Maisie's Road Trip

By Scarsky

Where do you go when you can't run away?

 

Maisie and Phoebe Shepherd are as different as twins can be. Maisie lives for the thrill of a hundred-meter dash, while Phoebe longs to spend her days and nights studying about narwhals in the Arctic Sea, if she wasn't pining over her not-so-secret crush on Michael Bishop.

 

Things take a sudden drastic turn when an unexpected illness shakes the foundation of their bond, threatening to tear them apart. One sister struggles to get back on her feet, while the other tries desperately to hold the family together. As time runs out, hard decisions have to be made, leaving the question of what it means to live life to the fullest.

 

Who wants to go on a road trip?

 

If you enjoy Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper or John Green's Fault in Our Stars, you will love Maisie's Road Trip.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pup Books
• Release date: Apr 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9789811413292

Book preview

Chapter 1

On our eleventh birthday, my parents decided to take my sister, Maisie, and I for a surprise birthday weekend trip to Wallowa Lake. It’s the middle of an unusually hot spring. The sun can be seen peeking through billowy clouds, bright enough for me to squint my eyes but not shut them entirely. I’m sitting in the backseat of the SUV with Maisie, along with the rest of our camping stuff. Dad has been driving near the speed limit on the seemingly endless road of the highway.

Seeing how bored we look, Mom tries her best to keep our minds occupied, but it still feels like we’ve been on the road for a whole day. We’d set off from home early in the wee hours of morning just as the first streaks of light began to cascade down the driveway, and yet we’re still on the road.

By the time we arrive at the camping grounds, the whole afternoon is gone. Dad drops us off to park the car beneath the shade of a particularly large tree. The lush green canopy seems to touch the sky. We’re so hungry that the first thing Dad does as soon as he finds a good camping spot was to go collect wood to start a small fire. As we wait, I watch from afar as the waters in the lake shimmer in lazy ripples along the shore. Mom wants us to help unpack our camping gear. She’s holding a small purple sleeping bag in her hands. That one’s definitely Maisie’s. Personally, I think purple’s too loud a color. Like Maisie, it can’t help but make its presence known.

Ignoring the look on Mom’s face, Maisie’s already begging to run off and explore the place. Please, Mom, let us go! There’s a lake and we’re kids. What else is there to do? We want to go on an adventure. It’s our birthdays! Maisie grumbles to Mom for the third time that day.

I giggle as Maisie stands firm, her arms folded across her chest, tapping her feet with impatience as she glares at Mom. Her neon orange running shorts are bunched up around her thighs. I can see her furious eyes turning a darker shade of blue as she fumes.

I scratch at the short brown khaki pants that Mom made me wear. The fabric chafes my thighs, leaving angry red marks all over. I bend down to re-tie my shoes, letting my ponytail roll cover my eyes. It’s the only way to avoid Maisie’s glare. She can’t ever wait to get her hands dirty while I’m the complete opposite as a cleanliness freak, even though we are twins.

Maisie moves over to me and slightly pinches my arm. I swallow a cry and scowl at her through my spectacles.

″Phoebe, say something," she hisses down at me.

The first thing I want to say to her is that it really hurts, don’t pinch me ever again! Second of all, whether we get to have an adventure or not doesn’t really matter. I’m more of a homebody anyway. And besides, the warm weather’s making my skin itch, and the bugs swarming around my hair are the size of quarters. It’ll take a double layer of insect repellent and at least a fifteen-minute warm-up before I’d even dare to set one foot away from the camping site.

But Maisie has that look on her face. That ‘you better come with me or else I’m stealing Paddy from your bed tonight’ look. Paddy’s my favorite plush teddy bear. I named him after Paddington Bear when I first got him. The truth is I’m not really bothered by the threat. For one thing, I’ve already outgrown Paddy, and because Maisie has hidden him so many times, I’ve slowly stopped noticing when he wasn’t there. I didn’t even bring him along with me on the trip, so Maisie has nothing to blackmail me with into going along with another one of her disastrous schemes. Our trip is meant to be a birthday vacation, but when it comes to Maisie, things can’t be as simple as sitting down and enjoying cake and presents. She’s way too restless for that. But I decide that I should do this one favor for her, just in case she wants to share her dessert with me later on. And so, I sigh and give her a nod, which she reciprocates with a gleeful squeal.

