Gen Two- Chapter Six

The salty scent of the ocean wind rolling off the waves crashing onto the shore was both familiar and entirely foreign at the same time. I had lived next to the ocean my whole life, but being in a new place was making the experience exhilarating again for me. I'm sure there was something simply a little different in the air and water in Tropic Luna too though.

I never would have guessed that the question Aunt Purity wanted to ask my mom was if she could take me, my friends, and mom on a vacation to the popular islands. Mom had said it was fine for me to go, although she had declined to come along herself. Her morning sickness was just not letting up. She did want to join the rest of us, but the idea of spending half a day on a crowded airplane with her stinking up the isolated space due to her vomiting made her nauseated in itself. Aunt Purity had given her a bunch of free passes to one of the spa parlors the Spring family owned. Uncle Frost and Aunt Sunflower had come along instead to help keep an eye on all of us kids.

As I watched the four adults talk, I had to avoid letting embarrassment wash over me. The idea for this trip hadn't sprung up out of nowhere. Uncle Sap and Aunt Purity thought it up because they knew mom was feeling down, but also all of the adults had grown concerned over me. I had heard the word "depressed" be whispered a lot among them in the days following my little adventure to the grove, for Midas, the little snitch, had told his dad about me crying. That information had been quickly passed on to my mom, which had led to me getting a lighter lecture and punishment than I would have gotten, so I suppose I couldn't be too mad at my friend. I knew the depressed everyone was talking about wasn't the one that meant I was simply sad for a time. Mom had even hinted that she would want me to talk to some counselor or therapist or whatever if I didn't perk up on my own relatively soon.

As it was, the likely-hood of that happening was now rather low. I had actually worked through things pretty well on my end. Having that good cry had helped me more than I wanted to admit, and I felt incredibly more content understanding I did have a strong support system to rely on. I was obviously still upset about a lot of things, but I was finding those outlets to allow me to cope better with it all. And, as hard as it was to admit, I was getting used to not having dad around. I don't think I had fully accepted his disappearance or his probable death. However, I stopped hoping he would be back every single time I walked through the door. I focused on how things would have to work now instead of wasting away time on wishing they would be different.

My friends made it vastly difficult to stay in a bad mood for long too. Them acting as they always had was now what I needed the most. It was that wish I was getting. I was still standing there taking in the sights when a flash of red streaked in the corner of my eyes before my shoulder and neck broke apart the water balloon hurled at me to drench my person in shocking cold water.

     "Azure!"

But he was already running away. Midas was his new target.

I shrugged off the attack and watched my friend go after my other friend with amusement. Unlike what typically happens, our plane actually arrived super early to our destination. We were so early, in fact, that we weren't able to check into the resort yet. That had led to us hanging out at the beach while we ate the classic staple of hot dogs to tide us over until we got have a go at the resort's buffet. Midas had slipped a package of water balloons in his mom's purchase at the store, and he and Azure had apparently found some place to fill them up. I hadn't wanted to get wet while still being clothed, but the heat was so ridiculously hot that I couldn't complain about the sneak attack at all. It was taking all my will not to slip off my shirt, shoes, and socks to go splash around the in the ocean water. It was a blue like I had never seen.

Aside from taking that one hit, I stayed out of the fight. The girls made sure to stay away from the chaos as well, so we were the first four to gets dibs at the food. We were ravished after the long flight where they had only been some nuts and chips to munch on. Quiet at first as we ate, conversation soon turned to an interesting topic that would continue to be an important focus during the rest of the trip.

     "Mom swears it's true. She said that she's seen it twice on trips here." I professed.
     "She was probably just lying to encourage your imagination, which can be a little too overactive sometimes." Holly rolled her eyes at me.
     "Even I don't believe it," Mimosa added, "I like legends and myths, but a mysterious moving island that can be there one moment and gone the next? There's no way something like that exists."
     "Exactly. It's as real as that hidden cave filled with stolen treasure behind the waterfall at the freshwater lake back home." Holly laughed.

Her laughter was echoed by more laughter behind us. Mimosa and I turned around to see Uncle Sap coming back over to the table.

     "The island 'legend' is actually quite true." he said brightly.
     "What? No way." Holly frowned as she looked at him skeptically.
     "I promise it is. I've come to this place almost every year of my life, and I've seen the island loads of times. It was caused by a natural phenomena called transitory cracking, in which a small piece of a large island not connected to the ocean floor is eroded in such a way that that piece is broken off from the mainland to become free floating in the water- carried and moved by currents and wind."

