Chapter 9
When the shock wore off, we had to accept our fate. As the others tried to decide what to do next, I quietly had a look at the surrounding area. We couldn’t be too far afield—in the here-now place, anyway—because native Douglas fir, hemlock, cedar, and sword ferns grew all around us. Semi-old growth trees, however, meant that we could be miles into whichever forest this was. Springtime birds peeped and trilled their way through evening feeding. From twenty feet up, a tiny, perturbed Douglas squirrel chattered at us, “Pew! Pew! Pew!”
Brisa looked up at the animal and yelled, “It’s not our fault!” Then she eyed me. “But it is your fault, Carli. You’re the one who started all this.”
The gale of blame literally blew me back a step. “I—what? Jack and Loretta are the ones who called
