Amelia Earhart: Lady Lindy by Ann Hood

Maisie. But Maisie was completely mesmerized by James Ferocious.
    â€œAre your parents somewhere else?” Pidge continued.
    â€œYes!” Felix said. “Exactly!”
    Pidge nodded solemnly. “Like when we stayed in Kansas, and Mama and Papa came here to Iowa,” she said to Meelie.
    â€œIowa,” Felix said to himself. Another one of those big states in the middle. He vowed to memorize every one of them when he got home, right after he looked up the Anglo-Boer War.
    â€œBut we stayed with our grandparents. Not in a shed by ourselves,” Meelie said, keeping her eyes on Felix. “Where’re your grandparents, boy?”
    â€œDead!” Felix announced.
    â€œOh,” Pidge said. “That’s sad.” She patted his arm sympathetically.
    It was already clear to Felix that these two sisters were very much alike. Except that Meelie was obviously the leader, and Pidge her follower. Kind of like him and Maisie, he thought uncomfortably.
    â€œSo your parents are—” Meelie began.
    â€œSomewhere else,” Felix said.
    Meelie narrowed her eyes. “And your grandparents are—”
    â€œDead,” Felix said, nodding.
    â€œAnd you two are just—?”
    Felix shrugged. “For the time being, anyway.”
    â€œMeelie,” Pidge said in her solemn voice, “I want to keep them. Can we? Please?”
    Meelie seemed to consider this.
    â€œI bet they’re more fun than Laura and Ringa,” Pidge offered.
    Meelie studied Maisie and Felix. “You think? I’m not so sure.”
    â€œWell, these two are
real
and Laura and Ringa are make-believe—”
    â€œThey’re invisible,” Meelie corrected. “Not make-believe. There’s a difference.”
    â€œThese two are visible,” Pidge pointed out.
    â€œTrue,” Meelie said, twirling that blade of grass.
    She was silent for a moment more.
    â€œBoy,” she said finally, “what’s your name?”
    â€œFelix. Felix Robbins. And that’s my sister, Maisie, who’s fallen in love with your dog.”
    â€œFelix,” Meelie repeated.
    â€œRobbins,” Felix said again. “And Maisie Robbins.”
    â€œWell, Felix Robbins, we want to keep you,” Meelie said.
    Pidge shrieked with delight and clapped her hands together.
    â€œThank you, thank you, thank you!” she shouted, hugging her sister around the waist.
    â€œThat’s great,” Felix said. “Thanks. I guess.”
    Actually, he felt a little weird, like he was a prisoner or something. Felix thought of Geronimo, forced to sign autographs and have his picture taken while he was a prisoner of war.
    â€œDid you see Geronimo at the fair in St. Louis?” Felix asked Meelie, because she seemed to be the one in charge.
    Meelie frowned. “Who said we were at the fair in St. Louis?” she asked him.
    â€œUh . . . you said it, didn’t you?” Felix stammered.
    Thankfully, Pidge said, “We did see him! Papa bought one of his hats! And Mama said to stop spending money and Papa said you only get to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition once in a lifetime and you have to enjoy it and then he said, ‘Amy, stop sounding like your father,’ which is our grandfather and he disapproves of almost everything Papa does.”
    â€œThat’s enough, Pidge,” Meelie said sternly, and went back to studying Felix.
    â€œYou like fishing?” Meelie asked him finally.
    â€œI never tried,” he said.
    â€œYou’ve never gone fishing?” Pidge said in disbelief. “Why, we always go fishing, don’t we, Meelie? We go almost every day and we catch perch, and Mama cleans them up and dips them in eggs and cornmeal and fries them with potatoes and Meelie always eats a bowl of radishes with that dinner but of course she eats radishes with
everything
. You love radishes, don’t you, Meelie?”
    Felix listened in wonder.