Chapter 4

Julie walked up to the huge house. She changed her shoes at the gate to prepare for the long climb. She learned her lesson about the boots yesterday. She was just ready to open the door when she looked in the garden and saw Edward, cutting some of the bushes to perfect his art work.

"Edward," she said. He looked over at her and smiled at the site of her. "Julie," he said in that shaky voice of his. "What are you doing?" she asked. He cut excess leaves off of the long snake's nose and stepped back to show her his work. "I wish I could take one of these home with me," she said as she smoother her hand across the humungous head of the creature. "Beautiful," she whispered. Edward smiled, happy to hear his work admired. "Thank you." He said. She walked around the garden with Edward as he repaired the beautiful works he seemed to care for so much.

Edward had finished tending to his garden and took Julie back up to the room they had been in yesterday. She decided to draw some of the sculptures Edward had made. When they arrived, she sat down and started to sketch a sculpture of a small fairy-looking creature sitting on a flower. Edward sat down next to her.

"What are you doing?" he asked her. She looked up at him. "I'm drawing that sculpture you made. I hope you don't mind." Edward nodded his head smiling and watched as she drew the sculpture. She carefully sketched out every detail. It was quiet for a while. Then Julie held up the picture for Edward to see. He looked at it and then at the sculpture and smiled. "I think I did pretty good," she said looking at the sculpture. Edward nodded.

Julie began to draw again. The silence was not something she liked, but she couldn't really think of much to talk about. There wasn't anything she could ask that she already knew or he probably couldn't answer. So, she continued sketching some of the sculptures he had made and showed him the results. She thought about it while drawing and decided to bring something that involved more discussion or talking the next time she came.

"Thanks, Edward." Julie said as she walked down the huge staircase. "I'll try to come again tomorrow. Is that okay?" she asked. "Yes," Edward replied. He waved… (sort of )…as she left and she waved back to him. Since it was dark, she pulled out her cell phone and called Chase to keep her company while she walked to her house.

"Hello?" he said answering the phone. "Hey," she said crossing the street. "So, you're home now?" he asked. "On my way; did she call yet?" "No" "Good," Julie said feeling relieved. "So, where are you coming from anyway?" "Nowhere you need to know about." She laughed. "Oh, well sorry. Didn't mean to but into your new, secret life." He said. "Well, if I tell you, you'll think it's weird; or you'll think I'm crazy." "Whatever then, don't tell me. I'll find out." "How are you gonna find out?" she asked curiously. "I have my ways." "Well, I'm home now so you can stay off of patrol now." She said. "Alright, see ya tomorrow." He said. "Bye," he replied hanging up the phone.

She hung up the phone and walked across the street and to her door. She opened the door to her mother and sister in the living room, but also to a face she didn't expect.

"Dad!" she screamed, shutting the door. He rose from the couch and hugged her; she hugged him back. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "Visiting," he smiled. She knew that Dad never came to just "visit." "Have fun at Chase's, hon?"

"Yeah, my head hurts from thinking so hard." She lied. "Chase and you going out yet?" Dad asked. I blushed and laughed. "No and we're just friends. We're really good friends." She said. "Well, I wish I could stay and talk for a while, but I have to get home. Hour-long drive," he kissed all of the girls good-bye and went out the door.

"Well, dinner's in the kitchen if you want it." Said Julie's mom. "I'm not really hungry." Julie replied. "Plus, I have a lot of work to do." "Hon, how major could the project be? There are only two or three weeks left of the semester." "It's a FINAL project, mom." She said going up the stairs.

"Julie was very tired. She hadn't gotten much sleep from the night before. She laid down on her bed for a while and thought about Edward. She thought of something she hadn't considered before. They both must have been a lot alike. They were pretty much outcasts. They both barely knew anyone. She kind of didn't like being an outcast. It wasn't anything she was proud of. She thought back to what probably made her an outcast in the first place. That one day in Kindergarten…

She had made a lot of friends before that day. She was good friends with most of the girls and a few of the boys in her class. It was the beginning of the second week of school: Monday. The Friday before, their teacher told them to bring in something for show and tell. She knew exactly what would impress all of the kids at school and make her even more popular. The story her grandmother had told her of the man with scissors for hands!

She had a good beginning. "I have a story about the mansion up on the hill." She said. "My grandma told me it was never haunted. She said that there was someone who still lived up there! He is a man with scissors for hands!" It was just the middle and ending part that ruined everything. "Does he kill people?" asked one kid. "No he is really nice. He cuts plants and bushes. He has a whole garden. He used to be a robot, but his inventor wanted to make him a person." Some of the kids started laughing and she got a little paranoid. "So…he never finished him and now he has scissors for hands. He can cut hair and everything!" but a group of kids were laughing. "Well, that's all the time you have." The teacher said and she went to sit with her friends. But she realized that they were laughing at her, too. She was by herself the rest of the day.

The next day, she was still upset about what happened. Her friends pretended like nothing happened. They were nice to her and acted like good friends, but she didn't want to be friends with them anymore. She went on believing in Edward Scissorhands and since then, she was pretty much an outcast.

"Julie, you sure you're not hungry?" her mom yelled up to her room, interrupting her thoughts. "No, mom; I'm just gonna go to sleep." She replied. "Well, if you get hungry, the leftovers are in the fridge." She said.

Emily came into her room as Julie got out her pajamas. "Knock first," Julie said (probably the 50th time in her life). "If you were at Chase's, how come I didn't see you there?" Emily asked her. Julie froze. Chase didn't tell her that her sister was at his house. "Why were you at Chase's?" "They have real nice dog." She said. Julie could still talk her way out of this. "Well, you never came inside, so I didn't see you." She replied. Emily gave her a weird glare. "I'm on to you…" she said in a suspicious voice. She backed out of the room slowly, still staring at her sister.

Julie was a little frightened at her sister's behavior. She was ten years old! She sounded like some secret agent or spy or something. Julie shrugged it off and went to get a shower.

Later on, Julie was in her pajamas and getting into her bed. She once again, couldn't stop thinking about Edward and the mansion, although that night she got more sleep.