Connect the Stars by Marisa de los Santos Page B

complete darkness. Their leader plunged down an unseen ravine. Twenty riders followed. Every horse and every horseman died. Hence the name: the canyons of the dead men and their horses.”
    â€œAnd that was—” said Audrey.
    â€œA PBS documentary,” I said.
    â€œThen it’s definitely trustworthy,” declared Kate.
    â€œSounds like this clue is telling us to learn from their mistakes,” said Louis. “And to stop for now, since once it’s fully dark, even I can’t see.”
    â€œIt’s sort of flat here,” I observed, “since we’re at the top of the mountain. It’ll be cold, but we have tents and sleeping bags. There aren’t too many rocks—”
    â€œâ€”THE HECK YOU LOOKING AT?” I heard somebody shout.
    â€œRandolph?” whispered Kate.
    Randolph had just limped over the peak. Daphne and her other two teammates, two kids who hadn’t said much yet besides their names, Cyrus Ramsey (the guys on his soccer team) and Edith Mendez (her guinea pig) followed. Louis stared blankly at Randolph. “What?” bellowed Randolph.
    â€œNothing,” said Louis, looking away quickly.
    â€œWhat’re you doing in our campsite?” demanded Randolph.
    â€œThis is our campsite,” said Kate.
    Randolph glanced at Daphne. One corner of her mouth twitched upward. Just a little. I almost didn’t see it. But Randolph sure did. And was highly encouraged. “Get off!” he shouted. Randolph grabbed Kate’s backpack, took a running start, and heaved it over the side of the mountain. I could hear it tumbling into the darkness.
    Nobody said anything. Nobody moved. Randolph grinned in pride. I could see his yellow teeth in the fading light as he looked hopefully at Daphne.
    â€œAre you waiting for a Scooby snack, Randolph?” asked Audrey.
    â€œHuh?” said Randolph. Some of the shine faded from his grin.
    â€œCome on, guys.” Audrey sighed. “Let’s go.”
    â€œBut—” I said.
    Randolph glared at me and balled up his fists.
    â€œWe should go find Kate’s pack,” Audrey said calmly, “and finish this conversation another time.” When she turned away, I saw how hard she clenched her teeth, and I realized how mad she was. Almost as mad as I was. But Audrey seemed to know how things like this worked, and I didn’t, so I followed her. Kate and Louis fell in behind.
    â€œThat’s right, losers,” scoffed Randolph. “Run. Edie, hand me my water.” Edith dropped her pack with a colossal thud and rummaged around in it for Randolph’s water, which he’d evidently made her carry up the mountain. “And fix my blisters,” he added, yanking off his boot.
    We found Kate’s backpack at the bottom of the mountain, lying in a gulley. It wasn’t in great shape. Her last waterbottle had cracked and soaked everything. Louis gave her a swig of his water.
    â€œLook at all these lines in the rock,” murmured Louis as he studied the sides of the gully in the last of the light.
    â€œStrata of sedimentary stone provide a useful historical record,” I said, “because the layers were deposited sequentially as sheets of mud at the bottom of a prehistoric sea, hardening into rock after aeons of heat and pressure. The top layers represent the most recent eras, while the deepest represent the most ancient.”
    â€œWait,” said Audrey, gazing at the gully cutting deeper and deeper into the layered rock as it led across the plain into the darkness. “This is where we use the next clue—what was it—about going back in history?”
    â€œâ€˜Delve back into time,’” I said.
    â€œThe deeper we go, the father back we go,” said Kate thoughtfully.
    â€œBut we don’t start until tomorrow, right?” asked Louis, shuddering as he gazed into the depths of the gulley. “Why don’t we leave at first