North Star

26 | family matters

2010

"Family discussion in the kitchen when you're pau homework, okay?"

Mom had just barely peeked her head through the doorway when she dropped it on me.

I looked up at her from above the top of my notebook. From where I was lying down, it cut her off so only her eyes were visible. I didn't know why I found it so funny. Maybe my subconscious was aware of something that I wasn't. The part of me that was bored to death over this chemistry homework and entirely over anything to do with junior year, even though I was only in my second quarter of it.

"What about?"

"If I told you now, it would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?" She said it with a smile that didn't meet her eyes. I could tell. They were practically framed.

I held the notebook higher, shielding the rest of her face again, before lowering the book down to my chest.

"Okay."

"Okay." Mom tapped the doorway once, nodded, and then sealed me back into my cave so I could finish my homework.

Leimomi snuck into my room not long after Mom walked back downstairs.

She was at that age where she not only found everything curious; she found everything worth sneaking around for. I couldn't count on my fingers how many times I had caught her in the past month alone, eavesdropping on someone else's conversation. It was mostly harmless, and she had never been caught listening to something she shouldn't have.

"What do you think they're gonna tell us?" I asked, not bothering to look at her.

My younger sister jumped onto the bed and rolled onto her back so she matched me, albeit much smaller, less weighted by responsibilities, and far more optimistic about the world. It was still bright and new to her, and I found myself envious of the youthful sparkle in her eye. It was kind of depressing to think about how I wasn't that much older than her and had already lost most of what she still had.

"Maybe they're secretly spies and need to tell us because some big bad guy is about to try and get us."

She giggled into her hand. "That's so silly."

"You don't think Dad could kick someone's ass? I bet he could."

"That's a bad word I'm not supposed to say."

"Not yet, at least." I flicked her nose, and she pulled away from me with a laugh. "What's your theory, then?"

Leimomi leaned in close, her voice lowered into a soft whisper. My eyes briefly flicked down to the washable marker stains she wore like jewelry on her hands. The kid thought the name Picasso was so funny that she wanted to be just like him. (Mom and Dad refused to give her paint, so the markers were the second-best thing.)

"I heard them talking a while ago—"

"You don't say."

"—and they mentioned Disneyland. Disneyland, Hoku. What if they're taking all of us to Disneyland?"

I scoffed and tossed the book aside. I didn't have the class again until the following day, so the assignment could wait until tomorrow night for me to finish. And I wasn't likely to get any actual work done with Leimomi here, either.

"We can't afford to go to Disneyland."

"But why not?" she asked. "I saved up so much allowance."

I couldn't fight back the smile. "I don't think it'll be enough, babes."

She frowned.

I pinched her cute, chubby cheeks.