Sam's Theory

by Sarah Mendivel

  Hoping my apparent ferocity would signal to him that he was in trouble, I continued to hold my pace. But the closer I got to Dodger, the larger his smile grew. It was enough to soften the storm brewing inside of my chest. Why was he so happy? Didn’t he have any clue how in trouble he was with me? Why was he waving at me excitedly like that?

  Wait a second, did he..?

  No way...

  Trailing behind Dodger was the blurry silhouette of a young person. My heart raced and eyes began to tear. Everything in me knew it was her.

  I grabbed the front of my hoodie, as if bracing for the worst possible scenario. With a few more steps toward the tree house, the silhouette materialized into a young girl with the same hair color and demeanor as my own. Her smile was bigger than Dodger’s had been and I could make out the blue in her eyes instantly.

  I froze in place, suddenly terrified that this was a dream. Dodger’s hand rested on my arm. “Sam? I think I found someone you’ve been looking for.”

  My sister Nova stood in front of me, just as adorable and full of life as she had been in my holograms. “Seester?” Her voice cracked through the walls of my heart and we immediately fell into one another’s arms.

  We cried into each other’s shoulders, as I thanked the universe for allowing us this moment. She was only a few inches shorter than me now, much taller than when I had last seen her. She smelled of the forest and I could feel my soul filling up in a way I thought impossible.

  We hugged and wept for several minutes. Finally, I pulled away from her to look her over. “Nova, I can’t believe it’s you! You’re so big now. Wow, when did that happen?”

  She laughed and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I know, seester. I can’t believe it’s you, either. You’re still bigger than me, I guess!”

  We laughed and took one another in, suspended in our own eternity. Dodger rubbed the back of my shoulder supportively and walked away to give us space.

  “Man, seester, I really missed you,” she said.

  The words I wanted to respond with got caught in my throat. “Yeah, I…”

  “But it’s okay now. We’re together and we won’t let them separate us again,” she said confidently.

  Tears found their way past my eyes again. All I could do was nod in agreement. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her and how sorry I was for not being able to stay with her. I wanted to tell her that nothing that happened to us was our fault, and that we could be happy again now. I wanted her to know how hard I had been fighting for her, for us, and for the childhood we never quite had. Instead, I looked her over in silence, grateful to the universe for bringing us back together again, despite impossible circumstances.

  As we hugged again, I felt Theory’s presence. I looked up and saw her smiling on the porch above us.

  “Seester,” I finally managed to say. “There is someone I want you to meet.”

  “Okay, seester,” she smiled back. “I’d love to.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  I pulled my sister up from the final branch of the tree that held the Theory’s house in place. She tumbled onto the porch laughing, wiping her pants free of dirt and leaves. “Oh man, seester. You might wanna consider getting an elevator!”

  Rishawn bounced up to meet us. “That’s what I was thinking!”

  It wasn’t until both Nova and Rishawn were talking at the same loud volume that I realized how much energy the group had just been amped up to. “Whoa, guys, calmer voices or else we’ll scare the squirrels.”

  “Aw, it’s okay, Sam. All they do is fight anyway,” waved Rishawn, dismissing my weak attempt at setting boundaries.

  “They must be siblings,” winked Nova.

  Rishawn and Nova both laughed, as if they had just performed the most hilarious stand-up routine in the history of the planet. I stood quietly watching them, my heart racing at the sound of Nova’s laugh again.

  “My, my, what is all this ruckus out here?” said a friendly voice from around the corner. Theory materialized in front of the group, smiling. “I imagine this must be the welcoming committee for someone very special.”

  Nova seemed shy all of a sudden. I rested my arm on her shoulder and set the other hand on Theory’s. “Nova, this is Theory. She’s who I’ve been living with and learning things from.”

  Nova politely held out her hand and made eye contact with Theory. “It’s very nice to meet you, Theory.” I watched the two people I was most proud of shake hands.

  Theory stepped closer to Nova. “It is equally nice to meet you, young lady. You know, a lot of very important people have been looking for you for a while. This one in particular,” she said, tilting her head toward me.

