her enter,” Earl said.

Leah squealed with delight. “Thanks, Earl. I won’t beat you too badly.”

One man on the porch picked up a large chalkboard and stepped over to Leah. Luke saw that the names of everyone entered in the race were written on the board.

“Write your name under there,” the man grumbled as he handed Leah a piece of chalk.

With quick, neat strokes Leah wrote her name out on the board.

Luke saw Thomas and Earl exchange glances. Then their mouths curved up into grins. He feared what the Wade brothers planned.

Leah brushed the chalk dust off her hands and took the reins from Luke.

“Watch out for the Wade brothers,” he whispered as they strolled away from the store. “I don’t trust them.”

Leah’s eyes darkened. “They’re bullies, but they don’t frighten me.”

Maybe they should, Luke thought. But he didn’t want to worry her too much before the race. He knew she needed to keep her attention focused on riding Phantom. “We’ll go find a place to stand where we can watch the race,” Luke told her.

“Yell for me,” she asked.

“We will,” he promised.

With Corey still perched on his shoulders, Luke pushed his way through the laughing, boisterous crowd. People stood shoulder to shoulder, lining both sides of the dirt road where the horses would race. Luke studied the track as the riders gathered at the far end of the street. He saw that they needed to race to the other end of town, circle a barrel, and return to the starting point. Luke found a spot halfway down the road.

“Good day, Mr. Hammond,” he said as he threaded his way to the front of the crowd.

Mr. Hammond, the owner of the general store, spun around. Although he had closed his store for the day, he still wore his white apron. “Well, hello, young Fier. We don’t see you in town much these days.”

Luke forced himself to smile. “The farm keeps me busy.”

“I imagine it does at that. A sad thing—your parents dying the way they did. A sad thing indeed.”

Mr. Hammond pulled a sarsaparilla stick from his pocket and held the candy toward Corey. Corey grabbed it, nearly tumbling off Luke’s shoulders in his eagerness. Luke righted his brother while Mr. Hammond laughed heartily.

“Thank you for the kindness, Mr. Hammond,” Luke said. “We don’t get many sweets these days.”

“That will change if your sister wins this race, won’t it?” he asked.

“Yes, it will,” Luke replied as he glanced toward the area where the riders and horses waited. He caught sight of Leah standing beside her black horse, stroking his neck. Luke pointed. “Look, Corey. There’s Leah and Phantom.”

Corey clapped and waved.

Leah smiled broadly and waved back.

“Your father told me that Leah has a gift when it comes to animals,” Mr. Hammond said.

Luke felt the pride swell within him. “Yes, sir, she does. Animals seem to sense what she wants them to do.”

“She’ll give the Wade brothers a run for their money,” Mr. Hammond said. “But I don’t imagine she will win. The Wade brothers have their minds set to win this race. They don’t take kindly to losing.”

Luke watched as two boys stretched a rope across the dusty road.

“Mount up!” Mr. Stone yelled. He not only owned the bank, he was also the mayor. He oversaw the races and anything else of importance in town—

Like turning a family out to starve, Luke thought icily. Yesterday he threatened to throw us off our land. Now he stands there, with his big round belly and pudgy cheeks, smiling at everyone like Santa Claus.

How I wish Leah could win.

A dozen horses approached the rope, their riders urging them forward.

Leah was the only girl. Even from a distance Luke could see the excitement in her eyes, the glow in her cheeks.

Luke watched anxiously as the Wade brothers took their places, Thomas on one side of Leah, Earl on the other. He saw them crowd Leah and push Phantom away from the starting line. Leah shoved on Thomas Wade’s arm. Thomas only laughed and nudged his horse against Phantom.

Alarm rippled through Luke when he saw the Wade brothers exchange knowing glances, as though they were more interested in hurting Leah than in winning the race. Leah looked so small and fragile sitting between them.

Mr. Stone raised his arm and fired a pistol into the air. The boys dropped the starting-line rope.

The riders yelled and slapped the reins. With loud whinnies, the horses bolted forward. A thick cloud of dust rose up from under their galloping hooves.

Coughing, Luke closed his eyes and stepped back. The screams and yells of the crowd roared in his ears.

“Go, Wade! Go, Earl!”

Luke knew people were afraid to yell for anyone else. The Wade brothers would take revenge on anyone who shamed them. Especially if they were shown up by someone smaller. Small and weak, like Leah.

Corey’s clapping pounded in Luke’s ears, and he felt Corey’s small feet beat against his chest. Luke steadied his little brother on his shoulders. Then pushed forward in the crowd to get a better view.

He spotted Leah riding hard, the Wade brothers on either side of her horse, crowding her as they had at the starting line. The horses were too close. They kept bumping into one another. Poor Leah had no room to maneuver, no way to surge forward.

Suddenly, Thomas reached out, grabbed Phantom’s bridle, and gave a hard yank.

The horse faltered and began to pitch forward. Leah screamed and pulled back hard on the reins.

“Leah! Hang on!” Luke called out. His stomach churned as he watched Leah struggle to right her horse. If his sister lost her seat on Phantom or the horse fell, they both could be trampled to death.

He spotted the Wade brothers exchange a sly, vicious grin as they galloped on—toward the barrel.

As Leah gained control of Phantom, Luke released a sigh of relief. Almost all the other riders had raced past Leah, but she seemed determined to continue. She rubbed Phantom’s shoulder, then kicked him in the sides.

The horse began to lope and then to gallop. The wind whipped Leah’s braids back over her shoulders as she swiftly gained on the other riders. She leaned low over Phantom’s long, sweat-slick neck.

What is she doing? Luke wondered. He saw her lips move. It almost looks as though she’s whispering to the horse.

He watched in amazement as the horse picked up speed when Leah guided it around the barrel. They cut the corner sharply. The horse’s backside hit the barrel. It teetered.

Luke held his breath. He knew Leah would be disqualified if the barrel toppled over. But the barrel remained standing.

Leah and Phantom passed one rider after another. Then the horse broke into a dead run, leaving all the other riders choking on the dusty cloud stirred up in its wake. Unexpectedly, Leah was ahead of everyone.

“Look, Corey! Leah’s winning!” Luke called out excitedly. He hopped up and down and felt Corey happily pat his head.

“If she just makes it past the Wade brothers, she’ll win,” Luke murmured.

Leah ran only a few feet behind both of the Wades, her sleek black horse galloping just outside of their golden stallions.

Luke saw Thomas glance over his shoulder at Leah and start to laugh.

“Oh, no,” Luke said aloud. “If Thomas tries to pull on Leah’s reins again, he’ll break her neck!”

Horrified, Luke watched as Leah’s horse moved up and Thomas reached out for Phantom’s halter. He felt Corey’s fingers twined tightly in his hair and heard his little brother sniffle, as if he might cry.

“No, Corey. Don’t look,” he ordered him. He tried to get Corey down off his shoulders so he wouldn’t see Leah get hurt. But the little boy wouldn’t budge.

Then without warning, while Thomas still leaned out toward Leah, his golden horse reared up on its hind legs. With its lips curled back in a vicious snarl, it turned toward Earl Wade’s horse and buried its large teeth into the other horse’s neck. Blood spurted over both of the brothers. Luke heard Thomas scream as he slipped in his saddle and desperately clung to the side of his mad horse.

Luke heard Earl Wade’s earsplitting cry as he struggled to stay on his wildly prancing horse. Then Luke saw Thomas’s horse lower its head and kick its hind legs. With his arms flailing, Thomas toppled out of his saddle. Luke heard him hit the ground with a thud. He squeezed his eyes shut as Thomas’s horse slammed both hooves down on the fallen rider’s arm.

He heard Thomas scream in agony and saw him rolling on the ground. His horse galloped away. Luke grimaced at the sight of the jagged bone sticking up through Thomas’s torn skin. Dark red blood soaked into the ground.

Luke heard the crowd gasp again and saw people pointing. He tore his gaze from Thomas Wade and looked up just in time to see Leah’s horse gallop across the finish line.

“Wow! She won, Corey! She really won,” Luke yelled up to his little brother. He couldn’t see Corey’s face, but he could feel the little boy jiggling with excitement.

Leah dismounted and dashed toward them. “Luke! Corey! I won! I won! Did you see me?”

Laughing, she wrapped her arms around Luke’s waist, hugging him tightly. “See, I told you I would.”

“Yes, Leah, we saw everything,” Luke replied, patting her hair. “You were wonderful out there,” he added.

Corey slipped down off Luke’s shoulders. He wrapped his arms around Leah’s waist and buried his face against her stomach.

Leah tickled him. “Hey, it was nothing, Corey. I’ll teach you how to ride like that too, someday.” Leah laughed.

As Leah’s laughter faded, Luke suddenly felt an eerie chill. He looked around and noticed how the crowd had made a wide circle around his family.

All around, he heard only hushed murmurs, whispered words. And Thomas’s horrifying groans—over and over. Luke shuddered as he felt people staring at him, staring at Leah.

“Stand clear of that Fier girl,” someone in the crowd called loudly. “She has unholy powers.”

“She can control animals,” someone else added in a low, harsh voice. “Did you see the way she was talking to her horse? The way she was looking at the Wade brothers? She made their horses fight!”

Luke heard other people murmur in agreement, their eyes turning suspicious, their faces scowling.

“She is evil!” someone shouted.

“Yes, evil. Evil!” others yelled, taking up the chant.

Chapter
3

“Stop! Stop right now! Do you hear me?” Luke shouted. “Leah is not evil! I will not have you calling my sister names!”

“Luke, don’t let them say that about me! You know it’s not true!” Leah cried.

Luke glanced at his sister. Her green eyes glimmered with tears. Her skin looked white as snow.

“Of course it’s not true.” Luke put his arm around her and drew her close to his side. He could feel her trembling.

On his other side, he felt Corey clinging to his leg. He patted the little boy’s head with his hand.

How could anyone think Leah was evil? Luke wondered, the anger seething through him.

“She is not evil,” he repeated. “She’s skilled when it comes to handling animals. They trust her. Just as I trust her.”

Earl Wade shoved his way through the crowd until he was standing in front of Luke, breathing heavily. “My brother’s arm is broken. And I nearly got killed when our horses went wild.” He shook a finger at Leah. “She did it!”

Luke could see people bobbing their heads in agreement. He could hear the murmurs of agreement.

“Leah didn’t do anything to those horses,” Luke insisted. He turned to the crowd. “You all saw Thomas reach out and pull on Phantom’s bridle when the race started. He nearly made Leah’s horse fall. And he tried to do it again when Leah caught up to them. That’s why he lost control of his horse,” Luke shouted.

Earl glared at Luke, then at the crowd. They all began to shuffle their feet and lower their gazes. Luke could see that they were afraid to voice the truth, afraid Earl might strike out at them with his large, beefy hands. Luke felt his throat go dry with fear, but he had to protect Leah.

“Are you calling my brother a cheat?” Earl demanded as he took a step closer.

“I’m just telling the truth,” Luke replied in a firm voice.

Earl narrowed his eyes into slits. “The Fiers have always been troublemakers. It’s too bad all of you weren’t in the wagon the day it rolled over onto your parents.”

Leah gasped. Luke felt Corey’s hold on him tighten.

“We weren’t causing any trouble today. You were,” Luke pointed out. “You didn’t want Leah in the race.”

“We don’t want you or your family in Stormy Ridge at all,” Earl Wade spat out. “The orphan train is passing through here in a few days. Maybe you should consider climbing on board.”

Before Luke could respond, Earl Wade had turned and stalked away.

Luke glanced at the people surrounding them. Some looked frightened. Some looked angry. He noticed Mr. Hammond staring at them with a sympathetic expression. He looked to Luke as if he might speak. But then Mrs. Hammond came up beside him. She pulled on his sleeve and led her husband away.

None of them came to our defense, he realized sadly. Do they all feel as Earl Wade does?

“The Wade brothers are poor losers,” Luke said as he released his hold on Leah. “Leah won the fifty dollars.”

Mr. Stone stepped forward. “I’m afraid that, as the judge of this race, I’ll have to declare it a forfeiture. The circumstances under which Leah won are questionable. It wouldn’t be right to give her the money.” He waved his hand in a circle. “Does anyone disagree with me?”

The crowd answered with only silence.

“Leah won,” Luke stated emphatically. “Whether you give her the money or not, she won.”

“Young man, I think you’ve said enough. You and your family better head home. If you know what’s good for you,” Mr. Stone replied sternly.

Luke felt his anger simmer and rise. He felt his hand ball up into a rock-hard fist as he stared into Mr. Stone’s red face.

“Let’s just go, Luke,” Leah pleaded. “I’ll get Phantom. We’ll meet you at the crossroads.”

Luke turned his back on Mr. Stone and took Corey’s hand. “Come on, Corey,” he murmured. He walked quickly down the road that led out of town. Corey raced to keep up with his long strides.

“Those people are fools,” he mumbled to Corey. “Our father was skilled with animals. He spent hours and hours teaching Leah. She just has a special way with all creatures. It’s a gift. There’s nothing evil about it.”

He glanced down at Corey. The little boy looked up at him with a solemn expression. “Don’t worry, Corey. They’ll forget all this in a day or two. We’ll stay close to home for a while. It’s just as well.”

They quickly reached the crossroads outside of town and waited. Moments later, Luke spotted Leah leading Phantom behind her. Luke lifted Corey up and put him in the saddle.

“Luke, are you going to put us on the orphan train?” Leah asked in a shaky voice.

Luke stumbled to a halt and met Leah’s gaze. “Don’t be ridiculous. We have the farm, so we aren’t really orphans.”

But how long will we hang on with Mr. Stone threatening to throw us off the land any day now? Luke wondered. What will we do? How will we live?

He quickly smothered the nagging thoughts and turned his attention to Leah. He stopped walking and stared down at her. She acted so fierce and proud. But she still needed his help and protection. Just as much as Corey. Hadn’t he promised his mother that he would take care of both of them?

He had to keep his promise. No matter what happened.

“Whatever happens, we’ll always stay together, Leah. You, me, and Corey. Nothing and no one will separate us,” he promised. “I don’t care what anyone says,” he added emphatically.

He could see the worry linger in Leah’s eyes. Tears shimmered there.

“But do you think I have evil in me?” she asked quietly. “Do you think what they said is true?”

“Of course I don’t, Leah.” He reached out and stroked her hair. “Papa had a gift, and so do you. There’s nothing unnatural or evil about it. Why, it’s something to be proud about, I think. Papa was always proud you had his gift.”

She slipped her hand into his. “I’m so glad you made me that promise, Luke. It makes me feel a lot better. And I’m glad you don’t think that what they said is true.”

Luke smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

“Still, I’m terribly glad that Thomas Wade broke his arm. I only wish he’d broken his neck!”

Luke heard her laugh. Then he heard Corey giggle too.

He stared straight ahead and kept walking as a chill crawled down his spine.

♦ ♦ ♦

A few days later, Luke swung his ax wide and slammed it into a log, splitting it cleanly in two. Here’s something I can do that doesn’t require the cooperation of an animal, he thought grimly. He swung the ax again and again, and heard the wood chunks fly in all directions. Yet Luke barely noticed the pile of wood mounting around him. He thought only of the unplowed fields that surrounded him.

He’d tried for long, grueling days to get Henrietta to pull the plow. But the mule’s pace remained agonizingly slow. Each night, as Luke fell into bed aching and exhausted, the swollen red face of Mr. Stone filled his head. He stared into Mr. Stone’s narrow, piglike eyes and felt a black pit of despair open up in his stomach.

Tomorrow, or the next day, Mr. Stone would return. Only a few silver dollars remained to pay him. Not nearly enough money to keep the farm.

Where would they go? What would they do?

The idea of the orphan train had repulsed him. But now, as he mulled it over, Luke felt it offered some slim hope to keep his family together. On their own, he’d never be able to find a job that could earn enough money to support Leah and Corey.

But while they rode the train, they’d at least get food to eat and a place to live. The train stopped at each town and they’d have a chance of finding a family to take them in.

A family that would take all of them. He’d keep his promise to Leah and Corey. No matter what.

Luke chopped and chopped. He couldn’t bare to tell Leah and Corey that they’d soon be chased out of their home by Mr. Stone. How would he tell them about the train?

Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves broke into his thoughts. He dropped his ax and looked up to see his neighbor, Jack Baker, riding across the open field. The Baker farm ran alongside the Fier land, but Luke rarely saw his neighbors.

It must be something important for Jack to be riding so hard, Luke thought. He felt a knot of anticipation curl in his stomach as he walked to the front porch.

Corey sat on the steps, pushing the pieces of a wooden puzzle together. A deep furrow marked his brow. Luke knelt beside his brother and guided his hand, helping him to turn the piece so it would slip into place. Corey tilted his face up and smiled.

Luke grinned back. “Can you say ’puzzle’?”

Corey’s smile slipped away as he stubbornly shook his head. Luke ruffled his black hair. “It’s all right, Corey. Someday you will talk again.”

Luke stood up as Jack reined his horse to a halt. The horse snorted and pranced.

“Hello, Jack. Something I can do for you today?” Luke greeted his neighbor.

“I’ve come to warn you, Luke. If it hasn’t struck here already.”

“Warn us about what?” Luke felt his heart pounding fast.

“A strange illness is spreading through the cattle around here. Makes the animals go crazy. The Wade brothers had to shoot six of their herd yesterday. We had to kill three of ours today.”

“We’ve had no trouble so far,” Luke replied slowly. He stepped off the porch. “Is there a way to tell if they’re sick?”

Jack dismounted. “I’ll show you what to look for.”

He led Jack around the back of the house. Luke heard the rapid patter of small feet. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Corey as he raced after them.

“We have so few cows now, we just let them graze back here,” Luke told Jack. “It’s not worth taking them out to pasture.”

Jack crouched down. He grabbed a cow’s head. The cow shook its head and mooed. Jack tightened his hold and held the cow’s head still. He angled its face one way and then the other.

