Chapter 2
Sadie Kirkpatrick
I was so exhausted and out of it that I experienced a zapping sensation as I was ripped out of my peaceful sleep.
My body was…
I clearly needed more rest.
It was too light out. Light hovered on the other side of my sunglasses, intrusive, unwanted. I could sense that it was too bright before opening my eyes.
I was sleeping outside on the ground. I could sense that too.
But I needed sleep.
I knew where I was, and it was a safe place. My brothers had left me here, and everything was safe and sound…
There was a…
I felt something touch my face.
It happened again, and I flinched and blinked, squinting and barely opening my eyes. I was wearing my signature oversized sunglasses, and I saw a tiny finger tapping on the lens. It belonged to a tiny person. I pulled back jerkily, shifting, and he looked away, moving back, seeming like he regretted waking me up .
I had no idea who this kid was. He could have been an elf for all I knew. He was the size of an elf. I tried to peer around to see if he was with an adult or if I needed to move out of someone's way, but I couldn't see anyone.
I didn't really care.
I was so exhausted that my body was tingly and achy. I needed more rest. I closed my eyes.
I heard him moving around.
He was walking around on these huge, two-foot boulders that surrounded a gigantic firepit. It wasn't lit, so I wasn't worried about fire. I shouldn't be worrying about him at all.
He climbed onto a particularly large rock, and I saw him stumble a little before regaining his footing. It was a close one, and I imagined him falling and hitting his head. I tried to close my eyes and ignore it, but I could hear him moving and it was unnerving.
I looked around. I even sat up a little and peered around the whole area. I could see all around the clearing, and even into the woods. There was a path that led to a house, and no one was visible there.
It was just me and the boy.
I blinked, feeling ever so out of it. He jumped to the next rock, and I wanted him to stop. I needed him to stop. He was going to fall. I had no idea how to discipline children, though.
"Five little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head," I meant to sing the words cheerily, but I was past exhausted, and my presentation was more like a moan.
The boy stopped and turned to me. He hopped off of the rock and began to walk over to me with a curious expression.
He stared at me.
"Don't you know that song?" I asked since he wasn't going to leave me alone. He gave me a little reluctant shake of his head. "Mama called the doctor and the doctor said… 'no more monkeys jumping on the bed' ."
I did that last part in a higher voice, and his eyebrows furrowed, but there was a tiny smile on his face. I could tell he liked it. At least he wasn't climbing anymore.
"Four little monkeys jumping on the bed," I continued tiredly. "One fell off and bumped his head. Mama called the doctor, and the doctor said, 'no more monkeys jumping on the bed' ."
He stared at me to continue, but I didn't feel like singing anymore. I wanted to go back to sleep. I physically needed it.
"I'm singing that because I don't want you to fall off of the rock and bump your head like a little monkey," I said, adjusting my backpack, which was being used as a pillow.
"I’m not a monkey," he said.
I glanced at him to find that he was smiling. He had one of those kid accents where he couldn't pronounce all of his words perfectly, but I could tell what he was saying.
"I know, but I still don't want you to fall off those rocks and bump your head. Where's your mom?"
"In heaven."
I blinked at him. "In heaven?" I asked, squinting.
He nodded.
"I'm sorry, little dude. Who's supposed to be taking care of you?" I pulled my hoodie over my shoulders, hoping he had a plan so that I could go back to sleep.
"My Nan."
"Where is she?"
He shrugged.
"That's not good. You need to find her."
"Why do you have these?" He reached out, pointing one finger, pressing it onto my glasses.
"Whoa, little man, you're going to leave fingerprints. I have them because it's bright out here, and I need to take a nap."
"Nana said I don't have to take a nap today cause my dad and aunties are coming over here."
"Yeah, well, I've only had like one hour of sleep, so I really need a nap. I want to take one."
"Why do you have those kind?"
"What do you mean?"
"Those kind is too big."
"Are you talking about my glasses?"
"What kind is that?" he asked, nodding .
"These are my cool-kid sunglasses, little man."
He let out a laugh and then he touched them again, right on the lenses.
I let him do it without flinching or telling him to stop. I was being extra patient because these were twelve hundred dollar glasses. They were my babies, and I didn't make a habit of letting little kids get their grubby little Cheeto fingers on the lenses.
"Cool kids?"
"Yeah."
"What is that?"
"You know, cool. Like being cool. Cool is what you should want to be. I wear these to work, and they make me look cool."
"You work at Trader Joe's?" he asked.
I laughed. It was cute the way he said 'Trader Joe's', and I couldn't help it. "No, I don't. You can't get these at Trader Joe's or even the mall. You have to go to New York or Tokyo, or somewhere like that. They're special glasses."
He stared at me, checking them out with amazement. He was adorable, and I softened to him now that I wasn't so asleep. My brothers were not back yet, and they were only supposed to be gone for a couple of hours, so I knew I had barely slept. I needed rest, but it was impossible to be rude to this little guy, with his adorable big brown eyes.
"What's your name?"
I listened, and it sounded like he said Eden Jane. He was definitely a little boy, so I figured I might have misheard him. The name of the place I was at was Camp Eden, so I thought maybe he was named for the location.
"That's a cool name," I said, not repeating it back to him. I watched to see what he would do, but he just stood there staring at me like he expected me to say something else. "My name is Sadie," I added. "And a bunch of people call me Shy."
He laughed, so I knew he had heard that word in a different context.
"Why are you sleeping on Nana's rocks?"
"You know that tunnel over there? My brothers are building that."
