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"It's special. Amethysts can protect you. It can warn you of oncoming danger. accidents. It will change color, and that's how it will warn you."

"Oh. please, Sarah. This is going too far. Really. Change color?"

"It does work," Mr. Bogart said.

"Umm. I don't doubt for you. How much is it?" "Stop that. Arthur."

"I tell you what. Mr. Atwell," Mr. Bogart said. "Take it at no cost."

Daddy raised his eyebrows and looked at the stone.

"To make me happy. Arthur," Mommy said. "Please, take it."

He shook his head and then took it and put it into his pocket quickly.

"It will do you no good in there." Mr. Bogart told him. Daddy sighed deeply and then took it out and put it on. "Can we go now, Sarah?"

She nodded.

"Take the children out to the car. Arthur. I want to talk to Mr. Bogart for a few minutes.Ill be right there." she promised.

Daddy practically seized our hands and pulled us out the door, mumbling to himself as he marched us back to the car.

"Why do I get a worm and she gets a star?" Noble complained.

"You're better off. Noble. At least your thing looks like something funny. Someday you can show it to your buddies, if you ever get a chance to have buddies "

Noble sat back. considering.

"Worms don't have arms and legs," he said. Then he brightened and thought aloud. "Unless I just haven't seen any yet. Do they. Daddy?"

"None Ive met," Daddy said. "But your mother hangs around in different circles."

"What's that mean. Daddy?"

"Please. Just let's think about lunch. How about a Whammy burger?"

That excited Noble enough for him to forget his pendant. I fingered mine.

Seven points, the treasures of the kings! Mommy did love me very much after all. I thought, maybe even as much as she loved Noble.

After we had our lunch. Mommy and Daddy had their first really bad argument in front of us. They rode home in silence, but when they arrived. Daddy started to complain about Mr. Bogart and the amulets. and Mommy didn't ignore him like she usually did. She shouted back at him, her eves full of red rage like we had never before seen. It made Noble and I cringe. We sat close to each other in the living room. They were arguing in the hallway.

"You had no right to be so rude to Mr. Bogart. Arthur."

"Rude? I thought I was quite controlled. This is getting way out of hand, Sarah," Daddy, cried. "They don't play with other children their age. You practically keep them locked up here. and when we take them somewhere, where do we take them? To some kooky guy's weird jewelry shop. Who was he, a friend of your grandmother's?"

"Yes, he was, and he was a good friend, too."

"Figures. Do you realize you don't have any normal friends either? And it's getting so neither do I. I'm afraid to invite anyone here for fear you'll see dark, evil spirits hovering around them, see their aura, and do what you did when I brought Dick Calhoun and his wife here. Do you know how embarrassing that was for me? You locking yourself up in the kitchen and leaving me with them for nearly two hours? I partnered with him on a number of big projects, for crissakes, and now he's part owner of my business."

"I told you why I didn't feel comfortable with them. Arthur.''

"You told me? You had a bad feeling about Betty Calhoun. Something dark whirling around her? Really. And now this voodoo stuff with the children. You're poisoning their heads. Sarah. They won't be at any advantage when they go to school. They'll be thought weird, just like we are. Do you know what Ben Simon told me the other day, the story he heard from the postman?"

"I don't care to hear it," she said.

"Well. you're going to hear it," Daddy insisted. "Simon said the postman claims that he heard Noble and Celeste speaking what sounded like Arabic or some very foreign tongue. Then he said he swore he saw Noble change into a bird and fly into a tree. They all think our kids are weird. They enjoy making up stories about them."