Waiting for Unicorns Read Online Free Page B

food was another. I smiled, a tiny bit nervous as Sura handed me a glass of orange juice. What sort of people ate caribou? And then there was
whale
! Dad told me whale meat was a regular delicacy around here.
    â€œThese are great,” I said between bites. I pushed the pancakes around my plate.
    â€œI’m going to head on over to the CNSC this morning and start mapping out the expedition details,” Dad said to me. “Want to come along?”
    I wanted to go with him. There was an empty loneliness in me, yawning wide. It had been open ever since Mom died, but it was opening up even more now that Dad was so close to leaving. Normally I would have jumped at the chance to join him. And I should have jumped now; it might have gone a little way in closing up that Mom-sized space. But I shook my head. Something kept me from saying yes.
    Dad had planned this trip a while ago. Before we knew how serious things were with Mom. And when she died, he should have called it off. He should have stayed home. He should have let
me
stay home. What would Mom think right now, if she knew? If she knew he’d gone on with his work and life and stuff just like nothing had changed. What would she say if she knew he had dragged me out here with him for the summer, only to leave me with someone I didn’t even know?
    But Mom wasn’t here.
    What was I supposed do once Dad disappeared out on the ice? Hanging over his shoulder at the CNSC while he got ready to leave me wasn’t going to help. The emptiness inside me was loud and insistent. I needed to be alone while I figured out what to do with it.
    â€œThink I’ll just stay here,” I said. “I want to look around.”
    Dad looked surprised, and then sort of relieved. And I suddenly felt horrible. Mad even. I didn’t actually want to do anything of the sort. What I really wanted was to go back upstairs to my room and hide under the covers until spring came to this icy, frozen-over place. But it was easier to lie than tell him we’d both better get used to being alone. And Dad didn’t seem too concerned anyway.
    â€œWell, you have fun exploring,” Dad said as he got up to leave. “Just make sure you let Sura know where you’re headed.”
    I nodded and watched him walk down the hall as he pulled his parka from its hook on the wall. Until he left, Dad would spend the next week or so inland, preparing his team for the first of several expeditions out on the ice. They’d head north out over the floes and explore the eastern edge of Hudson Bay and the Foxe Basin for beluga activity.
    And I knew I’d be safe here while he was away. Safer than if I was out on the ice, anyway. I could even go exploring around town if I wanted. Dad didn’t want me getting lost, but there wasn’t much chance of that considering I had no intention of actually leaving the house. Or my room for that matter.
    â€œSee you later tonight,” Dad called over his shoulder. But I just stared down at the brown pool of maple syrup on my plate, blinking as the front door slammed behind him.
    The kitchen was very quiet for a few minutes, and then Sura pulled out a chair and sat down beside me. She spun her coffee cup in a slow circle while I tried to think of something to say.
    â€œI’m glad you’re here, Talia,” she began. “I know this must all seem very different from what you’re used to. And I’m sure it’s going to be awkward at first, being here.”
    Awkward was putting it mildly. How normal was it to spend a summer in the Arctic with someone you’ve never met?
    I squirmed in my chair. Sura didn’t avoid the obvious like Dad and I were so used to doing. It made me uncomfortable, like I’d forgotten to put on clothes before coming downstairs.
    Whether Sura could tell I was uncomfortable or not she didn’t show it. She just kept trying to make me feel at home.
    â€œIt’s a good thing for