Brooklyn stood up and went over to Aisling's dresser, picking up the Magic 8 Ball on top of it. She stared into the liquid at the floating cube-like figure.
"Will Aisling be awake within ten minutes?" she asked at her normal volume.
Concentrate and ask again.
"Will Aisling be awake within ten minutes?" she asked again, firmer, shaking the ball.
Very doubtful.
Brooklyn felt like slamming the ball on the dresser again. Maybe that would wake Aisling, and destroy this non-reliable thing in the process.
"Should I have brought my phone up here?"
Ask again later.
"Is everyone having fun downstairs?"
It is decidedly so.
Brooklyn sighed. How much longer was this going to take?
Topaz, her cousins' orange-and-white cat, pushed the door open with his nose.
All right, let's test the answers of this thing.
"Is Topaz a cat?"
Signs point to yes.
"Signs point to yes?" Brooklyn repeated. "So it's not definite? Are you saying that Topaz may look like a cat, but really isn't?"
The cat sat outside the door, tail thumping on the ground.
Aisling, surprisingly, was still sleeping, although slightly disturbed. Brooklyn changed her questions.
Is Eli thinking about me? she asked silently.
Don't count on it.
Brooklyn bit her lip.
"Should I wake Aisling up?"
Yes, definitely.
Grinning, Brooklyn put the ball down. She crossed the room and picked up her cousin's Nerf gun. There was already a foam dart in it. She locked it in place, aimed it so that the laser beam target lit up Aisling's cheek, then fired.
"Will Aisling be awake within ten minutes?" she asked at her normal volume.
Concentrate and ask again.
"Will Aisling be awake within ten minutes?" she asked again, firmer, shaking the ball.
Very doubtful.
Brooklyn felt like slamming the ball on the dresser again. Maybe that would wake Aisling, and destroy this non-reliable thing in the process.
"Should I have brought my phone up here?"
Ask again later.
"Is everyone having fun downstairs?"
It is decidedly so.
Brooklyn sighed. How much longer was this going to take?
Topaz, her cousins' orange-and-white cat, pushed the door open with his nose.
All right, let's test the answers of this thing.
"Is Topaz a cat?"
Signs point to yes.
"Signs point to yes?" Brooklyn repeated. "So it's not definite? Are you saying that Topaz may look like a cat, but really isn't?"
The cat sat outside the door, tail thumping on the ground.
Aisling, surprisingly, was still sleeping, although slightly disturbed. Brooklyn changed her questions.
Is Eli thinking about me? she asked silently.
Don't count on it.
Brooklyn bit her lip.
"Should I wake Aisling up?"
Yes, definitely.
Grinning, Brooklyn put the ball down. She crossed the room and picked up her cousin's Nerf gun. There was already a foam dart in it. She locked it in place, aimed it so that the laser beam target lit up Aisling's cheek, then fired.
