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Hmm....Maybe the fact that her dad seems sinister is mostly because of the fact that I only posted a few paragraphs? There's more de_script_ion of Cathy's dad over the next few pages. Here's the entire first chapter.
Chapter One
Cathy groped wildly around the end of her bed for the ringing telephone. Last night, she’d tossed the cordless at the bottom of her bed, but somehow it’d disappeared in the middle of the night.
“On the floor, Cathy.”
Cathy jumped and saw her dad appearing in her doorway, his shape silhouetted in the light streaming through the windows, a stark contrast to Cathy’s dark room. He stepped fully into the room, picking something up off the floor, and Cathy squinted against the light as she took the phone from his hand.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Cathy.”
“Andrea!”
Cathy’s dad jumped, holding a hand to his ear. “She’s back from vacation?” he guessed.
Cathy nodded vigorously, then returned to her conversation, waving her dad out of the room. He chuckled and stepped out.
“I didn’t wake you up, did I?” Andrea asked.
“Oh, no,” Cathy said. “I’ve been up for an hour. I just haven’t bothered to get out of bed yet. After spending a week and a half in my aunt’s spare bedroom, my own bed feels really, really, good.”
Andrea laughed. “You’re happy that you’re not in Florida anymore?”
“Am I ever!” Cathy exclaimed. “I’m about three shades darker than when you saw me last.”
“At least you’re not that ghostly shade of white anymore,” Andrea said brightly.
Cathy pushed back her blankets, wincing as they brushed against her sunburned shoulders. “I’m not tan, Andrea. I’m sunburned.”
Andrea inhaled sharply. “Ouch.”
“Ouch is right. So, enough about me, how was Minnesota?”
“Mosquito-y,” said Andrea. “So the whole idea of you stowing away in my suitcase wouldn’t have worked, anyway. You’d have gotten eaten alive.”
“Yeah, probably,” Cathy agreed.
“Hey, are you doing anything today?” Andrea asked.
“Not that I know of, why?”
“I thought we’d get together. I haven’t seen you in forever!”
“Sure. Just let me dump several buckets of ice on my sunburn and I’ll be right over.”
“Dump several buckets of-”
“Don’t ask. Bye!”
“Bye,” Andrea laughed.
Cathy hung up the phone and bounced down the stairs two at a time. Landing in the kitchen, she immediately opened the freezer door.
“I’m going over to Andrea’s,” she announced, standing on tiptoe and sticking her head into the freezer.
“Not in your pajamas.” Her dad turned a page in the newspaper.
“Not without eating breakfast.” Her mom at least looked up from her gardening magazine. “And not without being thoroughly coated in sunscreen.”
“Right.” Cathy turned and headed back up the stairs, returning wearing a tank top and shorts and smearing sunscreen over her arms. “Now I’m going over to Andrea’s.”
“Breakfast,” her dad reminded her.
Cathy grabbed a granola bar and shoved her feet into her flip-flops. “Bye!” The door slammed closed.
“Now, the real question is if she’ll remember to eat the granola bar.” Cathy’s dad looked up from the paper towards the kitchen doorway.
Let me know what you think! Please give me your opinions on Cathy and her dad especially.
By the way, I'm thrilled at all the reviews I"m getting! Really great! Thanks to everyone who posted a reveiw!
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