After seeming to look them over, Ian reached out to Randall, shaking his hand.
Nika stood very still, trying to breathe normally, feeling her stomach continue to threaten.
Randall smiled and said, “Nika barfed . . .”
Nika jabbed him and scowled, keeping her eyes on Ian. Clutching her backpack tight in front of her, she stared at this unknown male relative.
“Well, Annika, I’m Ian McNeill. You all right?”
She nodded.
“Well, good. You can call me Ian, or Uncle Ian, or whatever.” He laughed in a nervous way, shifting his feet, seeming unsure. Maybe he hadn’t been around a lot of orphans. She stood very still, thinking how weird it was that this stranger had the same last name as theirs.
“Yeah, hi. Okay. Well, you can call me Nika. People only call me Annika at the dentist’s office or when they’re mad.” Ian laughed, as if he enjoyed what she’d just said. Nika studied him.
Meg had said he was forty-two, but he looked younger. His face was serious and calm, not unfriendly, but thoughtful.
“You resemble your mother,” Ian said, looking sad as he spoke. She didn’t know why people said that to her. Nika had dark hair and blue eyes. Her mom had been blond with hazel eyes and looked more like Randall. Ian’s mouth opened as if he were going to say something else. Thankfully, he stopped himself.
More than anything, Nika hated people talking about what had happened to her family. It made her feel like a run-over animal lying in the street, everyone standing over her, looking down and discussing the nature of her injuries. She held her backpack tighter, locking her arms.
Like a coach trying to rally the team, Ian said, “Everybody ready? Let’s take stuff up the hill. I’ll show you around, and then we’ll all have supper up at Pearl’s. You two have had a long day.” He reached out with one hand to wave Maki ahead of him, then leaned and scooped up bags, smiling shyly as he moved.
Relieved that there was no more conversation, Nika shifted her pack to her back and grabbed another bag. Loaded up, they all caravaned past a couple of boats and a screen house, then up a stretch of log steps wedged into the hillside.
At the top of the steps, a small yippy dog came skidding toward them. He circled Pearl and leaped up for a pat, then ran to sniff Nika’s shoes. Randall squatted down, and the dog licked his ear, making Randall laugh. He was black with stand-up hair and stand-up ears, giving him a surprised look. Just like a smart movie dog, he cocked his head far to one side.
“Meet Zeus,” laughed Pearl, throwing a stick into the bushes for him. Quickly bringing it back, he ran to the front of the line with his head high, the stick dangling from the side of his mouth.
They angled their way upward on the narrowing path. Elbow-high bushes grabbed at Nika’s shirt, and she heard the high-pitched conversations of birds above. As they climbed between the massive trunks of linebacker-size trees, the ground became more open, carpeted with reddish-brown pine needles.
Suddenly Nika stopped and looked up, causing Randall to bang into her.
“Watch out, Nika,” he complained.
She’d heard a sound up high. In front of her, Pearl had stopped as well. “Wind in the tops of the pines,” the older woman said. Almost like ocean surf, it came and went like breathing. The tops of the trees were so high that Nika got dizzy looking up.
Pearl said wistfully, “That sound always reminds me of home and listening to a faraway train coming across the prairie.” Nika had never been on a train. Or heard one. As they started climbing again, she glanced ahead to see Pearl smile at her.
Nika’s muscles began to feel the steepness. Coming out of the shade of the large trees, they climbed onto a clean skirt of rock that draped the hillside ahead of them. Nika stopped for a minute to catch her breath. Ahead, Pearl didn’t even pause. The rock ledge they walked across looked melted at the edges. It was as broad as a parking lot with veins of rust-colored rock winding through. At the top stood a postcard-perfect log house with a bright red door.
Ian stood waiting for Nika and Randall to catch up. “This’ll be where you’ll stay, Nika,” he said.
She shot a curious glance in Ian’s direction as he led the way to the red painted door. She hadn’t had a boatload of adult men in her life and didn’t know what to expect. She kept her eyes on him as they stepped into the house. She was almost jealous watching Randall receive Ian’s high-five at the doorway.