“What are you looking for?” Luke asked as he squatted for a closer look. Corey squatted beside him, his face serious.

“When they’re sick, they have this thick green stuff dripping out of their noses. Then it turns red. That’s when they start going crazy.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Luke remarked. He thought back over the various sicknesses in the animals he’d seen his father treat.

“No one has,” Jack replied. “It has people around here a little spooked. But your cows seem fine.”

“Still, I’ll watch them closely. We can’t afford to lose any cows.”

As Jack turned to go, he froze, his eyes widening with fear.

Luke followed the direction of Jack’s gaze. Near the back porch, Leah fed a wolf little scraps of meat by hand.

Jack gasped and stumbled backward a few steps. “A wolf!” he called out, pointing at Leah. “Get a gun! Get the little boy back—”

“It’s all right,” Luke said calmly. He took Corey’s hand to reassure him. “Leah has a way with animals.”

Jack jerked his head up and down. “But it’s a wolf. Last winter a wolf killed some of our cattle. I … I … I must go,” he rasped.

He raced out of the yard. Less than a minute later, Luke heard a horse galloping away. The cow bawled again and snorted.

Leah wandered over and placed her hand on the cow’s forehead. Its large tongue slipped out to lick her elbow.

“What did Jack want?” Leah asked.

“He said people’s cows are getting sick,” Luke told her.

Gently Leah held the cow’s head and tilted it up. The cow didn’t balk or protest as it had when Jack held it.

“She looks healthy,” Leah announced.

Luke heard the relief in her voice. She loved animals. He knew it hurt her when they were sick. Sometimes he thought Leah could actually feel what they were feeling.

“I thought she looked all right, but I’m glad to hear you say that,” Luke replied. “You know a lot more about animals than I do.”

“She’ll be fine,” Leah said with confidence. “All our cows will be fine.”

“I hope so. We can’t afford to lose any. I know it must be hard on our neighbors to watch their cows get sick and to have to shoot them.”

“I’m glad their cows are all sick.”

“You don’t mean that,” Luke said.

“Yes, I do,” Leah said. “Those people deserve it. They act like I’m some kind of monster!”

♦ ♦ ♦

The following Saturday, Luke took Leah and Corey into Stormy Ridge for supplies. Usually the town bustled with activity on Saturday because all the area farmers came into town for their weekly supplies.

But today Luke saw only a few people walking along the wooden sidewalks. Everything seemed eerily hushed, as though the entire town had fallen into mourning.

Luke opened the door to Hammond’s General Store. The bell above the door jangled, sounding even louder than usual to Luke because the store stood empty of customers. Luke’s footsteps echoed over the hardwood floor, with Leah’s and Corey’s following close behind.

Luke saw Mr. Hammond step through the curtains that led into the storeroom.

“Good day, young Fiers. How are you all today?” Mr. Hammond asked solemnly.

“We’re fine,” Luke replied. “It seems quiet in town today.”

“It’s been quiet all week,” Mr. Hammond told him. “People are battling to save their cows from this strange sickness. But they aren’t having much luck. How many have you had to shoot?”

“We haven’t had to shoot any.”

Mr. Hammond’s eyes widened. “What are you giving them when they get sick?”

Luke shrugged. “None of our cows have gotten sick.”

Mr. Hammond narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Why do you think that is?”

“I guess we’re just lucky.” Luke shrugged.

Mr. Hammond’s gaze darted over to Leah. “Maybe,” he quietly answered. “Or maybe it’s more than luck.”

“Leah can’t control diseases, Mr. Hammond,” Luke said firmly.

Mr. Hammond nodded. “I guess she can’t. Everyone is just a little nervous these days. What can I do for you?”

“We need some sugar and flour,” Luke told him. “And some canned goods.”

Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out the last of his money—five dollars. He placed a half dollar on the counter. “We need as much as this will buy.”

Mr. Hammond nodded. “I’ll get you a box.”

He bent down behind the counter and stiffened. “You children get out of here,” he said in a low voice.

Luke leaned over the counter. He could see that Mr. Hammond had lifted a box. “What is it, Mr. Hammond?” he asked.

“Snake,” Mr. Hammond whispered. “I’ve never seen one this big. Go find someone with a gun.”

Before Luke could stop her, Leah walked around the counter and knelt beside Mr. Hammond. “It’s all right, Mr. Hammond,” she whispered. “He won’t hurt you.”

She held out her arms. Frozen with fear, Luke watched as a huge green snake slithered up her arm and across her shoulders. It wrapped itself around her, its wicked black eyes watching her, its tongue darting in and out. Luke quickly pushed Corey behind him, shielding his younger brother with his body. He swallowed back a lump of terror as his gaze fixed the snake’s pointed, curled fangs.

She stood, running her hand over the snake’s head. It hissed. Leah met Luke’s gaze. “When we get home, I’ll set it free in the woods.”

She walked out from behind the counter. Corey reached up and touched the large snake’s tail. Luke shuddered. He knew Leah had a gift, but it gave him chills to see the shiny green snake draped over her shoulders like a shawl.

Mr. Hammond stood. Luke could see that he was shaking.

“I’m closing the store,” Mr. Hammond said, his voice quivering.

“But we need supplies,” Luke said.

“You’ll have to get them another day.”

Luke scraped his coins off the counter and put them in his pocket. “Come on, Leah and Corey.”

They left the store. Luke heard Mr. Hammond slam the lock into place behind them.

As they walked down the street, Luke could feel people staring at them. He saw a woman draw her curtains together as they walked past. Leah and Corey seemed unaware of the attention they were getting as the snake moved sinuously over Leah.

Luke couldn’t wait for them to get home so Leah could set the snake free.

♦ ♦ ♦

Late that night, Luke jumped up in bed. He felt confused. What had awakened him?

Then he heard it. A man’s voice yelling. Harsh, angry words.

No, more than one man. Many men. Many voices.

And along with the voice, the dull pounding of horses’ hooves. His heart thudded wildly in his chest.

The sounds grew louder.

Coming closer.

He scrambled out of bed and pulled on his shirt and overalls.

Who are they? he wondered. What do they want?

He ran to the window and looked out into the pitch-dark night. He heard the shrill cry of horses and the yells of angry men.

Then he saw them, circling the house. Closing in like rabid wolves.

His mouth suddenly dry, his temples throbbing, Luke rushed down the stairs and into the front parlor.

With shaking hands he grabbed his rifle from above the mantel. Frantically, he flung open the door.

He dashed onto the porch and peered into the black night. He saw only the retreating shadows of specters galloping down the dark road.

Breathing heavily, he stumbled down the steps and dropped to his knees. The dark clouds rolled away from the moon. The moonlight shimmered over a dark red pool of thick blood.

In its center, a cow’s head glared at Luke with accusing black eyes.

Chapter
4

Luke screamed with disgust and scrambled to his feet. The cow stared up at him with blank, unseeing eyes. Its thick grayish-red tongue hung from a gaping mouth as red blood oozed from its severed neck.

Luke started to turn away, but something caught his eye. Looking more closely, he could see a white piece of paper stuck into the cow’s mouth. A note!

He took a deep breath and reached for it. His fingers slid over the slick tongue as he worked to unroll it. Grabbing the paper, he stood and held the note up to the moonlight.

Our cows die—your cows die. Stop your sister. Or we will.

In shock, Luke stared at the note. They think Leah has something to do with the strange cattle disease? That’s impossible!

He looked at the cow’s head. A warning! They had killed his cow. Would they kill his sister?

He hurried back into the house, eager to make certain that Leah was all right. He spotted her on the front porch, her long white nightgown billowing in the breeze, her black hair freed from her braids and streaming wildly around her shoulders.

Luke stood stone still for a moment and stared at her. Her pale gown shimmered strangely in the moonlight, and her face wore an eerie expression. Corey stood beside her, his arm wrapped around her waist. Corey’s green eyes were wide with worry, his bottom lip quivering. Leah draped her arm over his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Corey. They are gone now.” Luke heard her soothe him in the same quiet voice she used on the animals.

“Yes, they are gone,” Luke assured them. He walked up to the porch. “If they come back, I’ll be ready for them,” he promised, brandishing his shotgun.

“What’s that, a note?” Leah asked.

“It’s nothing—” Luke shoved the note into his pocket. But Leah quickly snatched the paper away from him. Her jaw tightened as she read it.

“How could they think I would do something like that?” she cried. She balled up the paper and tossed it on the ground.

She turned to face Luke, her eyes dark with rage. “How could they think I have some evil power? I hate them! I hate them all!”

♦ ♦ ♦

Two days later, as Luke slowly trudged behind the stubborn mule and the heavy plow, he spotted Mr. Stone. The grim-faced man plodded across the fields toward him.

Luke drew the mule to a halt and wiped the sweat off his brow with his bandanna.

Mr. Stone stopped beside Luke and swept his hat from his head. “Luke, you’ve had your warnings. Can you make a payment on your land today or not?”

Luke swallowed hard. “I have five dollars. Until the crops come in, that’s all I have.”

Mr. Stone cleared his throat and looked down at the ground. “Well, I suppose I can take it as a show of faith.”

Luke reached into his pocket and withdrew the silver coins. He slowly dropped them into Mr. Stone’s hand. He felt a heavy weight pressing on his chest. He didn’t know what he’d do without any money. He forced himself not to think of that now.

He watched Mr. Stone’s fingers curl around the coins and shove them in his coat pocket, and swallowed back up a lump of anger.

“Are all your animals still healthy?” Mr. Stone asked.

“Yes,” Luke replied.

“The Wade brothers haven’t been so lucky,” Mr. Stone told him. “People are wondering why they are losing so many cattle and you aren’t losing any.”

“I know,” Luke snapped, irritated with the reminder. “They paid us a visit. They threatened to hurt Leah.”

“I don’t know if anyone will be able to stop them from carrying out their threat if any more of their cattle die,” Mr. Stone calmly remarked.

“She’s not killing their cattle,” Luke insisted. “She has not caused any of this. Everyone in town just wants somebody to blame for their bad luck.”

Mr. Stone settled his hat on his head. “I believe you, Luke. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone else will.”

♦ ♦ ♦

Luke fell into bed exhausted. Every muscle in his body ached. He didn’t even bother to remove his clothes.

Still, he could not sleep. Each time he closed his eyes, a bloodied cow’s head floated before him. Then it would slowly fade away … and turn into Leah’s head.

Why do they suspect Leah so much? he wondered. She’s kind and gentle with animals. Animals trust her. They obey her. Where is the harm in that?

A sudden noise made him sit up straight. He heard the dull thunder of hooves pounding the ground.

Luke threw off the covers and scrambled out of bed. His heart thudded in his chest. He stumbled to the window and peered outside.

His breath caught in his chest as he spotted them.

Riders circled in the front yard. Luke tried to quickly count how many. Five … ten … a dozen or more.

Dark, ominous shadows moving through the night.

What did they want? Had they finally come to make good on their threats?

To hurt Leah?

He heard the wooden floor creak behind him and spun around.

He saw Corey and Leah standing in the shadows. They stared up at him with terrified expressions.

“They’re back, aren’t they?” Leah asked in a quaking whisper.

Luke gave her a jerky nod. “Yes.”

Together, they all peered out the window. The horses had stopped milling around. The riders stood in a long row.

“More animals had to be killed today!” one of the men yelled.

“We know your sister is the cause,” Thomas Wade called out, his arm hanging in a sling like a white flag. “Send her out to us and we won’t harm you or your little brother.”

Leah moved in closer to Luke. He could feel her violent trembling as she hugged her arms around his waist. Corey’s eyes grew wide with fear. He grasped Luke’s hand tightly.

“We’re sorry your animals are dying. But it has nothing to do with Leah,” Luke shouted. “Go away and leave us alone!”

“It has everything to do with her!” Earl Wade yelled. “We know about the wolf and the snake. We know our animals die while yours don’t!”

“Send her out here!” another voice shouted.

“No!” Luke yelled back. “Never!”

“All right, then,” Thomas Wade called out. “We gave you a chance, Luke Fier.”

Torches suddenly flared to life. Holding the torches high, the riders began galloping around the house.

“If the Fiers won’t leave the house, they’ll be burned alive!”

Chapter
5

“No!” Luke yelled as he watched a man throw a torch toward the house.

It landed on the eaves of the porch. Flames danced up in front of Luke’s window.

Leah screamed.

“Hurry! We have to get out of the house!” Luke shouted as he shoved Leah away from the window.

He lifted Corey into his arms and followed Leah into the hallway. Glass shattered as the riders thrust torches through the windows. In the distance, gunshots sounded.

Smoke billowed up the staircase. Leah faltered. Luke pushed her. “Go, Leah! There’s no other way!”

Leah staggered down the stairs, Luke close on her heels. Once when she stumbled, he grabbed her arm. Corey’s arms tightened around Luke’s neck.

Luke gasped for air. Burning smoke filled his lungs and burned his eyes. He coughed and staggered down the steps through the black clouds. He felt his lungs about to burst. He tried to loosen Corey’s grip, but Corey held firm. The little boy pressed his head to Luke’s shoulder as he coughed and choked on the smoke.

We’re going to die, Luke thought. We’re all going to die. I can’t let that happen. I promised I’d take care of them. We have to make it through this.

They reached the first floor. Flames writhed and twisted, clawing the walls. His temples pounding, Luke felt the heat circling him.

They had to get out. Now.

He peered through the smoke. Where could they go? The walls of fire were everywhere.

“The front!” Luke cried. “We can get out through the front room!”

With the flames licking at their feet, they rushed down the hallway and into the front parlor. Flames leapt from the walls. Luke danced around them. Flames singed his face. Acrid smoke burned his eyes.

I must get Leah and Corey out, he repeated over and over. I must get them out.

Leah stopped running. She stared into a room engulfed in flames, burning as brightly as the noonday sun. Tears streamed down her face. “There’s no way out!”

Luke’s heart thudded heavily in his chest. He glanced around. A curtain of flames blocked the room behind them. Smaller flames lapped at the front door. He heard the ceiling above creak ominously.

Luke knew it wouldn’t take the flames long to devour the small house. Any minute it would topple like a house of cards, crushing them. Burning them to charred bits.

Luke shifted Corey to his side. “Grab my shirt, Leah. We’re going through the door,” he shouted.

He felt Leah grab hold of his shirt with both hands. He heard her sobbing uncontrollably. He grasped Corey and rushed toward the door, turned his shoulder, and slammed into the burning wood.

It gave way.

Luke stumbled into the night, Corey in his arms, Leah clinging to his back. Gasping and gagging, they staggered into the front yard. Luke set Corey down and turned to check on Leah.

Only then did he realize the danger had not yet passed.

On horses, the men circled Luke, Leah, and Corey.

“You should have stayed inside! Death would have come quicker,” Earl Wade cried. “Now it’ll just come slowly.”

“Cowards!” Luke yelled. “We’ve done nothing wrong. Leah is innocent!”

The circle of riders grew ever smaller. Luke felt the horses’ hot breath on his face. The horses stood shoulder to shoulder, neck to neck. He could smell their sweat, the rancid odor of their harsh breath.

No escape, Luke thought. These riders will make sure that the horses trample us if we try to crawl through.

He felt something rough touch his cheek. He jerked his head up to see Earl Wade dangling a rawhide noose over his head.

“We killed all your animals,” Earl said. “Now it’s time we hanged you! All of you!”

Suddenly, a flaming piece of the roof fell to the ground.

The horses reared up, their eyes rolling back as they screamed in terror.

Luke grabbed Corey up in his arms. The horses whined in terror as they turned and stampeded into the darkness. Their riders clung to the saddles for dear life, some teetering to the side.

Earl and Thomas Wade were the first to disappear, barely keeping control over the horses. In an instant, the rest followed.

The yard stood suddenly empty, bathed in the glowing yellow light of the burning house.

“Poor things.” Leah sighed. “Horses are so afraid of fire, you know.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Luke replied quietly. He couldn’t quite believe that they were safe. Yet, it was true. Finally, luck had taken their side. For the moment at least.

Luke turned and faced the burning farmhouse. Leah and Corey sidled up against him. He slipped his arms around their shoulders as they watched in silence.

The fire bellowed. Crimson tongues licked at the roof, greedily devouring the house.

“The men will be back. We’re not safe here,” Luke said wearily.

And I don’t know what to do about it, he thought. I don’t know how I’m going to take care of Leah and Corey now. We have no supplies. No money. I don’t even have my rifle.

“Where will we go?” Leah asked softly.

Luke took a deep, weary breath. “Tonight we’ll find a place to hide in the woods. Tomorrow I will come up with a plan.”

Corey latched on to Luke’s trousers. Luke glanced down at his brother. Black soot streaked his small, round face. His green eyes looked incredibly huge. His tiny shoulders slumped forward.

“I’m tired too,” Luke said as he lifted Corey into his arms. “But we can’t stay here.”

He headed toward the woods that bordered their property.

“Leah, grab my shirt so we don’t get separated,” he ordered. He stepped into the forest. A thick canopy of leaves blocked the moonlight.

Leah tripped and bumped into him. He staggered forward before catching his balance. Corey’s hold on him tightened.

“I’m sorry,” Leah whispered. “I can’t see.”

“It’s all right. Just walk slowly,” Luke told her.

“Luke, it’s so dark here,” she said in a low, quivering voice.

They heard the beating rush of an owl’s wings as it swooped out of the trees. The high-pitched squeal of a deer mouse quickly followed.

Then a heavy silence.

Luke stared intently into the darkness. It’s as though all the creatures are waiting to see who will be the next victim.

He shifted Corey to his other arm. Luke took a step forward. Dry twigs snapped beneath his weight.

Luke heard something scurry for cover.

Another mouse, he thought. Or a chipmunk. Or a squirrel. Harmless. He tried to convince himself that all the sounds were harmless.

“Come on,” he urged them in a hushed voice.

The air around them grew cold and damp as they moved deeper and deeper into the woods. The thickness of the brush muffled their footsteps.

