Light Up New York

by Natalie Grant

  At the mention of the Snow Angel, Mia glanced out into the audience at Dad, who winked back.

  “So tell me, girls,” Jennifer said, turning to Mia and Maddie. “You’ve made your first album—starting early! But it’s not just any album. You recorded this album with a particular goal, correct?”

  Mia could tell Maddie wanted her to answer this first question. She pressed her hands against her thighs and looked Jennifer in the eyes the way Dad had coached her. “That’s right,” she agreed. “Our friend Ruby, back home . . . She’s watching, by the way. Hi, Ruby! Anyway, when Maddie and I met Ruby, we learned there are many reasons that a family might not have a home.”

  “Homelessness is difficult,” Maddie chimed in. “For anyone. But for teenagers, it’s especially lonely. And dangerous.”

  “That’s why we decided to raise money with our album to help homeless teens,” Mia said. “The album was Ruby’s idea, actually. Maddie and I sing on it, with Ruby, and in one song our little sister, Lulu, even stars.”

  Mia hoped Lulu was watching back at the hotel. It was true that in Lulu’s one song, she was the lead. Probably because she could never sing quietly. Also, she was the one who made the song work. Thinking about Lulu back at the hotel, Mia felt a tiny pang of sympathy. But she still didn’t understand why her little sister had snuck around in the middle of the night and smeared their hair with makeup.

  “Dad produced the album, and some of Mom’s band members played for us,” Maddie said. “Lots of people helped out with the project.”

  “Sounds like you have supporters who believe in your cause,” Jennifer said. “Oh! I just had the best idea!”

  Mia glanced at the screen to see if this was a scripted idea. Nope. Right now, the screen was blank.

  “On Friday mornings, we air a short concert,” Jennifer said, motioning to the stage. “We were going to use our own band this week, but now that you girls are in town, I wonder if you two might come and perform a song from your album?”

  Mia looked at Maddie, who looked at Mom. Mom turned out to look at Dad, and Mia could see she felt put on the spot. Mia immediately knew why. What about Lulu? Everything was such a mess already. What would Lulu do if she didn’t get to sing with them on Friday? Cut off their hair entirely in their sleep?

  “We’d be so grateful,” Jennifer said, filling the silence, which was becoming uncomfortable.

  “Of course.” Mom kept the hesitation out of her voice. “You’d like to perform, wouldn’t you, girls?”

  “Yes!” said Mia, and then nudged Maddie.

  “Oh, yes,” Maddie said, and even though Mia could tell her sister’s enthusiasm was forced, she didn’t think the audience would know.

  “Well, we’ll look forward to Friday, then,” Jennifer said. “But before I let you go, we have a little surprise for you.”

  Another surprise? What else? Mia wondered.

  “Thea Vance, a New York artist who specializes in glass, has created a line of snow globes for Light Up New York Week. Each one explores the theme of light and is a one of a kind,” Jennifer said.

  A crew member walked out from backstage, carrying a snow globe small enough to fit into the palm of her hand. Jennifer thanked her and held the snow globe up to catch the light. The cameras zoomed in, and everyone took in a collective breath. Mia and Maddie leaned in too.

  Mia and her sisters loved snow globes. For Mia, it was something about the softness, the way the snow scrambled and then settled slowly, quietly, until it was left complete calm. Plus, looking at the scene inside the snow globe was like seeing a scene from a book come to life. The snow globe in Jennifer’s hand glowed with an amber light, lit from inside by a lantern. A determined-looking girl held the lantern aloft. She held the reins of a sled pulled by six majestic white dogs—huskies or malamutes.

  “Thea titled this snow globe ‘Seeking Answers,’” Jennifer said. “And we’d like to give it to you, Mia and Maddie, as a thank you for all you’re doing to help others.”

  Mia wasn’t sure what to say. All those people watching. Such a beautiful gift.

  “Thank you,” Maddie breathed, finding her voice before Mia did.

  “Yes, thank you,” Mia echoed.

  Jennifer seemed to glow a little too as she handed the snow globe to Maddie. “You’re welcome, girls. And I encourage all our audience to check out Thea’s line of snow globes. Proceeds from the sales support the arts in New York’s schools.”

