Gravity Check by Alex van Tol

Author:Alex van Tol [Tol, Alex van]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Issues, Juvenile Fiction, Drugs; Alcohol; Substance Abuse, JUV039040
ISBN: 9781554693498
Google: FyygtF1rlSEC
Amazon: 1554693497
Barnesnoble: 1554693497
Goodreads: 10002956
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2011-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

chapter twelve

Seth and I have a whole feast laid out for us, but neither of us can do more than pick at our spaghetti. I finally scoop everything into one pot and put a lid on it. We’ll keep it in case everyone comes back ravenous. Or else we’ll put it in a ziplock bag and stick it in the bear hang.

I really hope that’s not what happens.

We wash our plates and the pots without talking. I take out a deck of cards.

“Want me to boil some water for hot chocolate?” Seth asks.

I shake my head. It wouldn’t feel right to be sitting here, safe and warm and drinking hot chocolate when the other guys are who knows where. Probably not drinking hot chocolate. Besides, I don’t feel like anything sweet right now.

We play Crazy Eights and Twenty-One, the only games we know.

Gradually, the sky darkens.

Seth watches, chin on his arms, as I build a fire. As the flames lick up through the tinder and ignite the larger pieces of wood, I look up and see the first star shining in the faded purple sky. Jesus. Where are those guys?

“Where are those guys?” Seth asks. I’d smile if I weren’t so worried right now. We might not always get along, but we sure think the same way sometimes.

“I don’t know,” I say. I sit beside him and watch the flames as they reach higher.

“How long do you think Chase has been gone?”

I look around at the sky. “I’d say it’s close to eight thirty now.”

Seth shivers. “Why isn’t he back, Jamie?”

I take a deep breath and shake my head. “I don’t know.” I’ve never hated hearing those words so much.

“Do you think something’s happened?”

I don’t want to admit it, but I’m terrified that something has. And I don’t know what to do next. Do we stay here and wait longer? Try to go after Chase? Send up smoke signals?

Seth stands suddenly, snatching up the sat phone from where it’s sitting on a nearby stump. “Stupid phone,” he hisses. “Stupid idiots back at camp. How stupid do you have to be to send a bunch of kids into the wilderness with emergency equipment that doesn’t even work?” Seth asks. “Now what are we going to do?” His voice is rising, panicky.

He turns toward the mountains at the end of the valley. “This sucks!” he screams. His words travel back to him in a faint echo. The cords stand out on his neck as he screams it again, louder. “This SUCKS!”

He turns and throws the phone to the ground. The back of the battery compartment pops off, and the batteries spill out onto the hard earth.

I jump up and grab the phone. “Don’t do that, Seth,” I say. I put the batteries into my jacket pocket. “You don’t know if we’ll need that thing later.”

“Oh, and it’ll be so useful without any batteries, won’t it?” Seth spits. He sits down and puts his head on his arms.

“Listen, man, it’s not my fault there’s no juice.

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