Luke heard Leah’s short gasps and Corey’s even breathing … and something else. He thought he heard something else.

He stopped.

“What is it?” Leah asked.

“Be quiet!” Luke ordered softly. “I thought I heard something.”

“What?” Leah asked. “What did you hear?”

“Everyone, hold your breath.”

Luke listened hard. He heard nothing. He released his breath.

“It’s all right. I must have heard myself breathing.”

He heard Leah’s breath of relief rush out of her mouth. “Thank goodness!”

“Follow me. I think I see a stopping place for us over here,” Luke said.

He led them to a place where shafts of moonlight filtered through the trees—not much, but enough so he could see a big, partially hollowed-out tree resting on its side.

“This will make good shelter,” Luke said as he set Corey on the ground. Corey crawled inside.

Then Leah crawled in after him. “It stinks in here,” she said.

“It’s just the smell of rotted wood,” Luke said impatiently. “It won’t hurt you.”

Hunching over, he worked his way into the tree. He had to bend his long legs until they hit his chest. Every muscle in his body ached.

We can’t go back to the farm, he decided. I must find a way to keep Corey and Leah safe. Tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll come up with a plan.

A breeze rustled the leaves overhead. It seemed to Luke that they were whispering secrets. The branches hit against one another.

I should keep watch, Luke realized. But I’m tired. So tired. His eyelids grew heavy.

Trying to get comfortable, he shifted his body slightly. He stared at the nearby trees cloaked in shadows.

Two glowing yellow eyes stared back at him.

Chapter
6

Luke swallowed back a scream of terror.

Wolf? Bear? Mountain lion? The vicious possibilities raced through his mind. He had no gun. No protection.

Maybe it doesn’t see me, he thought wildly. Maybe it doesn’t know we’re here.

But then the eyes glowed brighter … and began to move … slowly through the shadows … slowly toward the hollowed-out log.

Luke’s heart pounded in his chest. His mouth grew dry. He scooted back.

“Ow!” Leah cried. “What are you doing?”

“Be quiet!” Luke warned in a low voice. “I did hear something earlier. It’s out there … looking for us.”

“Where?” she asked as she scrambled over his legs.

Luke tried to grab her, but his fingers only skimmed over her skirt as she quickly crawled out of the log.

“Leah, come back!” he whispered harshly.

He remembered the shriek of the deer mouse as the owl had carried it into the night. What will this creature do to Leah? Nothing, he decided. I won’t let it hurt her.

Struggling to unfold his body, he worked his way out of the log. He spotted Leah several feet away. Moonbeams filtered through the thick branches and cast a halo around her.

The glowing eyes moved out of the shadows.

Luke heard a low, deep growl. A wolf’s growl.

The beast slinked out of the shadows into the moonlight. Luke shivered at the sight. Its long, powerful body moved closer.

They wouldn’t have a chance to fight it off. Or outrun it.

Luke gasped as he caught sight of the wolf’s head. A mangled rabbit dangled from its jaws.

The silver beast crept slowly toward Leah, its head bowed low. Then it dropped the dead rabbit at Leah’s feet and lay down.

Run, Leah! Run! A voice in Luke’s mind cried out.

His heart nearly stopped as he watched Leah kneel down.

Luke felt a scream well up in his throat. He struggled to choke it back.

Mesmerized, he watched as Leah plowed her hands into the wolf’s thick fur and pressed her face into its neck.

Luke breathed a sigh of relief.

It was Leah’s wolf.

Does Leah have power over animals as the townspeople believed? No, he told himself. The animals trust her because she is kind to them, but that is all. She has a gift. Like their father.

He heard a shuffling sound and glanced down. Corey had crawled out of the log. His eyes wide, he stared at Leah and the wolf.

“Don’t be afraid,” Luke said softly as he knelt beside his brother. “Father told me a story once about a man who broke his leg out in the wilderness. His dog hunted for him. The dog brought him meat until he was strong enough to find help.”

Corey looked doubtful, and Luke explained further what he hoped was the truth.

“The wolf must sense that Leah needs help now. She has always been kind to it. She found it when it was a pup. Its mother was dead. She kept it alive until it could live on its own. Now it is returning the favor.”

Nodding, Corey rubbed his tired eyes. Luke pulled his brother back into the protective hollow tree. Corey snuggled against him.

Luke stared at his sister … lying on the ground, curled up against the wolf … sleeping peacefully.

It was the last thing he saw before he fell asleep.

♦ ♦ ♦

Luke awoke with a start.

He held his breath, listening.

He squinted into the darkness. The wolf had disappeared. Leah slept soundly beside him inside the log.

He squirmed, trying to get comfortable. He closed his eyes. But he could not go back to sleep.

What will we do tomorrow? How can I take care of Leah and Corey? We have no money. No food. Only the clothes on our backs.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will think of something. Tomorrow I must find a way for us to survive.

He listened to the leaves whispering in the breeze, hoping the soft sound would lure him into sleep.

A shrill whistle broke the night’s silence.

Luke’s eyes flew open. What was that?

The whistle came again. Louder. Longer.

Luke scrambled out of the hollow log. He stood. His legs buckled beneath him. He stumbled to the ground. His legs had no feeling. Groaning, he rubbed his cramped calves.

He heard the whistle again.

It’s calling me, he thought. I must find out what is making that sound.

He worked his way to his feet. He staggered through the woods until he came to a clearing that looked out over the valley.

The clouds shifted away from the moon and cast a silver light over the train tracks.

Breathing heavily, Luke watched the steaming locomotive roll over the tracks.

A train! If only we had money left to buy tickets …

He stared hard at the train. One of the boxcar doors was open. Are those children sitting in the doorway? he wondered. Children?

Yes, they were children, he realized with excitement. That’s the orphan train!

The orphan train that Earl Wade had mentioned. Luke had read about it in the newspaper as well. The train was headed west. At each town it stopped in, people had the chance to choose children to work for them. If they liked the children, they could adopt them.

Luke felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He’d never planned to put Leah and Corey up for adoption. He’d always planned to take care of them himself. He would still care for them, but he would find a family to help him. In a town where people had never heard of the Fiers. Had never heard of Leah’s gift. Had never seen Leah feed a wolf and walk through town with a snake coiled around her shoulders.

He decided the orphan train offered the perfect solution.

With renewed energy, he turned and strode quickly back into the woods.

The train will take us out of town. It will give us a chance to find a new home.

It will carry us away from the fear.

Chapter
7

The next morning, when Leah and Corey awoke, Luke explained his plans.

“But you promised,” Leah answered angrily. “You said you wouldn’t put us on the orphan train.”

“We have no choice,” Luke told her, his voice grim. “We can’t return to the farm. You need a home, and Corey needs parents.”

“What about you?” Leah asked, her face red with anger.

“I’m old enough to take care of myself,” Luke told her.

“I can take care of myself too,” Leah insisted.

Corey tightened his lips and bobbed his head up and down.

“I promised I wouldn’t leave you or Corey, and I won’t. I’m too old to be adopted, but somehow we’ll stick together. Maybe a family who needs another hand on their farm will take us all in,” Luke added, forcing a hopeful note into his voice. “At least, the train will give us food and shelter. And carry us away from Stormy Ridge.”

Luke watched as Leah’s expression slowly turned from anger to a sad pout. But Luke felt relieved when she didn’t argue with him anymore.

♦ ♦ ♦

As the sun rose, brightening the sky, Luke lifted Leah and Corey into the empty boxcar. Then he climbed inside to join them.

He glanced around. Straw and blankets littered the floor. Sunlight streamed in between the red slats of the boxcar.

“Grab a blanket, Leah,” he ordered. “We’ll sit over here and wait.”

He led them to a corner and dropped down. Corey plopped into his lap. Leah sat stiffly beside him.

They’ll be happy, he told himself. I’ll find them a new home, with nice people.

Luke heard the tread of many feet.

Suddenly children climbed into the boxcar. Each wore a solemn look of defeat. Their mouths were turned down at the corners. Some had tears in their eyes.

Luke noticed that each carried a small bundle which he guessed held their possessions.

A rotund woman hoisted the smaller children into the boxcar. Her gray hair, pulled back in a tight bun, matched the hard expression on her grim face. Luke cringed at her cold, scolding voice as she lifted the last child onto the train.

He watched as her black, beady eyes scanned the inside of the car. Would she notice them and put them out?

“Behave! And be quiet!” she yelled. Luke held his breath as she gave the children one last angry look. Then he heard the boxcar door close with a clang.

Leah snuggled closer to him. “Luke?”

He circled her slim shoulders with a comforting arm. “We’ll be all right, Leah. Don’t worry.”

Luke heard the train’s shrill whistle, then felt the boxcar lurch forward. Corey clutched Luke’s shirt, his tiny fingers pinching Luke’s skin.

“Don’t be afraid,” Luke assured him in a low voice. “We’re going on an adventure.”

Corey tilted his head back. Through the shadows, Luke spotted his brave smile and he ruffled Corey’s thick hair.

Luke peered around their dim surroundings. Sunlight and shadows danced around the car as it rocked from side to side. Luke quickly counted over two dozen children in the car. Most looked thin with large, sad eyes. None smiled.

Then he noticed four older boys swaggering toward him. He guessed they were about his age. They didn’t look as tall as he was, but did look heftier.

He saw them approach a little girl, then spit in unison. Luke watched as she cowered and pulled her blanket over her head. Then Luke watched them do the same to a little boy. Crying, the child jumped up and ran to the far end of the car. Luke heard the larger boys laugh and jeer at him. He gritted his teeth in anger.

Luke watched as the boys stopped a few feet in front of the three of them. They stood side by side and glared down at him. He glared back and quickly shifted Corey over to Leah. Then he stood and faced them.

He saw the largest of the four step forward, squinting his eyes.

“Who are you?” the boy demanded. Luke felt the boy’s thick finger poke into his chest as he spoke. “I never seen you before.”

“Guess you just didn’t notice,” Luke lied, afraid they would be tossed off the train if the matron discovered them. “We’ve been here all along. We’re just quiet.”

“That so?” the boy asked. “I’m Mike.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “These are my brothers. We’ve decided we’re going to escape. Do you want to come with us?”

“No,” Luke answered. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Leah and Corey both shake their heads. Luke breathed a sigh of relief, afraid that the idea of escape might have appealed to them.

“Sam, open the door,” Mike said.

Luke watched as one of Mike’s brothers lumbered over to the door. The door creaked and groaned as Sam slid it back. Wind roared into the boxcar. Luke could see the trees and green fields flashing by as the train rumbled over the tracks, leaving the town they were just in far behind.

“Sure you don’t want to come?” Mike asked.

Luke snapped his attention back to the bigger boy. “I’m sure.”

Mike narrowed his eyes and looked at Corey. “You want to come with us?”

“He doesn’t want to go with you,” Luke told Mike.

“Let him tell me that,” Mike said with a growl.

“Corey doesn’t talk,” Leah said.

Mike smiled wickedly. “That so? Why is that? Cat got your tongue? Let me see.”

Corey tightened his lips and shook his head vigorously.

“Come on,” Mike wheedled. “Let me see.”

Luke saw Mike take a step toward his little brother and reach out to him. Luke jumped between them and shoved Mike back, pushing on his shoulder.

“Leave him alone,” Luke demanded.

Mike stumbled and then quickly stood up. “Don’t you tell me what to do,” Mike growled. “Nobody pushes me and gets away with it.”

Luke raised his arms to block the punch. Too late. Mike’s fist pounded him in the stomach. Luke felt a white-hot bolt of pain and dropped to his knees.

“Luke! Get up!” he heard Leah scream. “He’s going to get Corey!”

Through a gray haze, Luke saw Mike grab Corey’s chin.

“You want to go with us, don’t you, little guy?” Mike asked Corey, shaking him by the shoulders. “Hey, I asked you a question. Answer me!” he yelled. He shook Corey hard, jerking his head back and forth.

Luke struggled to rise, pushing himself to his knees. He saw Mike push Corey toward the open door of the boxcar. The wind tugged at his brother’s ragged clothes and swirled through his dark hair.

“If you don’t talk, I’m pushing you out,” Mike warned Corey.

“Let him go!” Leah shrieked as she hit Mike’s arm.

One of Mike’s brothers snatched Leah up, holding her close to his body. She kicked her legs uselessly in the air.

Gasping for air, Luke stumbled to his feet. He threw his body toward Mike. “Leave him alone!”

Mike’s brother Sam grabbed Luke’s arm and slammed him against the wall. Bright light exploded in Luke’s head. He forced himself to focus on Corey. Fighting the pain, he reached for Mike.

Sam grabbed Luke, pinning his arms to his sides.

“Talk!” Mike yelled at Corey as he pulled him closer to the open door. “Talk, or I’ll make you scream something awful!”

Luke’s stomach lurched at the sight of Corey shaking his head vigorously, his green eyes wide with fear, his lower lip quivering.

“Let him go!” Luke cried. He kicked and struggled, trying to break free of Sam’s grasp.

Mike sneered. “All right. I’ll let him go.”

He grabbed Corey around the waist and pulled him toward the open door. Luke’s heart twisted in his chest as he watched the little boy squirm to get free. Mike pulled him to the open door, then Luke saw him grab Corey by the ankles and turn him upside down.

Luke struggled wildly against Sam’s hold. But the other boy held him tight. He felt his eyes burn with angry tears as he watched his brother dangle outside the door. The wind whipped Corey’s dark hair around his head.

Leah’s desperate cries echoed all around him. But he couldn’t pull his gaze off Corey.

“I’ll let him go,” Mike yelled over the din of the racing train.

Luke snapped his gaze to Mike’s. Mike’s dark eyes glowed, his lips spread into an evil grin.

“I’ll drop him,” Mike yelled over the roar of the racing train. “I swear I’ll drop him.”

Chapter
8

“Luke—stop him! He’s going to kill Corey!”

Leah’s terrified cry rang in Luke’s ears.

“Now?” Mike screamed. “Shall I drop him now?”

“No!” Luke yelled as he fought against the stranglehold Mike’s brother had on him.

“Yes!” Mike answered, swinging Corey’s little body back and forth.

“Corey, say something!” Luke pleaded. “That’s what he wants.”

“Here he goes!” Mike cried.

Luke heard a loud buzzing sound. Then Sam screamed in pain. “I got stung!” he yelled. He released his grip on Luke.

Luke leapt toward the open door and caught Corey around the waist. He yanked his brother away from Mike and pulled him back into the car.

Mike roared and launched himself at Luke. Then he yelped and jumped away. He pawed frantically at his chest and stomach. Bees flew at him from all directions.

Mike’s brothers ran to help him.

Leah rushed over to Luke. “Is Corey all right?”

“I think so. I think he’s just mighty dizzy right now,” Luke replied breathlessly.

“And terrified.” Leah bent down and cradled Corey in her arms. “Poor Corey,” she crooned.

The door that led into the next car suddenly burst open. The matron rushed through it.

“What is going on in here!” the matron demanded in a shrill voice. “Why is that door open?”

“They tried to throw my brother out the car!” Luke told her, his voice shaking with anger. He pointed at Mike and his brothers.

“They were trying to escape!” Mike said, pointing a finger at Luke and Leah. “They opened this door—and they let in all these huge bees!”

“They’re bullies!” Leah yelled. “Bullies and liars!”

All the kids began talking and yelling at once. The matron quickly pulled out a whistle and blew it long and hard.

Luke covered his ears to block out the shrill screech. He saw the others cringe and do the same.

The boxcar grew silent. The matron give a brisk nod of approval. “Now, then, what was going on in here?” she asked sharply, her tiny black eyes hard.

“You!” Luke saw her plump finger point to Corey. “Tell me what these boys were doing.”

Corey stepped back, his eyes wide. His chin quivered.

Luke stepped forward. “He doesn’t—”

“Hush!” the matron scolded. “I’m asking him, not you.”

“But he doesn’t—”

The woman turned on Luke, her black eyes filled with fury. Luke caught his breath. He’d never seen such anger.

“Be quiet,” the matron said in a low voice, “or I’ll leave you in the next town … whether or not you are adopted.”

What would happen to Leah and Corey then? Luke wondered. What would happen if I weren’t with them? I promised them that we would stay together. No matter what.

He nodded and stepped back. Leah slipped her hand into his. He gave her a quick smile, hoping she wouldn’t see how worried he was about Corey.

Surely the matron will realize Corey doesn’t talk, Luke thought. Surely she’ll eventually ask someone else.

The matron glared at Corey. “Now, then, little boy. Tell me what happened.”

Luke watched as Corey backed away from the matron. She followed him, until he was trapped in a corner.

The matron placed her chubby hands on her wide hips. “Don’t be willful! I won’t help you if you won’t ask me for help. Tell me what those boys were doing.” She wagged her finger in Corey’s face. “Tell me!”

Luke watched helplessly as Corey pressed his lips together and shook his head.

The matron wagged her finger faster. “Tell me!”

Corey pinched up his face and squeezed his eyes shut as though he could make her go away if he couldn’t see her.

The matron screamed and jumped back. Luke saw a black and yellow bee fly away from her face. The matron’s bottom lip started swelling. In moments it was three times its normal size.

Luke heard Leah give a smothered laugh.

The bee flew across the boxcar, buzzing wildly. It circled Leah’s head. Then it zipped out through the open door.

“Close that door,” the matron demanded, her words running together as she spoke through swollen lips.

“I told you they let in bees,” Mike whined as he pulled the door shut.

The matron scurried out of the boxcar through the door that led into her private compartment.

The moment she left, Luke could feel Mike’s eyes on him. Luke turned and met Mike’s hostile glare.

“You and your brother and sister got away this time,” Mike said, his voice seething. “But it’s not over between us. I’ll find a way to get you off this train, even if I have to kill you to do it!”

Chapter
9

Luke lay awake and stared at the boxcar ceiling. He glanced over at Leah. She slept soundly beside him. So did Corey. All around him, he heard the deep breathing of sleeping children.

