Count Me In (10 page)

The other three followed shortly after. Tabitha lay in bed and listened to the rustle of everybody getting ready for sleep. After lying around feeling listless all day, her body was now fully awake. Her stomach churned with hunger and her mind whirled with worries.

She thought of kids across the world who went through most of their lives with empty stomachs. Surely she could make it a night or two. But what if the rescue didn't come? What if her parents had given Search and Rescue the name of the wrong mountain peak, and they'd tried a rescue, found no one, and now thought they were all dead? She shook her head, trying to clear the bad thoughts. Her parents might be so focused on their computer programming that they sometimes forgot about dinner, but they weren't dumb. They'd remember the name of a mountain, wouldn't they?

She woke at dawn with a gnawing pain in her stomach and guzzled some water to try and fill it up. It helped, but she knew she wouldn't be able to trick her body for long.

She sat up and stretched. Everyone else was still asleep. It surprised her to see Tess still in bed. Her aunt had been up before anyone else every other day of the trip. Tabitha lay down and tried to fall back to sleep. No sense getting up with nowhere to go, nothing to do and nothing to eat.

After about ten minutes, Tess stirred in her sleeping bag. Tabitha rolled over, waiting until her aunt was fully awake before she spoke. Tabitha watched Tess push herself to a seated position and look out the window.

Then she pulled the sleeve of her shirt back and peered at her arm.

Tabitha watched silently, puzzled as her aunt poked at her arm. It was hard to see in the dim light, but it looked as though she had another shirt on underneath, something white and brown.

Tess swung her legs off the bunk, giving Tabitha a clear view of her arm. Tabitha sucked in her breath. It wasn't a shirt, it was a bandage. A white bandage with blotches of dried blood on it.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Tabitha thought about what her aunt had done the day before. Everything clicked into place. Tess had rushed out to get water so she could bandage her arm. And that's why she'd been holding it all day. But how had she cut it? Tabitha remembered the bear coming close to Tess. Had it grazed her arm? She hadn't screamed, but she had jerked her arm back.

Tabitha pushed herself up in bed and whispered, “Is it bleeding?”

Tess gasped and pulled her sleeve over the wound. “I didn't know anyone else was up.”

“You don't have to hide it,” Tabitha said. “Was it the bear?”

Tess nodded. “It's okay. It only scratched me.”

“It's a bear, not a cat!”

Tess shrugged. “I was so worked up about getting it out of here, I honestly didn't notice that much at the time. But now it's infected.”

“Why didn't you tell us?” Tabitha asked.

“I didn't want you to worry.”

Tabitha sighed. Wouldn't her aunt ever learn that they'd find things out anyway? She was so busy protecting them that she made life harder for everyone. “If you'd told us, we could have helped you take care of it better.”

Tess closed her eyes. “Maybe. It's easy to forget that you three are tougher than you look.”

Cedar rolled over and hung off his bunk. “What's going on?”

Tess stared hard at Tabitha, who ignored her. “Your mom's hurt,” Tabitha said.

Cedar hopped across the floor in his sleeping bag. “What happened?”

Tess held out a hand to stop him. “Relax. I cut my arm yesterday. It's a little infected, but nothing serious.”

“Don't you have antibiotic ointment?” Cedar asked.

“Mmm-hmm,” Tess said. She walked over to where Ashley still slept and bent over her face.

“You didn't use it, did you?” Cedar hopped behind her, still holding his sleeping bag around his chest.

“I'm worried Ashley will get an infection,” Tess said.

“But you're no help to us if
you
get sick from an infection!” Cedar said.

Tess waved him away. “I'll be fine.” She turned her back to him and went downstairs, using her right arm to balance herself on the way down.

Ashley rolled over in her sleeping bag. “What's going on?” she asked groggily. Her cheek was blue. One eye was barely visible due to the swelling around it. The other was sunk deep into the socket. She looked like she was dressed as a zombie for Halloween.

“Mom's—,” Cedar started to say, but Ashley rolled over and fell back asleep.

Tabitha chewed her lip. Ashley usually had so much energy. This didn't seem like her. She climbed down the ladder. “Tess, I think you'd better come upstairs.”

