Where’s Emma? By Lisa Hall Deckert Smashwords Edition Copyright 2011 Lisa Hall Deckert The fire crackled as the top log burned through and the two ends tumbled into the flames. A small geyser of sparks illuminated the faces of the three teenage girls sitting around the fire. “Kara, your marshmallow is on fire,” Kirsty pointed out. Kara tried to snatch it back but before she could, the flame engulfed the marshmallow and it fell into the fire. “Well, that’s two I’ve torched.” “Don’t worry,” Denali assured her. “We have a whole bag.” She withdrew her toasted marshmallow from the stick and squeezed the warm goo between two graham crackers along with a piece of chocolate. “I’m really glad we were able to take this last camping trip before school starts next week.” “Yeah, fun hike today,” Kirsty said, “even if it was muddy. The terrain was difficult, but the view from the top was incredible.” “At least it didn’t rain on us,” Kara said. “Hello.” The small voice came from behind them. The three girls looked around. A girl about six or seven years old stood at the edge of their campsite, firelight reflecting off her shiny pink boots and rain jacket in the evening light. Her blond hair was gathered into two bunches over her ears. “Hi,” Kirsty said in a friendly voice. “I’m Kirsty and this is Denali and Kara.” “I’m Emma,” said the little girl, a hopeful expression on her face. “Are you making s’mores?” Kara smiled. “Yes we are. Would you like one?” Emma nodded eagerly. “Where’s your mom?” Kara asked. Emma pointed to a nearby campsite. A woman stood near the picnic table there, arms crossed, watching. “Go ask her if it is okay if you make a s’more with us,” Kara told her. Emma turned and trotted away. A few minutes later she was back, leading her mom by the hand. “Mom says it’s okay.” “Hello, I’m Heather. Are you sure it’s all right for Emma to make a s’more with you?” Emma’s mom asked. “Sure, we have plenty for both of you,” Kirsty assured her. “Thanks; I believe I’ll pass,” Heather said. “But if it is okay with you I’ll leave Emma here while I take a quick shower at the bathhouse.” “That’s fine,” Denali said. “Emma will be okay with us.” Emma was already making her way toward the bag of marshmallows on the picnic table. “Here, you can use my stick,” Denali told her. She helped Emma impale the marshmallow onto the stick. “Just hold the marshmallow right above the flame, not too close.” “I know, I’ve done it lots of times,” Emma said impatiently. She expertly positioned her marshmallow over the fire. “I like your raincoat,” Kara told Emma. Emma beamed. “It’s a Barbie coat. I have my Barbie backpack in the tent. It’s pink too, ‘cause pink is my most favorite color. I’m going to take it with me onto the airplane tomorrow.” “Wow, where are you flying?” Kirsty asked. “I’m going back home to my Dad’s house. I start second grade next week,” Emma explained. “Where does your dad live?” Denali asked. “In Phoenix. My dog lives there too. And Mandy. She’s nice.” “What is your dog’s name?” Kirsty asked. “Hercules. He’s a pug and he has a curly tail and sometimes he passes gas and gets all stinky and then Daddy says to put him in the back yard. Your marshmallow is too close to the fire,” she told Kara. Kara pulled the marshmallow away just before it ignited. “Thanks. Hopefully I can toast this one without burning it.” “If you want me to, I’ll cook one for you after I finish mine,” Emma offered. By the time Emma’s mother returned with her hair wrapped in a towel, they had all successfully assembled and devoured their s’mores and learned all about Emma’s dog and her friends and the playground at her school. “Thank you for watching Emma,” Heather said. “We’d better turn in. What do you say, Emma?” “Thank you,” Emma sang out. “Goodnight.” After Emma left, the three girls talked and laughed around the campfire. “Look, a shooting star,” Kara said. “Make a wish.” They closed their eyes and wished. Kirsty sighed. “You know summer’s almost over when it gets dark enough to see the stars.” “And it’s barely eleven,” Denali said. “Just two months ago it never got completely dark at night.” She yawned. “I think I’m ready for bed.” The other girls agreed. They doused the campfire and crawled into their sleeping bags. After their active day, they were almost instantly asleep. Sometime later, a noise woke Denali. It sounded like a car door. She picked up her cell phone and checked the time – 2:42. A minute later she heard a car engine start up