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The girls who cairl Cassie had seen in the library with Diana Up close she was very sli as Diana’s and a pretty, pixieish face She earing a floral dress and pink hightops
"It’s veggie pizza, isn’t it?" she said, kicking the door shut behind her because she was carrying a stack of Tupperware containers in her arms "You didn’t order any patriarchal pepperoni, did you?"
"No ain to reveal another girl standing there patiently
"Oops - sorry!" Laurel shouted on her way to the kitchen "I’ve got stuff here for a salad"
Diana and the new girl turned as one to shout, "No tofu!"
"It’s just veggies and greens," Laurel’s voice floated back Diana and the new girl exchanged looks of relief
Cassie was fighting shyness The new girl was definitely a senior, tall and beautiful in a sophisticated way Her smooth cap of chestnut hair was pulled back with an Alice band, and under it her gray eyes were cool and assessing She was the only person Cassie had ever seen who looked as if she earing glasses when she wasn’t
"This is Melanie," Diana said "She lives on this same road at Number Four Melanie, this is Cassie Blake - she just randray eyes were turned on Cassie, then Melanie nodded "Hi"
"Hi," Cassie said, glad she’d had a bath and hoping Diana’s clothes didn’t look too silly on her
"Melanie’s our brain," Diana said fondly "She’s devastatingly s there is to know about co," Melanie said without s" She looked at Diana "You know, I overheard so to do with Faye, but nobody would tell me more"
"I know I only found out about it today Maybe I’ on in school - but you should have told , at least"
"You can’t fight everybody’s battles, Diana"
Diana just looked at her, then shook her head slightly "Cassie, why don’t you go in and help Laurel with the salad? You’ll like Laurel; she’s a junior like you"
In the kitchen Laurel was standing in front of a counter full of vegetables, chopping away
"Diana said I should help you"
Laurel turned "Good! You can wash that shepherd’s purse over there - it’s fresh, so it’s probably got so on it"
Shepherd’s purse? Cassie looked at several piles of greenery doubtfully Was this soht to know?
"Uh this?" she said, picking up a dark green triangular leaf with a mealy white underside
"No, that’s wild spinach" Laurel gestured with her elbow to a pile of long, slender leaves with ragged edges "That’s the shepherd’s purse But you can wash them both"
"Do you ever use - uh, feverfew - in salads?" Cassie asked hesitantly as she washed She was glad to have soirls were so sether; she desperately wanted to ood impression
Laurel smiled and nodded "Yes, but you have to be careful not to eat too s, too; it reat love - " Laurel broke off suddenly and went into a flurry of chopping "There, this burnet is ready It’s good to get these greens fresh, you know," she added quickly, "because they taste better and they’re still full of life frolanced at her warily Maybe this girl wasn’t so together after all Full of life from Mother Earth? But then, suddenly, she recalled that day when she had leaned against the red granite and felt a buzzing deep inside it When she’d iined she’d felt that, rather Yes, she could see how you ht think that fresh plants were full of that life
"Okay, this is done You can tell Di and Melanie it’s ready; I’ll get some plates," Laurel said
Cassie went back into the spacious front room Melanie and Diana were absorbed in conversation, and neither of the her up like a puppy off the street You’re always doing that," Melanie was saying earnestly, and Diana was listening with her ar to happen later - ?"
She broke off as Diana saw Cassie and touched her forear aard Had they been talking about her? Calling her a puppy off the street? But it hadn’t been Diana saying that; only Melanie She told herself that she didn’t care what Melanie thought
The cool gray eyes weren’t unfriendly, though, as Melanie looked at her while they ate the salad Only - thoughtful And when the pizza cairls laughed and talked with the college-age delivery guy He got so interested in Melanie that he practically invited hi, shut the door on hi stories about her trip to Canada over the suood just to be surrounded by easy, friendly talk; not to feel shut out And to be here by Diana’s invitation, to see Diana s at her she still could scarcely believe it
When she was getting ready to leave, though, she got a shock Diana handed her a neat pile of clothes - the gray sweater showed no trace of soot now - and said, "I’ll take you hoive me the keys, I’ll have Chris Henderson drive it to your place"
Cassie froze in the act of handing over the keys "Henderson? You mean - you don’t mean one of the Henderson brothers"
Diana sra "So you’ve heard of them Chris is nice, really, just a little wild Don’t worry"
As they drove off, Cassie re keep aith her backpack had been called Doug, not Chris But she still couldn’t help feeling alarmed
"We all know each other out here on
Crowhaven Road
," Diana explained in a co tone "See, there’s Laurel’s house, and the next one is Faye’s The kids who grew up here sort of stick together It’ll be okay" ,
"Stick together?" Cassie had a sudden, disturbing idea
"Yes" Diana’s voice was deliberately light "We’ve got a sort of club"
"The Club?" Cassie was so appalled she interrupted "You mean - you’re in it too? You and Laurel and Melanie?"
