Out of My Heart: Chapters 10–19

Dad smiled at her and said in his jovial, easygoing way, “I’d like you to meet Miss Melody Brooks, a young lady of extraordinary grace and charm and beauty!”

But as Dad was adjusting my straps and connecting Elvira, Trinity hunkered down beside me. She looked into my rapidly blinking eyes with her dark ones. “I know you’re probably feeling a little skittish right now, Melody. You probably want to turn around and go back home. But give it one day, okay? Just one day.”

But as Dad was adjusting my straps and connecting Elvira, Trinity hunkered down beside me. She looked into my rapidly blinking eyes with her dark ones. “I know you’re probably feeling a little skittish right now, Melody. You probably want to turn around and go back home. But give it one day, okay? Just one day.”

Trinity then pulled out drawers and opened closet space we had not noticed. “This is where we hide our stuff!” she explained with a laugh. “You’ve probably read this on our website, but, to reiterate, we’ll have four girls in our cabin, and each camper has her own counselor, who stays in the cabin twenty-four/seven.”
Even though Mom had indeed read that online, it seemed to make her deliriously happy to hear it in person.

Trinity then pulled out drawers and opened closet space we had not noticed. “This is where we hide our stuff!” she explained with a laugh. “You’ve probably read this on our website, but, to reiterate, we’ll have four girls in our cabin, and each camper has her own counselor, who stays in the cabin twenty-four/seven.”
Even though Mom had indeed read that online, it seemed to make her deliriously happy to hear it in person.

“Well,” Trinity began, “horseback riding is one of our campers’ favorite activities! Every horse has been with us for many years, and they’ve been specially trained to understand our campers. You’re gonna love it, Melody!”
I wasn’t so sure. A horse weighed like twenty times more than me! Mom seemed satisfied, however, as she was about to forge ahead with her next question: “And could you tell me—”

Penny, who had her legs tucked around Dad’s neck, hollered out, “So what’s wrong with your leg, Trinity?”
Mom gasped. Dad’s eyes went wide. I stifled a giggle. I had wanted to ask that same question, but Mom had taught me to be polite. Penny must have slept through her lesson on tact!

Penny, who had her legs tucked around Dad’s neck, hollered out, “So what’s wrong with your leg, Trinity?”
Mom gasped. Dad’s eyes went wide. I stifled a giggle. I had wanted to ask that same question, but Mom had taught me to be polite. Penny must have slept through her lesson on tact!

But then, from the silence, a bird, redder than red—a cardinal, I think—landed on a branch right beside me. One solitary bird trilled a solo, so clear, so sure of itself. It seemed to sing just for me—an anthem of welcome? Perhaps a signal I should stay?

But then, from the silence, a bird, redder than red—a cardinal, I think—landed on a branch right beside me. One solitary bird trilled a solo, so clear, so sure of itself. It seemed to sing just for me—an anthem of welcome? Perhaps a signal I should stay?

We ate in a grassy area in front of a row of cabins, tall pines swaying in the distance. Other campers were checking in. Some kids with walkers and fancy motorized wheelchairs. Others on crutches, and some walking with no apparent devices at all. A few cried. Some had carloads of family members hovering near them. Others had only one adult holding a hand or pushing a chair. And nearly everyone looked wide-eyed and wary—I bet I looked exactly the same.

“This way, Fiery Falcon,” she said with a flourish, sending the dozen or so bronze and gold-colored bracelets on her arms clinking like wind chimes.

I guess they were like me—a little scared, a little curious, a little I don't know these people! At the same time, I knew that these girls, like me, had been to countless doctors’ appointments, and specialist consultations, and probably physical therapy and occupational therapy sessions.

Sage, who was lanky and totally toned, went on. “I guess my claim to fame is that I once tried out for the Olympics. Swimming; my specialty was breaststroke and back stroke.”

Athena popped up and took several bows. She was seriously into pink, even neon-pink leggings. She had the best grin, and she seemed ecstatic to be here.

The sky above was another expanse of blue—cornflower broken up by feathered white clouds.

Okay, so I got myself all worked up over nothing. The first meal at camp was not the ordeal I expected. Folks here have organization down! It turned out that each counselor had a list of all the feeding details for their camper.

Nope. I refused to be swayed. I crossed my wrists and stared at her defiantly. No way I was doing this. No way. If someone let go of me for one second, down I’d go. So, no thank you.

She pursed her lips, then spun around, her braids extending in a glorious circle. “Check this out, Melody my friend!” She gave me a saucy look. “There is NO WAY I’m getting my hair wet today, or any day!”
I couldn’t help it; I cracked up.

At this point Kim was literally trying to coax Karyn out of the pool.

“Look at you,” she purred. ‘Just look at you swimming. You’re doin’ it, girlfriend. You are doing it!”
My arms had stopped flailing, even though I still knew I was gonna die any minute now.
“Feeling better?”
I think I nodded.

We crammed our poster board with a kaleidoscope of colors. Jocelyn’s paper began to fill up with different-sized ovals—each one perfectly symmetrical. Then she filled each one with three more perfectly shaped ovals. And then each of those had three. Whoa.

But before I had the chance to say anything, Trinity clapped her hands for our attention. “Okay, my Fiery Falcons, are you ready for Fire Time?”
Fire what? Despite our confusion, our counselors shouted, almost in unison, “Yes! Fire Time!”

At home, if I’m out late at night, I might see a few milky white dots in the sky—maybe the moon if it wasn’t hiding behind clouds. But here, each star popped proudly through the inky darkness. There had to be a million of them. If she were here, Mrs. V would have had me learn a million adjectives to describe what I was seeing. Blazing. Dazzling. Glistening. Luminous.

Small as Cassie was, as she stood in the firelight, she loomed large. “Welcome to Fire Time, campers,” she called out.

After a few more songs—which nobody seemed to know all the words to, so we just made stuff up, which made us laugh even harder—the fire began to dwindle, and so did I. That’s when I saw it—flitting over Jocelyn’s head, as if it was attracted to the sound of her voice—a lightning bug.

“Why do they glow like that?” Karyn asked, straining to see. The boy bent forward to show her, too.
“To send a message!” I typed out quickly. The boy looked at me for a moment, then nodded his head in agreement. He had thick, tousled curls and almond-shaped eyes that reflected the firelight. He. Was. Cute. And he never really stopped moving—sort of like the lightning bugs in his hands.

The firefly boy gave a laugh, but then said, “We should let them go. Maybe they can find some glowworms and have a party!” His voice sounded a little hoarse, like he’d been gargling dirt or something.

“These hooks are called carabiners, just like the folks who climb Mount Everest use,” Kya explained.

“I...I was like...the wind!” she whispered to me as soon as she was down.
After everyone got a slew of chances to zip down that incredible contraption again, we headed back to camp. Rolling in my chair seemed soooooooo boring.