The little boy looked in the direction of the rounded wooden tunnel. These people were just about to move into this house, and it was currently having construction done. My brothers had been out here, working on this tunnel in the woods for weeks. The owners had a lot of construction going on at the main house also. I heard my brothers talking about the owners moving in soon. I figured the little boy must belong to them.
"Where's your brothers?" he asked me.
"They had to go to the store to get some more supplies."
"Why didn't you go with them?"
"Because they're mad at me right now, so they're not being very nice. Plus, I'm too tired. I actually need a few hours of sleep right now. I worked all night, and then I got into a car accident and had to go with my friend to the hospital and to… other places, so I haven't had any sleep."
"They're mad at you?" he asked.
"Who, my brothers?"
He nodded.
"Yes, they're mad. My car got wrecked last night, and they have to help me pay for it. Plus, they're just disappointed in me in general. They don't like my cool kid glasses."
"Because they're too big," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, staring at me with a serious expression and causing me to laugh lazily.
"You're funny, little man." I blinked slowly, letting my eyes stay closed for a few long seconds, enjoying the weather. My ears were still ringing from all the loud music, but I was used to this feeling, so it was normal to me.
The words in the distance didn't make sense at first, but I could faintly hear a frantic cry.
"Ethan! Ethannnn!"
I heard the name in the distance. It kept repeating.
"Are you Ethan?" I said to the boy.
He nodded.
"You better go."
He took off, running in the direction of the lady who was yelling. There was a large clearing and then I could see the path to the tunnel that my brothers were building. From my perspective near the firepit, I couldn't see the house or anything on the other side of that tunnel. The woods were thick enough that I could see nothing. I assumed that the boy was headed to the right place when he disappeared toward the tunnel. The yelling continued.
"Ethannnn! Ethan Jaaaames!"
I was about to get up and check on the little boy when I heard the woman exclaim like she had seen him. There was a shriek and I could clearly make out the words, " There you are! "
I smiled and adjusted my bag, making it a comfortable pillow again. I knew the boy was accounted for, and it took me no time at all to relax and fall asleep.
I breathed one time, and just like that I—
"Excuse me."
I heard the woman's voice loud and clear, and I woke up to find her standing over me. I squinted and sat up. I had been out cold for however long it took for her to walk over to me. She was holding the boy on her hip, and staring at me with a concerned expression. I scrambled to sit up, trying to look as presentable as possible. I was glad she couldn't see my eyes because I blinked constantly.
"Yes. I’m sorry."
"Who are you?" she asked, glancing at my bag and then back at me for clues.
"Oh, my brothers are building that tunnel right there. "
She obviously knew what tunnel I was talking about. "Phillip and Salem are your brothers?"
"Yes. They're coming back. They had to run into town for something at the hardware store."
"Okay. Are you okay?"
"Oh, yes."
"Were you sleeping out here?"
"Uh, yes. I work nights, and then I got into a car accident on my way home this morning. I was at the hospital, and then my brothers gave me a ride from the police station, but they were coming straight out here, and they're mad at me, so they…" I took a deep breath. "Them being mad has nothing to do with it. They told me I could go to the store with them. I just chose to stay here because I was tired. I'm sorry I was sleeping on your ground. Is this your house? My brothers said the owners hadn't moved in yet."
"We're moving in this weekend," the lady said. "My name is Amanda, and my husband is Ben Kennedy."
"Nana?"
"Yes, Nana," she said, looking surprised.
I gestured at the boy. "I met Ethan James."
She let out a sigh and looked at him. "I'm still shaking right now. I can't believe he got away from me. No, Ethan, no sir. You're not getting down right now. We're going back up to the house, and we're going to have a talk about what Nana means when she says stay in the yard. This is not the yard, baby." She looked at me. "I told him to stay in the yard, and I turned my eyes for one minute, and he was gone. My husband and I bought Camp Eden. Your brothers have been working on the tunnel for us. Ethan saw it the last time we were here. It stood out to him. And the firepit. I should have known he would come out here. He, my husband and I met out here, so he knows the story of… I'm sorry, I'm out of breath. I'm just so thankful he didn't go too far. Ethan, baby, this was too far. You have to stay in the fence next time. I'll show you, okay?"
She was more nervous than I was, which I was thankful for. The boy squirmed again, and she got tired of holding him and let him down.
"Stay right here next to Nana. We're walking back to the house in a minute. Do you need anything? I'm sorry you were at the hospital. Is that what you said? Are you okay? Do you need somewhere more comfortable to sleep? We have a hammock up closer to the house. We just hung it a few days ago. We also have cabins."
A hammock sounded amazing.
"No, thank you," I said. "I know my brothers would be upset if they got back and couldn't find me. And I'm comfortable here, as long as you don’t mind. I'm really comfortable." I leaned back on my hands right where I was sitting to demonstrate how comfortable.
"I don't mind, sweetheart, but I hate to see you sleeping out here. We've got those cabins. They're not remodeled yet, but the beds aren't bad. You could go to one of those. Do you know where the cabins are? Ethan, don't climb on that big rock. You're welcome to sleep in one of those. The doors are unlocked."
"Oh, I do appreciate it, but I'm comfortable here. This is great." As I spoke, I was already stretching out, finding a comfortable position.
"Okay, sweetheart. I'll take Ethan and we'll be out of your way…"
She continued talking, but I was so dead tired that I didn't hear a thing. The boy was safe, the lady was nice, and she was informed that I was staying there.
The next thing I saw was the blackness of sleep.