In no time at all, she tells us all about her adventures and the diamond watch she found when she solved the first clue. “You can’t imagine how sad I was to part with it.”
“Did Sean give up his gold watch?”
“Yes, though he held on to it till the very end,” Claudine says. “He’s not all that bad really. Do you want to hear something strange? There were three nests for the watches, but no one else showed up.”
Neither Sara nor I mention Fiona. We continue on toward the sea, listening to Claudine yap away. I’ve never met anyone who can talk so much.
I see another Exit Point long before we reach it. It’s impossible to miss the yellow, white, and violet colors swirling in circles.
What are the odds? I pull up before the Relive Your Past Exit Point.
“Where does this one go to?” Claudine asks.
Her guide explains. Even though I know I’ve already solved my clue, I go over it in my mind:
There’re choices to be made,
Neither good nor bad;
Just choices.
“Sara, I want to relive my past.”
“But what about your clue?” Claudine asks.
I study her worried face, wishing I could explain. “Trust me. I’ll be fine.”
Claudine doesn’t look convinced. “Good luck, Melody. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do.”
“Are you coming?” I ask Sara.
“If I enter, I’ll visit my past, not yours,” Sara says.
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.” I caress my feathers. “Well, Dreamstar, it’s just you and me.”
And we plunge into my past.
26
The Accident
I’m mad. Daddy didn’t buy me the beautiful Dora stickers. They’re my favorite in the whole, wide universe, and I told him so. “I hate you!” I shout, but Daddy doesn’t answer because he’s on the phone yelling at Mommy. I unhook the seat belt for my booster seat.
Don’t!
I stop. Who said that?
Something bad will happen. Sit back down.
I’m scared and shout, “Daddy, there’s a ghost in the car.”
I don’t think he heard me. The rain is falling so hard I can hardly hear myself. Outside, the car lights look huge and blurry. I cover my ears when I see a flash of lightning and keep them covered until the sound of the thunder fades.
“DADDY, THERE’S A GHOST IN THE CAR!”
Stay seated and Daddy will be so pleased he’ll buy you two Dora stickers.
Two Dora stickers? Why is this ghost calling my daddy by his name? A car outside honks its horn and scares me, so I grab the seat belt and buckle myself back in. Two Dora stickers. Yippee!
There’s so much noise. Horns. Screeching sounds. Daddy shouts a word beginning with “s” he said never to use. The car jerks and the seat belt digs into me. Thunder roars again.
“We’ll talk later, Ruth,” Daddy says. “I almost hit a car.” He flings the phone down. “Are you all right, Melody, honey?”
“I have an ache in my tummy.” I bawl so he’ll know how much.
“Sorry, sweetheart. Daddy will make it better soon. Sit back until we get home, all right?”
“Can I really get two Dora stickers?”
“Two? Um, sure. Tomorrow. How’s that?”
“Yippee!” The ghost was right. Two Dora stickers!
CRASH!
The side of my head bangs against the door and the seat belt digs into me again. The car spins like a merry-go-round.
CRASH!
The car shudders to a stop.
“Daddy? Daddy?”
Daddy doesn’t answer. A big balloon squeezes him against his seat. I try to unbuckle the seat belt, but can’t move. I scream. The ghost didn’t say this would happen.
The car door creaks open. A big man in a dark suit leans in and presses on the buckle of my seat belt. He’s dripping wet, and now I am, too.
“Are you all right?” he asks.
“Daddy! Daddy!”
“He’ll be fine, don’t worry. Come with me.”
The man is strong, like a bear. He pulls me out of the car. It’s only drizzling now. Sirens blare. My ears hurt. Everywhere hurts.
The far side of Daddy’s car is bashed against a bunch of other cars. There’s a huge dent in his door. People force it open and punch holes in the big balloon till it gets soft and mushy. They pull Daddy out and put him on a bed with wheels. There’s a red dent in his head, too.
Men in white clothes mumble something to a policeman, but all I hear is one word: DEAD.
