The Adventure of a Lifetime (7 page)

She knew the answer, even though she was reluctant to say so.

Amber stared at Betty. She had to admit, she hadn't thought the little weasel had it in her. But when Betty started blushing with embarrassment, she knew the little nine-year-old was just the same as always.
Good
. She didn't need a sassy pants following her around.

Amber broke into laughter. “Okay, so I'll believe you. But I can't help you because I don't really know how to bring you back home.”

Betty had figured so.

“C'mon,” Amber said, and Betty reluctantly stood up. She didn't feel like walking. Where was the car? No cars. Nothing except hot sand under her feet, each muscle pleading for sleep, each step slower than the one before. They walked for what seemed like hours, even though Amber, with her weird perky attitude, said it was only a ten-minute walk.
Yeah, right.

“It's here!” Amber said.

“Great…” Betty said sarcastically.

Having more than one adventure in a day was starting to feel like too much.

***

It had been a long day, but Betty and Amber still looked around the village, this one called Polinia. It looked identical to the previous one and the two girls felt somewhat at home as they took in the familiar surroundings. After taking one last look around Polinia, the two girls headed toward a shabby-looking house. The house had a brown roof and door. There were white curtains—and, suddenly, somebody opened them from the inside. It was a lady with white hair in a bun and a face that looked as if it spied all day on the people who passed her house.

Soon, the lady's icy blue eyes landed on Amber and she beckoned her to come inside. Amber, who seemed to trust the lady, went to the house and Betty reluctantly followed.

The lady opened the door and let Amber in, her face not changing, but when Betty tried to go through the door, the lady closed it right in her face.

Betty, thinking that was very rude, was still curious, and peered through the curtains that covered the glass windows. The lady did not seem to notice, for she was busy talking to Amber. Betty saw that the lady made a lot of hand gestures while she talked and Amber just nodded occasionally. Betty finally saw the lady point at her, and Betty blushed because the lady had known that she had been spying on her. As the lady pointed, she shook her head. Amber then crossed her arms with a serious look on her face. She looked like she was yelling at the lady, the way she was opening her mouth and closing it. Finally, the lady did something that looked like a sigh and then nodded, even though she didn't look that happy about it.

Amber then came outside.

“Mona says we can both stay at her house for the night, although she didn't like the fact that you were going to sleep in her house too. She thinks you might be dangerous. Maybe she can just sense the fact that you're not from ‘our world.' But don't worry, I reassured her that you're perfectly harmless,” Amber reported.

“Who's Mona?”

“Oh yeah. She's in her sixties, but she has a huge temper. She's not a fragile grandma who knits. So don't—whatever you do—get on her nerves.”

“How do you know so much about her?”

Amber looked hesitant.

“Just c'mon,” she said, biting her lip, holding the words in.

“I can come inside?”

“Yeah. Mona says dinner is almost ready and that we should get in there quick if we want to have it warm,” Amber replied and then they both went into the house, Betty feeling less than welcome.

Amber was right—Mona was a monster. She had icy blue eyes and gray hair tied up in a bun. She had a stubby nose and wrinkled skin like an elephant's.

During dinner, in her attempts to make Mona trust and like her, Betty just made things worse!

“So,” Betty said when they were seated around the dinner table. In front of her lay an unfamiliar bowl of soup, and Betty ate it cautiously. “Have you and Amber known each other long?”

“Well, me and Amber—” Mona started.

“Just met!” Amber interrupted, avoiding Mona's eyes. Betty looked at her quizzically, but said nothing.

“Betty, could you pass the soup?” Mona asked sweetly. Too sweetly. Betty ignored it though and reached for the pot of soup in the middle of the table. Finally! Mona started liking her! She talked, at least! That's a sign! Immersed in her thoughts, Betty spilled the pot of soup. Mona gave her a dirty look, and seemed about to yell. Where Amber would've laughed, she stayed silent. In fact, she said nothing, bent over her soup bowl, staring at the broth as if it contained the secrets of the world.

