by Danika Stone
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Table of Contents
About the Author
Copyright Page
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FOR JEAN,
WHO KNEW WHAT THIS BOOK COULD BE BEFORE I DID.
Janelle Holland, 10th Grade PE Teacher
Sir Alexander Galt High School
Lethbridge, Alberta
Dear Parents and Guardians,
On Thursday and Friday, October 17 and 18, the PE 10 class of Sir Alexander Galt High School will participate in an overnight class field trip to Waterton Lakes National Park. This field trip is a required portion of the outdoor ed curriculum and will involve two day hikes and an overnight tenting experience.
NOTE: Students cannot pass the class without it.
Students should arrive on campus Thursday at 7:30 a.m. with their equipment packed and ready. (See attached list.) The class will leave the school by bus at 8:00 a.m. and head to Waterton Park, arriving at Red Rock Canyon at 10:00 a.m. Students will hike the Snowshoe Trail, have a bagged lunch en route near Avion Ridge, and will reach Twin Lakes campground by nightfall where dinner will be provided. The following morning, students will eat breakfast before hiking the Blakiston Trail side of the loop back to Red Rock Canyon, again having lunch on the trail. Both of Friday’s meals are provided. Snacks are not. The bus will return to Lethbridge and drop the class off at the school at 10:00 p.m. Friday.
A total of three teachers will act as class escorts to ensure the safety of the entire class during this field trip. These are: Mr. Karl Perkins, Mr. Ron Barry, and myself. Tents, sleeping bags, and the main meals will be provided, but students should bring a bagged lunch for Thursday and any snacks they might want. Please note: PHONES AND TABLETS ARE NOT PERMITTED. (If your child would like to take photos, they will need to bring a camera.)
Please sign the consent form and have your child return it to the school office before Thursday. If you have any concerns, feel free to contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Ms. Janelle Holland, BSc, BEd
Physical Education Department
Sir Alexander Galt High School
PROLOGUE
“Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?”
GIMLI, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING
ASH HAD ONLY just dropped his sword, surveying the remains of the battle, when the elf at his side spoke.
“Look there,” Valeria panted. “The Dark Lord has sent another wave.”
“Another?!”
She pointed with the tip of her sword. “From the north.”
Ash turned. One final squadron of orcs poured over the hills in a wave of inarticulate screams and blood-splashed armor. He took position. “I’ll just have to stop them, then.”
“The other fighters are heading to the gates,” she said. “We should go.”
“No.”
“You’ll die here, Ash.”
“The orcs can try to kill me.”
“They’ll succeed. Even the old gods couldn’t hold back so many.” She laughed grimly. “Nor the new.”
He glanced over at her—auburn haired and defiant—and he forced a hard smile. “Then I’ll die, but you don’t need to. Go on, then, Vale. Follow the others.”
“Mmm…” She wiped the bloody sword on the side of her pant leg. “I think I’ll stay.”
The orcs grew closer, the dark smudge growing.
He felt, more than saw, the elf take her place at his side. Ash knew there was no way two fighters—even good ones—could stop an onslaught like this. The elf was young. Inexperienced. It pained him that she’d die here.
His fingers rolled over the sword’s hilt. “We need to stop them before they reach the gate. They’ll take the castle otherwise.”
Valeria nodded. “There are twelve,” she said. “But none on chargers. That’s a bit of luck.”
“Mmph. Not enough luck.” Ash lifted his battered shield, sword arm shaking. He widened his stance. Though he was a born fighter, he was tired. Today’s campaign had sapped him. Foot by foot, the orcs clamored and wailed, broadswords lifted as they surged up the hill. Twelve against two. An impossible number.
“Ready … ready…,” Ash muttered.
Orcs, like ogres, were by nature impulsive, and most of them came straight toward the two fighters. But partway up the hill, four fanned out. They’ll head around the side, he thought. Flank us as we fight.
Ash’s gaze flicked to the elf at his side, and his heart twisted. She was here because of him. “I really think you ought to go,” he said. “I can hold them off.”
“Liar.”
“Fine. I could hold them till you reached the gate.”
She laughed. “It wouldn’t be long enough. You’d still die. And so would I. And they would reach the gate … and the others. And the campaign would end.”
The first orcs were nearly to the top now. Ash could see their blackened teeth and yellow eyes. He could almost smell the dung clinging to the riders’ boots, the blood that soiled their tunics.
“Then we stay and die,” he said.