Daddy’s dead?
A lady takes me from the bear man. “Nooooooooo!” I scream. “Nooooooooo!”
Except I’m not screaming. My mouth is wide open and nothing comes out. I kick and push and bite the lady who puts me on a bed like Daddy’s. She straps me in. I take a breath, and another, and another.
Everything is going dark. Maybe I’m dying, too. Soon, I’ll see Daddy in heaven.
27
Resolution
My throat burns. I cough but that doesn’t help. I’m no longer in the Relive Your Past dream, but outside the Exit Point, hovering in place next to Sara. It’s night. The sun must have set long ago.
“Dad died. The first accident didn’t happen, but a worse one did.” I smell sunflowers, but they don’t make me feel any better.
“I’m sorry,” Sara says.
“It’s just that I was sure he’d be fine. But it was worse.” I rub my forehead, remembering all those times I lied because I didn’t want anyone to see my father in a wheelchair and ask questions.
“Would you like to take a break?” Sara asks.
“No. I want to go home.”
“There’s a celebration party tonight, but if you want to leave now, you can.”
As much as I long to hug Dad and tell him how much I love him, I want to see Jackson again, and Liz, Claudine, Sean. “I’ll stay.”
“Good.”
“Dad and Mom were arguing over the phone. I didn’t remember that. I thought they were always happy before the accident.”
“People can still argue and be happy.”
“I guess. I can’t believe he died.”
“What you saw didn’t actually happen,” Sara says. “Your dad is alive.”
“I know.”
He’s alive, Dreamstar hums. His words echo in my mind, getting louder. He’s alive.
And like a balloon popping, the memory of that fatal accident, the one that did not happen, shatters into tiny pieces.
My dad is alive.
Dreamstar spins me in circles and we do twirls and loops. Sara joins in, too.
“HE’S ALIVE! HE’S ALIVE!” I yell.
Dad. My otter on crutches. I will never again be ashamed of him, and the next time he walks around the fountain, I’ll be there at his side.
28
Endings and Beginnings
It’s hard to believe my stay in Chimeroan is over. In my pocket next to my cold leprechaun jewel is a piece of paper with the names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of Sara and the Guided in my group.
Last night after dinner, Vivian said we’re each other’s network. I like that. Since I’ve been in Chimeroan I’ve made five friends—six, counting Andrew. Before I got here, I had none. I cross my fingers. Andrew has to return home, he has to.
We circle the meadow together—the younger fliers, the five from my group, and our guides. Newly-arrived Guided stare and point. Some are scared, others watch with longing in their eyes. That was me only four days ago. Now, I’m a flier.
I want to tell the kids checking us out they will have an awesome adventure, and there’s nothing to be afraid of. But that’s for their guides to do, not me.
Not yet.
When we land, Jackson walks up to me. “So, are we going to meet in the park this weekend or what? I’ll get my mom to take me to Soho. Maybe I can come check out your home and see your Dad. How’s that?”<
br />
I hesitate. For a second. “Okay.”
He grins. “Cool.”
Timothy is making up a nonsensical rhyme to a tune Sean is whistling.
Sean frowns. “Wait a second. Are you sure you aren’t the one who writes the clues?”
“Actually, I plan to audition next time I come,” Timothy says.
“Seriously?” Sean says. “I was only kidding.”
“Me, too. Got ya.”
Timothy and Sean chuckle like they’ve just invented the most hilarious joke ever.
Liz and Claudine put their arms around me and we prance and kick our legs high. I grab hold of one of the younger fliers’ hands, and she reaches for one of her friends. Soon all of us, Guided and guides, are in one big circle, smiling, grinning, laughing.
When the fog appears, I fight to hold back my tears. I want to leave, but don’t want to say goodbye.
“There’s one more thing you need to know,” Kevin says. “Once you’re home, you will remember everything the residents from Chimeroan who took your place did while you were here. You will also remember what happened on Chimeroan. Both sets of memories may be a bit confusing at first, but don’t panic. It’s normal.”
