Uncertain Summer Read online

  While the picture wasn’t enough to snag the million dollars, it was enough to get us more pumped to take a photo that would be worthy of recognition and money.

  “We can be Team Bigfoot,” I said, half-joking.

  “Team Bigfoot. I like that. If we discover something, people will take my dad and me more seriously. Some of the scientific community thinks my dad is crazier than Swamp Sam,” Tim said, and then he smiled. “Remember how we used to play Monster?”

  I laughed thinking about it. Tim, Emmett, Shawna, and I played this lake game when we were little where we’d pat mud and green duckweed all over our swimsuits. Then we’d hang Spanish moss from our heads and would sneak up on Gram or Gramps. They’d pretend to scream, and we’d laugh like it was the funniest thing ever.

  “Unlike Monster, Team Bigfoot will be the real deal,” Emmett said, holding out his hand to shake on it.

  Just when Tim went to shake my hand in return, I stalled. “We, uh, should have, uh, rules,” I said.

  “What kind of rules?” Tim asked, putting his hand into his pocket.

  Good question. I hadn’t thought the rule thing all the way through, so I took a moment to brainstorm. Finally, something came to me. “First,” I said, imitating Papa’s Captain-spiel talk to sound extra official, “we need to keep this a secret between the three of us. Other people will complicate matters, and then we’ll have to split the money more ways. Second—” I tried to brainstorm another rule, but my mind blanked.

  Tim helped me out. “We should prepare for anything.” He must’ve taken the warning seriously, too.

  “And third,” Emmett said, “no one gets left behind.” He looked right at me as he said, “Mama and Papa would never forgive me if I let something happen to their little baby.”

  I figured it was more like the other way around. We’d be fine, so I didn’t have to worry about the second and third rules. I held out my hand to finally shake on it. Emmett squeezed my fingers so hard that one of my knuckles popped. Yeah, I could really tell he was going to look out for me.

  I closed my eyes before shaking Tim’s hand as if I was expecting a shock instead of simply sealing the deal. His grip was much lighter than Emmett’s but far more clammy.

  The deadline was June fifteen, now only nine days away. Team Bigfoot had some plans to make.

  We tinkered around on the Internet for information, and Tim showed us a few other suspicious looking pictures of dark creatures in the night that his dad had taken using trail cameras. He also showed us a famous video filmed by these guys named Patterson and Gimlin. The footage showed Bigfoot walking through the woods on a sunny day. The creature in the film didn’t look all that threatening compared to what I’d witnessed. “Some people think it’s a hoax, but others don’t,” Tim said.

  If that video wasn’t enough to prove Bigfoot’s existence, we agreed that we needed something extraordinary. It had to be next to impossible, but not trying seemed worse than trying and failing.

  I volunteered to make a list of items we needed.

  “You’ve got that last item covered, Everdil,” Emmett said. He and Tim laughed at my wardrobe choices.

  “Can you add some chips to that list?” Tim asked. “And beef jerky? Like the biggest container possible. Oh, and some granola bars, a lot of them. And maybe a package of cherry chews.”

  I must’ve been looking at him funny because he said, “What? I can’t stop eating these days.”

  “We might as well get a box of cookies, too. Apparently an economy sized box of cookies,” Emmett added.

  “You’re not going to make us some cookies from scratch?” I asked.

  Emmett play-slugged my arm. Some of Emmett’s football teammates had teased him after he’d brought homemade cookies to practice. One of the guys said Emmett was destined to be the next great short order cook at Uncertain Café, and ever since then, Emmett had gotten sensitive about his culinary aptitude. Tim got teased about wanting to be a scientist like his dad, but he knew how to roll with it, unlike my brother.

  “If I do cook something, I won’t bring anything for you, brat,” Emmett said.

  “I was just kidding,” I said and hoped that he’d quickly forget this part of the conversation. Whatever snack Emmett made would be a thousand times better than anything I could scare up in the pantry.

  Tim must’ve gotten tired of our arguing because he suggested, “I say we gather our things together and bike over to the park.”

