Free Betti on the High Wire by Lisa Railsback Page A

Buckworth.”
    Mrs. Buckworth’s face turned pink. “You don’t have to call us ‘Mr. and Mrs. Buckworth,’ ” she said, brushing hair out of my eyes. “You can call us ‘Mom and Dad.’ I mean, if you ... want to.”
    I thought about that. Very quietly I answered, “Okay, Mrs. Buckworth. And Mr. Buckworth.”
    The Buckworths slowly nodded their heads—Mrs. Buckworth looked a little sad—and they both bent over and kissed my forehead, just like Auntie Moo always did.
    “Goodnight, Betti,” Mrs. Buckworth whispered. “I hope you have sweet dreams.”
    I watched them tiptoe out of my yellow room.
    If they hadn’t chosen me I never would’ve been in this confusing mess.
    I got up and took off my fuzzy pajamas and put on my circus dress. Only Melons wore pajamas. Then I dug around in my orange bag and found my letter from Auntie Moo, underneath my pictures of the Buckworths. I stuck it in the back of my Empty Book, and slipped my Empty Book under my pillow.
    In front of my nose, next to my pillow, I propped up my fake circus bear and my circus doll.
    “ My mama,” I whispered to them both in my real language, “is the Tallest Woman in the World with a Tail. She takes my hand and we dive in and out of the water. Mermaids. We can swim around for HOURS, because there is a whole country inside the purple plastic swimming poo. A whole country of watery circus people. ”
    My bear and my doll were listening carefully. Their eyes were wide open.
    “You can live there too, if you want to.” I touched the circus bear’s nose. “See, we are very safe, because no one knows about the country but us.”

Eggs and Drool
    IT WAS MY second day in America, and . . .
    I opened my eye and screamed.
    Something furry was staring at me. I didn’t move. I wasn’t going to move because that’s when animals chase you. My potato sack was under my head. My circus camp doll was under one arm and my circus bear was under the other. My special occasion dress was all wrinkled, and my flip-flops were on my feet in case I suddenly had to run. And the enormous furry black thing started to wag.
    Rooney.
    “Shoo!” I hissed in my language as a big string of drool fell out of his mouth and landed on my ear. He opened his mouth wider. I was sure he’d bite my head or lift his leg.
    We were both underneath a tree next to the empty swinging seats. Rooney the American dog had followed me and slept outside with me. I could smell the grass and hear the birds and a bug crawled across my hand.
    Then Rooney’s huge slobbery red tongue lapped out and licked my bad eye!
    “Help!” I screamed. This was the last word Auntie Moo taught me before I left in the beat-up taxi. She said I only needed to use it if I got into big trouble. “HELP! HELP!”
    Suddenly Mr. Buckworth was sprinting through the backyard in his underpants.
    “Betti! Are you okay? What are you doing outside?”
    “P-pig,” I stammered, pointing at Rooney. “Mikroo Wave Base Mint TV”
    I meant to say “dog,” but these were the words that came out. Even though Old Lady Suri said I’d get in big trouble for saying the wrong words, it really didn’t matter at a time like this.
    “Come on, boy,” Mr. Buckworth said in a deep voice, so Rooney sat down and licked Mr. Buckworth’s foot. Then Mrs. Buckworth ran outside, followed by Lucy.
    Mrs. Buckworth tilted her head and said in a very worried voice, “Betti?”
    “I . . . I . . .” I didn’t have the right words. The Buckworths probably couldn’t understand why I was sleeping outside. Maybe they just thought I loved nature or their swinging seats. “No kids . . . smooshed.” I pointed to a corner of the fence as if it were the lion cage. “No George.” I split my legs like a wishbone. “It is too very dark in there.” I pointed at their sky blue house. “I cannot see.”
    I didn’t know how to tell them that in the middle of my first night in America I woke up shaking and sweating in my new yellow room. I waved