Dusssie Read online

  Mom gave him a long look and nodded. “Please come back another time, then. Let me get you a taxi—”

  “No need.” He pulled a cell phone from his pocket. “If the battery’s still okay after being turned to stone.” He pushed a button with his thumb, and a light went on. He nodded. “I’ll walk a couple of blocks, then call my parents. I’ll be fine.”

  I told him, “Thanks, Troy.”

  “No problem. Good night, Mrs. Gorgon.” But Troy looked at me as he headed toward the door, and his chin rose as his walk slowed down, and all of a sudden he acted soooo cool. “See you in school, Dusie?”

  “Um, yeah. Sure.” Wow, I could finally go back to school now.

  Troy nodded. “Hey, I like the new hairdo,” he teased just as he stepped out the door.

  “Nice of you to notice!” I sang after him.

  Mom grabbed me in a hug, laughing. She threw back her head, vipers coiling heavy in her turban, and laughed almost like a girl. And totally like a human being.

  About the Author

  Nancy Springer is the award-winning author of more than fifty books, including the Enola Holmes and Rowan Hood series and a plethora of novels for all ages, spanning fantasy, mystery, magic realism, and more. She received the James Tiptree, Jr. Award for Larque on the Wing and the Edgar Award for her juvenile mysteries Toughing It and Looking for Jamie Bridger, and she has been nominated for numerous other honors. Springercurrently lives in the Florida Panhandle, where she rescues feral cats and enjoys the vibrant wildlife of the wetlands.

  All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2007 by Nancy Springer

  Cover design by Drew Padrutt

  ISBN: 978-1-4976-8873-5

  This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

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  EBOOKS BY NANCY SPRINGER

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