SPEAKER_01 1:05

Chapter 6. I sneak back into the apartment like a jewel thief, making sure I don't jiggle the key in the lock or close the door too hard. I even hold Peeves by his collar as we walk, keeping his tags pressed to my palm so they don't rattle and make any sound. Even with all of this, I totally expect to get caught and punished, since the clock shows I've been gone over three hours, and no one watches the clock like my dad. I get to my bedroom free and clear though. At least it seems like that. There's not even a note on my bed or desk instructing me to come to his office when I get home. He does that sometimes when he wants to make sure I know I've broken the rules. But there's nothing, which is either super scary or crazy lucky. Just to be on the safe side, I climb into bed and try to make it look like I've been home napping for a while. If he already knows, it doesn't really matter anyway. Peev jumps up and snuggles next to me, and his big warm body makes me feel calm and safe. Turning my back to the door, I pull the compass and copper ball out of my pockets and take another look. Rolling the ball around on my bed, I try again to remember why I felt so sure that it's connected to my mom. My cheeks flush a little because it's the one and only thing I've ever stolen in my entire life. Even if it doesn't mean anything specific, it makes me feel a little closer to her. Like it's a little key to who she was back then, and maybe even to who she might be now. Wherever she is. Let the compass be your guide. I picture Miriam's face when she said that. How happy and certain she looked. Why does it matter so much? And why me? Glancing down at the compass, I realized for the first time that it looks like it's made of the same copper metal as the ball. Is that a coincidence? I flip it over, checking for marks, inscriptions, buttons, secret compartments, but there's nothing. I peer at its face, trying to figure out the marks, what it could mean, but they just look like random squiggles. How in the world can this thing lead me anywhere? And then it hits me. I need to know more about my mom. My body stings at that thought, since no kid should ever have to think such a thing. Moms are supposed to be there, checking homework, putting notes in lunchboxes, smiling over birthday cakes, and hanging family pictures all over the house. They're not supposed to be gone, like vanished, with no reason or explanation, just a stupid little excuse, like the world needs her expertise. What about me? What about what I need? Frustrated and restless and working really hard not to let the tears take over, I move out from under the covers, which makes Peev grumble. You can keep napping, boy. I'll be back in a little bit. I rub his head between the ears until he sighs and closes his eyes. Then I set out to see what else I can learn about my mom. Putting myself in ninja mode, I slip out of my room, making sure to close the door so that Peev can't follow me. I definitely don't need his bull in the china shop style of help right now. Then I tiptoe down the hall and across the living room toward my dad's office. Once I hit the hallway, I know I'm home free. He's snoring nice and loud, which means that if he wakes up, the silence will tell me. I peek past the doorway and see him sprawled on the couch. Best of all, his phone is nowhere near him, so maybe he didn't even set an alarm this time. Good thing he was up so early this morning. Knowing every minute counts, I dash back through the apartment to my dad's bedroom. I pause in the doorway and listen to make sure I can still hear the snoring. There it is, loud as ever. I step inside and realize I'm holding my breath. I've been avoiding this room for a very long time. The furniture's the same, though it looks a lot smaller than it used to. But the comforter and curtains are totally different. All autumn browns and golds. I close my eyes for a second, picturing the airy greens and whites that used to make my parents' room feel like a leafy fairyland. I guess I understand why that might have been hard for my dad to look at once our fairy took flight. My stomach starts to hurt a little, and I open my eyes and go back to the doorway for a snoring check. All good. My first stop is the closet, but there's not much in there. My dad's not exactly a flashy dresser, and it doesn't look like he holds on to much either. There are only two shoe boxes on the shelf, but they just have shoes inside. So no mystery there. I try the dresser next. Looking through his socks and underwear drawers, his cargo shorts drawer, and his belt and handkerchief drawers. Nothing. I start to think this is a bad idea, not worth the risk. And then it hits me. When I stow things I want to keep, but I don't want anyone else to notice, where do I put them? Under the bed, of course. Heart pounding, and because I probably shouldn't be in here much longer, I drop to the floor and there, pushed all the way up to the wall, directly under the headboard, I see a box. It's not big, but it's not small, and I scurry to the other side of the bed to reach it. My hopes rise and fall as I pull it toward me. What are the odds that this is actually what I'm looking for? I hold my breath and drag it out into the open and then gasp when I see Sophia in sharp black letters on the top. Holy cow, I think, as I press my hand against the cardboard and that odd bubbling sensation takes over my body again. I seriously can't believe I found something. Or honestly, that my dad left something here to be found. The bad news is that the box has flaps, not a lid, and the worst news is that the flaps are taped. Chewing my lip, I try to decide if it's worth a risk cutting it open. Maybe it would be smart to make sure that I have more of the same kind of tape before I do this. What in the world? I freeze. Crumbs, I should have taken a snoring reading before I went after the box. I drop my chin to my chest, take a deep breath, then push myself to my feet and face him. His eyes, as dark and narrow as I've ever seen them, make me shiver. Hi, I murmur. That's what you're going with? Hi? His sneer makes him ugly, more like a movie villain than my dad. I swallow hard, fighting for whatever words will do. I um I was just thinking about mom today, and I started to wonder if any of her stuff was still here. I went to ask you, but you were sleeping. So then you just skipped the permission step entirely, Coral Tiny flicker of fury warms my chest. Well, she is my mother. He raises just one brow. Meaning what? I lick my lips. It's so hot in this room. Did the air conditioning just go out? The eyebrow demands an answer, and I try to stand taller, just that I have the right to know about her. You do know about her all you need to know. He bends down and picks up the box. That sets me off. I suddenly didn't care if I get in trouble, which I certainly will, or if I hurt his feelings, which I probably already have. He knows things about my mother, my missing mother, that he's never shared. Who does he think he is? She wasn't just yours, I tell him. My voice is wobbling. She was never mine, he says, much quieter than I would have expected. I start to feel a little bad, but I also see an opening. Then give it to me he scowls, looking more confused than angry. What? Give the box to me if you don't want it. I need to know more about her. His eyes drill into mine, and for a second I think I see a tear at the corner of his eye. Regret washes over me, and I take a step closer. Maybe he just needs a hug. Don't even think about it, he snaps, and lifts the box out of my reach. Nothing in here will make you feel better about her abandoning us. I feel my mouth pop open and the air leave my body. He might as well have just kicked me in the gut. I watch him blinking and swallowing back tears. I will not let him see. Go to your room, he says, and this time you will not leave except to use the bathroom or get something to eat without my express permission. I can't find a single thing to say. Is whatever's in that box worth this? As I stomp out of the room, I make a vow to find out. No matter what.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

Hi everyone, this is Lucy again, and just to recap on chapter six, Coral goes back home, and after her meeting with Mimi, she's left with all of these questions about her mom and what is going on. And so she gets curious and wants to learn a bit more about her mom. And so she goes snooping around her dad's bedroom and she finds this box. But then she gets caught by her father, which leads us into even more questions as to why her father is trying to hide her mother from her. And I'm just really excited to see learn a bit why her father doesn't want Coral learning too much about her mom.