Backfire

Backfire — page 5 — 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

Backfire — page 6 — 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

Backfire — page 7 — 2 Brenna All along Brenna had had a bad feeling about this camping trip Partly because Elijah couldn’t come Brenna loved Keegan and Nicole but they weren’t experienced campers Nicole had just moved to Hayden from Reno and she’d never spent more than a few hours at a time outdoors And Keegan had been to Topaz State Park only once on an eighth grade field trip Elijah on the other hand knew this whole area as well as Brenna did They’d both camped and hiked here with their families every summer Until last year when Elijah’s mom left and his dad went to prison 7

Backfire — page 8 — If Elijah were here this whole weekend would be going more smoothly Brenna thought Keegan wouldn’t be questioning everything Brenna said Are you sure that’s the best route to Topaz Lake Because I was thinking And Nicole would be trying a little harder I mean I guess we can go one more mile if we have to Elijah was good at convincing people Brenna could make the exact same suggestion that Elijah would’ve made say the exact same thing he would’ve said and get crap for it By now the trip’s third and final day it had officially gotten on her nerves As the three of them hiked through the park on this hot Sunday morning she kept reminding herself that normally Keegan and Nicole were great Normally Nicole wasn’t a complainer Normally Keegan respected her intelligence She loved them both she really did but she was never ever going into the wilderness with them again It’s more than that though Brenna thought The uneasiness that’d been in her stomach 8

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