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barely find on the map. Ruby tried to convince herself she’d be better off staying behind. For one thing, she would miss the fair. She and Izzy had gone to the fair on opening day every single year since they could walk. It was a tradition. In ten years, she hadn’t missed the fair even once.
    There was also the model-bridge building contest, the one Mrs. McKnight told her about last spring. She’s the Gifted and Talented teacher at school, and she’s always finding cool projects for them to do. At first Mrs. McKnight was worried that Ruby wouldn’t want to do the bridge unit, that it wasn’t a good idea, after the accident. Everyone at school knew what had happened that night at the river, at the bridge. “You don’t have to do this, Ruby,” she’d said after class when they were alone. But building bridges soothed her, made her feel like she had a purpose even. She couldn’t explain how it felt like she was fixing something, like she was solving a problem with each drop of glue, each slender, bendable piece of balsa wood. And so after Mrs. McKnight saw how much Ruby enjoyed it, she encouraged her to enter the contest, which was sponsored by the college.
    She and Izzy had been talking about it all summer, but they hadn’t really gotten past the researching and planning. Izzy kept putting things off. She’d been acting weird all summer. Ruby couldn’t put her finger on it, but every time she hung out with Izzy lately she felt bad. Like Izzy didn’t really want her around but didn’t know how to tell her. No matter, they were signed up and they had to have the model bridge designed and ready to be built by the middle of September. If Ruby took off to North Carolina, they’d never be ready in time.
    The other thing that she kept coming back to was her mom. If her dad and Bunk decided to take Ruby along with them, who would check in on her? She knew Bunk went by at least once a week just to make sure the house was still standing. Who would look after her if they were all gone? She tries not to think about moving away. About what would happen to her mom then.
    “It’ll be okay,” she says to her dad. “It’s just a week.”
    “I want your phone fixed,” her dad says, and her mom nods. “And I want these goddamn rodents gone. I’m going to set some traps, and as soon as the mama is caught, you need to call Animal Control to come get them. If you can’t take care of that, Ruby is coming with us.”
    “Of course,” her mom says, nodding again. It’s like her head is attached to a spring. “I promise.”
    They all go into the house, and she can see her father start to relax. Despite whatever it is he was expecting, the house is spic and span like it always is. Her mother could never stand the messes they all made. She was always chasing after them with a dish rag and a bottle of 409. She used to make her dad and Jess wipe down the toilet seat with a Clorox wipe every time they peed. She used to say that living with two men in the house was like living in a barn. To this, Jess would always push his nose up with his finger and snort like a pig and Daddy would make that great rumbly blowing sound through his nose like a horse.
    Ruby’s got her backpack, but Bunk has to go back to the car and get all her other stuff. It’s not much really, just a duffle bag of clothes and books. It’s only a week, and it’s still summer; she doesn’t need much besides her swimsuit and some T-shirts. Flip-flops and her Chucks. Her bike, which Bunk is wheeling up the tangled mess of a driveway. She’s got a cell phone, but it won’t work for anything but games out here.
    Daddy tells Bunk where to find the traps, and Bunk disappears into the shed to look for them.
    “They won’t hurt her, will they?” Ruby asks.
    “They’re padded,” he said. “Shouldn’t hurt her at all.”
    Daddy is at the kitchen table thumbing through the phone book. “I want you to ride your bike up to Hudson’s later today. See if you