and two more door slams. The car drove away. Denali considered a trip to the bathroom, but the bathhouse was on the other side of the campground and her sleeping bag was warm. She decided she could wait until morning. *** When a chattering squirrel woke Denali in the morning, she could no longer put off her visit to the bathhouse. She shoved her feet into sneakers, pulled on her jacket, and trudged across the campground. As Denali returned to her campsite, she heard a voice calling out. “Emma! Emma where are you?” There was a note of panic in the voice. “Emma, come here this minute!” Denali approached Heather. “What’s wrong?” “Emma’s missing. When I woke up this morning, she was gone. I can’t find her anywhere.” “Have you checked the bathhouse?” Denali asked. “Of course. I’ve checked everywhere. She’s not here.” “I’ll get my friends up and we’ll look for her. She must be around here somewhere,” Denali said. “I’m calling the troopers.” Heather turned and hurried into her tent. Denali woke Kirsty and Kara. They dressed rapidly and began exploring the trails leading away from the campground. There was no sign of Emma on any of the trails close to the camp. They followed one of the main trails downhill, calling for Emma as they went. After about twenty minutes of hiking, Kirsty spotted something. “Look over by the creek. There is something white right next to the water.” As they got closer they could see that the bright white spot was the sole of a small pink sneaker. It rested alone on the shallow gravel beach next to the swiftly running water. “You don’t think she went into the creek, do you? Look the shoe is dry; maybe she just took it off to dip in her toes or something. The water’s really cold, after all, and she probably wouldn’t have waded in after she felt it,” Kara babbled. “Besides, if she went into the water she would have taken off both of her shoes, right? Kirsty shrugged. “I don’t know. I hope you’re right.” “I think we’d better leave the shoe where it is,” Denali said. “Heather said she was calling the state troopers, and they will probably want to see where we found it. Let’s go back.” By the time they returned to the campground, the troopers had arrived. There was no sign of Heather, but two uniformed officers were talking near the picnic table at her campsite. When the girls explained what they had found, one of the officers asked Kirsty to take him to the shoe. The other officer questioned Denali and Kara. “Did you observe anything unusual last night or this morning?’ she asked. Denali thought for a moment. “I heard a car drive off last night. It was 2:42 according to my phone. I don’t think it could have anything to do with this, though, since Emma wasn’t missing until this morning.” The trooper was making rapid notes. “We don’t know when she went missing,” she said. “Her mother says she slept through the night and didn’t know the girl was gone until this morning.” “But the shoe,” Denali said. “Yes, the shoe. But we don’t know if it is her shoe. It could have been there for weeks,” the trooper said. “We’ll see. Thank you for your help, girls.” They were obviously dismissed. Denali and Kara returned to their campsite and began slowly packing up. “That shoe was dry. It hasn’t been there any longer than a day,” Denali murmured to Kara. “You’re right,” Kara said. “And it looks exactly like the kind of shoe Emma would wear.” They rolled up the sleeping bags and took down the tent. They were just about to begin packing all their equipment into the jeep when Kirsty and the other trooper returned. Kirsty joined the other girls while the trooper carried the shoe in a plastic bag to Emma and Heather’s campsite. Heather came out of the tent to speak to the officer. When she saw the shoe, her face crumbled. “That’s Emma’s shoe! Where did you find it?” As the trooper explained, Heather began to get agitated. “By the creek? You think she fell into the creek?” Heather shook her head violently. “No, not my little girl. Not Emma.” “We’re organizing a search and rescue operation and they’ll be here shortly. We’ll find Emma, Mrs. Breland, don’t worry.” “I can’t just wait here,” Heather fretted. “I have to go look. I have to find Emma and take her home.” She looked toward Denali, Kirsty, and Kara as they stood watching her. “Girls, can you pack up everything into my car? I’m going to see where they found this shoe. I need to find Emma and drive her home where she’s safe.” “Uh, okay,” Kara said. “Mrs. Breland, it