The Girl in the Snow by Alexandria Clarke

Author:Alexandria Clarke [Clarke , Alexandria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-02-16T22:00:00+00:00

Ophelia’s morning routine often included a spat with Benji over almost anything: who poured the milk in their cereal first, which one of them got the last frozen toaster waffle, or if Benji could borrow Ophelia’s black hat because he’d left his at school and it was too cold to go without one.

Today, it was quiet. Ophelia ate her breakfast in gloomy silence. She reached for the last Pop Tart and slid it into the front pocket of her backpack without a fight. She put on her hat and her boots, staring wistfully at Benji’s spare coat in the closet by the door. When I handed her the keys, she warmed up the car and scraped the ice off the windshield without complaint. This time, she extended the handle and got all the ice in the middle too.

“You know,” she said, gazing through the window as I drove to school. “I used to wish I was an only child when Benji was younger.” She laughed derisively. “Be careful what you wish for, right?”

I reached for her shoulder, but she shrugged it away. “Ophelia, you know this isn’t your fault, right? Every older sibling wishes the younger one would vanish every once in a while. You didn’t make this happen.”

“It feels like I did,” she mumbled. “I should have gone with Benji when he left the restaurant.”

“Then maybe you would have been taken too,” I said. “And I’d have lost both my kids. I can’t stand that idea.”

“How are you keeping it together?” she asked. “I hear you crying at night. Then you have the strength to follow me and my friends around everywhere we go.” When I feigned ignorance of this, she added, “I’m not stupid. I’ve seen your car parked at the Dairy Queen.”

“Sorry, kid,” I said. “I’m just worried. As far as keeping it together, I’m doing my best. I’ve seen parents who fall apart when this happens to their kids. It doesn’t help. I have to stay strong and keep believing Benji will come home.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

My teeth clicked together. “I can’t think about that or I will fall apart.”

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