He rolled on his side. The straw pricked and itched his skin as the swaying train tossed him from side to side. The rumbling sound throbbed inside his head. His stomach churned from the smell of moldy blankets. He wondered how many children had slept in this boxcar, how many more would sleep here.

Did they all find homes? What happened to those who didn’t?

He pulled Corey’s blanket higher onto his shoulders. What am I going to do about you? he wondered. You used to talk. You used to laugh—when Ma and Papa were alive.

You will laugh again, Luke vowed. Somehow I will make you laugh again. And talk again. But how?

Luke rubbed his brow. His head still hurt from when Mike’s brother slammed him against the wall.

Then he froze. The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

Someone is watching me, he thought. He slowly scanned the boxcar. Mike?

No, he could see Mike and his brothers lying in a heap on the other side of the boxcar, snoring.

They sound worse than the locomotive’s engine, Luke thought. They’re asleep and so is everyone else. I’m just edgy after all that happened today.

Then he spotted a girl curled up in the corner of the boxcar opposite him—as far away from the others as she could get.

He had noticed her earlier in the day. She appeared to be about his age. She wore her golden hair woven into a single braid that draped over her shoulder. He remembered that her eyes were blue.

And now he could feel her blue eyes watching him … as he watched her. He peered at her through the darkness and thought he saw a small smile on her face.

Then she turned away, staring through the slats of the boxcar at the night sky.

After his experience with the Wade brothers in town and Mike and his brothers on the train, Luke longed to talk to someone friendly. The girl looked as though she would be friendly.

He crawled across the boxcar, taking care not to disturb the sleeping children. When he reached the other side, he sat beside the girl.

“Hello,” he said quietly.

He saw her duck her head. “Hello to you.”

“I’m Luke.”

He watched her lips form a shy smile. “My name is Mary.”

She has a beautiful smile, he thought.

“I can’t sleep,” he told her.

“Me either.” She lifted her gaze to his. “I find that odd because the train sways back and forth like a giant rocking chair, so it seems like it should be easy to fall asleep here.”

He nodded in agreement. “My sister and brother didn’t have any trouble letting the train rock them to sleep.”

She touched his arm. “You were so brave this afternoon … defending your brother.”

Luke felt himself blush. Quickly she removed her hand from his arm as though she were suddenly embarrassed as well.

“I didn’t feel very brave,” he said, his voice low. He leaned nearer her. Mary smelled like the roses his mother had grown in her garden. “I was terrified,” he confessed.

“I was terrified for you,” she said softly just before she ducked her head.

Her words stunned Luke … and warmed him at the same time. She was worried about me, he realized in awe. I don’t think anyone has worried about me since my mother died.

“I don’t know why Mike dislikes me so much,” Luke said, still unsure as to why Mike had singled him and Corey out that afternoon.

“Mike doesn’t want any competition. Older boys are always adopted first—and you’re a little older than he is,” she explained. “That’s why he tried to convince you to run away at first. He wouldn’t have really gone himself. He just didn’t want anyone to be able to pick you over him and his brothers.”

Luke shook his head. “Mike doesn’t have to worry about me. I just want to see that Leah and Corey are adopted.”

“That might be hard,” Mary told him. “It’s difficult to find a family willing to adopt more than one child.”

“I’m going to keep Corey and Leah together,” Luke vowed, more to himself than to Mary.

“Do many children get adopted at each town?” Luke asked.

“Sometimes the little ones are lucky. They’re still cute, and women like to hold them. It’s the middle children, especially the girls, that have a hard time finding a home. Girls my age have little luck.” She sighed.

“They all look so sad,” Luke said, remembering their faces as they crawled into the boxcar.

“It hurts to get your hopes up at each town, only to discover no one wants you,” she replied.

“How can we make them want us?” Luke asked, determined to get Leah and Corey off the train as quickly as possible.

Mary smiled. “Stand straight. Slick your hair down. Talk politely, and tell anyone who walks by that you love hard work.”

Luke chuckled. “My hair might be a problem.” He ran his fingers through it. “I don’t remember the last time I cut it.”

“It looks nice,” Mary replied quietly.

“Your hair looks like honey,” Luke said. He felt his face grow warm. He’d never said such a silly thing to a girl before.

She released a soft laugh before covering her mouth. “Are you hungry too?” she asked him.

He added his quiet laughter to hers, not wanting to wake anyone.

“Yes, I’m hungry too,” he told her, smiling into the darkness. “That’s probably why your hair made me think of honey. Your eyes remind me of blueberries.”

He could see her fighting to hold in her laughter. It pleased him when he heard a tiny giggle escape. After his parents had died, he’d had little time to visit with his friends, and no time to talk with girls.

“Your eyes remind me of chocolate pudding,” she said, then turned her face away.

She’s shy, he thought. He wished he knew how to make her more comfortable around him.

“Maybe after I’ve had breakfast in the morning, I’ll decide your hair is just yellow and your eyes are just blue.”

She glanced at him. “Don’t count on it. The porridge they serve us at breakfast is awful. It’s all lumpy.”

“My mother used to make delicious porridge,” he said, leaning his head back against the wall. The motion of the train vibrated along his skull. “I used to eat four bowls every morning.”

“What happened to your mother?” she asked. Concern filled her voice.

“She and my father were going to the Centennial Exposition. The wagon rolled over on them. Killed them both.” The memory made him shudder. He didn’t want to tell her how the horses had suddenly gone wild and bolted. He still could not believe that his father had lost control of the animals.

“I’m sorry.”

I could talk with her all night, Luke thought. “What happened to your parents?” he asked gently, anticipating that hers had died as well.

“They both died of influenza,” she answered quietly. “Not long ago,” she added. Mary drew up her knees and covered her face with her hands. He could see her shoulders shaking.

He felt sorry he had upset her. He remembered how hard it was the first few weeks after his parents had died. He kept expecting to see them, to hear their voices.

Luke cleared his throat. “There’s a hole in the roof of the boxcar. I can see the stars.”

She glanced up. In the moonlight, Luke could see where a tear had trailed down her cheek.

“Let’s make a wish,” he suggested, hoping to distract her from her sad thoughts.

She gave him a quivering smile. “I haven’t wished on a star since I was a child.”

“That’s too long,” he assured her. “Make a wish.”

She sniffed and looked back up at the small bit of sky visible through the hole.

“I hope you, your brother, and your sister are all adopted by a nice family at the next town,” she said quietly.

She is so generous, Luke thought. Thinking of others before herself.

“I wish the same thing for you,” Luke said.

A timid smile played over her full lips.

Luke grinned at her. I have found one good thing about the orphan train, he realized. Mary.

Chapter
10

The next day the train ground to a halt just after sunrise. The whistle shrieked and the wheels screeched.

Luke heard several children moan. A few sniffled.

“I wanna go home,” a little girl said.

“You don’t have a home,” someone told her. “None of us does.”

Luke pulled the comb he had borrowed from Mary through Corey’s hair until he had worked out all the tangles. He spat on his hand and rubbed the smudges of dirt off Corey’s cheeks.

Corey wrinkled his nose. “Sorry, Corey,” Luke said. “It’s the best I can do for now.” He straightened the collar on Corey’s flannel shirt and refastened the side of his overalls that had come undone during the night.

Luke turned his attention to Leah. She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you dare put your spit on my face,” she warned him.

Luke tilted his head and pretended to study her. “What do you think, Corey? Should I put some spit on her?”

Corey smiled brightly and bobbed his head, his dark hair flopping against his forehead.

Leah put up her fists. “If you do, I’ll smack you both on the nose.”

Her words took Luke back to a time when they had often teased each other … before their parents had died … when they were all happy.

“She doesn’t need spit on her face,” Luke said, forcing his voice to sound serious. “She needs a smile!”

Leah shrieked as Luke grabbed her waist. They tumbled onto the straw-covered floor. Luke tickled her ribs. “Smile, Leah!” he ordered.

“No!” she cried.

“Help me, Corey,” Luke called out. “Help me make her smile.”

Luke laughed as Corey slipped under his arms and began to tickle Leah’s stomach, his small fingers flexing.

“Stop it!” Leah cried, but Luke heard no anger in her voice.

“We’ll stop when you smile,” Luke told her.

“I’ll never smile,” she insisted. “Never!”

“Come on, Corey,” Luke urged. “Tickle her harder.”

Then Luke did hear laughter, but it wasn’t Leah’s laughter.

It was Corey’s.

Luke stilled and listened in amazement as Corey laughed, his small fingers digging into Leah’s sides.

“Do you hear that, Leah?” Luke asked.

“Yes,” she replied in a hushed voice, as though afraid if she spoke too loud, the sound would go away.

Luke stood and lifted Corey into air. “You laughed! If you can laugh, you can talk. Can you say my name?”

Corey stopped laughing and shook his head.

Leah stood up. “Try, Corey. Try to say Luke’s name. It’s so easy.”

Corey tightened his mouth and vigorously shook his head.

Leah held out her arms, and Luke handed Corey over to her. She hugged him closely. “Luke’s right. If you can laugh, you can talk.” She began to rock back and forth. “Soon. Soon you’ll talk again.”

She looked at Luke and smiled. Luke smiled back.

They both jumped as the matron burst through the door. Even though her bottom lip was still puffy from the bee sting, she blew on her whistle.

“Everyone off the train!” she bellowed. “Step lively. Be on your best behavior!”

Luke jumped out of the boxcar. He helped Leah and Corey climb out. Then he held his arms up for Mary. She smiled at him. Mary is even more beautiful in the sunlight, Luke realized, feeling dazed.

He swung her down to the ground, unable to take his eyes off her.

“You seem happier this morning,” she told him.

Luke nodded. “It’s been a long time since we all laughed together. It felt good.”

“I hope you find a family today. Good luck,” she said softly.

He watched her walk a short distance away. She looks so nervous, he thought. I wish I could stand with her.

“Let’s wait over there,” Luke said. He wondered if they would get picked right away. If they did, he hoped Mary would get picked too. He would like to live in the same town she did.

Luke took Corey’s hand and led them to a spot away from Mike and his brothers, but close enough to the other children that he could still see Mary. Leah shuffled behind him.

A prosperous-looking couple approached them. The man had a large stomach that stopped him from buttoning his fine jacket. The woman wore a dainty hat and a green silk dress.

The man’s stomach jiggled as he shook Luke’s hand. “You’ve got a good strong grip, son,” he said loudly.

“Thank you, sir,” Luke said.

The man squeezed Luke’s arms. “Lot of muscle here.”

“Yes, sir,” Luke acknowledged, feeling like a horse about to go on the auction block. “I was a farmer.”

“A farmer?” the man echoed. “I own a general store. I’m looking for someone strong enough to lift crates and boxes for me.”

“I could do that, sir,” Luke assured him. “I’ve chopped wood and hauled hay most of my life.”

“And we’d like a young girl to work behind the counter,” the woman said as she smiled at Leah.

Luke stole a glance at his sister. Leah’s smile had disappeared. Now she looked sullen. Luke nudged her shoulder, but Leah only drew her lips into a straight line.

We’ll never get adopted at this rate, Luke thought. “I’m Luke Fier, and this is my sister, Leah.”

The woman knelt and took Corey’s chin in her hand. “Aren’t you a cute one? What’s your name?”

“His name is Corey,” Luke offered.

“How old are you, Corey?” the woman asked.

“He’s six,” Luke told her.

The woman glanced up at Luke, her brow furrowed.

Luke cleared his throat. “He hasn’t spoken since our parents died.”

“Oh.” The woman stood and slipped her arm through her husband’s. “We really need children who will talk to help us with the store.”

They strolled away, and Luke fought off his disappointment. “Leah, you should have smiled at that woman,” he scolded. “They seemed like nice people.”

“I feel like a hog on display at the county fair,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “People look us up and down. Poke you to see how strong you are. I’m surprised they didn’t open our mouths and count our teeth.”

“I don’t like it either, Leah, but we don’t have a choice right now. And Corey needs a home to grow up in. A home where he can laugh and talk again,” Luke said.

She rolled her eyes. “All right. I’ll be nicer next time.”

Relieved, Luke looked over at Mary, hoping she was having better luck. A couple had stopped to speak to her, but they soon drifted away.

If she doesn’t find a home today, she’ll go back on the train. And I can talk to her some more, Luke thought. Though they’d spoken only once or twice, Luke knew he’d miss her if she left now.

“Oh, my goodness!” Luke heard a woman exclaim. “Isn’t he a doll? He has such beautiful green eyes.”

He snapped his head around in time to see a woman hug Corey tightly.

“What do you think, Alfred?” she asked.

A tall man stood behind her. He brushed his finger repeatedly over his black mustache. “Well, he looks a bit puny, the runt of the litter so to speak.”

“But he’ll grow,” she replied, and leaned closer to Corey. “Won’t you?”

Shaking his head, Corey stepped back and landed on Luke’s foot.

The woman laughed lightly. “Of course you’ll grow. You’ll grow to be big and strong.”

“He doesn’t talk,” Leah said impatiently.

The woman’s blue eyes widened in surprise. “He doesn’t talk?” She looked first at Leah, then at Luke. “He doesn’t talk?”

“No, ma’am,” Luke said.

“Then he’s a dimwit,” Alfred said, “and he won’t do at all.”

“He’s not a dimwit,” Leah snapped. “He’s cursed. We’re all cursed.”

The woman gasped and stepped back.

“Leah!” Luke scolded. “Don’t tell lies.”

“But it’s true,” Leah said, her eyes widening. “Look at our name. Fier. If you rearrange the letters, it spells f-i-r-e. Fire! Fiery deaths have followed our family through the centuries. Our house was set on fire. That’s why we had to run away. Father told me—”

The woman grew pale and grabbed her husband’s arm. “I don’t think this child is for us.”

Luke watched the couple hurry away. He felt the anger rise within him. Anger at Leah because she was making this so difficult.

“Don’t tell any more lies,” Luke ordered.

“I wasn’t lying. Our house was set on fire,” she insisted. “Didn’t Father ever tell you that our family is cursed?”

“No,” Luke said. “But if he had told me we were cursed, I wouldn’t have told those people. You frightened them away.”

“I didn’t like them.” She lifted her hands and wiggled her fingers. “Oh, Alfred!” she squealed in a high-pitched voice, imitating the woman who had just walked away.

Luke fought back a smile. Then he gave a snort of laughter. He couldn’t help himself.

Leah reached up, pinched his cheek, and wrinkled her nose. “Aren’t you a doll? Shall I put you on a shelf in the parlor? I promise to dust you once in a while.”

Luke laughed. “All right. You made your point. They aren’t exactly what we want.”

She pushed out her lower lip. “Besides, they wanted only Corey. Not you and me. We all have to stay together.”

Luke couldn’t argue with that. He put his hand on Leah’s shoulder. “I won’t let anyone take just one of us. I promise you that.”

“You promised you wouldn’t put us on the orphan train, and here we are!” she reminded him.

Luke sighed in exasperation. He glanced around the train depot and platform. He watched as the children’s faces brightened whenever someone stopped to talk with them. As the people walked away, their faces would fall.

Luke saw a man lift a little girl into his arms. His wife tweaked the little girl’s nose as they walked away. At least she found a home, he thought.

His gaze fell on Mike. Mike was talking to a smiling woman in a fancy white dress. She seems to like him, Luke thought. I hope she adopts him. Then I’ll have one less thing to worry about.

The woman began to nod her head, and Mike gave her a wide grin.

Luke heard a low growl. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large collie rush past. It sprang on Mike and knocked him to the ground.

Mike dug his fingers into the animal’s fur, but he couldn’t move the dog off his chest. “Help!” he shrieked.

Luke heard the snap of the dog’s powerful jaws as its large teeth sank into Mike’s cheek. It jerked its head back and forth—and ripped a chunk of flesh from Mike’s face.

Mike uttered a shrill squeal of agony. Blood spurted from the gaping wound, showering the hem of the woman’s white dress in red. She shrieked.

Mike screamed again, shoving at the dog. Snarling, it pulled its lips back and bared its bloodied teeth.

Luke heard cries of terror as people began to run for the safety of the nearby trees. Like a mother hen, he saw the matron began to gather up the smaller children.

Luke turned to usher Leah and Corey to safety … and stiffened.

Leah was leaning down, her face near Corey’s. “Now he’ll know what it is to be different,” she said softly.

Chapter
11

“That’s a horrible thing to say!” Luke exclaimed.

“But it’s true,” Leah answered. “With the scar he’s going to have on his face, I bet he won’t make fun of people who are a little different. Like Corey.”

“Help him!” the woman in the white dress screamed. “Help him!”

Luke felt his body freeze. He could not force his legs to run toward Mike. All he could do was watch.

He watched as a man rushed over and pulled the dog off Mike. “I don’t understand it,” the man cried. “My dog has never done anything like this before.”

Mike’s brothers helped Mike get to his feet. Mike pressed his hand over his torn cheek. Bright red blood seeped between his fingers and trailed down his arm.

Luke’s stomach lurched. He stole a glance at Leah. A bright smile lit her face. Her green eyes sparkled.

She’s enjoying this.

♦ ♦ ♦

That night Luke waited until Leah and Corey had fallen asleep. Then he crawled across the boxcar to the corner where Mary sat alone.

“I’m worried about Leah,” he confided to Mary quietly. “The people back home were afraid of her. They thought she was evil. I never believed it, but now …”

In a low voice Luke told her everything, everything that had happened since his parents died. The neighbors’ cattle going crazy. The horses stampeding the night the men burned the farmhouse. The wolf bringing them food.

“You saw the bees sting Mike and his brother. And then one stung the matron’s lip when she was scolding Corey,” he said to Mary. “And today the collie attacked Mike—and Leah looked so happy about it.”

“There must be a reasonable explanation for all that happened. I have seen people who are very skilled with animals. But no one who could do the kinds of things you’ve described,” Mary replied softly.

