Chapter One


Shane West held the flamethrower, stunned when he realized he wasn't alone. He'd come to the deserted beach to make his stand. His teachers were always saying he wasn't working up to potential, but this was just a different kind of potential.

Two girls rode by on their bikes just then-perfect but terrible timing. He recognized Mickey Halloran as she turned to stare at him, saw the fire. She looked panicked, and she must have thought he needed help, because suddenly she came charging at him on her bike. He tried to gesture "go away," but she flew at him like a two-wheeled missile, and he had to admire her for it. He knew single-minded purpose when he saw it. But just then she went into a skid and took a header over her handlebars.

Dousing the fire in a sand dune, he ran across the road, as the other girl-Jenna Carlson, he thought-jumped off her bike, ran back, and dropped to her knees next to Mickey. Shane pushed past her and crouched, leaning over to look into Mickey's eyes. He had never talked to her, but he'd noticed her around school. Her face was pretty, pale, lightly freckled; her enormous eyes were light green. Two long brown braids hung from beneath her dark blue knit cap. He could tell in one glance that it wasn't good. She had hit her head when she landed, and blood was pooling on the pavement. But her eyes were still open.

"Mickey, why'd you turn like that? Oh God!" Jenna was crying, almost hysterical.

"Don't move," Shane said to Mickey.

"They're going to move the U-boat," she said. "And they're acting like it's a public service." Her lips were blue; Shane knew she might be going into shock.

"Not if I can help it," he said.

"You were on fire," she said.

"Shhh," he said. "Pretend you didn't see that."

Her eyes rolled back, and her eyelids flickered.

"Whoa," he said, panicking. His heart accelerated, full blast. He hadn't been there for his father, but he was here now. Back then, things had gone so wrong. This time he'd make sure they went right. He stared down at the girl. They were in the same class, but different crowds. "No going to sleep. Talk to me. Your name's Mickey, right?"

"Yes, that's her name," the friend said. "And I'm Jenna, and she's right, you were holding fire in your hand. What was that?"

"Mickey, hey," Shane said, ignoring her friend. "Stay with me here. Dismantling the U-boat, taking it away? Changing the surf, and the way the beach is formed? How badly would that suck? Mickey?"

"Terrible," she said, coming back from the brink, those green eyes bright again, full of life. "Can't happen. The birds . . . snowy owl . . . need the beach the way it is . . ."

"Yeah," Shane said, thinking how sweet she looked, seeing how hard she was trying to stay alert. "And surfers need that U-boat. Birds and surfers. Fly by air, fly by sea. Come on, Mickey. Stay awake." He looked up at her friend. "We have to get her an ambulance."

"Where? How?" Jenna asked, starting to cry again. She might not know exactly what was wrong with Mickey, but she could see the blood, and like Shane she knew it was bad. She was willowy and blond, and Shane took note of her pretty powder-puff looks and hoped she could be tough right now. "We're five miles from the main road, and cell phones don't work down here," she said.

Shane had come the back way, through the frozen bog. His car was broken down, and he had no money to fix it. His mother was out of town, so he couldn't borrow hers. Besides, cars left tire marks, and any idiot with a TV had...

 

"An involving tale of love, loss, and redemption, then deepens the story with a resonant appreciation for nature."

 

The Edge of Winter by Luanne Rice
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