He spoke so confidently that Holly's expressions of disbelief vanished, but a suspicious grin spread across Uncle Sap's face and he laughed even louder.

     "The weight of the island is supported by dolphins tasked with keeping the land afloat by the orders of their mermaid overlords, who have hidden on the island their sanctuary on where they can grow legs thanks to the power of a wishing well crafted by fairies and water sprites of old." he concluded.

All four of us groaned.

     "I actually believed him for a moment." Mimosa mumbled with a defeated grin, turning back around to finish her hot dog.

Uncle Sap took a seat next to us to begin eating himself and to explain that floating islands did exist, but that they were made up of things such a tangled plants and mud. He also said that part of the island legend was that there was a well on the island that would grant a wish to whoever was able to make it onto the island successfully. Holly, Mimosa, and I listened just for the entertainment value, but it was Rosemary who was really into the story. Uncle Sap told her all the stories he had heard of the supposed magical island until it was finally time to check in at the resort. The others chose to wander and check out the place while Uncle Sap talked to the woman at the counter. The brief exchange with her was what kept on pushing the fascination with the legend forward.

     "I apologize for the inconvenience." she apologized as she finished handing all the key cards over, "Especially since your family has been such constant visitors here."
     "No worries. I was keeping the newcomers all entranced by familiarizing them with the story of the Wishing Well Island." Uncle Sap responded.
     "Ah, that tale. I actually like to think that it's true. I've seen so much evidence from Mr. Tide, who is probably the local who has done more research into the island than any other person on the planet. He's always willing to talk about it to anyone who will listen."
     "I have heard of that name over the years. Maybe if we bump into him, what he knows might be worth a listen."

Uncle Sap said that in a mostly joking manner, but my curiosity was intrigued beyond reason.

There were four rooms in total for us. One for us younger boys, one for the girls, and then one for each pair of adults. Aunt Sunflower was adamant about making us unpack at least a little after we dropped off our suitcases, but we could not be held back long by things such as putting our clothes into a dresser. I wanted to walk around and explore all the cool little rooms filled with different things to do, but I had to see where Midas and Azure were so eagerly dashing off to. Azure led the way out of our room, down some steps, through the door leading to the back of the resort, down a hallway, and finally up some steps to where the main dining area was.

     "This is heaven." Midas gushed in awe with wide eyes.
     "I see this every year, but it's just as miraculous every time." Azure added on, his expression doe-eyed and loving at the sight of all the food.
     "And you spoiled your appetite on silly hot dogs." Midas then shook his head at me.
     "Something I was quite content with. I'll have plenty of time to stuff myself later. I want to actually do something." I responded.

My comment was practically ignored. The ravenous hunger of my two friends could not be held back any longer. They dived for plates and ran back and forth near the table to pile the oddest assortment of various types of food together. I did break down a bit to quickly sample some of the stuff I have never tried before, like the lobster and other seafood, but soon I left the area to spend my time on other matters.

Our group had already scattered sufficiently. I could only find Holly, and she demanded I go swimming with her. There were no complaints on my part. I had thought I was good at handling the heat, but the difference between hot at home and hot in the tropical islands was wholly immeasurable. The place was scorching! Mom said she found she liked coming during early fall as the temperatures were much more manageable and the amount of other tourists was decreased considerably. So far, I had to agree with her conclusion.

     "Stop hogging the waterfall!" Holly demanded in her typical loving, bossy manner.
     "Never!"

As I had been doing, I pressed my back against the pool wall to push Holly away with my feet when she tried to pull me out from under the stream of water. She had tried to grab my feet and drag me  that way, but with her having nothing else to grab onto and me being able to grab the wall it left me the victor anyway.

     "Selfish brat!" she pouted at me.
     "Spoiled brat!" I retorted right back at her with a huge smirk, sticking my tongue out too for good measure.

It was all in good, friendly fun. Holly calling me selfish and me calling her spoiled had been going on for as long as I could remember. Our play fight escalated into a play war. Having a big pool in my backyard and Holly coming over pretty much every day meant that we were quite adept swimmers. We zoomed all over the place like torpedoes trying to bother the other as much as possible. It was a good thing there weren't many other guests about yet, as we most likely would have bothered them so much too that we would have been either asked to calm down or leave the pool area entirely. Our high energy playing did not last all that long though- what with us having spent a good portion of the day on a plane and whatnot. Holly and I were thinking of ceasing our swimming entirely, but then we spotted a man opening up the pool bar. We swam over hopeful to check it out.

