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
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
all weekend wasn’t just the result of her frustration It wasn’t just because they’d had to leave Elijah back in Hayden and the other two were getting under her skin So what else was bothering her The air It was so hot so dry Dangerously dry And if the air was dry so was the ground the grass the brush the aspen and juniper trees Topaz State Park was one giant fire hazard It was peak wildfire season in Nevada Every summer the blazes seemed to be bigger and more frequent Brenna’s dad blamed careless people who set off fireworks or built bonfires in wooded areas But the drought was the real problem Without rain all the vegetation was brittle Everything burned more easily than usual Once a fire started it was harder to put out The smallest spark could send a whole forest up in flames Brenna tried not to think about that This was their last day at the park They’d have to leave by early evening Quit stressing out and just 9
enjoy yourself she thought knowing that’s what Elijah would tell her if he were here The three of them were heading uphill along the trail that led to Nero Canyon Scrawny aspen trees surrounded them on either side The hot sun filtered down through the branches Brenna was already starting to sweat She adjusted the bandanna wrapped around her forehead It felt good to be moving and to know that she was carrying everything she needed Her rolled-up sleeping bag and lightweight tent were strapped to the outside of her backpack Inside the backpack she had her food water map first aid kit flashlight compass and phone She’d had to save her money for a long time to afford her own gear Everything she had was top-notch but she didn’t have anything beyond the essentials None of the fancy extra gear that Keegan had brought nylon rope a mini-pickax and shovel about six kinds of pocket knives Hey Bren Keegan waved a hand in front of her face Are you sure it’ll take us till noon to get to Nero Canyon 10
