A Season for Fireflies
Page 19
“Go for it, Penny,” Panda says, and nuzzles up to me on my right side.
Wes, May, and Richard hug around me on my left. I unscrew the top and when I open up the Mason jar, the tiny lights bounce out and into the air. I expect them to go separate ways, to go into the world on their own.
But they don’t.
They fly side by side, in loopy curls, higher and higher into the sky.
Richard checks his watch. “Shoot, we gotta go,” he says. “Or Taft might die.”
Wes reaches out for my hand, linking his fingers with mine. I carry the journal under my arm as we walk back to school. Richard gets to the door first and when it opens, we hear the school band just beginning the opening number.
I glance back, searching for the lightning bugs one last time. They have moved together toward the tops of the trees. I do a double take.
“Look,” I whisper, and point upward. “Look at that!”
The two hazy lights hop through the air to join three other fireflies hovering near the start of the woods. They seem to be waiting for the other two.
“So cool,” May says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.
“Kinda poetic,” Richard says lightly, and slides a hand around Panda’s waist.
“Softies,” Panda grumbles, and we all laugh.
Wes lightly squeezes my hand and I am last in line to follow my friends back inside for our performance.
Panda recites the first line of the last speech of the play as he disappears inside.
“If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended.”
To be brought back together, to be reconciled, I had to lose myself in the shadows and find my way back out to the light.
I need one last look at the fireflies before heading backstage.
I glance over my shoulder and all five points of light fly higher and higher until I can barely see them anymore. But I follow their steady glow like beacons until they are so far up in the sky that they are soon indistinguishable from the brilliance of the stars.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’M GRATEFUL TO MY EDITOR JOCELYN DAVIES. This book only exists because of your keen eye and collaboration. You always know how to inspire me to write the best story possible. Thank you.
Thank you, of course, to my agent, Margaret Riley King, who tells it to me straight. You have an awesome editorial eye, and I so value your feedback and loyalty. A big thank you to Erika Niven, who always points me in the right direction!
Thank you to Anna Deroy, who loved my first book and made all of this possible. I promise, one day, I will try to find a way to pay forward this life-changing opportunity.
Thank you to the incomparable and generous CCW’s: Mariellen Langworthy, Claire Nicogossian, Linda Melino, Rebecca DeMetrick, Maggie Hayes, Ashley Bray, and Tracy Hart.
There are always so many people who make a book possible. Some of them are Hannah Moderow, Kristin Sandoval, An Na, Katie Caramiciu, Jennie Maizel-McKiernan and my friends at the amazing Writing Barn in Austin, Texas.
Last, but certainly not least: A.M. Jenkins. You told me to “go there.” You said, “write it, don’t be afraid. If you don’t feel it, neither will your characters.” Thank you, Amanda.
For everything.
If you are worried that a loved one is suffering from a substance abuse problem or mental health issue, you are not alone, and it’s not your fault.
Consider contacting a school counselor or other trusted adult, or check out one of these reputable sources:
NAMI—National Alliance on Mental Illness:
www.nami.org
Helpline: (800) 950-NAMI
Info@nami.org
M–F 10 a.m.–6 p.m. EST
Al-Anon/Alateen—a program for teens and children of those who are problem drinkers
www.al-anon.alateen.org/
Call: (888) 4AL-ANON
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Olivia Wilcox
REBECCA MAIZEL hails from Rhode Island, where she teaches literature at her alma mater the Wheeler School. She tries not to force her students to read her books, though. Rebecca is the author of several published novels for young adults, including Between Us and the Moon, and recently received an MFA in Writing for Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Visit her online at www.rebeccamaizel.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
BOOKS BY REBECCA MAIZEL
Between Us and the Moon
A Season for Fireflies
CREDITS
Title lettering art by Laurel Fisher
Cover art © 2016 by Pascal Shirley/GalleryStock
Cover design by Sarah Creech
COPYRIGHT
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
A SEASON FOR FIREFLIES. Copyright © 2016 by Rebecca Maizel. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.epicreads.com
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016931027
ISBN 978-0-06-232764-2
EPub Edition © June 2016 ISBN 9780062327666
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FIRST EDITION
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