     "No kids allowed. Resort's rules." the bartender rejected us as we got closer, and he didn't take his eyes away from the glass he was cleaning.
     "Not even to get a cup of water?" Holly wondered with a hint of a frown.
     "No kids allowed." the guy repeated, a bit arrogantly this time.
     "We can't even sit down on the stools?" I pouted.
     "What part of 'no kids allowed' don't you two get? No means no regardless of the circumstances. Like I said, the resort doesn't want the tourists' minions around their alcohol. Even if it wasn't their rule, it would be mine. The adults give me enough hassle. I refuse to subject myself to their entitled offspring too."
     "We should just go ahead and leave then," Holly spoke to me, huffing at the man's haughty attitude, "I actually really want to find out more about that Wishing Well Island."
     "Pfft. That's just a gimmick made up by the city to lure the tourists all around so they're more likely to spend their money. I'm not even kidding. They send you from person to person, each of whom has their own practiced script to repeat. They keep on telling you to go to some other business until all the 'leads' go dead."
     "You know, for someone who doesn't want to deal with 'entitled offspring' you're sure eager to butt right back into the conversation." I rebuked the nosy bartender, spraying a light splash his way.
     "Watch yourself kid." he gave me a chastising glance from over his sunglasses as he hurriedly took a step back to prevent his clothes from getting wet.
     "Stop bothering to acknowledge his existence. It'll just engorge his already obnoxious ego," Holly told me with a side smirk, "Seriously, let's still see if we can do some digging about the island. Even if it is just a gimmick, it sounds like a scavenger hunt. Those are always fun."
     "Sounds good to me." I agreed.

We swam to the nearest ladder, ignoring the man's head shaking he was doing as we departed.

Holly and I hit a bit of a delay. The stench of the pool's chlorine was too overwhelming, so we decided to take quick showers. I thought I went through mine fast, but Holly had finished hers, blow-dried her hair, and had fallen asleep waiting for me. The exhaustion of the long day creeping in, I set the room's alarm to go off in half an hour. I joined her for a quick nap, and she and I were both grateful for it when we woke up. We sought whoever was around after that. We came across Uncle Sap and Aunt Purity first. They were on the second floor terrace that overlooked the front of the resort. Holly saw nothing wrong about going up to them, but I hesitated to follow her. The two were snuggled up standing next to each other as they merely talked. It seemed wrong to interrupt them when they were clearly so off in their own little world. There was also the fact that I wanted to run away from them because of how seeing the two of them swirled various negative emotions within my chest. With Aunt Purity being white like mom, it didn't take much effort for me to see mom and dad standing next to that railing instead. Hurt was what I was left with when reality snapped to remind me that I would never see my parents together like that again.

I took a deep breath and decided to deal with those feelings later if they were still bothering me. I really was getting better at recognizing the bad emotions but not letting them drag me down. Uncle Sap and Aunt Purity not minding being interrupted help me to cheer up again as well.

     "You want to follow the Wishing Well Island's trail, huh?" Aunt Purity said wistfully, folding her arms after Holly explained our idea.
     "The guy at the pool's bar said it was nothing but a farce to get tourists around the islands so they would spend their money more." I did feel the need to say.
     "I didn't want to spoil your enthusiasm earlier, but that truly is how it is," Uncle Sap confirmed, "My parents took Bud, Chio, and me on it several times. They're constantly changing the clues so you go somewhere different every year."
     "I still think it sounds like a fun scavenger hunt." Holly said determinedly.
     "I suppose it can be one if you think of it that way." Uncle Sap responded with a little shrug.
     "I think it sounds like fun too," Aunt Purity encouraged, "It's definitely something I haven't done here yet. It could be a good change from just lazing about, swimming, or soaking up the sun. Besides, it's not exactly like we're struggling for money. I'm always down for a good shopping trip."
     "I can't say the same for how I feel about your shopping trips..." Uncle Sap mumbled unenthusiastically.
     "So, it's settled. We're going on the hunt. You can stay here if you'd like, Sap," Aunt Purity determined, "Does anyone else want to come?"
     "We haven't asked anyone else yet." I said.
     "Let's go check with the others then."