She nodded. “Together.”
Ash’s pulse surged as adrenaline took hold. The first orc reached them, and he slammed his sword through its chest, jerking it out a split second later. The elf at his side attacked the second. He gritted his teeth and readied for the third.
And so the end begins …
* * *
Ash looked away from the faces on the computer’s screen and grinned. Far away in California, the Dungeon Master, Brian, continued to talk the remainder of the group through their campaign. With Ash and Vale dead (at least until someone could retrieve their bodies and use a spell to revive them), they were free to take a break.
Ash flicked his long black hair out of his eyes. “That was fricking awesome!”
“It’d be more awesome if they hadn’t destroyed us,” Vale said with a tired laugh. “But you were right. That was pretty fun.”
“See? I knew you’d like D&D!”
“Well … I think I’d like it more if I didn’t die on my first adventure.”
“Pfft! That’s part of the learning curve. You’ve gotta level up somehow, right?”
She laughed and tossed the borrowed twenty-sided die onto the couch cushion. “Guess so.”
“Besides, we held them back long enough to save the rest of the team.” Ash pointed to the computer screen where four separate players talked through the battle. “Marco and Jutta are still going. And Rhys here? He’s got the gate closed. They’re moving away to—”
“You almost sound like you’re glad that we died.”
“Not glad, no.” A tangle of hair fell back into his eyes, and he tucked it behind one ear. “But happy it turned out.” Grinning, he glanced back to the videoconference where his teammates across the world braved onward, Vale and Ash’s sacrifices giving them the opportunity to carry on the larger campaign. Brian’s voice boomed forward: “With the gate closed, the orcs are finally repelled…”
“We did what we had to do,” Ash said.
When Vale
didn’t answer, he turned back around. She had her coat on and was unplugging her phone from the charger.
“Wait. You can’t be going home already!” he said. “I want you to get to know the rest of the group.” Ash knew if he could just get Vale to stick through another couple of hours, he could persuade her to start gaming again—a goal he’d had forever. “Come on, Vale. The campaign just started!”
“Started?” She giggled. “We’ve been playing for hours.”
“Yeah, but—”
“I’ve got to go, Ash.”
“Just another hour. One more.” He nodded to the basement. Vale had seemed happy when they’d been playing together. (Happier than he’d seen her in ages.) And though they hadn’t gamed together since middle school, he knew that she’d love it once she started again. Ash waggled his eyebrows. “I bet Rhys is already making a plan to revive us.”
“Ash…”
“You watch, we’ll be back in no time.”
“Sorry, I would, but I really can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s like…” She glanced at her phone. “Ten thirty.”
“Exactly. Ten thirty. And you’re sixteen, not eight.”
She stuck out her tongue. “But it’s Wednesday night.”
“So what?” Ash stood from the couch. Side by side, the two friends were almost comically mismatched. Ash’s head brushed the basement’s low ceiling; Vale barely reached his shoulder.
“We have to be at the school extra early tomorrow. The bus leaves at eight; we need to be there at seven thirty.”
Ash stared at her, confused.
“The trip to the mountains,” she said. “Remember…?”
Ash grimaced. “Ugh … right. The hiking trip.” He’d forgotten, but now that Vale had brought it back up, he felt a weight settle on his shoulders.
“I’ve got to finish organizing my backpack.” Vale headed for the basement stairs. “You ready to go?”
“Um…”
Vale shook her head. “Ash, have you even started packing yet?”
He grinned. “Uh … kind of…?”
“Good. Because tomorrow’s not a joke.” She reached the top of the stairs and headed to the front door. Ash followed, waiting as she toed on her running shoes. “Two days in the mountains is going to be tough.”
“It shouldn’t be that bad, should it?”
“Well…”
“C’mon, Vale. You hike all the time. You seem to like it well enough.”
Vale zipped her jacket before she looked up. She wasn’t smiling anymore. “Hiking and outback camping are not the same thing,” she said, then pulled open the front door. “Holland’s arranging meals for us, but make sure you pack enough snacks for yourself, okay? It’s going to be a long couple days.”
He grinned. “Snacks. Got it.”
“Good.” She stepped out into the night and smiled. Behind her the streetlights twinkled, the early autumn air just starting to cool. “And don’t forget to pack extra clothes. It’s going to be cold, especially at night. Bring a hat.”
“Uh-huh. Will do.”
“You’ll need some first aid stuff too. Band-Aids and all that.”
“Got it.”
