The ground didn’t just shake—it let out a deep, awful groan, like the earth itself was breaking apart. Maya sat there on the freezing ice, her fingers digging into the slushy mess. She stared at the mountains behind Northwood School. Usually, those peaks just sat there, quiet and blanketed with snow. Not now. Now, thick clouds of gray dust exploded from the cliffs.
“We have to go!” David yelled. He slammed his laptop shut and grabbed Maya by the arm. “The electricity from the docks didn’t just stay in the water. It ran through the ground, straight into the mountain tunnels. It started a chain reaction!”
Julian rushed over and helped Maya to her feet. She leaned on him, her left leg heavy and awkward in its wet plaster cast. Every time the ground jerked, pain shot up her hip. She felt lik