No one else wanted to come besides Rosemary. Midas and Azure were stuffed motionless after their feast at the buffet. They couldn't even manage the strength to get off their lounge chairs they were flopped on. Uncle Frost and Aunt Sunflower were nowhere to be found. Mimosa was having fun playing in the resort's arcade. That left the four of us. Rosemary was an eager companion though. She was just as excited, if not more excited, as Holly about the prospect of finding the magical island. However, the scavenger hunt didn't pan out as intended. Holly, Rosemary, and I couldn't participate in getting the first clue from the Mr. Tide the receptionist had mentioned. He worked at the tattoo parlor, and, exactly like the pool's bar, kids weren't allowed inside. We had to wait outside while Aunt Purity got the clue.

     "If there was actually a wishing well that could give you any wish, what would you ask for?" Holly asked me to help pass along the time.
     "Well...you know, I mean...my dad," I spoke softly with a tiny smile, and I pressed forward before things got awkward because it was clear Holly felt bad and a tad silly for asking such an obvious yet painful question, "What about you?"
     "Hmm, I think it'd be fun to be able to fly."

I laughed.

     "And you, Mary?" I wondered.
     "Mine's a secret." she said instantly.
     "Oh, come on. That's no fun." Holly pouted teasingly.
     "But your wishes don't come true if you tell other people about them, right?" Rosemary pointed out.
     "That is usually what they say." I had to agree.

And what the bartender and Uncle Sap said was correct too. Aunt Purity got the first clue, and we were sent all over the islands to different business and tourist attractions. It was quite clear nothing we were doing would reveal to us the existence of a mysterious island, but that didn't mean we didn't have fun. A few times we got nothing but information. Most of the times there were challenges to figure out though. They were things ranging from riddles to having to find certain items in shops within a set time limit. It was indeed a scavenger hunt. We did end up spending a decent amount of money on stuff we came across. However, none of us regretted it in the slightest. The game was clearly well set up as even though it was just a gimmick it was great fun. It was in-depth as well. The four of us only got halfway done with the hunt by the time the sun started to set. It was time to head back to the resort, but that was lucky as well for it enabled us to fulfill the last challenge laid out before us for that day- one of our group members had to complete a firewalk. The resort had one set up for willing participants to try out. The only problem...

     "No kids allowed." the frustrating bartender called out to us merrily as the firewalk was set up behind his station.
     "Seriously? My name is Coal! I should be allowed to walk on actual coals!" I complained.
     "What on earth possessed your parents to give a red nugget like you that sort of name?" he bantered back as he wiped at his counter.
     "I'm named after my grandfather- who was the coal that lit the blaze!" I boasted defiantly.
     "Okay, sure, whatever that means," the bartender chuckled, "It doesn't change the fact that no kids are allowed on that firewalk. Risks too many lawsuits if all the kiddies burn their feet off."

I pouted further, but there was nothing to be done. I did understand the logic behind prohibiting kids to participate in the activity. With Aunt Purity nervous about walking on the coals, Uncle Frost was the one to take on the challenge. Midas instantly ran over when he heard was his dad was about to do. Uncle Frost spent several minutes with Aunt Purity and them looking on their phones to learn the proper technique to avoid him scalding his skin. Nerves did start to hit him when he was prepped to start, but he took a bold step forward after doing a tiny jump to heighten his adrenaline.

Uncle Frost did rather well. He cleared the thing in a few brief seconds. It was only his last step or two where he showed any signs of the heat bothering him. Thankfully, no real damage was done. Holly ran off to get some aloe for his feet just in case while Aunt Purity got the bartender to sign the paper we had been given for the challenge, which required a local's signature to confirm that they witnessed the walk being done legitimately.

I got to stuff myself from the buffet in its full glory for dinner. We went down as a whole group to the nearby beach to watch the sun sink and the stars rise. A random flurry of fireworks were shot off in the distance, letting us get the enjoyment of the surprise light show. Then we went back to the resort, and pretty much everyone collapsed right into their beds. So much had been crammed into one day. Just the afternoon had gone on for so long it felt as if it had been yesterday morning that we had been on a plane and not that very morning instead. I was ready to crash too, but then I noticed that something was off. Holly was already asleep when I met Mimosa in their room to give her the goodnight hug she demanded. I hadn't seen Rosemary, but I assumed she was in the bathroom. Then I began walking back to the boys' room when I realized to door to their bathroom had been open. Rosemary hadn't been in there.

Curiosity and a hint of concern getting the better of me, I walked around the resort after pressing my ear against the adults' doors to confirm that she wasn't with them. Thankfully, it didn't take me too long to find Rosemary. She was sitting further south past the firewalk. I approached her slowly as I could tell something was off, although she gave me a small smile when I sat down next to her.

