Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15 But which way should she go? Jess looked around, trying to understand where she was. The trail was gone. Nothing looked familiar. It was as though she'd crash-landed on a distant planet, a smoking, ash-covered land. The only landmarks were the smashed shack and the mountain. Dad had taught her to use the

sun as a guide. But the sun was blotted out by the ash and smoke. Jess decided that if she walked with the volcano on her left, she should at least be heading back toward the parking lot. Then maybe she could find Mr. Rowan. If she couldn't, at least she'd be close to the road. It was so hot that her clothes were sticking to her sweat-soaked skin. Jess stripped off her sweatshirt and dropped it over a branch. Then she took a breath and set out. She walked between fallen trees, and when there was no room between the trees, she climbed up and walked along their trunks. Everything was covered with inches of ash, and in some spots it was very hot. The air smelled like rotten eggs and smoke. Her back throbbed with pain. But even worse was the thirst. Her lips were cracked and bleeding, her tongue swollen and sandpaper dry. She hadn't had a sip of water since she'd left home. How long ago was that?

Just this morning, this forest had been crisscrossed by creeks filled with clear rushing water. On her camping trips with Dad, they'd scooped up water right from streams and gulped it down without a worry. But now every stream she passed was ruined. The ash had turned the sparkling water to thick gray sludge that stank of sulfur. Just the thought of trying to swallow a mouthful was nauseating. The sounds of the volcano pounded in her ears. It roared. It thundered. It boomed. Bolts of lightning shot through the churning cloud above. Her footsteps kicked up clouds of ash that burned her eyes. But Jess ignored the pain and the thirst and the volcano's roar. She fought the swirl of terrifying thoughts that screamed through her mind. Instead she pictured Dad's hopeful eyes. She imagined her great-grandfather Clive Marlowe tramping through these very woods alone when he was just a few years older than Jess.

She tried to hear Mom's voice. "Whatever happens, you and I will make it through." But what really kept her feet moving was Sam and Eddie. Her best friends. For as long as Jess could remember, they'd been right there with her. In those terrible months after Dad died, the twins had hardly ever left her side. They'd even slept on the floor of her room. She pictured their freckled faces, imagined the feel of their hands. Jess stumbled along for hours, for miles she was sure. The parking lot was nowhere in sight. She was afraid she might be walking in circles. And then she came into a big field, a place she'd never seen before. And that's when she realized she was completely lost. She crouched down on the hot, ashy ground, too exhausted to even cry. Every inch of her body ached. Her lungs burned from the ash. She had

never imagined that she could be so thirsty. If only she could sleep for a little while. Everything would be better when she woke up. The sky would be blue again. The mountain would be quiet. All of this would be over. She let her eyes drift closed. She had the feeling of letting go, of floating away. The pain and thundering noise faded. No! She forced herself to stand up. What was she thinking! She had to keep going. She had to find help for the twins. She could not give up. And that's when she noticed a new sound. Not a roar or a boom or a whoosh. Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack. A helicopter. Jess leaped to her feet and searched the sky. And there it was: a yellow chopper, flying in circles. She jumped up and waved.

"Hey! Hey! Here I am!" But of course they couldn't hear her. And she was so covered with ash. She was just another speck of gray in the endless ash sea. How would they see her? The helicopter disappeared. And then it circled back a minute later. Jess jumped up and waved, but it flew away again. The pilot couldn't see her. What could Jess do? How could she get their attention before they flew away? And then it came to her. She found a big branch and snapped off a stick covered with leaves. She used it to sweep the ground around her, to create a huge cloud of ash that rose up like a smoke signal. And then she ran out in front of it, waving her arms. The helicopter slowed. It swooped down a bit and hovered over her. A man leaned out and waved. He shouted through a bullhorn.