Gravity - By Abigail Boyd Page 0,50

worse. I was sure of that.

Theo came over to my house that afternoon. In her hands was a leather-covered binder brimming full of artwork. She was already on her third sketchbook in class. She held the binder as though she wouldn't let it go.

"Hi, Theo," Hugh said warmly. They had exchanged a few words before here and there, but this was the first time they were actually going to have a conversation.

"Hi, Ariel's dad," she said back shyly, still holding her portfolio like a shield against her heart.

"I call him Hugh, you can too," I assured her quietly.

"Okay."

"Show him your drawings," I said, nudging her forward gently. The thing I had learned about Theo was that even though she was shy at first, if one could get her to open up, she became very talkative. It was just getting that first little fissure. Hugh pulled the chair next to him out for her to sit down.

Theo laid the portfolio on the table, and watching Hugh's face as he began leafing through it. She didn't take her eyes off him, paying attention for any change in his expression.

"This is impressive work," he said finally, holding up a sketch of different angles of hands done in colored pencil. "Ariel told me your mom is the new art teacher at your school."

"Yeah," Theo said, quickly brushing it off. "I don't really show her all that much of my sketches. I don't turn in my sketchbook anymore," she confided to me.

"Well, I don't just give compliments for someone's ego," Hugh told her. Except in my case, but I kept that to myself as he continued, "You have a lot of natural talent, especially at such a young age."

"I'll tell you what," he said finally. "How about you put together a couple of pencil studies like this, and I could find you a space on the wall at Erasmus?"

I thought Theo would have a heart attack. She put a hand to her chest, eyes like glittering pools of green water. "Seriously?"

Hugh nodded. "In fact, I'm going over there right now to drop off some paperwork. Would you girls like to hitch a ride with me?"

Theo nodded her head furiously, a big smile plastered on her face. The pink plastic anchor around her neck jiggled against her shirt. We piled into the Mazda, Theo and I in the backseat. The sky outside was overcast again, as it had been for a string of days.

As we drove, Hugh turned the local radio station on, keeping the volume low. This time of year, there were always a million advertisements for haunted houses.

"Named the scariest attraction in Hell two years in a row," the announcer on the current ad said. "Hell's Orphanage is back after a five year hiatus and ready to claim its next victim..."

"Can you turn that up?" I asked, gripping the back of the passenger seat.

"Discounted tickets are available online. Now through Halloween, get your scare on at the old Dexter orphanage on Canyon Road." The garbled voice finished up, replaced by an ad for toothpaste.

"That was awfully cheesy for Hell's scariest attraction," Hugh said. "'Get your scare on'? I'm more frightening than that."

"I don't know, I think it sounds interesting," I said, shrugging and sitting back in my seat, trying to act as nonchalant about the whole thing as possible. I knew I was terrible at pretending. "I haven't been to a haunted house in years."

"Remember when we used to go every year to the one in the old cider mill?" Hugh said, smiling at the memory. "You were just a little girl then, so it wasn't too scary for you. And then we would eat caramel apples and cider on the picnic tables out back and watch the sun go down."

"I do remember," I said. "That was always a lot of fun." I turned to Theo. "Would you be interested in going to this one?"

"Sure," Theo agreed brightly. "That would be great." Her smile remained a bit too tight. She seemed very nervous about going to Erasmus, even though she was around people who were on her side.

A red brick building from the turn of the last century housed Erasmus. The perfect place for an art collection. Slender topiaries in planters guarded the entrance. Black and orange bows had been tied on them. Theo looked up at the building like we were about to enter a holy temple. I thought she might cross herself.

"Come on," Hugh said, waving us inside to follow him.

The interior