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CHAPTER 1

THE STORY BEGINS ...

"MOM!! WHAT'S THAT MEAN? WHAT'S GOING ON?" Coming from the living room TV, I heard the announcer say, "Breaking news! Seven injured, six known dead." Then lots of big words I couldn't figure out. "Emergency situation ... Death toll ... High alert ... Terrorists ... Group taking responsibility ..."

Mom was working in the kitchen and didn't even know what I was talking about until she followed me into the living room. There were all sorts of crazy things on TV. People running and yelling. Smoke. Sirens. Police. Ambulances. It was so scary. It was a little like some of the video games my big brother plays, but worse because the adults were crying, there was no animation, and I couldn't tell who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. The look on my mother's face told me this was serious. Something terrible had happened.

Mom turned off the television and tried to change the subject to distract me. She asked me to come with her to the kitchen while she cut up vegetables for dinner. I was having a snack and starting my homework when her phone suddenly got a text. It was the song that always plays when Aunt Rachel wants to tell her something. Even though I'm not allowed to read Mom's messages, I saw a few words flash on the screen for a second: "OMG! Have you been listening to ..." and then the words disappeared. Mom Facetimed my father right away, and they whispered a lot. There was something they didn't want me to know. I was getting scared.

When Dad came home, he talked about traffic, told my little sister not to eat with her fingers, asked my big brother, Noah, if he had any tests, and someone said the chicken was delicious. No one said anything about what was on TV. So I didn't either.

After dinner, I did all the stuff I usually do and pretty much forgot about everything that scared me. I played and took a shower and brushed my teeth and put on my pajamas. When I got into bed, I was really glad that I had my stuffed animals and action figures all around me.

The next morning, I went to school, and everything was just about the same. We did English Language Arts, math, and wrote in our journals. I wondered whether I should write about what I had seen on TV, but I decided not to because I really didn't know if it would be okay, and besides, it was so confusing. I didn't know what it was all about. So I wrote about my soccer game instead.

By the time it was finally lunch time, I was starving! I was also excited thinking about recess until I remembered ... about Jack. He always made me give him my chips. He was big and mean and looked like a blowfish. Hmm, maybe I didn't want those chips anyway.

The bus ride home was normal. We all squished in with our backpacks. Lots of kids were talking and laughing while the kids in the back were screaming and throwing things. The bus driver yelled that he was going to have to stop the bus if we didn't stay in our seats. Yup! Just a regular day.

Mom was waiting for me when I got home. I heard the television in the living room and a story about an attack. It was just like yesterday. Did something happen again? While I was taking off my jacket, Mom quickly ran and turned off the TV. My little sister, Zookie, didn't even seem to notice and was probably too young to care anyway. Mom and I talked about school and soccer practice and whether I was hungry. We didn't talk about Jack.

Noah brought his best friend, Mason, home from school that afternoon. They rushed into the house, headed for the kitchen, and stuffed their faces. I secretly hoped that they weren't going to finish the chips. What would happen to me if there weren't any left to give Jack the next day? Mom told the big boys that they had to start their homework, but Noah didn't want to. He wanted to play video games instead. At first, they just talked, but then it got pretty loud. Mom and Noah argued for-ehhh-ver ... and then they finally worked it out. I was hoping the boys would get to play video games so I could watch.

Wow, it was so cool! Mason got to the next level. Pow pow pow! PSSSHHH! I just stared at the explosions on the screen and could imitate the sounds of the weapons perfectly. How come Mom and Dad won't let me play these games? These aren't real people so nobody is really dying. It's just a game. It's not real. Reset! Then everything can go back to the way it was.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Please Explain 'Terrorism' to Me"
by .
Copyright © 2016 Laurie Zelinger.
Excerpted by permission of Loving Healing Press, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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