Page 1 of No One's Like You
Prologue
Twenty-four years ago.
"Ellie, you're going to ruin it," Ruby says with her brow furrowed in concentration.
"No, I won't," Ellie replies with her head tilted slightly to one side. "I know what I'm doing."
After so many months of waiting, the long-anticipated vacation that the Hebert and Trahan families plan each year in Mississippi has finally arrived, very close to the De Soto National Forest, where they camp for at least two nights and enjoy outdoor activities. It's the two girls' favorite moment, the day to seal a new promise.
"I'm the oldest," Ruby asserts as if she were twenty instead of nine.
Ellie stops what she's doing and looks up. She wipes the dirt from her hands and stands up.
"Only by a few months, Ruby," Ellie crosses her arms, annoyed because her best friend, who yes, is older than her by two months, constantly reminds her of this fact.
Ruby adopts a cocky pose and leans against a tree. Her mother, Adele, always tells her that this attitude will bring her many problems. They both stare at each other, defiant, but Ellie's eyes soon begin to sparkle. She adores Ruby; she has been her best friend since they were barely six years old and their families became neighbors. They started going to the same school, then one would spend time at the other's house, they would do homework together, and one day, just like that, they became inseparable. For a couple of years now, they have been saving letters, clippings, and any object they choose in a small cardboard box, only to later bury it somewhere and promise that they will always, always, always be together. Ellie was the one who had the idea because, according to Stefany Collins, the school principal's youngest daughter, storing your treasures with another person is a powerful spell that binds you together for life.
"Come, get closer," Ellie asks as she kneels back down in the dirt. Her anger with Ruby never lasts long.
Ruby smiles at her and doesn't hesitate to crouch next to her best friend. She's always happy to spend time by her side, feels butterflies fluttering around her and a gentle tickle in her stomach that she knows isn't hunger because Ruby always has a full belly. It's something she can't explain because it doesn't happen with Marissa, her cousin, or with Caroline, who was her desk partner before meeting Ellie. Much less with Tommy Dawson, that annoying boy who keeps smiling at her and offering her—every day—his lunch. A sandwich with strawberry jam and peanut butterthat Ruby can't even smell. Ellie always tells Tommy that Ruby hates jam, takes her by the hand, and they go to the playground together. She's a good best friend, always by her side and defending her.
"I think this looks good, don't you think?" Ellie asks once they've placed the small box in the hole they've dug in the ground.
"Yes, now we have to cover it really well because those Robinson troublemakers might dig it up."
"Don't worry," says Ellie and removes a bit of dry dirt from Ruby's cheek. They both smile, "we'll hide it so well that maybe even we won't know where it is."
"What if we want to come check the box when we're older?" Ruby asks, placing some branches on top of the now-closed hole.
Ellie opens her eyes in horror and shakes her head vehemently.
"No, Ruby, we can't. Stefany was very serious about it: she said that once the box is buried, we can't open it again," Ellie explains as if little Stefany were an expert and renowned sorceress.
Ruby nods, convinced, as she stands up with her friend. Ellie hugs her, because Ellie is big on hugging, and Ruby receives her eagerly.
"Together forever," says Ellie.
"Together forever," Ruby repeats.
They decide to return to the campsite; at this time, some kids usually gather in the big park to play. Ruby and Ellie sometimes win; they're very good with the ball.They walk along the path of tall pines, and all that can be heard is the water from a nearby stream and the crunch of dry leaves under their feet. The air is fresh and pure, very different from that of New Orleans—where both families live—which grows more each year: there are more cars, more people.
"Ruby, Ellie," they hear a voice and hurried footsteps.
It's Mildred, a girl their age who's too tall and thin for her nine years. She comes running toward them, already sweaty from playing, with her blonde hair stuck to her face and her legs dirty, covered in dirt. Next to her is Beatriz who, unlike Mildred, has her hair perfectly pulled back and wears a dress with yellow and white flowers. She only plays with dolls and never sits on the ground, always on a chair.
"In ten minutes a game starts, girls against boys. We're going to crush them."
Ruby and Ellie nod excitedly. Beatriz rolls her eyes.
"I don't know how you can," the latter says with indifference.
"We're on vacation," says Ellie as if this weren't obvious. "We want to have fun."
"There are other ways," Beatriz argues. "Besides, we have to behave like young ladies; otherwise, we won't find a good husband when we're old enough."
"Eww," the other three girls say at the same time with disgust.
Beatriz shakes her head. She's the oldest of the group, twelve years old and the daughter of Mrs. Ramsey, a woman who's too uptight and only comes to the forestbecause her detestable husband is an amateur hunter and loves to get lost on the trails. She—who claims not to be foolish—accompanies him along with her perfect daughter so that no woman sets her eyes on him.
