Free First Frost by Liz DeJesus Page B

the patience at that moment.
    “You wanna call your mom?” Bianca asked.
    “Nah, I already told her I’d crash here.”
    “Thanks.” Bianca did her best to smile.
    “No problem. That’s what best friends are for.”
    Ming went to her car and grabbed her overnight bag. Bianca remembered that they had an old black tarp at the bottom of the pantry from the last time they’d painted the living room. She grabbed a roll of duct-tape and together they taped the old paint spattered tarp to the broken window. Bianca double-checked the doors and windows to make sure everything was locked. It was something her mother did every night before she went to bed. Bianca took some comfort in keeping that routine alive.
    Bianca threw herself on the couch and took a moment to catch her breath. She thought about where the book could be. Where should she start looking? What did it even look like? These thoughts plagued her mind.
    What if I don’t find the book? What happens then? What if Mom dies because I failed? I’ll be an orphan. I’ll be all alone. What will happen then?
    The thought of being an orphan terrified her. Losing her father had been awful, but it was bearable because at least she still had her mother. Her mind was plagued with questions, worries, and other random thoughts.
    Eventually…sleep found her. She didn’t even realize it had happened. Her face slumped on the armrest. Her black hair fanned across her eyes like a makeshift mask. That night she dreamt of dying animals, a tangle of spider webs, and Lenore’s cruel laughter.

Chapter Seven
    Bianca woke with a start. She looked around…confused. She had a cranberry red blanket draped over her. It slid off her body as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She glanced out the window and saw that it was still dark out. The neon green numbers on the DVD player told her that it was five o’clock in the morning. Ming had made herself at home. Her best friend had fallen asleep right next to her. Bianca smiled when she noticed that Ming was using her pink Hello Kitty sleeping bag. She groaned, unable to believe that she had let herself fall asleep when they had so much work to do. Bianca rolled her neck and shoulders, doing her best to get rid of the kinks from having fallen asleep at such an odd angle.
    “Ming,” she whispered.
    “Hmm?”
    “Ming, wake up.”
    “Five more minutes,” Ming muttered and then turned to her side.
    “Fine. Five more minutes and then we need to start looking for that book.”
    “Okeydokey.”
    While Ming slept for a few more moments, Bianca went into her mother’s bedroom and did a quick search for the book in there. But the more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed that the book would be in her house.
    What would Mom do?
    “Hmm.”
    If I had my daughter in my house, I would do everything possible to keep her safe. So I would keep the book as far away from here as humanly possible.
    And that was when she knew that the book was at the museum. It was the only other place it could be.
    As soon as the sun rose, Bianca and Ming went to the museum. Bianca figured it would be best to keep the museum open at least part time since it was their only source of income. For the first time in fifty years, there was no story time. Bianca waited until everyone arrived and gathered in the Princess Room to make the announcement.
    “Good morning, everyone,” Bianca said.
    “Good morning,” everyone replied.
    “Where’s Miss Rose?” a little girl in the crowd asked.
    “Umm, she’s not coming today,” Bianca replied nervously.
    “Oh? What happened?” one of the moms asked.
    “My grandmother is sick. My mom had to go away for a while and take care of her until she gets better,” Bianca lied. She had practiced telling the lie until it felt natural and almost true. Ming had even coached her while they’d driven to the museum that morning. Still…she could feel her cheeks burning as the lie slipped out of her mouth.
    “Anyway…if you