The black clouds overhead seemed to lower. The air felt heavy and damp.
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Josh was fussing with Petey's collar and still didn't see what was happening. I wondered if Ray was going to say anything, if he was going to do anything to stop them. But he stayed frozen and expressionless beside me.
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I realized I'd been holding my breath. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to cry out.
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It was a man's voice, calling from outside the circle.
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The circle grew smaller as the kids closed in.
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"Hey, kids -- what's going on?"
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Everyone turned to see Mr. Dawes coming quickly toward us, taking long strides as he crossed the street, his open blazer flapping behind him. He had a friendly smile on his face. "What's going on?" he asked again.
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He didn't seem to realize that the gang of kids had been closing in on Josh and me.
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"We're heading to the playground," George Carpenter told him, twirling the bat in his hand. "You know. To play softball."
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"Good deal," Mr. Dawes said, pulling down his striped tie, which had blown over his shoulder. He looked up at the darkening sky. "Hope you don't get rained out."
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"Good morning," I muttered. I was feeling very confused. A moment ago, I'd felt terribly scared. Now everyone was laughing and kidding around.
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"Is that bat for softball or hardball?" Mr. Dawes asked George.
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Mr. Dawes gave a little wave and started to leave. But then he stopped, and his eyes opened wide with surprise. "Hey," he said, flashing me a friendly smile. "Josh. Amanda. I didn't see you there."
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The kids all laughed. George playfully menaced the kid, pretending to come at him with the bat.
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Several of the kids had backed up. They were standing in small groups of two and three now. The circle had completely broken up.
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Had I imagined that the kids were moving in on us? Ray and Josh hadn't seemed to notice anything peculiar. Was it just me and my overactive imagination?
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"George doesn't know," another kid replied quickly. "He's never hit anything with it!"
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What would have happened if Mr. Dawes hadn't come along?
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"How are you two getting along in the new house?" Mr. Dawes asked, smoothing back his wavy blond hair.
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"He doesn't seem to like anybody today," I told Mr. Dawes apologetically.
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"Okay," Josh and I answered together. Looking up at Mr. Dawes, Petey began to bark and pull at the leash.
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"He's a nice guy," Ray said.
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Mr. Dawes put an exaggerated hurt expression on his face. "I'm crushed," he said. "Your dog still doesn't like me." He bent over Petey. "Hey, dog -- lighten up."
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Mr. Dawes stood back up and shrugged. "Can't win 'em all." He started back to his car, parked a few yards down the street. "I'm heading over to your house," he told Josh and me. "Just want to see if there's anything I can do to help your parents. Have fun, kids."
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I watched him climb into his car and drive away.
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"Yeah," I agreed. I was still feeling uncomfortable, wondering what the kids would do now that Mr. Dawes was gone.
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Petey barked back angrily.
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Would they form that frightening circle again?
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No. Everyone started walking, heading down the block to the playground behind the school. They were kidding each other and talking normally, and pretty much ignored Josh and me.
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At least, I told myself, I hadn't screamed or made a scene. At least I hadn't made a total fool of myself.
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I was starting to feel a little silly. It was obvious that they hadn't been trying to scare Josh and me. I must have made the whole thing up in my mind.
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I must have.
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The playground was completely empty. I guessed that most kids had stayed inside because of the threatening sky. The playground was a large, flat grassy field, surrounded on all four sides by a tall metal fence. There were swings and slides at the end nearest the school building. There were two baseball diamonds on the other end. Beyond the fence, I could see a row of tennis courts, also deserted.
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Josh tied Petey to the fence, then came running over to join the rest of us. The boy named Jerry Franklin made up the teams. Ray and I were on the same team. Josh was on the other.
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As our team took the field, I felt excited and a little nervous. I'm not the best softball player in the world. I can hit the ball pretty well. But in the field, I'm a complete klutz. Luckily, Jerry sent me out to right field where not many balls are hit.
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Everyone came running up to him. "We'd better quit," he said, looking up at the brightening sky. "We promised our folks, remember, that we'd be home for lunch."
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The sun was coming out as my team started to take the field for the beginning of the third inning. Suddenly, I heard a loud, shrill whistle. I looked around until I saw that it was Jerry Franklin, blowing a silver whistle.
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I had only messed up on one play. And I hit a double my first time at bat.
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I glanced at my watch. It was only eleven-thirty. Still early.
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The clouds began to part a little and the sky got lighter. We played two full innings. The other team was winning, eight to two. I was having fun.
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It was fun being with a whole new group of kids. They seemed really nice, especially the girl named Karen Somerset, who talked with me while we waited for our turn at bat. Karen had a great smile, even though she wore braces on all her teeth, up and down. She seemed very eager to be friends.
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They all waved to each other and called out farewells, and then began to run. I couldn't believe how fast everyone left. It was as if they were racing or something.
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But to my surprise, no one protested.
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"Great!" I called to her. "Do you know where I live?"
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Karen ran past me like the others, her head down, a serious expression on her pretty face. Then she stopped suddenly and turned around. "Nice meeting you, Amanda," she called back. "We should get together sometime."
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But that couldn't have been what she said.
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I couldn't hear her answer very well. She nodded, and I thought she said, "Yes. I know it. I used to live in your house."
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