Lily's eyes widened in panic If they couldn't take her with but there was nobody to watch her did that mean that she'd be home all alone During monsoon season Lily took pride in being able to do things herself even creating meals from whatever she could find in the refrigerator But the idea of being all alone in their house for more than a few hours was chilling Are you going to leave me here Lily asked feeling very small By myself Of course not Mom assured her giving Lily's hand a little squeeze But you're going to have to do something kind of scary
CHAPTER 2 Something Scary Everything became too much Lily couldn't even bring herself to ask what her mother possibly had in mind Knowing that it was scary was bad enough Before Mom could say another word Lily started to cry It's alright Lily Dad said He pulled his chair closer to hers The scary thing Mom is talking about is just an airplane that's all Lily looked up and wiped away her tears An airplane I've never been on one of those We know you haven't Mom said gently
But you're going to have to ride one all by yourself sometime in the next day or two Dad said But you said I couldn't come with you Lily sniffled Do I get to see Grandma after all It was starting to sink in Grandma's heart attack meant there'd be a time soon that Lily would never see her again The thought made Lily want to scream throw her plate across the kitchen kick her feet on the tile floor like she did when she was little Instead she sat up straight trying to be strong for Mom Grandma was Mom's mother after all Mom must have been devastated over this news No I'm afraid not Dad said But you will get to see your cousin River in Florida Despite the bad news Lily couldn't help but feel a flash of happiness River had been her favorite cousin ever since she could remember Whenever they saw each other it was like no time
had passed at all They loved having sleepovers exploring the woods in Lily's backyard and going to the swimming pool But all their lives it had been River's family who visited Arizona from Florida Never the other way around Lily hardly cared that going to stay with River meant she'd have to ride an airplane all by herself Lily wanted to be a famous explorer someone who wasn't afraid to see new lands have new experiences and discover new things Traveling to Florida could be a great way to spend a chunk of her summer vacation Lily listened to her mom explain everything Grandma was still alive as of now but her condition was worsening by the hour And it was crucial that Dad drive them to California as soon as possible Mom promised to call Lily on the phone so she could talk to Grandma Got it Lily said even though she was still a little scared I'll go pack my bags
