Jean Fischer - Sydneys DC Discovery

2010 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Edited by Jeanette Littleton.

Print ISBN 978-1-60260-268-7

eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-60742-367-6
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-60742-368-3

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

Scripture taken from the H OLY B IBLE , N EW I NTERNATIONAL V ERSION . N IV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

Cover design Thinkpen Design

Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com

Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

Printed in the United States of America.
Dickinson Press Inc., Grand Rapids, MI; April 2010; D10002250

Splaaaashhh! Whoosh!

Watch out! someone called near Sydneys ear.

But it was too late. The pent-up explosion of the water landed square against Sydneys back, knocking her to the ground.

Dazed, she rolled onto her back and looked up into the hot summer sky. The water swirled around her whole body. From a distance she heard happy shouting and water gushing onto the street.

A firemans face appeared above her. Are you okay, little girl?

Little girl? Little girl! Im twelve years old! Im not a little girl, mister.

The indignation snapped Sydney out of her dazed condition. She looked up and saw that two firemen were now looking at her anxiously. Carefully they helped her to her feet.

Are you okay, little girl?

She looked in the firemans face. He seemed so worried that her irritation melted.

Sydney looked down at her soaked gray tank top and shorts. Yes, sir, Im fine, she said. Thank you, she added, remembering her manners.

Sydney Lincoln had been talking to one of her neighborhood friends. She hadnt even noticed the firemen at the fire hydrant behind her. And she sure hadnt realized she was in the direct line of the nozzle the men were releasing.

Still out of breath from the shock of the water, Sydney dropped onto the curb in front of her house. She tore off her running shoes and socks and stuck her bare feet into the gutter. She watched as the water from the hydrant down the street shot into the air and out the nozzle. The neighborhood kids laughed and splashed in its flow.

As Sydneys clothes began to dry in the torrid sun, the water rushed along the curb like a river. It streamed between Sydneys toes and sent goose bumps creeping up to her knees.

Sydney lived in the middle of a row of brick houses. The two-story houses were connected so they looked like one long building. The only windows were in the front and the back. The houses were close to the street, and each had a narrow front porch with three steps leading to a tiny front yard and the sidewalk.

The screen door on Sydneys house swung open, and her mom stepped outside. Sydney, have you seen your aunt Dee yet? Her curly black hair was pulled back with a blue band to keep it off of her face.

No, Mom, Sydney answered. I ran past the Metro station looking for her, but she wasnt there.

Well, when she gets here, you two come inside. Dinners ready.

Sydney dipped her fingers into the water and splashed some onto her long, thin arms.

Dont you want to come in by the air-conditioning? Her mother fanned herself with a magazine. Arent you hot in the sunshine?

No, Mom, Sydney answered. She didnt think it was necessary to tell her mom about her little brush with the explosion of water.

The cell phone in the pocket of her pink shorts buzzed. Sydney took it out and found a text message from one of her best friends, Elizabeth Anderson. It said: A LMOST PACKED .

Sydney tapped a reply on her keypad: C ANT W8 TIL U GET HERE .

Sydney and Elizabeth had met at Discovery Lake Camp, and although Elizabeth lived in Texas, they talked every day. Four other girls had been with Sydney and Elizabeth in Cabin 12B. They were Bailey Chang, Alexis Howell, McKenzie Phillips, and Kate Oliver. When camp ended, Kate set up a Web site so the girls could stay in touch. It was password protected, so it was like their own secret cabin in cyberspace. Theyd all bought Web cams with babysitting money, chore payments, and allowances so they could see each other and talk online. The Camp Club Girlsas they liked to be calledmade Web cam calls, sent IMs, and frequently met in their own private chat rooms.

Sydney continued typing her message: WILL PIC U UP @ D APORT @ 4 2MORO.

Sydney, I really wish youd come inside. Sydneys mother crossed her arms.

Okay, in a few minutes, Mother! Sydney said without looking up.

The screen door slammed shut.

This was the worst heat wave Washington, D.C., had seen in twenty-five years. Everyone had air conditioners blasting. The energy load was way too much, and the night before, the power had gone out. Sydney hated being in total darkness. She was relieved that today seemed normal.

P ACK SHORTS , she typed. R EALLY HOT HERE!

While she sat texting, Sydney heard the thump, thump, thump of music getting closer and closer. A green jeep raced around the corner, and the booming bass from its stereo echoed inside Sydneys chest. In the passenger seat, Aunt Dee held on to her tan park ranger hat to keep it from flying off of her head. The jeep screeched to a halt in front of Sydneys house, and her aunt hopped out.

Thanks for the ride, Ben! she yelled over the music. See you tomorrow.

The young driver waved and drove off.

G OTTA GO , B ETH , Sydney wrote. A NT D S HOME .

Sydney stood and wiped her feet on the grass. Youre late again, she said. Moms mad.

I know, Aunt Dee apologized. There was trouble at the Wall. She took off her ranger hat and perched it on Sydneys head. Aunt Dee always blamed her lateness on her job at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Sydney didnt understand how she could be so enthusiastic about a long black wall with a bunch of names carved onto it.

So what was the trouble? Sydney asked.

Ill tell you at dinner, said Aunt Dee. She linked her arm through Sydneys. Its hot out here, girlfriend. Lets go inside.

By the time Sydney washed and sat at her place at the table, Mom and Aunt Dee were already eating. Sydney had learned at camp to pray before every meal. So she bowed her head and said out loud, Dear Lord, make us truly grateful for this meal and for all the blessings of this day. She noticed that her mom and Aunt Dee stopped eating and bowed their heads, too. And please keep Dad safe, she said. Sydney always added a blessing for her dad, who was serving in the military overseas.

Amen! Mom and Aunt Dee chimed.