Read Online Awake and Dreaming by Kit Pearson - Free Book Online Page A

windy. There they stopped to zip up their jackets and catch their breaths. They held onto the cold bars of the railing and peered at the sheet of water far below. Beyond them rose the cliffs at the end of one of the islands.
    â€œI wonder why we haven’t seen your mother yet, Theo,” said Anna.
    Theo had been relieved they hadn’t run into Rae. “Maybe she’s on another deck,” she said hopefully.
    â€œShouldn’t we go and look for her?” asked John.
    Theo put up her hood to warm her freezing ears—and to give her time to think. “We can wait a while,” she said. “It’s okay. She won’t be worried.” She had almost added, “She doesn’t care.” She watched some gulls hovering in the sky as if they were pasted there.
    â€œHow long are you staying in Victoria?” asked Anna.
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œMaybe you’ll have time to come and visit us.”
    â€œWe have our own mountain!” said Ben.
    â€œIt’s just a rocky hill behind our house, but Ben calls it a mountain,” explained John.
    â€œAnd in front we have a graveyard, ” said Lisbeth. “It’s spooky!”
    â€œDon’t scare her,” said Anna. “Our house is across the street from a cemetery, Theo. It’s not spooky at all. It’s like a park and we play there every day.”
    â€œCould you come and play with us when you’re in Victoria?” asked Ben.
    â€œCould you? Please?” begged Lisbeth.
    â€œWhen we go back in we’ll give you our address,” said Anna. “Maybe your mum could bring you over.”
    Theo gazed at the Kaldors’ friendly faces. “I’ll try,” she said softly. But she wondered if Sharon would let her go.
    â€œHurray!” Lisbeth threw her arms around Theo andhugged her hard. An icy part of Theo melted and she tentatively hugged Lisbeth back.
    â€œLook at the moon!” cried Ben. “The moon in the daytime!” He pointed to a sliver of pale moon.
    â€œWhy does it look like it’s moving?” said Lisbeth.
    â€œBecause we’re moving,” said John. “It’s a new moon.”
    â€œHow do you know?” demanded Lisbeth.
    â€œBecause it’s shaped like a backwards C. We learned that last year.”
    â€œGrannie says you can wish on a new moon,” said Anna.
    â€œ I’m going to wish,” said Ben. He squeezed his eyes shut.
    â€œI bet you’re wishing for a real iguana,” said Lisbeth. “Let’s all wish.”
    The five of them looked up at the moon while the ferry churned its way to Victoria.
    I wish I could belong to this family, thought Theo. But the wish made her want to cry—it would never come true.
    Then she looked towards the bow. Rae was striding around the corner, struggling with the wind. She caught sight of Theo and headed towards her.
    Theo almost screamed with despair. She couldn’t go with Rae to Victoria and be left with an unknown aunt! An aunt who was probably mean, who’d probably never let her visit the Kaldors. She couldn’t lose this family just as she had found them!
    Her mother was coming closer and closer. Theo had never seen her look so angry.
    She looked back at the moon and wished out loud. “ Please! I wish I belonged to this family right now !”

7
    S omething was dripping. A steady soft splash close to her. Theo opened her eyes.
    She was cocooned in rose-coloured flannelette—sheets, pillowcase and fluffy quilt. She stretched out her legs and wriggled her toes. It was like being in a warm nest.
    Theo turned over on her back. Above the bed was a skylight shaded with a striped blue and white blind. Rain was dripping onto it; that’s what had woken her.
    No … she couldn’t be awake. She must be dreaming she was awake.
    She turned her eyes to the large room. Opposite her was a set of bunk beds, a bunched-up quilt strewn on each