now, wouldn’t it? But the
second he asks me, I feel something warm rising in my chest. I’m not positive, but
I think it could be happiness.
I nod, stand up, and take his
hand, which totally engulfs my tiny fingers. He pulls me against him, and we
start to sway to the melody. People are smiling at us. I look up into his eyes
and, for a second, we stare at one another like we’ve known each other for
years. The music stops abruptly, and we’re shaken from our trance. Xander drops
my hands quickly and takes a step back. I can feel the walls around my heart
close in as I sense the moment is over, but then he leans toward me and motions
for the door.
“Can we step outside for a second?
I need to talk to you,” he says. It’s as serious as I’ve ever seen him.
“Okay,” I say, eyeing him warily.
Outside, the air is frigid. My
breath flies into the darkness in white puffs like wood smoke. “What is it,
Xander? I’m freezing out here.”
“I just wanted to be alone with
you for a second. I want to give you something.”
I can’t really see his face in the
dark, but I’m guessing what he wants to give me starts with a “T” and ends with
“ongue.”
“What?” I murmur, rubbing my hands
up and down along my arms to keep warm.
“I found something you might
want,” he says, holding something into the air. It catches the light coming
through the barn door. My compass!
My jaw drops. I reach for it, glinting
in the moonlight. “How long have you had this?” I ask.
“I found it after the rain passed
over.” He opens and closes his mouth. “I wanted to surprise you in private.”
I take it from him, speechless. It
looks the same as it did before, maybe better. He must have polished it with
something.
“I cleaned it and everything.”
“Xander!”
“Sorry,” he says softly.
“What? No! Thank you so much!
Really, this is amazing.” I reply, looking up at him.
“There’s something else I want to
tell you,” he says.
I look into his eyes, clutching
the barn wall with one hand, steadying myself.
“I’ve decided to come with you.”
“You have?” I manage weakly. “Why?”
“Staying here would be easy,
that’s for sure, but it wouldn’t be right. I had a daydream today about my
little sister. She was lost in the Bitterroot Mountains, and my parents
couldn’t find her. I have to get home to them.”
I look at my feet, shifting back
and forth in the cold, wet grass. I’m thrilled he’s coming, but admittedly kind
of hurt I didn’t have anything to do with it. I look into his big, earnest
eyes. He drives me crazy, that’s for sure, but knowing he’ll be there with me
is such a relief I actually utter the word “phew” out loud.
He chuckles. “So, I guess that
means it’s okay if I come?”
“It’s more than okay,” I say. A
wave of relief as strong and overpowering as that afternoon rain washes over me.
* * *
By
morning, a frost has settled over the land. I’m in a spare room on the second
floor, fogging up the window with my breath. Way out in the distance, I can see
trees whose leaves are starting to turn crimson and honey-yellow. Fall is
coming. Which means in a few short months, it’ll be winter, and I’ll officially
be freezing my ass off. How am I going to stay warm enough to get home with all
my toes?
Downstairs, Annie has made a heart-attack
breakfast — sizzled eggs and bacon cooked up in the same greasy pot. I’m shoveling
it into my mouth and talking about how happy I am to have my compass again, but
also how annoyed I am that we won’t be able to travel at night. Without a
glow-in-the dark, backlit screen, knowing reading the compass would be pretty
impossible, and being confined to daylight hours is really slowing us down.
Just when I’m about to take another bite, Joseph laughs and pats my back. A bit
of egg drops from my fork to the table, and Eunice giggles.
Joseph poises himself upright,
sucks in a big breath, and sings in a vibrating
second he asks me, I feel something warm rising in my chest. I’m not positive, but
I think it could be happiness.
I nod, stand up, and take his
hand, which totally engulfs my tiny fingers. He pulls me against him, and we
start to sway to the melody. People are smiling at us. I look up into his eyes
and, for a second, we stare at one another like we’ve known each other for
years. The music stops abruptly, and we’re shaken from our trance. Xander drops
my hands quickly and takes a step back. I can feel the walls around my heart
close in as I sense the moment is over, but then he leans toward me and motions
for the door.
“Can we step outside for a second?
I need to talk to you,” he says. It’s as serious as I’ve ever seen him.
“Okay,” I say, eyeing him warily.
Outside, the air is frigid. My
breath flies into the darkness in white puffs like wood smoke. “What is it,
Xander? I’m freezing out here.”
“I just wanted to be alone with
you for a second. I want to give you something.”
I can’t really see his face in the
dark, but I’m guessing what he wants to give me starts with a “T” and ends with
“ongue.”
“What?” I murmur, rubbing my hands
up and down along my arms to keep warm.
“I found something you might
want,” he says, holding something into the air. It catches the light coming
through the barn door. My compass!
My jaw drops. I reach for it, glinting
in the moonlight. “How long have you had this?” I ask.
“I found it after the rain passed
over.” He opens and closes his mouth. “I wanted to surprise you in private.”
I take it from him, speechless. It
looks the same as it did before, maybe better. He must have polished it with
something.
“I cleaned it and everything.”
“Xander!”
“Sorry,” he says softly.
“What? No! Thank you so much!
Really, this is amazing.” I reply, looking up at him.
“There’s something else I want to
tell you,” he says.
I look into his eyes, clutching
the barn wall with one hand, steadying myself.
“I’ve decided to come with you.”
“You have?” I manage weakly. “Why?”
“Staying here would be easy,
that’s for sure, but it wouldn’t be right. I had a daydream today about my
little sister. She was lost in the Bitterroot Mountains, and my parents
couldn’t find her. I have to get home to them.”
I look at my feet, shifting back
and forth in the cold, wet grass. I’m thrilled he’s coming, but admittedly kind
of hurt I didn’t have anything to do with it. I look into his big, earnest
eyes. He drives me crazy, that’s for sure, but knowing he’ll be there with me
is such a relief I actually utter the word “phew” out loud.
He chuckles. “So, I guess that
means it’s okay if I come?”
“It’s more than okay,” I say. A
wave of relief as strong and overpowering as that afternoon rain washes over me.
* * *
By
morning, a frost has settled over the land. I’m in a spare room on the second
floor, fogging up the window with my breath. Way out in the distance, I can see
trees whose leaves are starting to turn crimson and honey-yellow. Fall is
coming. Which means in a few short months, it’ll be winter, and I’ll officially
be freezing my ass off. How am I going to stay warm enough to get home with all
my toes?
Downstairs, Annie has made a heart-attack
breakfast — sizzled eggs and bacon cooked up in the same greasy pot. I’m shoveling
it into my mouth and talking about how happy I am to have my compass again, but
also how annoyed I am that we won’t be able to travel at night. Without a
glow-in-the dark, backlit screen, knowing reading the compass would be pretty
impossible, and being confined to daylight hours is really slowing us down.
Just when I’m about to take another bite, Joseph laughs and pats my back. A bit
of egg drops from my fork to the table, and Eunice giggles.
Joseph poises himself upright,
sucks in a big breath, and sings in a vibrating
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