Out of Range - Hardcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Heidi Lang managed to stumble upon the two best jobs in the world: writing for kids and walking dogs. If she’s not out on the trails surrounded by wagging tails and puppy kisses, she’s probably hunched over her laptop working on her next book. She lives in northern California with her husband and two adventure-loving dogs, and she is the coauthor of the Mystic Cooking Chronicles and Whispering Pines series, and author of Out of Range. Find her on X (previously known as Twitter) @HidLang or visit the website she shares with her writing partner at HeidiandKatiBooks.com.

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Chapter 1: Emma: Now

1 EMMA

NOW

JUNE 28, MIDDAY

Emma wasn’t a fan of strong words. So she mentally censored the word she was actually thinking and instead told her older sister, Abby, “I seriously dislike you.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I despise you,” Abby said, shoving her way through some brambles and letting the branches snap back in Emma’s face.

That stung, and not just the branches. Abby’s word choice was definitely better. “Well, I—” Emma began.

“Ugh, just stop already!” their younger sister Ollie said. “Aren’t things bad enough right now?”

Abby glared back at her. “And whose fault is that?”

Ollie’s face turned red beneath her sunburn, and for a second Emma thought her sister was going to start screaming. Either that or crying, and even though she was only nine, Ollie almost never cried. But Ollie just took a deep breath, then looked down at her feet, silent.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Abby flicked her red ponytail over her shoulder and spun on one booted heel. A small cloud of dust rose behind her as she marched down the dirt trail.

“Keep moving, girls,” Dana Sawyer, their camp counselor, ordered from behind them. “Or do I have to add another mile to this hike?”

“You can try,” Ollie muttered.

“What was that, Ollie?” Dana asked.

“Nothing.”

“It’d better be nothing,” Dana said, striding past them. They’d been hiking all morning, but she didn’t look tired at all. Her hair was still neatly braided, her outfit dry and clean, like she’d been floating over the trail instead of trudging down it. Maybe being a camp counselor gave a person superpowers.

Emma forced herself to follow, even though her feet were killing her and her backpack was getting heavier with every step she took. She would have thought that after spending the past two weeks at Camp Unplugged, she’d have been better at this. They’d been roughing it in the middle of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness—affectionately known as “the Frank”—where hikes were a daily occurrence. Unlike showers.

Emma dreamed of showers, of nice hot water and plenty of soap. She could actually feel herself getting dirtier out here, the grime of the trail coating her skin and working its way into her pores. Although “trail” was a strong word for this overgrown deer track.

Emma slapped at a bug bite, then stumbled over a root, almost falling. She couldn’t believe she’d ever thought coming to this camp would be a good idea. She had hoped that out here, out of range of Dustin and his friends, Abby would revert back to the person she’d been: the sister who was also Emma’s best friend. But even here, Abby wanted nothing to do with her. It was like their two-year age difference had suddenly become an impossible gulf.

Impossible. Emma changed it to “challenging” and felt a little better.

Ollie sighed loudly. “You are so, so slow.”

“Like it even matters,” Emma said.

“Abby’s going to get to the top first.”

“I don’t care. It’s not a competition.”

“Good thing,” Ollie muttered, “or you’d be losing big-time.”

“Hey, you’re behind me—ahh!”

Something exploded out of the underbrush.

Emma jumped back, crashing into Ollie, and both of them fell in a tangle of limbs and too-heavy backpacks as a flock of birds circled and then took off.

“Terrifying,” Ollie said from the ground, her tone as dry as the trees around them.

“I thought it might be a grizzly.” Emma’s heart was still pounding too hard. She’d read about grizzlies in the Camp Unplugged pamphlet. They were supposed to be rare. But rare wasn’t the same as nonexistent.

“Get offa me.” Ollie pushed at Emma.

Emma shifted but couldn’t get her feet under her.

“Hey, Emma! Ollie!” Dana hiked back through the trees toward them. “Are you girls napping here?”

“I’m trapped,” Ollie said.

“I’m trying to get up.” Emma floundered under the weight of her pack like a turtle on its shell. She could feel Dana’s scorn growing larger and more incredulous. Her face burning, Emma finally unclipped her backpack and pulled her arms free, then staggered to her feet. Her legs shook with exhaustion, but she turned and offered Ollie a hand anyhow.

Ollie ignored it, practically springing upright despite her own giant backpack. Clearly its weight wasn’t slowing her down any.

“Can’t we find a better trail?” Emma asked, wiping a hand across her sweaty forehead.

Dana narrowed her eyes. “This isn’t supposed to be a walk in the park. This is a punishment, remember?”

Emma, Ollie, and Abby were on this all-day disciplinary hike thanks to a… misunderstanding. Emma knew that wasn’t the right word, not by a long shot. But she wasn’t ready to face the truth of what she and her sisters had done. Not yet.

“Better hustle if you want to make it back to camp in time for dinner.” Dana turned and bounded up the trail, overtaking Abby in seconds, then disappearing through the crowded trees.

“She moves so fast,” Emma whispered.

“Don’t be impressed. She made us carry everything, remember?” Ollie said.

Dana had made the three sisters divide up all the supplies for their hike while she carried only a small day pack. Ollie had thrown a fit about being forced to carry their tent. “It’s completely unnecessary,” she’d argued, but in the end, none of them had a choice. Carrying everything was part of their punishment.

And really, they deserved it.

“I hate her.” Ollie scowled.

“?‘Hate’ is a strong word,” Emma said immediately.

“Oh, shut up, Emma,” Ollie said, pushing past her.

Emma sighed and hoisted her pack up, staggering a little. She clipped it back into place against her sweaty T-shirt, then started up the trail after her sisters.

“Wait up, Ollie,” she called. Ollie didn’t even turn around, though, and in moments she pulled ahead so far that she disappeared from view.

The trees closed in on Emma. She was alone.

The brush to her left rattled, and her heart jolted before she noticed the squirrels chasing each other. Another rustle nearby, another rattle. More birds. The wind. Some hopefully small animal. Emma squeezed the straps of her bag, her mind conjuring images of grizzly bears lurking behind every tree and mountain lions crouching on every rock.

The trail climbed upward, and Emma climbed with it, her legs screaming. It got so steep that she had to put her hands out to keep her balance, practically crawling on all fours. Dust clogged her nose and filled her mouth. Emma scrambled over some loose rocks, grabbing at tree roots and branches to help speed her up over the hill, fear giving her extra energy until forever later she burst out from the trees and into a small clearing.

Abby and Ollie stood...