Nika felt dwarfed by the large, open living room. It was built of logs bigger around than her body. The ceiling vaulted up to roof windows throwing blocks of sunlight down onto the hardwood floor. She was grateful when Pearl came over, put her arm around Nika, and said, “Let me show you around.”
Pearl’s whole house was walled with logs stained a warm golden color. A deck with chairs jutted off the front next to the door, overlooking the lake. On the first floor was a huge room with deep comfortable chairs in one corner next to a bookcase and windows with small panes of glass. A table large enough for a scout troop and made from half-logs was in the center of this room. Nika noticed delicate watercolor paintings and Native American designs arranged on the walls. In the back of the first floor were two small rooms with large windows. One held a bed and dresser and paintings of birds on the walls. Pearl’s room. The other had shelves and large low drawers, with a drawing table piled with paintbrushes in holders and bins of art materials. “My studio,” Pearl said, smiling. Through a screened porch was a back door leading to a walkway and a shed. Pearl showed them a shelf and a small sink attached to the back of the house. She pointed up a well-worn path to the outhouse.
Everyone carried plates from the kitchen to the large table. “Fresh-caught walleye, roasted vegetables, and a lettuce salad with raspberries,” Pearl announced. Randall started to eat at soon as his plate touched down and Nika poked him, and gave him a firm glance. He put down his fork until everyone was seated. Nika overcame her nervous stomach and took a bite. The adults asked polite questions about school subjects and Pasadena. After dinner, Pearl took Nika and Randall up the log steps to a long, skinny loft bedroom to settle in for the night. It wasn’t completely dark yet, but Pearl said the days would be longer than in California because of how far north they were. She told Nika to try all the bunks until she found the one she liked best, since Randall was just staying the night and this would be her room for the whole visit.
Nika said, “Just like Goldilocks.” Pearl had laughed and given her a warm hug. At least she felt comfortable with Pearl. It was different with Ian. Questions tumbled through her mind every time she looked at him, making her speechless and shy. She was glad he’d stayed down in the living room.
The loft bedroom had wooden bunk beds against the inner wall on both sides of the door with only enough room to walk between the bunks and a wall of windows. The bottom bunk of each bed had a big drawer underneath. Extra blankets were piled on one lower bunk. On the far end of the long narrow room was an open closet, with a high shelf and bars for hanging clothes.
Climbing onto the top bunk on the right, Nika could see through the trees to the lake beyond, where the setting sun was coloring the sky. A small shelf with plenty of room for books was sunk into the wall, with a stubby white-barked birch lamp mounted next to it.
“I like this,” she said. “It’s like a tree house.” Randall threw his backpack on the bunk beneath, saying, “You always get the top bunk.” She knew he could have chosen the other top bunk if he’d wanted to.
“Help yourself to extra blankets. Nights still get cold at this time of year,” said Pearl. “Oh, and Nika.” She led Nika to the end closet. “I left some things here you might need.” Nika saw a couple of boxes from the drugstore and some plastic wrapped packages. She blushed and nodded.
“Just ask, if you have any questions . . .” Pearl said. Nika was embarrassed but relieved. Pearl would be someone she could talk to, as Meg had been. She smiled at Pearl, then looked over her shoulder. Fortunately Randall was busy unloading his books ont
o his bunk and not listening.
“You can wash up and brush your teeth using the outside sink beside the porch.” Nika remembered on the earlier tour seeing a small sink outside the back door under an overhang. Beside it she’d seen a shelf holding several cups upside down.
After they’d delivered multiple polite “good nights” to Ian and Pearl, it took about three minutes for Randall to climb into bed and fall into a noisy sleep. Nika hauled her backpack up to her new bunk, then stared out the large windows at the semidark, wondering why there weren’t any shades. In Pasadena they always had curtains. She didn’t like the idea of unknown creatures looking in at her. Nika closed her eyes, wondering what her mom would think, her two children sleeping in the woods under the care of someone she hadn’t even sent a Christmas card to for years.
