Free The Other Child by Joanne Fluke

running even before Bud’s urgent warning, pushing and shoving wildly to escape the menacing whine. Leslie watched them all panic, shoving and scrambling to get out of the way as the swarm of hornets descended. The crowd of angry insects was attacking now, chasing the children as they fled from the yard.
    Leslie supposed she should run, too, but she couldn’t seem to move her feet. Somehow she knew that the hornets weren’t after her. They buzzed all around her, but not one of them stung. A small smile of satisfaction crept across her face as her guests fled, screaming from the swarm.
    “Leslie, move ! Run for the house!” her mother was shouting to her, but Leslie knew she was safe. She stood in the cloud of hornets, unharmed, as the other children scattered and raced away. Mom had been right and Leslie shivered slightly. Birthday wishes always came true and her party was definitely, finally, over for good.

FIVE
    Leslie stood, transfixed, in front of her melting birthday cake. The frosting ran down in bright rivulets of color and a lake of strawberry ice cream was growing on the silver platter. She lifted blank eyes as the hornets darted down in a straggling line to chase after the screaming children.
    They followed only to the perimeter of the yard, humming and whining angrily. Then they turned and formed a dark cloud above Leslie’s head as Mike and Karen watched, horrified. The hornets were suspended there for a full minute while Leslie stared up at the ominous black shadow. Then they quivered and were gone, streaking off in a ragged line toward the river.
    “Help me, Mike! Get her, quickly!” Karen was almost hysterical as they rushed to Leslie. She was still standing there, shaking, staring blankly at the spot where the hornets had disappeared.
    “In the house, Leslie—move!” Mike grabbed his stepdaughter and helped her across the lawn and into the safety of the house.
    “He’s gone,” Leslie said, sighing, the blank look still on her face. “He was here, but now he’s gone.”
    “Are you hurt, honey?” Mike dropped to his knees so that his face was level with hers. “Did you get stung?”
    “No.” Leslie gave a strange and mirthless smile. “He’s my friend. He wouldn’t let the hornets sting me.”
    “What’s she talking about?” Mike turned to Karen with alarm. Leslie was smiling a peculiar, lopsided smile and her whole body trembled violently.
    “She’s in shock!” Karen whispered. “Oh, God, Mike! We’d better check her to make sure she’s all right.”
    Leslie stood woodenly as her mother and Mike made a fuss over her, checking her arms and legs for stings. There weren’t any.
    “Are you sure you’re not hurt, kitten?” Karen asked again, amazement showing in her face. “I’ve never seen anything like it! They swarmed all around her but none of them stung.”
    “Maybe the other children didn’t get stung, either. I don’t know about any species of hornet that doesn’t sting, but perhaps this bunch was some kind of weird mutation.”
    “The others got stung.” Leslie’s voice was slow and measured. She couldn’t seem to think clearly and she felt strange, as if she’d been awakened in the middle of a nightmare. “I know they got stung. I heard them screaming.”
    “Well . . . I hope not.” Karen brushed a strand of hair from Leslie’s face. “They might have been screaming because they were frightened.”
    “Maybe,” Leslie admitted, staring up at her mother with wide, unfocused eyes.
    Just then the telephone rang. While Mike went to answer it, Karen watched Leslie closely. She was worried. Leslie’s eyes were dilated, black and huge in her white face. It had been a nasty shock, and on her birthday, too!
    “That was Mrs. Wilson.” Mike came back to place his hand on Karen’s shoulder. “It looks as though Leslie was right after all. Gary has stings all over him and he thinks most of the other kids were stung, too. Mrs. Wilson said she’d contact the