Free The Adventure of a Lifetime by Ravina Thakkar

that the lady made a lot of hand gestures while she talked and Amber just nodded occasionally. Betty finally saw the lady point at her, and Betty blushed because the lady had known that she had been spying on her. As the lady pointed, she shook her head. Amber then crossed her arms with a serious look on her face. She looked like she was yelling at the lady, the way she was opening her mouth and closing it. Finally, the lady did something that looked like a sigh and then nodded, even though she didn’t look that happy about it.
    Amber then came outside.
    â€œMona says we can both stay at her house for the night, although she didn’t like the fact that you were going to sleep in her house too. She thinks you might be dangerous. Maybe she can just sense the fact that you’re not from ‘our world.’ But don’t worry, I reassured her that you’re perfectly harmless,” Amber reported.
    â€œWho’s Mona?”
    â€œOh yeah. She’s in her sixties, but she has a huge temper. She’s not a fragile grandma who knits. So don’t—whatever you do—get on her nerves.”
    â€œHow do you know so much about her?”
    Amber looked hesitant.
    â€œJust c’mon,” she said, biting her lip, holding the words in.
    â€œI can come inside?”
    â€œYeah. Mona says dinner is almost ready and that we should get in there quick if we want to have it warm,” Amber replied and then they both went into the house, Betty feeling less than welcome.
    Amber was right—Mona was a monster. She had icy blue eyes and gray hair tied up in a bun. She had a stubby nose and wrinkled skin like an elephant’s.
    During dinner, in her attempts to make Mona trust and like her, Betty just made things worse!
    â€œSo,” Betty said when they were seated around the dinner table. In front of her lay an unfamiliar bowl of soup, and Betty ate it cautiously. “Have you and Amber known each other long?”
    â€œWell, me and Amber—” Mona started.
    â€œJust met!” Amber interrupted, avoiding Mona’s eyes. Betty looked at her quizzically, but said nothing.
    â€œBetty, could you pass the soup?” Mona asked sweetly. Too sweetly. Betty ignored it though and reached for the pot of soup in the middle of the table. Finally! Mona started liking her! She talked, at least! That’s a sign! Immersed in her thoughts, Betty spilled the pot of soup. Mona gave her a dirty look, and seemed about to yell. Where Amber would’ve laughed, she stayed silent. In fact, she said nothing, bent over her soup bowl, staring at the broth as if it contained the secrets of the world.
    After the dinner episode, Betty was doing the dishes, Amber sweeping, and Mona clearing the table and wiping it down. However, Betty wasn’t good with dishes—she had slippery fingers and at times could be very clumsy. And after she broke Mona’s favorite dish wasn’t the right time to tell the old lady that. Mona was about to burst, but then Amber quietly shook her head. Mona bent over, swept up the pieces, sighed, and went to sit down. Amber took the dishes from Betty and Betty sat down at the table and rubbed her head like she’d seen her mom do. What had she gotten herself into? She had made Mona’s bad list in one night.
    Great.
    Amber finished the dishes in silence. Ever since dinner started, Amber hadn’t talked. And if Amber didn’t talk, none of them talked. Because what did Betty have to say to Mona? And Mona to Betty?
    After everything had been put away, Amber and Betty joined Mona in the living room. The living room was a surprisingly large room with mocha-colored walls and brown leather couches. A grand table with carved legs, polished to perfection of course, was in the middle of the room, and a fireplace was set into one of the walls. Betty was surprised—the house looked better on the inside than the outside.
    Betty sat next to Amber as Mona pulled