Free Last Summer in Louisbourg by Clare Mowat

walked in and hidden in a cupboard maybe.”
    â€œScary,” commented Justine, sipping her Coke very, very slowly.
    Another customer came in, and Cory got busy slicing baloney, cutting a chunk of cheese, and signing out a video.
    â€œWe’d better go,” Andrea suggested.
    â€œHow’s everything up at the fortress?” enquired Cory as they headed for the door.
    â€œCome and see for yourself,” Justine suggested coyly.
    â€œI might,” agreed Cory with a hint of a smile.
    As they walked back, Justine became quiet again. The two girls ate their supper in silence and after that Justine slumped in a chair in front of the television, watching a re-run of
North of 60
. Andrea went upstairs and washed her hair. Justine was obviously hurt that she hadn’t been asked to play another role in the film and Andrea had. It wasn’t my fault, Andrea reasoned. I wasn’t the person who made that decision. Why does she have to take it out on me with her big sulk?
    When they were getting ready for bed, Justine announced importantly, “As soon as I finish grade twelve I’m going to apply.”
    â€œApply what?”
    â€œApply to the University of Prince Edward Island, to the veterinary college there.”
    â€œTerrific,” Andrea said enthusiastically, and listened patiently as Justine mentioned the high marks she always got in science and talked about her interest in farm animals. At least Justine was speaking to her.
    They got into their beds and Andrea leaned over to turn out the light. “Hey, Juss, when did you say your brother was coming to get us?”
    â€œHe’ll let us know,” she yawned, and then turned her back on Andrea and snuggled her head into her pillow.
    â€œG’night, Juss.”
    Justine didn’t say anything.
    Andrea lay awake for a long time.

Chapter Nine
    â€œGet set! Now ruuuuun!” bellowed Grumpy Grundy.
    Andrea hoisted her long skirt just above her ankles, not too far above them, but exactly the way Penny had demonstrated. Then she darted fairly gracefully down the gradual slope of the parade square. As she reached Maison de la Plagne she paused and glanced back with a well-rehearsed anxious expression on her face. Then she disappeared around the corner.
    By the time the morning’s work was over, Andrea had run down that same slope and around that same corner a total of nine times. How could such an uncomplicated scene possibly have so many variations, particularly as she wasn’t required to speak one single word? She ran and ran and ran. Grumpy was turning out to be an insufferable perfectionist. He rarely appeared to be pleased with anything that Andrea or the other actors did. If it hadn’t been time to break for lunch, Andrea felt sure she would have been asked to run down that boring parade square a tenth time, an eleventh time, a twelfth time…
    Everyone in the film crew was entitled to a one-hour break for lunch. They carted their equipment to a nearby building then drifted away. Andrea watched them, hoping for a glimpse of Calvin, but he wasn’t among them. It must have been his day off. Just her luck. She returned to the staff lunchroom, where Justine and twelve little children were sitting around the table eating their sandwiches. Justine greeted Andrea with an impassive “Hi” and not another word. She didn’t enquire about the morning film shoot. She didn’t ask about Calvin. She didn’t ask about anything. She focused her attention on the children and made sure they cleaned up the mess after they had eaten.
    After a while Andrea felt courageous enough to ask, “Hey, Juss, are you going up to the store for some pop after work?”
    â€œI’ll see,” replied Justine stiffly.
    Andrea could feel a knot tightening in her stomach. It became an effort to swallow her peanut butter sandwich. In the end she couldn’t finish it. She was in no mood to work on the film