Emotions & Feelings
Martha's eyes widened. Dad looked right back at her, calm as calm. Mom was in bed when she should have been helping Martha get ready for school. Mom, who had never let her be alone with her birth mother for one minute in her whole entire life (not even when Martha was being born), was suddenly sending her off on her own and not even coming downstairs to tell her about it. And no one was asking Martha what she wanted. They obviously didn't care. Neither of them.
"Good grief! Would you look at her!" said the rat when she spotted the rabbit.
"Um... yes. I was just wondering what she was doing there," replied the dog, a bit startled. It had been so quiet until the rat came along.
"She is totally flat," said the rat. For a while they just stood there looking at her.
"Do you know her?"
"Well," said the dog, "I think she's from number 34. I've never talked to her, but I peed on the gate a couple of times, so we've definitely met."
"Marcus, come meet my cousin Shelley," Kyle called. Marcus walked over slowly. "Hi," he muttered. He looked at Shelley. "How old are you?" "I'm eight," said Shelley. "I'm ten," said Marcus. "You're just a kid." "I am not a kid," Shelley declared. She decided she did not like Marcus very much. She wished he would get back in his car and go home.
