younger than Zach They would have been going back to school in just two weeks Chris would be in fifth grade and Zach seventh To celebrate the end of summer Zach’s mom had said we’re going on a fun family vacation But the adventure turned tragic Zach dodged in and out of tourists as he and his family walked around Canal Park Little kids played in the water fountains jetting out from the brick sidewalks Lake Superior peeked through the rows of hotels in the distance Come on Chris Let’s go he said to his brother beckoning him to the fountains Hey Zach Chris Your dad and I are going to run into that little gift shop to look for a present for your grandparents We’ll be back in five or ten minutes okay Don’t go anywhere Stay right here Zach you’re in charge his mom said Okay Mom Zach called still darting in and out of the water fountain Chris and Zach continued to run and play in the spout Within minutes Chris began gasping for air and coughing Be careful of your asthma Zach warned Go take a break man Chris sat down on nearby steps that led to Little Angie’s Cantina a Mexican restaurant Zach’s family had eaten at the night before Five minutes passed Zach got tired of running so he stopped Breathing heavily he wiped his eyes with the palm of his hand He looked toward the steps where Chris had been sitting They were empty Chris he called his eyes darting in every direction Chris he said again desperately Zach darted up and down the sidewalk searching every corner and every alley for his little brother Chris was nowhere to be seen He was gone Missing
Vanished The police had searched widely turning up nothing No clues Zach stayed with his grandparents when his parents traveled back and forth from their home in Minneapolis to Duluth They made the two and half hour trip at least once a week for a year working with local police and taking time off from their teaching jobs The only results Zach’s parents had were frustration depression and anger Emotions Zach sensed when his parents walked through the door after each trip The fighting between his mom and his dad became depressingly familiar They fought constantly over Chris’s memorial It’s like we’re giving up his mom screamed We aren’t giving up Zach’s dad said I promise I will never give up looking for Chris I know he is out there somewhere Just think of this as a way to pay tribute to him It doesn’t mean he’s gone I will find him But in the meantime let’s let everyone pay their respects It’s what everyone wants I don’t care what everyone wants This is our child Zach heard the argument over and over He never quite understood his dad’s position If Chris was still alive out there somewhere then why bother with the memorial His dad’s famous phrase quickly became We’ll find him We’ll find him Don’t worry It always made Zach feel like his dad knew something he wasn’t telling them It made him curious and it enraged his mom sparking argument after heated argument between his parents One year after Chris’s disappearance the memorial was held He still hadn’t been found and there still were no real clues No one
knew where he was or who had taken him but Zach knew he was partly to blame He was supposed to be in charge and he had failed He had let Chris disappear He had caused his parents to separate He had made his dad move out Mrs Lomeier grabbed the PA system now at the front of the bus her caked on makeup hiding her ghostly white skin Ladies and gentlemen may I have your attention please She waited for the thirty eighth-graders to calm down and listen We will be at Pine Ridge in about fifteen minutes So start packing up your things When we get off the bus one of the center’s leaders will be there to greet us and give us instructions Be on your best behavior and listen carefully and respectfully Uncharacteristically she smiled and said Oh And don’t forget we are going to have a lot of fun up here Zach snapped out of his slump and joined the other students in their cheering Logan got his things in order grabbed Eragon one of the three novels he was reading opened it and tried to finish the chapter he was on before they got to Pine Ridge Come on man Can’t you put that thing down for one minute Zach heckled peering over the back of Logan’s seat his mood light and satirical once again I just gotta finish this chapter then I will All right nerd Zach fell back down into his seat then grabbed Adam and put him in a headlock for no particular reason Just as Adam was able to free himself and have a good laugh the bus came to a halt A big green sign was gazing through the window at them Pine Ridge Environmental Learning Center Zach hopped up grabbed his backpack and playfully knocked Logan on top of his head which was still buried in his book Let’s go Einstein he said
Yep coming Zach could hear Logan slam his book shut and stuff it in his backpack Logan was right behind him as they headed toward the exit When he stepped off the bus Zach looked around Dude this is sweet he said Yeah and just think you almost didn’t get to come Logan replied I know My mom’s freaking out right now Logan laughed You’ve been freaking out a little too What are you talking about Zach asked with a smirk on his face Are you serious right now You’ve never got below a B until this year And you’re gettin in trouble almost every day I bet Lomeier has sent you out of class fifty times this month You’re hilarious Seriously You should be happy your mom let you come She didn’t just let me come I have to be a good little boy on this trip I can’t get into any trouble and I have to get all my grades up when I get back Otherwise I have to go live with my dad in Two Harbors I know but at least you’re here Just don’t screw up Then go home and start working harder at school You shouldn’t be getting D’s in eighth grade classes They aren’t hard Logan said I know they aren’t hard Einstein Zach made his fingers into circles and put them to his eyes as if they were glasses Look I don’t want to move to Two Harbors As nice as it would be to get away from you it’s not exactly my dream to move to Hick Town Minnesota
