Kris leaned over the rail of the ship, fighting a wave of dizziness. Far below her, the bow cut through the surface of the sea. Drops of water danced and flew through the air. The bright sunlight bounced off the drops, making them look like emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds. A dolphin leaped high into the air before splashing back down. He danced along the waves the ship pushed out of its way.
It was beautiful to watch, but the movement of the water and the rocking of the ship set her stomach on edge. She turned away from the railing and looked up.
Above her, the wind made the sails snap and bark in the wind. The same wind made the thick ropes sing like violin strings. Kris closed her eyes and listened to the ropes, and the sails, and the waves.
“Kris! Don’t forget the costume party tonight!” her dad’s voice bellowed, bringing her back to her bedroom in the city.
“I won’t, Dad!” she yelled back as she rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to go to the party. Costume parties were stupid. Halloween was different. You were supposed to wear costumes on Halloween, but not in March! She wished he would let her stay home.
Kris fluffed her pillow with a well-placed punch or two, rolled back onto her stomach, and opened her book again.
The warm breeze ruffled her hair, and she giggled as the salty mist tickled her nose. It took a minute before the dolphin came back into view. This time, the dolphin had a friend. The pair played tag in the splashing water. Kris wished it was July. That way, it would be warm enough for her to go swimming. It was still too cold in March to go swimming. Except in her book, of course.
“What costume are you going to wear?” her dad yelled, and the ocean disappeared again.
“My knight costume from Halloween!” Kris shouted back. She rolled back over and was about to open the book again when the door opened.
Kris wished he would at least knock first. She was almost big now and wanted her privacy.
“Have you tried it on yet?” her dad asked. “You’ve grown quite a bit since Halloween.”
Kris loved her dad. She really did. But sometimes he could be so very annoying. “No, but I’m sure it will fit.”
“Come on, Kris. Try it on quick.”
Kris let out a sigh, bounced off her bed, and carefully eased her closet door open so the mountains of stuff wouldn’t avalanche across her room. Her closet was full of toys, games, puzzles, and clothes. Everything but books. Kris kept her books stacked very neatly on the shelves next to her desk.
She rummaged through the mess until she found the shield, sword, and helmet she wore to the school Halloween party last fall. They weren’t as nice as the ones real knights wore, but she could pretend they were shiny and bright and strong.
The helmet got stuck halfway over her ears. She wiggled, pushed, and pulled it until it squeezed over her curly hair. Next, she wrapped the sword belt around her waist. She had to suck her breath all the way in, but finally it buckled. When she tried to fasten the shield to her arm, it almost fit—until the strap broke.
“Oh, brother!” she said. “I suppose I can go without the shield.” She turned around, put on her noblest expression, and looked at her dad.
Her dad looked back. His face showed he wasn’t convinced. “Are you sure you don’t want to go as a pirate? I’m sure we could put a pirate costume together in no time.”
“I don’t LIKE pirates, Dad! I like KNIGHTS!”
Her dad just smiled and shook his head. “Are you sure? That doesn’t look very comfortable. There’s going to be lots of candy and cake. You want to make sure there’s room in your tummy.”
Kris squinted and raised her eyebrows to show him her most agitated look. He shook his head again and walked out of the room. He forgot to close the door. Kris pried the helmet off her head and took a deep breath as she removed the sword belt. Maybe she should skip the belt and just carry the sword.
Kris pushed the door to her room shut, hopped back onto the bed, and picked up her book.