Tess was sitting at the table, dabbing at her arm with a web of cotton dressing. A long cut, crusted with blood, split her red, swollen arm.

Tabitha gagged at the sight of it.

Tess started to wrap a fresh bandage around her arm. “I'll be right up as soon as I'm done.” She motioned to her first-aid kit with her head. “Bring this up for me.”

Tabitha nodded and followed Tess as she pulled herself up the ladder, swinging back and lunging up with her good arm at each rung. Halfway up, she rested, her good arm hooked over a rung. After a few deep breaths, she grunted and continued. At the top, she pulled herself into the loft and hurried to Ashley's side, pushing Cedar away from his spot beside Ashley's head.

“What's going on?” she asked.

“Ashley won't stay awake,” Cedar said.

Tess squeezed the skin on the back of Ashley's hand and pressed a finger onto her forearm. They'd gotten stuck on the mountain, attacked by a bear and run out of food, yet Tess had never looked truly worried. Now her face was pinched and her head drooped. Tabitha's stomach twisted in a knot. Was Ashley going to die?

Tabitha reached behind her for her bunk and fell onto it. As much as her cousin drove her crazy, she didn't want her to die. She was only thirteen. It wasn't fair. She should be downstairs, grumping at Tabitha and bickering with Cedar.

Tess's voice broke into her thoughts. “She's severely dehydrated. Cedar, go get us some water.”

Cedar didn't move. He had shuffled around to the head of the bunk and was stroking Ashley's hair, his face knotted with worry.

“I can do it,” Tabitha said. She hurried down the ladder, filled Ashley's water bottle and brought it back to Tess.

Tess held it to Ashley's lips, but she batted it away.

Cedar pulled Ashley to a half-seated position. “Drink.”

This time, when Tess held up the water, Ashley took a few small sips. Her lips couldn't close over the bottle's mouth, and water spilled down her chin.

“Good girl,” Tess said. “Let's try some more.”

After another few mouthfuls, Ashley pushed the bottle away and refused to take any more.

Tess sat back on her heels. “We'll try again later.”

Cedar eased Ashley back onto her bed, and she rolled over to face the wall. Tess went down the ladder. Tabitha followed, leaving Cedar sitting on his sister's bed.

Tess paced around the hut, cradling her arm. Tabitha sat on a chair by the stove, trying to stay invisible.

“No food, no medicine,” her aunt muttered. “How much longer do you think we'll last?”

Tabitha was pretty sure Tess wasn't talking to her.

“Yeah, I'm worried too.”

Tabitha's eyes drifted to the box containing her uncle's ashes. They really needed to scatter them.

“I'll be fine, as long as we get out of here soon.”

Cedar slid down the ladder. Tess stopped pacing.

“She's asleep,” he said.

Tess nodded and sagged onto the bench. After a few minutes of silence she stood again. “I'm going back to bed too. No sense wasting energy.”

As if they needed reminding. Tabitha nodded. She'd love to curl up with Max by the fire right now. With all the excitement, she'd forgotten about him. She wondered what he was doing out there. Had he managed to avoid the bear?

She dozed off in her chair and fell into a nightmare. She was chasing Max up a mountain. Every time she caught up to him, a bear jumped out of a bush, swiped her arm and left bloody gashes across it. They healed when Cedar swabbed them with antibiotic ointment, but only long enough for her to chase Max to the next bush and the next bear.

“Max!” a voice called. She jerked upright, swiveled her head around to see who had shouted. Was it her? Cedar was stretched out on the bench, asleep.

“No! Max!” It was Ashley.

Shaking off the fog of sleep, Tabitha hauled herself up the ladder to Ashley's bed. Her cousin was rolling back and forth on her bunk, her puffy face distorted with fear.

“No,” she moaned.

Tabitha stood over her. Were you supposed to wake someone in a nightmare? Or let her sleep? She needed to sleep. But it seemed cruel to leave her in her dream.

She stroked Ashley's arm. “It's a dream, Ashley. Wake up.”

Ashley kept moaning and thrashing.

Tabitha grabbed her harder. “Ashley! Wake up!”

Ashley's eyes flew open. She jerked her arm away from Tabitha. A look of pure hatred crossed her face. “You! You lost him. You killed him.”

Tabitha stepped back from Ashley. Did her cousin really hate her that much?

