Saving Sky Read Online Free

snuggled together, the three of them, Ana encircling them in a gentle embrace. Sky could smell her sister’s hair. It always made her think of freshly ironed shirts. They swayed slightly.
    â€œThat was a good blessing,” Ana said.
    â€œI thought so, too,” Sky agreed. She’d especially liked the part about the “one great spirit.” It had felt very true to her.
    â€œWill you be able to sleep tonight?” Ana asked.
    â€œYes,” Mouse said, her voice muffled by Ana’s sweater.
    â€œYes,” Sky agreed.
    And it was true. She felt serene and strangely hopeful now. They had blessed the departed, and been blessed in return. And all their spirits were eternal.
    With that reassuring thought, she wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulders and the two of them headed for bed.

5
Voices in the Darkness
    A T SOME POINT DURING THE night, Sky woke up. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep, but she thought she’d heard a noise. Was it the phone? It couldn’t be, not this late at night. She must have imagined it. But she definitely heard voices.
    She got out of bed, crept barefoot into the hallway, and peeked around the corner. A fire was still going in the stove, but it was the only light in the room. Her parents sat in the near-dark, speaking softly.
    â€œIt’ll be a lot of work,” Ana was saying.
    â€œI know. But I still think we ought to do it.”
    â€œThe pantry’s full to bursting, Luke.”
    â€œYes, but a greenhouse isn’t that hard to build, and it’ll be good to have fresh vegetables year-round. Plus, we can trade what we don’t need for other things: hayand firewood. Meat. Milk.”
    â€œOr give it away.” Sky could hear the smile in her mother’s voice.
    â€œYes, that, too. A lot of people are going to need…”
    â€œI know, honey.”
    â€œWe have to do our part.”
    â€œI agree. Do you think we can get the building materials?”
    â€œI hope so. We’d better be there when the stores open, though.”
    â€œWhat about the girls? Should we leave Mouse here with Sky?”
    â€œI’ve been thinking about that. It’s really tempting….”
    â€œBut they’re going to find out anyway. And who knows what they’ll hear at school. I think maybe it’s better if they see it for themselves, while we’re there to explain it to them. And if we get there early, and get out before the panic really starts, it might not be that bad.”
    â€œI hope you’re right.”
    â€œMe, too.”
    â€œSo what can we get, then, of the rationed stuff?”
    Ana flipped through the coupons, holding them to the light so she could read. “Rice, sugar, cooking oil, salt—assuming there’s any to buy, of course. What’s on your list?”
    â€œA lot. All the building materials. Propane. A heater for the greenhouse. Candles. Lightbulbs. Soap. Shampoo. Seeds. Dog food…”
    Sky shivered and tiptoed back to bed.

6
Goat-Man
    W HEN A NA KNOCKED ON THE door to wake them, the stars were still midnight-bright. In the western sky, a fingernail moon hung low over the dark mass of the hills.
    Sky turned on the bedside lamp (they were on battery power till the sun came up) and looked at the clock. Four fifteen.
    â€œDad and I are finished in the bathroom,” Ana said. “You need to get in and out, then see to the horses. We’re really pressed for time.”
    â€œWhy are we getting up so early ?” Mouse whimpered.
    â€œWe’re going into town, honey. We have some shopping to do.”
    â€œThe stores won’t even be open yet.”
    â€œActually, they will,” Luke said, peeking in the door. “Albertsons opens at six. So does Home Depot.”
    â€œBut why do we have to be there when they open ?”
    â€œBecause there are things we need to get, and we’re afraid there might be crowds.”
    â€œOn a