Angel Burn by L. A. Weatherly

Author:L. A. Weatherly [Weatherly, L. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5786-4
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2011-05-06T16:00:00+00:00

IT WENT FASTER with both of us taking turns behind the wheel. By noon the next day, we’d passed through Oklahoma and were heading across the Texas panhandle. I stared out the windshield in awe. I had never seen anything to compare with the absolute flatness here — the sweeping, empty expanses of burnt-looking grass, stretching out for miles to the unbroken line of the horizon. The sky soared above us, looking about ten times larger than usual, and grain elevators peppered the landscape. Every dusty little town seemed to have one, though often there wasn’t a single person in sight. As I drove, I gazed at an abandoned elevator beside a boarded-up house, wondering if the owner had finally become so fed up with all the flatness that he’d just left.

By then we were both getting hungry, so I pulled into a gas station with a mini-mart. “Would you drive for a while now?” I asked, tucking my hair up in the cap.

“Yeah, sure,” said Alex. “Are you going in?”

“Just to use the restroom.”

“What kind of sandwich do you want — ham and cheese, right? And water to drink?”

“Yeah, thanks. And you’ll be getting your coffee,” I teased. “You’re a complete caffeine addict, you know. You’d probably go into withdrawal without it.”

“Hey, I’ve got to have at least one vice,” he said with a grin. He started off across the pavement, his gait loose and relaxed.

Smiling, I got out of the car and went around to the side of the gas station, where the restrooms were. When I’d finished, I splashed my face with cold water and went back out into the blinding heat. Alex hadn’t returned to the car yet, and as I headed toward it, I saw a pay phone to the side of the parking lot.

My steps dwindled to a stop as I stared at it. They couldn’t track a pay phone, could they? I had some change in my bag; I could call Nina and find out whether Mom was OK. The temptation was almost unbearable. I had actually started for the phone when I hesitated, wondering if they might have tapped Nina’s cell phone. Could you do that?

No, I thought. I can’t; it’s too risky. But almost doing it and then not was worse than never having spotted the pay phone at all. Ridiculously, I felt tears clutch at my throat. Angry with myself, I pulled off my sunglasses, swiping my eyes with the heel of my hand.

“Hey. You OK?” said Alex. He was just coming across the parking lot, carrying our food. He frowned, his eyes on mine. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “It’s stupid. I was just really tempted to call Nina and see how Mom is. I didn’t,” I added hastily. “But I just . . . really wanted to.”

He looked like he understood. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I hope she’s OK.”

I managed a smile. “Thanks. Me too.” I took my sandwich from him, and we walked back to the Mustang.

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