Chapter 1

I SURVIVED THE WELLINGTON AVALANCHE, 1910

CHAPTER 1 TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1910 1:40 A.M. WELLINGTON, WASHINGTON RRRRRRRoooooooar! The earsplitting explosion shook the ground. Eleven-year-old Janie Pryor swung her head around and stared in horror. The mountain above

her seemed to have shattered apart. A massive wave of icy snow was crashing down. An avalanche! For the past six days, Janie had been stuck in this stormy wilderness. A fierce blizzard had stopped the train she'd been riding, trapping her and dozens of others. Day after day snow gushed from the sky. Icy winds howled. The snow blocked the tracks and practically buried the train. It covered the mountain until even the trees disappeared. And now Janie was standing outside in the night. Before her eyes, snow had broken loose from the side of the mountain. The thick, white blanket had turned into a churning wave. It sped down the mountain, destroying everything in its path. Crash! Trees shattered to bits. Boom! Boulders broke loose from the Earth.

With every second the killer wave grew bigger, heavier, deadlier, the snow mixing with wood and rocks and great hunks of dirt. Faster and faster it moved. It was heading right for Janie — and the train with men, women, and children inside. They were all fast asleep. They had no idea what was coming. "Wake up!" Janie screamed. "Avalanche!" But the avalanche drowned out her cries. She took off, running for her life, as the wave of snow thundered after her. Its icy breath huffed behind her. Its frozen jaws snapped at her heels. And suddenly the ground beneath her feet was snatched away. Snow and ice rose up around Janie — and swallowed her whole. She was part of the wave now, and so was the train. The avalanche had grabbed the cars from the tracks, hurled them into the air like toys. Janie could hear the horrific sounds of the train being torn to shreds. Wood crunching and snapping.

Metal screeching. A steam engine hissing like a giant snake. And people … crying out in terror. Janie's body twisted and spun. Snow lashed at her face and jammed up her nose. She was afraid she'd be torn apart. Until the wave suddenly stopped. Janie had no idea if she was alive or dead. She couldn't move. She couldn't see or hear. She couldn't breathe. It seemed that she — and the world — had disappeared.