Runaways (Orphans 5)

"Oh, pleeeze, not a lecture on the history of the toilet," Raven begged.

I laughed so hard, I suddenly had to go.

"Come on," I said. "I'll stand guard for you and you can stand guard for me."

When we were finished, we got back into the wagon and tried again to sleep. After what seemed like close to an hour, but was probably only about fifteen minutes, I sighed deeply and loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"I can't fall asleep," Raven declared.

"Me neither," Crystal said. "I thought I was so tired, it would only take a minute."

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V. C. ANDREWS

"I'm awake, too," Butterfly said.

"Let's talk ourselves out," Crystal suggested. "Talk about what?" Raven asked. "And don't say politics or science."

"I know," Crystal said, "everyone take a turn telling what's the most important thing she wants to find at the end of this rainbow. Who's first?" "You go first," Raven said. "It was your idea."

"Okay. I want to find a good school in California so I can start applying for colleges."

"Boring," Raven sang.

Crystal continued, ignoring her.

"And then I want to go to the beach. And surf," she giggled.

"Don't you want to meet any movie stars?" Raven asked her.

"No, not really. I don't care if the actors are famous. I'd rather go to one of the UCLA medical conferences. Research is so important and those doctors are famous for their work in . ."

"It's working, Crystal," Raven declared.

"What?"

"I'm falling asleep."

"Very funny," Crystal said. I subdued a giggle. "Let's hear from you then, Miss Songbird," Crystal challenged.

Uh oh, I thought, here comes Crystal's sharp wit. She's just setting her up.

"Okay," Raven chimed. "I want to get to Los Angeles, go to my first audition, and get picked to sign a record deal before I've sung my first note."

"That's not a goal, that's a dream. You ought to convert that story into a pill and sell it to insomniacs," Crystal advised.

"What is that supposed to mean? Can you understand anything she says, Brooke? I swear. Besides, what's wrong with having a dream?"

"I'd like to get an athletic scholarshi

p to a great school," I said before they got into a real argument, "and after a few weeks, I'd write to Todd. He would come out and then we'd get married after I finished school and he could travel all over the world with me and my Olympic team."

"Just think, you could have enough children to start your own softball team," Raven laughed.

"I don't think this game is helping us relax and sleep," I retorted.

"What about you, Butterfly?" Raven asked her. There was a long pause.