Bigfoot Galaxy: Expedition: Bigfoot Galaxy, #1

By Eric Kent Edstrom

Bigfoot is not the missing link…

It's an alien.

It's inhabited Earth for thousands of years. Watching. Waiting. Guiding.

But when 16 year old Danny and his friends encounter one of this legendary creatures, they uncover the secret the Bigfoot race has sought to hide.

A war brews on Earth. Between two alien races. One dedicated to peace. The other to conquest.

What stands between our world and total annihilation is this band of troubled teens.

And all they have is their smarts, their courage, and their loyalty to one another.

Author Eric Kent Edstrom will take you on a whirlwind, page-turning adventure in this YA science fiction epic. From high tech subterranean cities, to encyclopedic brain implants, to magic-like powers over emotion.

The Bigfoot Galaxy series is your next binge!

Buy your copy today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Undermountain Books LLC
• Release date: Dec 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781540132208

Eric Kent Edstrom

Eric is the author of over a dozen novels and numerous short stories.

Book preview

1

All Their Bones

An inhuman shriek, high and piercing, drifted to Harvin McTavish's ears. It came from somewhere north of them.

An answering cry followed a moment later, this one from the south.

It confirmed what Harvin already knew. They were being hunted.

Harvin swiped a calloused hand across his face and glanced at the sun. It stood high above the mountains to the west, an angry ball of orange in a pure blue sky. Even this deep into summer snow still capped the highest peaks in white.

The kids were struggling now. He’d pushed them hard to get to this far, but he hadn’t told them about the danger. The last thing he needed was a group of city kids panicking fifty miles from civilization.

Kids. Teenagers, actually. Six of them in this outing, all from the States. Not a bad group. All of them were in desperate need of fresh air, exercise, and ten days away from their damn screens.

Kids. He let out a slight laugh. Harvin couldn’t think of anyone under 40 as anything but a kid. This bunch was all fifteen through eighteen. And they were strung out on the path behind Harvin, bent forward under the weight of their backpacks.

Six days of back country hiking had sucked the sass right out of them. It made for quieter days, which Harvin would have enjoyed under different circumstances. As an expedition guide for teenagers, he'd certainly heard more than his share of mindless chatter.

But now their stillness worried him.

They were being hunted. And when the time came for them to run, he worried they wouldn't have anything left in the tank.

Come on, Bronson, Harvin shouted to a straggler. You can breathe when you get to the top of this rise.

Harvin didn’t wait to see if the kid started walking again before marching forward. He kept his eyes on the path. This section had grown rocky, the footing unsure. If he fell . . .

Well, someone might find all their bones someday.

But probably not.

2

Camp Six

Despite the physical strain of climbing up rocky trails all day, Danny Michaelson had never been happier. After months of pleading, his mom had finally allowed him to join this excursion into the Canadian wilderness.

Of course, the next thing he knew, Mom had signed Em up for it too. Your sister can make sure you don’t get into any trouble, honey.

Whatever.

He could tolerate his sister. The fact that Mom’s boyfriend, Vincent, had ponied up the cash for the trip irritated him more. But since Danny turned sixteen in a few days, he considered the trip his birthday present.

He pushed Vincent out of his mind and took a deep breath of mountain air. Being here—six days into a ten-day hike in the backcountry of the Canadian Rockies—that was the important thing. Harvin, their grizzled old guide, said the nearest town lay over fifty miles away.

The small troupe of six teenagers and one old man came to the top of a rise. They were rewarded with tremendous views in all directions. Harvin put his hands on his hips and gazed around like a conquering general. Welcome to Camp Six, ladies. You’ve accomplished in six days what I usually do in two.

Danny dropped his pack and flopped to the ground, wincing as he wriggled blistered toes in his boots.

Harvin clicked his tongue. No lounging, boy. Get your chores taken care of. Then you can laze around all you want.

Danny got to work gathering firewood and helping Wa set up their tent.

