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hallway. I heard her try the knob, but I had locked it.

"Who locks their bedroom?" she muttered. She

knocked again. "Cinnamon, are you getting up?" I groaned and looked at the clock astounded at

the time myself. For a moment I considered not going

to school at all and then, all my questions from the

night before began to flood over me again and I made

a quick decision. I was up and dressed in minutes. "Why do you lock your bedroom door?"

Grandmother Beverly asked as soon as I stepped into

the kitchen. I went right to the coffee without

responding. She made it too weak for my taste and

even for Daddy's, but he didn't complain. I

deliberately poured a cup and then poured it back

through the coffee maker,

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to turn this tea into coffee." I muttered. "A girl your age shouldn't be drinking so much

coffee. It's not good for you." she insisted.

I started to look for one of my breakfast bars.

She had moved everything around in the cabinets and

literally nothing, not even a salt shaker, was where it had been. I started to shove things to the side more

frantically.

"You're messing it all up. What are you looking

for? Just ask," she said.

I turned.

"My breakfast bars! Where are they?" "Oh, that garbage. It's candy. How can that be

breakfast? I threw it all out." she admitted. proudly. "Threw it all out? I had just bought them. They

were mine. You had no right to do that. Grandmother,

and for your information, they have a great deal more

nutritional value than what you and Daddy eat for

breakfast."

"Nonsense. Don't believe what they write on