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slowly
rotated myself so I was parallel with the gutter and snatched up
the keys. My heart was beating like it was the lead in the
band.
    “Careful,” Jeremy repeated.
    I crawled back up the roof, through the window and
was safely back on the floor in Elizabeth’s room once again. “I
can’t thank you enough,” I said to Jeremy standing down on the side
walk. He gave me a wave and was off.
    I had to get back downstairs and put the keys back.
Clarissa and Isabelle were in the front living room helping Ms.
Dunderfeltz dust. I quietly ran past, down though the hall that was
off the foyer that led into the back of the house, through the
family room and into the kitchen. I pulled open the kitchen drawer
and dropped the keys inside.
    Then I realized I didn’t take off the copy keys, so I
had to pull the keys out and start with the struggle of getting the
copy keys off the key ring. The key ring was one of those ones
where it was almost like a silver spiral and you have to stick the
end through the key and pull the key on, but I was having some
issues pulling it apart. After a few tries I pulled it apart and
was able to slowly pull the keys off. I put the key ring in the
drawer and had the copies clasped in my palm when I heard Ms.
Dunderfeltz walk through the kitchen doorway. Clarissa was behind
her mouthing, “We tried.”
    “I can’t find any scissors,” I proclaimed trying to
cover my tracks.
    “They’re in the other drawer,” Ms. Dunderfeltz said
pointing to the drawer on the other side of the sink. Ms.
Dunderfeltz was a short round woman with strikingly blond hair that
fell to her chin. Her face was always pink. She looked like she was
in a constant state of fluster.
    “Thanks,” I beamed pulling the drawer open and then
digging for the scissors.
    “Dinner will be ready shortly,” Ms. Dunderfeltz
stated walking over to the stove where there was a pot with boiling
water and another one simmering with some kind of sauce in it.
    “All right,” I replied casually walking out of the
kitchen so I wouldn’t look suspicious. I then went upstairs with
Isabelle and Clarissa behind me. We gathered in my room on the bed.
I unfolded my hand and showed them the keys. “The only problem now
is the security alarm because if we get back after Ms. Dundefeltz
leaves we’ll set the alarm off.”
    “Actually, that isn’t a problem,” Clarissa chirped
sitting up straight. She looked proud that she held the solution.
“I watched Ms. Dunderfeltz enter the code when she was leaving a
couple months ago and I remember what it is.”
    “Wonderful,” I squeaked knowing that my sisters and I
could come and go as we pleased as long as Ms. Dundefeltz didn’t
say anything.
    I smiled at Clarissa. She was the most outspoken out
of us all. She told you exactly what she thought. Our father always
said she was ill mannered because we were brought up to be prim and
proper young ladies. Clarissa always tried to fight it. She knew
that’s not what she was like.
    “So,” Clarissa giggled with a grin spreading across
her face. “Does Jeremy want to be your boyfriend or what?”
    “No, I don’t think so. I barely know him.”
    “Well, why else would he be so eager to help.”
    “He’s nice would be my guess.”
    “No, I bet it’s cuz he thinks you’re pretty. This
girl Maria in my biology class sez that even though I’ve only been
going to school there a couple days, lots of guys already think I’m
hot.”
    Clarissa had been only going to public school for a
few days and she was already picking up what our father would call
the lazy way of speaking. She was going to have no problem fitting
in. Then there was me. I think everybody I talked to thought I was
weird, well except for Lawrence. I had proper English and manners
drilled into my brain and it was probably going to be a while
before I could slowly drill them out.
    “And you look just like me and well, so does
Isabelle, so therefore you’re hot too,” Clarissa continued