Luke shook his head. “But what about how happy Leah is when these bad things happen?”

“Everything happened to people she didn’t like,” Mary told him. “She was happy because people she didn’t like got hurt. But that doesn’t mean she made the animals hurt the people.”

Luke wanted to believe Mary’s logical words. He wanted to believe in Leah’s innocence.

Mary took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her hand felt so soft. He’d never felt anything so soft.

He didn’t want to think about Leah, or Corey, or his responsibilities. He wanted only to think about Mary.

With his heart pounding so hard that he was certain she could hear it, he leaned over and kissed her.

Mary’s lips were soft too. And so warm.

Luke pulled back slightly to study her. She lowered her lashes. Even in the gray shadows, he could see her blush.

Luke wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again. A longer, deeper kiss.

I could be happy with Mary, he realized. I could be happy with her forever. If no one adopts her, I’ll marry her. I’ll marry her and we’ll raise Leah and Corey together.

The night air grew colder.

Luke felt as though a thousand icy pinpoints were pricking his skin. He shuddered and pulled away.

Mary’s eyes grew wide.

The hair on the nape of his neck prickled.

A chill swept through him.

Mary gasped and shrank back as though she wanted to disappear in the shadows. She pointed a shaking finger at something behind him.

Before Luke could turn around, strong hands wrapped around his throat.

And slowly began to squeeze.

Chapter
12

“You’re just like our neighbors!” Leah whispered into Luke’s ear.

He twisted his head around so he could see her face. Her eyes glittered with anger.

Luke grabbed her wrists. But Leah managed to tighten her grip on his neck.

“You think I’m evil!” she accused.

“No, Leah—” Luke choked out.

“You’re the evil one, Luke,” she replied in a quivering voice. “You were happy the dog bit Mike. You just won’t admit it.”

“I was not happy,” he croaked.

From the corner of his eye he saw Mary rise. She held her hands out toward Leah.

“It’s this train,” Mary said in her soft voice. “It makes everyone unhappy. It makes everyone stop trusting.”

“It’s not the train,” Leah insisted. “It’s you … and Luke. I heard you both. You think I’m evil!”

With a furious cry Leah shoved Luke back. His head hit the floor with a thud. Pain shot through his skull. White light flashed across his vision.

Leah scrambled on top of him and straddled his chest.

“Evil!” Leah shrieked. “You think I’m evil!”

Her fingers closed around Luke’s throat again, cutting off his air. He grabbed her arms, trying to free himself.

But she dug her thumbs into the soft flesh at the base of his throat. Pressing and pressing.

He gagged and gasped. A red haze quivered at the edge of his vision.

It brightened, then dulled.

The light from the moon began to melt away. Darkness closed in.

In the far distance, Luke could hear a tiny cry.

Corey!

Their fighting woke him.

Then Luke felt Leah’s hands loosen. The frigid night air rushed into his lungs. He rolled over, gasping for breath. Then he sat up.

He looked over his shoulder. Corey snuggled in Leah’s lap. She crooned softly to him as she rocked him back and forth.

“Shhh,” she whispered softly. “Shhh. It’s all right. I only wanted to make Luke listen. I’m not evil.”

She looked up, her gaze locking onto Luke’s. “I’m not evil,” she told Luke, her voice trembling.

Luke rubbed his bruised throat. She tried to kill me, he thought wildly. If Corey hadn’t started to cry, she would have killed me.

“I wouldn’t have killed you, Luke,” Leah said quietly as though she had read his mind.

Suddenly he knew she spoke the truth. She wouldn’t have killed him. It wasn’t her way. If she wanted him dead, she would send one of her animal friends to kill him.

Corey scrambled off Leah’s lap and grabbed Luke’s flannel shirt. He grabbed the front of Leah’s worn calico dress.

“We’ve upset him,” Leah said. “He wants us to apologize. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

She looked contrite, but Luke had a hard time forgetting the wild look in her eyes as she choked him.

Corey twisted Luke’s shirt. His eyes were frightened.

Luke didn’t want to upset his little brother any further. He put his arm around Corey. “It’s all right,” he whispered in a hoarse voice. “It’s been a long day. We’re all tired. We need to sleep. I’m not angry with Leah, I promise.”

Luke expected Corey to release him then, but Corey only tightened his hold on Luke’s shirt and tugged harder. Luke stretched out on the boxcar floor beside Corey.

Then Corey tugged on Leah’s skirt. She lay down on the other side of Corey.

Luke soon heard his brother’s gentle snores as he fell asleep, snuggled closely between Luke and Leah.

Luke could feel Leah’s cold green stare boring into him over Corey’s head.

It was a long time before Luke was able to sleep.

♦ ♦ ♦

The next morning the matron gave out bowls of porridge to each child. Luke sat down next to Mary while they ate breakfast.

He quickly downed his small portion of porridge. Mary held out her bowl. “You look hungry. Here, take mine,” she suggested.

“Oh, no. I couldn’t,” Luke replied, though his empty stomach grumbled.

“Please—I don’t like it. It will just be thrown out,” she said.

“Well, if you don’t want it,” he replied. He took the porridge and smiled at her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. How is your throat?” she asked.

Luke rubbed it. “Better. She’s never done anything like that before.”

“Traveling on this train changes people. I bet Mike and his brothers weren’t bullies before they climbed into this boxcar,” she said.

Without warning, a big hand snatched the bowl of food out of Luke’s grasp. He spun around and watched Mike’s brother, Sam, throw his head back and gulp the porridge down.

Sam smirked. He ran his tongue across his lips. “Thanks, Luke. Nice of you to give me your breakfast.”

Luke wanted to jump up and knock that smile off Sam’s face. Only Mary’s gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him. “He’s not worth the trouble,” she said.

Luke nodded in agreement. “You’re right.”

Luke turned and gazed between the slats of the boxcar at the scenery passing by.

Golden wheat grew in the fields. I would like to work in a field again, he thought. With a mule that will obey me. Surely someone in the next town will want three healthy children to work a farm.

Luke heard a low groan. He turned his head and spotted Sam grasping his stomach.

“Eating too much will give you a stomachache, Sam,” Luke told him. “You look old enough to know that.”

Sam grimaced. Then he gagged.

Sam’s face began to turn purple. His cheeks puffed out as he made awful choking sounds. He pointed at his open mouth.

Alarmed, Luke sprang to his feet. He rushed over and knelt beside Sam. “Did the porridge get stuck in your throat?” Luke asked.

Sam opened and shut his mouth—but no words came out. Only the horrible gagging noise.

Luke took a deep breath. Then he dug his fingers into Sam’s mouth. Something squirmed beneath his fingers. Something cold and slimy.

Something cold, slimy … and alive.

Chapter
13

A shiver slithered along Luke’s spine. He tightened his hold on the slimy thing and pulled.

A dark purple leech slid out of Sam’s mouth. Luke gagged, his own throat tightening. He threw the leech on the floor and stomped on it.

Deep red blood squirted out from beneath his shoe.

Sam kept gagging. His eyes began to bulge out.

There is another one in there, Luke thought. “Help!” he cried. “I need help!”

The children stayed back, their eyes wide. Sam clutched Luke’s arm. Luke could see Sam’s throat convulsing.

Luke shoved his fingers into Sam’s gaping mouth. His fingers touched another cold leech feeding on the blood in Sam’s throat. Luke tugged hard, his fingers losing their hold on the slick, squirming creature. He dug his fingers into the leech again and pulled it free.

Sam released a strangled cry. His face darkened to a mottled shade of purple. The same disgusting color of the leech Luke had pulled out of his mouth.

Sam’s brothers shoved Luke aside. Luke helplessly watched as they carried Sam into the matron’s private car, another leech dangling from his mouth.

Those leeches were in my bowl, Luke realized. I was supposed to eat those leeches. Leah did this to me!

Luke staggered to his feet. He gazed around and spotted Leah. She sat against the far wall, staring through the slats of the boxcar. His legs felt like rubber as he crossed the rattling boxcar toward her.

“Were you trying to finish what you started last night, Leah?” he asked sharply.

She spun around, her face going white. “What are you talking about?”

“The leeches. They’ll kill Sam before nightfall. They would have killed me if he hadn’t stolen my bowl of porridge.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Are you saying I put those horrid creatures in your porridge?”

“Or maybe you simply talked them into crawling into the bowl,” Luke told her. “You seem to enjoy watching animals and other creatures hurt people.”

She jerked away as though he’d slapped her.

“You said I have a gift with animals—you said it was something to be proud of,” Leah cried.

“That’s right. A gift Father handed down to you. He would never have wanted you to use it for evil.”

“How do you know what he wanted me to do with the gift? Did he share it with you?”

Her words cut Luke. He always wondered why his father had shared his gift only with Leah.

“I knew Father well enough to know he never used his skill with animals to harm anyone.”

“And you think I have?”

“Yes—”

Luke felt a sharp jerk on his arm. He glanced down. His gaze rested on Corey’s small, round face. His little brother’s chin quivered, his green eyes filling with tears as he hung on to Luke’s arm. Luke saw that he had grabbed Leah’s arm too.

Luke glanced at Leah. “I’m sorry about last night, Luke,” she said quietly. “I was angry, but I didn’t put anything in your bowl this morning.”

He stared into her clear green eyes. He wanted to believe her.

Corey tugged on Luke’s shirt again. Luke knew Leah didn’t want to hurt Corey any more than he did. He also knew that their arguing upset their brother.

“All right, Corey,” Luke said. “We’ll stop fighting.”

Corey stopped tugging on their arms, but he didn’t release his hold.

“Go sit in our corner, Corey,” Leah said. “I’ll tell you another story about our family.” Corey happily trotted off.

Luke felt ashamed of his earlier doubts. I should trust Leah as much as Corey does, he realized.

“Maybe you should talk to your lady friend about the porridge,” Leah suggested softly.

“What?”

“Well, she’s the one who gave it to you. Corey and I watched her do it,” Leah admitted. “Maybe you ought to ask her about the leeches.”

Leah turned and made her way over to Corey.

That’s right, Luke thought. Mary did give me the porridge. He hurried over to her. “Mary, I need to ask you something—” Luke stammered.

She stared at him with a questioning look.

This is Mary. The nicest girl I’ve ever met.

“Yes, Luke?” she asked.

He gazed down at her. He felt like a fool. Mary could never do anything like that, he decided.

He shook his head and sat down next to her. “I wanted to ask you … do you know what town we’ll stop at next?”

“I’m not sure,” Mary answered.

The door to the matron’s private car crashed open. He turned to watch the matron march down the center of the car.

Mary came to her feet and stood beside him. He could feel her trembling as the matron cast a steely-eyed glance their way.

“We will be stopping soon,” she announced. “You had all better look your best and be on your best behavior.”

She crossed the car and stopped in front of Leah and Corey. “Stand up, young man!” she ordered.

Corey climbed out of Leah’s lap and stood before the matron, his eyes wide.

“I expect you to talk. I know you can. Talk!” she demanded.

Corey tightened his lips.

Luke took a step toward Corey, but Mary grabbed his arm. “She’ll only pick on him more if you interfere,” Mary whispered.

Luke nodded, remembering the matron’s threat to leave him behind the last time he had tried to help Corey. As hard as it was, he stayed beside Mary.

Leah caught his gaze, and he knew she wanted to do something to help Corey. Luke gave a short shake of his head, and he could tell his sister understood.

The matron reached out and twisted Corey’s ear. “Talk!” she demanded. She tugged on his hair. “Tell me your name!”

Tears filled Corey’s eyes. But he shook his head.

The woman pinched Corey’s arm so hard that Luke could see her knuckles turning white. Corey stared over at Luke, his green eyes beseeching him for help.

Luke stepped forward and felt Mary tug on his sleeve. “You’ll make it worse,” she whispered. “Believe me.”

Anger tightened his throat as he watched the matron bully Corey.

“Talk!” she yelled at the little boy, pushing her face close to his.

Corey burst into tears and wildly shook his head.

“I’ll give you something to cry about,” the matron threatened.

Luke couldn’t stand it anymore. He balled his hands into fists and strode toward the matron.

The train lurched to a stop. “Everyone out,” the matron yelled. She gave Corey a push toward the door. “And I expect you to talk,” she ordered him.

♦ ♦ ♦

Wearily Luke walked back toward the train. He held Mary’s hand. Leah and Corey walked beside him. He could hear the other children shuffling along behind him.

A few people had shown interest in Luke, Leah, and Corey … until they discovered Corey didn’t speak.

If only Corey would speak again, Luke thought. His silence disturbs people. I’m certain once he has a mother and father again, he’ll begin to talk. But how can I convince people to take a chance on him … to take a chance on all of us?

He looked toward the boxcar and felt loathing churn in his gut. He hated climbing into it, breathing the stuffy, foul air inside … and waiting. Waiting for the next town. The next day of disappointment.

He spotted a huge black crow as it flew out of the boxcar.

Another crow soared out of the car. Its sleek black wings spread wide as it swooped up to the sky.

How strange, Luke thought.

Then another flew out. And another. And another.

Something is wrong, he realized as they neared the train. He heard the rush of flapping wings echoing inside the boxcar.

More crows flew out and others flew in.

Peering into the boxcar, Luke gagged. Mary gasped and covered her mouth, her face growing pale.

Leah lifted Corey into her arms so he could have a clear view of the horror.

Luke felt disgusted, yet he couldn’t pull his gaze from the matron. She lay sprawled on the floor—surrounded by crows.

Pecking and tearing at her flesh.

They killed her, Luke realized. And now they are feeding on her body.

Chapter
14

“Are you happy about this too?” Luke asked Leah once the train headed west again.

Leah tilted up her chin. Luke saw defiance flash in her green eyes. “The matron was cruel. You saw what she did to Corey.”

Luke glanced at his brother. Corey sat in the corner, his face pale. He had been trembling so violently after what he had seen that Luke had to wrap five blankets around him to stop his shaking.

“The matron didn’t deserve to die like that,” Luke said, his stomach roiling with the memory.

“She wasn’t nice to anyone,” Leah reminded him.

Luke shook his head. How can I make her understand? he wondered. How can I make her stop?

“But no one deserves to be pecked to death by a flock of birds, Leah.”

“Do you think I told the crows to kill the matron?” she asked accusingly.

Luke studied her. She slid over to Corey and put her arms around him. Corey rested his dark head on her shoulder. He sighed and closed his eyes.

His sister. His sister with the green eyes of fire. His sister—who showed such bravery and love for her family.

But who had smiled when she’d looked into the boxcar.

“No,” he lied. “I don’t think you told the crows to kill the matron.”

But he did. He thought she had somehow guided the birds to the red boxcar, had somehow forced them to swoop down and attack the matron.

I can’t deny the truth anymore. Leah is evil. She is a killer, Luke thought.

“The matron’s death upset Mary,” Luke told Leah. “I’m going to sit with her for a while.”

“And talk about me?” Leah asked, narrowing her eyes.

“I’m going to talk to her about the future,” Luke snapped. “I’m tired of traveling on this train. I’m tired of people squeezing my arms to see if I’m strong. I’m tired of people walking away when they find out Corey doesn’t speak.” He sighed deeply and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “I’m just tired, Leah.”

“He’d rather be with Mary than with us,” Leah whispered to Corey. “Isn’t that true, Luke?” she asked in a harsh voice.

Luke turned on his heel and strode across the boxcar. Yes, he acknowledged to himself, struggling to keep his balance as the train rocked over the track. Yes, I need to be away from you, Leah. And I’m going to talk about you. Your powers terrify me.

Mary smiled at Luke as he approached, but even her smile could not lift his dark mood. He sat beside her and took her hand.

“You’re worried about Leah,” she said softly.

Luke nodded. “I can’t deny it any longer, Mary. Leah has special powers. Powers that she is using for evil purposes.”

Mary squeezed his hand. “I watched her when she looked at the matron. Her eyes glittered with joy.”

“And her smile,” Luke added. “It was a smile of triumph.”

Mary lowered her lashes. “I’m sorry, Luke. I’m so sorry.”

“Sometimes I think if only a family would take us in, then Leah would be happy again. She wouldn’t want to hurt people anymore.”

“Maybe that’s true, Luke. She’s had so much unhappiness,” Mary agreed.

He found strength in her steady gaze. “But if we don’t get adopted, I don’t know what to do. I could never turn her in to the authorities. She’s my sister. And I promised my mother I’d always take care of her and Corey.”

“I hope that a family adopts all of you soon, then,” Mary replied quietly. “I know you want to keep your promise.”

“I do want to,” Luke told her. “But what if keeping my promise means that another person is murdered?”

Chapter
15

“Let’s not think about that,” Mary urged him. “Just hope that a family takes you in when you reach the next town. Maybe that will solve all your problems.”

“But if we’re adopted, what about you?” Luke replied. “I hate to think of leaving you here all alone.”

“Oh, I’ll be all right,” she assured him.

She is so considerate, Luke realized. Always thinking of others. She has made this journey tolerable.

“But I’ll miss you,” Luke confessed.

She lowered her gaze.

Luke smiled. “Still shy with me,” he teased as he took her hand.

Then he saw it.

A black spider on Mary’s arm. A spider with a red hourglass on its belly.

A black widow!

Mary gasped. Her hand tensed in his, and he knew she had seen the red mark too.

“Don’t move,” he warned, his voice low.

Luke slowly raised his free hand. He didn’t want to startle the spider.

He had watched a cow die from the bite of a black widow once. If the venom was powerful enough to kill a cow … it could easily kill Mary.

“Hold very still,” Luke whispered. He swept his hand down and knocked the spider off Mary’s arm. Then he jumped up and smashed it under his shoe.

Mary released a tiny cry.

Luke turned toward her. “It’s dead,” he announced.

Mary’s face was white, her eyes wide with terror.

Luke knelt beside her. “Mary, it’s all right. The spider is gone. I killed it.”

She jerked her head back and forth. “It bit me, Luke.”