  The crowd cheered, and the cameras cut to commercials.

  “Thank you so much for coming on the show,” Jennifer said. “And I can’t wait to see you on Friday, girls.”

  “Thank you for the beautiful gift,” Mom said. “I know the girls will treasure it.”

  Jennifer gave each of them a hug, and then it was time to walk offstage. Maddie almost tripped on the way out. Both she and Mia dove to protect the snow globe. Once they were sure it was safe, they burst into giggles. Good thing the camera hadn’t filmed them on the way out.

  ELEVEN

  As soon as they came out the stage door, Dad scooped them up in a giant hug. “You were wonderful, girls!”

  They hugged him back, and then showed him the snow globe as they waited for a taxi to take them to the hotel.

  On the cab ride back to the hotel, Mia and Maddie studied the snow globe, noticing all the tiny details. The snow globe scene had a little magic to it, magic Mia hadn’t seen from a distance when Jennifer had first shown it to them. For one thing, the girl wasn’t headed toward just any forest. Purple and peacock-blue trees filled the forest, their curlicued branches filled with miniature dots of light. The lights looked like fireflies among their metallic gold and silver leaves.

  “I’m not sure we should show Lulu the snow globe,” Mia said to Maddie.

  Maddie bit her lip. “But, Mia, I’m sure she watched the show. She’ll know about it.”

  “Mom, could you maybe put it away somewhere safe?” Mia asked. “So she doesn’t break it or anything?”

  “I understand that you’re not on the best terms with Lulu right now. But I don’t think Lulu would break your snow globe on purpose,” Mom said.

  “But she might on accident,” Mia pressed. “Or maybe she actually would break it on purpose. You know she’ll be mad about the concert now, and when she’s mad, look what she does.”

  “Lulu smeared our hair with makeup in the middle of the night,” Maddie spoke up. “Mia’s right. I love Lulu, and I know I will forgive her for what happened last night, but how are we supposed to trust her?”

  “You know, Maddie, you’re right,” Mom said, nodding. “I love you girls so much that I want to instantly make everything all right. Broken trust hurts, and I don’t want any of my beautiful girls to be in pain. But it’s true. Forgiveness is a choice, one we can—and should—make right away. Restoring trust, on the other hand, does take time.”

  Mia considered the unkind thoughts that so often came to mind when she thought about Lulu. “How do you know if you’ve honestly forgiven someone? I mean, if you don’t trust them yet?”

  “It’s important to understand that forgiveness isn’t a feeling,” Dad said. “Like Mom said, it’s a firm decision that we make, one we don’t allow to change based on our feelings. But after we’ve made the choice to forgive, we need God’s help.”

  “You girls always inspire me with the way you pray,” Mom said. “And I encourage you to pray for God to help soften your hearts toward Lulu. But it will also help if you pray for Lulu too. If you pray for God to bless Lulu, that will help fix what’s broken between you. It may take some time for things to feel right between you, and if it does, that’s completely normal.”

  When they walked into the hotel room, Lulu bounded over. She gave Mia and Maddie each a hug, pressing envelopes into their hands.

  “I’m really, really sorry,” Lulu said, her eyes brimming with tears.

  Mia didn’t know what to say and was grateful for the envelope, which gave her a reason to walk aw
ay, sit down, and take a moment. She slipped the note out of the envelope, not expecting very much. Of course, Lulu would say she was sorry. She’d want everything to be back to normal. But how were she and Maddie supposed to know whether Lulu was sorry enough not to do something like it again? She took a minute to read the note.

  Dear Mia,

  wasI was only thinking about me and not about you when I put makeup in your hair. I’m sorry. I really, really am. Will you forgive me?

  Love, Lulu

  The ink around the words only and Lulu had smeared—Mia was pretty sure these were tearstains. Maybe saying sorry wasn’t enough, but it did seem like Lulu really meant the words in her letter. Mia folded the note and slipped it back into the envelope, thinking about what Mom and Dad had said last night about honestly telling Lulu how they felt.

