Chapter One

Dawning of Summer

The small bedroom was suddenly filled with the deafening repetitive blasts from an alarm clock, sending a small cloud of rudely startled birds up from the tree outside the window.

Nita Callahan sat bolt upright in bed, her heart pounding madly in her chest and a cold sweat pouring down her face as she struggled to bring herself fully back to reality from an extremely vivid dream. After a few wild glances around her tiny, somewhat cramped bedroom, she relaxed in the comfort of familiarity, her heart rate dropping from about two hundred beats. She dimly realized that her alarm clock was still going off, blaring a high-pitched beep that would drive anyone insane after listening to it for too long. Resignedly, she slid out of bed, quietly padded over to her clock, and punched a few buttons. By chance, she hit upon the right one, and the clock shut off.

Nita peered blearily at the digital readout on her clock and almost turned around and went back to sleep. Six AM on a Saturday morning was not her idea of fun. Halfway to the welcoming warmth and comfort of her bed, she stepped on something.

She quickly realized that there was nothing better than pain to wake one up. She gave a sharp gasp and sat down heavily on her bed, suddenly wide awake as she picked what appeared to be a piece of pencil lead out of her foot, muttering darkly all the while.

"I tell her, if she leaves her damn pencils all over the place, someone is gonna get hurt. Does she listen to me? Noooo…stupid Dari…I'm gonna get her for this…"

Nita peevishly slid the piece of graphite out of her foot and tossed it into the trashcan sitting by the door. She looked at the clock again. 6:01.

"Man, I hate this…"

She cautiously stumbled toward her closet and picked out her clothes for the day; a pair of well-worn jeans and her favorite NYPD Bomb Squad T-Shirt. Nita slipped into both garments, then quietly padded downstairs to go find the morning paper.

The door opened with a faint squeak, and Nita slipped outside into the crisp late spring air. A large group of sparrows argued about the date, time, and weather on the first day of summer in one of the large elm trees by her home, their high-pitched voices gabbling on and on like a record permanently set on high speed. Tucking a stray lock of auburn hair behind one ear, she chuckled quietly as she listened to them, then spotted the newspaper lying on the trunk of her father's ancient Toyota. She winced, knowing the severe reprimanding the deliverers would get when her dad discovered the Y wasn't hanging straight after a half-hour of gluing, welding, and swearing. Heaving a sigh, she grabbed the newspaper, tried and failed to straighten the Y out, then walked back into the house, wondering what she was going to do when school ended on Tuesday. At least she wouldn't have to stress over tests, homework, projects, and wizardry… and Kit…

She smiled slightly, remembering the 31st Street incident, as she referred to it. A bright, sunny day in the middle of March, and Kit's turn to buy a car. He had had his heart set on a black 1996 Honda Civic, a welcome change from the '72 Beetle he had been driving, and no one, not even Nita, could talk him out of it. She had finally given in, and they had started to walk toward the Honda dealer on 35th Street. It was when they reached 31st and 12th when a Mustang shot past, doing easily 50 in a 40 zone. After it came a black '96 Civic, doing about 45. Next thing they saw was a police car flying by, lights on, and the Civic was pulled over as the Mustang ripped on, now doing about 60. Kit instantly turned around and walked back down 12th, heading back to the bus stop where they had been dropped off. By the time they reached the bus stop at 18th and 12th, Nita had a stitch in her side, she was laughing so hard.

Nita tossed the newspaper onto the dining room table and snapped the plastic binding keeping the paper rolled. She turned to the Comics section and leafed through it, smiling every once in a while. She glanced at the Horoscope, and, in spite of herself, found herself reading hers.

Saturday, June 10

Five Stars

Today is your day. Do what you want to do, whenever you want to. But brace yourself for unexpected news or a sudden change in plans. Tonight: Kick back and relax.

Nita reread it, then sighed, decided it was only a work of fiction, and returned to the comic Overboard. She quickly bored of the comics, got up, and rummaged around in the pantry for the pancake batter; she didn't feel like making them from scratch on a bright late spring morning. She puttered around the kitchen, adding milk, butter, and a bit of imitation vanilla to the pancakes before ladling them into the frying pan. As the pancakes sizzled, she heard a truck engine outside, then, it stopped, a door slammed, and there was a moment of silence. Then, Nita heard the unmistakable squeak of the front screen door, and three knocks echoed through the quiet house. She heard Dairine's voice call, "Got it!," and her little sister pounded down the stairs, nearly hit the door, and opened it.

"Oh, hi, Kit. Nita's sleeping still…"

"No, I'm not, you dummy… Kit?"

There was a moment of silence, then, a perfectly synchronized "Ooooh, pancakes!" from both Kit and Dairine, and in the blink of an eye, both were in the kitchen, helping Nita with her pancakes. Laughing, she pushed Kit gently out of the kitchen.

"Get out, Kit. The pancakes are a Callahan affair. Eating them is everyone's. Set the table, will you?"

Kit gave her a mock bow.

"Yes, your Royal Highness."

He dodged the clothespin Nita lobbed at him, chuckled, and did as he was asked. Dairine nudged her older sister in the ribs.

