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"I can't believe I'm doing this," Jade muttered.

"Get moving, Cat," Star ordered. I led them out, my heart pounding. I quickly located the flashlight and opened the back door. They were right behind me, struggling because Geraldine was so awkward a load.

"You're dropping your end!" Star snapped at Jade. "Okay, okay," she said. "I'm not exactly used to carrying dead bodies."

They followed me out.

"Where?" Jade asked Star.

"Away from the house," Star said. "Over to the right is best, I think. Shine the beam there, Cat. Yeah, good," she said and we went about ten yards. "Okay, let her down. Damn. I forgot the shovel. Misty, go get it," she ordered.

"Why me?" she asked, looking back at the now empty house.

"Look, if you're afraid of going back in there alone, what do you think it's going to be like for Cat? You're the one who wanted to do this so much."

"Okay, okay. I'm just tired, not frightened," she explained. I knew it was a little lie, but I didn't say anything.

I looked down at the rolled up body and then around the yard. Fortunately, it was an overcast night. Anyone looking over our way wouldn't see much, I thought.

Misty must have run through the house. She returned in less than a minute and handed Star the shovel.

"I'll start," she said, "but we'll all have to do some digging. A grave's got to be deep and wide enough." "I've never dug anything before," Jade complained

"Like it takes a brain surgeon," Star shot back at her. She pointed the tip of the shovel down and stepped on it to sink it into the lawn. It went in easily and then wouldn't budge.

"Rock," she said. "The ground's probably full of them."

"We can't do this," Jade moaned. "We're not laborers."

"You're right. it will be hard. You might break a fingernail," Star said.

"Very funny."

"There's a garden set in the garage, too," I said, remembering. "A small shovel and one of those claws to help get rocks out of the way."

"Misty?"

"Oh, no, me again?"

"Well, we can't send Cat with her crutches and all, can we? All she can do is hold the flashlight."

"What about Jade?"

"Where is it?" Jade asked me, sighing deeply.

"It's on the shelf to the right of the door," I explained. "It's where all the garden tools are kept."

She shook her head at Misty and started for the house. "Well, we have to share the work," Misty cried. "It's only fair."

"Fair," Star muttered as she dug. "We're supposed to want to do things for each other and not worry about all that, remember?"

"I know," Misty said. "Boy, you really know how to dig," she added.

"Yeah, it's practically all I do these days, dig graves," Star quipped.

Jade returned with the garden set and Star told Misty to take the small shovel and dig around the big rock she had hit. She told Jade to use the claw and before long, the three of them were working on the grave, ripping up the earth and rocks, Jade

complaining about how dirty she was getting her outfit and Misty worrying about calluses on her palms Star made fun of them both.