“You’ve had this box for a very long time. Or I assume your family has. You don’t look like you could be any older than 20,” she said.
“I’m 19.” She looked like if she wanted me to elaborate, but I didn’t want to say anything that would let her know I had no idea what I was talking about.
We arrived at the vault where the box was. After showing me its location and helping with the lock, she left so that I could examine the contents in private.
I could have stared at the box for a long time if I didn’t know I had to hurry back to school. Inside was a large manila envelope. I opened it and gasped. There had to be at least $10,000 in it. There was also a folded, white piece of paper. I felt strange grabbing the money, so I took out the paper instead. I was hoping it would be a letter or something but it was a drawing of some sort. It had three squares bordered by twirl patterns and a squiggly line that ran from one of the squares into the twirls. On the bottom left corner was written, “Find those who can teach you about the stars. What you seek will be near.”
I turned the paper around, but there was nothing else. What was this? And where had all that money come from? I assumed everything in the box had belonged to my mother, but I had no idea what to do with it. What if it wasn’t really mine? I couldn’t just take it, could I? I glanced nervously around the room, expecting a SWAT team to storm in or something, but no one did.
I decided to take a couple of bills in case I might need them to find whatever that paper was referring to, put them and the paper in my pocket and placed the envelope back in the box before returning it to its spot in the vault. I decided I would talk to Nana about this before taking any more money out of the envelope.
As I left the bank I couldn’t help looking around, thinking someone must be watching me. I couldn’t help feeling guilty, though I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. Or if I had, I could honestly claim I didn’t know I had. If my mother had gotten any of that money illegally, there was no way I would have known. Still, I was edgy driving back to school and looked in my rearview mirror a few times, but no one was following me. My imagination was just running wild.
My last class of the day was critical thinking. I had a hard time focusing on the logic my professor was trying to explain, so I made a note to read the chapter again carefully before next class.
Nana was home when I got there, and I immediately showed her the paper I had gotten out of the box and told her about the money.
“It looks like your mother hid a lot more from me than I realized,” she said with a concerned look. “You should probably leave that money alone until you figure out what this paper means.”
“I think so too. You know what, though? I’ve been looking at it all afternoon, and I think it might be a map,” I told her.
“A map?”
“Yes, look. These squares could be buildings. And the swirls could be bushes or trees. The line looks like a path leading from this building into the trees.”
“I think you’re right, Atty, but what is it a map of?” she asked.
“That I don’t know. But I’d guess it has something to do with the note. I’ll just have to figure out what it means.”
I went to my computer and started to search. I got nothing but nonsense of course. I knew it was a long shot. It wasn’t as if what my mother wrote was a line in a poem or something. Plus, she couldn’t have known that I would be searching for this on the Internet; it barely existed when she wrote it.
As I was scrolling through the results, I heard the familiar “ping” that I had a chat session opening. It wasn’t six yet, so I was surprised to see Ben’s name on the screen.
Me: Hey, you’re on early.
Ben: I know, I logged in and saw you were already on, so I decided to say hello.
Me: Well, hello.
Ben: I’m not interrupting some important homework, am I?
Me: Nope. But even if you were, I’d still take a break.
Ben: I don’t want to be a distraction. Can’t have you failing ’cause you’re spending all your homework time chatting with me ;)
Me: Lol, not possible. You’re probably asleep when I do most of my homework. I do it right after school most days. Tuesdays and Thursdays I get home by noon, you’re in dream land then, I’m sure.
Ben: Definitely. Dreaming of you.
I couldn’t respond for a second. Had he really just said he dreamt about me? I stared at the line on the screen. I couldn’t think of what to say, so I just typed a smiley face.
Ben: I miss you, Atty.
Me: I miss you too.
Ben: I want to see you.
Me: Ha, ha. Maybe I can use a webcam at school :)
Ben: No, I really want to see you. I’m going to try to come to Miami soon. When do you have spring break? I wouldn’t want to come when you’re busy with school.
Me: You’re joking, right? Flying to Miami from Australia isn’t exactly cheap. How can you justify that kind of expense without even a business trip to blame it on?
Ben: Don’t worry about the money. That’s not an issue.
Me: What about work? Won’t your dad be mad?
Ben: No, he believes people are more productive when they’re well rested :)
Me: K.
Ben: Don’t you want me to come?
Me: Of course I do, I would just feel really guilty.
Ben: No need for that.
Me: OK. So really? Spring break?
Ben: Yes. Just send me the dates.
I was so giddy after talking to him I couldn’t stop smiling. Could he really be coming to see me because he liked me as much as I liked him? The thought had me so distracted I couldn’t even remember what I had been doing before he logged on. It wasn’t until I went down for dinner and Nana asked me how the search was going that I came back to reality.
“Not good, I haven’t found anything yet,” I told her.
“Ah. You seemed so happy just now that I thought you’d figured it all out,” she said.
I just laughed at that. “I was smiling about Ben. He said he’s going to try to come for spring break. I might get to see him in just a little over a month!” Considering I didn’t think I would see him for years if even then, a month seemed like no time.
