Finding Home Page 9

  The garden was just off the right side of the backyard. But to get there, Kari and Ashley had to walk over a series of flat, gray stepping-stones. Kari stepped out on the first one and then she felt Ashley’s hand on her shoulder.

  “Wait!” Ashley yelled. She sounded superscared. “Oh, no!”

  Kari’s heart beat faster as she turned around. “What?”

  Ashley looked like she’d seen a snake. She pointed to the grass all around them. “It’s… it’s green lava!” Ashley’s breathing came faster. “We’re in danger here! Stay on the stones!” She still had hold of Kari’s shoulder. “Don’t let it swallow you up!”

  A quick turn and Kari could see it now, too. Ashley was right. Suddenly the grassy field was bubbling, melting, green soupy lava. And it made the hottest heat ever. Kari covered her face with her arm, anything to shield herself.

  She looked back at Ashley. “What should we do?” Kari had to yell so Ashley could hear her over the noisy lava.

  “It’s rising!” Ashley yelled even louder. She took hold of Kari’s hand. “You lead, but not too fast!”

  “Okay!” Kari crouched down a little and focused on the journey ahead. She felt Ashley lean into her. Kari gritted her teeth. The green lava was getting hotter. “Jump to the next stone!” Kari took off and landed. Safe! She turned to her sister.

  Ashley was staring at the lava. “I can’t do it!” She shrank back.

  “Yes, you can!” Kari shouted. She held out both hands. “Come on! Jump!”

  “I might slip!” Ashley closed her eyes.

  The lava was starting to swallow up Ashley’s right shoe. Kari couldn’t bear to watch. “Now! Hurry!” Kari pointed to her sister’s foot. “The lava is catching you!” Kari was breathless.

  Ashley must have noticed her hot sticky shoe. She set her eyes on the rock where Kari was and then, in an instant, she left the ground and leapt.

  “You made it!” Kari put her arm around her sister. “I knew you could do it!” She jumped to the next stone. “Come on! We’re running out of time!”

  “I’m coming!” Ashley called back.

  The girls jumped over the boiling green lava, from rock to rock. On the last one, Ashley stopped. “My toes are so hot! I can’t make it!” She looked down. “The stone is crumbling!”

  The lava was louder now, rising higher. Kari cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled. “I’ll help you!” Using all her strength, Kari stretched her body and arms as far as she could. She grabbed Ashley’s hand and yanked her to the stone.

  Instead of landing safely, both girls collapsed on the grass. They were right in the middle of the bubbling green lava! Kari started to laugh. The fear left her. “Look at that.” She glanced down. “It’s grass again.”

  The worry in Ashley’s eyes disappeared. “Yeah.” She giggled. “Look at that.”

  Kari stood and helped Ashley to her feet. Then she smiled at her sister. “Glad we made it out.”

  “Me, too.” Ashley brushed the grass off her hands and shorts. She blew a wisp of hair away from her forehead. “Thanks for saving me.”

  “All in a day’s work.” Kari shared a silly look with Ashley. “We survived another Adventure Day!”

  “Yes.” Ashley put both hands high in the air and danced in a small circle. “Yes, we actually did.”

  Mom stopped planting and called out to them. “Looked like you girls were in danger.”

  “We were!” Kari pointed at the grass. “The green lava river is hotter than the sun. It already swallowed up every stepping-stone.” She looked from her mom to Erin and back again. “We need to find another way back to the house.”

  “Yes.” Ashley put her hands on her hips. “And we’d advise you two to do the same.” She nodded, her eyes serious. “Just looking out for the citizens of this town.”

  “Thank you.” Mom seemed to cover up a laugh. “I didn’t know the lava river was so full this time of year.” She put her arm around Erin’s shoulders. “Send a messenger so we know the best way home.”

  “Yes, ma’am!” Kari turned to Ashley. “Ready?”

  Ashley saluted. “Off we go!” She ran toward the front of the house, and Kari followed.

  They darted in and out of a dozen trees. They dodged a wild bear and then a hungry lion and the whole time the bubbling green lava kept spreading, sending gobs of hot goop everywhere. Kari and Ashley jumped and slid and veered and ran, barely escaping one terror after another.

