Torched Read Online Free PDF

could see one mink already beginning to burrow under a log, gathering twigs and grass to build a nest.”
    It was all I could do not to roll my eyes. Probably the poor mink had just been trying to hide from its rescuers. Killing minks for fur was stupid, but dumping farm-raised minks in the forest didn’t necessarily sound like a better alternative.
    Jack Rabbit stretched and yawned, then got to his feet. “Well, folks, I’ve got to go. Big test tomorrow.”
    After that, the group broke up. I loitered near the door, hoping to talk to Coyote. He lingered a few minutes, speaking to first Liberty and then Meadow. Both conversations were too low for me to follow. Telling myself I didn’t care, I turned away and started gathering up cups. Then he walked over to me, and my heart did a flip.
    He gave me an easy grin. “So how’s your week been so far?”
    “Good, good.” I was nodding my head like an idiot and tried to stop. “How about yours?”
    “Pretty tolerable. Of course, it would be better if I took more breaks. Will you be in Multnomah again this Saturday?”
    I tried to look nonchalant. “Maybe. I could stop by if you want.”
    “Of course!” His fingers circled my wrist and gave it a squeeze before he slipped on his backpack. Before I could say anything else, he was out the door. The rest of the MEDics soon followed him. My skin tingled where he had touched me.
    “Those kids are kind of cute when they get all excited,” Laurel said as we picked up the mugs that held dregs of tea. “But when we were in college, what we were fighting for was life and death. We knew plenty of guys who went off to Vietnam and never came back.”
    “At least they’re trying,” Matt said. “That’s a lot more than most kids these days. They remind me so much of us when we were young.”
    “So I saw that Coyote talking to you,” Laurel said. “Do you like him?”
    “I don’t really know him that well.” I bent down to pick up some more dishes, letting my hair fall forward to hide my face.
    “Laurel and I knew the minute we saw each other,” Matt said. “She had on her ‘Anything War Can Do, Peace Can Do Better’ T-shirt, and I had ‘An Eye for an Eye Makes the Whole World Blind.’ We even got arrested the same day. Remember, Laurel?” They shared a smile.
    I carried the cups into the kitchen. Behind me, Matt was saying something more about the Vietnam protests, but the words were lost as I clattered the dishes in the sink. I heard one of them switch on the TV.
    While my parents were occupied, I called Marijean. “You are not going to believe this, but Coyote just asked me to have coffee with him again! Well, tea, I guess. He drinks tea. I’m the one who drinks coffee.”
    “You’re babbling.” Marijean laughed.
    “Do you think I should wear perfume?”
    “I don’t know. What if he kisses you? You don’t want him to taste it if you’ve got perfume on your neck.”
    “I think you’re talking about a little more than kissing,” I said.
    “I’m talking enthusiastic kissing,” she said. “I’m an ex-Girl Scout. Isn’t their motto ‘Be prepared’? So if you wear perfume, just put it on your wrists.”
    After discussing every possible detail with Marijean, I finally flipped my cell phone closed. We had talked long enough that the plastic was warm. I still had homework to do, so I got a hunk of cheddar from the fridge and some Ak-Mak crackers. I alternated eating a bite of cracker and then a bite of cheese, trying to get my mind off Coyote and onto my math problems.
    Soon I had two crackers left and no cheese, so I got up to get more. As I turned from the fridge, a glint of light in the front yard caught my eye.
    A man, all dressed in black, was approaching the house.
    The glint was a reflection from the silver badge he wore on his chest.
    “Laurel! Matt!” I cried out. “Cops!”
    From the living room came shouts and the sounds of wood splintering. A man burst in from the utility room between the