She smiled. “Que bueno, Atancia. I wondered whether you two would stay friends. I thought since he lived so far away you wouldn’t hear from him much. Do I get to meet him this time?”
“Probably. Sorry I didn’t introduce him when he was here. I felt weird asking him to come meet my family when we’d just met. I didn’t really think it was going to turn into anything.”
“Don’t worry, I understand. Meeting the family is for when things become serious,” she said with a wink.
I smiled widely and got myself some water before sitting down to dinner.
Chapter 9
On Wednesday I sat down for lunch with Christy and Ana in the school’s cafeteria. I had followed them closely in the line and copied their actions to find lunch and pay for it. I didn’t want to admit that I’d never eaten there. I usually brought my lunch and ate by myself in a secluded corner of the school or went to a nearby fast food restaurant. I hated the idea of sitting alone in the cafeteria where everyone might be wondering what was wrong with me since I didn’t have anyone to sit with.
“So what kind of business do we want to make this plan for?” asked Christy.
Our project was to create a business plan for a company of our choosing. I hadn’t really thought of anything yet.
“How about a dog boutique?” asked Ana.
“That’s cute,” replied Christy.
I had never owned a dog, so I had no idea how I would contribute to this, but if they both wanted to do a dog boutique then I wasn’t going to be the one to stop them. They both looked at me expectantly.
“That sounds cute. Do you guys have dogs?” I asked, trying to get the focus off me.
“I have a Yorkie,” announced Christy.
“She’s super c
ute!” said Ana. “We’ll have to work at Christy’s house so you can meet her.”
“How about you, Atty? Do you have a dog?” asked Christy.
“Nope, I don’t have a dog. Never have. We’ve always been on a tight budget and dogs can be expensive,” I replied.
“Exactly! That’s why a dog boutique would be great: People who love their dogs love to buy them things,” Christy replied.
It seemed like as good an idea as any, so I just listened to them talk about what we would sell and how we could attract customers. We spent most of lunch discussing the plan. By the end we had decided to meet again the following week. The project was due in a month; so we had plenty of time to discuss it and type it up. I was glad that they at least seemed interested in doing things early. Most of my groups in the past had loved finishing their stuff at the last minute.
As we were leaving the cafeteria, Christy and Ana started to giggle quietly. They were ahead of me, so I couldn’t hear what they were giggling about. Immediately I thought they must be saying how odd I was, but then I reminded myself that I needed to stop being so self-conscious. I hadn’t contributed much to the conversation, so it wasn’t like I had said anything weird to them yet. Actually, that’s why I hadn’t contributed much to the conversation. I always managed to say stuff that made people look at me funny.
They turned toward me as we neared the door and motioned for me to walk between them. “That guy was totally looking at you!” exclaimed Christy.
“What? Who?” I could feel the blush starting to creep up my cheeks. Did they mean he was looking at me in a good way or a bad one?
“That guy, with the blue shirt,” Christy said as she subtly nodded her head in his direction.
I, of course, was not good at subtle. I turned my entire head to see who she was looking at. As I did, the guy she was referring to looked straight at me and smiled. His friends saw and started teasing him. I turned and sped right out of the cafeteria with Christy and Ana right behind me.
As soon as we were in the hall, they started laughing hysterically. “You didn’t even smile back, Atty! What’s wrong? He was cute!” exclaimed Christy.
I turned even redder, or at least I definitely felt hotter. What could I tell her? That I’m a complete idiot?
“She probably has a boyfriend, Christy, I mean look at her. She just didn’t want to give the guy ideas,” defended Ana, though she was still giggling.
That was it. It was a perfect excuse for odd behavior like this. “I do actually. I have a boyfriend.” I tried to smile and calm my nerves as I said it. Of course now I was nervous that I might be exaggerating, and they would be able to tell. It wasn’t as if Ben had said we were dating.
“Atty, you ran out of there like if he was going to drop blood on you at the prom or something,” Christy laughed.
“I know, I’m a bit shy,” I told her.
They both laughed at that. “Well, that was already obvious.”
I reddened again thinking about how stupid I must have looked to the group of guys sitting in the cafeteria. I decided I’d ask Ana and Christy to meet somewhere else next week, but not right then because then they’d know it was about this, and I would be even more embarrassed.
Thankfully, the week went by and I didn’t see the guy from the cafeteria walking around school or anywhere. I would have just made more of an idiot out of myself. I told Christy and Ana that I had another errand to run during lunch on Wednesday but that I could meet them right after. We met at the courtyard by the business building instead.
“So tell us about your boyfriend. Does he go to school here?” Christy asked.
“No, actually he’s already graduated.” I hoped they wouldn’t ask where he lived.
“Ooh, an older man,” she said and gave Ana a look that seemed to say, “I told you so.” I wondered what that was about.
“Do you have a picture?” asked Ana.
“Not on me,” I replied. Actually, I didn’t have one at all. Odd, considering we were online all the time. I’d have to download one from his profile. But that just felt a little weird.
