The Wild Things Read Online Free Page B

what Max had done in response. She might want to pour water on Claire's room, too, or worse.
    "I worked really hard on it," Max added.
    "I'm sure you did," she said, bringing his head up and to her chest. He heard her heart, smelled her skin.
    "I almost died. I was buried in the snow," he said, his words muffled in her shirt.
    She held Max tighter now, and for a moment Max felt hopeful. He was no longer cold, and his face no longer burned. For a moment Max again forgot that he might be in trouble, and that trouble would come as soon as his mom walked into his sister's room.
    "I'm sorry you had a bad day, Maxie," she said.
    It sounded like she was actually sorry, but was she sorry enough to understand what Max had done in return? He avoided her eyes, though he could feel the heavy weight of their compassion.
    "Where's Claire?" she asked.
    "Who cares?" Max said.
    "Who cares ?" she laughed. " I do. And you should. She's supposed to be here. You can't be here alone after school. You both know that. Did she leave? I want to ask her about this igloo situation."
    This conversation was becoming very satisfying. It hadn't occurred to Max until then that Claire was in trouble herself. She shouldn't have left! She was supposed to watch him but she had gone off in the ugly station wagon to chew tobacco. If Max was careful with this situation, he could divert all the attention to Claire's misdeeds.
    But then came the sound of dripping.
    "What's that?" his mom asked.
    Max put on an unknowing face and shrugged.
    His mom stood quickly. "Sounds like something's dripping. Did you take a bath?"
    Max shook his head. He hadn't bathed; that was true.
    She left the room. He could hear her in the bathroom, tightening the knobs on the tub. The drip persisted. "Where is that coming from?" she asked aloud.
    Then she was in Claire's room.
    She screamed.
    Max never thought she would scream.
    "What is this?" she shrieked.
    This will be be hard , Max thought. So hard . He considered his options. He could make up a story about where the water came from. A hole in the roof? Maybe a window had been left open. He wished he'd thought of that sooner. Animals might have come in, tracking snow ...
    But he had never lied to his mom before and could not do it now. Instead, almost without thinking, he threw off the covers and got out of bed. He walked into Claire's room and heard the squish of the carpet under his feet. Standing in the doorway, her eyes wild, she saw the bucket and Max's snow clothes. She bent down to feel the floor and took in a quick breath.
    "Did you do this?" she asked.
    Max nodded and shrugged at the same time.
    "Max, what were you thinking ?"
    He couldn't remember. His thoughts had scattered again, into a dozen tiny holes.
    She ranted for a few minutes, using her most colorful language, before returning again to the question: " What were you thinking ?"
    "I don't know."
    "You don't know ?"
    "It's hard to explain."
    She was on her knees now. "This is not good, Max. All this water ... It could soak into the beams. It could cause permanent damage to the house."
    This news brought Max to the verge of tears. He wanted this to be temporary. He wanted it all over by dinner. Now the prospect that he'd ruined the house brought an endlessness to the day that crushed the light inside him.
    She left the room. Max could hear the opening and slamming of cupboards as she cursed quietly to herself. She was gone a few long minutes. She returned with a pile of towels. "Come on. I'll help you clean it up."
    They spread towels on the floor, trying to soak up the water. While they were on their knees, she noticed the water on the dolls, the pictures torn from the wall.
    "Oh my god," she said. "The walls? The walls ? What the hell is wrong with you?"
    Max was wondering the same thing about himself.
    She left the room and walked down the stairs. Max heard nothing for many minutes but he dared not move. He heard the car start, roar for a minute. Was she leaving? Then