I blow out a hard breath. “Well, get ready. Because we’re going right into the belly of the beast.”
“So dramatic.”
I smile. “I’ve been called that once or twice.”
“By me.”
“True,” I agree, eyeing the gigantic suitcase Laine let me borrow. “I better go. I need to get packed and on the road.”
“Drive safe, Miss L.”
“Will do. Bye,” I say, then blurt, “Finn, wait!”
“Yeah?”
“Tell me something I’ll never believe.”
The game started when we were young, and it stuck. Finn recites a fact, something so outlandish it sounds fake, and I decide whether or not I believe it. Usually I had to look on the internet to investigate its validity. My research always ended up pointless; Finn never told me anything that wasn’t true.
After a moment, Finn says, “Female elephants form a tight circle around another female when she’s giving birth. They do this because the birthing female is vulnerable to attack, so their circle is meant for protection.”
Tears spring to my eyes. I believe him. And if it’s not true, I don’t want to know. It’s too beautiful.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Finn.”
He pauses for so long I wonder if he has hung up, then softly he tells me goodbye.
I hang up and stare at the suitcase. Those two phone calls, plus the fact that I’m headed to Agua Mesa as soon as I can gather my things, has left me emotionally exhausted. Too bad I don’t have time for exhaustion. Placing my palms on either side of me, I hoist myself off the bed and into action. Before long, I’m packed, and then I’m holding back tears as I hug Laine goodbye. It’s her fault. She’s the one who started crying, and I can‘t look at her tears without producing some of my own.
It’s just for a week, I tell her.Two, tops.I can’t imagine it will take me any longer than that to make arrangements and go through my mother’s house.
At least, I hope it doesn’t.
3
Then
The old lady’sheels make a lot of noise.Click clack. Click clack. Her veiny hand presses into my shoulder, the cold from her fingers seeping through the thin fabric of my purple shirt. I didn’t want to wear this shirt today, but Mommy made me.
My tummy feels sick, but I know better than to say anything. Besides, I don’t want them to call Mommy. I don’t want to be in our new house with her, even though it smells good and is so big I can stand in the kitchen and not also be in the living room, like in our old place.
The old lady, whose name I can’t remember, stops in front of a door painted the same shade of blue as a robin’s egg.
“Here you go,” she says kindly, opening the door and gently pushing me into the classroom ahead of her. I look down at my scuffed shoes but I can feel the curious gazes of the students. My cheeks warm. Lifting my head, I dare a quick glance, locking onto a set of eyes in the front corner. A small smile curls up one side of the boy’s mouth. A tiny fraction of my nerves fizzle out.
“Class!” A warm, friendly voice draws his attention from me. I spend another second looking at him, then look at the speaker. The young woman, who must be Miss Landry, walks to the center of the whiteboard and motions me over. I hurry to her. I hope she likes me.
She smiles as I approach, bending down and extending an open arm. She pulls me into her side and the first thing I notice is how sweet she smells, like sugar. The second thing I notice is her long, shiny brown hair. My hair used to look like that.
“This is Lennon Davies,” Miss Landry says to the class, and she squeezes me with the arm she has wrapped around my shoulder. “She has just moved here from Verde Canyon. If you go to Joyful Noise Bible, you’ll be seeing her around, because she’s Pastor Ted’s stepdaughter.” She looks out across the sea of faces, most of them peering curiously at me. “I need someone to show her around today and make Lennon feel like she has found her new home at Agua Mesa Elementary. Who is responsible enough to do that for me?”
Hands go up, but Miss Landry looks straight to the boy who smiled at me. “Brady?”
His head bobs up and down and his eyes are bright. The other hands slide down, and one person groans at the unfairness of not being chosen.
More of my nerves melt away.Brady. That’s a nice name. I say it in my head a few more times.Brady Brady Brady.
Miss Landry turns to me. “You came in at just the right time. We’re about to go to recess.” She waves at someone over my shoulder, probably the old lady, and looks back to Brady. “Come say hi, Brady. Class, put your folders in your desks and line up by the door.” Miss Landry releases me and goes back to her desk.