  “Sounds good,” I answered, sounding like a suck up. Or at least Emmett looked at me like I was one. Regardless, starting at Caddo Lake State Park made a lot of sense given the reported sightings, plus we’d be able to ask Tim’s dad some questions.

  “Why don’t you meet us over at our house, then?” Emmett said to Tim. When we gathered our things to leave, he stopped in his tracks. “You know, there’s something that doesn’t make sense to me.”

  “What?” Tim and I asked at the same moment. Had this happened before the hand incident, I would’ve tapped his arm and said, “Jinx.”

  “Why would Swamp Sam just up and sell the marina like he did? Maybe there’s more to his craziness. You think he knows something about Bigfoot that we don’t?”

  He made a darn good point. Maybe Swamp Sam’s latest fear of the authorities was just a cover story for his true intentions. Before he started getting obsessed with Bigfoot, Swamp Sam’s whole life revolved around the marina and fishing. He was old, but not ancient, and he probably had a good reason to sell the marina to Papa. Like maybe a million-dollar-Bigfoot-contest-idea.

  Team Bigfoot made the decision to pay Swamp Sam a visit first before going to the park.

  “See you at our house in a little bit,” I told Tim as we left.

  “Yeah,” he said, looking down. Did he ever replay the hand incident in his mind like I did? Was he afraid of giving me the wrong impression? Quit over-thinking things and focus on the Bigfoot mission instead, I told myself.

  The walk from Tim’s house seemed much quicker than on the way there and the heat didn’t seem to bother me as much either. I mentally went through our checklist—gather some food, water, and other items, and then pull our bikes out of our packed garage.

  But as we got near our house, our mission had been majorly compromised.

  7

  A girl sat on our stoop with a large bag propped up near the door. Her face was familiar, yet not, considering the many layers of makeup coating her eyes and lips, plus she had burgundy highlights streaked throughout her long strands of dark hair.

  “Hey, guys!” the girl called out. While she looked different than I remembered, there was no doubt the voice belonged to my former best friend.

  “Shawna? What are you doing here?” I couldn’t believe she was in town, at my house, sitting on our front stoop! Emmett held his mouth open so wide a horsefly could’ve easily zoomed in.

  “Didn’t your mom say anything?” Shawna stood up and towered over me. Shawna was a year older than me, and she very much looked like a teenager now. She’d grown slightly taller, yes, but unlike Tim’s growth spurt, her height difference could be explained by her high wedge-heeled sandals. While her shoes had gotten taller, her skirt seemed to have shrunk, and her tight tank top showed off part of her tanned belly. Did she have curves like that before she left, or was she just showing them off more now?

  Even though twelve wasn’t that far from thirteen, I was nothing more than a little girl standing before her.

  “I was supposed to come to your party last night, but Dad got delayed at work, like always.”

  “But you never replied to the invite …”

  “I did, but your mom had this idea about wanting to surprise you.”

  Emmett cleared his throat. “It’s a nice surprise. You’re being rude, Everdil.”

  “Sorry, things have been kind of … crazy.” I couldn’t bring myself to fill Shawna in on the recent happenings.

  I hugged her, and it felt like hugging someone you’ve met only
a few times before, not someone who used to be your best friend. As Emmett hugged Shawna, her shirt rose up slightly. I expected to see her bellybutton pierced or something, but it sunk in like normal and was free of bedazzled jewelry.

  Emmett kept staring at her until I knocked him in his arm.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” I said. When was the last time we’d talked? Months, I supposed.

  “You probably heard, but my grandma’s not doing well. I’m back in town for part of the summer to help out, and your mom suggested I could stay here for a little while until Grandma gets settled at home.”

  Word had spread around town that her grandma had fallen, but I didn’t think it was serious. Why hadn’t my mom shared any of this with me?

  “Here, let me help you.” Emmett bent down to pick up Shawna’s overstuffed bag and carried it inside the house.

  “Whoa, Everdil,” Shawna said when she stepped into my room. “Your room’s exactly the same.”

  “So?” She hadn’t been gone all that long, and it’s not like my family had the kind of money that hers did to redecorate every five minutes.

