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or magical in a date. But a friend? That was a miracle. And currently, being the “Weird Girl,” she didn’t have an overwhelming amount of friends.
    “What deep thoughts are burning in that head of yours?” George asked suddenly, startling her. He took a sip of his coffee. “Oooh … ouch. Too hot.” He brought a hand up to his lips and touched them gently. Madeline found herself staring. Again.
    “Okay?” she asked, averting her eyes.
    “Yeah. Just hotter than I expected.”
    Tell me about it, she thought and then smiled in spite of herself.
    He leaned across the table, nearer to her. “What’s this big news you wanted to tell me?”
    Taking a deep breath, she twisted the amethyst ring she wore on her index finger. It had belonged to her beloved grandmother, Grace. She glanced around, feeling the sheer weight of being unwelcome crushing her chest. “I’m going on a backcountry trek to Glacier National Park,” she told him. “Alone. To clear my head, get away from people, from my visions, my ‘gift.’ ” She sneered on the last word.
    “Alone? Isn’t that dangerous?”
    “Crossing the street is dangerous. There’s more chance I’ll get hit by a car than get eaten by a bear or fall to my death.”
    “What about just plain getting lost?” he asked. “I read a story about a couple who were hopelessly lost in Glacier National Park. They got separated from the trail and couldn’t find it again. Helicopters searched for them. When the rescue team finally found them, the couple was nearly dead and only fifty yards away from the trail they’d been trying to find.”
    She smiled ruefully. That story was in a book she’d lent him herself. “I’m leaving my itinerary with you, so that if I’m not back on the right date, you can come look for me.” She gave him a warm smile. “I’m also slipping a route into my dad’s mailbox.”
    “You’re not going to talk to him about it?”
    “No …” She let the word fall silently, not going into detail.
    “But he might have some advice … I mean, the backcountry is his terrain.”
    “It’s just a bad idea, George.”
    “And your mom?”
    “I’d rather not have the image of her disdain be the last thing I take into the wilds with me.”
    “So just your dad and I will know where you are?”
    “Well, that and the park service. You know hikers have to check in with rangers before they can go anyway, and so they’ll have my route, too.” She sighed, looking at his worried face. “Thank you for worrying,” she said. “But I’ll be okay. I’ve done this lots of times.”
    “Alone?”
    “Being alone is what this trip is all about. I’m about to transfer down to San Francisco and start a new life. That means new people, new environments, new challenges. I can’t tell you how sick I am of …” She gestured around at the people in the diner, then at Edna. “Of this. You know what it’s like for me, George. All my life most people have shunned me. You’re the only one who’s stuck around. You and Ellie. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life turning people off, weirding them out.”
    “Those people aren’t worth being your friends,” George said protectively. “I don’t even see why you worry about them.”
    “Yeah, I know.” Madeline felt a flush of defensiveness. “That’s because you have a normal social life. You have a circle of friends you’ve had since preschool, and make new ones all the time. Plus you’re gorgeous, and people flock to you.”
    George shook his head. “No, you are gorgeous. And don’t let these bastards make you feel unwanted.”
    They both fell silent, a lump in Madeline’s throat growing more painful by the second. The incident at the dam had brought memories of Ellie crashing back on her, a resurgence of grief so powerful it made it hard to breathe. At last George said quietly, “I think it’s a good idea.”
    Madeline smiled, then almost laughed. The thought of the peaceful backcountry, of not