     "I know the Wishing Well Island doesn't exist, so I'm hoping to see a shooting star instead." she explained before I could ask any questions.
     "You really want a wish that bad?"

Rosemary nodded solemnly.

     "There's a problem I'm having, and I want it to just go away." she admitted softly.

Naturally, that only made me even more concerned for my friend. It also made me feel incredibly guilty. I hoped Rosemary's problem wasn't a problem that she had been dealing with for a long time, because I hadn't noticed anything off with her. I hadn't noticed in the slightest that something was wrong. With how my friends had stepped up for me, I wanted to return the favor whenever I could.

     "What's the problem?" I inevitably asked after several seconds of silence.
     "You remember that one day when my dad got that phone call that made him really angry?" Rosemary started after hesitating, and she continued when I nodded, "His shouting didn't scare that attorney away. He's pressing forward with the case. Mom and dad finally told me about it a week ago."
     "What's the case about then?" I wondered.
     "My birth mom and birth dad apparently married, and now my birth dad wants custody of me." she revealed in a mumble.

A deep frown instantly appeared on my face, and anger bubbling in my chest matched it. I was so suddenly overcome by the sensation it took me a moment before I found my voice again.

     "Well, there's no way he's going to win! They gave up custody of you! They can't take you back on a whim now that you've found your real family!" I growled.
     "Obviously, my step-dad can never get me back since he was hitting me. My birth mom can't take me back either since she willingly dissolved that right when she told the social workers to put me up for adoption after they tried to place me with her after I was taken away from my step-dad. However, even though my mom knew who my birth dad was she had him marked as unknown on my birth certificate. He's naturally never hurt me, he has a good job and nice house, his record is clean, and he overall seems like a decent guy. There's no apparent reason for him not to win custody...as the courts will always favor the parents by blood over the parents by adoption."
     "Bullshit!" I couldn't help but to swear, "He wasn't unknown! Your birth mother knew who he was, and you probably even met him before. This just feels like one, big deceptive trick!"
     "That is the argument my dad's attorney is going to be focused on. He's already dug up a lot of stuff, as he used to be a private investigator. He knows how to get information. My birth mom was obviously tricking the system in case she ever changed her mind about wanting me back. At the time when she gave up her rights to me, she was even actually dating my birth dad when she told the social workers she had no idea who he was since there was that other option of putting me with him back then. If my birth dad does win custody, she'll technically have custody of me again as my step-mom."
     "No way!"
     "It can't be helped," Rosemary shrugged dismally, "The courts have no reason to prevent me from living with her as she was never charged with neglect or abandonment or anything like that. They can't help it if the woman who gave me up lives in the same house that my birth dad lives in. They can't help it if she gets some sort of possession over me again not as the woman who gave birth to me but as the woman who is married to my birth dad."

My mouth hung open in horrified shock. Rosemary had only been part of our family for a short while. It hadn't been that long of a time where I could look at her and say she was looked happy. Now in a cruel, roundabout way she could end up back in the hands of the dratted woman who abandoned her once by walking right out the door and never coming back and then again when she sent her into the system instead of taking her in. Maybe her birth dad was a decent guy, but I couldn't like him either as he had to have been going along with this outrageous plan on some level. He had known about Rosemary, and he had pretended to hide when he could have taken her in and given her a loving home the first time around.

     "He's not going to win," I repeated with venom, "There's no way he deserves you the most just because he stuck his penis where it didn't belong."

Rosemary giggled, and I had to smile a bit also.

     "I know," she agreed, "Mom and dad have reassured me that they're going to win too. Hunter and Mal have been saying they'll sneak whips and guns and other random weapons into my birth dad's house to help out as well- even though he lives on the other side of the country."
     "I don't know what I can do to help, but I'll do what I can. I'll stay out here with you for however long you want to search for shooting stars."
     "Thanks. If you can, don't tell anyone else about this either. Mom and dad don't want this to turn into a big thing yet. They're hoping they can reason with my birth dad out of court first. Show him that if he really wants what's best for me that he'll let me stay, or something like that. I only told you because I needed to talk to someone else about it, and I know I can trust you."
     "I know the feeling, and I'm glad you felt that you can. I'll keep your secret." I promised.
     "Thanks, Coal. You're a good friend."
     "I'm family." I reminded her.

