Start of junior year- Mirielle
Mirielle looked at her calendar with dread at the upcoming start of the school semester. August 12th, was fast approaching, and Mirielle wondered where the past month had gone. It seemed like an eternity since the night Angus had disappeared. She had spent most of the lazy summer days with Brian, swimming in the ocean or her backyard pool, or just lying around. Every once in a while, they'd sneak down into the bomb shelter to be completley alone, but they hadn't discovered any more of its secrets since their first expedition through the secret bookshelf in Mr. Benedict's office a month before. In fact, Mirielle had been quite distracted from her family research lately. If she wasn't with Brian, she was with Taura, who was spending less and less time at her own house these days.
Taura and Mirielle exchanged horror stories from therapy sessions, but encouraged each other to keep going, anyway. They went hiking occasionally near Ernest Peaks and Mirielle introduced Taura to the medicine stone. It made her feel better to pass on the stories Angus had told her to someone else. One particularly clear starry night, they went camping with Mirielle's parents in Rockies. Mirielle remembered Angus saying, "It's not really camping if you don't sleep under the stars," so she had fought against her parents' bringing the camper. But ultimately Mrs. Benedict had won ("Where else are we going to go to the bathroom?").
Each Wednesday night, Mr. Benedict arranged to come home from work early to cook a special dinner for the family, after which they played board games or went to the movie theatre. Mirielle was pleased with the change in her father's devotion to his family. Unfortunately, his devotion meant that sometimes she had to fight with him in order to spend an evening away from home with Brian ("Why can't you hang out here? I'll make Creme Brulee!"). But Mirielle almost always won these arguments.
Mirielle had read through her grandmother's book at least three times by the beginning of August. She read mostly at night when her mind raced too much for her to sleep. She had even asked Grandma Pearl for one of her other novels, but Grandma Pearl had told her she was still too young to read romance novels. Grandma Pearl loved her lunch visits with her granddaughter now. Mirielle was an avid listener and Grandma Pearl proved to be an avid storyteller, much like Angus. But Mirielle didn't mention this similarity to Grandma Pearl. She still had a sense that Angus was a touchy subject for her. Mirielle was glad for the chance to speak freely of Angus around everyone else in her life. They all spoke of him as though he were only away on a very long business trip out of the country.
Mirielle was comforted to find that her family was still intact, even without Angus, but there were many times (when she was alone) that she still felt like only half a person.
Now, with the first day of school one day away, Mirielle closed the small screen that held her calendar day planner and shut off the PDA completely. She had work to do. Taura's mother was going to take them back-to-school shopping and it was a tradition for Mirielle to thoroughly clean out and organize the scrapbooks, papers, and text books from the previous year before the annual shopping trip.
She sifted through a box of neatly folded notes on lined paper, some in the shape of paper frogs; some that were folded so that one corner of paper stuck out like a tab that read, "Pull!"; and one that was shaped like an oragami crane. Mirielle laughed to herself, remembering when Brian had thrown it at her during the school lunch break.
"It's flying! Oh, watch out, Miri!"
It hit her square in the forehead when she turned toward the sound of Brian's voice.
"Oww!" It had hurt about as much as an olive falling on her head, but she pretended that it hurt her more than that.
"Oops," Brian said. He took two steps and was looking down at a pouting Mirielle. "Well, I warned ya!" he defended.
"Yeah, thanks."
"You're welcome," he grinned boyishly. "It's a love note. You can add it to your collection."
Mirielle had smiled sarcastically and taken it home to her collection as he'd suggested. She had been very curious about whether or not anything was really written on the paper crane, but she was afraid she'd never be able to fold it back together once she had taken it apart. Now, she was faced with the ultimatum she had given herself for all papers on clean-up day: justify keeping it or throw it away.
She tore it open... gently. To her satisfaction, something was written inside: "
***
"Can you believe she's wearing those same jeans AGAIN!? Like, get some new clothes!" Gabby was saying loudly so that an oddly dressed freshman nearby could hear her.
Bianca and Gabby laughed louder than their little joke warranted. Taura smiled complacently, as always. Mirielle, who had been lost in her thoughts again, woke from her trance at the sound of her friends' cruel laughter. It wasn't that she had never heard Gabby taunt freshmen before, but Mirielle heard her words and laughter differently this time. She did not join in.
"I never knew," she said softly, "that laughter had such different tones. I've never heard laughter so hollow and full of itself. Do we always sound like that?" She looked up at the others, who didn't seem to know what to say in response.
Bianca looked as if she had sniffed something peutred on the air. "Not as full of itself as you, Miri. You know what? You think you are so special and different from us," she gestured to the other two girls. "There is nothing special about you, except your dead godfather."
Mirielle looked at Bianca with an expression that normally accompanied vomit. She felt woosy, and angry, and completely incapable of dealing with both feelings at once.
"What? I'm sick of you lording over us with Angus's ridiculous presents. It's all just drug money, and you know it's true, Miri." Bianca was unaffected by Mirielle's apparent disgust. She flipped her hair and laughed while she spoke, and Mirielle felt as though she were seeing Bianca for the first time. She looked older and meaner.
"Bee, it's un-called-for! She hasn't done anything to you, and she's been through a lot already!" Taura was yelling.
Mirielle thought she might pass out.
"So what? Everyone has to grow up sometime, Miri, and realize that reality isn't as nice as their little dream world." Bianca's cold eyes were fixed on Mirielle, but Mirielle only saw the concrete at her feet. "Angus isn't coming back, Miri. Get a grip."
