Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

cookies on the dining room table.'

Emily watched as the adults and her classmates went into the dining room. She wasn't hungry, and there was another reason she wanted to be alone. She could feel the tears burning behind her eyes, and she didn't want them to see her cry.

It was going to happen just as she envisioned it. Well, at least now she knew she was really capable of seeing the future. But it wasn't much comfort. In one and a half hours, she'd be forced to rob a bank, and there wasn't anything she could do about it.They wouldn't be hurt-they were much too valuable to Clare. They'd just become lifetime criminals.

Amanda-Sarah came back into the room. Hastily Emily wiped her eyes, but it wasn't necessary--the body snatcher barely glanced at her.

'Have you seen my watch? I mean, Sarah's watch. I took it off around here somewhere.'

'What does it look like?'

'Old-fashioned--there are these tacky little pearls all around the face. It's bad enough having Sarah's bitten fingernails-I don't have to wear her icky jewelry. . Oh, here it is.'

Emily watched her in amazement. 'How can you act so-so casual? Aren't you upset about all this?'

Amanda-Sarah shrugged. 'Oh, I'm sure I'll get back into my own body pretty soon. I won't be stuck with these people forever.'

'But what about the rest of us?' Emily asked.

'Don't worry,' Amanda-Sarah said. 'When we're all together at the bank, I'll stop them. I didn't want to do it while we were practicing because I wasn't sure I could freeze all three of them at the same time. But once we're at the bank, I'll freeze Clare while she's in the car with you. She'll let me get close enough because she likes me. Then, once we're in the bank, I'll freeze George and Howard. See? It'll be easy.'

Emily sighed. 'You think you can stop Clare and George and Howard from moving?'

'I stopped you, didn't I?'

'I was faking it.'

The other girl's face fell. 'Oh. Well, there's a chance I'll have more of Sarah's gift by the time we get to the bank. I wouldn't count on it though. When I was Tracey, I never could stay invisible very long.'

Emily dropped into a chair. In the back of her mind, she must have been clinging to the tiny hope that there was still a chance to get out of this. But it wasn't to be.

'Cheer up,' Amanda-Sarah said. 'Maybe we can get away at the bank. You never know what will happen.'

'But I do know what's going to happen,' Emily reminded her. 'That's why I'm so depressed.'

Amanda-Sarah looked thoughtful. 'I don't get it. I mean, how can you ever really know exactly what's going to happen in the future? You can see what might happen, but you can't know for sure, can you? There's always that butterfly thing.'

'What are you talking about?'

'Haven't you ever heard about the butterfly effect? I saw a movie about it. A butterfly can flap its wings in Brazil and cause an earthquake in Japan. Or something else. A typhoon, maybe.'

Emily was in no mood for nonsense. 'Don't be stupid.'

'No, really. It's like, something really small can happen, and it has an effect that builds and builds. Like the way my parents met.'

Emily sank deeper into the chair. 'I really don't want to hear how your parents met, Amanda.'

'No, listen, it's cool. My father was on his way to a job interview. He was early, so he took a walk through a park, and when he passed too closely by some bushes, a button on his jacket was pulled off. He didn't want to look like a slob, so he ran into the first dry cleaners he saw to see if someone could sew it back on right away, before his interview. And my mother was in there picking up some clothes. That's how they met!'

Emily wasn't impressed. 'So? It's what's called a coincidence.'

'But, wait, think about it. If that button hadn't fallen off, they might never have met. I wouldn't have been born. So I wouldn't have taken over Tracey's body, and she'd still be that nerdy girl she used to be. You see? Tracey's okay today because my father walked through a park. Get it?'

'Not really,' Emily said. Amanda-Sarah gave up and went back into the dining room.

But even as Emily returned to her private sadness, she had to admit there might be something to what she'd just heard. Like, why hadn't her vision of Martin breaking the door down happened? Because a stupid mouse ran across the floor, and Martin turned out to be afraid of mice. If it wasn't for that mouse, the police might be here right now, freeing the kids and arresting Clare and her gang.

Then she sat up straight. That wasn't exactly right. Now that she thought about it, she remembered that her vision only included Martin throwing the sofa. She'd hoped it would break down the door, but that wasn't part of the vision.

Okay, maybe Amanda's story was kind of interesting. Still, it didn't make her feel any better about what they were about to do. In just over an hour, they'd be robbing a bank. And she didn't see how any butterfly was going to be able to stop it from happening.

Chapter Twelve

KEN KNEW WHERE THE basketball team would be hanging out. Gino's Pizza at the mall across the street from Meadowbrook was the popular place for athletes. As they approached, he pointed, and Jenna saw half a dozen players squeezed into a booth by the window.

'The big question is, how are we going to get him away from his new buddies?' Jenna wondered.

Ken rolled his eyes. 'Who aren't his buddies at all. Mike's superstitious-he's always been like that. He thinks Charles is some sort of good luck charm, and he's persuaded the other guys to go along with it. I mean, how else could he explain their sudden winning streak?'

'So they're totally using him,' Jenna said.

'Yeah. And as soon as the season's over, they'll dump him.'

'You're sure of that, huh?'

'I know these guys. I bet they make fun of Charles when he's not around.'

Jenna thought about that. 'Charles is proud. If he knew that they don't really like him, he'd leave.'

Ken agreed. 'I guess we could tell him. But he wouldn't believe us.'

Jenna nodded. 'But if he heard it from them. .'

'What do you mean?'

An idea was forming in her head. 'Do you have a cell phone?' Sure. 'Can I see it?'

He handed it over. Jenna had a quick look at it, grinned, and then told Ken her idea.

'It's worth a shot,' he said. 'Let's go.' They went to the door of the restaurant.

'Wait a second,' Jenna said. 'How do I look?' She rearranged her features into what she hoped was a convincing expression.

'Seriously depressed,' Ken said.

'On the verge of crying?'

He cocked his head to one side and scrutinized her. 'Well … it would be better if you could actually work up a few tears.'

Jenna tried, but it was impossible. Seriously depressed would have to do.

They entered and ambled over to the table where the basketball players and Charles were sitting. 'Can we squeeze in?' Ken asked. Without waiting for a reply, he pushed his friend Mike to one side and sat down next to Charles.

Charles looked at him with something that resembled interest. 'I thought you were going off to save those kids from class,' he muttered, too quietly for the others around the table to hear him.

'Nah,' Ken replied softly. 'Too much trouble. Hey, can I have a slice?'