Everyone talks at once. I pull Sara aside.
“Will I be able to see Dreamstar on earth? And hear him?”
“Yes to your last question.”
“And the first?” I ask.
“I’m sure you’ll let me know.”
“Sara!”
We do a group hug, and even though I had promised myself I wouldn't cry, I do. I shove my hand inside my pocket and clutch the list with my friends’ names and telephone numbers.
“Goodbye! Goodbye!” we shout as we step into the warm, white fog.
“See you soon, Melody,” Jackson says.
“See you.”
Only then do I realize we still have the knapsacks with our flying paraphernalia. And we’re still in our flier clothes.
“Sara.” My voice echoes back. “Jackson?”
Neither of them replies.
I’m alone. Somehow, I thought that since Jackson and I both live in Manhattan, we’d be together. I reach for Dreamstar, who hums comfortingly. The fog thins and I tense when I hear footsteps. It’s a girl with an ugly scowl. She looks familiar.
A jolt goes through my body when I recognize the face—my face. It’s the resident from Chimeroan who took my place.
“How did it go?” she asks.
“Great. How are Dad and Mom?”
“Great. You need to sit down.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Suit yourself.”
As she brushes past me, memories flood my mind. I feel faint and have to sit.
I fell from the swing and missed the children by inches. Their parents were furious. Mom grounded me for two weeks and I couldn’t go to the park. I didn’t mind, because if I’d hurt those kids, I’d never have forgiven myself. Dad acted as though he’d never asked if I was ashamed of him. And I also pretended he didn’t.
At school, Natasha and Wendy told the whole class they saw me in the park with my crippled father, and that he was in a wheelchair. I called them liars and said my dad was a famous ballroom dancer. There was a fight. Andrew pulled me away and two girls yanked Natasha from me before any teachers came.
I blink. I’m sitting on the ground and leaning against the tree by the fence in the school playground. The grass is still moist from the rain yesterday. My hair is loose and I’m wearing my favorite pair of jeans and a blue T-shirt.
What am I doing here? Oh yeah, Natasha and Wendy are spreading the news about Dad to some of the kids in the other fourth grade class. They’re so mean. Wait till I zombie them.
Duummmm duuuummm daaaaaa deeeeee duuuummmm.
Where is that humming coming from? There’s no one near me. On a hunch, I reach over my shoulders. I don’t know what I expect, but when I touch my back, my chest gets really tight.
“Something’s wrong,” I mutter.
Suddenly, I’m surrounded by the smells of roses, daffodils, geraniums. Dizzy, I put my head on my knees and close my eyes.
A bright blue word fills my vision: DREAMSTAR.
It all comes back to me. Chimeroan. Sara. Patrick O’ Hara. Jackson. My friends. But where are my wings? I jump to my feet. A swift breeze sweeps me away from the fence. I land in the middle of the yard.
Oh! Wow!
I flew. Not like on Chimeroan, but I soared at least three feet off the ground. Everyone in the playground saw me.
Kids stare. Some giggle and point.
“That was worse than a penguin,” a fifth grader I’ve never spoken to yells.
What’s he talking about?
The boy presses his arms against his body, flaps his elbows and hops from one foot to the other with his toes turned out.
I zombie him. He looks like he’s seen a ghost. I race back to the fence, confused. I don’t understand how no one saw me fly.
“Hi, Melody.” Andrew is walking towards me.
“Is it really you?” I ask.
“Yeah. It’s me.”
He came home.
“I saw you fly, but couldn’t see your wings,” he whispers. “I thought the whole school would freak out.”
“That boy over there said I walked like a penguin.”
“My guide explained that people won’t see who we are because they won’t expect it. That’s why we have our network of friends.”
I shove my hand in my jeans pocket. It’s empty. “The list. My leprechaun jewel. They’re gone.”
Andrew takes my hands. “I’ll help you search for them, Melody, don’t worry.”