would really be better if you stay here and wait for the rescue squad,” the trooper said. Ignoring him, Heather turned and began striding toward the trail to the creek. One of the troopers trotted after her. Kirsty, Kara, and Denali began packing up Heather’s campsite. There wasn’t too much there. They packed up the cooking gear and camp stove and put them with the cooler of food in the backseat of the car. They shook out the sleeping bags. A crumpled sock fell onto the floor of the tent. Kara held up the sock. Tears formed in her eyes. “Look, white with pink hearts. I sure hope nothing bad has happened to that sweet little girl.” They finished rolling the sleeping bags and put them into the car along with a small duffle of clothes. They were taking down the tent when two SUVs pulled up. A small group of people jumped out, including one with a German shepherd on a short leash. They went to talk to the nearby trooper who nodded in the direction of the three girls. After a moment, the searchers approached the campsite. “The mother isn’t here?” the man with the dog asked. “No, she went down that trail to the creek,” Denali said, pointing. “Do you have an article of clothing from the missing girl?” the man asked. “Here, I found this sock,” Kara offered. “Will that work?” “Should be okay,” the man said, taking the sock. Without another word, he and the dog turned and began walking down the trail toward the creek. The others followed. Denali, Kirsty and Kara finished packing the tent and put it into the car. Then they went back to their own campsite. “Do you think we should be searching?” Kirsty asked. “I guess the search and rescue teams know what they are doing,” Denali said. “We don’t want to get in the way. But when they come back we could ask if they need our help.” They puttered around the camp without speaking for a few minutes, folding jackets, stirring ashes, neatly stacking leftover firewood. “Huh,” Denali said. “I just thought of something.” “What?” Kara asked. “There was no Barbie backpack.” “Yeah, you’re right. Emma said she had a Barbie backpack in the tent. But maybe she took it with her when she went exploring,” Kara suggested. “I guess she would have,” Denali said. “For that matter, where are her pink boots?” Kirsty said. “You’re right, if she were wearing sneakers, her boots should be here,” Denali said. “She couldn’t fit a pair of rubber boots into a Barbie backpack.” The girls looked at each other for a minute. “You know, there was something kind of weird about that shoe,” Denali said. “Remember, Kirsty, what first caught your eye?” “Yeah, it was the bright white sole. They must be a brand new pair of shoes. Oh, wait, I think I see what you mean.” “I think we’d better tell the troopers,” Denali said. “Tell the troopers what?” Kara asked. “The sole of the shoe was still clean. You know how muddy everything has been. How did Emma get all the way to the creek without getting her shoe dirty?” The trooper seemed skeptical about the clean shoe, but she was a lot more interested when the girls explained about the missing backpack and boots. “Okay, we’ll handle it from here,” the trooper said. The girls slowly loaded all their camping gear into the jeep, delaying as long as they could. Denali shook her head. “There is something fishy going on here. Heather headed straight down that trail. How did she know where you found the shoe?” she asked Kirsty. “I suppose if they told her that it was by the creek, she might have known which trail led that way,” Kirsty said. “Yeah, I suppose so,” Denali said. “I hope they find Emma soon.” They had loaded everything into the jeep. There was no longer any excuse to stay, but none of them made any move to go. Instead, they waited. Finally, the trooper that they had talked to earlier approached them. She was smiling. “Good news. Emma is fine.” “Thank God. Where did you find her?” Kara asked. “Once you told us about the missing items and the clean shoes, we had another talk with Mrs. Breland. Eventually, she confessed that Emma was with a friend of hers. She staged the whole disappearance so that she wouldn’t have to send Emma back to her father.” “That’s such a relief,” Kirsty said. “Thank you for telling us.” “You’re welcome,” the trooper said. “When the officer found Emma, he said she was eating fruit loops and talking about making s’mores with some big girls last night.” “So what happens to Emma now? Denali asked. “Her dad is flying up to get her. She’ll