“You were dreaming, Ash,” Cedar said from behind her.

Tabitha swung around. How had he gotten there?

For a moment, Ashley's face softened. “You mean Max is back?”

“No. But that doesn't mean he's dead.”

Ashley's face darkened again. “It's her fault. Get her out of here.”

Tabitha pushed past Cedar, not wanting to see the look on Ashley's face anymore. She slouched on the bench downstairs, watching the rain, wondering if she'd be stuck here until she died of starvation, or if Ashley would kill her first.

Cedar came down a few minutes later. “I'm worried about her.”

Tabitha nodded.

“I think the pain's making her say things she doesn't mean.”

“She's saying exactly what she means,” Tabitha said.

Cedar tugged at his ponytail. “My mom must be really tired if she didn't wake up through any of that.”

Tabitha nodded. “Do you think it's because of her arm?”

“Maybe.” He walked to the window and stared out, as if willing the helicopter to arrive.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Tabitha took up her spot by the woodstove. She shivered. The fire had gone out earlier that morning, and no one had thought to restart it. The room had grown cooler as the afternoon passed. She stood and looked for firewood. “Hey, Cedar, wasn't there a pile of wood here?”

“To the right of the stove,” Cedar said without turning around. “In the wooden box.”

The box had a few small scraps of wood and bark lying in the bottom. “I think we have a problem.”

Cedar turned. “What now?”

“We're out of wood.”

“So?”

“Can't you tell how cold it is? Don't you think we should keep Ashley and your mom warm at least?”

Cedar's head drooped. Then he stood straight again. “You're right. Let's go get some wood.”

“Us?”

“Who else?”

Tabitha swallowed. Of course. The wood wouldn't fly in the door. If only they had a magic wand. She'd give anything to be Hermione Granger right now. “Let's go.”

Cedar took the whistle and the wood carrier. Tabitha grabbed a pot and lid. They checked through the window, then opened the door a crack. Listened. No snuffs, snorts, or sounds of small animals being consumed. They crept outside.

Tabitha let Cedar check around the corner. They both rushed along the side of the building to the woodpile under the eave. Cedar dropped the wood bag on the ground and tossed logs onto it. Tabitha scanned the area behind them, not wanting to be caught by surprise.

Cedar stopped. Tabitha turned, expecting him to pick up the full bag. He stood with his arms braced against the pile, the half-full bag at his feet.

“What's wrong?” she asked in alarm.

Cedar didn't answer. His shoulders shook.

Tabitha's mouth fell open. Cedar was crying? A sob escaped and echoed off the wall of the hut.

Tabitha really, really wanted to get back into the hut. But it would be cruel to make Cedar hurry when he was so upset. She peered into the fog. Nothing moved. She stepped closer to Cedar and touched him on the shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He shook his head. Tears dripped down his cheeks.

Tabitha stepped away. Her ears reached into the fog, listening for sounds of the bear.

After a few minutes, he stood and wiped his arm across his cheeks. “What'll I do if I lose Mom? And Ash?”

Tabitha sucked in her breath. How could she answer that? You didn't say
Oh, it'll be okay
to someone who had already lost his dad. They both knew it probably wouldn't be okay, unless help came soon.

“We have to get off the mountain,” she said.

Cedar slumped further. “We can't.”

“Maybe the river's lower,” Tabitha said.

He spun to face her. “It's still raining. Even if it stopped, we can't leave Mom and Ashley like this. And it wouldn't be safe for one of us to go alone.”

Tabitha dropped her chin onto her chest. He was right. It wouldn't solve anything. But she hated being stuck here, waiting. It felt like they were under siege.

A twig snapped. Tabitha jumped. “Let's get out of here!”

Cedar tossed a few more logs into the bag and lifted the handles. Tabitha scurried to the corner of the hut. She checked to make sure all was clear, then ran up the stairs. Cedar bumped up behind her.

He dropped the bag by the fire, and they both ran to the window. A robin flew past and settled on a tree.

Tabitha giggled. “Is that what spooked us?”

Cedar barked out a laugh. “Probably.”

Something untwisted in Tabitha's stomach. They were safe this time. Her giggle turned into a laugh. She met Cedar's eyes.