CHAPTER 42As Mara and Ping stood up to go into the living room, a shudder ran through the walls of the house. Glancing up at the ceiling, Mara got the sense that someone was running or jumping upstairs. Sam must be playing around or something. Heavier thumps reverberated, as if something were bounced off a wall, and the loud slamming of a door made her wonder what he was up to. Mild curiosity melted into fear as a scream sliced through the air. The color drained from Mara’s face.
She ran from the kitchen and met Sam at the foot of the stairs. “Where’s Mom?”
“She went up to check on Buddy,” he said.
For a moment that struck Mara as irrational since Buddy stood right there behind Sam in all his translucent green glory.
From upstairs, Diana screamed, “Mara! He’s awake, and he’s out of bed
