he think we’d done something wrong? I was absolutely crazy to tell.
“Guess what?” I said.
Nick didn’t take his eyes from the toad. “What?”
The porch door slammed behind us. The toad scrambled under some plants and disappeared.
“What?” Nick said. “What were you going to tell me?”
Glancing through the window, I saw Mr. Morgan at the entrance of the dining room, talking in a real loud voice to the lodge manager. He yelled loud enough I could hear him all the way outside. His eyes were bloodshot, his gray-black hair was sticking up, and his shirt was buttoned up wrong. Coldness ran down my arms.
“Wait a minute.” I touched Nick’s arm. “I’ll tell you later.”
I stepped inside so I could hear Mr. Morgan. Nick was right behind me.
“Somebody let my wolf dogs go.” Morgan was practically shouting. “Those wolves cost me three hundred dollars each. I know it was somebody from here. Somebody that heard the talk last night.”
“Mr. Morgan, calm down. Come to my office, let’s talk there.” The lodge manager led Mr. Morgan out of the dining room.
“Whoa!” Nick said. “Somebody let the wolves go?”
I sneaked behind Nick into the narrow hallway where the restrooms were.
“Where are you going?” Nick asked.
I pointed at the restroom and ran inside. I looked at myself in the small mirror above the sink. My own brown almond-shaped eyes looked back, my smooth bronze cheeks, my mouth maybe a little more serious than usual. How could I still look the same as I’d looked yesterday?
So much had changed. I turned on the water full blast and started washing my hands.
15
D IANA
I dragged my feet up the stairs to the lodge porch. My eyes burned. Every muscle ached. I’d missed a whole night’s sleep. On the ride back to the barn with Maggie and Russell, I’d realized that if I ran away it would be obvious that I’d been the one who let the wolves go. Like an advertisement, practically. So when they got back to the barn, I’d offered to take care of the horses. Put the tack away while Maggie and Russell went out in the pickup to search for Waya and Oginali.
“You’re a peach, Diana,” Maggie had said as she started the truck.
“Yeah, thanks, Diana,” Russell said as he climbed in and slammed the passenger door. I’d smiled in a way Maggie and Russell probably thought was just modest. I watched the truck climb the hill to the back entrance of the lodge. Saw Russell’s lanky figure jump out and sprint across the back patio.
The horses were damp and lathered from the ride back. I took my time brushing them and cleaning the tack. Copper nuzzled me for sugar and I gave him some. I stroked his soft, velvety muzzle and the smooth auburn disc of his jaw. I combed his mane and forelock in dreamy slow motion, as though I were styling my own hair. Every now and then he butted me, just for play, and I felt an ache in the back of my throat thinking about how attached I’d become to this horse in just a few days. His big brown eyes, when he looked at me, were liquid and peaceful.
Maggie had said to turn all three horses out into the pasture, so I did. I stood on the bottom rung of the fence and watched them trot away. Like kindergartners, they picked at each other but stayed together as they meandered through the yellow flowers. After a couple of minutes they all lowered their heads to graze. The other two horses stayed together. Coppergrazed a little ways away. He tried moving closer. The other two edged away. Probably because he was one of the lowest on the pecking order. I hoped he would move up. I could feel the way he was trying.
I went back to the cabin. Found nobody there. Two days without my meds. I could feel the black cloud coming back over me, like those veils that some ladies wear to church in Italy. The zooming wasn’t fun anymore. I felt sick to my stomach. I took a pill with some water.
My stomach growled. Maybe everyone was over at the lodge having breakfast. I realized
“Guess what?” I said.
Nick didn’t take his eyes from the toad. “What?”
The porch door slammed behind us. The toad scrambled under some plants and disappeared.
“What?” Nick said. “What were you going to tell me?”
Glancing through the window, I saw Mr. Morgan at the entrance of the dining room, talking in a real loud voice to the lodge manager. He yelled loud enough I could hear him all the way outside. His eyes were bloodshot, his gray-black hair was sticking up, and his shirt was buttoned up wrong. Coldness ran down my arms.
“Wait a minute.” I touched Nick’s arm. “I’ll tell you later.”
I stepped inside so I could hear Mr. Morgan. Nick was right behind me.
“Somebody let my wolf dogs go.” Morgan was practically shouting. “Those wolves cost me three hundred dollars each. I know it was somebody from here. Somebody that heard the talk last night.”
“Mr. Morgan, calm down. Come to my office, let’s talk there.” The lodge manager led Mr. Morgan out of the dining room.
“Whoa!” Nick said. “Somebody let the wolves go?”
I sneaked behind Nick into the narrow hallway where the restrooms were.
“Where are you going?” Nick asked.
I pointed at the restroom and ran inside. I looked at myself in the small mirror above the sink. My own brown almond-shaped eyes looked back, my smooth bronze cheeks, my mouth maybe a little more serious than usual. How could I still look the same as I’d looked yesterday?
So much had changed. I turned on the water full blast and started washing my hands.
15
D IANA
I dragged my feet up the stairs to the lodge porch. My eyes burned. Every muscle ached. I’d missed a whole night’s sleep. On the ride back to the barn with Maggie and Russell, I’d realized that if I ran away it would be obvious that I’d been the one who let the wolves go. Like an advertisement, practically. So when they got back to the barn, I’d offered to take care of the horses. Put the tack away while Maggie and Russell went out in the pickup to search for Waya and Oginali.
“You’re a peach, Diana,” Maggie had said as she started the truck.
“Yeah, thanks, Diana,” Russell said as he climbed in and slammed the passenger door. I’d smiled in a way Maggie and Russell probably thought was just modest. I watched the truck climb the hill to the back entrance of the lodge. Saw Russell’s lanky figure jump out and sprint across the back patio.
The horses were damp and lathered from the ride back. I took my time brushing them and cleaning the tack. Copper nuzzled me for sugar and I gave him some. I stroked his soft, velvety muzzle and the smooth auburn disc of his jaw. I combed his mane and forelock in dreamy slow motion, as though I were styling my own hair. Every now and then he butted me, just for play, and I felt an ache in the back of my throat thinking about how attached I’d become to this horse in just a few days. His big brown eyes, when he looked at me, were liquid and peaceful.
Maggie had said to turn all three horses out into the pasture, so I did. I stood on the bottom rung of the fence and watched them trot away. Like kindergartners, they picked at each other but stayed together as they meandered through the yellow flowers. After a couple of minutes they all lowered their heads to graze. The other two horses stayed together. Coppergrazed a little ways away. He tried moving closer. The other two edged away. Probably because he was one of the lowest on the pecking order. I hoped he would move up. I could feel the way he was trying.
I went back to the cabin. Found nobody there. Two days without my meds. I could feel the black cloud coming back over me, like those veils that some ladies wear to church in Italy. The zooming wasn’t fun anymore. I felt sick to my stomach. I took a pill with some water.
My stomach growled. Maybe everyone was over at the lodge having breakfast. I realized
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