Status Updates From Improbably Yours

My last conscious thought for a very long time is Ohhh, so that's what was missing...
"How's that?" Flynn steps back to survey his work. "Perfect." The painting on the wall is luminous and magical as the first time I saw it in Ted Wilcox's office: the bent and twisted old tree, the expanse of grass, the cliffs, and the water stretching like a promise beyond. "It's crooked, actually," Savannah protests. "You need to h

There is no possible way this man is going to let me stay.
Even before I open my eyes, I know three things with utter clarity: One, today is Tuesday, which means I have only today and tomorrow to solve Nomi's treasure hunt. Two, even if I do figure out where Nomi wants to be buried and earn the money she left in trust for me, on Thursday morning I will have to leave this old house where I feel so close to Nomi, where

I move up beside her as she lifts the globe with both hands, remembering the awe and wonder I felt as a child when Nomi let me do the same thing. Both of us stare, mesmerized, into the glass, watching the swirling white flakes drift and settle. "Nomi used to see visions in it, like in a crystal ball," I tell her. "Or at least, at the time I thought she could. She was probably just playing make-believe." "What did she

I watch him stride away, feeling like the whole world has shifted around me, completely altered by a single smile.
When I step out of the café into Vinland Square, my old life feels far away and flimsy. The light seems brighter, the air smells cleaner, the colors look more vibrant, as if I've been viewing the world from behind a dusty pane of glass and have just stepped outside, as if I've been under a spell and am o

And then tomorrow I'll go to Flynn's metal-detecting class, and then I'll start trying to figure out which tree is designated by the treasure map that brought me here. There are a lot of trees on this island. I can't imagine how I will find the right one. Gradually, I drift into a half sleep, waking suddenly, stiff and disoriented. My fire has burned down to coals. The rain has stopped. And somebody is knocking at th

The hurt in his face, his voice, stabs through me, and I drop to my knees in front of his chair. "I never meant to hurt you," I say. "It was so beautiful, what you did. And I know I ruined it." "I planned it for months," he says. "Orchestrating everything. Guests. Music. The food." "I know." I put my hands on his knees. When he doesn't pull away, I lay my palm against his jaw, feeling the muscle clenched tight. "You

"By all means, let's see what's in the mysterious package first," Alan says. I glance around the circle of bystanders. Curiosity is killing me, but I'm also aware that I've just committed the worse faux pas of my entire life, which is saying something. Mom's lips are pressed slightly together in disappointment and disapproval. Dad looks bemused and tolerant, as if I'm an adorable toddler who has done something outrag