After the dinner episode, Betty was doing the dishes, Amber sweeping, and Mona clearing the table and wiping it down. However, Betty wasn't good with dishes—she had slippery fingers and at times could be very clumsy. And after she broke Mona's favorite dish wasn't the right time to tell the old lady that. Mona was about to burst, but then Amber quietly shook her head. Mona bent over, swept up the pieces, sighed, and went to sit down. Amber took the dishes from Betty and Betty sat down at the table and rubbed her head like she'd seen her mom do. What had she gotten herself into? She had made Mona's bad list in one night.

Great.

Amber finished the dishes in silence. Ever since dinner started, Amber hadn't talked. And if Amber didn't talk, none of them talked. Because what did Betty have to say to Mona? And Mona to Betty?

After everything had been put away, Amber and Betty joined Mona in the living room. The living room was a surprisingly large room with mocha-colored walls and brown leather couches. A grand table with carved legs, polished to perfection of course, was in the middle of the room, and a fireplace was set into one of the walls. Betty was surprised—the house looked better on the inside than the outside.

Betty sat next to Amber as Mona pulled out a photo album. Amber bulged her eyes out at Mona to signal
NO
. However, Mona just opened up the album to the first page.

“Remember that Amber? You were only four and already swinging vines.”

“Mona, I really don't think…” Amber started.

“And when you were six and got poison ivy?”

“MONA!”

It was the first outburst Amber had had that night. Mona looked at her disapprovingly and continued through the album.

“That was when you lost your pet snake.”

“That was when you got your cellphone.”

“That was when you got your first phone call from the agency.”

While all this was happening, Betty's mind was whirling. How did Mona know all about Amber?

Wait.

Mona seemed quite old—maybe she had a granddaughter. And as for Amber, she didn't have parents, so who would take care of her? Maybe a grandmother. Maybe Mona. Maybe a grandmother named Mona.

Betty didn't know what to do. Amber was Mona's granddaughter? It couldn't be. But it all fit. That was why Amber had stayed silent. That was why she hadn't backed up Betty. That was why she didn't want Betty to see the photo album.

Betty ran. Out the door, through the streets. She didn't think, just ran. She ran as far as she could from Mona's house, stampeding through the silent town. Amber had lied, right when she thought they were getting along. As she thought of Amber, she found herself going to a river. It was a pretty rural area and it was quiet and peaceful.

And then she stopped. Panting, she looked around. There was a sign.
Roaring Rapids
. The river was fierce, creating rough waves and trying to toss anyone in it onto its grassy shores.

Betty sighed. Tears started flowing as she thought of her family. Amber was probably sleeping at Mona's, with a sense of home and security.

And Betty? She lay down on the soft grass, looked up at the stars, and let the quietness of the empty night surround her, making her sobs reduce to almost nothing. Finally, all cried out, she fell asleep in a cushion of grass and drifted off into the night.

A reddish sun rose the next morning. Betty awoke, sighing, refreshed, and itching. Itching? Oh wow, it itched really badly. Everything did. She sat up. Why was she so itchy?

“Told you I didn't want any trouble. I knew I shouldn't have brought you along.” A black shadow blocked the sun, and Betty knew it was Amber's. “I do things better alone, you know.” As she came closer, Betty realized she was holding something.

“Sorry,” Amber said, sitting down next to Betty. She set down a wooden rowboat she had been dragging, then panted a little. Betty watched her, transfixed.

“What?” Amber asked. “Even brave and heroic people like me get tired, you know.” Betty didn't say anything, just watched as Amber opened her backpack and took out some normal cashews.

“Breakfast?” Amber asked. Betty was still holding a grudge, but she was still hungry too. She hadn't eaten anything since dinner last night, and the dinner had seemed light, considering she had spilled the soup.

“Look, I'm sorry. I should've told you, but I thought you would blame her bad behavior on me.”