“Nika, wake up. Come on. Would’ya wake up?” Nika dragged her eyes open to see the bouncing blond head of her brother beyond the edge of her bunk.
“What’s the hurry?” she answered, her voice slowed by sleep.
“Breakfast!” he shouted. Leap. “We made it.” Leap. “I helped!”
We, she thought. She cast a critical eye at the happiness in charge of his face. So much for Randall having a tough time adjusting.
“In a minute,” she said, rolling over.
“No!” he shouted. “Now! We have to go to Big Berry Island so I can go to school with the boys. Hurry!”
Hurrying was not what she had in mind. Sleep was. But she would get up, just for Randall.
“Have some,” Randall said, hovering over a plate of steaming pancakes. He looked proudly at Ian.
Nika sat down at the large half-log table and stabbed three. Randall’s clothes were covered with flour. For that matter, so were Ian’s.
“Where’s Pearl?” she asked.
“She had to go to her sister’s for a few days,” Ian said. “She got a message on the radio early this morning. Her sister fell. She’s in the hospital. Pearl left right away and took Zeus.”
Did this mean she would be alone in this big house? She’d felt so comfortable with Pearl. She forked a last bite of pancake as Randall thundered out the door. Now it would be just City Kid and New Uncle for a few days.
In the big inboard motorboat, Randall scooted up front next to Ian, pulling on a red and blue life jacket that was too big for him. This left Nika to sit on the bench seat in the back by herself, where she caught the yellow life jacket Ian tossed to her.
As the boat backed and rumbled, Nika thought about the fact that during this visit, she and Randall would be living apart for the first time ever. Someone else would be watching over him. Someone else would read to him and say good night. She’d expected Randall to be sad and clingy, like he sometimes was, but instead he acted like he’d just won a trip to Disneyland.
Ian gave her a quick glance. “After we come back here and clean up breakfast, you could go with me today. I have a collar I need to check. I told Maki to bring Dramamine,” he said. Great, thought Nika. Branded by one encounter with a barf bag.
As the boat powered out of the inlet, the reflection of the island broke into pieces in its wake. Ripples of early sun bounced off the water. The air was cool enough, she wished she’d worn something warmer than her lightweight pullover. The life jacket helped, but the wind chilled her arms. Swerving around the shore of the larger island, the wind mixed with cold drops on her face. Waves beat a rhythm on the hull of the boat. She watched the water curl and fold behind them as they picked up speed.
She was trying to picture how these days without Randall would go. What would she do today if she didn’t go with Ian? Randall would be in school. She supposed she’d start on the math and science and English make-up work she needed to do. She had to return her homework by June nineteenth, less than six weeks from now. Luckily, she was pretty fast and didn’t mind doing it.
They traveled close to the rocky shore of the bigger island. The lake was so large that all she could see was a jagged fence of trees traced against the sky on the far side. She was surprised by how soon the boat careened around the far end of Big Berry Island and slowed. Ian pointed and shouted, “The Camerons’ dock!” Randall would be just a short distance away. She could probably even walk across the island to see him.
Three sizes of boys in orange life jackets stood in a line on the L-shaped gray dock, the oldest one a little apart from the younger two. Randall’s welcoming party. Ian cut the motor and threw a rope to the oldest boy, who squatted down to pull them in. The smallest boy turned and ran shouting up a path toward several cabins clumped together. Randall remained sitting close to Ian in the boat, then slowly rose to his feet.
Before anyone even said hello, the littlest boy barreled back onto the dock, towing a blond woman by the hand. Then the boy troop descended. The oldest tied the bow rope, and the two youngest grabbed Randall’s bags, all at once pulling him from the boat and beginning to lead him away.
The woman had an amused look on her face and called, “Boys! Boys! How about saying hello?”
The boys stopped, bumping into each other as in an old-time movie. They turned to look at their mother and then at Nika, releasing their grip on Randall. The youngest was very blond like his mom.
In a tangle of muttered hellos and shy smiles, they shifted their feet.
“Thank you,” she said. “This is Thomas, Gideon, and Jasper.” She pointed at each in turn, adding with a smile, “And I’m Claire.”
