Andi Unexpected Read Free

and I’m
letting
you sleep here. Don’t touch anything.”
    I stared at the ceiling. Someone had painted it thesame bright blue as the ocean in my parents’ photographs of Belize.
What happened to those photographs?
I wondered. I felt Bethany’s glare. She knew what I was thinking. “Don’t talk about them. Don’t say anything about them. Understand? We’re starting over here, and it’s better if we forget.”
    I squeezed my eyes shut to hold back the tears.
    In a rare moment of softness, Bethany whispered, “It will be too hard on us if we don’t.”
    I rolled over and faced the wall.

CASE FILE NO. 2
    The next morning I awoke to the sound of faint, anxious murmurs floating up the stairs. And once I’m awake, I can never fall back asleep. The murmurs didn’t seem to bother Bethany who continued snoring softly on her side of our deeply divided bedroom. After stretching my arms and crawling out of bed, I pulled on a sweatshirt over my pajamas and followed the whispers down the hall.
    I crept halfway down the stairs and crouched on the fifth step. In her tie-dye pajama bottoms and strawberry pink sweatshirt, Amelie looked more like one of my classmates than a college professor. Through the wooden railing, I could see she was perched on the living room sofa with her knees tucked close to her chest, talking on the phone. “I know you’ve been waiting forthis a long time. So have I … but I told you, there’s no way I can go …”
    Mr. Rochester, who was lounging on the back of the couch like a lazy sea lion sunning itself on the shoreline, blinked at me. Then he jumped to the floor and pranced up the steps to sit beside me.
    “I wish you would understand …” Amelie said to the person on the other end of the line. “It’s not like I planned for my brother to die in a plane crash …” She paused and said more quietly, “You’re right. That wasn’t fair …”
    I wondered who Amelie was speaking to and what that person had said to upset her.
And what did any of this have to do with Dad?
I wondered. What did it have to do with my sister and me? Were we holding Amelie back from living her big exciting life like I’d feared? What kid wanted to be a burden?
    “I want to stay here with the girls. I need to be here with them. We need each other … I’m sorry you can’t understand that … But I’m sure you can find someone else to go with you … Oh … you already have?” A tear slid down her sun-kissed cheek. “That’s probably for the best. Well, I have to go now. The girls will be up soon.”
    She turned off the cordless phone and looked dazed for a minute. I fidgeted on the carpeted step, and my leg slid to a more comfortable position. Amelie glanced up.
    “Andi!” she yelped. “How long have you been sitting there?”
    I swallowed. “Not long. Sorry.”
    Her eyes still watery, she smiled at me.
    I couldn’t help myself and asked, “Who were you talking to?”
    She looked down at the phone. “Not long, huh?” Then she met my inquisitive stare with a knowing grin. “It was just a friend.”
    I walked down the stairs and flopped down beside her on the couch. “Did you have to cancel a trip because of us?”
    She gave my shoulder a squeeze. “Well, aren’t you nosey?”
    I shrugged, nonchalant. “That’s what Bethany says.”
    In our old house, Bethany would set her easel by the huge windows in the great room. She said it had good morning light. I don’t know how many times I sneaked into the room and tried to see her paintings before they were done. Every time she caught me, and every time she’d say, “Well, aren’t you nosey, Andi?” But eventually she would show me the painting. I didn’t think she would show me one of her paintings now.
    Amelie said, “I guess it comes with the territory. I was a pretty nosey kid when I was your age.” She leaned in closer and chuckled. “I think it’s a little sister thing. But to answer your question, I was going to travel to England