Taking a reluctant step forward, I glance at Maisie and mumble, We can take our bikes, can’t we? It’ll be faster. And besides, I want to see the birds as well. It’ll be a nice change of scenery.

Mom steps forward and crouches before us. She has that look for when she can see through my lie, which happens quite often. Her blonde hair blows in the careless wind, covering much of her pretty face as she looks me straight in the eye and smiles knowingly.

″Birds, huh?" she says.

Maisie and I nod.

″And you promise you won’t ride the bikes too fast?"

″Never," Maisie replies, signing a cross over her chest.

″And you’ll be back before Aunt Libby gets here, won’t you?"

Aunt Libby is Dad’s younger sister. She was invited on the camping trip because it’s our birthday and she’s a big part of our family. Dad spends most of his time teaching and doing research over at Portland State, while Mom works downtown at a consulting firm. So, that leaves Aunt Libby who’d been kind enough to spend time with us during the summer at our house. She’d make sure that Maisie keeps from burning the house down and I don’t coop myself up in my room all day, burying my head in books. Because of her, we’re reminded to spare the time to breathe in the fresh air outside and smell the flowers once in a while. That was before she got ill, though.

Unfortunately, we haven’t really seen Aunt Libby for nearly a year after she got really sick last summer. She has trouble with walking long distances and going up and down stairs. It wasn’t long before my grandmother, Nana Izzy, had to step in to take care of her. Nana thought that it would be best if Aunt Libby moved back in with her at her vineyard in Newberg. Dad initially disagreed with the idea, thinking it’d be too much for Nana to handle, but our grandmother has always been one tough cookie. After Grandpa died of cancer a few years back, Nana was quick to take over the reins of the vineyard, making sure that the farm is able to run as efficiently as it has before. With her faded fringe jacket, long salt and pepper hair, and dangling skeleton earrings, her independent spirit shines through and through. I have always admired that about her.

Eventually, it got to be too hard for Aunt Libby to commute back and forth after moving back to Nana’s place in Newberg. As a result, we couldn’t see Aunt Libby last Christmas. Dad thought it’d be better to let her have a quiet holiday with Nana. And so, I’m pleasantly surprised to learn that she’s going to be with us at Wallowa Lake for our birthday today. It goes without saying that I’m overjoyed and super excited to see my favorite aunt.

Maisie and I bobble our heads in unison as Mom looks at us with appraising eyes. After a while, she stands up and goes back to assembling the tents. Thinking that it’s a sign that the plan is a no-go, Maisie looks at me and sighs with disappointment.

″I guess it’s back to kicking sticks and looking at interesting rocks," she groans.

However, just as we turn to go, Mom turns to us.

″All right, all right. You can go, she says, as long as you promise to stay on the trails."

Despite initially feeling reluctant, I can’t help grinning as I watch Maisie jump up and down, screaming. Mom laughs as she nearly falls over herself thanking her as she runs to get our bikes out from the back of the car. I run after my sister and, in the blink of an eye, Maisie’s already ahead of me, pulling on her helmet and ready to take off, not wanting to give Mom a chance to change her mind. I have to remind her to wear her knee and elbow pads to protect from getting hurt in an accident, especially since the trails are likely to be slippery. It’ll be easy to fall if we aren’t careful. As expected, Maisie thinks I’m overreacting. She rolls her eyes and calls me worrywart but finally relents and puts them on anyway. Before setting off, we wave to Dad and giggle as he fumbles with lighting a fire with matchsticks.

″Be back by sunset!" Mom shouts after us as we ride off.

We can barely hear her faint voice over the rushing wind as our bikes pick up speed down a dirt path. Maisie rings her bike bell several times as she goes. Her excited giggles seem to echo through the woods. She’s always been like this, barreling ahead without a care in the world. I’m the one pedaling behind her, huffing breathlessly as I try my hardest to keep up with her.

