Shining Night Read online

  “Just twenty-eight days left, boy!” I yelled louder to get him excited.

  Dad flung the doors open with Ansley and Ashton hurrying behind him.

  “Love you, Mom!”

  Austin scurried away and my sisters and I followed Dad and headed to the van.

  “Twenty-eight days till what, Lena?” Amber asked.

  “That’s how many days I have left in the fifth grade! Then it’s summer vacation and I can’t wait!”

  Amber took the news and chased behind Dad calling his name until she reached his side.

  She reached him right before he slid the back door open. She wrapped her tiny arms around his khaki pant leg and exclaimed, “It’s almost summer!”

  One-by-one we tossed our book bags, lunchboxes, and water bottles in and hopped into the back of our minivan.

  “I wanted to tell you I have to go out of town today. It’s a quick trip so I won’t be home this evening, but I’ll see you in time for school tomorrow morning, ok?”

  “Ok!” we responded in unison.

  Ansley used the short car ride to school to discuss her upcoming ninth birthday plans, while Ashton and Amber sat in the back talking about how excited they were to be graduating from kindergarten in just a few weeks.

  “Ok, here we are.” Dad’s announcement caused everyone to pause their conversations.

  I glanced down at my watch. The digits 8:12 flashed before my eyes.

  “We only have three minutes! I don’t want to be late today.”

  Dad pulled his car forward until we reached the main school doors. They were already swinging shut.

  Dad let out a deep grunt. “Sorry guys. Love you!”

  “Love you too, Daddy!” we yelled as we hopped out of the van and headed into the big brick building.

  Ansley ran to the left, Amber and Ashton to the right, and I raced straight ahead to Ms. Blount’s history class. I whispered a silent prayer, “Dear God, please let her door still be open.”

  I hated being late to Ms. Blount’s class. She’s my history and language arts teacher. She also happens to be a huge rule follower. So if her door was closed then I would most definitely need to get a tardy pass from the office. Which meant that I would be even later to class than I already was.

  Unfortunately, when I reached room 109, the door was closed.

  I carefully stood on my tiptoes to peek through the skinny glass window next to the door. I wanted to see inside without Ms. Blount seeing or hearing me. Everyone was shuffling around in their backpacks and shoving loose papers into their notebooks. I waited until my eyes met Savannah’s. She flashed a sheepish grin in my direction and quickly looked away.

  Savannah is always on time and prepared. I remember meeting her in the first grade. When I walked into the classroom she was sitting straight against the back of her chair, her feet placed perfectly side-by-side in front her, and she had on a pair of white ruffled socks that matched the two large white hair bows dangling from each side of her head. Her hands were crossed delicately, resting on top of her desk. She looked perfect and I knew right away we would become the best of friends.

  I dropped back down to my heels and exhaled. I marched to the office and filled out the tardy sheet. I crumbled the pink copy with the faded words and stuffed it into my backpack. I balled the white copy up in my left fist and marched right back up to room 109. I knocked on the door, held up the crinkled copy of the white excuse sheet and smiled. Ms. Blount opened the door and welcomed me in.

  “Good morning, Ms. Blount,” I said apologetically.

  “Good morning,” she replied without ever moving her actual mouth. I’m always amazed at how she does that. No expression. No smile. No eye contact. Just a gravelly voice that escapes a tiny hole between her top and bottom lips.

  I handed her the paper as quickly as I could and slid past her through the door and into the room. I spotted my empty chair right next to Savannah, so I headed in that direction to take my place.

  As I walked past Savannah’s desk, I nodded and mouthed, “How’d it go?” She knew I was talking about her weekend at our favorite singer Mallory Winston’s concert, so she gave me a can’t wait to tell you about it, but not now thumbs up and finished coloring in the pattern of funny faces she had already drawn all over her worksheet.

  Great, I thought to myself.

  Ms. Blount was in the middle of explaining how George Washington had never really cut down a cherry tree.

  I put on my glasses, opened my eyes really wide, and tried to focus.

