Page 46 of To Catch a Firefly

“You’re moping,” Danil notes.

“I’m not,” I counter.

“Are too.”

“What are you, five?”

He sticks his tongue out at me, and I toss a shirt at his face. It helps for a second, until I go back to packing.

“I still think you should say something,” Danil says.

“I thought you said you’d drop it.”

“Dropped,” he replies quickly, sealing his lips. He refolds my shirt before walking over and setting it inside my suitcase. “We need to go soon.”

The reminder is gentle, but I can’t bring myself to speed up. I know I’m putting off the inevitable, but I’m not ready to get on that plane. My insides are rolling, every inch of me uneasy.

“If we miss our flight, you get to talk to Chelsea,” he says.Our boss.With that, he slaps my shoulder and leaves the room.

I procrastinate as long as possible, but finally, I finish packing and zip up my luggage. When I go looking for my mom, I find her in my parents’ bedroom. She’s sitting at the computer, her reading glasses on.

“Hi, sweetheart,” she says, sitting back. “Ready to go?”

No.“Yes.”

She nods, coming over to give me a hug. “Be safe, all right? We like you in one piece.”

“I will,” I say with a chuckle. My eyes catch on the dresser when we step apart. “Is that…”

“Oh,” my mom says, smiling. “One of Ellis’s. Isn’t it beautiful?”

I walk over to the dresser, atop which sits a glass sailboat. It’s a little smaller than the parrotfish, but not by much. The base of the vessel is opaque white, but the sails are a blend of yellows and oranges, almost like a sunrise. It’s simplistically made—not an extra piece or frill on it—but it’s intricate. Delicate.

“I didn’t know he did this,” I tell her, tracing my finger over the smaller sail. “I just found out.”

She hums. “I wonder why he didn’t tell you.”

I’m still not sure of that myself. He seemed almost embarrassed by it, like he was scared of my reaction. Did he think I wouldn’t support him?

The thought stings.

“When did he make this one?” I ask, having a feeling I know the answer.

My mom thinks it over. “A year and a half ago?”

After my trip to the Grenadines. Geoff, my first partner, and I spent three days sailing, hopping islands and exploring some of the lesser-known beaches in the area. I remember recounting the details to Ellis, like I always do. The white sands. The salty air. The feeling of soaring over the water as if I were a bird. The sunrise I enjoyed alongside Geoff as we sipped espresso aboardthe boat. And the yellows and oranges that crested over the water as if the sun were bleeding up into the sky.

He brought it to life. Ellis brought it to life.

I let my hand fall away from the glass. “I should get going,” I tell my mom.

She gives my shoulder a squeeze. “Of course. Let me know when you land.”

After one more hug, I find Danil waiting for me in the living room.

He stands and pops his phone into his pocket. “Ready?”

Why does everyone keep asking me that?

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