How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"What sort of sign?" Elizabeth wanted to know.
"A secret omen," Melanie said.
"Will it be a pigeon feather?" Marshall asked.
"We don't know what it will be," April told him. "But we will know when it appears." She clasped her hands and struck a wonder-and-amazement pose. "The very air will smell of mystery," she breathed. (9.24-28)
On Halloween, the kids make a huge production of waiting for a sign from the gods so that they can return to Egypt. After all, it's a lot easier to justify being disobedient (when there's a murderer on the loose) if they receive an omen.
Quote #8
"A shooting star!" Everybody repeated it in whispered unison as if they'd been rehearsed. Then everybody looked at April. She nodded. "The secret omen," she said slowly, making every syllable heavy with significance. (10.32)
And there you have it: when they see a shooting star, the kids are convinced that they have been summoned back to Egypt. So even though they're typically good, obedient kids, they sneak away from the trick-or-treating group and disappear into the night.
Quote #9
In the next days he was anointed with spices and perfume, wrapped in thin strips of oil-soaked cloth, and laid to rest with a supply of birdseed and a few of his favorite toys, in a smallish pyramid made of old bricks. (15.27)
Having an actual ceremony and burial for Elizabeth's parakeet makes the grieving process a lot easier for her—and makes her feel like Petey is now in a better place with his very own pyramid.