I sniff. “They could have fallen when I was flying.”
“I’ll check here.”
“Thanks.” I keep my eyes on the grass as I retrace my steps to where I landed a few minutes ago.
“Did you see that?” Wendy shouts.
“They held hands,” Natasha shrieks.
I get down on my knees. My jewel and list have to be here. They have to be.
Hmaduummm hmaduummm hmaduummm. We’ll find them.
Who said that?
I reach over my shoulders, and my fingers close around feathers. “Dreamstar!” My wings fan out and help me stand. They’re transparent, but I catch a glimpse of blue.
Duummmm duuuummm daaaaaa deeeeee duuuummmm. I can’t show myself to anyone but you. Wait until we’re alone.
I beam with delight. Then I check for holes in my T-shirt where Dreamstar is attached. There aren’t any. I don’t understand how that can be, but I don’t care. All that matters is I have my wings.
“Told you Melody was a loony,” Natasha shouts.
She, Wendy, and several kids stop a few feet away, but I don’t pay any attention to them.
“Melody, over here,” Andrew shouts.
Dreamstar lifts me off the ground. This time I’m higher than before. I can’t believe I’m actually flying in school. This is so cool. And weird.
“Check how she’s running,” I hear Natasha shout. “Like a duck!”
I ignore her.
“They were hidden in the grass.” Andrew places my jewel and list in my hands.
“Thanks.”
“What happened to the jewel? There’s no blue light anymore.”
“I used up the magic. I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Okay.” Andrew looks up. “We have company.”
“I know.”
Natasha and her crowd close in fast.
“Did you see how liar girl waddled over to freckle face with her arms outstretched like in the movies?” Natasha says. “Wasn’t it sweet?”
“Soooo romantic.” Wendy laughs.
Several kids purse their lips and smooch the air.
“Freckle face and liar girl. Freckle face and liar girl,” Natasha sings.
Andrew marches up to her. She’s a full head taller than him, though right now she strains her neck to look up at Andrew as if he
is taller.
“Don’t ever call me or Melody names again,” Andrew says. “Do you understand?”
His voice carries. Kids all the way across the playground glance our way. I gasp. Andrew looks just like he did on Chimeroan. An elf.
Everyone stares up at him.
“Got it, Natasha?” Andrew asks.
She nods, face all red, eyes big and wide, nose buried under a sea of sweat. I don’t even hide my grin.
“Good.” Andrew brushes his hands against each other and returns to my side. Although he’s smiling, I can tell he’s surprised by what he just did. I give him a thumbs-up.
I glare at Natasha and her friends, wishing they’d leave us alone. I’ll zombie them.
Hmaduummm hmaduummmmmm. Or tell the truth.
I pause. Or tell the truth.
The only time I speak before a group is in class, when teachers call on me. And then I mumble my way through the exercise. I look at the eight or so faces still gazing in confusion at Andrew, and tilt my chin up.
I love my Dad. And I’m proud of him. He’s the strongest, bravest person I know, and it’s time the entire world finds out. “I want to say something.”
No one moves.
“Natasha and Wendy were right. I lied about my dad.”
“See, I told you,” Natasha says, though her voice quivers. “Melody is a liar. Melody is a liar.”
“Shut up, Natasha,” Wendy says. “Let Melody talk.”
Natasha gasps. A few kids laugh. I would too, except I’m too surprised Wendy dissed her best friend.
If only my heart wouldn’t beat so fast. “My father was in a car accident five years ago. He got paralyzed from the waist down and can’t walk. Or dance. He used to be a ballroom dancer. I’m sorry I lied.”
Natasha smirks. She’s the only one. No one laughs. Or mocks me.
“I’m sorry,” Wendy says.
I hear muffled words: “Sorry. Sorry.”
Natasha flushes but doesn’t say anything.
The bell rings. Lunch is over. Natasha and the others race inside the building.
“Gee, I didn’t know about your dad, Melody,” Andrew says. “You okay?”
Up in the Air Page 14