  For some reason it wasn’t working. I just couldn’t seem to stop my brain from drifting into a magical world full of baby Austins swimming in pools of cherry flavored whipped cream clouds surrounded by rainbows and puppy treats.

  Before I knew it, half the day was over and everyone was grabbing their things and heading to lunch.

  “I’m starving! Let’s find Emma,” Savannah announced as we strolled toward the cafeteria.

  Savannah and I scanned the large room until we spotted Emma in the middle of a huge crowd. She was wearing her knee-high white lace socks, her navy uniform skirt with the two large red buttons on the front, and she had her black fringed vest tossed on over her white uniform shirt.

  Emma burst through the crowd chanting, “Lena! Lena! Savannah! Hey, over here!”

  “Hey, girl!” Savannah wrapped her arms around Emma’s neck. “Love the socks.”

  “Me too. But wait until Ms. Blount sees them! You’re gonna get it!” I sneered playfully.

  “Wait—what’s wrong with these?” Emma seemed genuinely surprised by my warning as she knocked her knees together and shrugged innocently.

  I have never been able to figure out how she can get away with being completely out of uniform every day, but she does. It’s probably because Emma knows how to make everyone smile with her silly jokes and spunky smile. She is always ready to have fun and I think even the overly strict teachers like Ms. Blount appreciate that.

  Savannah and I followed Emma to a table mostly full of friends from her homeroom. This is the first year since first grade that the three of us haven’t shared a single class together. We missed her but our friendship is strong enough to survive a few hours apart.

  Emma slid into the open space between two of her friends while Savannah and I sat directly across from them. Deliberately and quietly everyone emptied their lunch bags. I reached into my right pocket and pulled out my sandwich. Then I reached into my left and grabbed a handful of snacks.

  “Still no lunchbox?” Savannah asked

  “Nope, and I’m not ready to tell my mom yet. Anyone want my fruit snacks?” I waved the little blue bag from side-to-side in the air.

  “Oooo, I’ll take them!” Emma reached across the table to grab them but I pulled them back just in time for her hand to land on top of my already smooshed sandwich. We all burst out laughing.

  I put my finger over my open mouth and whispered “shhh,” through my giggles. I could feel Ms. Blount glaring in our direction and I didn’t want anyone to get in trouble.

  “Hurry and eat guys, so we can go outside. We have a lot to talk about!” Savannah urged.

  “Oooo, I almost forgot!” Emma practically screamed.

  “You went to Mallory Winston’s concert! Did you get to meet her? Which songs did she sing?” Emma tossed question after question out to Savannah. Savannah caught each of them and calculated her thoughts before offering any responses. Emma and I were sitting on the edge of our seats filled with anticipation.

  Savannah’s grandmother had given her two tickets for her birthday. Emma and I were pretty sad that we didn’t get to go with her but we didn’t think it would be fair for her to choose just one of us, so we all agreed it would be best if she took her cousin instead. At least one of us got to go. All we needed was for her to tell us all about it!

  “She’ll fill us in after lunch,” I said quietly to try and calm Emma down a bit.

  I could see Ms. Blount moving toward our table.r />
  “Uh-oh.”

  Her steps were long and slow until she was standing in the small space between my back and the fourth grade table behind me.

  I stuffed a few green grapes into my mouth. Savannah took a gulp from her orange water bottle while Emma continued to talk.

  “Savannah, I can’t wait! Please tell me now!”

  “Lena Daniels,” Ms. Blount spoke sternly.

  I wasn’t even talking, I thought to myself.

  I spun around but in slow motion.

  “Yes, ma’am?” I whimpered in a voice of total fear and complete panic.

  “Mr. Lipscomb would like to see you in the science room,” she said. “Finish your lunch and go straight there. You can head right to recess after.”

  I said a quick “yes, ma’am,” and turned back around. I took the last bite of my sandwich and jumped up from the table.

  “Don’t say anything about Mallory until I get back!”

