Hit the Beach (22 page)

Things like that never happened.

Madison kept moving toward the exit. She said her good-byes to Leonard and the other members of the camp staff. Then she stopped off at a large table set up by the door. She needed to pick up her official Camp Sunshine T-shirt and visor.

The room was overflowing with kids and their parents. Madison searched for Suchita and Logan to say good-bye, but couldn’t find them anywhere. Then she looked for Teeny. He gave her a big wave from across the room. After that, Madison sneaked out to the parking lot.

After Stephanie took her back to the apartment, Madison packed up as much of her stuff as she could. The flight was leaving the next day at noon. Madison crashed down on her bed, closing her eyes for a few minutes. Or at least, she thought it was only a few minutes.

When she woke up, however, it was nearly dinnertime.

“So, I guess you were exhausted,” Dad said when they sat down to eat. “It’s been quite a week, hasn’t it?”

“I second that one,” Stephanie said knowingly.

Dad reached for Stephanie’s hand across the table. He kissed it.

“Quite a week,” he repeated. Then he grabbed Madison’s hand, too—and squeezed it.

Madison couldn’t believe how tired she actually was. It was from the previous night—and all the nights before that, too. Despite any sentimental feelings earlier in the day or even right now, Madison was ready to get back to Far Hills. She missed her pillows—and of course she missed her best pillow of all, Phinnie. She’d spoken to Mom that morning. Phinnie had, as usual, been sleeping on Madison’s bed every night since she’d been away.

After dinner, Madison washed up, finished packing, and logged on to TweenBlurt.com. She hadn’t checked her e-mailbox in a while.

And there was important mail.

Very
important mail.

FROM           SUBJECT


Sk8ingboy     Sorry no E-MAIL


GoGramma      Photos, please!


TheEggMan     F.W.


Bigwheels     My bro & other stuff


Madison clicked on the first e-mail on the list. After two weeks of not getting one single note from Hart, there it was.

It was short, but very, very sweet. The strange thing about Hart’s e-mail was the fact that he’d written it a few days earlier. Somehow it had gotten stuck in the server—and had not been delivered until today.

But it had arrived, nonetheless, and Madison had to smile as she read it once, twice, and then a third time—before hitting
SAVE
.

From: Sk8ingboy


To: MadFinn


Subject: Sorry no E-MAIL


Date: Wed 18 Aug 7:51 PM


So I know u won’t believe me but I swear I wrote a couple of times. It keeps coming back 2 me. Stupid e-mail account I have 2 switch. I don’t know why my e-mail is so messed.


Things here are ok. Boring as usual. The other day at the pool a little girl went under the water and I guess u could say I saved her. So that was a big deal for me. I went to the movies with Egg, Drew, and Dan the other night and that was good. Have u talked 2 anyone?


How is camp? I heard from Aim that u are having fun. I hope so. I can’t wait until you come back. Bye for now. Send me a postcard or something. LOL.


Hart


Then Madison opened Gramma Helen’s e-mail. She’d heard from Mom about the great times at Camp Sunshine—and wanted Madison to forward her some photos of the setting—and of her new friends. Madison hit
SAVE
. She could write a letter back to Gramma when she was on the plane going home.

She went on to Egg’s e-mail. Madison knew he’d been e-mailing Fiona for a week with no reply from her, so Madison hit
FORWARD
and sent a copy on to Fiona. She imagined her BFF all the way in Los Gatos, California, dealing with the whole Julio thing—and then getting some crazy Egg-mail. Madison was surprised that Fiona and Egg’s relationship had taken a different turn over the vacation—and curious to see how it would all wind up between them.

The e-mail Madison truly had been waiting for—maybe even more than she’d been waiting for Hart’s—was the one from Bigwheels.

Madison read it quickly.

From: Bigwheels


To: MadFinn


Subject: Camp & other stuff


Date: Fri 20 Aug 6:27 PM


So I haven’t written in a short time b/c camp has been SUPER BUSY. We have these long horseback rides and then chores and cooking to do @ the ranch so sometimes I have like NO time to write letters 2 people like U!


