Sandvick, thanks.” Mom waved at our neighbor. “She just had a bad dream and sleepwalked out here.”
A bad dream? It was all just a dream? Sarah wasn’t calling me?
Of course she wasn’t. She drowned ten years ago.
But it had all seemed so
real.
“Come on, Sam.” Mom put her arm around me and led me back to our house.
“Get some sleep, Suzanne,” Mrs. Sandvick called. “You too, Sam.”
Mom held the back door for me. “You haven’t sleepwalked in years, honey,” she said as I stepped into our kitchen.
Huh? “I used to sleepwalk?” I didn’t know that.
“Back when you were little,” she told me. “It usually happened when you were upset about something. Are you upset about…you know, what we talked about earlier?”
I turned away. “No, no. I’m not upset,” I said. I went to the cabinet and reached for a glass.
“Good,” Mom said, as I poured myself a glass of water. “Because there’s no reason you should be. All that happened a long time ago.”
“I know,” I said. But if it was so long ago, why did the pain feel so fresh?
“Angela! Sam!” Coral waved to us.
It was Tuesday afternoon and Angela and I had decided to go to the water park.
Dodging towels and moms and little kids, we made our way around the splash pool and found a spot over by Coral and some other girls we knew from school. They had claimed a group of lounge chairs by the deep pool, in perfect view of Kyle Jenkins, a cute sophomore who was lifeguarding today.
There weren’t any chairs left, so Angela and I spread out our towels on the ground next to Tara Huntley and Melissa Holt. We all slathered suntan lotion on each other’s backs and combed our hair and talked. Angela told everyone about her upcoming trip to visit her father. Coral complained about her mom. And for the zillionth time, Melissa repeated the story of her big breakup with Dylan Kane. The girl was never going to get over it.
While Melissa was talking I noticed a little girl in the pool. She had on a one-piece swimming suit with a big pink fish on her stomach. And a memory came to me, clear as anything.
Sarah had a swimsuit with a big pink fish on it.
I had one just like it, only my fish was yellow, and I liked hers better—
“Earth to Sam.” Coral waved her hand in front of my face.
I blinked. My friends were all staring at me.
“What?” I tucked my hair behind my ear.
Melissa shifted on her towel and rolled her eyes like it was a big deal for her to repeat herself. “I
said
, I heard your mom’s getting married.”
“Oh. Yeah. Next month.” The little girl with the fish suit climbed out of the pool, then cannonballed back in with a big splash.
“Do you get to be in the wedding?” Melissa asked.
“Yup.”
“You are
so
lucky!” Melissa squealed.
“And Bob is really nice,” Angela put in.
I pulled my knees up to my chest. “Bob is nice.” I couldn’t argue with that. “But …” They wouldn’t understand.
“You wish you knew where your father was,” Angela said.
“Yes,” I said.
“Why don’t you know where your father is?” Coral asked. Her parents were actually still married to each other. In her world, parents didn’t get divorced. And dads didn’t go years and years without seeing their kids.
“He left when my parents got divorced,” I said. “My mom has no idea where he is. And neither does anyone else.”
“Well, people don’t just disappear,” Coral said. “I bet you could find him if you tried.”
“She’s tried,” Angela said in a tired voice. “Believe me, she’s tried.”
“I’ve tried everything—the Internet, the library, all of our neighbors.”
“She even tried a psychic!” Angela blurted out.
I glared at her. Had it ever occurred to Angela that maybe I didn’t want people knowing about that?
“A
psychic?”
Melissa squealed. “Oooh! What was that like?”
I shrugged. “It was okay.”
“What about a private detective?” Coral suggested.
“I can’t afford a
A bad dream? It was all just a dream? Sarah wasn’t calling me?
Of course she wasn’t. She drowned ten years ago.
But it had all seemed so
real.
“Come on, Sam.” Mom put her arm around me and led me back to our house.
“Get some sleep, Suzanne,” Mrs. Sandvick called. “You too, Sam.”
Mom held the back door for me. “You haven’t sleepwalked in years, honey,” she said as I stepped into our kitchen.
Huh? “I used to sleepwalk?” I didn’t know that.
“Back when you were little,” she told me. “It usually happened when you were upset about something. Are you upset about…you know, what we talked about earlier?”
I turned away. “No, no. I’m not upset,” I said. I went to the cabinet and reached for a glass.
“Good,” Mom said, as I poured myself a glass of water. “Because there’s no reason you should be. All that happened a long time ago.”
“I know,” I said. But if it was so long ago, why did the pain feel so fresh?
“Angela! Sam!” Coral waved to us.
It was Tuesday afternoon and Angela and I had decided to go to the water park.
Dodging towels and moms and little kids, we made our way around the splash pool and found a spot over by Coral and some other girls we knew from school. They had claimed a group of lounge chairs by the deep pool, in perfect view of Kyle Jenkins, a cute sophomore who was lifeguarding today.
There weren’t any chairs left, so Angela and I spread out our towels on the ground next to Tara Huntley and Melissa Holt. We all slathered suntan lotion on each other’s backs and combed our hair and talked. Angela told everyone about her upcoming trip to visit her father. Coral complained about her mom. And for the zillionth time, Melissa repeated the story of her big breakup with Dylan Kane. The girl was never going to get over it.
While Melissa was talking I noticed a little girl in the pool. She had on a one-piece swimming suit with a big pink fish on her stomach. And a memory came to me, clear as anything.
Sarah had a swimsuit with a big pink fish on it.
I had one just like it, only my fish was yellow, and I liked hers better—
“Earth to Sam.” Coral waved her hand in front of my face.
I blinked. My friends were all staring at me.
“What?” I tucked my hair behind my ear.
Melissa shifted on her towel and rolled her eyes like it was a big deal for her to repeat herself. “I
said
, I heard your mom’s getting married.”
“Oh. Yeah. Next month.” The little girl with the fish suit climbed out of the pool, then cannonballed back in with a big splash.
“Do you get to be in the wedding?” Melissa asked.
“Yup.”
“You are
so
lucky!” Melissa squealed.
“And Bob is really nice,” Angela put in.
I pulled my knees up to my chest. “Bob is nice.” I couldn’t argue with that. “But …” They wouldn’t understand.
“You wish you knew where your father was,” Angela said.
“Yes,” I said.
“Why don’t you know where your father is?” Coral asked. Her parents were actually still married to each other. In her world, parents didn’t get divorced. And dads didn’t go years and years without seeing their kids.
“He left when my parents got divorced,” I said. “My mom has no idea where he is. And neither does anyone else.”
“Well, people don’t just disappear,” Coral said. “I bet you could find him if you tried.”
“She’s tried,” Angela said in a tired voice. “Believe me, she’s tried.”
“I’ve tried everything—the Internet, the library, all of our neighbors.”
“She even tried a psychic!” Angela blurted out.
I glared at her. Had it ever occurred to Angela that maybe I didn’t want people knowing about that?
“A
psychic?”
Melissa squealed. “Oooh! What was that like?”
I shrugged. “It was okay.”
“What about a private detective?” Coral suggested.
“I can’t afford a
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