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Amanda said scornfully. It was thefuture . It was a warning. Mrs. Beeson figured that out.
    Whos Mrs. Beeson? Nickie asked.
    This lady who lives down the street from here. Shes a real sweet, smart lady, used to be the school principal. She has a dog named Sausage; youll probably see her walking it sometimes. She leaned forward again. So anyway, she said, what happened is, people have strayed from Gods way, so thats why everything is so awful and heading for doom. But God wants to save us, so he gave the vision to Althea. If we do right, well be saved, and what she seen in her vision wont happen. At least not tous.
    So what are we supposed to do? Nickie asked.
    Everything the Prophet says, because its Gods orders coming through her. She tells us what things to give up.
    Give up?
    Yeah. Like one thing she says a lot is No sinnies, which Mrs. Beeson says means No sinners. We have to be real careful to be good. Also she says No singing, so we dont listen to the pop radio anymore, or CDs, or movies that have singing. And on TV we only watch the news. Otis wandered over, and Amanda reached out absently to scratch him.
    But why?
    Its to practice not being selfish. So you have more love to give to God. Amanda sat back, looked at Nickie in a satisfied way, and closed theNational Geographic with a slap.
    Nickie pondered. It was true that giving things up was something that holy people often did. She knew that some monks and priests gave up marriage. Some of them even gave up talking and lived their lives in silence. In other countries, there were holy people who gave up comfortable beds and slept on nails. People like these, she supposed, were totally devoted to God. Maybe she herself should give something up, just to see how it felt.
    Didyou give anything up? she asked Amanda.
    I did, Amanda said. I gave up romance books. Mrs. Beeson says theyre a waste of time anyway, so it was good to give them up.
    Hmmm, said Nickie. This was just the sort of thing that fired her imagination. It was like something out of a book, the kind of book where dark forces are trying to take over the universe and only a few valiant people know how to defeat them and are brave enough to do it. She thought of her Goal #3to do something helpful for the world. Maybe giving things up was one way to do it. She wanted to ask more questions, but Amanda set down theNational Geographic at that point and stood up.
    Im gonna get me a piece of toast, she said. Want to come?
    Nickie nodded. They left Otis closed into his room and went downstairs. In the kitchen, Amanda sliced the bread, and Nickie, thinking about how interesting it would be to have visions and what she would do if she had one, put on the teakettle for more hot chocolate. But just as Amanda was getting the peanut butter out of the cupboard, though they hadnt heard a single footstep or a knock, a face appeared at the window of the back door. A voice cried, Hello-o! in a yoo-hoo sort of way, and before they could move, the door opened.

    CHAPTER 6 ______________
    Mrs. Beesons Idea
    Excuse me, dears, said the woman at Greenhavens back door. I thought Id stop by and say hello. She stepped inside. Im Brenda Beeson, she said.
    Nickie stared. Brenda Beeson, the friend of the Prophet! But she didnt look especially holy. She was a middle-aged woman, not exactly fat, but sort of pillowy, with round rosy cheeks. She had on a quilted red jacket, and her blue eyes gleamed out from beneath the visor of a red baseball cap. She looked like a mixture of a grandmother and a soccer coach, Nickie thought.
    You must be Professor Greens granddaughter, Mrs. Beeson said.
    Great-granddaughter, said Nickie. She told Mrs. Beeson her name.
    Nickie? said Mrs. Beeson. Short for Nicole?
    Yes. Nickie never used her real name, Nicole. It was a pretty name, she thought, but it felttoo pretty for her, since she was rather stocky and had a round chin, a short nose, and straight, unstylish brown hair. She considered herself a smart person with