Halfway Heroes
Page 40
The days slipped steadily by, one after another. Class, practice, and physical therapy blended together for Lydia. There were joyful moments that broke the regular routine, like receiving letters from her parents and Dariela. The former wished her well, asked how things were, and assured Lydia that they thought of and prayed for her every day. Dariela asked Lydia about the Cave, how she was getting along with her ability, and what other sorts of “super powers” Lydia had encountered.
To Lydia, the Cave was becoming normal to some degree. She was even enjoying herself more often than not. Wren and the others in her classes were especially helpful during the transition. But becoming accustomed to the Cave wasn’t her top priority. She was too concerned about her escape plan.
She decided it would be best to wait until she was confident she had a plan before she asked the others to come along with her. No need to risk letting the plan leak out and spread around. In the Cave, not much stayed silent for long, especially from Wren. Lydia’s roommate always had her ear to the ground for secrets. People seemed to casually divulge anything to Wren.
Lydia was so focused on her escape that September 29 crept up on her without warning. When Lydia woke on that particular morning, she found Wren hanging over her bed, already dressed and bright-eyed. A wide, knowing smile threatened to tear Wren’s face apart. For Lydia, the day was starting off pretty normally.
“Good morning!” Wren said, hardly blinking. She was practically bouncing up and down.
“Morning,” Lydia said, searching for the clock. “What’s up? Did they cancel class or something?”
“ ‘Or something’ is right,” Wren said, standing back and giving Lydia a little room. She rocked back and forth on her heels. “I happened to hear a guy who knows a guy who knows a cousin of a girl who knows—”
“Spit it out,” Lydia said. She threw back her blanket and tossed her legs over the edge of her bed.
“I heard it’s a certain person’s birthday today!” Wren said. She produced a wrapped gift from behind her back and shoved it into Lydia’s hands. Unable to contain her building energy any longer, Wren hopped up and down. “Come on! Open it! Open it!”
Lydia tried to register what was going on. A moment of clarity snapped her to full alert. It was her sixteenth birthday! “Come on!” Wren said, holding her hands behind her back as if preventing herself from tearing into the present.
Lydia ripped open the gift. Inside was an empty green photo album. As she flipped through it, Wren carried on about the gift. “I thought you might like it because you like taking pictures, right? And since you had all the equipment for your camera but no album, I thought you might want one. You know? To organize any of your photos, or have a portfolio, or whatever it is photographers do with their photos. What do you guys do with them? Do you hold on to them or send them to art shows?”
“Thanks for the gift,” Lydia said, smiling at her.
Wren nodded. “Glad you like it! Happy birthday!” She looked at the clock. “Uh-oh. You better get dressed. Class starts soon.”
* * *