Backfire by Vanessa Acton

Author:Vanessa Acton [Acton, Vanessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Danger, Darby Creek, Day of Disaster, Disaster, Extreme Weather, High School, Hi-Lo, Natural Disaster, Natural Disasters, Realistic Fiction, Storm, Storms, Survival, Teen, Teenagers, Teens, Weather, Adventure, Adventures, Backfire, Bravery, Courage, Disasters, Families, Family, Family & Relationships, Fiction, Fire, Fire Safety, Fires, Friend, Friends, Friendship, Nature, Safety, Vanessa Acton, Wildfire, Wildfires
ISBN: 9781512435030
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Published: 2017-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

9

Elijah

“We now have reports that secondary fires have started in Topaz State Park,” said the TV anchor. “The park is being evacuated, but it’s possible that some hikers are trapped in remote areas. Rescue helicopters are sweeping the area . . . ”

Elijah stared at the TV. Brenna. Keegan and Nicole. What if they’re stranded? Or hurt? Or . . . He sent another text to his friends and then called Brenna’s mom.

That was a mistake. She was panicked. “I haven’t heard anything from her either! I wanted to drive up to the park and try to find her, but—”

“That’s a terrible idea,” said Elijah.

Brenna’s mother took a sobby breath. “I know, I know. I’m just so afraid something’s happened to them. And now we might have to evacuate . . . ”

“It’s going to be okay,” Elijah told her. “Cell phone service out at Topaz is always a joke. I’m sure Brenna and the others are fine. Brenna knows that place like the back of her hand. She won’t do anything stupid or dangerous. Can you let me know when you hear from her, though?”

Brenna’s mom promised she would. Elijah hung up and tried to think about something other than his friends’ safety. Something he could control.

Weird—Brenna was the one who liked having things under control. Elijah usually preferred to just go with the flow. To let things happen. To not sweat the small stuff or the big stuff. Because the big stuff was usually too big to handle.

But he had to do something right now.

His phone battery was starting to run low, so he fished his charger out of his backpack and plugged it in. Then he looked at Serafina. “If I were an important document, where would I be?”

The dog’s ears tented upward—the canine version of a shrug.

“Thanks. Super helpful.”

It felt wrong to search his uncle’s room. Whenever Marco searched Elijah’s room, Elijah wanted to punch a wall. Not that there was anything for Marco to find, but everyone deserved some private space.

So much for that. Elijah opened Marco’s dresser drawers, checked the shelf in his closet, even looked under the bed. He felt like an idiot. But Marco had worked so hard, sacrificed so much, to build this house. If it went up in flames, Marco would need proof that he owned the property. He’d have to file insurance claims and jump through hoops Elijah could barely imagine. The least Elijah could do was save the crucial paperwork.

He could hear the TV in the living room. “The sheriff’s department is now issuing a mandatory evacuation notice for the towns of Diamond Ridge and Hayden . . . ”

This is it.

“We don’t have much time,” Elijah said to Serafina.

Serafina turned around and trotted back to the living room.

He’d just have to ask Marco again. He’d tell his uncle about the mandatory evacuation. He’d find a way to make him understand . . .

As Elijah crossed the living room on the way to the front door, Serafina let out a low growl.

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