The Invisible Day Read Online Free Page B

Smarties, peppermints, toffees, and jelly beans in every color. When we go with my mother, she’ll let us have a treat about every third visit. She is very strict about sugar. Jane always picks bubble-gum-flavored jelly beans, and I always get malted milk balls.
    I stood next to the jar of malted milk balls, wondering how I could lift the lid without making it clink or disappear. There was a lady in a pink coat, waiting her turn, and a man with a mustache beside her.
    But the clerk was listening to another woman. She was wearing a white fur coat and complaining about something she bought last week.

    “I got two pounds of chocolate rosebuds, and they didn’t seem fresh to me.”
    “Well, madam, we’d be glad to replace them, but you need to bring in the candy you think was stale.”
    “Oh, well, I ate them. I forced myself to eat them. But they weren’t fresh. They didn’t seem fresh to me.”
    “I’m sorry, but unless you return the goods, we have no way of knowing …”
    “You can take my word for it. They weren’t fresh. I would like a refund.”
    “But you ate them!” The clerk was trying not to seem too exasperated, but I could tell it was not long until blastoff. I could also tell that this Fur Lady customer, with her flippy hair, was the type of person who usually gets her way. I stuck my tongue way out at her. The other people waiting were getting restless.
    “She’s going to eat the salesgirl in a minute,” the Pink Coat Lady murmured to her friend. I stifled my giggle.
    I gave up my dream of free malted milk balls. I was turning to leave when a teenaged boy bumped against Pink Coat, and I saw his hand slide into her pocket and come out with a pink wallet. He was down the aisle fasterthan I could even see his face. But I saw the wart on his thumb and a rope bracelet.
    “Hey!” I shouted and started to run after him.
    “What’s going on?” I could hear the voices behind me. I raced to the door, but the guy must have had wings. He was nowhere. I went back inside, with my heart pumping in my throat.
    The people had heard me shout and seen the guy running, but since they couldn’t see me and I couldn’t tell them what had happened, they were all just standing around doing nothing. At least the Fur Coat Lady had given up and moved on. But the Pink Coat Lady didn’t even know yet that she’d been robbed. She was ordering dried apricots and the clerk was filling a bag! She was going to get to the cash register and be totally humiliated. I couldn’t bear to watch.
    I left the store, burning with frustration. Okay, I admit I swiped a snack today, and Ieven admit it was fun. But actually putting your hand into someone’s pocket, that’s just rude and bad.
    My mother has tried to teach me that no problem is too great to solve, but I honestly couldn’t figure out what to do. Here I was, with superpowers, and that’s what stopped me from saving the day! If I were visible, I could have been a witness and given a description and maybe they would have caught the guy. Or then again, maybe I just would have been in trouble for not being in school.
    I felt terrible. I was about to steal candy and then this happened, and there was nothing I could do about it. I jammed my foot against the curb. And then again. I stood there kicking the concrete for about five minutes, imagining the robber’s rear end was under my sneaker.
    I wanted to tell somebody what I’d seen. If only I could have tripped the guy, I wouldn’t feel like such a loser.
    I wanted to tell my mom, but I knew I couldn’t. I had to tell Hubert. Oh, my God, I told Hubert I would be back in an hour! It was way longer than an hour! He would be going nuts! And what if he didn’t get my backpack from Alyssa? What if she found the powder and stuff?
    I started to gallop. Suddenly it seemed urgent that I get back to school.
    Ms. Shephard was sitting at her desk, scratching her ear, as though nothing had happened at all. The clock in the front hall