Read The Children's Crusade for Free Online Page B

Daniel was right. What was the word that he had used? Kerwyn was a jerk.
    â€œThis is probably the most important mission anyone’s got. And you are a girl.” He stood up. Marya knew that as far as he was concerned, the conversation was over.
    Only it wasn’t. Far from it.
    â€œKerwyn? You like to play that word game, don’t you? Scribble?”
    â€œScrabble. Yes…” Now he looked confused.
    â€œWell, someone’s taken all the pieces. Those square letter things? And hidden them.” She laughed. “To tell the truth, I did it.” She pirouetted, then grinned at him. “I’ll bet you’d do just about anything to get them back, wouldn’t you?”
    Kerwyn leaped to his feet. “Do you think I’d jeopardize the whole mission just to—”
    â€œOf course you would,” Marya cut him off with another laugh. “Anyone sensible would.”
    Kerwyn stared at her. “You evil brat!”
    She wasn’t upset by his calling her names. She knew he didn’t really mean it. It was simplythe proof that she’d won.
    â€œMaybe I am and maybe I’m not,” she said. “But I know how to get things done, don’t I?” She’d been right. He loved the Scrabble enough that he’d do anything to get his pieces back. Even send a mere girl on a mission.
    Kerwyn paced a few minutes. Finally he stopped and glared at her. “All right. Since you’re so clever. How’s this for fair? You get to go. You can go on this mission. But if you fail, you can’t come back here. Ever.”
    That didn’t scare her one bit. “I’ll go pack right now!”
    She hurried back to her tent, trying to figure out what she should bring with her. She slung a cloth pouch over her shoulder and looked around her little space.
    â€œHmmm. Chalk!” She bent down and put the colored chalk into her pouch. That was a definite. “Her.” She picked up the ballerina statue, smiled at it, then slipped it into the pouch. “Apples.” She might get hungry. “Comb. Bracelet.” She glanced around her tent, pondering. “More apples?”
    Daniel popped his head through the opening of the tent.
    â€œYou done it!” he exclaimed. “You got ’round Kerwyn! He hardly ever lets the girls do anything!”
    â€œUh-huh.” She waved him to come in, thenknelt by the trunk, wondering if she’d forgotten anything.
    Daniel squatted down beside her. “How’d you ever do it? No one gets ’round Kerwyn.”
    â€œSimple. I scared him.” She moved some scarves aside, rummaging deeper in the trunk.
    â€œDid you? I wish I could have seen that.” Daniel sank back onto his heels and grinned.
    â€œWhat you got in that bag there? Apples?”
    â€œAnd my comb and my bracelet. And your present.” She lifted the ballerina from the bag to show him.
    Daniel’s blue eyes widened and he quickly glanced down at the ground, blushing. “I’m glad you’re taking something to remember me by.”
    She smiled. She was glad she had decided to take the statue. It pleased Daniel so much to know she liked it. Daniel tugged at the pouch. “What else you got in there?”
    â€œUhm, the chalk.”
    â€œWell, that’s good. Wouldn’t get far if you forgot that. Anything else?”
    Marya hesitated a moment and then reached down and pulled out a battered pair of dancing shoes. She had never shown them to anyone in Free Country before.
    She dangled the ragged pink satin slippers from their fraying pink ribbon, letting themtwirl in front of her face. It had been some time since she’d taken them out of the trunk. But there they were in front of her face. Same wood blocks in the toes. Blood still staining the insides. “Yes,” she whispered. “I’m taking these.”
    Daniel looked from her to the shoes, then back to her face again. She could tell