“Bad behavior? What? She was so nice!” Betty finally joked, hunger taking over. She grabbed the cashews, determined to ration her share, but in seconds, they were gone. Amber started laughing at Betty's joke, rolling on the grass. It was weird seeing her laugh—Amber was usually so serious. Watching Amber in the grass, Betty realized she hadn't felt itchy herself since Amber came, but now that she saw Amber rolling, the sudden urge was back.

“You ready to go on the fiercest ride ever?” Amber asked. Betty sighed.

“Not really, but sure. Where'd you get the boat from?”

“Oh, Mona.”

“Oh,” Betty commented. “Why does Mona have a boat?”

“She said that she liked to go to a serene river and boat there. She doesn't go there now though and the boat was rarely getting used, so she said I could borrow it.”

“I wish we were going to a serene river,” Betty muttered. She had a feeling that the Roaring Rapids weren't going to be so easy to cross.

***

The cashews had left a hollow feeling in Betty's stomach, and the taste of food left her wanting more. “You didn't bring anything else, did you?” she asked hopefully.

Amber handed Betty a piece of bread and a bottle of orange juice.

“Thanks,” Betty said, cramming the bread into her mouth and sipping the orange juice.

“Okay, let's go,” Amber said, once Betty had finished.

“Man, why I am so itchy?” Amber suddenly asked.

“Right? I've been feeling like this since when I woke up. I think it might have been the grass.”

“Betty, look at that sign.”

“What sign?” Betty said, following Amber's finger. Sure enough there was a sign written. in thick black lettering:

Beware! Poisonous Grass.

“Poison!” Betty cried. “How did I not see that? I'm stupid, stupid, stupid,” she said, thumping herself on the head. “Could I die?”

“I don't know. But if you do, you probably wouldn't really die, since you're not from our world.”

“True, but d—”

“Cut the chit-chat. Let's get on with it!” Amber interrupted.

“Yeah, but you're sure—”

“Okay, let's get the boat in the water.” Once she had set it in the water, she shoved Betty onto the back seat. Then she climbed into the front seat. The purple backpack was wedged between them, and Betty, whose knees were already cramping, knew it was going to be a long ride. Amber handed Betty an oar and they both starting rowing, Betty gently and Amber like a maniac.

“I still can't believe Mona's your—”

“I said sorry.”

Now, Betty wasn't usually a temperamental person, but that was the third time Amber had interrupted her and she was getting ticked off, as her mom would say.

“Look Amber, stop interrupting me!” Betty finally said.

“I didn't interrupt you!” Amber said heatedly.

“Yes, you did!”

“Oh, well since you don't want to be with me and my big mouth, maybe we should just paddle faster so you can get away from me.”

“Maybe we should!”

And then Amber grabbed Betty's oar and started paddling on both sides, ferociously, rocking from side to side. And then the boat was rocking too. Betty's back hit the back of the rowboat and she tried to get back on her seat, but couldn't. The waves were tossing her, and she shouted “Amber, stop.” But Amber wouldn't stop, and soon, Betty went overboard.

Amber kept rowing, furious.
How
dare
she!
Betty
was
just
a
big
brat, a tag-a-long, a baby who needed to be watched every second!
Still fuming, she paddled faster and faster, not noticing that Betty had fallen off the boat.

Now—Betty was sure of it—she was going to die. She tried to swim. She had once seen people swimming in the Olympics and they looked like they were just flailing their arms and legs. So, she tried that, too, but it was no use.

Amber still had not noticed that Betty wasn't behind her. When she finally calmed down and looked back, Betty wasn't there, and the boat was still being shot around by the waves.

“Betty, where are you?” Amber cried, while paddling back.

“Betty!” Amber cried again.

Suddenly, a gurgling noise came from the water on Amber's right.
That
must
be
Betty,
she thought, and she paddled toward the gurgling. Betty must have gone all the way down, and that made Amber think. If she swam right into the water, she would lose the boat and then they would both have to swim the rest of the river, until they got to shore. It was either that, or they would have to swim to the poisonous grass. Amber, however, could not save Betty if she did not get out of the boat.