Free Ever by Darrin Shade

faraway look in her eyes. “Since way before you were born. There’s a ton of camping stuff in the garage.”
    Gram’s trunk was in the garage too, but I couldn’t look at it. Not yet. Mom took down a dusty box and pulled out a backpack, some cool headlamps and a pocketknife, among other things. Besides some batteries, it looked like I would be set for this trip, without spending a dime. Perfect. I brought the gear into my room and piled it carefully next to my bed.
    It had been a long day. I pulled on my ratty sweats and an old tee shirt. When I settled myself under the covers, my body felt tired but my mind was nothing of the sort. I closed my eyes and took a breath.
    There was a sound that I had been hearing. It was faint. But I had to wonder about it. Sylvia had told me to hear and listen. Was this sound what I was supposed to hear? I felt part of my consciousness push out, kind of separate, from the rest of me. I focused on the sound. What was it? It was familiar in a way that reminded me of being a little kid.
    The smell of popcorn wafted to my nostrils even though my mom had returned to her room to watch television. So, there was no popcorn here. Yum, now I smelled cotton candy. I could almost taste it. I continued to focus on the faint sound and then it suddenly became clearer. It was a noise you hear at a carnival or maybe at Disneyland. It was from a ride. Maybe…a carousel? I strained to hear more but there was something else—another sound—competing with the music I was hearing. This sound was different. It was sad. And it didn’t come from any amusement park ride.
    My head was starting to hurt. Suddenly, the thought of cotton candy was very appealing. I almost cut my strange investigation short to do a sugar run—I knew my mom had cookies on the counter. But I continued to hear and listen. The sad, keening noise got so that it overcame all of the other sounds I was hearing. I felt like I was closing in on it when my stomach gave a loud rumble, shocking me out of my vision, or whatever it was.
    I needed those cookies, and I needed them now. I couldn’t help myself. I shoved six peanut butter sandies into my mouth before the crazy rumble in my gut died down. I grabbed a three more and headed back to my room with a big glass of ice-cold milk. The cookies helped but what I really needed was some rest, and thankfully, I got some.
    When I woke up the next morning, my pillow was covered with cookie crumbs. During breakfast, my mom tapped the half-empty cookie tin and gave me an unreadable look, but she didn’t make any comments so that was good. I wanted more but my sugar addiction was getting out of control.
    Later, when I opened my book bag, I found three more cookies stuffed in there. How did my mom know? Thinking back, I realized that my mom always seemed to know what I needed. Whether it was space, a hug, or a few bucks…or a few extra cookies to get me through the day.

CHAPTER NINE
    Meeting the Giant
    S ometimes, I wanted to pretend that nothing weird was happening, but I couldn’t ignore the reminders that proved to me I hadn’t made everything up in my head. For one thing, I still had the book I had found in the library. Then there was my crystal, which had been silent lately, but there was no way I was taking it off. If I let my eyes go out of focus, the swirling colors I saw around everybody were enough to make my head spin. Every now and again, I heard the merry-go-round music and that sad, whining noise. But I guess I was getting used to hearing that.
    The day of the field trip came faster than I expected. I barely had time to pack. Then again, what did I need, really? Some warm clothes and boots, and my backpack. I brought my headlamp and of course, my iPod. Since our moms were at work, Val’s brother gave us a ride. I felt a moment of unease as I surveyed the other girls’ stuff. Dara, Naomi and Val each had brand spanking new duffel bags in bright colors. The logos told me they were from