  “It made me really angry, waking up and finding out that our hair was ruined,” Mia said quietly to Lulu.

  Maddie nodded, but didn’t go so far as to say that she was angry too. Mia knew that her sister hated conflict, and that putting her feelings into words might be more than she could do right now.

  Tears rolled down Lulu’s cheeks, but she wasn’t wailing and putting on a show like she sometimes did. She just looked truly and honestly sorry. Mia thought about what Mom and Dad had said earlier, in the cab, about forgiveness being a choice. She couldn’t pretend that everything was all right, or that she completely trusted Lulu now, just because of her note and her tears. But she could choose to forgive her.

  Mia crossed the room and pulled Lulu into a hug. “I forgive you, Lulu.”

  As she said the words, she prayed, God, help me stick to this decision.

  “I do too,” Maddie said, joining the hug.

  “We watched you on television,” Miss Julia said, smiling at the three sisters.

  “You’re going to sing on Friday,” Lulu said, smiling bravely.

  “That invitation was such a surprise,” Mom said. “I’m sorry that you aren’t included, Lulu.”

  “It’s okay,” Lulu said, but Mia knew it wasn’t.

  If Lulu wasn’t complaining about the concert, she must honestly feel sorry about what she’d done to their hair. Looking at Lulu’s too-bright eyes and knowing how hard her little sister was working to have a good attitude, Mia’s frustration cracked open, just a little.

  “Come see our snow globe.” Mia sat on Mom and Dad’s bed and held it out for Lulu to see.

  Lulu looked without touching, and then she asked, “Can I shake it?”

  Mia scooted into the center of the bed. She motioned for Lulu to join her, so that if the snow globe fell, the mattress would break its fall.

  Lulu shook the snow globe gently, and then held it in the palm of her hand while the glitter swirled and settled.

  “It’s a fairy forest!” Lulu said.

  Maddie gasped with a sudden idea and clapped her hands. “We should make up a story about it, Lulu.”

  “Together?” Lulu asked, looking surprised.

  “Sure,” Maddie said. “But you can start it, since you’re the fairy expert.”

  “Okay,” Lulu said. “I’ll have to think about it.”

  “For now,” Mom said, “let’s put this treasure away and get ready for the day’s adventure.”

  Mom closed the snow globe in the drawer next to her bed, and Mia hoped that would be safe enough.

  “You said we could go to a toy store today,” she reminded Mom and Dad. “And the library.”

  Lulu’s eyes became a little watery again. “Do I have to stay home all day?”

  “No,” Mom said. “I think you’re ready to join us, and our Glimmer family adventure wouldn’t be the same without you.”

  Miss Julia checked the directions on her phone. “The library is just down the street, and the toy store is a few blocks in the opposite direction.”

  “I think we should walk then,” Dad said. “And we can find some lunch along the way too.”

  Miss Julia helped the girls gather their coats, gloves, and hats, and soon everyone was bundled up and ready to go on the next adventure.

  “Wait!” Mia said, as they were just about to leave the rooms. “We should take our Snow Angel map, just in case.”

  “Good idea!” Maddie agreed. “We might pass one of the Snow Angel sites. You never know, there might be clues.”

  Outside the hotel, the streets were as busy as ever. Other families passed by, arms full of shopping bags. Lots of people hurried past, looking like they were out on their lunch breaks.

  “Can we go to the toy store first?” Mia asked.

  Dad quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t know, I’m pretty hungry.”

  “Please?” Maddie asked.

  “With a cherry on top?” Lulu asked, a little of her bounce starting to come back.

  As they turned the corner, there was the toy store. Whirligigs, dolls, and toys of every kind filled the brightly lit windows on either side of the red door. Above the door, a sign read, Mr. Thabbet’s Baubles and Trinkets.

  “What’s a bau-ble?” Lulu asked, sounding the unfamiliar word out.

  “Baubles are like trinkets,” Miss Julia said, and then looked the word up on her phone. “The dictionary says that ‘baubles are small, showy trinkets.’”

  “And trinkets are little things that aren’t all that important, right?” Maddie asked.

