Lost at Running Brook Trail Read Online Free PDF Page A

source of your pain is found,” Elaine said, “put your boot back on so we can all go.”
    Kimberly flicked the silvery stud away, the light catching it as it dropped away. She put her head down and began to lace her boot.
    Susan said nothing. All she knew was that the tightening of Kimberly’s lace meant she had to pick up her backpack and begin the endless walk again. She watched Kimberly’s fingers and willed them to work slowly, but the lace was now tied.
    With bags now on backs, they all turned to continue the trek.
    “Does anybody see what I’m seeing?” Miriam asked, stopping in her tracks. The others had too as well.
    “If you mean we’re the only four people standing here, with none of our other schoolmates in sight, then I’m seeing exactly what you’re seeing.” Elaine looked as far ahead as she could and saw nothing but trees, mountains and the hint of trails here and there.
    “We can’t just stand here,” Miriam said. “How far could they be anyway? We didn’t stop too long. They must be just around the corner.” She began running down the trail, the bottom of her boots leaving clear, grooved tracks in the hard earth, while her toes kicked up dust.
    Elaine, Kimberly and Susan, perhaps not knowing what else to do, began to run as well. They ran past tall pine trees, brown-gold and green grass and shrubbery, barely noticing what they passed. They came to a clearing and stopped, barely able to catch their breath. Miriam and Elaine were bent over, hands on their knees like athletes after a race. Kimberly and Susan were down on their haunches. Kimberly’s head was bent forward, her hair sweeping the earth. Susan, wheezing, wondered if she would ever breathe normally again.
    At the clearing, several trails presented themselves, most leading into what looked like denser woodlands.
    “What are we going to do?” Susan looked perplexed and sweaty from her perch below. “We could just go back to the camp.”
    “We could do that but we can’t remember all the switches of different trails that we took. All but one of these trails seems to be leading into some sort of forest. I would think they went on the trail that’s fairly clear and easy to navigate.” Elaine, who was now fully recovered from the sprint, walked around the entrance of each trail.
    “Plus,” Miriam added, “none of these bushed-up trails seem to have had any recent activity. Nothing broken!”
    “She’s Mantracker now,” Kimberly said, standing up now. She spat on the ground and scuffed out the wet spot with her boot.
    Before anyone knew what was happening, Miriam jumped on Kimberly, literally. Kimberly fell backward, propped up partially by her backpack. Miriam was atop her, straddling her, her hand around her neck. She was seemingly blinded by rage as her two thumbs squeezed Kimberly’s throat.
    “You self-loving airhead, can’t you see what you’ve done?” Miriam shouted.
    Kimberly, struggling and defiant retorted, “Say it, don’t spray it!” This only served to take Miriam’s rage up a notch. She used only one hand now to try and force Kimberly’s head into the ground.
    Susan was stunned and just stood with mouth wide open, but finally turned to Elaine and asked, “Are you going to do something?”
    Elaine stood with her arms folded and watched the two on the ground. This had been brewing and was inevitable. Maybe if they fought long enough, they wouldn’t have any fight left. Maybe just wishful thinking.
    “No, let them have a go at it, nobody’s going to die. They’ll only be a little sore.”
    Kimberly was fighting back, using her hands to push at Miriam’s face. “Get off me, you malicious freak!”
    “Because of you we’re lost! Do you even get that?”
    “I get that you’re crazy and want to fight,” Kimberly panted.
    Miriam screamed in exasperation, knowing nothing she said was getting through. She slapped Kimberly across the face, splitting her lip. Kimberly frantically scratched and clawed at