Luke grabbed her arm and held it toward the moonlight streaming between the slats. He could see the thin trail of blood and the spot where her arm was beginning to swell.

“You’ll be all right,” he promised her. “I’ll find you a doctor.”

Luke rushed to the door that led into the matron’s private compartment. He turned the knob and yanked, but the door stayed closed.

Locked! It’s locked, he realized. He banged on the door, but there was no one to open it. The matron was dead. No one had come to replace her.

We’re trapped! He looked at Mary. Her face appeared so pale. A thin sheen of sweat covered her brow.

“Don’t worry,” he called to her. “I’ll find another way to get help.”

Luke raced across the boxcar. He struggled with the sliding door and shoved it open.

The wind rushed in, pushing him back.

He hung on to the side of the boxcar and leaned out. He spotted the wooden ladder that led to the roof about an arm’s length away.

He glanced down at the huge iron wheels of the train. They spun so fast.

His mouth grew dry. If I fall …

Don’t think about that, Luke ordered himself.

He listened to the sound of the wheels. The rhythm pounded in his head.

Must save Mary. Must save Mary. Must save Mary.

Luke stretched his arm toward the ladder. His fingers only skimmed the side.

He leaned farther out. Straining to grab hold of the ladder.

The train jerked to one side. Luke’s feet slid out from under him. He was falling. Plunging toward the ground.

He snagged a rung of the ladder with one hand. The muscles in his arm burned as he struggled to support the weight of his body.

Luke took a deep breath and swung his body around so he faced the ladder. He grabbed the rung with his other hand—and started to climb.

The rickety ladder trembled with each step Luke took. He scrambled onto the top of the train, pressing himself flat against it.

He studied the train in the darkness. Up ahead, he caught sight of the smokestack and the gray smoke billowing into the night. It’s not too far to the engine, he thought. If I can make it up there, the engineer will help me get a doctor for Mary.

Carefully Luke drew himself to his feet. Like a tightrope walker he’d once seen at the circus, he walked slowly down the train.

The train lurched, and Luke stumbled to his knees. Pain shot up one of his legs. He stood and continued toward the engine car.

There was no time to waste. Mary needed every second he could give her.

He reached the end of the car. He studied the distance between it and the car ahead of him.

Dizziness hit him as the train clacked over the tracks. Everything blurred—the tracks, the train, the ground.

Luke crouched down and wrapped his hands around the edge of the car. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He began to repeat Mary’s name in his mind.

He opened his eyes and stared at the next boxcar. He judged it to be at least six feet away. It swayed as the train rushed over the tracks.

He glanced down. His gaze locked on the iron wheels. They could cut me in half, he thought.

I have to do it, Luke told himself. He shoved himself to his feet.

Then he ran. Ran hard.

And leapt.

He hit the boxcar hard. The air rushed out of his lungs. He didn’t bother trying to stand. He crawled to the end of the boxcar on all fours.

Splinters dug into his feet and hands.

When he had almost reached the edge, he stood up and ran. He jumped onto the next car and stumbled down it without pausing to rest.

Only two more to go, he thought. The cool wind whipped around him.

He crossed the boxcars as quickly as he could. He imagined the poison pumping through Mary’s body. There wasn’t much time left.

Luke climbed down the ladder on the side of the engine car. He swung himself inside.

The engineer jerked his head toward Luke. “What are you doing in here?” the man shouted.

“It’s one of the orphans. She’s been bitten by a black widow spider,” Luke told him. “You’ve got to get her some help. Quickly, or she’ll die for sure.”

The engineer’s eyes widened. “A black widow! I’ll stop as soon as I see someplace where we can get help.”

“Thank you,” Luke said. He reached for the ladder and felt a strong hand grab his arm. He glanced over his shoulder.

“Stay here,” the engineer ordered. “It’s too dangerous up there.”

“No. She needs me.” Luke jerked free and clambered out onto the ladder before the engineer could grab him again.

His heart thundered in his ears as he climbed back onto the top of the car.

The train rumbled. It lurched back and forth. Luke knew it could easily throw him off.

But Mary must be terrified, he thought. I have to tell her that we’re going to get her to a doctor.

Luke made his way down the train as fast as he could. He climbed down the ladder, swung back inside the orphans’ boxcar, and slammed the door closed.

He ran over to Mary and dropped to his knees beside her.

She gazed up at him, her blue eyes round and shining with fever and fear. He smoothed back her hair and felt her forehead.

She’s burning up. He noticed that her clothes were drenched in sweat.

“You’ll be all right, Mary,” Luke said. He cupped her cheek and turned her face toward him. “The engineer will stop soon. You’ll be all right.”

Her beautiful blue eyes glazed over.

“I saw the evil,” she whispered. “I saw the evil, Luke. You must kill…

Chapter
16

Luke stood in front of Mary’s grave. Corey whimpered softly beside him. The little boy clutched Luke’s leg tightly.

A black wrought-iron fence circled the small cemetery. Nearby, a white clapboard church served as a silent sentinel.

Leah waited at the gate. She refused to come into the cemetery.

She had not smiled when Mary died.

But neither had she cried.

The train had finally pulled into this tiny town near midnight. But it had been much too late for Mary.

Perhaps it is too late for all of us, Luke thought bitterly.

When Luke closed his eyes, he could hear Mary’s dying words. I saw the evil. You must kill …

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t kill his sister.

Even though he believed she killed Mary by sending the black widow to bite her, Luke couldn’t kill his sister.

Corey’s whimpers turned into sobs as he placed the mangled wildflowers he’d picked on Mary’s grave. He had begun to cry the minute Mary died. He cried through the night, in his sleep, as he tossed and turned.

He is so small, Luke realized. Too young to see so much death.

Luke looked one last time at Mary’s grave. Then he turned away and studied the small town that stretched out before him.

Last Chance.

An odd name for a town, Luke thought, but it looks like a good place for a family to make a new start.

Stores lined both sides of the dusty main street. All the buildings were wooden. The general store, the bank, the hotel. At the end of the street, away from everything else, loomed a big stone building.

The words INSANE ASYLUM had been carved in the stone above the door.

Is that where Leah belongs? he wondered. If I put her in a place like that, would it prevent her from hurting anyone else?

Someday, he thought, someday soon I will have to make that decision. But not today. Today I must find a family to adopt us, a home where we can live.

Perhaps Leah will return to her old self and all of this will seem like a bad dream.

The train had gone on without them, taking the orphans farther west.

Maybe Mary was right. Maybe it was the orphan train that brought out the worst in Leah. Maybe with a family, Leah would start using her gift as Father wanted her to. She could use her gift to guide the animals. Not turn them into monsters.

Last Chance.

This town will be our last chance to be a family, Luke realized.

We’ll start over here, he decided.

We’ll find a family in this town to adopt us.

Corey will talk again and Leah will stop her evil ways.

I’m sure of it.

Leah, Corey, and I will stay together. As a family.

And no one will try to hurt us.

♦ ♦ ♦

Luke walked along the dusty road, Leah and Corey following him. Oak trees gave them plenty of shade to protect them from the sun.

Leah grunted as she lifted Corey into her arms. “How much farther, Luke?” she asked.

Luke could see smoke spiraling from the chimney of a nearby farmhouse. He pointed. “We’ll try over there first,” he told her.

“First,” she mumbled, and shifted Corey on her hip. “Are you expecting a second, and a third, and a fourth? How many in all?”

“As many as it takes,” Luke replied, and quickened his pace.

As they approached the large two-story white farmhouse, Luke’s hopes soared. The front had four windows on the first floor and four windows on the second floor. If each window belongs to a separate room, they should have space for us here, he thought.

A plump woman sat on the front porch, churning butter. Three small girls sat at her feet. Another girl swung on a thickly knotted rope hanging from a nearby tree.

The woman smiled kindly as Luke stopped in front of the porch. “ ’Afternoon, ma’am,” Luke said. “I’m Luke Fier—”

A boy dashed around the corner of the house, another close on his heels. Luke jumped back before they could collide with him. Six children. He’d seen six children so far. Still, he hoped …

“My brother, my sister, and I are orphans.”

The woman’s smile faded.

“We’re looking for a place to call home,” Luke continued. “I know how to work the fields—”

The woman rose, raising a hand to stop Luke’s words.

Luke knew what her answer would be before she opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry, but we already have twelve children. The farm hasn’t done well this year. We can barely feed those we have. You might try the Greens. Just follow the dirt road. You’ll see a bright yellow house. Try there.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

The woman dropped her gaze to Corey. “Let your little brother come play with my children once you get settled in.”

They found the Greens’ house without any trouble. It reminded Luke of a big yellow canary sitting in the middle of a big green nest. He had never seen a house painted bright yellow.

Lacy white curtains billowed out of all the windows on the first and second floors. Smoke spiraled out of the brick chimney. Someone had painted the chimney yellow as well.

On the white front porch, two empty yellow rocking chairs rocked in the breeze.

A man dressed in overalls and wearing a rumpled hat shoveled slop around in a hog pen. Six black hogs with white spots grunted and lumbered around the man.

Luke had never seen such huge hogs. They stood taller than the man’s knees. Their deep grunts and squeals echoed across the yard.

That must be Mr. Green, he thought as he watched the man shove a hog out of his way. His tall, thin body looked lean and strong. He wore a pleasant expression as he tended the hogs. White hair stuck out in all directions from beneath his hat.

Luke looked back toward the house and saw a woman kneeling before a flower bed, digging the dirt around some bright yellow posies. That must be Mrs. Green, Luke realized.

He didn’t see any children. He didn’t hear any children.

He moistened his fingers with his tongue. Then he slicked down his hair. He did the same to Corey.

“Be on your best behavior,” he said as he knelt in front of his little brother.

“You sound like the matron,” Leah said, and Luke could hear the resentment in her voice.

“I’m sorry,” Luke said as he stood. “I don’t mean to sound like her. But I’d like us to find a home, and this looks like a nice farm.” He sighed heavily. “Please try, Leah. For Corey’s sake. He needs parents. Once he has a home, I’m certain he’ll feel happier and talk again. We might all feel happier,” he added.

Leah exchanged glances with Corey. Reluctantly, she nodded. “All right, Luke. I’ll be nice.”

Leah’s promise had excitement thrumming through Luke’s veins. With Leah’s cooperation, he thought they might have a chance to find a home here.

And put the evil behind them.

Taking Leah’s and Corey’s hands, he walked toward Mrs. Green.

“Excuse me, are you Mrs. Green?” Luke asked quietly.

The woman jumped back, pressing a hand to the white lace that circled her throat. “Oh, my goodness. You startled me.”

Mrs. Green smiled, and her eyes crinkled at the corners. “Yes, I’m Mrs. Green. Who are you?” she asked in a kind voice. She lifted a hand and touched her white hair. She wore it in a bun. But it wasn’t a tight bun like the matron had worn, Luke noticed. It looked soft.

“I’m Luke Fier. This is my brother, Corey. And my sister, Leah,” he told her, pulling Corey and Leah forward. “Our parents died. We were traveling on the orphan train and now we’re looking for a home—”

“Oh, my goodness,” Mrs. Green exclaimed as she rose to her feet. “You poor children.”

Luke spotted Mr. Green leaving the hog pen. “What’s going on over here?” he asked as he neared the house.

Mr. Green’s gray eyes appeared concerned as he stopped beside his wife. Mrs. Green placed her hand on her husband’s arm. “These are orphans. They are looking for a home. Isn’t this little boy darling? We’ve always wanted a little boy.”

Luke decided it was best to be honest up front. “He hasn’t talked since our parents died.”

“Of course he hasn’t,” Mrs. Green replied sympathetically as she knelt in front of Corey. “He’s grieving. He probably misses his mother very much.”

“It’s quite understandable, poor boy,” Mr. Green added.

Mrs. Green rose and took Leah’s hand. Luke watched as she leaned close to Leah. “And it’s always nice to have another woman around to talk with,” she told Leah. “My, what lovely eyes you have, my dear. And such pretty dark hair.”

Leah smiled, the first genuine smile Luke had seen on her face in ages.

“Of course, we’d be pleased to have you too,” Mrs. Green told Luke.

Mr. Green grabbed Luke’s hand and pumped it vigorously. “Yes, yes, we’d be pleased to have you all. I can use the help of a strong young man around here. What do you know about hogs?”

“They make good bacon,” Luke said.

Mr. Green laughed. Mrs. Green began to usher them into the house.

“Come along,” she told them. “Let’s get you settled.”

That evening at dinner, Luke decided Mrs. Green was the happiest woman he’d ever seen.

She had smiled constantly as she fussed over Corey, combing his hair and scrubbing his face before she plopped him down into a chair at the table.

She fluttered around, heaping mashed potatoes and ham and biscuits onto everyone’s plates. “Tomorrow we’ll get you all some new clothes,” she said as she poured thick brown gravy over the potatoes. “And I’ll trim everyone’s hair.”

She sat down and began to cut the slice of ham on Corey’s plate.

Luke’s mouth watered as he brought his first piece of ham to his mouth. No more lumpy porridge, he thought with glee.

No more rattling trains.

No more itchy straw.

No more hard floors.

We’ll have a soft bed to sleep in. Good meals to eat. New clothes.

He glanced at Mrs. Green. Then down to the other end of the table at Mr. Green.

They’re happy people, Luke thought.

We’ll be happy too.

At least he hoped they would.

Chapter
17

The Dark Cellar

If only I had known what would happen at the Green farm.

If only I had told the Greens everything that I knew.

If only I had not held my silence… .

The young man knelt beside the flickering flame. His fingers felt stiff and aching from the cold. He held them over the quivering flame.

The candle is so much smaller now, he realized. It will burn for only a little while longer.

Then it will go out.

And they’ll come for me.

He gazed into the darkness around him. He knew the snakes were there, but he could not see them.

The candle flickered.

Not yet, he pleaded in silence. Please don’t go out yet.

The candle continued to burn. He slowly released his breath. He flexed his fingers.

It is time to finish the story. It is time to tell everything.

Crouching, he turned to face the wall.

The crimson letters danced before his eyes.

I have almost run out of room on the wall, and I still have so much more to tell.

He clutched the nail and began to write, determined to fit the rest of his tale into the empty space that remained on the wall. Someone, someday had to know the truth.

The truth about the evil he’d seen.

Time passed quickly. I no longer counted the days. My brother and I were happy.

Happier than we had been since our parents died.

But Leah remained sullen and distant from us all. Every day I watched her, waiting for some sign that her unhappiness had lifted.

But I only saw her grow even more cheerless.

And angrier.

I realize now that I should have spoken to the Greens about Leah. I should have told them everything, everything that I knew at the time.

I don’t know if it would have made a difference.

I know only that my silence doomed us all.

Chapter
18

Luke hauled an armload of wood toward the back of the house. He glanced over his shoulder at Corey happily tagging along behind him, carrying one log.

Luke’s new overalls and boots felt stiff. But he felt proud to be wearing new clothes instead of the tattered rags he’d arrived in. Mrs. Green had bought all of them piles of new clothes at the general store. And new shoes.

Luke listened to the birds twittering in the trees that shaded the house. I’m happy, he thought as he glanced over his shoulder at Corey. Corey met his gaze with a smile. We’re both happy.

He set the logs down and began to stack them so they would not rot. Corey helped him.

He saw the breeze whip the curtains out of the open kitchen window and smelled one of Mrs. Green’s delicious apple pies. “Smells like we’re going to have pie for supper tonight,” Luke told Corey.

Corey bobbed his head enthusiastically.

Luke smiled. His brother still hadn’t spoken, but Luke could tell that Corey was happy with the Greens.

“No, no, no.” Mrs. Green’s voice escaped through the window. “You must pinch the crust, not squeeze it.”

“I don’t see what difference it makes,” Luke heard Leah reply sourly.

Luke heard the frustration in Leah’s voice. He finished stacking the wood as fast as he could and knocked on the back door.

Mrs. Green pulled the door open. She smiled brightly. “Luke, you don’t have to knock. This is your home.”

“I’m still not used to it,” he said as he stepped inside, Corey close on his heels. “I was wondering if we could have some lemonade.”

“Certainly. Leah, will you please pour your brothers some lemonade?”

“Certainly,” Leah said, cocking her head and imitating Mrs. Green’s voice. But she didn’t smile like Mrs. Green did.

Leah wore a yellow dress with ribbons and bows sewn over it. Luke knew she hated the frilly dresses that Mrs. Green chose for her.

Leah took two glasses out of a cabinet and set them on the counter. Then she lifted the pitcher of fresh lemonade and began to pour.

The pitcher slipped through her fingers and crashed to the floor. The lemonade spilled over the waxed hardwood.

“Oh, no!” Mrs. Green said as she fell to her knees and began to pick up the shards of glass. “That was my favorite crystal pitcher.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Green,” Leah apologized. “It was an accident.”

“I know,” Mrs. Green replied wearily. Then she cried out. She opened her hand and Luke could see a jagged piece of glass embedded in her palm. Blood dripped onto the floor.

“Please take Corey outside,” Mrs. Green said. “I don’t want him to get hurt.”

Leah smiled, took Corey’s hand, and led him outside. Luke watched helplessly as Mrs. Green pulled the glass from her palm. “I’ll clean this up, Mrs. Green,” he offered.

She sighed heavily. “No, you go help Mr. Green. I can take care of this.” She smiled and patted his knee. “It’s such a joy to have you here. Now, get about your chores.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Luke stepped onto the porch. He was certain Leah had dropped the pitcher on purpose. He knew she wasn’t happy living with the Greens. He needed to talk with her. He walked around the side of the house. He couldn’t see Leah or Corey anywhere.

He ambled into the barn. He saw Mr. Green standing beside the first stall. “Mr. Green, have you seen Leah?” he asked.

Mr. Green turned around and smiled. “She’s right in here.”

Luke approached the stall and peered over the slats. Leah sat inside the stall beside a large hog. Corey held two tiny piglets in his lap. Luke watched in amazement as Leah rubbed her hand over the hog’s belly while another piglet was born.

