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      Napoleon Publishing acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for our publishing program

      09 08 07 06 05 5 4 3 2 1

      Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

      Casselman, Grace, date-

      A walk in the park / Grace Casselman.

      ISBN 1-894917-19-7

      I. Title.

      C2004-907039-8

      With love to my very dear sisters, Ruth and Sara;

      (also Sara and Ruth—you know why).

      And to my “Little Sister”, Michelle.

      The Canadian prairies seem to go on forever.

      In every direction, the wheat fields are rolled out flat, disappearing into the sky at the distant horizon.

      And that sky is big; actually enormous; stretched over the dome of the whole world like a magnificent blue canvas covered liberally with rolling white clouds.

      The overloaded moving truck has gone on ahead.

      In the car, Terra and her parents ride silently on the very straight road cut through those fields—each kilometre looking remarkably like the one gone past, and the one yet to come.

      There are no other cars on the road. Terra is suddenly gripped by the panicked thought that they are the only ones left alive in the universe; rolling on this unending treadmill of prairie.

      But no, Calgary is yet to come, surely. And Terra’s new neighbourhood—Inglewood.

       one

      It was a bleak, grey day in Inglewood. In this dry climate, a really rainy day was rare—but nonetheless, a rainy day had come, and with gusto.

      The raindrops splashed enthusiastically against the windshield, eager to soak any hapless victim who might dare to step outside. The car ploughed through an enormous puddle of water and came to rest against the curb—which sadly was a considerable distance from the steps up to the school, a large sandstone structure labelled Inglewood Junior High.

      Her mom frowned and fussed. “I wish I could get you closer, Terra. Are you sure you don’t want me to come in with you?” Her usually cheerful face was crunched up into an expression of concern. She peered out the window at the rain clouds.

      “Definitely not!” In her nervousness, Terra Michelle Morrison spoke too loudly.

      Realizing her mom looked a little hurt, Terra sighed. But after all, bringing her mother along on the first day of school would really not help her chances of making a decent first impression. “I can handle it, Mom,” she said, in a conciliatory tone. She fiddled with the buttons on her blouse. Maybe she should have worn a T-shirt.

      “Should I write you a note saying it’s my fault you’re late on your first day of school?” her mother asked, turning up the windshield wipers. “But we did have to wait around for the renovator to arrive. You’ll meet him later. It was such a rush this morning. You want a note?”

      “No, no, it’s okay,” Terra said, grasping the door handle. She knew she’d better get going, before her mom changed her mind and decided to come in after all.

      “I wish you’d worn your boots, Terra. Your feet are going to get wet.”

      “Mom, really. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”

      If her mother had had her way, Terra would have arrived at the new school clad in the bright yellow rain slicker and boots that made her look like an overgrown duck. Instead, she’d just look like a drowned rat.

      “Isn’t Calgary supposed to have a dry climate?” she muttered to herself.

      Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle and jumped out into the rain. “Bye, Mom!” she shouted, then slammed the door and began the hundred metre dash. But she ran carefully, watching her footing. She didn’t want to start her new school year face-down in the mud.

      Just as she reached the bottom step, she heard some thunderous thumps right behind her. “Incoming!” a male voice called out, just before he landed smack in a huge puddle, splashing her ankles with cold water.

      “Oh, that’s just great.”

      “Sorry!” he yelled cheerfully. Terra caught a glimpse of a rather mischievous grin, as a tall boy waved and dashed past her up the steps into the school.

      Startled, she paused just a moment. However, the water running down her neck reminded her to get moving.

      She glanced back at her mother, who was waiting in the car—her neck craned anxiously as her hand frantically waved goodbye, as if the extra energy expended would be transferred into some sort of good luck.

      With a forced smile, Terra waved back dutifully, then yanked open the heavy metal door leading into the school.

      The hallway in front of her was completely empty. Pausing, she took a moment to wring out the ends of her very wet hair. Then she deliberately squished her running shoes on the floor. “Okay, maybe I’m doing a duck impression after all,” she thought to herself, grinning ruefully.

      She heard a sound behind her and turned around quickly. Three perfectly coiffed girls stood in the hallway, staring at her, rather as one might look at an alien. Or at a large duck in the middle of a school hallway.

      “Um,” Terra began. She thought she might ask them for directions to the school office.

      To her surprise and discomfort, the girls all started to giggle. With a toss of their lovely heads, they set off down the hall.

      “I was wondering . . .” Terra called out, dripping on the floor. The girls giggled louder and disappeared around the corner.

      “Oh, this is going to be just great,” she muttered and squished two more times, for effect. Or maybe she was stalling for time.

      “Excuse me, young lady,” said a deep voice behind her. A tall, thin man with small round wire glasses was frowning at her, his gaze alternating between her face and the puddle gathering at her feet.

      “Why aren’t you in class?” His voice sounded accusing.

      “It’s my first day,” she told him. She attempted a friendly smile.

      He appeared to ignore that and raised an eyebrow at her. “Is that an excuse?”

      “Um,” said Terra. It really was a decent excuse, wasn’t it?

      “I mean, I need to go to the main office first.” She was a bit breathless, unnerved by the frown on this grim man. “But I don’t know where it is.”

      “Ah,” he nodded curtly. “This way, then.” He turned on his heel and beckoned for her to follow. Terra scampered after him as he strode down the hall. Her wet running shoes made little squishing sounds that seemed to echo through the corridors.

      He

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