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"What? But I'm not finished building the fort in the woods. and I want to go fishing this weekend. Its time to go fishing again."

"Don't disobey me. or I'll keep you confined to the house for the entire summer." she warned him.

He looked down, and then he looked at me angrily.

"She's just making it up," he said. "because she doesn't like going into the woods and she hates fishing."

"That's not true!" I cried. "I love the fort and I like fishing."

Mommy turned her head very slowly toward me and fixed her eyes on my face.

"Celeste knows better than to lie about such things. Noble." she said without taking her eyes off me. "I didn't lie," I protested.

Mommy nodded.

"No, you didn't lie,"

Noble went into a sulk and refused to eat.

"What you don't eat tonight, you'll eat tomorrow," Mommy told him. "We don't waste food. Noble Atwell"

He sat with his arms wrapped around himself and kept his head stiff, his lips sealed.

"I have apple pie and ice cream tonight." Mommy reminded him. "But meanness in, sweetness out," she recited. "If you don't eat your meal, you have no pie."

Stubborn as always. Noble did not retreat from his sulk. Finally. Mommy told him to go upstairs and stay in our room. He jumped up.

"I'll go into the woods, and El fish whenever I want to," he threatened and ran up the stairs, pounding his footsteps so hard, they vibrated in the walls.

"He needs more of our protection than I ever imagined."

Mommy said in a loud whisper. She rose slowly and started after him. I heard doors slamming. It was very quiet, and then suddenly I heard Noble pounding on our bedroom door and stamping his feet.

I couldn't swallow the food I had in my mouth and gagged until I got it out. I rose slowly and went to the dining room doorway. Noble's shouting was muffled, but I could make out that was he screaming he wanted Mommy to let him out.

Let him out? Out of where?

I went to the stairway just as she was coming down.

"You're sleeping in the living room tonight." she told me as she descended. Her arms were full of my things. "Take this." she ordered, and I hurried forward to accept it. "Put it all in the living room."

"Why am I sleeping there. Mommy?"

"Noble is to remain in his room by himself until he swears that he will not disobey me," she said. "It's for his own good."

She returned to the dining room. I heard Noble's stamping on the floor get louder, and then he grew quiet.

After I put my things in the living room, I returned to the dining room. too.

"How long does he have to stay in there. Mommy?"

"I told you. Until he promises," she said.

I felt very bad for him and terribly guilty far telling Mommy about the shadows. Maybe that was really all it was, and look at what was happening to Noble. I shouldn't have spoken. I shouldn't have brought all this unhappiness into the house. All the commotion had made me lose my appetite, and I had to force down my own supper. Afterward, while Mommy was distracted. I took a chance and snuck a piece of apple pie upstairs to Noble, but to my surprise, the door was locked from the outside. I never knew our door could be locked that way.

"Is that you?" he asked through the cracks when I fumbled with the knob.

"I'm sorry. Noble," I said.