Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Ideas of order

Charles Wallace wants me to go help him measure changes in the space-time continuum over at Duncan's house. I'd rather not. Duncan has been emailing him with odder and odder theories about sink holes, hellmouths, and vortices. My parents have been talking to Duncan's parents a lot, too, but I think it's about the house. My father has power of attorney for the Andersons, and it looks like the house will get sold pretty quickly.

That all happened this morning. This afternoon, my mother got home earlier from the office and then called my father, who got home earlier from his office. Then we went out to dinner, and my mother said she had an announcement.
"Geordie over at the med school has been pestering me all summer to start earlier at the university, and today he called and said there's grant funding for me to start earlier, and a house..."
"A house? Why would a university have a house?" Charles Wallace was being a pain.
"I think Geordie's found the house, with some connection he's got. Anyway, we're moving to Toronto by the end of the month." My brother and I sat stunned. I thought I was getting away from my family, and now they'd be in Toronto before classes started. Charles Wallace was also quiet for a bit.
"Mom, now I have to start all over again with a new set of bullies."
"Maybe not," my father said. "I've called some people over at the University of Toronto Schools. You can sit the exam for the fall next week, and who knows--maybe you'll finally be the bully." This was even worse. My brother would just be on the next block from me. My parents were really excited about getting out of Milborough, and even though all of this meant my brother would be just next door to me at university, I was getting kind of excited about it too. And maybe we'd finally lose Arne.