  “Don’t get defensive. I just thought you might’ve added some posters or personality or whatever by now,” she said, moving her stuff near my dresser.

  As I struggled to think of something to say, the doorbell rang. Tim had arrived, just as we’d planned.

  For some reason, I wanted to turn Tim away before he caught a glimpse of this brand new Shawna. She was closer to his age, and I still couldn’t get over how teenager she looked. The front door smacked behind me as I rushed outside. Tim was setting his bike near the garage door, a huge backpack slung over his shoulder. “You guys ready?” he asked.

  “About Team Big … the adventure, we’ve had a change of plans and maybe—” I stopped cold when Shawna stepped out the door with Emmett.

  Shawna rushed up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You’ve gotten so tall, Timmy!”

  She called him Timmy now. Seriously?

  Emmett pivoted on his toes—was he trying to make himself look taller for her?

  Tim stood with his arms by his sides like he didn’t know what to do. “Uh, hi, Shawna. Are you home for good?” Was that hope I heard in his voice?

  “My grandmother had a stroke and got out of the hospital two days ago. I’m staying with my mom for several weeks to help Grandma out as she learns how to walk and do stuff for herself again.”

  My emotions whirled around like they were on the spin cycle, and my heart hurt to hear about what had happened to her grandmother. With Gram, it had all been so sudden. Gram was alive and laughing one day, and then she doubled over and was gone the next. I’ll always remember how Emmett stood up at her funeral and said, “I wish my grandmother could’ve been like Chuck Norris. His heart would never be dumb enough to attack him.” Instead of laughing, he broke down. We all did. Mama comforted us by saying how Gram didn’t suffer, and here Shawna’s grandmother must’ve been suffering a lot. “Sorry,” I whispered.

  Shawna’s charcoal-lined eyes smudged from her tears.

  Emmett moved in to give her a hug. She returned his embrace but without the same warmth as she’d hugged Tim (now also known as Timmy). After a long pause, Emmett asked, “Should we get going?”

  “What was that adventure you were talking about a moment ago, Everdil?” Shawna asked.

  Just as I hadn’t wanted Tim to see Shawna, I hesitated to include her in our Bigfoot plans. We’d made rules, after all. “Let’s go swimming! Did you pack a swimsuit?”

  “Of course. There’s not much else to do in this lame town,” Shawna said.

  Tim nodded his head in response, and for some reason, it bothered me to think he agreed with her about the lameness of our town. I mean, if I’m being one-hundred percent truthful I’ll admit I sort of agree, but still, Tim’s two best friends live here. No matter what, it’s home.

  “I better go change then,” Emmett said.

  I’d been looking forward to catching up with Shawna, but we now had one less day to win the contest.

  8

  Turns out, Shawna had packed three swimsuits—bikinis, actually. All I owned was my ratty polka dotted one-piece, the backside pilled from sitting on our dock countless times.

  Shawna changed in the bathroom while I stayed in my room, squeezing into my swimsuit and covering up with a worn t-shirt and an even more worn pair of jean shorts. The paper-thin fabric felt comfortable, but the shorts had frayed so much that long strings hung down and tickled my thighs when I walked. I almost forgot about the necklace so I turned around to take it off, setting it on the dresser for safekeeping.

  It took about twenty minutes for Shawna to primp and change into her swimsuit-catalogue-type of bikini. When she made her debut out of the bathroom, I gawked at her. Shawna’s hair was pulled back in a super-bouncy-burgundy-streaked-ponytail, and she’d freshened up her eyeliner. My parents would’ve thrown a fit if I looked so mature.

  “This will be like old times,” Shawna said, stopping in front of the hallway mirror to adjust her hair as we walked to meet up with the boys. From the flat tone of her voice, I wasn’t sure if she thought that was a good or bad thing.

  Tim and Emmett were waiting for us in the living room, tossing a foam football back and forth. Emmett had changed into his fluorescent orange trunks and yellow shirt still stained from the frosting. Tim hadn’t borrowed anything from my brother, probably because they were two different sizes now. I guess he planned on swimming in his regular clothes.

