Chapter 27—Christina Meets Lizzi

The log home was as warm and inviting on the inside as it looked on the outside. Christina entered a large mudroom that was lined along three sides with dark wooden benches with hinged lids. One bench was stuffed with shoes, boots, and skateboards and wouldn't close. A row of thick wooden pegs lined the paneled walls. From every peg, coats puffed out like people with no heads. Gear was piled so high on the benches that it nearly filled the space. A red tile floor was mostly hidden by a bamboo mat but was almost clear of clutter.

Christina gasped as she drifted from the mudroom into the massive living room. Knotty pine walls and long wooden beams soared high to meet at a narrow peak, about twenty feet up. On the right wall, a large fireplace rested deep inside a wall of rocks. Western-patterned rugs covered much of the dark wood floor, and several worn leather chairs invited guests to sink in.

One of the chairs enveloped all but the legs of a girl. A pair of red cowboy boots dangled loosely over the wide arms. Christina assumed the boots, and the body, belonged to Lizzi. With her arm hanging low, Christina offered a slight wave.

"I'm Christina," she said.

"Hey!" Lizzi leaped out of the chair and landed on both boots in one graceful motion. She tossed aside the book she had been reading and pushed up the orange bandana that was wound into a tight rope and wrapped around her head.

Christina couldn't help but stare at Lizzi's almost pure white hair, so much like her brother's. It hung in multiple dreads well below her shoulders.

"You must be the famous Christina," Lizzi said, and stuck out a strong arm.

A soft "hi" was all Christina could manage. But her hand joined Lizzi's, and they shook. Lizzi's shake was surprisingly strong, and Christina was glad she used weights in dance class.

"I hear you're going out with Jake and the others tomorrow," Lizzi said.

"I guess so," Christina mumbled, her heart not yet in it.

"Well then, let's get you outfitted, girl." Lizzi punched her arm forward, just like a tomboy, Christina thought. Then she reached into one of the many pockets of her dark green cargo shorts and pulled out a key. Next she pulled a locket from under her tie-dyed T-shirt, opened it, and removed another, smaller key. Christina wanted to ask why she could possibly need the keys, but felt too shy and remained quiet.

Lizzi looked her up and down much like Jake had earlier that day. "I think we're about the same size," she said, "even our feet, which is so cool. Don't you think?"

She didn't seem to want an answer, but Christina nodded and looked down at her own blouse, skirt, and ballet slippers, suddenly feeling out of fashion.

"I have plenty of clothes and gear you can borrow." Lizzi glanced up the long flight of stairs. "Let's head up to my room and check it out." She clip-clopped in her red boots over to the dark wooden stairs and climbed. The sound became muffled by the patterned rug running up the stairs.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked, turning back.

Christina had stopped to look around for Jake and his dad, but they had disappeared.

"Come on," Lizzi said, swinging an arm high as if she were lifting air.

"I'm coming," Christina said.

The top of the staircase connected to an open hallway that looked out over the entire living room and the massive wall of rocks. The effect was breathtaking to Christina, who had never seen such an arrangement. It was like peering down from a tree house. She stopped to take it in.

A series of closed doors ran the length of the hallway. Lizzi moved to the very end and opened a door. It led to another hallway. She motioned for Christina to follow. Her boots echoed on the uncovered floor. Christina trailed along, silent in her ballet slippers.

"Make sure you close all the doors," Lizzi said. Then she removed the key from her pocket and unlocked a second door. It led to another set of stairs. She laughed. "I really can't get far enough away from all that macho energy down below. My mom moved away after the divorce. Between dad and Jake and two other brothers—well, you know how it is."

Christina had no idea, but said nothing as she pulled the door shut behind her. She had never been around anyone who exuded so much vitality. Lizzi was like a ray of sun, warm and reassuring, but overpowering if one stood in its radiance too long.

At the top of the stairs they entered Lizzi's room. A hand-painted spread was thrown across the bed. It showed a brilliant sunset over a desert landscape. Just what we need, Christina thought, more reds and oranges, and she shrank even deeper into her plain blouse and skirt.

"Follow me," Lizzi said, and then disappeared behind multicolored beads that clattered pleasantly as she entered the domain of her closet.

Christina followed. "Wow!" she gasped, turning a complete circle. "So much space—and a skylight." The room looked more like an expensive teen boutique than a schoolgirl's closet.

"I know." Lizzi rolled over a giant exercise ball for Christina to sit on. "There's a benefit to being the only girl." Then she gave a toothy grin similar to Jake's.

"Sit here and I'll pull out some things you can try on."

As Christina balanced herself on top of the ball, she looked up and saw her reflection staring back from a most unusual mirror. The frame, cut from driftwood, was carved into leaves that crawled up and around. Every few inches, a bright crystal was embedded into the vine. The crystals created rainbow prisms that danced around the room.

"What colors do you like?" Lizzi mumbled, not looking up, as she rummaged through mountains of clothing on her shelves. She began to set aside pieces.

"Most of them, I guess." Christina was amazed to have so many choices.

"Now, footgear," Lizzi said, and moved toward a corner of the closet filled with shoes and boots, like a store display. "Size seven, right?" she asked as she squatted down.

"Right. How did you—?"

"I'm good at it," Lizzi said. "Good at sizing things up. It helps when you're out in the wild."

The wild, Christina thought, wondering what she was getting herself into. She could think of a lot of places she'd rather be. Like at the barre in ballet class. So simple, so predictable; just follow the same steps and moves thousands of dancers had before her, and would continue long after she had stopped. Was she ready for the untamed wilderness?

"Here we go." Lizzi grabbed several pairs of shoes and boots and added them to the pile. "Try everything on. Pick out at least two outfits for warm weather and two for cold in case you guys head into the tunnels. They can be frigid, so you'll want to layer. I'll show you how to do that later."

Lizzi popped up from her squat. "I'll wait for you in my room. Come in and show me what you like." Then she slipped through the clattering beads, leaving Christina alone.

Christina stared at the swaying curtain and wondered what Lizzi's second key belonged to. Then she got off the wiggling ball and walked over to the pile. Several pairs of hiking shorts and T-shirts were on top. Underneath she found warmer felt pants and pullovers. Another pile had puffy vests, several hats, thick socks, and two pairs of hiking boots. She peeled off her clothes, one piece at a time, and tried everything on.

The girl in the mirror was a complete stranger. Glaring back was Heidi of the hills instead of the Spanish princess she knew so well. Her thick black hair was stuffed into a wooly hat, and her legs were mostly bare. Her feet looked padded like some kind of mountain animal. But as untamed and leggy as she felt in shorts and hiking boots, she couldn't shake off the pull toward those mountains, the crystals yet to be found. Whatever it was, it was getting under her skin.

"Chris," she whispered to her reflection. Maybe I should become Chris, she thought, remembering how she had jumped all over Jake for calling her that. Is he right? Am I a natural for the wild?