  “Well,” Nova said, seeming to gain her confidence back. “ya got me!”

  Rishawn laughed loud enough to wake the birds on the other side of the mountain. “Oh man, Nova! We are gonna get along so good! Did y’already meet my cousin, Mikayla? She went looking for you once, too!”

  “I heard,” said Nova, turning toward a silent Mikayla.

  To all of our surprise, Mikayla approached Nova and smiled with sincerity. “I’m glad we finally found you. Welcome to the party.”

  The group seemed complete now. We all stood on the porch, chatting endlessly. I watched Dodger retell his adventures down the mountain to find Nova, boasting of his stealth “ninja skills” in sneaking her out of her routine and back up to us. The more he talked, the more I wanted to hug him. He had risked so much to find my sister, including my snarky attitude and endless barrage of interrogations. I realized how much he had helped to reshape my view on guys in general, grateful to hopefully be able to trust them again one day.

  “Well, kiddos, what do you say we go inside for an early dinner? I imagine Nova is tired from her journey and we have some celebrating to do,” announced Theory gladly.

  “Oh! Can I make the tea this time?” yelled Rishawn. He was jumping in place with his hand raised in the air, as if the rest of us had any desire to compete with him.

  “Yes, Rishawn. And perhaps you can teach Nova how to do so as well while we all talk,” she replied calmly.

  “Okay,” he said, putting his hand down respectfully. Theory always had a way of soothing even the most hyper temperaments back into a mellow state in a matter of seconds.

  I watched her lead my growing family into the house as they all talked over one another in a flurried excitement to catch up. Theory rested her hand on my sister’s shoulder as Dodger scooped Rishawn onto his back. Mikayla laughed and squished between the pairs as they playfully pushed back.

  Time seemed to slow down like a movie. Up until now, this moment was the single happiest moment I had ever experienced in my life. My entire body felt full. I promised myself I’d always do everything in my power to remember it.

  “Did everyone eat enough?” asked Theory, collecting plates from around the kitchen as the boys leaned back in their chairs, breathing from their mouths because they were so full.

  Mikayla looked them over and shook her head. “I think y’all need to stop actin’ like you’re always in an eatin’ contest. You gonna eat the whole dang forest at that rate!”

  Rishawn laughed, then held his tummy in place. “Oh, ouch. It hurts to laugh.”

  Theory laughed and then leaned toward Nova, who was quietly finishing up her dinner. “And how are you doing, Ms. Nova?”

  She smiled and lit the whole room ablaze. “I’m great, thanks so much for asking.”

  Theory winked at her, then shot me a smile. It was clear she was just as happy about my sister and I being reunited as I was. I then looked around the room and couldn’t believe how quickly it had filled up with people I knew and loved. It was hard to imagine I had just stumbled through Theory’s door soaking wet from the rain by myself a few months prior. How quickly life seemed to change and surprise you. This moment was evidence that the longer you held onto something meaningful during the hard times, the more potential there was to arrive at the good stuff.
r />   “What do you think you guys will be up to tomorrow?” Theory said from the other side of the room.

  “I was thinking we could walk around a bit and check out a few places I’ve discovered since being here,” I suggested, wondering if the group would actually be interested in seeing the things that were important to me.

  “I’d love to,” said Dodger immediately. His smile was soft and reassuring.

  “Me, too,” quipped Rishawn.

  “Yeah, I’m in,” chirped Mikayla, still digging her fork into the last of her meal.

  “Well, of course I’m going,” said my sister, her eyes sparkling in the last of the sunset that peeked through the kitchen window.

  I felt surprised, and flattered, by the group’s instant enthusiasm. I suddenly wanted to share everything with them. I wanted them to see the river I had stumbled across, and hear the same chorus of birds that had been singing for me all winter, and maybe even the elk that had befriended my walks in the woods. The whole world felt exciting in a new way.

