Balancer Read Online Free Page A

said. “I remember her. He got detention for doing something really mean to her one time. Mom just freaked.”
    Amy let Charlie down and moved her face closer.
    “Hey, Elise. I’m Amy. Do you know Troy Madigan?”
    The little girl stopped crying and her face clouded over. It seemed everyone who knew Troy had a similar opinion about him, as the boy was in trouble daily both at home and school.
    “Yeah, I feel your pain there. I’m his sister. I’m way nicer. Like, we’re talking light-years nicer than him. One of us must be adopted, because there’s no way we can really be brother and sister.”
    Nicole could detect the tiniest smile coming from Elise. “Hold on for a little longer. D’you think you can do that?”
    Nicole shared a scared expression with Amy. They actually had no idea how far they were from anywhere right now, but for this badly injured little girl, time would probably all blur into one.
    Nicole readjusted Elise in her arms, and after a few moments, she and Amy were moving forward again. The girl was drifting in and out of consciousness now.
    Don’t die , Nicole thought. A tear fell out of the corner of her eye. You’re going to be OK.
    In her few moments of being awake, Elise had draped her arms about Nicole’s neck. This immediately eased the pressure on Nicole’s arms, meaning that her pace could quicken now. She fixed her gaze on Amy up ahead. Nicole gradually became accustomed to the rhythm of their pace and concentrated on dividing her attention between forest floor and Amy , forest floor and Amy , repeating it to herself like a mantra.
    Nicole ran like this for what seemed like ages. Something automatic in her body had taken over, like the way you could walk home from the store and end up at your front porch without having once thought about the way to get back.
    Through the muffled forest, Nicole began to pick out the first signs of a new noise. What was it? Could they have found the other people from the campsite at last?
    Charlie barked, and Amy, who was up ahead, gave a little shout. It was both good and bad news.
    As Nicole quickened her pace, she saw it: The ground suddenly dropped about five feet into a ravine that divided the forest. At the bottom of the ravine was a wide stream with fast-flowing water that looked like it could be deep in parts.
    They would have to cross it to get to safety.

Please, Not the Water
    “I can’t see an easy way to cross!” Amy was standing at the edge of the stream as she shouted. With a bark, Charlie leapt cleanly into the water, paddled across, clambered up the other side and then waited for them.
    “Easy if you’re a dog!” Nicole responded.
    On a clear day, it would have been simple to spot the rocks, tangled roots and weeds at the bottom. But on any given night, the ravine would’ve been pitch-black. Ironically, it helped to have a raging forest fire behind them, because it lit up the water with a hellish glow as the stream reflected the burning blaze.
    With another series of racking coughs, Amy carefully crossed about halfway through the water where the dog had just easily traversed. She was now knee-deep in water. The smoke made it increasingly harder to see, and her progress across was slowed by the knowledge that she could slip on a rock or trip and twist her ankle. After she was safely a few yards into the stream, Amy decided it was safe enough for her friend to join her.
    “It seems like it’s OK here where Charlie dove in. The ground is a little uneven, but it’s not as slippery as I thought it might be.” Amy reached down into the water, pulled out a grapefruit-sized rock and tossed it into the smoky blackness. “Just watch your step for loose rocks. I almost twisted my ankle on that one.”
    With Amy positioned in the middle of the stream, Nicole cautiously lowered herself down to the edge of the water and gingerly placed in one foot while trying not to jostle Elise. Nicole gave a yelp as the freezing stream soaked through her