When I walk through my front door, the first thing I hear is singing.
"Everybody, everybody wants to love," Mum's voice sings. I follow the sound to the kitchen, where I find her gracefully twirling across the floor, a container of spices in her hand. "Everybody, everybody wants to be loved..." The radio is on, and I recognize the song as "Everybody".
"Ohh oh oh," Mum sings, flicking on the stove. Her summer skirt swishes around her ankles. "Everybody feels the love, everybody steals the love, everybody heals with love."
So much use of the word "love" kind of makes me sick. But I like the song. My heart grows warm, tickling. I feel a smile stretch across my face. When Mum sets down the spices, about to open a cupboard, I step forward and grab her hand, twirling her.
"Oh, Alex!" she cries, laughing. She takes my other hand and dips with me, both of us exaggerating our movements. Her reddish brown hair was curly in the heat, falling out of her headband. The strands in front hang at her chin, while the hair in back reaches down her back.
"Just let the love, love, love begin," we both sing, giggles breaking through. Mum then twirls me, and I almost lose my balance, knocking the spices off the counter. Mum just cackles and grabs my hands, swinging us in a circle.
"C'mon, Alex!" she says. "Mother and son bonding time! Dance!"
I laugh and dive into it, doing my own little jig. Mum comes in and hooks her arm around mine, skipping around the kitchen, dragging me along. I twirl her again.
Sophie pokes her head around the corner, thumb in mouth. I get a flash of Dead Version Sophie, but I push it aside. I grab my sister's hand and tug her into the dance, all three of us bouncing around the kitchen. She squeals, a line of drool on her chin. Her white little kid skirt had dirt and grass stains. She danced clumsily, throwing us all off, but that just made us laugh harder.
"What's going on here?" my father's voice asks. We all stop and glance over our shoulders, where Dad stands in the kitchen doorway, hands on his hips. Mum flashes him a bright smile.
"We're dancing!" she says. Dad stares at us for a few moments, then his lips lift up in a smile.
"May I join you?" he asks. Sophie squeals again and holds out her hands. Dad grins and scoops her up, swinging her around the kitchen.
Mum and I look at each other, then smile and hurry after them.
***
History class.
I sat at my desk, glancing to my right once in a while. It was like I kept expecting Vivian to suddenly be there the next time I looked. But she never was.
Vivian hadn't shown up for school, and she wasn't in any classes, according to Marty. My stomach churned. Something didn't feel right. She was perfectly fine- I think- yesterday.
I drum my fingers against the wood, glancing at the clock every few minutes. School was almost over. Almost over. Almost.... over...
Ding!
I jump up from the seat and push past other kids, trying to get out the door. The hallways are crowded, and I have some difficulty getting to my locker. When I get there, Marty is waiting for me.
"Hey, new kid," he says as I spin the code on my lock. "What's up?"
"Skyloft," I mutter. I open my locker and shove my books into their proper slots.
Marty gives a surprised cough. "Didn't know you were a gamer," he says. "I thought of you as more the sports type."
"Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving," I say. I zip my bag up and sling it over my shoulder, then close my locker. "Anyways, what's up with you?"
