Spirit’s Key by Edith Cohn Page B

we should come home now.”
    â€œI want to see my dad,” I say.
    â€œIt’ll be dark soon,” Yasmine points out. “You could get lost.”
    Gomez smirks, like he’s hoping for it.
    â€œI might be a dingbatter,” I snap, “but I know my way around.” Besides, I won’t be alone. I’ll have Sky. Sky is all I need.
    But Yasmine speaks before I can. “We want to help, is all.” She gives Gomez a long look. They seem to silently agree on something. “We should go with you. We wouldn’t even be alive if it weren’t for your dad. This is our chance to repay him.”
    I’m stunned. They never talk about what my dad did for them. And their mom acts like it was a bad thing. “That’s nice of you, but…” I don’t need their help. Dad and I have taken care of ourselves for a long time.
    Nector scolds his siblings. “You know you’re not allowed in the woods. What if Dr. Wade is right and you get sick?” He shakes his head. “It was so stupid of us to touch that baldie. Of course they carry bacteria and diseases. Don’t you pay attention to your science lessons?”
    Yasmine and Gomez lower their eyes.
    I hate to admit he has a point. A deep memory surfaces of Dad making me wear gloves around Sky when we first found him, until we knew what was wrong with him. I love the baldies, but even I know they’re wild.
    â€œWe had to burn him,” Yasmine says to Nector, “and you helped. We’re going with Spirit. She can’t go alone into the woods. Are you going to tell on us? Please don’t. This is our chance to repay Mr. Holden.”
    Nector sighs. “Well, if you go, I have to go. Someone’s got to look out for you.”
    â€œYay!” Yasmine claps her hands like she’s won pink cereal instead of a sweaty hike through bug-infested woods.
    â€œWe have to tell Mom and Dad. If I radio them, they’ll say no.” Nector puts his hand on his walkie-talkie for a minute like he’s thinking of what to do. “Gomez, you go home and tell them, and Yasmine and I will go with Spirit. By then it’ll be too late for them to stop us.”
    Gomez shakes his head. “No way. I’m not going to be the one left out.”
    â€œI said, you go home,” Nector repeats.
    Gomez folds his arms. “Make me.”
    Nector sighs again. “Fine. I’ll go home to talk to Dad then. Mom will be furious if you little brats aren’t back in time for dinner. You better hurry. It’s a long way.”
    â€œFirst we should get supplies,” Yasmine says.
    I think about the mosquitoes that ate up my legs last time and the ticks I was afraid would bite me. “Okay.”
    We say goodbye to Nector, and I invite his siblings inside the Holden supply house. I put them to work digging through boxes while I check for a note from Dad.
    â€œWhy do you need all this?” Yasmine asks. They are as amazed as Nector at the incredible stash.
    I shrug. “Never know what might happen.” Surrounded by Dad’s thoughtful preparation, I miss him so much. I don’t only need Sky. I need Dad, too. I try my walkie-talkie again, but there’s no response. “He didn’t leave a note. He’s not answering when I call. Something’s bad wrong.”
    â€œMaybe he’s too sick to talk,” Yasmine suggests.
    There’s a knock at the door. I open it to find Eder Mint. He tips his sailor’s hat at me and smiles. “Everything okay here, Lavender Spirit?”
    I’m not sure where to start with all that’s wrong, so I say, “Yes.”
    Eder frowns like that isn’t the answer he was expecting. “Well, I’m concerned. With your dad away, you can’t be without a guardian. It isn’t safe, particularly with this sickness going around. There’s a children’s home on the mainland where you can stay until things settle