  Finally they made a last leap and landed on the front porch. Kari bent over and tried to steady herself.

  “Whew!” Ashley wiped her forehead. “I need water!”

  “Me, too.” Kari grinned as they walked to the front door. “Best Adventure Day in years!”

  “So fun.” Ashley looked at her. “We can always have Adventure Days. Even when we’re old. Like twenty or thirty.”

  “Yeah!” Kari giggled. “Adventures are for old people, too!”

  “Kari.” Ashley turned to her. Suddenly her voice got very low and serious. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  “Sure…” Kari held her breath. Nothing was as bad as the secret she herself was keeping.

  “Okay…” Ashley looked over one shoulder, then the other. “I don’t like this house. I don’t like Bloomington. I don’t like our school.” She was very still.

  “Ashley.” Kari raised her eyebrows. “I don’t think that’s much of a secret.”

  “No.” Ashley shook her head. “That’s not the secret part. The secret part is that I am looking for an opportunity to get back to Ann Arbor as soon as I can, and then I’m—”

  “Ashley,” Kari interrupted her. “Just how are you going to do that?”

  “Run away, I guess.” Ashley shrugged and flicked a rock off the porch. “I’ll leave on a train maybe. Or I could ask Marsha’s mom to take me.” She hesitated. “If her baby doesn’t come first.”

  Worry came over Kari. Her mouth hung open. Was her sister kidding? “What about food and money? And a place to live?” Kari paused. “Our old house belongs to someone else now.”

  “I know. I hate that.” Ashley tapped her chin. “I still have some wrinkles to smooth out.” Ashley paced a few steps down the length of the porch and then she stopped and put her hands on her hips. “All I know is I don’t want to stay here.” Then she walked slowly back and leaned her forehead on Kari’s shoulder. “Until I find a way, I’m glad to have you.”

  “Me, too. I don’t think you should run away.” Kari and Ashley sat on the front step for a bit. The wind made a soft noise across the porch. Kari looked away, out over the open field that was their front yard. “You know, Ash”—way out at the edge of their property, a car whizzed by—“you’re still my best friend. No matter how many new friends I meet. Right?”

  “I know.” Ashley’s expression grew soft. “Same here.” Then she laughed and rolled her eyes. “If I ever actually make a new friend.”

  “You have Marsha.” Kari shrugged. “Right?”

  Ashley tossed her long hair. “I never see her.”

  The girls helped each other to their feet and headed into the kitchen. They were laughing about Adventure Day and the green lava when they reached the kitchen.

  Where they walked into a different kind of lava disaster.

  Melted candle wax and glitter covered the floor and counters and kitchen table. Brooke and Carly sat side by side, frozen. Brooke stared at the ceiling. Her head lay all the way back against her chair. Carly was hunched forward, her chin on the table.

  Apparently the science project was not so simple after all.

  Ashley walked up to Brooke and Carly. “Look.” She studied the two defeated girls. “I know you didn’t ask for my advice. But—”

  “Give it!” Brooke sat straight and looked at Ashley. “We’ll take what we can get.”

  Kari watched, curious. How could Ashley help? This should be good, she thought.

  Ashley ran to her backpack, unzipped it, and pulled out some candy. “Mentos
.” She smiled. “Dad gave me these.”

  “What do Mentos have to do with a volcano explosion?” Brooke made a face.

  “Exactly.” Ashley skipped to the fridge. “I thought you’d never ask.” She opened the door and rummaged around.

  Kari patted Brooke on the arm. “Sorry about the kitchen.”

  “Thanks.” Brooke sounded a little more hopeful. “We have to find a way.”

  Ashley returned with a can of Coke. “Ta-da.” She held it out. “Behold… your secret weapon!” She set the can on the table. “One Mento in this and… voilà! Explosion!”

  “Hmmm.” Brooke studied the can. “How do you know?”

  “Eric from last year used to talk about this all the time.” Ashley shrugged. “He said it works.”

  Carly lifted her chin off the table. “It’s worth a try!”

  “Let’s see.” Brooke opened the Coke can. She took one of Ashley’s Mentos and plopped it inside. “Here goes.”

  The eruption began before Brooke finished her sentence, and without warning, the pop bubbled over.

