Each of Us a Universe: Chapters 6–12

“You her accomplice?” Abner asked Rosine as he dragged Cal into the store.

“Her dissertation focused on the study of micrometeorites. Otherwise known as stardust.”

“Truth be told, meteorites have a long history of being considered mystical. There are many cultures from Native Americans to the Inuit of Greenland—all the way to ancient cultures in Greece and Rome—that believe meteorites possess spiritual qualities.”

“Although it has never been tested, many believe it is a meteorite. To say that it is an object of great spiritual significance in the Muslim world would be an understatement. The mystical stone is believed to date back to the time of Adam and Eve and is the centerpiece of an ancient Muslim pilgrimage known as the Hajj—a sacred journey where worshippers kiss the stone just as the Prophet Mohammed once did.”

“Although it has never been tested, many believe it is a meteorite. To say that it is an object of great spiritual significance in the Muslim world would be an understatement. The mystical stone is believed to date back to the time of Adam and Eve and is the centerpiece of an ancient Muslim pilgrimage known as the Hajj—a sacred journey where worshippers kiss the stone just as the Prophet Mohammed once did.”

She wanted to believe, but the legend was like the crux of an especially difficult climb, and she felt as if she were barely holding on by her fingertips.

Suddenly the room felt hot and stuffy. She wanted to run away beneath the forest canopy, where she could breathe again, but something held her back.

“People said it was impossible to free-climb the technical route on El Capitan called the Nose until Lynn Hill did it. And they said a woman couldn’t summit Everest until Junko Tabei proved them wrong,” Mr. Demsky scoffed.

“We’re in a cave. On a mountain. Explain to me what’s so private about that.”
Cal’s eyebrows furrowed.

Cal blinked at this answer. There was something raw about this girl. She wasn’t wrong.

Her mother’s voice seemed to falter. “They think it’s too late.”

Simon’s father isn’t well. Both of his parents are frail.

At school, Cal made her way to homeroom feeling as if she were in a trance. The hallways held their usual chaos, but Cal couldn’t hear anything.

But she’d been sick plenty of times with colds, the flu, even pneumonia once.

The guys from Stone Age Rock Gym got new equipment. They’re donating what they don’t need to the school to encourage kids to learn to climb. They’ve even provided harnesses and climbing shoes.

The climbing wall really was beautiful. Colorful plastic fixtures of different sizes dotted its length from floor to ceiling—bright reds, cerulean blues, sunshine yellows.

Ms. Adelman took a belayer’s stance, feet separated and knees slightly bent.

Cal became mesmerized by Rosine’s movements. It was as if she were dancing upward in some kind of climbing ballet.

At first Rosine’s shoulders seemed to hunch in surprise when her body began to lower, but she quickly caught on, walking backward down the wall as if she’d done it a million times.

Remember, you might look at the rock one moment, and it will seem like there’s nowhere to go and that all that’s left is to quit and fall. But if you’re patient and examine it carefully, you’ll find its weaknesses—a crack, a crevice, a knob. Next thing you know, you’ll have found your way up.

The sound of the bell announcing the start of lunch jolted Cal from her daydream.

“Scott!” Mr. Lopez exclaimed. He put the book down. “Am I allowed to call you that when no one is around?”
Cal nodded sheepishly.

Then she drew on eyebrows that Cal thought gave her kind of a surprised look and tinged her cheeks and lips pink.

Cal wanted to smile back, but she couldn’t even muster an inside smile.

He wore a khaki jumper with PRISONER boldly stamped on the back.

Her breath became shallow and labored.

That place—that room—was stifling her. She worked to picture her mountain with its trees and dirt smells.

The ride home was quiet except for the music that came in and out when the radio found reception.

Tonia popped up next to her, looking sleek in her black-and-purple Mal costume.

She’d loved the costume when Mom first showed it to her, but now it seemed drab and silly next to their shiny outfits.

Mom started doing something funky with her feet as she waved her arms in the air and threw her head back.

She thought back to the snide comments the Bee Girls whispered loud enough for her to hear: thief, liar, pathetic.

The radio seemed to lose the station again. Static crackled over its speakers.

Rummaging through a drawer, she found her father’s climbing go-bag.

Her father’s water bottle would be important since it also acted as a purifier. She grabbed that and filled it to the brim before tucking it in her side pocket.