Then, just when I was making my not-so-clean getaway, I heard a familiar voice behind me. “Ra-aafe?” Georgia said. She was just about to get in her canoe with the other girls and head back. “What are you doing? I thought we were supposed to go to our cabins.”
“We were,” I said. “But I’m not.”
“Isn’t that against the rules?” she said.
This is one of the two dozen differences between me and my “beloved” sister. I’ve always thought rules were meant for breaking. At least the ones that don’t make any sense.
On the other hand, Georgia never met a rule she didn’t like. She lives for rules. She eats them for breakfast and dreams about them at night. No kidding.
“Wish me luck” was all I said to her.
“Luck!” she said. And then—“Wait!”
I turned around, and Georgia was running to catch up with me at the edge of the woods.
“Here, idiot. You might want this.”
I looked down, and she was handing me her flashlight.
“Oh, right,” I said. “Good call. Thanks.” (She may be a rules zombie, but she’s also a big thinker-aheader, unlike me.)
“And, Rafe, listen.” Georgia got this serious expression on her face then. “There’s something else you should know—”
“Georgia, let’s go!” Katie Kim yelled from her little boat. “Rafe, you need to get back to your cabin!” She was looking at me like I was up to no good, so I didn’t stick around for any more brother-sister bonding.
“I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later,” I said.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Rafe!” Georgia yelled after me. “I mean, not any stupider than usual… which I guess leaves a lot of room for some pretty stupid stuff… but you know what I mean. DON’T DIE, OKAY? You hear me?”
I heard her, all right, but I was already headed off into the wild, black yonder. For better or worse. Smarter or dumber. Aliver or deader.
I wasn’t giving up on Norman. I was going to find him if it took me all night.
And guess what? It kind of did.