Luke felt a knot of apprehension in his stomach when he spotted the dirt all over Leah’s pretty yellow dress. He knew Mrs. Green would be displeased and scold Leah. But Mr. Green didn’t seem to mind.

“Never seen anything like it,” Mr. Green exclaimed. “Matilda was having a hard time of it. I could see that she was frightened, but I couldn’t get her to relax enough to bring those babies into the world. Leah just sat down beside her and talked to her. Matilda calmed right down.”

“Leah’s always had a way with animals,” Luke told him as Matilda gave birth to her fourth piglet.

“A gift is what she has,” Mr. Green replied. He shook his head in amazement. “A natural gift.”

♦ ♦ ♦

That night Luke stayed awake in bed and listened. When he was sure everyone else in the house had fallen asleep, he crept down the hallway until he reached Leah’s room. He tapped lightly on her door and waited.

She opened the door and rubbed her eyes.

“I need to talk to you,” Luke whispered. “Come sit on the porch with me.”

Together they tiptoed through the house. Quietly, Luke opened the front door. Leah slipped through. Luke followed and closed the door behind him.

Leah sat on the steps, drew up her knees, and wrapped her arms around her legs. Luke dropped down on the step beside her. He listened to the night sounds—the crickets chirping, the hogs snorting sleepily in the distant pen, and the newborn piglets squealing for their milk.

How should he begin? He felt his pulse quicken. Once, he felt able to speak freely to Leah, to tell her anything on his mind. His deepest worries, his brightest dreams. Now he felt different.

He feared her. He feared making her angry. Feared what she might do to him.

He gazed up at the stars. “Remember when we were little, and Ma used to make us wish on the first star every night?” Luke asked Leah finally.

“Yes,” Leah hesitantly replied.

“I wished on a star tonight,” Luke told her. “I wished that you would be happy, and that Corey would talk again.”

“If I’m happy, you’ll leave,” Leah answered.

“No, I won’t,” Luke assured her. “What makes you say that?”

“You said you would,” she reminded him. “You said you’d stay with us and make sure we were happy.”

Luke sighed. “But I’m happy here, Leah. I don’t want to leave. I want you to be happy.”

She rested her chin on her knees. “I felt happy today, working with Matilda. I’d be happy if I could be with the animals, but Mrs. Green wants me to be a lady. I don’t want to be a lady. It’s boring.”

“Maybe if you tried—”

“I am trying,” she snapped.

He heard the shrill note in her voice. The sure sign of her anger rising.

“I’m sorry,” Luke told her. “I know you’re trying. I know the past few months have been hard on all of us. Hardest on Corey. Leah, we need to find a way to get Corey to talk again.”

She picked at a loose thread on her gown. “I’ve talked with him, but I think his voice is just trapped inside him.”

“But he laughed. On the train, he laughed. Do you remember?”

“Yes, I do. That seems so long ago now,” Leah added. She looked up at the sky. “Which star did you wish on?”

“All of them,” Luke told her.

She squeezed his hand. “Let’s close our eyes and wish again.”

Luke closed his eyes. Together, he and Leah said, “I wish Corey would talk again.”

Luke opened his eyes and stared at the night sky.

“I miss the way things were,” Leah said with a sigh.

“Me too,” Luke confessed.

And one of the things he missed most of all was the way things had been between him and his sister. Before he began to suspect her of such vicious madness… .

♦ ♦ ♦

With Corey tagging along behind him, Luke strolled to the large oak tree that grew beside the front porch.

Mrs. Green and Leah sat in the rocking chairs on the porch. They each held scraps of linen and embroidery thread in their laps.

“Mrs. Green, can I hang this swing from the tree limb?” Luke asked.

Mrs. Green glanced up from her stitching. “Certainly, Luke.”

Luke looked at Corey. “Would you like a swing?”

Corey nodded.

“Can you say yes?” Luke asked his brother.

Corey pressed his lips together. Luke’s heart sank, but still he smiled at Corey before he climbed the tree. He edged out onto a thick high limb and began to tie the ropes around the limb.

“No, no, no,” Luke heard Mrs. Green scolding Leah. “You must make the stitches smaller.”

“I can’t make them any smaller,” Leah shot back. “My fingers are too big.”

“Nonsense. You simply aren’t trying, and you must. A young woman’s stitchery should be as dainty and delicate as she is.”

Luke tied the other end of the rope to the limb. Corey stared up expectantly at him. Luke tightened the knots, then shifted his gaze to Leah.

He noticed her lower lip jutting out, her brow furrowed in an angry pout.

The previous week, Mrs. Green had given Leah cooking lessons. After five burned meals in a row, Mr. Green had suggested that Leah’s talents might reside elsewhere.

With a sigh, Mrs. Green had agreed.

The week before that, Mrs. Green had made Leah walk through the house with a book balanced on top of her head. The book had toppled off Leah’s head as she passed Mrs. Green’s treasured china figurine collection. It had smashed the delicate pieces.

Mrs. Green wants only what is best for Leah, but Leah won’t try to learn, Luke thought.

“Sit up straight,” Mrs. Green admonished Leah. “A lady should always—”

Leah jumped out of the rocking chair and threw down the embroidery. “I’m not a lady!” she cried. “I don’t want to be a lady. Being a lady is boring. You’re boring!”

Leah dashed off toward the barn.

Luke watched as Mrs. Green rose, her back stiff and straight. She stomped down the steps.

Luke dropped the wooden bench of the swing so it dangled from the tree limb. “Mrs. Green?”

Mrs. Green glanced up, her lips pressed into a straight line. “Your sister is being very difficult, Luke. She refuses to listen to a word I say. If she does not cooperate, Mr. Green and I will have to send her away.” She shook her head. “We don’t want to send her away, but I cannot abide a willful child in my house.”

“Let me talk to her,” Luke offered as he scrambled down the tree. “I’m sure if I explain things to her—”

“We don’t want to send her away,” Mrs. Green repeated, interrupting him. “But we will have no choice.”

“I understand,” Luke replied, his stomach twisting with frustration.

If only Leah would try, he thought, we could all be happy here. It will break Corey’s heart if she’s sent away. And I promised them both I’d keep us all together.

“Please let me talk to her,” Luke begged.

Mrs. Green nodded. “Perhaps you’ll have more luck with Leah than I do,” she remarked. Then she looked at Corey. “Would you like to try out your new swing?”

Corey stared up at her wide-eyed. Then he nodded and she held out her hand.

At least Corey is happy, Luke thought as he watched his brother climb onto the wooden seat of the swing. Mrs. Green gave him a gentle push.

Luke trotted over to the barn. Although the morning sun glared outside, inside, the dark barn felt cool. Luke peered into the shadows, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. Dust motes waltzed through the sunlight streaming through the cracks.

Something did not feel right. Luke felt icy fingers of apprehension crawl up his spine.

A horse whinnied nervously and kicked a stall.

The barn cat hissed and arched its back. As Luke walked by, it clawed viciously at the empty air.

Leah is talking to the animals, he thought with dread. They know she’s upset. So they are upset.

Gazing around cautiously, he kept walking through the barn.

He heard the flutter of wings. He ducked his head and covered it with his hands just as a barn owl swooshed down on him. Luke felt the owl’s sharp claws graze his hand before it soared out through the door.

He looked down at the long scratch across his hand and fingers that suddenly started to bleed.

“Leah?” he whispered hoarsely, his heart thudding in his chest.

The shadows swirled like smoke and seemed to reach out from the corners.

Luke shivered as he felt the air grow suddenly cold.

What are you doing, Leah? he wondered.

A thud echoed through the barn.

A crash.

A shriek.

Holding his breath, Luke crept to the last stall and peered around the corner.

Leah punched and kicked a big bale of hay, a wild expression on her face.

“I hate her, I hate her, I hate her!” Leah screamed.

Chapter
19

Luke tried to forget the rage he’d seen on Leah’s face the afternoon before. The previous night, Leah had been very polite at supper and quiet. Eerily quiet.

Luke shuddered with the memory as he headed down the stairs and toward his first chore of the day.

As much as Luke enjoyed living with the Greens, he hated taking care of the hogs.

As dawn eased over the horizon, Luke stepped onto the back porch and picked up the two large slop buckets. Last night’s leftovers assailed his nostrils, and he almost gagged.

“How can hogs eat this stuff after it’s been sitting out here all night?” he wondered aloud.

He heard the door behind him open. He glanced over his shoulder at his brother. Corey tugged up the strap up on his overalls.

“ ’Morning, Corey,” Luke greeted him.

Corey only nodded.

“Are you going to help me with the hogs again?” Luke asked, pleased that his brother was spending more time with him, helping him with his chores.

Corey nodded again.

We’re on our way to becoming a family, he thought with a smile. If we can just find a way to make Leah happy… .

“Come along, then,” he told Corey. “The hogs are waiting, and I’m a little late this morning with their breakfast.”

Luke lugged the buckets toward the hog pen. As he rounded the corner of the house, he saw Mrs. Green kneeling before her flower bed, selecting the flowers she would put on the table before breakfast.

“Good morning, Mrs. Green,” he said as he passed by her.

“ ’Morning, Luke. ’Morning, Corey.”

Luke watched as Corey bobbed his head.

I know he’s happier here, Luke thought to himself. I just wish he would talk.

Luke neared the wooden pen. The hogs were grunting and shoving one another aside more than usual.

“They must be hungry this morning,” he told Corey as he set one bucket down and poured the other bucket into the slop trough.

The hogs squealed and grunted louder.

Luke picked up the remaining bucket and walked to the side of the fence, where another trough waited.

Corey tagged along.

As Luke poured the other bucket of slop into the trough, Corey climbed onto the lower rung of the fence and peered through the wide slats.

“Don’t get too close,” Luke warned Corey. “Those hogs have sharp teeth.” Luke had seen the large, pointed teeth inside the hogs’ mouths. He’d seen their long, powerful jaws snap thick meat bones in two in an instant. The sight gave him the chills.

The hogs ignored the slop he’d poured for them and began to grunt louder.

Then they began to run in a circle inside the pen, their short legs powerful. Luke was always amazed at how fast they could run even though they had small legs and big bodies.

Luke stood back, watching them. He felt his pulse quicken. What was happening? Were they sick?

They began to run faster inside the pen. Squeal louder.

What is wrong with them? Luke wondered. Why are they acting this way?

The largest hog pawed the muddy earth with his cloven hoof.

He looked to Luke more like an angry bull than a hog. The hog opened its mouth wide. Luke saw the sharp teeth that looked like deadly tusks on each side of the mouth.

Luke shuddered at the sight of teeth that could easily shred a person.

Then the hog suddenly charged forward and crashed its huge body against the fence.

Corey flew off the fence and landed on his backside, his eyes wide.

Luke rushed over to Corey. “Are you all right?”

Before Corey could nod his head, the hog crashed against the fence again. The wood splintered. Another hog rammed against the fence. The wood gave way and the hogs barreled through.

Luke snatched Corey off the ground. Holding Corey tightly, Luke hurried toward the barn. “Mr. Green! Mr. Green! Help!” he frantically called.

Luke heard a high-pitched shriek somewhere behind him and skidded to a stop.

With Corey still clinging to him, he spun around. The horrible grunts and squeals of the hogs made his blood run cold.

Then Luke spotted the pigs charging after Mrs. Green. She stumbled across the flower bed and raced toward the road. Luke saw the terrified expression on her face, her eyes wild, her hair falling loose from its pins.

Luke set Corey on the ground by the barn. “Wait here,” he ordered.

Then he turned and dashed after Mrs. Green, after the hogs.

“So-wee! So-wee!” he cried, trying to gain the hogs’ attention.

But the hogs continued to chase Mrs. Green. Their short legs pounded the ground. Their loud, disgusting grunts filled the air.

Luke’s breath caught when he saw Mrs. Green stumble.

She fell to her knees.

“No!” he cried, knowing he couldn’t reach her in time, knowing he would be too late to help her.

He watched in horror as the huge hogs trampled Mrs. Green into the ground.

His breathing labored, tears stinging his eyes, he glanced toward the house.

Leah stood in her bedroom window … calmly watching.

Chapter
20

A few nights later, when Luke closed his eyes, he could see them all.

Mrs. Green lying in her coffin … just before Mr. Green lowered her into the ground.

Mary, gasping her last breath, as he held her.

He saw the black crows feeding on the matron.

He saw the leeches, the dog attacking Mike, and the wolf bringing Leah food.

He saw his father lose control of the horses. He heard his mother’s dying scream.

His eyes flew open.

Is that when it began? he wondered. Did it begin the day my parents died?

He closed his eyes, trying to sleep. Leah’s victims floated through his mind, their faces contorted with pain, their eyes accusing, their voices whispering low.

You knew! You knew! And you did nothing!

And then Mary’s face came to him.

“I saw the evil,” she whispered again. “You must kill …”

Luke jerked upright. He felt his damp clothes clinging to his skin, his body bathed in sweat.

“I can’t kill Leah,” he whispered hoarsely into the darkness. “She’s my sister. I know she’s evil. But I can’t kill her.”

He dropped back down, his head sinking into the soft pillow.

He stared at the shadowed ceiling.

I know I have to do something. He balled his hands around the blankets on his bed. I will do something. I can no longer protect Leah.

♦ ♦ ♦

The next morning Luke gazed at Mr. Green standing beside Mrs. Green’s grave.

Mr. Green gripped Corey’s small hand as he stood beside him. Luke needed to talk to Mr. Green, but Corey had been by the man’s side almost constantly since Mrs. Green had been killed. Luke did not want Corey to hear what he had to say to Mr. Green.

Mr. Green leaned down to say something to Corey. Then Corey ran to Mrs. Green’s flower bed and began to pick her yellow flowers.

For her grave, Luke realized sadly. Every morning Corey placed fresh flowers on Mrs. Green’s grave.

Only three days had passed, but Luke knew it was three days too many.

He had to talk to Mr. Green.

He walked to the freshly dug grave. “Mr. Green?”

Mr. Green turned, his gray eyes sad. “Luke. What can I do for you, son?”

Luke’s stomach lurched. He has always been so kind to us, treated us as his own children. He did not deserve this grief.

“Mr. Green.” Luke swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. “Mr. Green, I think it’s time I told you everything.”

He began at the beginning … with his parents’ death and the strange behavior of the horses. His father’s gift. And how his father had taught Leah to use the gift.

“But I’m afraid she uses her gift for evil,” Luke told Mr. Green.

Mr. Green shook his head. “I’ve seen her use her gift, Luke—with Matilda. I wouldn’t call calming an animal evil.”

Luke cleared his throat. It was so hard to find the right words. “I’ve seen animals kill people, Mr. Green. And always Leah stood by, watching. Never once has she shown any remorse,” he added sadly. The words stuck in his throat, but he forced himself to be truthful. “Sometimes … she’s even seemed happy about it,” he added hoarsely.

He told Mr. Green about the matron’s death, Mary’s death, and the animals attacking different people.

“And you think she made the hogs attack my wife?” Mr. Green asked Luke incredulously.

Reluctantly, Luke nodded. “Yes, sir. I’m afraid so.”

“But why?” Mr. Green asked.

Luke felt the sadness swell inside him. “Leah wasn’t happy. She hurts those who make her unhappy.”

“And is she happy now?” Mr. Green asked.

“I think so,” Luke said. “But tomorrow—”

“She might be unhappy,” Mr. Green said, finishing Luke’s sentence for him. Mr. Green slowly shook his head. “Then she could use her powers against us at any time—whenever we make her unhappy.”

“Yes, sir. I need to turn her in to the authorities.”

“Not to the authorities. She’s a child. They won’t put her in prison. They won’t hang her, as she deserves. You need to take her to the insane asylum. They can lock her away. That would be best.”

With a heavy heart, Luke agreed.

♦ ♦ ♦

Luke slapped the reins and felt the horses pull the wagon away from the Green farm. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Mr. Green still standing beside his wife’s grave.

“Can we get some licorice while we’re in town?” Leah asked. “Mrs. Green said sweets were bad for a lady’s teeth, but since she’s not here anymore—”

“Yes,” Luke agreed hastily, to stop her words.

She doesn’t feel any guilt at all, Luke realized sadly. She has no remorse over the way she’s using her gift to hurt people. None at all.

“And I want some new clothes,” Leah added. “Something without all these stupid ribbons and bows. Mrs. Green—”

“You’ll get new clothes,” Luke told her, gritting his teeth. Gray clothes. Simple clothes. The clothes they wear at the insane asylum.

Luke listened as Leah told Corey how different their life would be now. How she could play with him more, play with the animals.

“No more sewing and baking and being a lady,” she announced, a gleeful smile filling her face as the wagon rolled into town.

Luke brought the horses to a halt in front of the large brick asylum. Tall black iron gates marked the entrance. He noticed bars on all the windows, like a jail. The grim, forbidding look of the place gave Luke a chill.

“Why are we stopping here?” Leah asked.

Luke’s shoulders slumped forward. He felt an acidy pool of guilt eating at his heart. He didn’t want to do this to his sister … but the faces of all the people he might have saved floated through his mind once again.

Luke turned and met his sister’s gaze. His voice cracked. “Leah, please understand—”

“No!” she cried, and Luke could see by the cold glitter in her green eyes that she knew what he planned to do.

“You can’t put me and Corey in an insane asylum.”

Luke shook his head. “Not you and Corey. Just you.”

At that moment a door banged shut and three men dressed in white began to walk toward the wagon.

Leah clutched Luke’s arm, her fingers biting into his flesh. “No, Luke, please. Please don’t do this. I know what you think of me. But I’m not evil. I swear it—”

“I don’t think it, Leah. I know it.”

“Luke, please don’t—”

“I have no choice, Leah!” he cried, trying to ignore the tears shimmering in her eyes. “You’ve given me no choice.”