  And over and over and over!

  “Wow!” Kari’s jaw dropped. “It works!”

  “See?” Ashley was clearly proud of herself.

  But now the foamy Coke was oozing onto the table and spilling down to the floor.

  Carly was the first to act. “Someone help!” She picked up the can and ran for the sink. With every step, a river of dark liquid Coke bubbled out and onto the floor. “It won’t stop!”

  Once the can was in the sink, the danger ended. Kari peered at it. Even now the can was erupting.

  Brooke looked around. “I can’t believe this.” The kitchen was the worst mess ever. “I’ll get the old towels from the garage!”

  Kari smiled as they cleaned the mess.

  One of these years she and Ashley would be old enough for their own science experiments. But for now Kari would rather have an Adventure Day with her sister. Anything to keep her from running away to Ann Arbor.

  As Kari ran a towel over the kitchen table, something caught her eye. She looked outside. A green bubbly river was glowing just beyond the bushes. Yes. Kari smiled as she got back to work.

  The green lava was still rising.

  12 The Cartwheel Queen

  ASHLEY

  Butterflies tumbled around in Ashley’s stomach. She was in the car with Mom, headed to her very first gymnastics lesson, and all her confidence about this sport was gone.

  Ashley pressed her hand against her tummy and turned to her mother. “I don’t feel good. This leotard is cutting off my strangulation.”

  Every way she twisted, to the right and left, back and front, the pink material wouldn’t smooth out. What had she been thinking? Gymnastics was Marsha’s sport, not hers. Ashley closed her eyes. “Mother, please go back. Turn around.”

  Mom glanced at her. “Your leotard is not cutting off your circulation. It’s a little large, if anything.” She looked straight ahead. “You haven’t even tried gymnastics, Ashley.” She smiled. “You’ll probably love it.”

  “Probably not. Circulation is a big deal.” Ashley blinked her eyes open and tugged at the fabric around her shoulders. Strangulation felt more like it. And now they were almost there. “Plus, Marsha started gymnastics when she was three. It’s too late for me.” She paused. “Don’t make me do it.”

  “Ash, honey.” Mom kept her eyes on the road. “You’ll be fine.”

  “I won’t.” Ashley crossed her arms hard. Mom didn’t understand. “I can’t compete with Marsha and her friends. Not in a million years. I could never be them.”

  Mom’s voice stayed calm and patient. “Remember last year when you tried to be like Brooke?” She paused. “You stopped soccer and tried to study harder? To be like her?”

  “Yes…” Ashley shrank back in her seat. “It wasn’t my best moment.”

  “Right.” Mom stopped at a red light and took a deep breath. “So be yourself. Gymnastics is fun. And everyone has to start somewhere.”

  The butterflies stopped tumbling. “True.” Ashley hadn’t thought of it that way. “This could just be my starting place.”

  “Exactly! You might turn out to be a cartwheel queen!” Mom patted Ashley’s hand. She pulled up in front of the gym. “I’ll be back early so I can watch you.”

  Mom had to pick up Brooke from middle school. Brooke was playing violin this year for the school orchestra. And Kari was at the rec center swimming. Ashley felt her confidence coming alive again. “Sounds good. Then after we can go to the house and hear how everyone’s activities went!”

  “Home, you mean?” Mom gave her a half smile and waited.

  Ashley stared out the window at the gymnasium. “It’s not home.” Her words were quiet. Because she didn’t want Mom to think she was being rude.

  “Kari told me you’re thinking of running away. Taking the train or… asking Marsha’s mom to drive you.” She looked straight at Ashley.

  “Well…” Ashley swallowed hard. Kari wasn’t supposed to say anything. But at least she cared. “Maybe those were the wrong words.” She folded her arms and looked out the window again. “But I am planning on returning home one day. As soon as I can.”

  Mom sighed. “I wish you wouldn’t. We would all miss you a whole lot if you left us.”

  “You can always come visit.” Ashley turned back to her mom and smiled.

  “Oh, Ashley.” Mom ran her fingers through Ashley’s hair. “Please. Stop fighting against our move. Pay attention to what’s happening around you. Bloomington is amazing…”

  Ashley slumped in her seat. “I don’t think so.” She felt the sting of tears in her eyes. Mom didn’t sit next to silent Natalie in class. And she didn’t have a drafty old place for a bedroom.

