Miss Annabel Lee

"Honey, come on. Dr. Lee is nice. Just get in the car." Mom holds out her hand expectantly, like her words are all I need to hear.

"NO! She's scary!" I know, it sounds like every other five year old girl. But I'm serious, she is weird. She is always edgy when Mom comes into her office, especially when Mom says something about her 'doctorate' being covered. And she never touches me, just 'ooh's and 'ah's as the assistant does everything.

Naturally, ten minutes later Mom has me in the waiting room. Dr. Lee comes in, smiling brightly at me. She has bright blond hair that curls away from her face and bright blue eyes. She looks a few years older than my brother Dean, who's eighteen. "Hello, Val."

"My name is Valerie." I pout.

"Of course. Let's go back to my office to discuss the prices." I don't understand this, but I follow her back. She and mom go to the desk and read and argue, but quietly. Not like the arguing Mom and Dad do. I go over to the covered 'doctorate'. What is it?

I don't know, but I do know that somehow it is directly linked to her secret. There's a chair I can climb on, and I'd be tall enough to pull the cover down. But they'd notice me before I could. I have to risk it, so I climb up on the chair.

"Valerie, come down from there! I'm so sorry, she doesn't usu-"

"STOP HER! NO! BAD GIRL!" Dr. Lee sounds really upset, so I know my guess is close. I stretch up, grab the cover, and yank as hard as I can. The dark folds flutter down over my head and I panic, falling off the chair. I hit the back of my head on the floor and start to cry because it hurts so bad.

"Valerie, are you okay?" Mom pulls me out of the tangled cloth and rubs my back soothingly. My head doesn't hurt so much anymore, so I stop crying and lean my head against Mom's shoulder, hiding in her hair. "Dr. Lee, where's your doctorate?"

"Fine, now you know! I don't have a doctorate! I'm twenty-one years old, for Christ's sake! I'm getting my doctorate, it's jst that it looks better if you say you're a doctor!" Dr. Lee says. Only, she's not Dr. Lee. She's Miss Lee now. That was the secret. Not bad like I'd thought, just a white lie. Like me saying I only had one cookie. How disappointing. I thought I had a real bad, real scary dentist. Just a white lie though, nothing scary.

"I don't think we'll need that appointment today," Mom says in an angry tone. So maybe it's more than a white lie. Oh well. At least it got me out of my appointment.