These are just a few of the things I’ve done since I’ve been here:


• Horseback riding (Western)

• Sailing

• Arts & Crafts

• Nature Trail Hunts

• Archery

• Creative Skits
(like acting & improv)


The camp where I’m at is called Circle8—Infinity Dude Ranch and they have 70 different horses. I ride a dif. one every day if I want although I love this one horse called Spaz. Isn’t that the best name for a horse—or for anything? :>)


The only bad thing is that it’s raining too much and I miss my family. My brother is actually here @ the same camp b/c they have people who work w/autistic kids. He is having a blast too.


Write back soon ok?


Yours till the dude ranches,


Vicki aka Bigwheels


After reading it through a second time, Madison hit
REPLY
.

From: MadFinn


To: Bigwheels


Subject: Re: Camp & other stuff


Date: Fri 20 Aug 8:04 PM


Thanks for your great letter, as usual giving me the best advice and all that—from so far away. Yr camp sounds WICKED—as in amazing/incredible/BIG WOW. I wish I could ride horses like you. Tell me more in yr next e-mail ok???


This has been a nutty summer in a way b/c I’ve spent a lot of time alone. N e way, thanks and I just wanted to send you this attachment (that I cut & pasted here 2)—it’s a poem I wrote last nite about the whole turtle camp. I thought u’d like it since u write poems. U still write poems, right? Send me one soon. I think I might actually save this and turn it in for English class. I know my teacher Mr. Gibbons would like it.


Yours till the root beer floats (b/c I have the biggest craving for one of those right now!)


Maddie


P.S.: this poem has no title yet I might call it LIKE ME but I’m not sure. Is it like me? What am I like these days?


P.P.S.: Maybe I should just call it TURTLES? Oh I don’t know anything anymore :) LYLAS!!!


((attachment :TURTLEPOEM.pdf))


No Title Yet

She’s on belly digging, flippers

Like feet and arms and she’s half in and

Half out of the pit and then

She comes and goes back

To the sea (like me)

Meanwhile I see babies hatched

into sand crawling

To the water’s edge

Like they’re late to meet

Someone there

Everyone’s looking for someone

Down below sand you’ll find eggs

Up above sky you’ll see stars

And someone waiting (like me)

for the turtles to come home

T
HE WARM SUNLIGHT POURED
into Madison’s bedroom and she lay there, under the down comforter, smiling. At first she’d been so unsure about coming to Florida to visit with Dad and Stephanie. Leaving her BFFs seemed the worst of it.

And it had been hard to be without them—or Phin—or Mom for that matter, for two long weeks.

But somehow the kids at Camp Sunshine had made the trip to Florida worthwhile. And it wasn’t just the other kids. It was the loggerhead turtles, the pelicans, and even the lizards that scampered across the grounds of the ELC.

Madison dragged herself out of bed once and for all and tried to finish up the bit of packing she had left. From the pocket of her orange bag, she retrieved the very special turtle charms that she had purchased earlier in the trip. Madison held them in her palm. They would be beautiful reminders of the magic that had happened on the beach the night before.

She dragged her suitcase, which was on wheels, into the dining room of the apartment and grabbed a granola bar. Then she picked up a pad of blank paper, sat down, wrote a note, and shoved it into her pocket. She grabbed a skinny bottle with a twist-off lid from the recycling bin, and shoved
that
into her pocket, too.

Madison was nearly halfway out the door before she said, “I’m going for one last walk before we go to the airport, okay?”

“Have a nice time, Maddie,” Dad said. He promised to watch—and wave to—Madison from his newspaper-reading perch on their terrace.

Madison tiptoed around the palm fronds that had fallen from the trees onto the back lawn of Dad’s apartment complex. Slowly she made her way to a long path that ran parallel to the beachfront. Then she cut across that path and walked down to the beach.