  “Well, let’s just wait and see.” Mom’s voice was even kinder than before. “Have fun, Ashley! This is Day One. Remember that.”

  “Okay.” Ashley climbed out and waved to her mom. Her mother meant well. Plus, she always had the best advice at times like this.

  As Ashley walked toward the gym, she clenched her fists and closed her eyes. “You can do this, Ashley Baxter. You can do this.” She exhaled and walked through the front door.

  Marsha ran up and led her to a group of girls. They had pink leotards, just like Ashley. Confidence flooded over her. The leotard felt better now. Not so much strangulation.

  Marsha introduced her to the girls and then Coach Beth sat them down. “I’ve been a gymnast most of my life,” the coach said. She was old. Maybe in college. “We’ll go over simple moves today, since some of you are new.”

  Ashley looked at the other girls. These were her new teammates. This was her team! And just like that she could feel herself choosing joy. Because it was a decision. That was the lesson last week at Sunday school. Choose joy.

  A giant padded mat stretched across the gym floor. The coach directed each girl to find a spot. “Give yourself room.” She smiled. “Falling is normal at first.”

  Remember that, Ashley told herself. Falling is normal.

  First they raised their arms high, and next they touched their toes. They leaned one way and then the other. Coach Beth called it stretching.

  “Now we will do a bear walk.” The coach bent at her waist and balanced on her hands and feet. She walked around that way. Then she stood and pointed to them. “Your turn.”

  Ashley bent in half and put her hands flat on the floor. Then she walked around in circles and lines, back and forth. Look at that! Happiness came over her. She was very good at bear walking. Who knew?

  So good that she kept walking like a bear even after Coach Beth changed activities.

  “Ashley?” The coach was looking at her.

  From her upside-down position, Ashley peered through her legs. She stayed on all fours, frozen. “Yes, ma’am?”

  The coach’s eyes got wide. “We are doing somersaults now.”

  “Somersaults.” Ashley stood. “Yes, ma’am.” Ashley looked at Ma
rsha. Her friend was doing very perfect little rolls across the mat. Didn’t look too hard. Ashley scrunched up in a ball and tucked her head under. The first time she did it, her legs flew out and crashed on the padded floor.

  Ashley lay there for a short moment. But she ordered the butterflies in her stomach to stay still. “It’s your first time, Ashley,” she whispered to herself. “Try it again.”

  Four more attempts and finally Ashley got it. Tuck, push forward, roll then land on her feet. She stood and put her hands straight up. Because that’s what gymnasts do.

  Marsha had taught her that.

  “Very good, girls.” Coach Beth smiled at Ashley. “I think you’re getting it.”

  Yes. Ashley did an invisible clap for herself. Because her mother always said humility was part of sports. But she really was getting it. Her coordination was growing.

  Next came the balance beam. The coach showed them how the beam lay low along a pit of foam rubber pieces. “If you fall, it won’t hurt. The pit is for soft landings.”

  Ashley stared at the pit. They should have one of these for fifth grade, she thought. That’s where she really needed a soft landing.

  “The beam is my favorite!” Marsha took Ashley by the hand and they got in line behind four other girls. “I always feel like a graceful hummingbird. Barely touching the beam.”

  That sounded wonderful. Ashley could hardly wait.

  It was Marsha’s turn, and sure enough, Ashley’s friend practically floated across the beam to the other side of the pit. So far not one gymnast had fallen.

  Ashley was next. She held her breath as she stepped onto the beam. It was much skinnier than it looked from the back of the line. “You can do this,” she whispered. “Just like Adventure Day. One step at a time. Stay away from the green lava.”

  But her feet didn’t feel light on the beam. They felt heavy. Like elephant feet. Crash! Crash! Every step shook the beam. She was five steps out over the pit when she began to wobble.

  Before she could catch herself, the wobble got worse. “Help!” She screamed the word just as her whole body fell into the foam pit. Very quick she sat up and looked around. All the girls and Coach Beth were watching. “I’m okay.” She waved them off. “I’m fine.”