weekend she said as they filled their lunch trays and sat at their favorite table under the food pyramid mural the class had painted My dad used to be in the army said Abby deconstructing the cafeteria’s turkey sandwich into separate piles of bread meat cheese and tomato so she could eat each ingredient separately But it was a long time ago so I don’t really remember Natalie remembers it better Natalie was two years older than Abby Their younger sisters Emily and Grace were nine-year-old twins It’s weird because Caleb’s been gone for three whole years said Miriam using her right hand to unwrap the straw from her box of apple juice and pierce the foil top with it Miriam had cerebral palsy a condition that weakened the muscles of her body especially on the left side She had some trouble lifting the juice box from the tray to her mouth but Abby didn’t offer to help Miriam got annoyed when people tried to do things for her if she could do them herself He’s only come back for Hanukkah twice that whole time and once for a week when our grandma died Miriam continued taking a sip of juice But now he’s back for good Are you glad to have him at home again asked Abby When Emily and Grace had been adopted into the family three years ago Abby had not been thrilled about suddenly having two new sisters who were nearly her own age and who were often quite loud and used up all the hot water in the shower But now she could hardly imagine life without them I thought I would be said Miriam But he’s so different than I remember He spends most of his time listening to music alone in his
room He doesn’t even want to hang out with his old friends from high school never mind me I feel like I’m practically invisible to him Abby tried to think of reasons Miriam’s brother might be acting that way She had only met Caleb a few times but she remembered him as being loud and friendly and liking basketball Maybe he’s sick she said Or maybe he’s still tired from traveling I looked at Kuwait on the map and it’s really far away Abby always felt tired and cranky after she had to take a long trip Maybe said Miriam She took a few bites of her sandwich and then sighed and pushed her tray away Do you want that asked Abby pointing to the untouched brownie on Miriam’s plate Miriam shook her head so Abby took the brownie and ate it so it wouldn’t go to waste It sounded like Miriam had finished talking about her brother for now so Abby started telling her the rest of what she had learned about sled dogs When she got home from school a few hours later Abby dropped her backpack near the door and headed straight for the fleecy dog bed in the living room where Amigo liked to nap Abby’s family ran an animal rescue called Second Chance Ranch and it was Abby’s job to help take care of all the dogs after school Right now the ranch had seven adult dogs and six puppies to look after But no matter how busy she was Abby always took Amigo for a walk first thing after she got home She was a little surprised that he hadn’t greeted her at the door with his leash in his mouth like he often did
Abby stopped in her tracks when she got to the living room and saw Amigo’s empty bed There was no trace of him except for the long golden hairs clinging to the white sheepskin fabric Abby hurried to the kennel room at the back of the house in case he was there The room was empty because all the dogs were outside in their runs for the afternoon Abby hurried out the back door and peered into each chain-link pen She counted each of the ranch’s other dogs including Cocoa the cocker spaniel with her six puppies But there was no Amigo Abby looked upstairs in her bedroom in her sisters and parents rooms and in each of the bathrooms She searched the basement and the attic even though Amigo never went in those places After that she had nowhere else to look Amigo was gone
Chapter Two Panic rose in Abby’s throat making her feel like she was underwater and drowning Could Amigo have gotten outside by accident What if he’d been hit by a car or someone had dognapped him She ran out to the big barn where the ranch’s horses goats and other farm animals lived There was no sign of Amigo but Abby found her father and Marco their fourteen-year-old neighbor who helped out around the ranch They were replacing some worn-out boards in one of the horse stalls Abby couldn’t think clearly enough to speak Instead she ran over to where her father was working Just then he swung around with the board he was holding and knocked Abby to the ground Abby he cried dropping the board and kneeling in front of her You came out of nowhere Are you alright Abby gasped for breath lying on the floor of the stall But it wasn’t just getting hit with the board that had knocked the wind out of her It felt like all of her language was dissolving and she could only think in pictures She saw Amigo’s empty bed the empty house She clenched her hand into a fist and bit down until she tasted blood It’s okay sweetheart Just calm down and take deep breaths said her father gently pulling her hand out of her mouth and helping her up He held her by each shoulder Remember square breathing