  “Toys are important!” Lulu insisted.

  “They seem to be,” Dad agreed. “Considering the number of toys we dragged along with us on this trip.”

  “Dad!” the girls all chimed together.

  He grinned and reached into his pocket, handing them each a crisp bill. “Ten dollars for each of you. You can use your money as you choose. But once the ten dollars are gone, they’re gone.”

  “Yay!” Lulu cheered. “Thank you, Daddy!”

  “Thank you!” Mia and Maddie agreed.

  TWELVE

  When they opened the little red door, a cheerful bell tinkled. The girls hurried inside, darting from one shelf to another. Mia scanned the bookshelves, and then something on a shelf nearby caught her eye. It was a detective kit, complete with a magnifying glass, a notepad, and a tiny pen for jotting down clues on the go. The kit also included rearview glasses with mirrors that showed what was happening behind you. She checked the price tag and sighed. $15.99. So much for that. But as she continued walking around the store, she thought about Lulu’s bright eyes, and how hard Lulu was trying to have a good attitude. She also thought about what Mom had said last night about Lulu wanting to be like them, to be included.

  Lulu was busy looking at the stuffed animals, so Mia quietly took Maddie’s arm. “Come here.”

  “What?” Maddie asked, as Mia brought her over to the little table.

  “What if we bought Lulu a detective kit?” Mia asked. “I can’t do it myself, because it’s $15.99. But we could do it together. I really don’t want our whole trip to New York to feel like a giant fight. Maybe if we included her in solving the mystery, she wouldn’t feel so left out. What do you think?”

  Maddie nodded slowly, the idea catching on with her. She broke into a smile. “Yes! I think she’ll love it!”

  Mia and Maddie checked to make sure Lulu was still distracted with the stuffed animals. She was, so they bought the kit. The clerk filled the bright red bag with red-and-white-polka-dot tissue paper.

  “What’s that?” Lulu asked, arriving at the counter with her chosen animal, a beanbag ladybug big enough to be a miniature pillow.

  “You’ll see,” Mia said.

  Mia and Maddie couldn’t even wait until they were out of the store. They were so excited to give Lulu her gift that they handed her the bag and stepped back a little, with Mom, Dad, and Miss Julia watching from the side.

  “For me?” she asked, eyes wide.

  “For you!” they said.

  As soon as she saw the kit, Lulu sat right down on the toy store floor and took out all the pieces. She put the pad and pen in her pocket
and tried on the rearview glasses. “Whoa!” she said.

  “How about you try looking for clues on our way to lunch?” Dad suggested.

  Lulu packed her kit up. Leaving the glasses on, she tried out a new spy walk as she slipped out the door with Miss Julia and Dad.

  Mom wrapped her arms around Mia and Maddie. “I’m proud of you, girls.”

  All through lunch, Lulu spied on people at the tables behind them, reporting back to Mia and Maddie. She started counting times a teenage girl stole looks at her cell phone, which her mom kept telling her to put away. “Fifty-two!” Lulu said, about halfway through her sandwich. Mia was impressed that Lulu had watched long enough to count fifty-two glances.

  They thought about taking their shopping bags back to the hotel, but in the end, they decided to go straight to the library, since it was now on their way. They pulled on hats and gloves again before going outside. Light snowflakes had started to fall. They crossed the street and headed up the block toward the library.

  “Do you think people will still sleep outside on Friday night, even if it’s snowing?” Maddie asked.

  “I think so,” Dad said. “Even if it’s not snowing, everyone knew this event would be during a cold time of year.”

  “It’s hard to believe that some people sleep outside every night, whether it’s cold and snowing, or raining or whatever,” Maddie said.

  “I agree,” Mom said. “That’s one reason I’m so proud to be part of the event on Friday, and so proud of what you girls are doing too, with the Sparkle and Shine album.”

  “Look, a reporter!” Mia pointed the camera crew out to Maddie and Lulu. “I’ll bet it’s the Snow Angel again!”

  “Hold on there.” Dad stopped the girls from charging ahead to see. “Let’s go together, just in case.”