LEAF BLOWERS AWAKENED Vanessa early the next morning. She dressed quickly in yellow drawstring pants and a lacy camisole over her bra, then pulled on a sheer blouse with dragons crawling down the shoulders. She slipped into sandals with butterflies, grabbed her messenger bag, and hurried downstairs. She left a note on the kitchen counter for her mother. She apologized about last night and told her she had changed her mind and decided to go to school. Then she walked to Catty’s house. She told Catty about Serena’s late-night visit while they made breakfast burritos with red and green chili peppers, eggs, and cheese, and drank champurrados, a frothy mixture of water, cornmeal, chocolate, and cinnamon. When they were done, an early morning breeze flapped the white curtains over the soap suds and dirty pans in the sink.
“No wonder Morgan calls Serena the Queen of Weird,” Catty said. She sat cross-legged at the breakfast counter, still in her pajamas, and twisted the ear on her bunny slipper.
“Maybe she has the answer.” Vanessa spooned more hot sauce onto her burrito.
“How can you trust her? You don’t even know her.”
“She seems nice enough.” Vanessa took a bite of burrito.
“You say that about everyone.”
“Well, she does.”
“Look, Vanessa, everyone likes you because you’re so nice to them, but I think this is one time when you should be less nice and not so trusting. What if Morgan’s right?”
Vanessa sighed, then tossed the last of the burrito into her mouth. A jalapeño pepper burned its way down her throat. She reached for the champurrado to put out the fire. “Get dressed,” she ordered. “It’s getting late.”
“You go on,” Catty said. “I’m not feeling well. I think I overdid it with the time-travel yesterday.”
“You want me to stay with you?”
“No. Get notes for me, okay?”
“Sure.” Vanessa picked up her bag.
Catty followed her through the living room to the door.
Vanessa started to leave, but apprehension made her stop. “Maybe I should stay with you.” She spoke over the rising smoke from sandalwood incense that burned near the door.
“Go on,” Catty urged. “I’m going back to bed. I wouldn’t be much company.” She held her head down and stared at the bunny slippers, as if she didn’t want Vanessa to see her eyes.
“You sure?” Vanessa said.
“Yeah, go.”
That was the last time she saw Catty.