  “A tour of the woods sounds like a great idea,” said Theory, finalizing the idea. “It seems like you have all gotten pretty good at doing things together out here.”

  I shot Theory a look, knowing full well that a statement like that was usually an opening to a deeper conversation. I got nervous that the group might not respond to her the way I had. What if they shut down? What if they said something that upset her and I had to chose sides? What if someone got upset?

  Before my mind could race through all of the scenarios, Mikayla set her fork down and casually shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, I say we’ve gotten pretty good at it. Ya know, it’s been a struggle puttin’ up with Dodger’s annoying jokes and Sam’s philosophical questions about everything n’ anything, but we’ve been a’ight.”

  She looked at us and smiled. The whole group laughed as Theory pressed on. “I see. So it sounds like you had to work out some kinks, but ultimately learned to appreciate one another’s differences.”

  “Oh, well, that’s a fancy way of sayin’ it, but yeah,” sassed our strongest member.

  Theory smiled proudly. “Good. So, with that in mind, would you say other groups of kids would be able to do the same thing you did?”

  The group grew silent and thoughtful. I could feel my face turning red. I knew Theory would pull the ol’ bait’ n’ switch on them.

  “Yeah, I do,” said Dodger confidently.

  “Oh?” pressed Theory.

  “Yeah, of course. I mean, it wasn’t easy,” he said laughing. “Like, not even close. But at the end of the day, we just kept reminding each other that we were all brought to this place by similar life experiences. Like, no matter how different we are from each other or how different the bad stuff that happened to us was specifically, we all had the same feelings about it. And we all wanted to belong to something larger than ourselves. I think if kids can stay focused on that as their goal, then they’d be okay.”

  “Mm hm,” hummed Theory.

  “Yeah, like, we made up those rules and it helped,” said Rishawn, perking up as he spoke.

  “I see,” said Theory, allowing space for everyone to have a voice.

  “There are some hardazz kids out there,” warned Mikayla. “but they’re usually the ones that need the most backup.”

  The group smiled softly, knowing exactly who Mikayla was talking about. Nova suddenly popped into the conversation. “I think all anyone ever wants is to feel like they matter to someone else. They just want to know that their story matters.”

  Theory and I shot one another a look, equally surprised by my little sister’s insight. She then met Nova’s gaze and nodded her head. “I think that is exactly right, kiddo. And very perceptive of you, if I may.”

  Nova smiled and played with the cuff of her sleeve, the way I often did when I was feeling bashful about a compliment.

  “Well, I think you’re onto something wonderful here. I hope that you figure out a way to let the rest of the world’s kids know that it’s possible to belong to a family without having to fight so hard or hurt themselves to establish,” concluded Theory.

  “Yeah,” said Dodger somberly. “that’s the ultimate plan.”

  “Mm hm. And who better to do it,” she winked. We all smiled, feeling a shared sense of purpose. “Well, my fellow revolutionaries of love, it’s time for bed. Sam, would you be so kind as to show your family members to their lofts? Be sure to turn the bridge candles on since it’s getting dark.”

  “Bridge candles?” Nova asked.

  I tilted my head toward her and smiled coyly. “You’ll see.”

  She smiled back as the rest of the group shuffled toward the stairs that dropped from the kitchen ceiling. We all shuffled up the winding staircase and I waved my hand over the tea lights to illuminate our journey into the trees. Plank by plank the lights sparked on, and the collective “Oohs” and “ahhs” wafted past me from behind.

  Nova tugged on the sleeve of my hoodie. “Seester, how did you do that?”

  “Mm, it’s kind of a long story,” I whispered, not wanting to make a scene in front of the others.

  “Okay,” she said, respectfully falling back into line.

  I walked the boys across a bridge and into their own loft. Their loft was oval shaped and different from the artful box that I had been sleeping in. It was large enough for two mattress, both of which Dodger and Rishawn raced to jump into.

  “This one’s mine!” yelled Rishawn.

  “Fine by me! Mine is by the window anyway,” poked Dodger.