  I doubled my normal walking speed as I headed to Mr. Lipscomb’s room.

  He greeted me at the door and his first words were, “Tomorrow is dissection day—”

  From there, I knew exactly what he wanted. Mr. Lipscomb always calls on me when he needs help in the science lab. He says I am responsible. He wanted me to clean the tables before the dissection the next day. I asked him why we cleaned the tables before if it was just going to get covered in slime, blood, and animal guts. He said it needed to be sanitary for the animals. I didn’t understand this either. Why do we make it sanitary for a dead animal? I am 99% sure the animal doesn’t have feelings. And if it did, I’m pretty sure he or she was going to care a lot more about getting cut open and pulled apart than the table being cleaned for its second death.

  But, oh well. I finished our conversation with “yes, sir, I can do it” and headed to recess.

  Emma and Savannah ran toward me. “Lena! Lena! Hurry up!!!” they yelled.

  Savannah did not waste any time before jumping right into all the fascinating Mallory Winston details we had been waiting to hear all morning.

  “The concert was fabulous!”

  Emma raised her hands in the air and wiggled her wrists, causing her hands to flail uncontrollably.

  Savannah continued, “She was wearing purple boots! And she had a purple feather in her hair to match!”

  “That’s so cool!” Emma screeched.

  “I want a pair,” I said softly.

  I am pretty sure Savannah didn’t hear either of us. She was so excited that she just kept right on talking. It was so fun seeing her this energetic and full of spunk. Not many things can pull this much enthusiasm from Savannah but Mallory Winston had a way of making us all smile.

  “When she first came on stage she was alone with just one tiny light shining on her. She was holding her guitar and guess what she sang?” Savannah asked but we all knew she didn’t need an answer.

  She had our full attention. We stood directly in front of her, captivated by each word she spoke.

  “Lena, she sang “Run Away with Me”!”

  I bent my knees and pushed my body downward playfully until I was almost on the ground.

  Savannah reached down and pretended to catch me. “Don’t worry. We recorded it for you. I’ll show you the next time you come over!”

  “Yay!” I cheered.

  Savannah’s eyes grew as big as ping-pong balls and she leaned forward. “You guys are not going to believe this . . . it’s the best part—Mallory Winston is having a contest! It’s like a chance to audition for a movie. But guess what the best part is?”

  “What??” The anticipation was building and I could feel my heart doing a happy dance inside my chest.

  “The winner will get to meet her! You and Emma have to do it! This is your chance to meet Mallory Winston!”

  The three of us became one big ball of bouncy noise.

  “Wait, but how?” Emma said exactly what I was thinking.

  “She said the information is on her website. Just go to it and enter!”

  We all jumped up and down again.

  “Savannah, you have to do it too!” I demanded even though I already knew she probably wouldn’t. She’s way too shy for that.

  The bell rang and we darted in separate directions.

  “Bye, Emma!” Savannah and I called as we headed inside and back towards Room 109.

  When Ms. Blount announced we had earned a little reward time for finishing our grammar worksheets on time, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I needed to tell someone about my chance to meet Mallory! I found the huge blue beanbag in the back corner of our classroom under the huge wooden frame we made as a class. It looked like a window full of stars in the middle of the wall. We’d each signed our names on a little star and placed them on a huge piece of dark blue construction paper behind the frame. Ms. Blount said she wanted us to always remember to shine.

  I opened the little black notebook I had recently gotten for my eleventh birthday, and started writing.

  Hello, Stars,

  Today is the best day ever! You know that Mallory Winston concert that Savannah went to? Well, she just told us all about it and that there’s a chance I could actually meet her!! That would be the best thing ever! I’m gonna pray and ask God to make that happen. Mallory loves God and I love her, so I hope He listens!

  Dear God,

  Can you help me to meet Mallory Winston?

  Ok, thanks!

  For the rest of the day my head was spinning with the thought of meeting Mallory Winston. Even though I had no idea what I needed to do, I was determined that I would do it as soon as I got home.