. .
The excuses Melanie made for herself infuriated her.
She did not have it inside her to forgive the rat.
She glared at her surroundings. Half World. It looked like a clip from an old black-and-white movie. And what was âhalfâ about it? It looked pretty much like her own world. Not that sheâd ever gone hiking before, but this mountain could be anywhere on her earth.
They slowly descended from the mountaintop along switchback paths hewn into solid rock and sometimes stairs. The mountain terrain was dry, but sheltered pockets of rock held enough moisture and soil to support scrubby bushes and tiny colorless flowers. They were so very high that they could not see what vista lay below them. The light gray skies grew darker beneath them. Sometimes Melanie wondered if the mountain was also an island, surrounded by a slate-gray sea. Other times she was almost certain that a blanket layer of clouds was spread horizontally across the entire sky. There were no markers to gauge distance. And as they continued down, down, exhausted and wretched, she stopped caring.
It was if they were spiraling down the tallest mountain of all time.
As they slowly descended, the small pockets of plant life began to change. Sparse, twiggy ground cover grew into leafier shrubs, the flowers larger, a sweet scent in the airâbut colors remained nonexistent, and Melanie had never known she valued them so much until they were gone.
And it was getting hotter. The hours of mountain switchbacks had them sweating and panting. Melanie thought bitterly about a school classmate, Lali Vukov. Field hockey captain and leader of the cross-country running team, Lali Vukov would have probably jogged down the mountain, Melanie thought. Probably whistling as she went.
Her motherâs overcoat was ridiculous in the rising temperature, but she didnât want to have to carry it. She might need it later. Who knew how cold it became at night?
âSweating like a pig!â Melanie muttered beneath her breath. She was hobbling down the stairs now, her knees wobbly, her thighs aching. âBloody feet!â she cursed, limping, and stubbed her toenail on an outcrop of stone.
âI didnât ask you to bite off your pinkie!â Melanie shouted up the stairs. âOkay? I didnât ask you to do it!â
She sank down on a step, dropped her face into her grubby hands, and started bawling.
She had had enough. She didnât know how she would find her stupid and pathetic mother. Weak her entire life, only ever half there, and now stupid enough to be caught by a raving lunatic. Nightmare things happening. Ms. Wei probably sent to jail. And only an unreliable rat as a companion. How could she possibly save her mum? How could her mother have left her to cope with everything by herself? Her tears stung her burnt cheeks as she sobbed and sobbed.
When she was finally finished she wearily raised her head and dragged her coat sleeve over her face, sniffing loudly. Her eyelids were swollen and her skin felt tight.
She felt lighter.
The most oppressive weight of doubt and fear had somehow waned.
She turned her head slowly and saw Jade Rat sitting quietly beside her, her tail wrapped around her paws. The rat was staring straight ahead, whiskers bobbing in the cool mountain wind. Her usually bright and beadlike eyes were dull and dry.
She looked smaller. Less robust.
Melanieâs heart shifted.
âDrink some water,â Jade Rat said in a quiet voice.
Melanie nodded. She took off her pack and retrieved a water bottle. When she finished she poured some into her palm and held it out for her companion. The rat licked the water with her tiny soft tongue. It tickled.
âI would have thought your tongue would be rough. Like a catâs,â Melanie said.
âThe universe preserve us!â The rat sneezed with outrage.
Melanie smiled for a few seconds. She stared at her ragged sneakers.
She wanted to apologize for the
The excuses Melanie made for herself infuriated her.
She did not have it inside her to forgive the rat.
She glared at her surroundings. Half World. It looked like a clip from an old black-and-white movie. And what was âhalfâ about it? It looked pretty much like her own world. Not that sheâd ever gone hiking before, but this mountain could be anywhere on her earth.
They slowly descended from the mountaintop along switchback paths hewn into solid rock and sometimes stairs. The mountain terrain was dry, but sheltered pockets of rock held enough moisture and soil to support scrubby bushes and tiny colorless flowers. They were so very high that they could not see what vista lay below them. The light gray skies grew darker beneath them. Sometimes Melanie wondered if the mountain was also an island, surrounded by a slate-gray sea. Other times she was almost certain that a blanket layer of clouds was spread horizontally across the entire sky. There were no markers to gauge distance. And as they continued down, down, exhausted and wretched, she stopped caring.
It was if they were spiraling down the tallest mountain of all time.
As they slowly descended, the small pockets of plant life began to change. Sparse, twiggy ground cover grew into leafier shrubs, the flowers larger, a sweet scent in the airâbut colors remained nonexistent, and Melanie had never known she valued them so much until they were gone.
And it was getting hotter. The hours of mountain switchbacks had them sweating and panting. Melanie thought bitterly about a school classmate, Lali Vukov. Field hockey captain and leader of the cross-country running team, Lali Vukov would have probably jogged down the mountain, Melanie thought. Probably whistling as she went.
Her motherâs overcoat was ridiculous in the rising temperature, but she didnât want to have to carry it. She might need it later. Who knew how cold it became at night?
âSweating like a pig!â Melanie muttered beneath her breath. She was hobbling down the stairs now, her knees wobbly, her thighs aching. âBloody feet!â she cursed, limping, and stubbed her toenail on an outcrop of stone.
âI didnât ask you to bite off your pinkie!â Melanie shouted up the stairs. âOkay? I didnât ask you to do it!â
She sank down on a step, dropped her face into her grubby hands, and started bawling.
She had had enough. She didnât know how she would find her stupid and pathetic mother. Weak her entire life, only ever half there, and now stupid enough to be caught by a raving lunatic. Nightmare things happening. Ms. Wei probably sent to jail. And only an unreliable rat as a companion. How could she possibly save her mum? How could her mother have left her to cope with everything by herself? Her tears stung her burnt cheeks as she sobbed and sobbed.
When she was finally finished she wearily raised her head and dragged her coat sleeve over her face, sniffing loudly. Her eyelids were swollen and her skin felt tight.
She felt lighter.
The most oppressive weight of doubt and fear had somehow waned.
She turned her head slowly and saw Jade Rat sitting quietly beside her, her tail wrapped around her paws. The rat was staring straight ahead, whiskers bobbing in the cool mountain wind. Her usually bright and beadlike eyes were dull and dry.
She looked smaller. Less robust.
Melanieâs heart shifted.
âDrink some water,â Jade Rat said in a quiet voice.
Melanie nodded. She took off her pack and retrieved a water bottle. When she finished she poured some into her palm and held it out for her companion. The rat licked the water with her tiny soft tongue. It tickled.
âI would have thought your tongue would be rough. Like a catâs,â Melanie said.
âThe universe preserve us!â The rat sneezed with outrage.
Melanie smiled for a few seconds. She stared at her ragged sneakers.
She wanted to apologize for the
Similar Books
