MOM AND CURTIS came home around dinnertime. They said they’d met with a local member of parliament and dropped off some material for the mayor.
“And then, just by luck, we started chatting to a woman at the library—we were putting up posters—and she turned out to be an elementary schoolteacher!” Mom clapped her hands together. “She invited us to talk to her fourth-grade class about the bees and what we’re doing to help them. She was thrilled when I told her about you guys—so inspiring for kids to see other kids taking action!”
“Cool,” I said. “So, uh, when’s that?”
“Tomorrow afternoon,” she said.
I looked at Violet. She met my eyes for a second and then looked away, biting her lip.
If everything went according to plan—if Anna didn’t tell on us, if we didn’t lose our nerve—by tomorrow afternoon we would be halfway to Nelson.
It wasn’t until later that night, when Mom was reading a bedtime story to Saffron and Whisper, that we realized we had a problem. The bus to Nelson left early in the morning—and the twins would still be asleep in the van with Mom and Curtis.
Violet and I were hand-washing the twins’ underwear and T-shirts in a bucket. Ty was helping Curtis with some engine thing. “Maybe we could ask the twins if they want to have a sleepover party with us,” I suggested, wringing out a small pink top with butterflies on it. It was Whisper’s favorite. “If we all sleep in the tent, we could be up and gone before Curtis and Mom get up.”
Violet looked doubtful. “What if they say no? Whisper’s so stubborn…”
“I don’t think they’ll say no,” I said. “Especially if you ask them. Or Ty. Get Ty to ask them. They really like him.”
She smiled, pulling a pair of tiny underpants from the soapy water. “They do, don’t they?”
“He’s good with them,” I admitted. “Violet?”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Wolf!” She smacked my arm with the wet undies. “What?”
I made a face. “Just…before this trip? I didn’t like Ty that much.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And your point is?”
“He’s okay.” I shrugged. “And, um, you know. I’m glad he came with us.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Violet gave a long sigh. “I know Jade and my dad think I’m too young to get serious, but Ty and I are totally in love. I mean, we’re always going to be together. I just know it.”
“Yeah, okay.” I didn’t want to get into that. “Anyway, it’s nice of him to help us with the money and everything.”
“Dad’s really going to hate him after this,” Violet said darkly. “And when they catch up to us, you and me are going to be grounded for life.”
“Mom doesn’t do grounding. Or any kind of punishment,” I said.
Violet snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“Seriously,” I said. “You know that. She says kids do the best they can. She doesn’t believe in punishment.”
“Well, my dad definitely does. And I’ll bet you anything he wins that argument.”
I puffed my cheeks out and exhaled the air slowly. “Their grandmother—your grandmother—what’s she like?”
“She used to bake cookies with Smarties in them, and she showed me how to make those paper snowflakes, you know? And she knits a lot…” Violet’s gaze met mine. She’d reapplied her eyeliner, a thick black line that lifted up at the outer corners and made her eyes look like a cat’s. “I haven’t seen her since I was eight,” she said.
“You think she’ll be okay with us showing up like this?”
She shrugged. “She’ll have to be, won’t she?”
At midnight I was still wide awake and jittery. The moon was full, and its light shone through the thin fabric of our tent, making everything look weird and blue and spooky. I sat up and looked around. Apparently, I was the only one who couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t make out anyone’s face, but all around me, their motionless bodies made long lumpy shapes under the shiny fabric of our sleeping bags. It looked like some kind of alien landscape.
I flopped back down heavily. Everything was going according to plan. Anna hadn’t told on us, the twins had leaped at the idea of a sleepover party in the tent, Mom and Curtis had gone to bed, and our bags were packed and ready to go. Violet had set the alarm on her phone. Ty had the money in his wallet. On one side of me, Violet lay curled up against Ty, who was snoring softly. On my other side, Saffron and Whisper were pushed up against me. Trying to roll over, I bumped the mound of their bodies with my knee. “Mmm, mmm,” Whisper murmured in her sleep. “Uh. Fffff.”
It was the first time I’d heard her voice since we left home. I couldn’t believe that was only a few days ago. It felt like forever.
My heart felt fluttery, and I couldn’t imagine that I was ever going to sleep. I looked at my watch again. Ten minutes past midnight. In less than seven hours, we’d be sneaking out of the tent. In eight hours, we’d be boarding a bus. And by dinnertime, we’d be in Nelson.
I guess I must have gone to sleep, because the next thing I knew, the alarm on Violet’s phone was playing the theme song from Portal. I sat up in my sleeping bag and looked around the crowded tent. The twins weren’t even stirring; they slept as soundly as puppies.
Violet groaned, turned off the alarm and pulled the pillow over her head. Beside her, Ty sat up and yawned. He looked at me, raised his eyebrows and gave me a crooked grin. “So.”
I nodded. “So. I guess this is it, huh?”
“Not too late to change your mind,” he said.
I looked down at the twins. “What do you think?” I asked him. “Do you think I’m crazy to do this?”
“Nah.” He hesitated. “Well, maybe a bit. But I get it.”
“You do?” I wasn’t that clear on it myself.
“Make your mom pay attention, right? Make her listen to you?”
“I guess so. And maybe Violet’s grandmother can get help for Whisper.”
“So you’re still in?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’m in.”
We managed to get the twins out of the tent without too much noise. Saffron wasn’t even properly awake—Ty had to carry her—and Whisper, who was my biggest worry, seemed to accept without any fuss the explanation that we had a surprise for her. We tiptoed past the van and headed off down the street. The sky was a pale gray, and the air felt damp and clammy. Whisper clutched my hand, shivering.
“Don’t worry,” I told her. “Everything’s fine.” I think I was mostly reassuring myself, but she nodded as if she understood.
The walk to the bus station took forever. Violet and Ty walked hand in hand, Saffron rode piggyback on Ty, and Whisper and I trudged along behind. With every step, I realized all over again that I was actually doing this.
Running away, I guess you’d call it.