Sarah could feel the accusatory stare of the notebook peeking out of her backpack as she sat on her sister’s bed. She was supposed to study, but spending the afternoon with her little sister always seemed more important. They didn’t even live in the same city, and yet Sarah spent the weekends visiting her whenever she could. What were a few extra shifts for a 4-hour plane ride to see Jess? Occasionally, her father paid for the tickets, and even attempted to spend some time with her. It never lasted very long.
“Joke’s on them. There are a lot of cool things you can do inside.” Sarah scrunched up her nose and picked up her backpack, pulling out a copy of ‘King Solomon’s Ring’ she brought along for her sister. “I thought you might like that.”
Being grounded had, in Jess’ opinion, been wholly unjustified. It was not as if she had gotten hurt (nor in such a case, would she have been getting grounded in the ambulance) but her mother had been unwavering in her strict punishment. No matter how crestfallen the seven-year-old had looked, it hadn’t been enough to warrant release of the new guidelines for her behavior. And to Jess, who adored climbing in the trees of the new estates, the prospect of seven weeks (seven!) leashed to the indoors seemed a fate worse than death. Or at least Math class.
At Sarah’s response, however, her head popped up from the pillows. “Yeah?” Eyes shone brightly with mischief and wonder, a dire need to see her enclosure broken. As they skated across the cover of the book, she released a soft squeal and smiled eagerly. “You remembered!” Not that Sarah ever would forget; she rarely did, unlike Jess’ mother and their father, who frequently misremembered at the most inopportune moments.