“No!” she shrieked. “No! I won’t go!”

The horses reared up. Luke tightened his hold on the reins and grabbed the bench seat.

The wagon tilted.

It’s going to turn over, Luke realized. It’s going to crush us just as it did our parents.

Then the wagon righted itself and the horses bolted.

Luke felt the wagon take off, and he nearly flew off the driver’s seat. He clung on to the side of the wagon with one hand, the other hand grasping the reins. The leather strips bit into his hands as he fought to gain his balance. Leah screamed as the horses galloped faster.

The wild horses pounded down the street, stirring up a cloud of dust.

People screamed and desperately rushed out of the way.

The sound of the pounding hooves thundered in Luke’s ears. The stores flew by him in a blur. Sweat poured into his eyes.

The horses had gone wild. He could not stop them.

His heart leapt into his throat. His breath caught in his chest.

Summoning every ounce of his strength, he tugged hard on the reins.

But it was too late.

Too late.

He couldn’t stop the horses as they plunged straight through the plate-glass window of the general store.

Chapter
21

The whirring of a wheel woke Luke up.

He slowly opened his eyes. Through a red mist, he could see the wagon on its side, the wheels still spinning.

He touched his fingers to his throbbing forehead and felt the warm, sticky blood.

He lifted his heavy head, and the pain arced between his temples like a bolt of white-hot lightning.

The odor of kerosene assaulted his nostrils. Kerosene! We must have shattered lanterns when we came through the window, he thought groggily.

In the distance he could hear something else, something he’d heard before. His skin prickled with alarm at the sound of crackling paper. He choked on the scent of acrid smoke.

A fire!

Luke leapt to his feet. “Corey! Leah!”

Debris covered the wagon. In a frenzy, Luke began to toss it aside: splintered wood, ruptured flour sacks, shards of glass.

“Leah! Corey!” He spotted a small hand peeking out from beneath the wagon.

“Corey!” Breathing heavily, Luke dropped to his knees. He peered under the wagon. Corey lay as still as death, and Luke saw his legs pinned beneath the wagon.

The roar of the fire rose, blasting Luke’s ears in its mounting fury. The heat from the flames surrounded him.

Not much time, he realized with increasing dread. Not much time to get Corey out before he burns to death.

He watched in horror as the flames leapt onto the wooden wagon. He heard the crackle and pop.

He saw the wood instantly char and burn.

He slipped his hands under the side of the wagon. He grunted, losing precious seconds as he strained to lift the wagon. Corey remained sprawled beneath it, but Luke didn’t spot any blood.

The wagon finally gave way. Holding it up with one hand, Luke shifted his body until he could grab Corey’s shirt and pull him free.

But where was Leah?

“Leah!” he called, but all he could hear was the bellowing of the fire. The flames rapidly filled the store, devouring everything in sight.

The wagon blocked the front entrance. With Corey in his arms, Luke could find no way to climb over the wagon and through the flames licking at the opening to the street.

I have to find another way, Luke thought frantically as he spun around. The smoke rushed into his lungs, choking him. Tears flowed along his cheeks as the heat and smoke burned his eyes.

Choking, gasping for air, he held Corey close.

Not much time.

The fire grew. The smoke billowed.

He squinted and peered around through the smoke and flames. His heart hammered frantically. He couldn’t see through the thickening smoke.

Not much time.

The flaming orange curtain circled him.

Then it rushed in to engulf him.

Chapter
22

Luke spotted a door some distance from the wagon. He ran toward it and tried the knob. The hot metal singed his skin, and he jumped back. He took a few steps backward, then ran straight at the door.

It crashed open, and he fell to the floor of what looked like a storeroom. The fire followed, nipping at his heels like an angry dog.

At the far end of the room, Luke spotted a back door. Luke hit his shoulder against the door. It didn’t budge.

The fire roared behind him.

He coughed, and the blackness began to close in.

No! he decided. I won’t die like this. I won’t let Corey die like this.

His arms ached from Corey’s weight. His legs felt rubbery and weak. Gathering the last of his strength, he pounded his body against the door.

It gave way and Luke stumbled into the alley.

He took great gulps of air as he staggered away from the store.

The fire is like a living thing, he thought as he watched it jump from building to building. Burning. Insatiable flames consuming everything in its path.

Where is Leah? Luke wondered. I can’t let her escape.

Carrying Corey, he rushed back to the asylum. With each step he pushed against the flow of people who were carrying water buckets.

They won’t be able to stop the fire Leah started, Luke thought sadly.

He looked down at Corey. He was still unconscious, his face blackened with soot. Maybe a doctor at the asylum could help Corey, Luke thought.

Luke neared the building’s massive iron gates. He saw Leah struggling against the grasp of two doctors.

“Luke! Help me! You’re making a mistake.”

“I can’t help you now, Leah. I tried my best. Please believe me,” Luke called after her. He felt iron bands squeezing his heart.

No matter what Leah had done, she was still his sister. He tried not to think of happier times. Before the evil came into their lives.

He watched with a heavy heart as the men led Leah toward the sturdy brick building.

“Luke!” Her cry rang in his ears. “Help me!”

He shook his head. She was beyond his help. She needed to be put away where she couldn’t kill again. He hoped that nobody would hurt her at the asylum.

As the attendant opened the heavy door, Leah pierced Luke with her cold green stare.

“You’ll be sorry,” she shrieked at him. “You’ll be sorry, Luke!”

Chapter
23

Luke sat down on Corey’s bed and tucked the blanket around his brother’s chin. Corey stared back at him with large, solemn eyes.

Corey had recovered from the accident with the wagon and the fire. But Luke sensed that his brother felt very sad about Leah.

“I promise that we’ll go visit her,” Luke told Corey. “They won’t hurt Leah, but they’ll make sure that she doesn’t hurt anyone.”

Corey’s lips tightened into a straight line, and Luke saw his little mouth quiver. His eyes shimmered with tears.

“Mr. Green is going to let us stay here,” Luke assured Corey. “And everything is going to be so much better. You’ll go to school. And you can go play with those children we met the first day. I bet Mr. Green would even let you have a puppy to play with.”

“Of course he can have a puppy,” a deep voice added from the doorway.

Luke jerked his head around. Mr. Green had come into the room. He looked gaunt, tired.

“There’s a storm brewing,” he told Luke. “I’m going to check the storm window in the cellar. I want you both to close your windows before you go to sleep.”

He shuffled out of the room.

“See,” Luke said as he turned back to Corey. “We’ll be happy here. Tomorrow I’ll see if any of the neighbors have a dog they don’t want. You can name him anything you wish.”

Luke watched Corey’s mouth lift in a hesitant smile.

“It’s sad about Leah. But you’re going to have a regular life,” Luke promised his brother.

Corey’s green eyes began to glitter with excitement.

Luke felt his own excitement grow. A regular life.

Everything would be all right now.

Everything.

♦ ♦ ♦

Luke awoke to the sound of a crash.

He jerked upright, holding his breath. He listened, every muscle in his body tense and alert.

Lightning flashed, illuminating his dark room for a single instant. Thunder rumbled.

The storm is here, he thought. Just the storm.

He flopped back onto his pillows and took a deep breath. His eyes drifted closed again to the softly rumbling thunder.

Then he heard a strangled scream. A man’s scream.

Mr. Green!

Luke sprang up in bed again. He grabbed his overalls and shirt and pulled them on quickly. With a shaking hand, Luke lit the candle he kept beside his bed. He picked it up and dashed into the hallway and down the stairs.

The flame quivered. His own shadow rose up eerily against the stairway wall.

The house stood completely dark.

Utterly silent.

I know I heard something, Luke thought. I heard Mr. Green scream.

He padded into the kitchen on bare feet.

He spotted the cellar door standing open. Luke peered down the stairway into the cellar. Into pitch-black darkness.

“Mr. Green?” he called softly.

No answer.

His pulse pounded in his temples. His mouth felt dry as sand.

He held the candle and crept down the creaking, rickety steps. One by one. “Mr. Green, are you down here?” he called out again.

His voice echoed in the black emptiness.

A damp, moldy smell filled his nose, and he coughed on the stale air.

He stepped off the bottom stair and onto the cellar’s stone floor. A shiver raced through his body as his bare feet hit the cold stone. He took a single step forward, feeling chilled to the bone.

He narrowed his eyes. He could see something … legs lying on the floor.

His heart pounded with dread. He forced himself to take another step forward, his feet feeling as heavy as bricks.

He peered down into the shadows and recognized the dark blue denim overalls that clothed the unmoving legs.

Mr. Green’s overalls.

Luke stepped quickly past the legs and knelt down by the body. He held the candle close to Mr. Green’s face. “Mr. Green—” he began.

His voice choked at the sight of Mr. Green’s face, his vacant gaze, staring at the ceiling.

Dead!

Luke jumped up and stepped back. Mr. Green is dead! How is this happening again?

Did Leah escape?

He shuddered as another thought struck him.

Are her powers this strong? Can she reach us even though she is locked away?

Then Luke heard a small voice. A child’s voice.

“Thank you. He was mean to my sister. So mean. You’re my friends. Thank you.”

Luke spun around and held his candle out to shed some light on the shadows. That small voice … His hand trembled uncontrollably.

He stumbled back in horror as he watched Corey step out of the shadows.

Corey, covered with thick, squirming rattlesnakes wrapped around his arms, legs, and neck. He stroked them and kissed their hissing heads as they slithered over him.

Chapter
24

“Corey,” Luke gasped. “It was you all along! You’re the one with the power to control animals.”

“Me and Leah,” Corey answered. “And Papa. But they never did anything bad. Neither did I—until people started being so mean to Leah. You wouldn’t help her—so I had to.”

Luke stared at his brother. He couldn’t move. He felt stunned and horrified. He felt lost in a nightmare. Fighting to wake up.

Yet he knew it was no dream.

He felt the crushing weight of the horrible truth press down on him. Bury him alive. His heart beat so hard that he thought it would burst through his chest.

“You killed them,” Luke whispered, his voice hoarse with disbelief. “You killed them all!”

“They were mean,” Corey replied calmly. “They were bad. And so are you!” Corey insisted. “You locked poor Leah away forever. Now you must pay!”

Luke knew he should run for his life. But his body felt frozen to the spot. Frozen with fear.

Mesmerized, he watched as Corey gently placed the rattlesnakes on the ground, petting each on the head as though it were a puppy instead of a deadly viper. They hissed. They shook their tails, the rattles on the end sending a clacking sound echoing around the cellar.

“They will kill you too, Luke,” Corey said quietly. “When I tell them to.”

Luke held the candle high and stared at the slithering snakes. So many. So large. Their forked tongues darted in and out of their mouths.

Their black eyes were cold. Hard.

They knew no fear.

They knew death and how to bring it quickly with one deadly strike. One swift motion.

Luke shuddered.

He gazed all over the cellar and saw that they barred him from reaching the stairs. The door.

Luke looked around, fighting down the panic. He could see only one small window. The storm window.

A window too small for his large frame.

With trembling hands he lowered the candle, holding it out before him.

Would it keep the snakes away?

The candle stood no higher than his index finger and just about as thick. How long would it burn?

Not long enough for him to escape. Luke felt cold dread churn in his stomach.

“Corey, you can’t do this. How will you survive?” Luke asked.

“All the animals are my friends. They will help me,” Corey told him with confidence.

“Don’t,” Luke pleaded quietly as he looked at his brother. “I’m your only brother,” he reminded him. “Didn’t I always do my best to protect you and take care of you since Mama and Pa died?”

Corey’s green eyes glittered. “You promised we’d never be separated. You broke your promise, Luke. You sent Leah away.”

“Corey, please—” Luke begged.

Corey turned and slowly climbed the basement stairs.

Luke heard his slow steps. Then the door slamming shut.

And the echo of the lock as Corey twisted it into place.

Chapter
25

The Dark Cellar

Luke turned toward the low, hissing sounds.

He threw the nail toward the dark corner and heard it rattle against the stone floor.

The hissing grew louder. Fiercer.

He glanced down at the candle. The low flame floated on a pool of melted wax.

His heartbeat quickened at the sight. It wouldn’t be long now. He touched his fingers to the blood smeared on the wall. His blood. The blood that told his story.

I’ve told my story. If only I had told it sooner. If only I had realized it was Corey … and not Leah …

The light flickered.

Sputtered.

The flame died.

Darkness swallowed the room.

Luke pressed his back against the wall.

Soon I will be as dead as Mr. Green and the others.

He held his breath.

Listening.

Listening hard.

He heard the hissing.

Then the rattles.

He heard the dull scraping sound of scales slithering across the stone floor.

Then he heard nothing but his own screams.

Chapter
26

Luke screamed again.

He pressed his back against the cold stone wall.

The cellar was dark. So dark.

He didn’t know how close the snakes were. He didn’t know when they would dig their fangs into him.

Luke felt something slide over his left boot—and wrap itself around his ankle.

A shudder rushed through his body. He wanted to kick the snake away.

No, he told himself. You must stay still. If you move, it will strike. And you will die.

“I don’t want to die!” he screamed. “I don’t want to die!”

His words echoed between the stone walls, but they could not change his fate.

Another snake coiled itself around his leg. Wrapping itself tightly around his right knee.

He held himself absolutely still, waiting.

Waiting for the deadly fangs to sink into his thigh.

Will this be the one? he wondered. Will this be the one that kills me?

Luke heard the sound of scales scraping over his trousers as another rattlesnake slithered up his leg and circled his waist. He could feel its rattles tapping against his back.

Or will it be this one?

The rattles echoed through the room, growing louder. Louder.

Bang! The cellar door burst open.

In the dim light, Luke saw Leah standing in the shadowed doorway.

“Leah! Help me!” Luke cried.

She held her hands out in front of her, palms up. “Don’t move, Luke. Don’t move.”

Another snake slithered up Luke’s body. Then another and another.

Leah walked down the stairs and carefully stepped over snakes until she stood in the center of the room. She stretched her arms toward the ceiling and began to sway.

“Come to me,” she said in a singsong voice. “Come to me, serpents.”

“Nooo!”

Luke’s gaze jerked to the top of the stairs. Corey stood there, his green eyes blazing.

“No, you are my friends,” Corey screamed at the snakes. “Kill him! Kill him!” He rushed down the stairs. “Kill him now!”

The serpent wrapped around Luke’s waist slowly lifted its head. Luke stared into its black, lifeless eyes. He watched its nostrils flare.

“No,” Leah crooned. “You are not creatures of evil. You are creatures of nature. Do not allow yourselves to be used this way, my brothers and sisters.”

“Kill him, kill him, kill him!” Corey chanted. His cheeks were flushed a deep red. His breath came in ragged pants.

The rattlesnake’s forked black tongue rapidly darted in and out of its mouth.

Then it opened its mouth wide to reveal pointed white fangs. Glistening with venom.

Luke swallowed hard.

“Don’t move,” Leah whispered as she moved closer to Luke.

The rattlesnake struck.

Leah grabbed it by the head just as its fangs skimmed Luke’s throat.

Luke’s stomach turned over. He started to shake. He felt as though ice water ran through his veins instead of blood.

Leah slowly turned the snake toward her. Their eyes locked. “No, my brother,” she whispered. “This is not what you are meant to do.”

Slowly, the snake closed its jaws.

Leah placed the snake on her shoulder, and it glided around her neck. “Thank you,” she said.

“No!” Corey shrieked. “They are my friends! Mine! They have to do what I say!”

“No, Corey. It is not right to use these creatures for evil,” Leah said calmly. She extended her hand toward the snake wrapped around Luke’s thigh.

It crept up her arm, and Luke released the breath he had been holding.

Leah walked away from him. As she did, the other snakes slithered off Luke’s body. They began to climb over her, coiling themselves around her.

“I hate you!” Corey screamed. “I hate you both!”

He raced up the stairs and rushed out of the house.

Trembling, Luke sank to the floor and stared at his sister as the snakes slithered over her.

“It was Corey all along,” Luke said breathlessly. “He killed everyone.”

“I know,” Leah said. “I realized the truth when you lost control of the horses. Until then, I didn’t know that Corey had inherited the power from Father.”

Luke rubbed his hands over his face. “How did you escape?” he asked suddenly. “What happened?”

“I didn’t escape. I convinced the doctor that I had a gift with animals—nothing more. He released me.”

“What are we going to do about Corey?” Luke asked.

“We can’t do anything but wait for him to return.”

Luke decided that he and Leah would stay at the Green farm, would live in the bright yellow house with the white curtains.

Always watching.

Always waiting for Corey to return.

Knowing that when he did return, the fear would return with him.

About the Author

“Where do you get your ideas?”

That’s the question that R.L. Stine is asked most often. “I don’t know where my ideas come from,” he says. “But I do know that I have a lot more scary stories in my mind that I can’t wait to write.”

So far, he has written nearly five dozen mysteries and thrillers for young people, all of them bestsellers.

Bob grew up in Columbus, Ohio. Today he lives in an apartment near Central Park in New York City with his wife, Jane, and son, Matt.

Books by R.L. Stine

The Fear Street Saga

THE BETRAYAL
THE SECRET
THE BURNING
FEAR STREET SAGA COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Fear Street Sagas

A NEW FEAR
HOUSE OF WHISPERS
FORBIDDEN SECRETS
THE SIGN OF FEAR
THE HIDDEN EVIL
DAUGHTERS OF SILENCE
CHILDREN OF FEAR

Available from ARCHWAY Paperbacks

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

An ARCHWAY PAPERBACK Original

An Archway Paperback published by
POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright © 1997 by Parachute Press, Inc.

CHILDREN OF FEAR WRITTEN BY BRANDON ALEXANDER

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

ISBN: 0-671-00294-5
ISBN13: 978-1-4424-7374-4 (eBook)

First Archway Paperback printing June 1997

FEAR STREET is a registered trademark of Parachute Press, Inc.

AN ARCHWAY PAPERBACK and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc.

Cover art by Lisa Falkenstern