shift so he could pack for the trip When the coworker didn’t show up the manager blamed Elijah Never mind that people flaked on their shifts all the time the manager had never liked Elijah It had something to do with the fact that serving concessions in a movie theater wasn’t Elijah’s dream job And the fact that Elijah got bored sometimes messed around sometimes ate patrons leftover popcorn sometimes In the manager’s mind that added up to being a lazy unreliable worker Elijah’s uncle was on the manager’s side You gave up on that job long before now Marco had said You stopped trying That’s just as bad as if you’d quit In Marco’s mind quitting was worse than some federal crimes And even though Elijah hadn’t technically quit the punishment was the same Which was how a weekend of camping with friends became a weekend of character building Elijah shifted on the couch Like most of Marco’s furniture the couch was old It had seen better times and fewer lumps Elijah 3
remembered sitting on it as a little kid when Marco still lived in a trailer years before he built this house The camping trip had been his idea in the first place his and Brenna’s They had been friends since the sandbox stage of their lives and both their families loved the outdoors How many times had they all gone hiking or camping together at Topaz State Park At least twice a year for as long as Elijah could remember And now with both Elijah’s parents gone he’d looked forward to this trip more than he liked to admit Keegan would be there to crack jokes Nicole would be there to get excited and amazed by every magical moment And Brenna would be there to plan it all out get them from Point A to Point B and just let him be himself Instead he was home dealing with his un-built character When the others got back they’d tell him all their stories from the weekend Nicole would say that they’d missed him that it was a shame he couldn’t come 4
Keegan would ask What’s your uncle’s problem Did he really have to ground you just because you lost your job Doesn’t he trust you at all Elijah could only answer the third question nope Marco never trusted him Maybe Marco thought Elijah’s parents had rubbed off on him Maybe Marco was just a jerk THIS IS A SPECIAL BULLETIN FROM THE CONLEY COUNTY SHERRIFF’S OFFICE The voice on the TV cut off whatever the show’s hosts had been saying The screen now showed a local news anchor sitting behind a desk A wildfire is spreading rapidly through western Conley County announced the newscaster High-speed winds are driving the flames north A Level Three mandatory evacuation notice has been issued for the town of Carthage Elijah sat up straight on the couch Serafina lifted a floppy ear Carthage was just to the south of Hayden Wildfires weren’t unusual this time of year but Elijah couldn’t remember the last time one had been this close 5
The newscaster added The park service has evacuated one campsite in Topaz State Park The rest of the park remains open Park officials say that the fire is still not a threat to park facilities or visitors Topaz State Park Elijah’s thoughts went straight to his friends Are they in danger The newscaster continued Level Two voluntary evacuation warnings are issued for Diamond Ridge Hayden and Scoria Residents of these towns should be ready to leave their homes at a moment’s notice Oh crap Hey Marco Elijah called From the basement his uncle responded Polo And Elijah was the immature one somehow Get up here man There’s a wildfire happening and it’s coming our way 6