″You’re going too fast, Maisie!" I shout between deep breaths.

″Or maybe you’re just too slow, Phoebe! Try to keep up!" she quips. She rings the bell again just to annoy me as she continues to pedal faster.

Her little jab stings, but I’m feeling competitive, and soon enough, I’ve gathered the strength to push the bike pedals even harder, nearly matching my sister’s speed. The scenery around us blurs as we go. The sweet smell of flowers and berries wafts into my nostrils, making me wish I’d eaten before we left. Small pebbles sprinkle the trail ahead, making the path a challenge to navigate. I grasp my bike handles tightly and hold on for dear life, fearful of tumbling over. Maisie seems unafraid, however. Her hair flutters in red wisps behind her as the wind itself seems to bolster her. Her skin glistens under the sunlight, reminding me of a fairy from children’s storybooks.

″Look, Phoebe, a squirrel!" she gasps, pointing up at a nearby tree.

Following her lead, I slow down and stop along the road to look up at the trees. Two squirrels spring up the thick trunk, leaping from branch to branch. I watch as they prance over each other, swooshing their bushy tails like superhero capes before disappearing into the distance. The leaves rustle and fall like snow, gently surprising me as one comes close enough to tickle the upper bridge of my nose. I stifle a sneeze as Maisie laughs, looking enchanted by the display.

I ask Maisie if she wants to go faster, but she shakes her head. Just the opposite, she wants to go slow instead. Climbing off her bike, she pushes it forward at a crawl as I pedal behind her. We get to smell the dampness of the earthy ground and the crispiness of the fir trees. I can follow the sunlight as it dances in Maisie’s shiny hair, bouncing back and forth between her silky red strands and the spotty bike mirror. I feel tingles down my spine as the leaves crunch satisfyingly beneath my feet.

″Where are we going?" I whisper to Maisie.

She kicks at the leaves and stomps on them as they blow off the ground.

″Why are you whispering?" she replies, imitating my voice.

I get off my bike and push it along beside her. We should get going. We don’t want to stay and risk disrupting nature, do we? I read that some animals are nocturnal, which means they sleep in the day and become active at night.

Maisie rolls her eyes at me. I know what ‘nocturnal’ means, Phoebe. You don’t have to explain it to me like I’m twelve. And besides, why do you always use such big words? Like the one you said in class the other day. Metamor-something…What was it?

I frown at her. Metamorphosis, Maisie. We learned about it last week from Mr. Jorges. I push my bike to her side. You should pay more attention in class. What if we get tested on it for the end of year exams?

″Then, I’ll study the night before, like I do with everything else, she says with a grin. Or you can always take the test in my place. No one will be able to tell us apart anyway."

I gasp, shaking my head. I’ll never do that. If we ever get caught, and I know we will, we’d get into so much trouble with Mom and Dad. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get grounded before summer even begins.

″Goody-two-shoes," she teases.

″Lazy bones," I retort.

The path ahead forks into two roads, with one leading deeper into the woods and the other rounding back to the shore. The trees stand high above us like dark medieval towers. Some of the woodland critters have appeared, their doe eyes peering at us from beneath the thick foliage. The setting of the sun is made more apparent by the telltale chirping of crickets lurking among the wild grass.

Maisie and I keep to the path on our right. We know it’d take us a while to get back to the lake and it’s easy to get lost. The sun’s descending on the horizon as our shadows stretch out like elastic toys. We finally reach the shoreline and park the bikes away from the water. Every step we take makes our shoes sink deeper into the wet sand. As we walk along the edge of the water, I watch as Maisie digs her feet in the sand and sit cross-legged facing the water. I move to sit next to her, patting the ground first to make a dry spot before perching on it lightly.

Maisie opens the light green pineapple-print fanny pack cinched around her waist and takes out a pair of dark shades. She puts them on, lifts her head to the sky, and leans back against the soft earth. Her face relaxes as she basks in the cool and quiet. I scoot my shoes further into the sand and wriggle them as I fold my knobby arms over my bent knees.