Wa’s real name was Joachim Martin, but at their first roll call, Harvin had pronounced it JO-a-KIM.

No, no, no, Joachim had said, making a disgusted face. It’s Wa-KEEM. It starts with a ‘Wa’ sound. Wa. Wa.

Naturally, Harvin had started called him Wa.

To his credit, Wa embraced his new nickname. It wasn’t as if he could make the old man call him anything else. He was too short to intimidate anyone.

Wa and Danny had become good friends, though they were opposites in most ways. Where Danny was tall with a mop of brown hair, Wa’s raven head barely reached Danny’s chin.

Their chores complete, Danny and Wa climbed a huge granite slab above the camp and gazed out over the valley. The sun cast golden light over the conifers below, and mountain peaks stood shoulder to shoulder across the valley, jagged and silent.

Danny took a seat on the cold stone and sighed. A faint breeze, smelling of pine and earth, wafted through his hair. It doesn’t get any better than this.

Em’s voice snapped the stillness like a firecracker. Crap! Her language had been deteriorating a little every day, and she continued with several more colorful curses.

Danny looked back to find her climbing toward him. She held her phone over her head, waving it from side to side.

She sniffed in dissatisfaction and plopped down next to him. Still no signal. I thought I’d pick up at least one bar once we got up this high.

Danny rolled his eyes. We’re supposed to be roughing it, remember? He turned to Wa. I told you she wasn’t cut out for this kind of thing. The only time she’s ever camped out was to be first in line for a new iPhone.

Wa shrugged. I did the same thing with my brother last year.

Em flashed a smile at Wa and raised a smug eyebrow at Danny. She continued waving her phone. Come on, just one bar.

Danny pointed at the expansive vista before them. Why don’t you look at the scenery for once?

Em rolled her eyes then made a show of deliberately looking at the mountains, rotating her head back and forth like one of Vincent’s security cameras.

Her breath caught and she blinked. This really is beautiful.

Her phone came up again, but this time to take a picture. I wish I could send this to Mom, she said sadly and tucked the phone into a pocket. I wish I could call and see how she’s doing. You know how strange she was acting before we left.

Danny shrugged. I think she’s been acting strange since she started dating Vincent.

You should give them a chance. They needed some time alone together.

Leave it to Em to throw cold water on the fun.

Danny! Breyona waved at him from below. Even from far away her smile made him a little light-headed. The old man says we have to go with him to get water.

Danny’s sour mood vanished. He stood and waved back, smiling like an idiot. All the beautiful scenery in the world couldn’t compete with Breyona Lewis. The sun shone golden on her black skin and gilded the ends of her loosely spiraled hair. Danny often found himself frozen and tongue tied around her.

Breyona motioned him down with both hands. Are you coming or not?

He snapped out of his reverie and started down to the camp.

Later, Danny, Wa said. He slid closer to Em. And good luck!

Breyona greeted Danny with a friendly smile and an armful of empty bottles. Together, they headed down the trail to catch up to Harvin.

3

You Call This a Creek?

The sun sank toward the western peaks as Harvin led Danny and Breyona from the camp ridge. The old mountaineer’s long strides forced them to hustle to keep up.

Danny clutched his bundle of empty water bottles and canteens and gasped for breath. Not only had the day’s hike exhausted him, but the air was thin ten thousand feet above sea level. He opened his mouth to complain, but clamped it shut when he noticed that Breyona wasn’t breathing hard.

In fact, she was humming.

The tune sounded sad. She’d returned to it again and again over the past few days. Danny had wracked his brain trying to remember the name of the familiar melody. He wanted to impress her by mentioning it, but so far he’d come up blank.

The mournful notes were at odds with Breyona’s personality. Always singing and laughing, she was cheerfulness itself. Danny often found himself grinning just because Breyona smiled.

