You. Understand. Me?” Papa spoke even more slowly.
Zavion willed his eyes to stop blinking. He widened them and kept them still even as they dried and he had to fight the urge to blink.
“Why?” He spoke the one word as slowly as he could.
“Because—” Papa looked down then. He closed his eyes. He put down his paintbrush and flexed his fingers and closed them into a fist. He opened his eyes again and opened his fist and shook his hand back and forth. “Because,” he finally said again, “I don’t want you…I can’t have you…back in that…drowned…monster of a city…” He gripped his hands together, interlocking his fingers, and leaned forward. “That…place…isn’t…safe—”
Zavion knew about safe. He had made it his job to keep Papa and his own self safe for all these years.
He bent his head down to the floor and finally blinked his eyes. They were wet, but he wasn’t crying. He had messed up something
huge
during the hurricane. He rolled the marble from one finger to another in his pocket. It sounded kind of silly, but he believed he had a touch of magic, now that he had found this marble.
He would find some money.
He would find a way to get to New Orleans.
He would find Luna Market.
chapter 26
HENRY
“This bird has a pouch like a kangaroo.”
“What is a pelican?”
“This is the largest raptor in the world.”
“What is the Andean condor?”
A game show was on the radio.
“Henry…” Mom’s sigh traveled through the telephone like a gust of wind. It blew into Henry’s ear and rattled its way to his knees. “Are you all right? Are you eating enough?”
“I just left! How could I not be eating enough?”
Why did mothers always ask about food? Every time Henry went to his father and stepmother’s house for the weekend, the first thing Mom asked when he got home was if he had eaten enough. Like his father didn’t have a refrigerator or an oven or a cereal cupboard.
“Henry, are you there?”
“Yes, Mom.” He turned to Jake, whose eyes were fixed on the road.
“Take this opportunity, Henry.”
What the heck was she talking about?
“Take all these miles between you and the mountain and use them.”
Henry still didn’t know what she was talking about.
“This South American bird has a distinctive look, with feathers on top of its head that fan into a bold crest when it feels threatened.”
“What’s a harpy eagle?” said Henry without even thinking.
“What?” said Mom.
“What is an ibis?”
said the contestant.
“Wrong,”
said the game show host.
“The correct answer is ‘What is a harpy eagle?’ ”
Jake turned to look at Henry. “Nice job,” he said.
“Brae misses you already—” Mom’s voice cut back in over the game show host.
At the mention of Brae, Henry refocused his attention. “Is he okay?” he said.
“He’s fine. Nopie came over after school to play with him.”
“Stupid Nopie! Mom don’t let—”
“Don’t worry about Brae and me,” said Mom, interrupting. “We’re okay.”
Henry put his hand across his knees to quiet them. “I gotta go, Mom,” he said. “Bye.” And he clicked off the phone before she had a chance to say anything else. He handed it back to Jake.
“You okay?” Jake asked.
“This means having two toes directed forward and two toes directed backward, as the parrot has.”
“What is
zygodactyl
?” answered Henry.
“You’re real good at those animal questions,” said Jake.
Henry felt his face flush. He shrugged. But it was true. He could keep track of animal facts. He liked to do it. He liked animals. They were dependable. They were loyal. When they bit you, it was for a good reason. “You’re real good with animals,” said Jake. Henry’s cheeks flushed again. “You should be the one searching for Tiger.” Jake touched the silver baseball. It flickered in the light.
Was the baseball a good-luck charm? Did Jake wish on it?
Henry slouched in his seat and reached his leg
Zavion willed his eyes to stop blinking. He widened them and kept them still even as they dried and he had to fight the urge to blink.
“Why?” He spoke the one word as slowly as he could.
“Because—” Papa looked down then. He closed his eyes. He put down his paintbrush and flexed his fingers and closed them into a fist. He opened his eyes again and opened his fist and shook his hand back and forth. “Because,” he finally said again, “I don’t want you…I can’t have you…back in that…drowned…monster of a city…” He gripped his hands together, interlocking his fingers, and leaned forward. “That…place…isn’t…safe—”
Zavion knew about safe. He had made it his job to keep Papa and his own self safe for all these years.
He bent his head down to the floor and finally blinked his eyes. They were wet, but he wasn’t crying. He had messed up something
huge
during the hurricane. He rolled the marble from one finger to another in his pocket. It sounded kind of silly, but he believed he had a touch of magic, now that he had found this marble.
He would find some money.
He would find a way to get to New Orleans.
He would find Luna Market.
chapter 26
HENRY
“This bird has a pouch like a kangaroo.”
“What is a pelican?”
“This is the largest raptor in the world.”
“What is the Andean condor?”
A game show was on the radio.
“Henry…” Mom’s sigh traveled through the telephone like a gust of wind. It blew into Henry’s ear and rattled its way to his knees. “Are you all right? Are you eating enough?”
“I just left! How could I not be eating enough?”
Why did mothers always ask about food? Every time Henry went to his father and stepmother’s house for the weekend, the first thing Mom asked when he got home was if he had eaten enough. Like his father didn’t have a refrigerator or an oven or a cereal cupboard.
“Henry, are you there?”
“Yes, Mom.” He turned to Jake, whose eyes were fixed on the road.
“Take this opportunity, Henry.”
What the heck was she talking about?
“Take all these miles between you and the mountain and use them.”
Henry still didn’t know what she was talking about.
“This South American bird has a distinctive look, with feathers on top of its head that fan into a bold crest when it feels threatened.”
“What’s a harpy eagle?” said Henry without even thinking.
“What?” said Mom.
“What is an ibis?”
said the contestant.
“Wrong,”
said the game show host.
“The correct answer is ‘What is a harpy eagle?’ ”
Jake turned to look at Henry. “Nice job,” he said.
“Brae misses you already—” Mom’s voice cut back in over the game show host.
At the mention of Brae, Henry refocused his attention. “Is he okay?” he said.
“He’s fine. Nopie came over after school to play with him.”
“Stupid Nopie! Mom don’t let—”
“Don’t worry about Brae and me,” said Mom, interrupting. “We’re okay.”
Henry put his hand across his knees to quiet them. “I gotta go, Mom,” he said. “Bye.” And he clicked off the phone before she had a chance to say anything else. He handed it back to Jake.
“You okay?” Jake asked.
“This means having two toes directed forward and two toes directed backward, as the parrot has.”
“What is
zygodactyl
?” answered Henry.
“You’re real good at those animal questions,” said Jake.
Henry felt his face flush. He shrugged. But it was true. He could keep track of animal facts. He liked to do it. He liked animals. They were dependable. They were loyal. When they bit you, it was for a good reason. “You’re real good with animals,” said Jake. Henry’s cheeks flushed again. “You should be the one searching for Tiger.” Jake touched the silver baseball. It flickered in the light.
Was the baseball a good-luck charm? Did Jake wish on it?
Henry slouched in his seat and reached his leg
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