″The sun’s already setting. We should start heading back, shouldn’t we?" I say, trying to be the responsible one.

″Stop worrying and try to live in the moment for once, Phoebe," Maisie says.

I can’t help but stare at her. I notice that I can’t go for too long without looking at my twin. Is it because of her uncanny resemblance to me? Or is it the way she carries herself so freely? I think maybe it’s because it feels like I’m seeing a whole other version of me. Though we look the same, we’re different in so many other ways.

Maisie smiles and turns her head to me. I’m starving. I hope Aunt Libby brought her chicken casserole with her.

″Yeah, otherwise we’re in trouble. Do you know what Dad’s making for dinner tonight? It’s his famous grill salmon," I say sarcastically.

Maisie groan. Not that again. The fish’s always so bony and yucky and gross.

″You can say that again."

″If we’re stuck eating Dad’s dinner, then I’m definitely hiding some chips in my sleeping bag for later."

″How can you eat like a cow and still look like that? Aren’t we supposed to have the same genes? That’s not fair!" I complain, looking down at my own pudgy body.

Maisie lifts up her arms and pokes at her underarm skin, her face crumpling in disgust. This flabby thing? If you think I’m skinny, you should see Leslie in P.E. class. All the running she does has made her thinner than a twig. She glances at me and frowns. Too bad you hate anything to do with P.E., though.

I shake my head and look away. No, I just hate being sweaty. I’m all for the idea of P.E. and keeping healthy, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it.

In all honesty, I do enjoy doing sports, but only sometimes. Whenever Coach Brie gets distracted by kids dangling upside down on gym ropes or scrapping their knees on the field, I have a brief window when I don’t feel nervous or self-conscious. That’s when I can actually have a bit of fun, so long as no one happens to be watching me, that is. I would never tell Maisie about this out of fear that she’ll make fun of me. It’s not true that I hate sports. After all, I once thought about joining the track squad at school. Leslie’s the captain of the team, and when she found out about it, she showed up at my locker out of the blue as I’m getting ready for class.

″So, Phoebe, I hear you want to join the squad," she said, putting on a happy face, but it’s more of a grimace than a smile.

My mouth froze as I stared openly at her.

″T-That’s not true," I lied unconvincingly. How did she find out? I barely told anyone.

″News travels fast during recess. Leslie waved dismissively. Anyway, I’m sure you know that your sister, Maisie, is on the team. She’s a very good runner, one of our best, really. Is that why you want to join? Because you want to hang out with her? Well, I’m here to tell you you’re wrong. We’re focused on getting results on the track. It’s not about having fun and building friendships, do you get me? If you’re not up for it, I suggest you quit now, unless… do you think you could actually beat her?"

″I don’t…I mean, I could never-"

Leslie’s lips curled into a nasty smirk as she tapped a finger on her chin. A little friendly competition in the family, huh? I don’t know if your sister would like that very much. If it were me, I’d be more than a little annoyed.

I couldn’t come up with a good reply in my mind. Leslie had thrown me for a loop. I suppose letting me down in private was better than embarrassing me at tryouts later on.

″I’d stick to the science stuff if I were you, Leslie advised. Just because you’re Maisie’s twin doesn’t mean you have to do the same things as her, you know."

And with that, Leslie closed my locker for me, smiled sweetly, and left. Needless to say, it was the last time I’d think of joining the track squad. Leslie’s the most popular girl at our school. She doesn’t talk to just anybody, and so the fact that she’d talked to me must mean that she’d spoken to my sister. I know how important running is to Maisie. Maybe she doesn’t want to share the limelight with me. That rejection did hurt, but I chose not to let it get to me. I still have Science and Maths club with my best friend, Betty, don’t I? That’s enough for me.

″We should go, Phoebe, Maisie says. It’s getting dark, and you know how Mom gets when we’re late. Maybe Aunt Libby’s already arrived and we’re missing it."

I nod. We stand up, brushing the sticky sand from our damp legs, but as we do, Maisie’s legs wobble a little, and she nearly topples back down. I catch her arm just in time as her body leans heavily against mine.

″I’m okay!" she cries as she