grasp. He has
broken protocol. Wide eyes focus on Finch, and he likes the way that feels. Beckett doesn’t seem to notice.
Beckett points to one image on Atti’s Facebook and then another. Each time Atti picks a different spiky dread and rolls it between her fingers and then recites the correct
Saying. ‘Can you tell me Just Saying one ninety-two?’ Beckett points to a smiley face with two arrows for eyes.
‘I know this one.’ Atti grins at the real faces smiling down on her. She lifts to her tiptoes and practically shouts, ‘“Your attitude determines your
altitude!”’
Everyone cheers. Finch gives his sister’s back one swift, sharp pat.
Atti lunges and wraps Harper in a hug. ‘We did it,’ she says, not realizing that her action has stifled the applause.
‘
You
did it,’ Harper says, and quickly pushes Atti away. Atti gives Harper a confused, almost hurt, look, but Finch understands. Forreal is watching and Harper
doesn’t want Atti to be tainted by their connection. She doesn’t want Atti to feel the half-hearted acceptance she’s always felt. He wishes Harper would care about him as much as
she obviously cares for Atti.
Finch thinks he should hug his sister. He pulls her in and she falls the rest of the way. ‘Congratulations, sis,’ he says loud enough so everyone can hear.
‘Atti, are you ready to lead us on your Walk of Enlightenment?’ Beckett asks.
Atti nods.
‘Onwards and upwards,’ Beckett says.
‘Whatever,’ Atti shouts and then takes off up the Mountain. Atti is moving as fast as her awkward short legs will take her.
Each Cheerleader raises a torch to light the way. Lucky meanders among the Cheerleaders and rockstars, who reach down to pet the cat. They form a snake of fire, winding their way up
the Mountain. The torches flicker and make the trees dance. Finch is always the last in line so that he can protect Forreal from whatever lurks in the darkness.
Atti waits at the sacred spot half way between the Mall and the Crown. She strokes the pale patch of wood on the tree trunk. The actual indentions have long since disappeared, but the
Great I AM marked this tree. The patch is worn smooth from so many Walks of Enlightenment.
Beckett rests his hand over Atti’s. ‘Whatever,’ he murmurs. The procession continues.
By the time Finch reaches the Crown, everyone has gathered around Atti. He can hear her chattering non-stop. He fights his way through the crowd. Atti is standing with her back to the
thorny hedge with Beckett at her side. Finch kneels down and turns her to face him.
‘I am very proud of you,’ he tells her.
‘You’ve never said that before,’ Atti says quietly. ‘Mum said it. She told me before she disappeared.’
Finch doesn’t want her talking about Mum. Finch told everyone that their mum vanished from the Mountain. But he saw her go. She walked down the Mountain and just kept walking.
He should have tried to stop her. He kept thinking she would turn around. But she never even looked back. No one can know that his mum deserted Forreal. What would they think of him if they knew
his mum abandoned not only her family but everything he holds sacred? Atti hopes she’s Out There somewhere. Finch hopes she is dead.
‘Congratulations to you both!’ Beckett says. They stare up at him, Atti with admiration and Finch with a new suspicion.
Atti shuts one eye and tries to peer through the Crown’s tangled mass. ‘Why can’t we cross?’ she asks.
‘You know why, Atti,’ Finch chastises her. She asks too many questions.
‘Yeah, I know. The Heart’s up there somewhere. Don’t you want to see it? Don’t you want to know what it is? I mean, is it an actual beating heart or some sort
of jewel or a—’
‘Secrets are OK sometimes,’ Beckett says, talking over Atti. Finch feels powerful knowing Beckett’s secret.
‘Yeah, yeah, but why . . .’ Atti thinks about it for a second. ‘And how will we die if we cross the Crown?’
Everyone
broken protocol. Wide eyes focus on Finch, and he likes the way that feels. Beckett doesn’t seem to notice.
Beckett points to one image on Atti’s Facebook and then another. Each time Atti picks a different spiky dread and rolls it between her fingers and then recites the correct
Saying. ‘Can you tell me Just Saying one ninety-two?’ Beckett points to a smiley face with two arrows for eyes.
‘I know this one.’ Atti grins at the real faces smiling down on her. She lifts to her tiptoes and practically shouts, ‘“Your attitude determines your
altitude!”’
Everyone cheers. Finch gives his sister’s back one swift, sharp pat.
Atti lunges and wraps Harper in a hug. ‘We did it,’ she says, not realizing that her action has stifled the applause.
‘
You
did it,’ Harper says, and quickly pushes Atti away. Atti gives Harper a confused, almost hurt, look, but Finch understands. Forreal is watching and Harper
doesn’t want Atti to be tainted by their connection. She doesn’t want Atti to feel the half-hearted acceptance she’s always felt. He wishes Harper would care about him as much as
she obviously cares for Atti.
Finch thinks he should hug his sister. He pulls her in and she falls the rest of the way. ‘Congratulations, sis,’ he says loud enough so everyone can hear.
‘Atti, are you ready to lead us on your Walk of Enlightenment?’ Beckett asks.
Atti nods.
‘Onwards and upwards,’ Beckett says.
‘Whatever,’ Atti shouts and then takes off up the Mountain. Atti is moving as fast as her awkward short legs will take her.
Each Cheerleader raises a torch to light the way. Lucky meanders among the Cheerleaders and rockstars, who reach down to pet the cat. They form a snake of fire, winding their way up
the Mountain. The torches flicker and make the trees dance. Finch is always the last in line so that he can protect Forreal from whatever lurks in the darkness.
Atti waits at the sacred spot half way between the Mall and the Crown. She strokes the pale patch of wood on the tree trunk. The actual indentions have long since disappeared, but the
Great I AM marked this tree. The patch is worn smooth from so many Walks of Enlightenment.
Beckett rests his hand over Atti’s. ‘Whatever,’ he murmurs. The procession continues.
By the time Finch reaches the Crown, everyone has gathered around Atti. He can hear her chattering non-stop. He fights his way through the crowd. Atti is standing with her back to the
thorny hedge with Beckett at her side. Finch kneels down and turns her to face him.
‘I am very proud of you,’ he tells her.
‘You’ve never said that before,’ Atti says quietly. ‘Mum said it. She told me before she disappeared.’
Finch doesn’t want her talking about Mum. Finch told everyone that their mum vanished from the Mountain. But he saw her go. She walked down the Mountain and just kept walking.
He should have tried to stop her. He kept thinking she would turn around. But she never even looked back. No one can know that his mum deserted Forreal. What would they think of him if they knew
his mum abandoned not only her family but everything he holds sacred? Atti hopes she’s Out There somewhere. Finch hopes she is dead.
‘Congratulations to you both!’ Beckett says. They stare up at him, Atti with admiration and Finch with a new suspicion.
Atti shuts one eye and tries to peer through the Crown’s tangled mass. ‘Why can’t we cross?’ she asks.
‘You know why, Atti,’ Finch chastises her. She asks too many questions.
‘Yeah, I know. The Heart’s up there somewhere. Don’t you want to see it? Don’t you want to know what it is? I mean, is it an actual beating heart or some sort
of jewel or a—’
‘Secrets are OK sometimes,’ Beckett says, talking over Atti. Finch feels powerful knowing Beckett’s secret.
‘Yeah, yeah, but why . . .’ Atti thinks about it for a second. ‘And how will we die if we cross the Crown?’
Everyone
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