After the Fire by Becky Citra Page B

going to collapse. But she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
    She got close enough so she could see down into the bay to the spot where she figured Alice must have landed. A widening circle of ripples spread across the smooth water. There was no sign of Alice.
    â€œAlice!” A wave of panic rose in Melissa’s throat. There was no way Alice could hold her breath all that time. She imagined all kinds of terrible things—Alice somehow caught in the weeds or knocked unconscious from hitting a submerged log.
    Help, I need to get help, thought Melissa frantically. She backed away from the cliff and plunged down the trail, her feet skidding on the brown pine needles. She frantically recited instructions over and over in her head—untie the canoe, paddle back to the cabin, get Sharlene.
    Melissa fumbled with the rope. She looked up and scanned the bay one last time.
    â€œHey, wait for me!” said Alice’s voice.
    She was treading water, right up against the bottom of the cliff, deep in shadow. She swam toward the canoe with strong strokes. Melissa’s legs felt weak with relief. She took big breaths to steady her slowly growing anger.
    â€œThat wasn’t funny,” said Melissa when Alice stood up in the shallow water beside the canoe.
    Alice made her eyes huge. “What?”
    â€œI thought you had drowned.” Melissa knew she sounded pathetic, but she couldn’t help it. “Why did you hide like that?”
    Alice looked like she was about to protest, but then she shrugged her thin shoulders and said, “It was just a joke. You don’t have to get so mad.”
    â€œWell, it wasn’t a joke to me,” said Melissa furiously.
    She waited stiffly in the canoe while Alice climbed back up to the top for her clothes. They paddled to the island in silence. I’m going back to the cabin, thought Melissa. As soon as we get to the island, I’m going to the cabin.
    But as they were nearing the flat rock, her anger slowly melted away and curiosity overcame her. “So what was it like, anyway?” she said grudgingly.
    Alice’s words came out in a gush. “Great! Awesome! I felt like an eagle. You wait until it’s your turn, Melissa. You just wait!”

Fourteen
    W hen Sharlene announced the next day that she was going to the store for an ice run, Melissa said, “I’m coming too.”
    She didn’t really like staying at the cabin by herself. She was afraid that the man with the dragon tattoo and his friend might come back. Sharlene had said confidently that they wouldn’t, that they had got the message, but Melissa didn’t know how her mother could be absolutely sure.
    When they got to the store, Marge was full of talk about a forest fire burning in the valley next to them. “They’ve got forty firefighters and three helicopters over there. They’re dive-bombing it with water. It’s why the sky is so hazy today. That’s not cloud, it’s smoke.”
    â€œYou can smell it,” said Melissa. She was peeling the paper off an ice-cream bar for Cody. She wondered how long it took forest fires to travel. How far away exactly was this valley?
    But Marge seemed more excited than worried. “Started with a cigarette,” she said. “Can you believe it?”
    Sharlene bought the ice, a blueberry pie, an air mattress and three lime green noodles to play with in the lake. On the way back to the cabin she talked about planning something for Melissa’s twelfth birthday. It was coming up quickly, just two days away.
    Melissa never let herself get her hopes up about her birthday. She snorted when Sharlene said casually that they should think about a little party. “You and me and Cody? That sounds like fun.”
    In the old days that would have bugged Sharlene. She would have attacked Melissa for her poor attitude and they would have ended up yelling at each other. Melissa realized suddenly that it