Free Cliff-Hanger by Gloria Skurzynski Page A

House out of her hair.
    â€œI just have to brush my teeth,” Ashley said. “I’ll be in and out in a couple of seconds. She won’t even know I’m there.”
    â€œOK. Make it fast.”
    â€œWhat makes you the gatekeeper—?” Ashley began, then said, “Oh, never mind.” She opened the bathroom door and closed it behind her.
    Jack turned his camera in his hands, gently blowing a tiny speck of lint off the lens. Earlier in the day, after they’d safely climbed the toeholds in the rock cliff from Balcony House to the rim above, Jack had asked Lucky if he could take her picture.
    She’d shaken her head. “I don’t like having my picture taken.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œI just…don’t,” she’d answered. “But since you saved my life today, I’ll let you take my picture before we leave Mesa Verde.”
    â€œWhen?”
    â€œI don’t know. Sometime.”
    â€œTomorrow? Like in the morning?”
    Lucky had given him a small smile. “Maybe,” she’d told him. “I’ll think about it.”
    He’d had to be content with that. Now he was checking his camera to make sure everything was right—film loaded, batteries strong, lens spotless.
    Just then Ashley came out of the bathroom looking puzzled. With her hand outstretched, she walked toward Jack. “I know you’re not talking to me, even though what happened was not my fault and you’re believing Lucky over me, which makes me feel pretty bad—”
    â€œKnock it off, Ashley—” Jack began.
    â€œBut you can still look at this ’cause I think if you do, you’ll have to see that there’s something really strange about Lucky.”
    Jack wanted to walk away, but curiosity drew him. “OK. What have you got?”
    Ashley opened her hand. “It’s Lucky’s watch.”
    â€œI can see that. So what are you doing with it?” Jack demanded.
    â€œShe left it on the glass shelf in the bathroom. I was squeezing the toothpaste when I heard this weird noise. Like a tiny rattle.” She hesitated. “First I couldn’t figure out what it was, but then I could tell it was coming from the watch, so I thought it was an alarm going off, and I picked it up.”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œWhen I picked it up, I couldn’t hear the noise any more, but, Jack, I could feel it. It vibrated!”
    Not understanding, he just stared at her.
    â€œIn my hand. I could feel the watch, like, jiggle.”
    Jack said, “Maybe it’s some silent kind of alarm.”
    â€œYeah, but when I looked down at it, I saw these numbers on the dial.”
    He snorted. “Big surprise! What’d you expect to see? The Energizer Bunny?”
    â€œListen to me, please! I looked where it’s supposed to tell the time. Only it wasn’t the time, it was three numbers, then a dash, and then four more. It’s a phone number!”
    â€œLet me see,” Jack said. When she gave it to him, he said, “I know what this is: It’s a pager. You know, like the beeper Mesa Verde gave to Mom? Only this one doesn’t beep, it vibrates, so, like, if you’re at a concert or something, it won’t bother people—you’ll just feel it. I saw one advertised in my photography magazine.”
    â€œWhy does Lucky need a pager?” Ashley asked.
    â€œI don’t know. Why do you need to try to nail her all the time?”
    He’d just handed the watch back to Ashley when Lucky flung open the bathroom door, her hair hanging in wet ringlets. She had on a white, V-neck nightshirt scattered with tiny red hearts. In two seconds flat her face morphed from good fairy to wicked witch—her eyebrows slammed together in a deep-creased frown, and her lips thinned into a snarl. “What are you doing with my watch?” she shrieked.
    Ashley stammered, “N-noth—” but before she got the