"Mm," Diana said "Well, here’s your house I’ll call you tomorrow - maybe I could come over And we can carpool to school on Monday" She stopped at the expression on Cassie’s face "What is it, Cassie?" she said gently ?
Cassie was shaking her head "I don’t know yes, I do know I told you how I heard Faye and Suzan and Deborah talking the first day of school - that was how all the trouble started I heard the kind of things they said, and I know they’re in the Club And it was so awful I don’t see how you could be in a club like that, with them"
"It isn’t what you think" Diana’s gentle voice trailed off "And I can’t really explain But I’ll tell you this - don’t judge the Club by Faye Although there’s a lot of good in Faye too, if you look for it"
Cassie thought you would have to look with a scanning electron microscope to find it After a hed "No, really I’ve known her since ere babies We’ve all known each other that long out here"
"But" Cassie looked at her worriedly "Aren’t you afraid of her? Don’t you think sheterrible to you?"
"No," Diana said "I don’t think so For one thing, she’s - made a sort of promise not to And for another" - she looked at Cassie al at the corner of her lips - "well, don’t hate me, but Faye happens to be aped
"We’re mostly cousins up here," Diana said softly "Sometimes second and third, and all that, but lots even closer Here’s some herb tea Laurelin Cassie’s hand "Drink soht to help I’ll see you to"
When Diana appeared at the door, her hair was pulled back in one long, exquisite French braid It hung down like a silk tassel She had a packet of good-s dried leaves wrapped in cheesecloth in one hand
"You said your ood for coughs and chills Did you try that tea I gave you last night?"
Cassie nodded "I couldn’t believe it I went right to sleep and woke up this reat What was in it?"
"Well, for one thing, ground-up catnip," Diana said, and then smiled at Cassie’s reaction "Don’t worry; it doesn’t have the sa"
Was that what Diana had been doing that firstsome kind of tea? Cassie didn’t quite dare to ad that day, but she was pleased when Diana said she’d like to ive it to Cassie’s em elixir for chills," she said quietly to Mrs Blake, and there was so about her voice Cassie’s mother hesitated a moment, then reached for the cup She tasted it, and then looked up and smiled at Diana Cassie felt warrandht of Diana as she passed the two girls walking down the hall to Cassie’s roorandmother like that," Diana said "She must be full of old stories"
Cassie was relieved She’d been afraid that Diana wouldn’t be able to see past the rizzled hair "She is pretty great," she said, ed since that first day when she’d seen the figure in the doorway "And it’s nice to finally get to know her, since she’s the only relative I have left All randparents are dead"
"So are mine," Diana said "And my mom, too It’s sad, because I alanted a little sister, but my mother died the same year I was born, and my dad never remarried, so there never was any chance"
"I’ve wished for a sister too," Cassie murmured
There was a silence Then Diana said, "This is a beautiful roo around at thefurniture and the formal draperies and the stiff chairs "It’s beautiful, but it’s like a ot shipped fros in the corner "I tried to spread it around, but I was afraid of scratching sohed "I wouldn’t worry These things have h the last three hundred years; they’ll hold out a little longer You just need to arrange the room so your stuff fits in with them We could try it next weekend - I’m sure Laurel and Melanie would help too It would be fun"
Cassie thought of Diana’s bright, airy, hare of hope If her bedrooood as that, she’d be happy