Page 121 of Midnight Curfew

Picking up my phone, I tap the search bar. “Horses prance through a silver storm.”

“Once Upon a December” appears on the screen, taking me to a video of an animated film.

But before I have a chance to play it, a figure sweeps through the door.

“Morning.” Anna-Katherine beams at me.

I set my phone facedown. “Hey.”

She drops her backpack on the little makeshift desk she made herself by the reading nook, removing her sketch pad, the next Percy Jackson book she’s reading, and her lunch.

Lifting my chin, I button my collar and start fixing my tie.

“Did you fall down, too?” she asks, peering over at me.

Fall?

Oh, right. Turning around, I study myself in the broken mirror next to my whiteboard. The bruise around my eye is deep purple now, and the cut on my lip is crusted with blood. I must’ve opened it again at some point this morning.

I swallow and finish fixing my clothes. “Yeah.”

“My brother looks the same.”

Nah, he looks worse, I’m sure. I hide my smile.

She says “my brother,” while he refers to her as his stepsister.

“How was your weekend?” I ask, turning around.

“Great!” She smiles big, racing toward me in her brown knickers and short-sleeve white blouse with a Peter Pan collar. “We flew to Orlando.” She twirls, her eyes wistful. “I love the princesses. What’s your favorite park?”

I’ve never been to Disney World. I know it seems stupid. We’re only a few hours’ drive away, but there was never enough money, and when I grew up, there was never enough time.

Seemed boring anyway. Kids’ stuff.

My nephew would love it, though.

When I don’t answer, she continues. “I think mine is Animal Kingdom. It feels so far away.” She takes the container of pencils and starts checking for ones needing to be sharpened. “Callum likes Hollywood Studios—” Her eyes go big and she singsongs in a spooky voice, “The Tower of Terror.”

I pinch my eyebrows together, watching her. I can’t imagine Callum relaxing enough to enjoy a thrill ride.

“Music?” I remind her. “Candles?”

Her eyes light up, and she skips over to a nearby table. Pulling a lighter from the drawer, she moves around the room, lighting wicks as thunder cracks outside.

“Have you ever seen snow?” she asks me.

Leaning over my desk, I pull up my lesson plans. “No.”

“Me, either.” She sighs, the room glowing with firelight. “I hope he takes me to the snow this winter. I want to ice-skate.”

Did Callum promise her he’d take her somewhere to see snow? What do their parents have to say about that?

Horses prance through a silver storm…

Snow.

That’s why she wants to see a real winter.