As Bianca walked away emphatically, Taura yelled, "I hope your parents drown on their stupid yacht, you stuck-up pig!"
Bianca turned and smirked at Taura before disappearing around the corner of the large, brick building. Gabby looked at Mirielle and Taura uncertainly and then chased after Bianca.
Taura looked at Mirielle with a face full of pity and a feeling of helplessness in the pit of her stomach.
Taura and Mirielle exchanged horror stories from therapy sessions, but encouraged each other to keep going, anyway. They went hiking occasionally near Ernest Peaks and Mirielle introduced Taura to the medicine stone. It made her feel better to pass on the stories Angus had told her to someone else. One particularly clear starry night, they went camping with Mirielle's parents in Rockies. Mirielle remembered Angus saying, "It's not really camping if you don't sleep under the stars," so she had fought against her parents' bringing the camper. But ultimately Mrs. Benedict had won ("Where else are we going to go to the bathroom?").
Each Wednesday night, Mr. Benedict arranged to come home from work early to cook a special dinner for the family, after which they played board games or went to the movie theatre. Mirielle was pleased with the change in her father's devotion to his family. Unfortunately, his devotion meant that sometimes she had to fight with him in order to spend an evening away from home with Brian ("Why can't you hang out here? I'll make Creme Brulee!"). But Mirielle almost always won these arguments.
Mirielle had read through her grandmother's book at least three times by the beginning of August. She read mostly at night when her mind raced too much for her to sleep. She had even asked Grandma Pearl for one of her other novels, but Grandma Pearl had told her she was still too young to read romance novels. Grandma Pearl loved her lunch visits with her granddaughter now. Mirielle was an avid listener and Grandma Pearl proved to be an avid storyteller, much like Angus. But Mirielle didn't mention this similarity to Grandma Pearl. She still had a sense that Angus was a touchy subject for her. Mirielle was glad for the chance to speak freely of Angus around everyone else in her life. They all spoke of him as though he were only away on a very long business trip out of the country.
Mirielle was comforted to find that her family was still intact, even without Angus, but there were many times (when she was alone) that she still felt like only half a person.
Now, with the first day of school one day away, Mirielle closed the small screen that held her calendar day planner and shut off the PDA completely. She had work to do. Taura's mother was going to take them back-to-school shopping and it was a tradition for Mirielle to thoroughly clean out and organize the scrapbooks, papers, and text books from the previous year before the annual shopping trip.
She sifted through a box of neatly folded notes on lined paper, some in the shape of paper frogs; some that were folded so that one corner of paper stuck out like a tab that read, "Pull!"; and one that was shaped like an oragami crane. Mirielle laughed to herself, remembering when Brian had thrown it at her during the school lunch break.
"It's flying! Oh, watch out, Miri!"
It hit her square in the forehead when she turned toward the sound of Brian's voice.
"Oww!" It had hurt about as much as an olive falling on her head, but she pretended that it hurt her more than that.
"Oops," Brian said. He took two steps and was looking down at a pouting Mirielle. "Well, I warned ya!" he defended.
"Yeah, thanks."
"You're welcome," he grinned boyishly. "It's a love note. You can add it to your collection."
Mirielle had smiled sarcastically and taken it home to her collection as he'd suggested. She had been very curious about whether or not anything was really written on the paper crane, but she was afraid she'd never be able to fold it back together once she had taken it apart. Now, she was faced with the ultimatum she had given herself for all papers on clean-up day: justify keeping it or throw it away.
She tore it open... gently. To her satisfaction, something was written inside: "
***
"Can you believe she's wearing those same jeans AGAIN!? Like, get some new clothes!" Gabby was saying loudly so that an oddly dressed freshman nearby could hear her.
Bianca and Gabby laughed louder than their little joke warranted. Taura smiled complacently, as always. Mirielle, who had been lost in her thoughts again, woke from her trance at the sound of her friends' cruel laughter. It wasn't that she had never heard Gabby taunt freshmen before, but Mirielle heard her words and laughter differently this time. She did not join in.
"I never knew," she said softly, "that laughter had such different tones. I've never heard laughter so hollow and full of itself. Do we always sound like that?" She looked up at the others, who didn't seem to know what to say in response.
Bianca looked as if she had sniffed something peutred on the air. "Not as full of itself as you, Miri. You know what? You think you are so special and different from us," she gestured to the other two girls. "There is nothing special about you, except your dead godfather."
Mirielle looked at Bianca with an expression that normally accompanied vomit. She felt woosy, and angry, and completely incapable of dealing with both feelings at once.
"What? I'm sick of you lording over us with Angus's ridiculous presents. It's all just drug money, and you know it's true, Miri." Bianca was unaffected by Mirielle's apparent disgust. She flipped her hair and laughed while she spoke, and Mirielle felt as though she were seeing Bianca for the first time. She looked older and meaner.
"Bee, it's un-called-for! She hasn't done anything to you, and she's been through a lot already!" Taura was yelling.
Mirielle thought she might pass out.
"So what? Everyone has to grow up sometime, Miri, and realize that reality isn't as nice as their little dream world." Bianca's cold eyes were fixed on Mirielle, but Mirielle only saw the concrete at her feet. "Angus isn't coming back, Miri. Get a grip."
As Bianca walked away emphatically, Taura yelled, "I hope your parents drown on their stupid yacht, you stuck-up pig!"
Bianca turned and smirked at Taura before disappearing around the corner of the large, brick building. Gabby looked at Mirielle and Taura uncertainly and then chased after Bianca.
Taura looked at Mirielle with a face full of pity and a feeling of helplessness in the pit of her stomach.