Page 116 of Grown

“What you wanna know about that for?” Mom asks, Daddy still holding her hand.

Mr. Pulley gives me a curious glance but combs through his files.

“Yeah, uh, sure. Right here.”

I scan down the itemized list. No watch. But I know I saw the watch. I remember the light hitting it before he hit me.

Or am I confusing that with Atlanta? It’s all a blur...

“What are you looking for?”

All the grown-ups in the room stare at me. I grip the folder, weighing my options. If I tell them what I’m thinking, they may think I’m really crazy. Not even sure if the theory makes sense, and I hate upsetting Mom. If only there was a way to prove that watch was on Korey.

“Um, nothing.”

Mr. Pulley raises an eyebrow. “Enchanted, is there anything you want to tell me?”

I shake my head.

“OK. Well... you’ll have two days to turn yourself in. I suggest you... spend time with your family. Then be ready to fight like hell!”

Chapter 82

A Visit

As birds chirp to the rising sun, I hear the unmistakable sounds of an old clanking engine puttering to a stop in the driveway. The squeaky storm door slams. Then Mom’s snappy voice interrupts the peace of the morning.

“What are you doing here? And at this time of day!”

“I still get the news,” a woman answers back, and my chest tightens.

Silence falls between them.

“All right, come on then,” Mom yells. “Let’s hear it!”

“Hear what?” the woman says, amused.

“The ‘I told you so’ speech. Go on. That’s what you came here for, right?”

“Don’t need to tell you something you already know.”

Her words cut deep. They always have.

“Now, can I see my granddaughter or are you going to keep me out here all day?”

“We... have to bring her in tomorrow,” Mom sniffles through tears.

“Then let me have today.”

In the distance, green water spirals into waves, barreling toward me. I tread for a moment, then kick hard in their direction, before they’re too treacherous, and split them sideways.

The waves foam white as they hit the sandy shore. Nearby, Grandma pops up from under the water.

“Ooo... water nippy today. Skin can’t seem to get warm.”

From some angles, Grandma looks like Ursula fromThe Little Mermaid. A shock of short snow-white hair, skin a tint of purple, a round tummy, and a boisterous laugh, her tentacles everywhere at once, enough to wrangle me and the Littles.

We’re buoyed in silence as another wave forms in the distance. I swim toward it, Grandma on my tail. Even at her old age, Grandma is an excellent swimmer. Taught me everything I know about the unpredictable ocean, its propensity for violence. Those lessons were lost on land.