be fine.” “I wonder how Heather planned to hide Emma in the long term,” Denali said. “And what she planned to tell Emma about why she couldn’t talk to her dad.” “I don’t have those answers,” the trooper said. “She may not have thought that far ahead. I gather that it was a sort of last-minute act of desperation. She called her friend in the middle of the night and told her that there was an emergency. Mrs. Breland asked her to pick up Emma right away and take care of her. The friend didn’t know anything about the false missing person report until we showed up at her house. Anyway, Mrs. Breland is in some trouble, but the girl is fine.” “I feel a little sorry for Heather, but I’m so glad that Emma is okay,” Kara said. “It would have been terrible for her dad if she just disappeared.” “We appreciate your tip,” the trooper said. “I think we would have figured it out eventually, but Mrs. Breland may have had a chance to take the girl and run if you hadn’t clued us in so quickly.” “I’m glad we could help,” Denali said. “The important thing is that Emma’s okay.” “Oh, one more thing,” said the trooper, “You’ll be glad to know that Emma has pink rubber boots, a Barbie raincoat, and a Barbie backpack in her possession this morning. She insisted on showing them all to the officer.” Denali laughed. “That sounds like Emma.” More Denali Hawthorne Mysteries. available at most ebook stores: They Called it Moosicide Trouble Aboard the Hawaiian Paradise Kidnapped at the Midnight Sun The Denali Hawthorne Mystery Collection (All of the above in one book) An Excerpt from: Kidnapped at the Midnight Sun By Lisa Deckert Denali “You have reached your destination,” the confidant woman in the GPS assured us. I parked my little blue jeep and Kara and I got out to stretch. It’s a long drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks. “Where do we go now?” Kara asked. “We’re supposed to find Coach Kim to collect our room keys from her and I guess we get to meet the mystery player.” Kara nodded. “Coach Kim’s niece from Texas. Do you imagine she’ll be any good?” “Probably,” I answered. “Coach Kim is too competitive to bring in a guest player that wouldn’t add something to the team, and with Erica on vacation we can certainly use another player. Let’s go find them.” Coach Kim, our assistant coach, had been with our team since January, and had really pushed us to improve. This would be our first tournament since she came on board. Since Kara and I were only seventeen, the hotels wouldn’t rent a room to us without an adult, so Kim had volunteered to make the reservation in her name. We walked into the lobby, a big open area with several clusters of tables and chairs scattered around the room. A tiny terrier barked ferociously at the enormous snarling grizzly bear that dominated the back wall. The woman clutching his leash tried to shush him, but the dog ignored her. Finally, she scooped him up and carried him away, but he threw a couple of defiant barks over her shoulder on their way out. Several people sitting in the lobby looked amused, including a man with an English bulldog lying peacefully at his feet. The bulldog’s face, squashed against the rug, resembled a rotting jack-o’-lantern.  Apparently, this was a dog-friendly hotel. Kara was digging out her cell phone to call Coach Kim when I spotted her across the lobby talking to a woman with red hair pulled back away from her face. The woman, dressed in black slacks and vest and a white shirt, nodded and turned to walk behind the desk. A long braid hung down her back. As we walked up, she handed Kim two little folders.  “The roll-away is set up in the double room, just as you asked,” the hotel clerk said. “Here are four key cards – three for the double room and one for the king. Enjoy your stay.” Coach Kim turned and saw us. “Oh hi, girls,” she said. “I’ve got your keys right here. My niece, Tori, is just getting something out of the car. “How come we’re way out here instead of with the rest of the team in the hotel near the soccer complex?” I asked. “Now that’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question.” Coach Kim sounded exasperated. “I made the reservations there in plenty of time, but when I called to confirm they had been cancelled somehow. I had to call everywhere before I found any rooms available, and this was our only option. That’s why the price is so high. Oh, here’s Tori.” A tall, long-legged girl carrying a canvas tote bag bounded up to