The sand was cool this morning. Madison smiled at the thought that there might be little turtle eggs everywhere under the sand. She saw the whole beach differently now than she had at first.

The tide had pulled out pretty far. Low tide was a beautiful sight. She loved the way the packed sand looked with just a thin layer of water on it. Moving closer, she danced her toes in that water. She’d miss this beach—a lot.

Madison had smuggled along one of Dad and Stephanie’s recycled water bottles. She also had written a note: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.

To Whom It May Concern:

I believe in the power of the ocean. You must, too, since you’re reading this. Where did this wash up on shore?

I believe in turtles that come back to nest after two years and know exactly where to go. I believe in the power of friendship. I hope this note gets somewhere all the way across the Atlantic. And I hope you believe in something, too.

Write me a note back and tell me what it is. Good-bye 4 now!

Madison Francesca Finn

Far Hills, New York

p.s.: go to
www.tweenblurt.com
2 find me! :>)

Madison carefully rolled up the note and stuffed it into the water bottle. She’d thought about writing something more personal or more fun, but changed her mind at the last minute. This note would do just fine. There was only one chance in a zillion that someone would find it and write back anyway, right? She’d included the website at the end just in case that one-in-a-zillion thing occurred.

The water was peaceful-looking—and sounding—as it lapped at the shore. Madison zoned out staring at the waves. She wanted to remember that place—that moment—that ocean—just like
that
.

Before heading back to Dad’s apartment, Madison plucked three pink-and-perfect shells off the beach. She would hand-deliver one to each of her BFFs as soon as she was back home.

Good-byes at the West Palm Beach airport a few hours later didn’t take long. Dad and Stephanie gave Madison big hugs and thanked her for coming to Florida. Madison, of course, thanked them for treating her to two of the most interesting (and challenging) weeks that she’d ever had.

And then Madison Finn boarded the plane, with laptop in hand. Throughout the ride she found herself daydreaming about the turtles on the beach. Madison looked out the plane window; instead of clouds she saw foam, like ocean foam. She saw the sea in everything.

By the time she landed back in New York City, Madison had composed a new version of the poem she had sent to Bigwheels. Madison would have to send it later that night. She liked the way seeing the turtles had inspired her to write more. Keeping the blog had inspired her to do the same.

Madison had to wait on the plane until nearly everyone disembarked. She was following the thirteen-and-under rule; the same one she had followed on the flight down. Once all the other passengers had gotten off, Madison found her way to the exit door. She grabbed her orange bag and walked into the main terminal.

Many of the people from Madison’s flight had disappeared into the restrooms, down to the baggage-claim area, and over to ground transportation. Madison walked along with one of the flight attendants, searching for some sign of Mom. She was ready to end the trip with a warm hug.

But then something unexpected happened. She saw Mom standing there, but not alone. Standing next to Mom were Fiona, Aimee, and Lindsay. They held up a piece of poster board with words written on it.

WELCOME HOME!!!

MADDIE WE LUV U

Madison wanted to burst into happy tears, but she didn’t. Instead, she ran all the way to them and threw open her arms.

“Maddie!” Aimee shrieked, dancing up and down on her toes, as she often did.

Fiona’s braids were piled high on her head and she had on a new T-shirt that read
CALI GRRL
. She threw her arms into the air as if to say,
You’re back! At last!

Lindsay looked the most changed, almost as if she’d had a fashion makeover. She wore funky leather sandals and a peasant blouse, with ripped jeans. And she’d actually gotten a little tanned, which seemed odd, since it had happened on her trip to England, a place not particularly known for its tanning.

Madison sighed a really good sigh. Seeing all three of her friends standing there like that made her head hum. They all looked so …
huggable
. Here they’d all four of them gone off to different corners of the world, yet here they were, back again, together again. Next to seeing the turtles laying eggs in the moonlight, this was the most satisfying feeling Madison could remember having had in a long time.