The boy behind me, Sam Creek (more on him later, as well…), snorted. I saw Ella’s mouth tremble.

Carla Santini’s laughter rang through the classroom like an alarm.

“Is that supposed to be the famous New York sense of humour?” she asked. Loudly.

That caught the attention of the few people who weren’t already riveted by the spectacle of Carla Santini putting me through my paces.

“Are you from the city?” asked Carla Santini’s sidekick, Alma Vitters (more of her later, too…). She made it sound like she was saying, “You mean, you’re from Alpha Centauri?”

Before I could say, proudly, that I certainly was from the City, Carla answered for me.

“That’s right,” she said. “A real city slicker.” She gave me a phoney look of sympathy. “You must find it pretty dull in Dellwood, after New York,” purred Carla.

“You won’t for long with her around,” whispered a voice in my ear. I glanced right. Sam Creek was leaning forward on his arms as though falling asleep.

By then I’d figured out who Carla Santini was. Her mother was the real estate agent who sold my mother the old Swenska house. It was obvious that, despite Carla’s show of innocent curiosity, she already knew a lot about me and my family. Everything her mother knew: our income, our lack of a male parent, probably even the fact that I hadn’t wanted to move.

“I don’t know yet.” I smiled that famous New York “choke-yourself” smile. “I only just got here.”

Carla rang a few more alarms.

“Seriously,” she said when she was finished being incredibly amused, “Dellwood must be a big change. I mean, New York…”