Well, he grinned for other reasons too. Everything about her radiated beauty. Her mane of black spirals defied gravity, shooting in all directions. Her brown eyes sparkled. Her rich, black skin glowed in the sun and turned golden by firelight. She smelled good too, like flowers and soap.

It’s gonna suck carrying all these bottles back up to the camp, he said, trying to get a conversation going. They’ll weigh a ton after we fill them.

Don’t worry. I’m sure we can handle it. She continued humming.

Great, he thought. Now she thinks I’m a wuss. I didn’t mean it like that. I was just saying . . .

Shush. Do you hear that?

A continuous low rumble came from the trees ahead of them. A minute later they found Harvin surveying a wide, tumbling mountain stream.

The old mountaineer didn’t look at them. The water in this creek comes from snow melting off the mountain peaks. It’s cold and fresh. Fill the bottles.

You call this a creek? Breyona asked.

Harvin smiled, but as usual, the long scar on his cheek pulled his upper lip into a snarl. The good news is you don’t have to cross ‘til tomorrow.

Danny eyed the stream doubtfully. White foam kicked up from partially submerged boulders, sending mist high into the air. And though many rocks stood well out of the rushing water, a misstep could be fatal. Won’t that be a little dangerous?

His question prompted another humorless smile from Harvin. You wanted excitement, didn’t you? That’s what Mommy and Daddy paid for, isn’t it?

My dad had nothing to do with—

Harvin jerked up a gnarled hand, cutting Danny off. Frosty blue eyes darted toward the trees across the stream. I thought I heard . . .

Danny couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the water and his own angry thoughts. His mom wasn’t rich. She was a nurse. Vincent had paid for the excursion. Like he’d been paying for everything recently.

There it is again!

I didn’t hear anything, Danny said.

The old mountaineer held up a finger and scowled at him.

Danny raised a questioning eyebrow at Breyona. She answered with a shrug and rolled her eyes.

Harvin started across the raging stream, picking his way from rock to rock, nimble for a man his age.

Wait! Where are you going?

Stay here and fill up the bottles, he said over his shoulder. I’m just gonna . . . The rumbling creek masked the rest.

Breyona laughed. Dude is crazy.

He’s something, all right, Danny said, then mumbled a few choice curses at the man’s back.

Breyona studied the stream and raised an eyebrow. I bet you a pack of dried beans that Shiv falls in this creek. She laughed at the thought, eyes squinting, perfect teeth flashing.

Just like that, Danny’s irritation with Harvin disappeared, banished by Breyona’s humor. We’d better get these bottles filled before Harvin comes back.

She nodded, and they set about unscrewing lids and submerging bottles in the frigid mountain water. Harvin still hadn’t returned when they finished.

With nothing else to do, they hiked upstream to where three massive granite slabs, stacked one atop the other like steps, stretched the width of the stream. The rushing water cascaded from one to the next in five-foot drops and swirled in a roiling pool before continuing its course down the mountain.

They found a dry patch of ground to sit on. Low rays of sun sparkled through the mist thrown up by the falls, igniting a brilliant rainbow that hovered over the pool.

Breyona leaned back on her elbows. This was worth the whole trip. She took a deep breath, then lay on her back and sighed. The whole trip was worth the whole trip. Laughter bubbled out of her. That doesn’t even make sense, does it? Her eyes beamed up at Danny.

I totally get what you’re saying. He lowered himself next to her, his fingers just happening to brush hers.

She didn’t pull away, so he left his hand there, enjoying the contact, which seemed to make his whole body grow warm. As if somehow she sent heat into him.

They stared up into the sky for a long while, listening to the soothing rush of falling water.

4

What a Mess

Danny’s eyelids fluttered open as a high keening noise—like a hawk shriek—sounded in the distance.

Breyona sat up blinking. What the hell was that?

The shriek came again, a bit louder. Its echo sent a chill across Danny’s arms. I think it’s in the woods behind us. Must be a bird or something. It sounds like a hawk. Again the shriek, this time followed by two shorter calls.

