"I'll tell you this," she said after a moment. "as weird as it sounds, your great-aunt even though she's bonkers is nicer than my family. I hope she lets me stay here all year."
"She will," I said.
"Yeah, but that chauffeur might not like it and he might tell your grandmother and they'll make me leave."
"I'll tell them you have to stay," I said.
"You would?"
"No lies, no secrets," I said, and even in the dark. I could see her smile.
"Okay," she said. I'll tell you a big secret, and it will be just between us. My best friends don't know it, but you're my best, best friend."
I held my breath in anticipation. What possible secret could she have? Had she done something terrible? Did I want to know? My ears cringed in anticipation. If it was something horrible. I wouldn't be able to sleep next to her.
"You ready?"
"Yes," I said weakly.
"I never did it with any boy," she said. "I come close, but never did yet."
"Did what?"
"Did what? You kidding? What have we been talking about? Took some tadpoles into me," she added and laughed. "I swear, you are just a sweet child after all."
She got serious quickly.
"Don't tell anyone what we saw in the basement."
"I wouldn't."
"It's 'cause of her my granddad is so hard on me. He thinks that's the way to keep me from being her. I'll never be her," she vowed.
We were both quiet. I didn't know whom I should feel sorry for more, myself or her. Finally. I decided that as bad as ever thing was for me. I should feel sorrier for her. My mother was in a coma. but I would never say I didn't want to be just like her. I always wanted to be just like her.
Without anyone to love and want to be like, you were really alone. I thought.
Sleep started to seep into my body from every direction. I welcomed it as I would a warm bath on a cold day. I sank quickly into my own safe darkness, just barely hearing Alanis whisper. "Good night."
Both of us forgot to set my alarm clock for the morning, but Great-aunt Frances didn't forget.
"Girls, girls, girls,' she cried at the foot of the bed. "Rise and shine."
Alanis groaned and sat up slowly. "I guess I need Granddad every school morning after all," she said and slipped out of bed. She stood there for a moment looking at me. "Listen," she said, "in the middle of the night. I thought I heard what you said you heard."
"What?"
"Sobbing. It sounded like it was coming from above us. I tried to listen, but I fell asleep. Don't go telling me it's a ghost," she added quickly.
"Well. what is it?"
"I don't know. Maybe you just put the idea in my head. Go on to the bathroom first. I can wait," she said.
I did, but when I came out, she was returning from down the hall.
"My mother never told me what was up here," she said. "There's a whole other bedroom and bath just down the ball."
"That's Grandmother Emma's room."