Rosemary smiled much wider, and she snuggled up against me when I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

We stayed up for way longer than we should have. Rosemary and I watched for shooting stars for a while, but soon she wanted me to teach her more about the constellations and their legends. I had never studied the heavens in any real depth, but with a dad who was an astronomer I knew a lot more than regular people did by default. If a star shot across the sky during that period when I was teaching, we didn't notice it. We did, however, notice the one that sparkled brilliantly as we gave the sky one last glance when we finally decided to go to bed. Rosemary made her wish, and I decided to make one too. She and I went to our respective rooms satisfied, and I knew at least I fell asleep the instant my head touched my pillow. Even Azure's light snoring didn't bother me.

The search for the Wishing Well Island ground to a halt the next day. Aunt Purity turned in our signed confirmation form, but the challenges laid out after that grew ever more complicated. There was apparently a great prize for anyone who made it all the way to the end, but with mine and Rosemary's interest in the non-existent island fading Holly didn't care so much either. We chose to focus our time back on what had been the original schedule for our vacation. The first day had been a free-for-all. There would be a few more days like that, but mostly everything else had been planned out. One of the first things we did that day was go fishing. I had never done it before as dad found it horribly boring and mom hated touching live fish or worms. I don't think I would have liked it either had it just been me or me and one other person. My five friends made sure the hour or so we went at it was interesting though.

Holly and Mimosa provided the most memorable moments. Holly was okay with the worms, so she baited both of their hooks. However, she was adamant about not wanting to touch any fish. Everything was going fine. Then Mimosa was the first one to catch something. Excited about actually having gotten something, she squealed happily and bounced a bit on her toes as she bent down to get it off the hook.

     "Ah, no! Wait! Eww!"

That was her reaction when it dawned on her that she now held a squirming, slimy fish in her hand.

     "Holllly!" she whined at her sister, a disgusted pout on her face as she refused to drop the fish and held it out towards Holly instead.
     "Yuck. Don't expect me to take it." Holly scoffed with a smile, stepping away.
     "Please?" Mimosa pleaded harder.

She bounced on her feet again, and she did it in such a manner that it looked more like she had to go to the bathroom. The fish wriggled harder to slip out of her hand. Mimosa dropped her rod to catch it in both her hands now, but she squeaked in greater disgust as she held it as far away from her as she possibly could.

     "The poor fishie! But it's so gross!" she whined more intently, her voice going slightly uncomfortably high-pitched.
     "Just put it back in the water!" Azure instructed in immense amusement.

With another little shrieking squeak, Mimosa released her catch back to its home. It swam away with a vengeance, and Mimosa washed her hands thoroughly in the salt water.

The rest of the day proceeded much in that same sort of style. My friends and I hung out as the adults took us all over the islands, and there was the occasional hilarious or entertaining hiccup along the way whenever things started to get complacent. Most of the afternoon was spent at the festival set up at the main park. It was similar enough to the ones at home, yet just different enough for it to capture our interest for hours on end. A large part of the reason we spent so much time there was because there was going to be a proper fireworks show once the sun set. It would be too much of a pain to trek back there if we left, especially since Uncle Sap snagged us a good watching spot on the grass. The hours flew by. Everyone else got dinner by buying food from the vendors, but Azure, Rosemary, Aunt Sunflower, and I filled out stomachs in a totally different way. Azure suggested we have a go at the hot dog eating competition. For whatever stupid reason, I agreed to join despite knowing how much of an aching stomach I would be dealing with later. I guess the race was entertaining enough though. I finished second behind Azure, and it was bizarre watching both Aunt Sunflower and Rosemary scarf as many hot dogs as possible down their throats as well. Rosemary wasn't quite able to finish, but she said she felt proud of herself for trying something new. I didn't bother to ask her if she felt the same way after she threw up fifteen minutes later.

That was the point where I got it into my head that I at least wanted to make that day the absolute best I could for Rosemary. We were becoming quite the companions- cousins facing equally complicated, stressful, and painful situations who were going to tough it out together. It quickly became clear to me that Rosemary needed that time as much as I did. A large reason for the vacation was for us to relax and for us, well- initially me, to try and forget about the challenges at home. I got Holly to distract Mimosa so she didn't become too jealous of me focusing on Rosemary so much. She and I went all over the festival. We got our faces painted, skated, threw around some water balloons, started a game of tag, played horseshoes, and all that good stuff. I learned more about my newest friend and cousin in those several hours more than I had in the past several months. Rosemary and I enjoyed ourselves so immensely that when the sun set, the stars reappeared, and another shooting star blazed across the sky before the fireworks decorated the heavens that I didn't realize that I hadn't thought about dad one bit. For that evening and the rest of the vacation, one would never think that I had ever cried about his probable death at all.