That’s too loud to be a bird, Breyona said. She scrambled to her feet then offered Danny a hand to pull him up. Another shriek tore the air. An instinctive impulse backed them away from the trees and toward the stream. What’s keeping the old man? Breyona watched the trees and rubbed her elbows.

Danny checked the far bank. No Harvin.

Crashing sounds thundered from the forest. Another shriek, this time loud enough to make the hair stand up on Danny’s neck. Breyona moved close to him, and they stood frozen, listening to the approaching racket.

Shriek. Crash. Shriek. Then a deep growl. Danny grabbed Breyona’s hand. I think we should cross over to Harvin’s side. That sounded like a bear.

Breyona nodded. Maybe it’s chasing something. They scrambled back to the spot the old mountaineer had crossed. A dozen birds took flight, startled by another piercing call.

Danny followed on Breyona’s heels as she started across, stepping from rock to rock. The stream swirled and roiled below him, sending up icy splashes that soaked his boots. Halfway across, his foot slipped from a stone, sinking him knee-deep in the water. The force of the stream knocked him sideways, and he started to topple.

Breyona caught his flailing arm and steadied him. I said Shiv was going to fall in, not you!

Danny tried to step back up onto the rock, but his waterlogged boots couldn’t get traction.

Another shriek.

The icy water had already numbed his leg below the knee. Breyona pulled, and he managed to get one foot up.

She adjusted her feet to get better leverage. Come on, Danny. Time to get out of the kiddie pool.

A roar froze him. He looked upstream, then gasped. Holy crap!

His expression got Breyona’s attention, and she followed his gaze. Oh my God!

Silhouetted against the blue sky, two strange creatures sloshed across the top tier of the cascade, kicking plumes of water behind them.

The first creature shrieked again and again as it splashed across. Its two, long-snouted heads sat atop sinuous necks, which sprouted at the top of a tall, upright torso. The body stood upon four spindly legs that ended in sharp points; the tips glistened with every step.

Two heads?

Behind it loped an enormous man-beast, tall and fur-covered. Its arms swung in long arcs as it ran.

Bigfoot!

Both creatures struggled against the rush of water. The shrieker thrashed its way ashore, then disappeared in a blur of speed. The bigfoot paused, seeming to catching its breath, before it too dashed from view.

Danny stared, slack-jawed, then looked at Breyona. Her eyes were as wide as one of Vincent’s poker chips. What the . . .?

A splash and a growl came from behind Danny. Breyona screamed and let go of his arm. He fell back into the stream. A bone-crushing chill engulfed him. His head cracked into a rock, sending a lightning bolt of pain through his skull. He kicked and clawed for the surface. He fought to get his feet under him, desperate for air.

Huge hands grabbed and lifted him. He took shivering gulps of air as the water suddenly fell away below. An arm, strong as steel, clamped around his middle. His vision was blurry from the stinging water.

Harvin? he asked, half choking.

No answer.

His hands went to the arm wrapped around his ribs.

Fur.

He cried out and kicked his legs. He beat at the arm until it released him, and he fell, scraping his hands and knees on rocky ground. Pain and fear told him to run, but he could do nothing but cough, gasp, and tremble. He turned his eyes just enough to see a giant, fur-covered foot next to him.

Breyona! he called.

She didn’t answer.

Breyona!

What had this thing done to her?

He looked up. An eight-foot tall creature towered over him. Black hair covered every inch of its body, shaggy on the limbs but shorter and smoother at the bear-like neck and head. Massive muscular legs and arms dripped with water from the stream. The monster watched him, head tilted to one side like a curious dog. Its wide, unblinking eyes, green as emeralds, pinned Danny where he stood. A scream built in his chest, but only a raspy moan came out.

He ordered his arms to push, demanded that his legs straighten so he could stand. His stomach churned with molten panic. He cast about for Breyona, but couldn’t find her.

What did you do to her? His voice quavered, as loose and uncertain as his knees.