Nika climbed out and stood on the dock, her arms locked in front of her. Ian handed her the stern rope, as if she knew what to do with it.
“I’m Nika, and this is Randall,” Nika said, looping the rope loosely on a post, then wrapping and tying it several times to make it secure. The biggest boy was watching her make the knots. He looked about her age. Randall handed his too-large life jacket to Nika.
“Hi, everyone,” said Ian from the boat.
“Nika, I’ll be right back, okay?” said Randall, and for the first time all morning his face was a landscape of uncertainty. He glanced at the boys, back at her, then back at the boys again.
“Sure, Rand,” she said.
Ian jumped to the dock and checked the ropes.
Randall followed the two youngest boys to a small cabin. He came back dressed in an orange life jacket just like the other boys were wearing, carrying his school backpack. Gideon and Jasper clambered into the Camerons’ boat and sat on an aluminum bench seat.
Randall came over to Nika. “Gideon’s in my grade,” he said. His face was serious.
“I’ll come see you. We’ll do stuff together. You can sleep over,” she said. She punched him gently on the arm. When she noticed his new friends watching, she decided to hold back on the sisterly hug.
“Yeah, okay. Later . . .” he said, and punched her back, his smile rebounding. He turned and clambered into the Camerons’ boat. Thomas and his mother untied the ropes.
“See you later, Nika,” Claire said. “Sorry to be in such a rush. Don’t want to be late. Come over for lunch one day. We’ll get to know each other.” She threw her rope into their boat and climbed down beside Jasper. Thomas lightly hopped into the back, giving Nika a quick smile. Then with one pull he started the motor and backed up before turning to point the bow out into Anchor Lake.
Randall’s arm waved a goodbye circle in the air above him as they buzzed away.
The sound of the Camerons’ motor faded, leaving an oil smell hanging in the air. Ian busied himself loosening the tangle of ropes she’d made on the post.
He looked as awkward as she felt. They didn’t know a single thing about each other and yet here they were, staring at each other over an undiscovered scrap heap of family history.
“I have a job to do today. We’d better get going.” He dangled the rope in his hand. “Ready?”
“I don’t think I want to go along,” Nika answered.
Ian turned back, his eyebrows raised in surprise. He seemed puzzled. “Well, I could take you into town. I hav
e a friend who works at the library. Or you could stay at Pearl’s alone, I guess.” He hadn’t worked this through.
Nika kind of enjoyed seeing him struggle. “I guess,” she muttered.
“This trip might not be one hundred percent fun, but we have to go today,” he said almost to himself, looking off at the water.
Then he held out a hand to help her into the boat. “Oh, come on. Come along. You might enjoy it.” He looked at his watch. “Could be we’ll see a wolf,” he added as he started the engine.
As the storm continued to flog the trees, the silvery-tan wolf ran from fence to fence, her legs bent in fear, her ears flattened. With a deafening crack, a huge white pine fell, crushing the fence on one side of the pen. To escape the sounds, the wolf climbed through the branches of the fallen tree, scaled the trunk, and jumped free. She ran cowering through slashing water, through bending and breaking trees. She ran for hours. Finally, exhausted, she slept in shadows. She woke up in a strange forest. Nothing smelled familiar. Slinking behind fallen trees, skirting meadows, she ran again.
Chapter Four
It was weird. It had been so cold earlier. Now the day was almost like Pasadena. Nika dressed in her usual California outfit—ripped skinny jeans, a crop top with a cami underneath, and flip-flops.
Ian took one look and shook his head and pointed to the loft. “You need sturdy long pants, a T-shirt, a longsleeved shirt, that anorak I had you buy, a hat, and boots. You know the ones from the camping store?” His brow wrinkled. “It’s only May. This is unusually warm. It might get cold later.”
Nika silently turned and went back up to her room. On the closet floor were the brand-new camping clothes. She tore off the tags and pulled on the khaki pants and a T-shirt. The clothes looked like something from one of Randall’s fishing catalogs. She was glad she wasn’t going to see anyone she knew.
Summer of the Wolves Page 3