us. “Tori, meet Denali Hawthorne and Kara Rivera.” We greeted one another. Tori had shoulder-length curls, big dark eyes, and velvety skin just a shade darker than her aunt’s. Coach Kim said, “Tori, they’ve set up a bed for you in Denali and Kara’s room.” Tori looked surprised. “I thought I was staying with you,” she said. “You’ll have much more fun with the girls and besides, there is only one bed and I snore. Here is a room key for each of you, room #345. Don’t lose them. I’m in #206. Coach Melton says the team is getting together for a light dinner at 5:30, so I’ll see you back down here at 5:15.” Kara raised an eyebrow. I thought it was a little presumptuous of Coach Kim to put Tori in our room. I didn’t really mind hosting Tori, but Kim should have at least consulted us, especially since our parents were paying for the whole room. Oh well, no big deal. “We’ll just grab our stuff from the car and meet you there,” I told Tori. Once we were alone in the parking lot, Kara burst out. “I can’t believe that Coach just stuck her in our room,” she fumed. “She could have at least asked. We probably would have invited Tori to sleep over anyway, just to get to know her, but to just shove her in there without even checking with us was just rude. And the room’s probably going to be all crowded with a rollaway bed and two other beds.” “I don’t think Tori was all that thrilled either,” I observed. “Well, I think it was pushy,” Kara sniffed. When we got up to the room, Tori was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, fiddling nervously with a necklace. Before we could say anything Tori said, “I’m so sorry that y’all got stuck with me like this.” She looked highly uncomfortable. Kara immediately tried to make her feel better. “Hey, no problem. We’re glad to have you here. It is so generous of you to come all the way from Texas to play for us.” Kara actually has a really big heart behind her big mouth. “Yeah, welcome to the team,” I said. “What position do you play?” “Usually striker or sometimes midfielder,” Tori answered. “Great. Our striker is on vacation so it will be great to have you. Coach Kim said you’re from Dallas. Do you actually live in the city or in one of the suburbs around it?” We talked for a while. I don’t remember the name of the community where Tori lived; it had a tree in the name like Oak Bluff or Cherry Creek or something. I guess my first clue that there was something different about Tori was when she mentioned how much her dog loved to jump off the diving board into their swimming pool. But I figured that in a hot place like Texas having a pool is probably as common as having a garage. As you can imagine, private pools are rare in Alaska. Before long it was time to meet up with Coach Melton and the team for dinner. Tori drove over with Coach Kim and met us at the restaurant. We introduced Tori to the rest of the team as the waitress passed out menus. “Remember, we have a 10 o’clock game tonight, so don’t get too full,” Coach Melton warned us. “So we play under the lights,” Tori commented. “We won’t need lights,” I said. “The sun will still be up then. It won’t set tonight until almost 11:30, and it won’t really get dark all night.” “You’re joking,” Tori said, looking up from her menu. “Seriously, that’s why this tournament is called the Midnight Sun,” Kara said.  “So what are you ordering?” I asked Tori. “The chicken taco salad, I guess,” she said. “I’d love a good steak, but I’d be stuffed.” While we were waiting for our food one of the girls was talking about taking her driving test. We’re a mixed age team, ranging from fifteen to seventeen. Lori was saying how hard it was to parallel park her Mom’s Suburban for the test. Tori said, “You ought to try parking my dad’s Hummer.” “That would be tough,” Kara said. “My mom’s little Subaru is a snap to park.” After dinner, we went back to the hotel for a while. Tori was off with her aunt, so Kara and I talked while we unpacked and got dressed for the game. Of course, we’d been talking in the car all day during our first road trip together without parents. At lunchtime, we had eaten our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches looking up at Denali, my namesake. Or am I the mountain’s namesake? Either way, we were lucky because the usually cloud-covered mountaintop had been clearly visible and extraordinarily beautiful. I’d noticed during the drive that Kara seemed distracted. I had assumed it had something to do with her