Halfway to forever by Karen Kingsbury

pickup truck headed straight for them, it was no wonder that was
the source of her nightmares.
"Daddy, I miss you..." Fresh tears rolled across the bridge of
her nose and onto her pillow. "Give Alicia a hug for me."
Her whispered words faded into the night and jenny drifted back to their last camping trip. Everything
about that weekend was still as clear and vivid as if it had happened days and not years ago.
She and Alicia had been inseparable, despite the fact that they were so different. Alicia was pretty and
popular, a cheerleader with more friends than any girl at West Hills High School. Jenny was nearly two
years younger and had none of her older sister's charisma and confidence. She was shy and awkward,
with a secret desire that one day she might grow up to be like Alicia.
But despite her busy social schedule and the attention she received from her peers, Alicia preferred
spending her free time with Jenny After school--even up until the day she was killedshe and Alicia would
listen to music, or take a walk, or ride bikes together.
They were more than sisters; they were best friends.
And the campout with their dad had long been the highlight of every summer vacation. That year they
camped at Cachuma Lake, a place known for its fishing spots. The Ryan father-daughter campouts were
always marked by lots of time fishing. Fishing and talking.
200
Jenny saw that now. Back then she and Alicia would roll their eyes and slip into their old jeans and
sweatshirts before the sun came up, complaining about the cold or the early morning hour. "Do we have to
fish today?" they'd whine.
He always acted shocked by their question. He'd silently mouth the question back at them as though
nothing could be more outrageous than to wonder about such a thing. "Of course we're going fishing!
Ryans fish; it's what we do."
Jenny blinked away the tears and her sniffle broke the dark silence that surrounded her.
That last day, the day of the accident, had been just like that. They'd gotten up early and fished by
flashlight until the sun came up. When it was time to go, she had the most fish. They were making their
way up the shore, Alicia in the lead, teasing Jenny about her catch and how maybe fishing was her talent,
when Jenny spotted a coiled rattlesnake and screamed.
They all froze, which prevented Alicia from stepping squarely on the snake. Their dad, a doctor when he
wasn't fishing, spoke in a voice jenny remembered still. In his most serous tone, calm and even, he
directed Alicia to back away from the rattler one step at a time. Seconds later she was out of danger and
the snake slid away.
For months after the accident jenny remembered the close encounter with the snake. She couldn't help
think that if she hadn't screamed, Alicia would have stepped on the snake and been bitten. Though that
would have been bad, it would have meant leaving the campsite immediately, before packing up. That
way they wouldn't have passed through the intersection of Fallbrook and Ventura Boulevard at the same
exact instant as Brian Wesley
And they would have been alive today. If only jenny hadn't screamed.
She knew thoughts like that were crazy, but they came anyway Now that Grace was gone, it made her
wonder what she
206 could have done to prevent that from happening. Maybe if she hadn't given her heart over so quickly,
so completely... maybe if she'd allowed the precious girl to be nothing more than a welcomed guest...
maybe then Grace's grandmother never would have come looking for her and today she'd still be living
with them.
Jenny dried her face with the edge of the sheet and turned
onto her other side. This time she kept her words silent, allowing