The bigfoot held up huge, fur-covered paws. No. They were hands. Four fingers and a thumb. Its lips curled back, exposing sharp teeth, and it uttered a long rumbling growl. Danny’s head spun. Something in those rough, guttural noises sounded like words.

Danny backed away, step by slow, uncoordinated step. He darted a look at the trees, thinking he might be able to hide among them, or maybe climb to safety, if he could get to them fast enough.

The bigfoot watched him with its green eyes. Still holding its hands out, it lowered itself into a crouch. Danny’s heart jolted, sure the monster was about to pounce. He took another step back, remembering Harvin’s admonishment not to run if they encountered a bear. Stay calm. Back away slowly. If it charges, hold your ground.

But this wasn’t a bear.

A low roar sounded in the distance. The bigfoot spun and looked upstream.

Seeing his chance, Danny ran.

Or tried to.

Despite the desperate fear that fueled him, his leaden legs refused to obey, and he stumbled over the rocky ground. He fell, scraping hands and knees again. Behind him came a low woofing sound, loud and fierce. He ran. At the tree line, he tripped over an exposed root and fell flat. His breath puffed out of his lungs like a popped paper lunch bag.

Danny! Over here.

Spots filled his vision as he fought for air. Breyona huddled behind a large pine, knees to her chin. He looked back, expecting the beast to be on top of him, about to scoop him up. But it lurked near the stream, pacing back and forth.

Breyona crept to him and helped him crawl deeper among the trees. He collapsed and fought to control his trembling body.

What the hell? Breyona said. I think it’s talking to itself.

Danny propped himself against a tree trunk. The bigfoot paced by the stream fifty yards away. Breyona was right. It talked to itself, pacing and gesticulating with one hand. It kept the other hand close to its mouth; sunlight glanced off a small object in its fingers.

Is that a phone? Danny asked in a whisper.

The bigfoot stopped and looked right at where they were hiding. It seemed to sigh, then shook its head and started toward them.

Danny grabbed Breyona’s hand and began scrambling deeper into the trees. Heavy footfalls pursued them, louder and louder, and Danny realized they would never outrun it. He snatched up a heavy stick and turned to fight.

The bigfoot lumbered forward. Again it raised its hands and uttered a deep growl that sounded like words.

Danny got into his batting stance, intending to give some good bruises before the end. Fear and anger coursed in his blood, giving him the energy of a thousand Red Bulls.

A shriek echoed in the distance. The bigfoot’s bear-like ears turned slightly, and its eyes squinted in irritation.

In a low voice it said, What a mess.

In three long strides it disappeared among the pines. Shortly after, its footfalls faded, masked by the sound of the rushing stream and a chill breeze that whipped through the forest.

Danny stared after the bigfoot, mouth agape. Oh my God. Oh my God. His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto his back. The stick fell by his side with a thud. The cold he’d been ignoring rushed into his bones.

Breyona’s eyes flashed nervously toward the trees, and her lips quivered. I thought it was gonna kill us.

Danny closed his eyes. His body felt distant. The cold that had made him tremble moments before seemed to have a hot edge to it now. His limbs no longer shook. In fact, he didn’t seem to have arms or legs at all anymore. It felt nice.

Danny, your lips are blue.

Maybe it would be good to go to sleep.

Danny!

Maybe he’d been asleep all along. Bigfoot didn’t exist.

Danny!

Strong hands lifted him. Open your eyes, son. That was Harvin’s voice. That’s it. Keep your eyes open.

Is he gonna be okay?

Get my pack, and find the thermal blanket. Gotta get him out of these wet clothes. Hypothermia.

Harvin manhandled Danny’s numb limbs out of sleeves and pants, then began vigorously rubbing Danny’s arms and legs.

That hurts, Danny said. Why couldn’t the old man let him rest?

Good.

He began to feel cold again. Painfully cold. Stop. That hurts.