being away from Don, her long-time boyfriend. She had mentioned that he was away for a weeklong camping trip, which explained why she wasn’t texting him every ten minutes. I was brushing my teeth when Kara fell silent. She walked over to the window and stared out for a few minutes. Then she turned around to face me. “Nali, are you still planning on going to college in Arizona?” “I habn’t completely decided yet,” I mumbled around my toothbrush. I spit and rinsed before turning toward Kara. “Those are just the two colleges we visited when my family went to Arizona last December. We’re planning on visiting some more colleges in Utah and Colorado late this summer. We’re trying to stick to the WUE colleges.” “What does WUE stand for again?” she asked. “Western Undergraduate Exchange,” I said. “If you’re accepted under WUE, tuition is one and a half times the in-state rate instead of out-of-state.” “But you definitely want to go out of state?” she asked. “No, not definitely. I’m leaning that way just to experience something different, but there are advantages to staying in Alaska too. I’ve seen a lot of kids who couldn’t wait to go out of state get homesick and come back home after one semester.” Kara nodded. After a pause, she said, “My mom and dad had a talk with me yesterday.” “Really?” I was surprised. Kara’s mom and dad were divorced and he had another wife and two kids. Kara’s parents got along fine, but I’d never heard of the three of them getting together for a family talk. “What about?” “They were talking about college. They don’t really have a lot of money they can give me for tuition. All they have saved for me is half of my permanent fund dividends,” Kara said. I nodded. “I was always a little mad because my parents saved my dividends while everybody else got to use them to buy snowboards or cool clothes or something.” The Alaska Permanent Fund is a huge savings account where the state put the extra money that they got from taxes on oil. Every year, they use part of the earnings to pay all Alaska residents a dividend, usually around a thousand dollars. “I wish they had saved all of mine,” Kara said. “I’d gladly trade those stupid skater clothes I bought in junior high for a semester of tuition now. They did save half of each dividend but they put it in mutual funds, and I guess the last ten years haven’t been great for the stock market.” Kara sighed and rubbed her forehead. “You know that I always planned to go to college wherever Don ended up going to play football, but I’m not sure I can afford to do it now. If I don’t goof off next year, I can probably graduate in the top ten percent and get that partial scholarship to University of Alaska, Anchorage. If I live at home and get the scholarship, the money from the permanent fund should be enough to get me through college. But if I go out of state and have to pay way more for tuition and housing, I’ll have to take a bunch of loans, and I hate the idea of owing so much money before I even start working.”  I nodded. “I see your dilemma. Have you talked to Don about it?” “Yeah, I called him yesterday before he left. He agrees about the loans. He offered to stay and go to school at UAA if I want him to. But I know how much he wants to play college football, even if it is just for a junior college somewhere. Too bad there’s no college football in Alaska.” “Don’s a good guy,” I said. “He really is,” Kara said. “You remember how I used to break up with him over every little thing? I was such a little drama queen. Why did he put up with me?” “Because he’s crazy about you?’ I suggested. Kara smiled. She knew it was true. We heard a soft knock at the door and the sound of the lock activating. The door opened a crack and Tori poked her head in. “Hi,” she said. “Okay if I come in?” “Of course, it’s your room too,” I said. “I just need to get ready for the game. I’m supposed to meet Kim in the lobby in fifteen minutes,” she explained. While Tori was changing, she asked us about the tournament. “Who are we playing tonight?” “Juneau,” Kara told her. “They won state last year. They’ve got a great striker who gives me fits.” “Sounds like a challenge,” Tori said, smiling. “Let’s go play some soccer.” We ran a few drills to warm up before the game. Tori’s ball handling abilities looked promising. I hoped that we would be able to play smoothly together even though we’d never had a chance to practice with Tori. Juneau kicked off. They worked the ball down the field