What Emma Left Behind Page 19

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  I just can't believe it, Caera thought. But it was true! It was all true! At the beginning of lunch, she'd gone to the school library, just to prove to herself that last night's dream had meant nothing.

  But there really had been a battle of Culloden Field fought between the English and the Scots, and it really had taken place in 1746! There really had been a Bonnie Prince Charlie, and there really had been Germans, English, Dutch, and other people living in the places she had dreamed about.

  Her dream had been real.

  Caera just couldn't believe it! And if she couldn't believe it, who was ever going to believe her?

  Caera was standing at the end of the lunchline in the school cafeteria, but she was thinking about the past her dream had taken her to. It had all seemed so real, and she had understood the strange aspects of daily life from two hundred years ago, things like how horses got shoed, when she had never seen a real live horse in her life!

  Caera groaned as two familiar figures approached her in the present.

  Caera risked a quick glance around the room and spied Marie Summit chewing on a hamburger in the far left corner. She sighed and turned around, hoping to avoid the Davenport twins. Unfortunately, they got at the end of the line right behind her.

  "Hey, Claudia, you've made a quick recovery." Andrew smirked.

  "Go choke on a straw." Caera muttered.

  "What was that?" Andrew cupped his ear and leaned closer.

  "I said, 'I'm Caera'."

  "Oh well, same difference." Alex challenged. The line moved up.

  "Hey, kid, d'ya want mashed potatoes or French fries? The lunchlady had an upturned scooper of mashed potatoes in her hand and was dripping it all over the counter. Chewing a piece of gum and impatiently tapping her foot on the cafeteria's linoleum floor, she grumbled something unintelligible. Caera swallowed hard.

  "Um, I'll take French fries." Caera said. The cafeteria lady's cold, steely eyes narrowed as she gave Caera a dirty look, dropping the mashed potato scooper and slopping some fries onto her tray. Caera turned to Alex and Andrew. "Why don't you guys just go somewhere else and stay there?"

  "Hey, we're getting some lunch just like everyone else, aren't we, Andrew?" Alex winked at his brother and Andrew nodded.

  "Oh, sure, yeah, right." Caera oozed sarcasm as she approached the end of the lunchline and got out her wallet.

  "Hey, wait! Don't go, Caera. I've gotta talk to you about the camping trip." Alex moved past his brother and grabbed some vanilla pudding.

  "Hey, I was the one who wanted to talk to her about the trip, Alex--uh, I mean--" Andrew changed the tone of his voice to a sneer. "Yeah, Caera, don't run away!" Andrew shoved past Alex and leaned his leg out to stop Caera from leaving. Unfortunately, Caera didn't see it and tripped.

  Before she regained her balance, French fries had landed all over her dress and were strewn across the floor. Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked down at the stains all over the front of her new dress. When Andrew realized what he had done, he was sorry and wanted to say so, but since he knew that she wouldn't want to hear anything he might have to say, he paid for his lunch and walked away. Alex was apologizing.

  "He didn't mean it. If you want, I can walk you to the office and we can call your mom."

  "I don't need any of your help!" Caera screamed, tears rolling down her face. She dropped her tray, turned, and ran down the hall.