Harvin said nothing, but he left off rubbing and covered Danny with a shiny thermal blanket. Don’t be shy, girl, give him some body heat. He set about starting a fire nearby.

Breyona got down behind Danny and curled her arms around him, pressing her body close, legs stretched to either side of his.

As feeling returned to his arms and legs, his body began to tremble. Waves of nausea came and went. The last thing he wanted was to throw up in front of Breyona.

As he dried, the worst of the shaking subsided. Harvin’s small fire helped a lot. After a while he became aware of Breyona’s warm body against his. He decided getting dunked had been totally worth the pain. Her head rested on his back, and she hummed that sad song again.

Wh-what’s that s-song?

You should know. It’s ‘O Danny Boy.’

Of course. His mom had sung that to him when he was little. I c-can’t believe you know th-that sssong. They both chuckled, but Danny’s laughter cut off as a terrible thought occurred to him.

Breyona saw me naked!

A few desperate seconds feeling around under the blanket brought immense relief. His briefs were still on. But his face went hot as he realized he wore the bright red ones his mom had given him for Christmas.

5

I Told You So

Breyona listened closely for more shrieks or growls, but she heard only the rushing creek, the screech of a hawk, and Harvin’s grumbles.

Her eyelids grew heavy. She always crashed after excitement, though she’d never had an experience like this before.

Bigfoot. The word kept repeating in her head.

But that’s impossible.

She shivered and snuggled closer to Danny. His bony shoulder blades didn’t provide much comfort, though.

Definitely not a bigfoot. Bigfoot and two-headed . . . things . . . don’t exist.

Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to play such an elaborate joke on them. Wa might do something like that, but costumes that big would never fit in his backpack. Besides, no one was tall enough to fit that bigfoot outfit, not even Bronson. And the shrieker? She had no idea how that costume worked.

Harvin stopped to check on Danny again, felt his pulse and looked into his eyes for signs of sickness, shock, or hypothermia. He gave a grunt and left without saying anything.

A minute later, he returned with Danny’s clothes. These rags aren’t exactly dry, but he’ll warm up quick once we get moving. Now get off him so he can put his pants on.

Breyona disentangled herself. It felt good to stretch her arms and legs after sitting so long. But relief came with regret. She’d enjoyed warming Danny more than she probably should have. This was certainly no time to get attached. They’d only be on the hike for a few more days, and she’d never see him again. That irritated her though.

She watched him try to keep himself covered with the blanket while pulling on his wet jeans. There was a lot of hopping and hunching and hiking up of the blanket.

Breyona laughed. That’s exactly how my Aunty Debbie dances.

Danny gave a snort and gave up on modesty, letting the blanket drop. No wonder he’d been so cold. He didn’t have an ounce of fat on him. He caught her watching and turned his back to her, which suited her fine. The red briefs were still very damp.

She started to comment on the briefs, but Harvin interrupted. Let’s get going, he said and started toward the stream. "To keep dry, stay on the rocks. Pay attention to how I do it."

Danny rolled his eyes and waved for Breyona to go across.

No. I’ll follow in case I need to pull your ass out again.

His face turned red, which was funny and kind of cute. He went slowly but made it across without incident. Breyona followed close behind him. She hadn’t been joking about being ready to pull him out.

They’d barely stepped on dry land when Harvin started in again. Don’t just stand around picking your noses. Grab the water supplies and move out.

They collected the bottles and followed Harvin, who had already started up the trail. Before long, Danny’s breath grew short and sweat sprouted on his forehead. Though his color had returned, he kept his jaw clenched tight.

A hawk screeched and flapped out of a nearby tree, making them both jump.

Crap, Danny said. His dark eyebrows came together, and he looked back over his shoulder. We’ve gotta warn the others when we get back.

About what? Breyona said. She did her best to keep her voice even.

Are you serious?

You mean the guy in the gorilla suit? She forced a laugh and put as much conviction into her words as she could muster. That was just someone playing a joke on us.

