In the fresh air at last, Erin walked around the house to investigate. Motorboats zipped through the water and around a lush green park jutting into the lake. Shops and restaurants lined much of the shore, beckoning visitors.
The house was propped up on stilts. Erin gazed uphill to see the entire neighborhood was perched on similar four-by-fours.
Only a few wooden posts prevented them from sliding down the side of this rather substantial mountain.
Holy cow.
North Carolina propped houses to keep them safer in hurricanes, but North Carolina wasn’t in the Ring of Fire. In the last two weeks, Erin had watched too many YouTube videos and seen too many photos of houses sliding into the sea.
Everyone else piled into the house.
From the door, Marama said, “All right then, Erin?”
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“I promise you it’s safe.” Marama reached for Erin’s hand.
Reluctant, Erin took it and tiptoed through the front door.
Inside, she could almost forget they were on stilts. The entire western wall was floor-to-ceiling windows, featuring a dazzling scene of water and boats and houses all turning on their lights. The sun had disappeared beyond the mountains, leaving a soft pink sky with streaks of blues and purples and whites.
There’s a reason they’re called picture windows, Erin realized.
“Check out the fittings!” Ruby flung herself on the smaller of two white leather sofas.
The furniture and upscale decor put this house on a different level than anything Erin had seen in Christchurch.
“What say we stay in for the weekend?” Ruby’s outstretched arms claimed the sofa and she propped her feet on the table. “Order in some fish and chippies. Live the life!”
Jade sat on the adjacent sofa. “Can you imagine? Some people live like this all the time.”
Erin said nothing about her own furniture, nor her mother’s decorator.
“My uncle lives in Auckland,” Gemma said. “His husband claims it’s twice the price, half the view.”
“Where’s Auckland?” Erin asked.
“North part of the North Island. It’s quite crowded: maybe a million and a half people.”
Erin nodded, but Chicago dwarfed Auckland. Since researching the quakes, she was keenly interested in size and population comparisons. “My town is tiny, but we’re close to Chicago—almost three million people. The whole Chicago metro area—suburbs and all—is nearly ten million.”
“Is that more than New Zealand?” Ruby asked.
“New Zealand is nearly five million,” Erin said. “I only know that because I looked it up a few weeks ago.”
“Ten million people? Don’t you feel suffocated?”
Erin had felt slightly suffocated in downtown Chicago; her lungs seemed to expand every Saturday afternoon when she returned to the suburbs after symphony rehearsal. “My suburb, Wheaton, is pretty small. It never feels crowded except during festivals. Or at the ice cream shop on summer Saturdays.”
Ruby shot up. “Do you think there’s ice cream?”
Erin’s teammates mobbed the tiny kitchen, pulling out snacks and bowls as if this were a slumber party. Summer’s aunt had stocked the house, as promised.
Marama said, “Oooooh, chocolate fishies.”
Ruby scooped out chocolate ice cream and threw jelly beans on top.
Gemma reached over her for pineapple lumps and returned to the sofa. “How long are you staying?”
“December.”
Gemma rolled her eyes. “You’re going to miss the best part. Summer hols are the best of New Zealand.”
“I have to go back for second semester,” Erin said.
“Why?”
Good question. Erin had already missed several weeks of her senior year: swim team pep rally, football games, lockdown drills. Honestly, she was glad to skip football season. In January, she’d undertake more college courses to comp out of gen ed classes at Columbia. Or wherever. She couldn’t swim varsity. She couldn’t audition for symphony midyear. She’d barely heard from anyone but Lalitha since landing in New Zealand.
She could just as well study abroad again—perhaps somewhere warm. Like Fiji.
“Erin? Why?”
“You know, Gemma, that was the plan, but now I’m not sure. I could just spend the semester somewhere else instead.”
“That’s lucky. If I could go anywhere, I’d travel to Italy. The food. The wine!”
Jade munched potato crisps. “Choose France instead, and you’d have food, wine, and cheese.”
The girls romanticized trips abroad until the sky was black.
Downstairs, all four bedrooms had views of the lake. Erin had one all to herself because Felicity would be sharing with her the next night.
Erin sent snaps to Lalitha, hoping the gorgeous scenery would finally elicit a response. They hadn’t texted for two days.
Erin: In Queenstown for Nationals.
Erin: It’s the most gorgeous place in the world.
There was no reply.
Gemma knocked on her door. “You coming up, then?”
“In a minute.” Erin pulled out her suit for the morning, double-checked her bag, and laid out her school-sanctioned gym attire. She enjoyed this mental space, when practice was done and her body was in the best shape it could be. Mostly. If she were training in Wheaton, she might be stronger.
Still, she was ready. Percy had her tags and paperwork, but everything else was ready.
Upstairs, Ruby said, “Percy ordered fish and chips, since no one is keen to cook.”
Erin’s mouth hung open. Filled with junk food and destined for a late night, they would be too slow tomorrow. Before meets, especially big ones, Erin always ate a carb-heavy dinner, slept as much as possible, and prepared a healthy protein-heavy breakfast. That’s how she took first at States two years in a row. That’s probably how the Quigleys would win States this year.
Marama’s mom studied a Queenstown directory and circled a few restaurant options for the next night.
Ruby tucked up on the sofa with a bowl of crisps and a remote control.
Erin was the only one taking this seriously. “You guys. Do you think we’ll win on fish and chips and junk food?”
“We’re on holiday!” Gemma said. “Sport is supposed to be fun.”
Erin knocked around the kitchen until she found pasta and a pot. “I’m eating carbs for dinner. Anyone joining me?”
No one.
“Your American is showing,”
