poking her face between the curtains that
separate the Cheerleaders from the rockstars. Beckett wonders how long she has been waiting there. He waves to her and she gives him one of her wonderfully wonky smiles.
‘Hey, Cheer Captain!’ Atti says too loudly. Beckett thinks the Great I AM packed too much energy in her little body.
He raises a finger to his lips to remind her to keep her voice down, but it’s too late. The Cheerleaders are stirring. Atti races to him, treading on Cheerleaders as she goes.
Her path is punctuated with grunts and squeals. She hugs him, and he feels guilty about wanting to sneak away. ‘Are you ready for your Walk of Enlightenment?’ he asks her, demonstrating
what a whisper sounds like.
She nods and keeps on nodding. She will be tested on the Great I AM’s Just Sayings she has transcribed in her Facebook. If she passes, she will lead Forreal on a Walk of
Enlightenment up the Mountain. She will be the first new Cheerleader they’ve had in nearly two years.
‘Harper is helping you study, isn’t she?’ Beckett asks.
Atti nods and nods and nods again.
Beckett bends down and whispers in her ear, ‘I think you should go and surprise Harper.’
She giggles and practically dives on to Harper’s pile of blankets. Harper gives Beckett a look that says she knows what he’s done. He’s catching two squirrels with
one nut.
He makes his way to the cave’s entrance before anyone can follow. The Cheerleaders shift in their blankets to clear a path for him. Their eyes track him as he exits. Beckett
often feels like a bird soaring between the Great I AM and the Mountain, but today he feels like a spider trapped in its own web.
‘Any news?’ Beckett asks the two Cheerleaders who are guarding the cave.
‘The Mountain was quiet. The Great I AM has blessed us with another beautiful sunrise,’ Heck says.
‘Have a mediocre day!’ Beckett says, and waves.
‘Whatever,’ they reply as he passes.
Lucky scampers up beside Beckett. He sometimes wishes he could have Lucky’s life. She comes and goes as she pleases.
‘Good morning, Lucky,’ he says, and lifts the cat into his arms. She purrs and nuzzles the crook of his neck. She doesn’t care that he has disrupted their routine.
She’s just happy to see him.
‘Hey, Beckett,’ May calls, and stirs a meaty mixture that is suspended from a tripod over the fire. Her back is permanently hunched as if she’s always studying the
ground. ‘What are you doing up so early?’
‘Hey, May,’ he calls back. ‘I’m off to meditate.’ She’s always up before dawn, cooking the morning meal. Forreal survives because everyone has a
role and a responsibility.
‘Whatever!’ she says with a wave. Lucky leaps from Beckett’s arms and runs to May. Lucky meows and May finds a few scraps to satisfy her.
Beckett sneaks out of Forreal, taking the path behind the Mall tiled with multi-coloured bits of plastic. He loops the Mountain before he heads to the place where he and Harper saw
the girl. He feels light with his secret mission.
Disappointment settles in his chest when he rounds the corner where the trail they followed dead-ends and she’s not there. He climbs the rocky wall and scans the valley below.
He watches the shadows grow as the sun rises. How can he feel such a loss for something he never had in the first place?
The next day and the next he steals away as often as he can to the spot where he saw the girl. He makes excuses to Harper and takes great care to make sure no one follows him.
Unlike the first time he looked for the girl, he slips these secret searches in among his responsibilities, but he can tell a few of the Cheerleaders are starting to notice his disappearances.
He fills the days with thoughts of her. He etches her image in his memory. The shiny hair curling down her back, not matted in dreads. The full, figure-eight shape of her body. Those
eyes a colour he never knew eyes could be. He has conversations
separate the Cheerleaders from the rockstars. Beckett wonders how long she has been waiting there. He waves to her and she gives him one of her wonderfully wonky smiles.
‘Hey, Cheer Captain!’ Atti says too loudly. Beckett thinks the Great I AM packed too much energy in her little body.
He raises a finger to his lips to remind her to keep her voice down, but it’s too late. The Cheerleaders are stirring. Atti races to him, treading on Cheerleaders as she goes.
Her path is punctuated with grunts and squeals. She hugs him, and he feels guilty about wanting to sneak away. ‘Are you ready for your Walk of Enlightenment?’ he asks her, demonstrating
what a whisper sounds like.
She nods and keeps on nodding. She will be tested on the Great I AM’s Just Sayings she has transcribed in her Facebook. If she passes, she will lead Forreal on a Walk of
Enlightenment up the Mountain. She will be the first new Cheerleader they’ve had in nearly two years.
‘Harper is helping you study, isn’t she?’ Beckett asks.
Atti nods and nods and nods again.
Beckett bends down and whispers in her ear, ‘I think you should go and surprise Harper.’
She giggles and practically dives on to Harper’s pile of blankets. Harper gives Beckett a look that says she knows what he’s done. He’s catching two squirrels with
one nut.
He makes his way to the cave’s entrance before anyone can follow. The Cheerleaders shift in their blankets to clear a path for him. Their eyes track him as he exits. Beckett
often feels like a bird soaring between the Great I AM and the Mountain, but today he feels like a spider trapped in its own web.
‘Any news?’ Beckett asks the two Cheerleaders who are guarding the cave.
‘The Mountain was quiet. The Great I AM has blessed us with another beautiful sunrise,’ Heck says.
‘Have a mediocre day!’ Beckett says, and waves.
‘Whatever,’ they reply as he passes.
Lucky scampers up beside Beckett. He sometimes wishes he could have Lucky’s life. She comes and goes as she pleases.
‘Good morning, Lucky,’ he says, and lifts the cat into his arms. She purrs and nuzzles the crook of his neck. She doesn’t care that he has disrupted their routine.
She’s just happy to see him.
‘Hey, Beckett,’ May calls, and stirs a meaty mixture that is suspended from a tripod over the fire. Her back is permanently hunched as if she’s always studying the
ground. ‘What are you doing up so early?’
‘Hey, May,’ he calls back. ‘I’m off to meditate.’ She’s always up before dawn, cooking the morning meal. Forreal survives because everyone has a
role and a responsibility.
‘Whatever!’ she says with a wave. Lucky leaps from Beckett’s arms and runs to May. Lucky meows and May finds a few scraps to satisfy her.
Beckett sneaks out of Forreal, taking the path behind the Mall tiled with multi-coloured bits of plastic. He loops the Mountain before he heads to the place where he and Harper saw
the girl. He feels light with his secret mission.
Disappointment settles in his chest when he rounds the corner where the trail they followed dead-ends and she’s not there. He climbs the rocky wall and scans the valley below.
He watches the shadows grow as the sun rises. How can he feel such a loss for something he never had in the first place?
The next day and the next he steals away as often as he can to the spot where he saw the girl. He makes excuses to Harper and takes great care to make sure no one follows him.
Unlike the first time he looked for the girl, he slips these secret searches in among his responsibilities, but he can tell a few of the Cheerleaders are starting to notice his disappearances.
He fills the days with thoughts of her. He etches her image in his memory. The shiny hair curling down her back, not matted in dreads. The full, figure-eight shape of her body. Those
eyes a colour he never knew eyes could be. He has conversations
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