toward the goal, passing as they went. Their winger made a shot, but our goalkeeper handled it easily. She booted the ball to Chris, who spotted Tori alone on the wing and crossed the ball in front of her. Tori easily fielded the ball and made a quick run to the goal. A hard shot in the right corner put us ahead 1-0. We were off to a great start. Things slowed down a bit after that. Both teams struggled to get past defense, but the Juneau team managed to sneak one in, leaving us tied at the half. We trotted over to the bench. Everyone was congratulating Tori on her goal. One of the girls on the bench told her “You’ll probably be in the paper tomorrow. That photographer took your picture scoring the goal.” She gestured toward a guy with a huge camera mounted on a pole standing at the corner of the field. Tori looked over at Coach Kim to see if she had heard. Kim nodded and said, “Okay girls, get hydrated and stay loose. I’ll be right back.” While she was gone, Coach Melton went over the strategy for the second half. I looked across the field and saw Kim exchange a few words with the photographer. The second half was hard fought as well. We finally managed another score when Tori worked the ball toward the goal, drawing in the defense, and then crossed it to me. The keeper was out of position, which left the net wide open for my goal. We were ahead of Juneau late in the second half. Who would have believed it?  Juneau’s star striker made a nice fake left. She was Parade All American last year, and her foot skills demonstrated why. Kara totally fell for it and jumped in. Then the striker cut right and made a run to the goal. Our sweeper, Marti, ran over from the other side and tried a slide tackle, but she missed and hit the striker’s foot instead. The whistle sounded. A foul in the box. Not good. The striker took the free kick. Our goalkeeper dived hard, but the shot brushed past her fingertips and into the goal tying the score at two all. I knew we must be closing in on the last few minutes of the game. We kicked off and started forward. Just as I passed to Lara, she turned away and started to run downfield. D’oh! I should have checked her eyes before I passed. A defender intercepted the ball and passed it to their offense. Their striker had the ball again. She faked to the left and cut right, but this time Kara didn’t follow the fake. Kara snagged the ball and passed hard and fast to me at the centerline. I trapped the ball and started to dribble downfield, scanning for openings. I saw Tori on the left. She was lined up even with a defender who was facing me. I crossed the ball so that it landed several yards in front of Tori. She timed it perfectly. As soon as the ball left my foot, she shot off like a bottle rocket, leaving her defender coughing in the smoke. As Tori closed in on the goal, the goalkeeper advanced to try and stop her. Tori neatly sidestepped the keeper and used her left foot to tap the ball into the open net. Goal! I charged forward with all the other strikers and midfielders to throw our arms around Tori and squeal. Tori tried to look like this was no big deal, but her grin kept showing through. After the game, we all congratulated Tori. “Let me take a picture of our high scorer,” I said, pulling out my phone. Tori grabbed a ball and I snapped a picture of her juggling it on her knee. Tori was an incredible soccer player. Her speed was amazing, but not too surprising once we found out her secret later. She wasn’t just about speed though; she had fantastic soccer instincts. Even though she and I had never played together before, it seemed as though every time I looked for a play or a pass Tori was right where she needed to be. Plus, her left-footed play was a great advantage. After the game, Tori rode with us to the hotel. We were all excited about the win and chattered about the game all the way back. Once we got into the hotel room, we turned on the television while we were getting ready for bed. One of those Victor Lassiter Steak House commercials came on. “I wish we had one of those in Anchorage. The food always looks so good on the commercials. ‘Who doesn’t love a good steak?’ Yum,” Kara quoted. That’s when the light bulb finally clicked on in my head. I turned to Tori, who was busy putting her clothes away. “Is Tori short for Victoria?” I asked. “Yes,” she said slowly. “Why?” “And you were named after your dad?” “Maybe,” Tori said. “Your dad is Victor Lassiter, isn’t he?” I asked. Tori continued folding her clothes instead of meeting my eyes. “Well, yes.” She looked up at me. “But I don’t want everyone to know. I don’t want people getting weird around me.” “No way,” Kara said. “Your dad is the guy from the commercials? He owns those steakhouses? Do you, like, eat there all the time?” “Yeah, actually we do eat there a lot, and we sometimes travel around to different locations to check them out. Y’all won’t tell, will you?” “Of course not,” Kara assured her. I knew that was going to be a hard promise for Kara to keep, but she would. “We won’t mention it to anybody on the team,” I said. “But I have to tell my dad later when I get home. He loves your dad. He used to watch him play for the Cowboys practically every Sunday when I was little. He still talks about how none of the receivers playing today compare with Victor Lassiter.” Tori smiled. “He and my mom are flying up tomorrow night in time to see the final games, assuming we get into the finals. If you want I’ll get him to sign something for your dad.” “That would be incredible,” I said. “I’ll give it to my dad for his birthday. He’ll be thrilled. And with you on the team, we’re sure to make the finals.” That is how I figured out that Tori is the daughter of one of the fastest men ever in the National Football League. Kara was still confused. “So your dad is a football player? I thought he owned a chain of restaurants.” “Yes, and yes,” Tori said. “He used to play football, but when he retired he started up the steakhouses.” “Football is where he got famous, Kara,” I said. “He won MVP a bunch of times and won about four Super Bowls.” “Three,” Tori corrected. “They lost one.” “Oh, just three? Then I’m not impressed after all,” I said, dismissively. We all started giggling. “So, is Coach Kim your mom’s sister or your Dad’s?” Kara asked. “Kara, her name is Lassiter,” I pointed out. “Oh, right,” Kara said. “Duh.” Tori sat down cross-legged on my bed. “Actually, Kim is my dad’s sister and my mom’s best friend,” Tori said. “They were college roommates and on the track team together. Kim is the one who introduced my mom and dad.” “So your mom is a runner too? No wonder you’re so fast,” I said. “My mom says I was running way before I was talking,” Tori admitted. “We run together all the time. I can out sprint her, but she still beats me in the mile.” “So how old were you when you started playing soccer?” I asked. We sat on our beds and talked about soccer. Tori was on a club team and on her high school team just like Kara and me. She ran track in the spring, naturally. She went to some private school that emphasized sports as well as academics and her team traveled quite a bit. She couldn’t believe it when we told her that we play high school soccer in the spring, and that they usually have to blade off the snow from the artificial turf so that we can play. “Everybody on the bench is huddled up in blankets because the wind blowing over the snow drifts is so cold,” Kara explained. “Are you going to play soccer in college?” I asked Tori. “I’d like to. I’m trying to decide where I want to go. My mom wants me to go to her alma mater, Baylor, but I’d kind of like to go out of state somewhere, maybe on the east coast. My dad is pulling for University of Texas, but he was a big deal when he played football there and I don’t know if I want his reputation hanging over me, if you know what I mean.” “Poor you, having to choose between some Ivy League college or being famous at University of Texas.” Kara’s tone was bitter. Tori looked at her in surprise. “Kara’s just found out that she doesn’t have enough money to go to college out of state with her boyfriend like she’d planned,” I explained. “I’m sorry, Kara. I didn’t mean to be insensitive,” Tori said sincerely. Kara looked down, her face reddening in embarrassment. “No I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s not your fault. I realize that there are plenty of people who’d be glad to have money to go to college at all. I was just feeling sorry for myself.” “You’re allowed, occasionally,” I said. “Absolutely,” Tori said. “In fact, y’all, let’s have a pity party for Kara right now.” She said this with a perfectly straight face. We all looked at each other and burst out laughing. “Seriously though, Kara, I’m sorry if you can’t go to college where you wanted to,” Tori said. ‘I’ll be okay,” Kara said. “Come on, we’d better get some sleep if we’re going to win our game in the morning.”