What about the two-headed, shrieker thing? That wasn’t a costume.

Breyona shrugged. It was pretty far away. Probably an optical illusion. Maybe a couple of deer, side by side. That would explain the heads. She prayed that’s all it had been.

Danny cast an eye at Harvin and lowered his voice. I don’t know. The legs were too skinny, even for deer. And there were only four legs, not eight. And the bigfoot . . . Its head looked more like a bear, not a gorilla.

Listen to what you’re saying. Would you believe any of that if you heard it from someone else?

He didn’t answer. Did Harvin see anything?

No. He showed up a minute after the . . . thing ran into the woods and you passed out. All he knows is you fell in the stream and got a bad case of the chills.

Maybe I should ask him about it. He heard the shrieking. He even seemed to recognize the sound, remember? Danny turned uphill and started toward camp.

Breyona grabbed his elbow. Do you want him laughing at you?

I’ll risk it. Those things are dangerous.

He really didn’t get it. Even if what they’d seen was real, nobody would believe them. Look, you go ahead and tell your little fairy tale. Just don’t drag me into it.

But—

Breyona held up a hand and walked away.

Damn fool boys. They never listened.

Breyona still didn’t know what she’d seen by the stream. But there had to be a rational explanation. The more she thought about it, the more she hoped someone had played a trick on them.

Still . . .

A tickle of fear chilled her as she walked toward camp. The feeling brought back unwelcome reminders of why she’d signed up for this trip in the first place. Memories she hoped to escape. At least with the bigfoot, she hadn’t actually been attacked.

The image of Dack Nelson’s face came back to her. He’d been a substitute janitor at school, filling in for Mr. Murphy who’d been out for heart surgery. All the girls had complained about Dack’s roving eyes.

Breyona had stayed late for a make-up chemistry lab. She took her usual shortcut down the south stairwell to save a couple of minutes. And that’s where Dack found her, on the landing. You have pretty eyes.

Thanks. She tried to squeeze past him.

He stepped sideways into her, pressing her against the wall. His face came close to hers; his breath stank of coffee and fish. Easy. Easy, he said, as if he was talking to a skittish horse. He lifted her chin and said it was nice to see a black girl in the school. His hand wandered down her arm, then to her hip.

She pushed him away and tried to run, but he grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Her textbook fell from her hand and hit the floor with a bang that echoed like a gunshot. Dack was big, like Bronson.

Anger flared in her, and she slapped him hard across the cheek. He didn’t let go of her arm though. He just gripped it tighter and swore at her and called her the worst names in the world. He pressed his body against hers and put his nose to her ear. She fought, but his hand seized her throat and squeezed. Not enough to cut off her air, but very tight. His other hand lifted the skirt of her uniform.

Breyona shook her head to erase the image of his smirk and his squinting eyes. The memory never ended any differently.

It could have been worse.

That’s what she always told herself.

She’d never told anyone about it, and she’d never regretted the decision. Talking about it would have destroyed her world, her mother’s world. Everyone’s world.

She did her best to forget that poor Mr. Murphy had died on the operating table and that Dack would still be there, sweeping the hallways next year.

She gave her head another shake to clear it and walked the last few steps into camp. She found everyone sitting around a cozy fire.

Bronson leaned against a log, whittling a point onto a stick. His round head, carpeted with stiff, reddish-brown hair, was punctuated by small eyes that lingered on her chest.

Breyona ignored him.

Shiv sat cross-legged, studying his animal tracks book. His skin was nearly as dark as Breyona’s, and in the light of the fire, his face turned golden. He looked up from beneath thick black eyebrows. He always looked sad, even when he laughed. He blinked at her, not really seeing her, then went back to reading.

Em smiled and took a water bottle. She looked like a model from an L.L. Bean catalog. Not a bit of dirt on her clothes, not a lock of hair out of place. She had dark, intense eyes like Danny’s, but larger, like a Disney princess.

Danny trudged into the