Free Tianna the Terrible (Anika Scott Series) by Karen Rispin

answered. "I don't think he really cares. It's just something to fight with Mom about. Dad isn't so bad, only he's gone so much of the time." She shifted and looked up at me through her hair. "You're so lucky! You aren't stuck with parents because you get to go to boarding school. Besides, your parents are halfway decent."
    I swallowed and said, "Just remember, God really does love you."
    "How come such bad things happen to me, then?" she demanded.
    "I don't know. Because of other people's sins, I guess. Mom says that sin always hurts. It hurts the people who do it and people around them, too."
    "You mean, like Dad and Mom fighting hurts me?" she asked.
    "I guess. I don't really get it all. I just know when I do something wrong, and I ask Jesus to forgive me, I feel way better inside. We had to learn this verse that says, 'The blood of Jesus Christ washes away all sin.'"
    Tianna made a face, "That's gross. I don't want blood on me."
    I laughed. "Not real blood, silly. Well, not exactly. See, sin causes pain and hurt and death. So if we sin, we should be punished, but Jesus loves us so much that he didn't want that. He let God punish him instead of us, and he even died for us. So it's like his blood kind of erases the sin off of us, because Jesus already paid for it." I paused. "We have to ask him to wash away our sins, though. He doesn't just do it to us. We have to decide to belong to him."
    Tianna squirmed. "Come on, let's get out of here." She pulled my arm and headed for the back door.
    "Wait a sec," I said. "I'll ask if I can go."
    "You really are a goody-goody, aren't you?" she sneered, yanking on her jacket. "I'm going! If you want to come, come—but don't tell your parents. Or are you a tattletale, too? Come on!"
    I just stood there trying to decide what to do. It was already dark out.
    Tianna said, "Wimp!" and stuck out her tongue at me. Then she left, slamming the door.
     

 
    Chapter Seven
     
    I stared at the door, Tianna's angry words ringing in my ears. I frowned. Was I a wimp? I bit my lip and wondered where she was going. With a sigh, I went into my room to finish packing.
    Later, Mom and Daddy came in to read the Bible with us. We did that every night. Most of the time Tianna had been coming, too.
    "Where's Tianna, Anika?" Daddy asked.
    I just shrugged without looking up. No matter what Tianna had said, I was no tattletale.
    "I was looking forward to one last evening with her," Mom said. "She seems to be really interested in the things of God."
    "Maybe she doesn't want to come tonight," I said. "She acted mad at supper."
    Sandy had been teasing the kitten with a piece of shoestring as we talked. Now she blurted, "Please, can't we take Jake? He'll be sad without me, even if they do feed him."
    Mom looked sad. "Sandy, you already know the answer to that. I'm a bit worried about Jake, too. How about if you pray for him?"
    "Why pray for a kitten when Tianna is so upset?" I blurted. "People are more important."
    Daddy nodded and said, "God cares for all the creatures he made, but you're right. We will certainly keep on praying for Tianna and her parents. I'm disappointed in how this visit has gone."
    "It seems like we made it even worse for Tianna," I said.
    "Why don't Uncle Kurt and Aunt Doreen just wise up!" Sandy said. "They're acting so awful."
    "That's enough," said Daddy. He opened the Bible and started reading, "'When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! All these things are from God who brought us back to himself through what Christ Jesus did. And God has given us the privilege of urging everyone to come into his favor and be reconciled to him… For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God's goodness into us!'"
    I was half listening and half worrying about Tianna. What Daddy was reading said that we were supposed to bring God's message of peace to people. We sure hadn't done