  “Yeah, my loft is just across the bridge from you guys. You can see it through your window, Dodger,” I said, instantly regretting how obvious I had been.

  The whole group looked toward the floor and tried not to smile. Although it was common knowledge that Dodger and I had feelings for one another, no one had ever said anything out loud about it.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Mikayla whined, rolling her eyes. “so, where’s my penthouse?”

  Grateful for her insertion, I raced out of the oval-shaped loft and back onto the bridge. I could hear the muffled giggles behind me, confident that Dodger was likely threatening to wrestle Rishawn into submission if he laughed too loud.

  I walked the rest of us across another bridge that lead to a glass room hidden by a weave of pine tree branches. As soon as Mikayla walked through the front door, she let out a sigh. “Wooow, Sam, this is so cool.”

  I smiled proudly. “Yeah, right? I found this one a few weeks before I left for Lake Isabel. I always wondered if anyone would end up using it.”

  “Well, it’s all mine tonight,” Mikayla said with zest.

  I laughed and patted her back. “Goodnight, friend. We’ll be just on the other side of the bridge if you need us.”

  “Oh, no. I won’t be needing anything but peace and quiet from y’all tonight, thank you very much.”

  I laughed and motioned Nova back across the bridge toward my loft. “Come on, seester. I’ll show you my room.”

  “Awesome, okay!”

  She ran up to match my stride. The bridge seemed to grow wider to make room for the both of us as we walked across it. The stars were finally poking through the nighttime air and bragging of a beautiful night to come. The air felt cool and something felt at peace in my heart. I looked down toward Theory’s house as we reached the end of the bridge, missing her again suddenly.

  Ignoring the confusing tug of sadness that wanted to latch on harder, I opened the door to my loft. Nova passed through the doorway first. “Oh, wow! How fun is this! Remember when we made our own treehouse in the backyard that one time? We put pillows from the couch up there and tried to spy on the neighbors.”

  I laughed loudly, thrilled to be able to remember something happy that we once did together. “Oh my gosh, yeah! And we said we needed light somehow, so we dragged the extension cord from the garage, across the lawn, and up the tree. Little did we know that we had unplugged the freezer and all of the groceries started to m
elt.”

  “Oh man, we were so busted after that,” said Nova, shaking her head and laughing along.

  “Yessh, it’s a wonder we ever made it out of that one alive,” I said, only half realizing what I had said.

  Nova grew quiet and thoughtful. “Hm, yeah. Just barely, I guess.”

  My sister then climbed onto my mattress and under the covers, quickly making herself at home. She was always far more outgoing than me and naturally at ease in her environment. I forgot how much I envied her ability to just live out loud. I smiled at her sitting there, comforted by her presence. “How is it?”

  “It’s a cute room, seester! I can’t believe you’ve been living in a mini treehouse this entire time!”

  I laughed out loud. “Well, not the whole time, but for a while. It’s been interesting, all right.”

  A butterfly-shaped light twinkled over her face as she smiled. “I bet. Theory is really cool! I’m glad you found her. She seems really smart.”

  “Oh man, if you only knew! She knows everything, seester. She has taught me so much and will probably teach you the same stuff one day.”

  Nova’s smile grew bigger. “That’s awesome!” She paused for a moment and then her eyes turned shifty. “Soooo, Dodger is kinda cute.”

  I blushed immediately. “What? Oh, I don’t know.”

  Nova laughed. “Seester, you are totally dating him, right? I could tell you guys had a connection the second I saw you together. Have you kissed yet?!”

  “All right, all right,” I said, flopping onto the bed beside her. “We don’t have to obsess over it. Yeah, we like each other, but that’s it!”

  “Mm hm,” said Nova suspiciously.

  I smiled and nodded at her, admiring her spunk. We looked at one another and shared a quiet moment. Her eyes seemed sad suddenly, so I scooted closer to her. “You okay?”

  She bowed her head. “Yeah, I’m okay. I guess I just missed you a lot.”

  I bowed my head beside hers and could feel my heart grow heavy. “I know. I missed you, too.”