“How long have you guys been together?” Christy asked.
What did I say to that one? I guessed whatever I said would be an exaggeration, so I just picked the day I met him. “Since New Year’s.”
“You guys must be serious that you got so freaked out by that guy the other day. Is he jealous or something?”
“Sometimes.” He had said something about being possessive, right? I needed to change the subject. “So are we going to buy premade doggy sweaters, or are we going to have our own label?”
At that Christy took off on her design plans, and I sighed in relief that I didn’t have to answer any more questions about my maybe boyfriend.
That night while I was telling Ben about the group project I started to feel guilty about using him as a cover-up for my dorky behavior.
Me: So the other day, I did something a bit embarrassing, and when the girls in my group asked why, I told them it was because I had a boyfriend.
Ben: You have a boyfriend?
Me: No. I just told them that as an excuse so they wouldn’t look at me like I was crazy.
Ben: What did you do?
Me: I ran out of the cafeteria ’cause a guy smiled at me.
Ben: LOL. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. You just keep on running.
Me: Thanks a lot. You want me to look like a dork all the time?
Ben: No, I want you to look like you’re taken.
Me: ?
Was I dreaming? Had he just said that? I could hope I knew what he meant, but I wanted to push for the explanation. That was probably why I had brought all of this up in the first place. It wasn’t guilt; it was wishful thinking.
Ben: You know I like you, right, Atty?
Me: Yes.
Ben: Do you like me?
Me: Yes. You know I do. Why else would I spend all of this time chatting with you?
Ben: Maybe you’re just bored.
Me: Nope, that’s not it.
Ben: That’s what I was hoping. So did you have someone specific in mind when you told them you had a boyfriend?
I didn’t respond. Even though he was telling me what I wanted to hear, it was really embarrassing. I didn’t want to say it first.
Ben: Atty? You still there?
Me: I did, kind of describe, someone who looked a lot like you.
Ben: LOL. Is there someone over there who looks like me?
Me: No. It was you. I told them your name too.
Ben: Good :) That’s exactly how I want it.
Me: :) So I take it you don’t mind my using you as an excuse for idiocy?
Ben: Not at all. You can use me for whatever you like ;)
Me: LOL. I’ll keep that in mind ;)
The weeks passed, and we finished our project without a hitch. I was glad to be working with Ana and Christy. I still felt a bit like the odd girl when I was with them, but I decided that was more in my head than anything else. They seemed happy to work with me, too. They even invited me out a couple of times. We went to a movie once and another night we went to a club. I tried calling Luly to see if she wanted to come, but she was busy with her new guy. It was just as well, we had never been close friends, and it wasn’t a big deal if we didn’t keep hanging out.
Going out, I was nervous that I would freak like I did the night with Ben, but it had been a while since I had a panic attack, and I hoped they would stay away for good. I wasn’t about to let my guard down, though. I paid attention to how I was feeling all the time and refused the drinks that anyone tried to give me. Christy and Ana were very conscientious friends. They never left my side at a club, not even when someone asked them to dance. They would just dance right next to me.
I was a bit stiff at first, but eventually I relaxed. Plus, knowing that Ben wanted me to be his girlfriend kept me from worrying too much about the guys on the dance floor. I just did my own thing and didn’t get nerv
ous that some guy might want to ask me out. I knew what I would say. It was nice to know that I didn’t have to make a decision about that.
Chapter 10
I still hadn’t figured out what the map could be of, but it was always in the back of my mind. Lizzie and I talked about it for hours when we weren’t talking about Ben. I had sent Lizzie a copy of it to see if she could figure it out, but she couldn’t think of anything either. We had typed in searches such as “astronomers” and “star gazing” but couldn’t figure out who my mother wanted me to learn about the stars from. Was it someone particular in Miami? Was it a group of people?
I had been distracted with the project and other schoolwork, so about a week before spring break I decided I would go to the science museum to see if someone there could help. The museum had a planetarium, and I figured I could go see it and ask around. I wasn’t sure whether my mother had meant for the map to be a secret, but I wasn’t really getting far on my own.
I had looked up the schedule, and the planetarium had a show at 11 a.m. Saturday. I arrived a few minutes before and sat down. The show was interesting. It talked about the mythology behind the constellations. It didn’t help with the map though, so I decided I would ask the volunteer in the lobby about it. He was an elderly man, probably retired and helping there for fun. I felt really anxious walking up to him, but I had to figure out what was on the map.
“Excuse me, sir.”
“Yes, young lady? Did you enjoy the show?”
“I did actually, and I have a question.”
“Sure, what do you need to know?”
“Well, actually, it’s about this.” I took out the copy of the map I had made to show him. I had purposefully cut out the writing when I made the photocopy.
He looked at me curiously for a second. He was probably expecting a question about the show. Then he looked at the paper as I said, “It’s a map of something. I’m pretty sure it relates somehow to astronomy, but I can’t figure out how or what the map is of.”
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