"Ooooh, someone's in love…" she muttered under her breath.

Nita went red, then raised an eyebrow.

"Better than sneaking out in the middle of the night to go visit my boyfriend…" she mumbled.

Dairine flushed deep red and shut her mouth, ladling yet another four pools of batter into the pan as Nita scooped the already-cooked pancakes onto a plate.

Four more rounds of scooping and ladling, and a large stack of steaming pancakes sat on the dining table. Nita gave her dad a hug as he poked his head into the dining room.

"Hey, Daddy. How you doing?"

"I'm okay, thanks. Hey, Dari. Hey, it's Kit! What're you doing invading my home, young man?"

Kit grinned and exchanged high-fives with Nita's dad.

"Longing for a taste of your daughters' wonderful pancakes, Mr. Callahan."

Nita's dad rolled his eyes.

"I'll tell you again, Kit," he said in mock seriousness. "It's Harry to you."

Kit stood to attention and saluted smartly.

"Yessir, Captain Harry, sir! Order taken, sir!"

Nita's dad tousled Kit's hair and went outside to take care of his plants.

Nita glanced at kit over her shoulder.

"Coffee?"

Kit shrugged, then nodded.

"Please and thank you."

Nita caught the clicker Dairine tossed to her, opened one of the drawers, and poked her head back above the counter.

"Is Colombian okay?" she inquired.

"Any chance you've got Irish Crème?"

"Nope. Sorry. I like that myself, but it's to Starbucks for that."

"Colombian's fine, then. Thanks."

"Cream, milk, half-and-half, sugar…"

"Cream."

Clunk.

"DARI!!!"

"Sorry… geez, Nita, learn how to catch."

Kit snickered, and had no time to react as the half-and-half cup caught him squarely in the back of the head.

"Oop, sorry, Kit. Put that down in the seat next to you… please."

Kit complied, and Nita whirled gracefully into the dining room and slid the pancake platter onto the table. Dairine sauntered casually over, and was on the verge of sneaking a pancake when Nita, without taking her eyes off the fridge shelf, threatened, "Dari, don't you dare touch those pancakes, or else I'll tell you-know-who…"

Dairine glared at her, but shut up as Nita pulled out a carton of orange juice and called her dad in from the garden.

"Daddy, come on in! Breakfast's ready… and we're not starting without you!"

The reply came as if from a distance.

"Alright, alright… HEY!"

Nita flinched, fearing the worst.

"What is it, Daddy…?" she called.

"Whose Ford is this?"

Kit grinned at Nita, whose jaw dropped.

"Mine, Mr— er… Harry. Like it?"

"Yeah! This brand new?"

"It's an '04 Heritage F-150 XLT. Magnum/Vortec V-8 Engine."

"Nice."

Dairine and Nita exchanged looks, shrugged, laughed, and Dairine called her dad in once more, with just a bit more force.

"Dad… please get in here, or the pancakes'll be gone…"

Harry Callahan was sitting across from Kit in the blink of an eye, trying to look innocent and casual as he unfolded the main section of the paper and scanned it.

Nita grinned, and set up the coffee filter as Dairine went to go dish out the pancakes.

A steaming mug of coffee in front of him, half a plate of delicious buttermilk pancakes, and a newspaper section in front of him, Harry Callahan felt more awake than he had ever thought possible. So he chose then to announce the next family activity.

"Hey, you guys?"

"What?" asked Dairine, her mouth full of pancake.

Nita nudged her younger sister, hen smiled. "Go ahead."

Kit, his mouth also full, nodded to show his agreement.

"It's been a while since we went and did anything together. Whaddya say… we go camping? In a couple of places… Vermont… Colorado… Montana… California…? I was thinking we hit the road the day after you get out of school."

Nita nodded. "That'd work…"

Mr. Callahan smiled, nodded, and turned to Kit.

"Whaddya think, Kit?"

Kit choked.

He quickly swallowed what was left, gulped down his glass of orange juice, and went into a coughing fit. When he finally finished, he asked weakly, "I'm coming with you?"

Nita's dad nodded. "Well, yeah. Didja think I was gonna leave my unrelated son out of this?"

Kit was about to thank Nita's dad and offer to pay for gas, but Mr. Callahan talked him out of it.

"No, no, Kit… s'okay! You coming or not?"

Kit nodded.

"Uh-huh. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Harry Callahan nodded, then broke out in a grin.

"Nita, what did you say you just bought?"

Nita hesitated.

"Ummm… Honda Element."

"Kit… you've got the truck… and I've got my Camry… well, then, it's settled! What're we waiting for? Go home, start packing! Let's g, let's go let's go!"

Kit chuckled, ate his last pancake, then grabbed the plates, washed them, dried them, and put them away.

He was turning away from the cabinet when he caught the image of his keys sailing through the air at him. With a slight jingle, Kit caught them deftly, smiled at Nita, then touched two fingers to his right eyebrow in a salute and slipped out the front door. Nita heard a truck engine start up, the pull away. She smiled slightly, then went up to her room to go read. She had plenty of time.