  Both of the boys stopped cold when they saw Shawna. When Tim launched the ball, it thudded against Emmett’s chest.

  I couldn’t wait to get outside. “Race you all to the dock!” The back door smacked the wood frame behind me.

  Our backyard wasn’t fenced in, and neither was our neighbor’s yard a couple of lots away. You could see Caddo Lake less than a mile from the porch. Cypress trees framed the lake and looked so strong, so sturdy, that it seemed like nothing could ever destroy them, not even time. I headed down the dirt footpath that led down a hill to the lake.

  Tim started to say something about Bigfoot to me when Shawna called out, “Hey, wait up!” He ditched me without hesitation to help her, but Emmett rescued her first. Apparently, she’d stumbled over a rock in her tall sandals and had to pick up the purse she’d dropped. She never used to carry a purse. Had she forgotten what it was like to live here?

  I turned around and walked the remaining distance to the dock alone. The wooden boards creaked when I stepped on them. The water was murky, and in some places, it appeared slimy green from the duckweed on top and because of the lily-pad-looking spatterdock. None of those things stopped me from canon-balling into the lake, shorts and shirt and all. The coolness of the water was a welcome distraction.

  As soon as I popped up, little bits of duckweed stuck to my skin and my t-shirt suctioned to me as well. I worried it revealed too much, or in my case, too little. Why hadn’t I thought about this before jumping in?

  I dunked back under and swam to where the lake was shallow enough to stand yet deep enough to cover me. My feet sank into the mushy layers of mud. As I waited for the others to join me, the water rippled, and a whiny groan sounded. The memory of the fangs flashed in my mind.

  “Are you messing with me, Emmett?” I said when he reached the dock.

  “What are you talking about?”

  And that’s when something wrapped itself around my ankle. I stepped back. Whatever it was tightened, reminding me of the claw from my nightmare.

  I screamed so loud a heron in a nearby tree flapped its wings.

  My leg thrashed about.

  “You okay?” Tim asked.

  “Something’s got me!” I kicked hard and the grip around my ankle loosened. This was no claw—I’d kicked up a huge plant. And the noise was nothing more than a passing jon boat. The fisherman gave me a funny look as he passed by.

  “Everdil’s got a case of the Swamp Sams. ‘S
omething’s got me,’” Emmett mocked.

  Tim and Shawna laughed at me, and on the count of three, the boys jumped in, arms and legs flailing. The lake exploded in a plume of water. Shawna shrieked, and I nearly choked on a wave.

  “Who had the biggest splash?” Emmett asked as soon as he surfaced.

  “I think you did, but with all that water it’s hard to te—”

  “You guys soaked me!” Shawna inspected her purse to make sure her phone was okay and then pressed water from her ponytail. In summers past, she always joined us in the water. She could hold her breath underwater the longest out of the four of us—sixty-four seconds—and she even won our end of summer freckle award for having the most spots.

  “Sorry,” Tim said.

  Emmett dunked under the water, and when he popped up, he wore a duckweed crown. He swiped his hand over his head and pulled a small clump off. “I’d forgotten the game of Monster until you mentioned it, Tim.”

  Shawna’s laughter encouraged Tim. He dug up a clump of fishy smelling mud, and then he smeared it up and down his arms, taking shelter by the canoes. Shawna had pulled her cell phone out of her purse when Tim acted like he was about to bomb her with a mud-ball.

  Shawna covered up her cell phone. “Don’t even think about it, Timmy! This phone is barely working as it is with the horrible cell coverage.”

  So I wouldn’t go unnoticed, I plucked some spatterdock and swam over to Tim, placing the green discs on his back like he had some weird swamp disease.

  Tim held his arms up as if he was a zombie-monster. “You’re going down, Everdil!”

  And with that, he dunked me under and swam off. As soon as I regained my breath, I zipped through the lake to get him back. When I caught Tim, I placed my arms on top of his bony shoulders and leaned in, trying to knock him over.

  But he didn’t budge. How was I supposed to respond next?

  I backed up and splashed him. So much water slammed his face that he sputtered.