“We meet at the school at seven thir—”
“I know, Mom. I know.” He laughed.
“See you then. And don’t forget what I said about supplies.”
“Supplies. Right.”
She jogged down the steps, pausing one last second. “Ash … you’re not going to ditch on me, right?”
He rolled his eyes.
“Aaaash…” she groaned, drawing his name out to twice its length.
“You like hiking, Vale. I’m hardly the mountaineering type.”
“Don’t you dare.” She pointed at him. “I will kill you if you skip out tomorrow.”
He laughed louder.
“Seriously,” Vale said. “I’ll literally walk to your house and wake you up if you’re not waiting for the bus at seven thirty.”
“Yeah, and that doesn’t sound crazy at all.” He snorted.
“I played your game with you, didn’t I?”
Ash smiled. “Yeah, you did.”
“And I died terribly!”
“So?”
“So you owe me one.”
He laughed. “Are you fricking blackmailing me to do this dumb hike with you?”
Vale let out an angry huff. “Seriously, Ash, just … just be there.”
“Will you promise to be part of another campaign if I say yes?”
She shot him a dirty look.
“Kidding!” he laughed. “I’ll be there. Relax.”
“Good.” Vale sighed and shook her head. “G’night, Ash.”
“’Night, Vale. Text when you make it home.”
“Got it.” She waved once and headed down the street.
Ash watched until she reached the corner before he pulled the door closed. He frowned. Ash hated the outdoors. He had no idea what food to bring along, never mind first aid supplies. And if they were supposed to sleep outside, then shouldn’t he bring a pillow? Or a sleeping bag? Wasn’t there a letter that went through all that? He sighed, weighing the idea of skipping out. Guilt nipped at him the moment it crossed his mind. Vale had come over and played Dungeons & Dragons tonight … the first game she’d played in years. That meant something. He grinned. Now if I can only persuade her to get back into video games too, we’ll be—
A triumphant shout from several of the other players echoed forward.
Hearing it, Ash turned in surprise. “What the…?”
Rhys’s voice echoed up from the basement. “Awesome!” he said. “I cast a regeneration spell. Are Ash and Vale still around?”
“Hold up! I’m still here!”
Ash sprinted back down the basement stairs, ready to rejoin the ongoing battle, Vale’s good advice already forgotten.
His team needed him!
CHAPTER ONE
“There are two kinds of evil people in this world. Those who do evil stuff and those who see evil stuff being done and don’t try to stop it.”
JANIS IAN, MEAN GIRLS
VALE STARED AT the clock, waiting for the alarm to ring.
6:25 a.m.
Dread filled her limbs, the stress that had built over the past few weeks a physical ache. Today was the “outback adventure” to Waterton Lakes National Park. The digital characters flickered and she winced.
6:26 a.m.
Is it too late to claim I got the plague?
It wasn’t that Vale hated hiking. Quite the opposite, in fact. She loved camping with her family and exploring Lethbridge’s river bottom on weekends. She had at least ten nature books sitting on her bedroom dresser. No, Vale’s dread stemmed from her classmates.
Barring Ashton Hamid, her best friend since kindergarten, no one in her class even spoke to her. Vale hadn’t clicked with anyone in the past month and a half since school began, making tenth grade twice as unpleasant as ninth had been. Two days with her PE classmates meant two days of snide remarks. Two days of rude comments. Two days of hell.
She opened one eye to check the clock’s readout.
6:27 a.m.
Vale pulled the pillow over her face and groaned. Why is phys ed a course requirement for a high school diploma? I’ll NEVER use it again! Vale had an A average in every other class she was in, but in PE she was fighting to hold on to a B minus. Only Ash, with a dismal C, had a worse grade. “My epic gaming skills make up for my complete lack of athletic abilities,” he’d once told her. She wished she shared his attitude.
The sound of distant music filtered past her pillow. Vale’s mother was downstairs in the kitchen, the radio tuned to a retro nineties station as she sang along to the songs of her youth. From the bathroom at the end of the hall a blow-dryer roared to life. One of Vale’s older sisters had started her morning routine. Vale’s phone buzzed on her dresser, and she reached out, fumbling blindly. She opened one eye.
&n
bsp; On-screen, a text from Ash glowed.
OMGGGG Can’t find the checklist. HELP ME VALE!!!
Another text buzzed through before she’d finished reading the first.
Vale giggled. Ash was in freak-out mode. (Again.) She put her thumb to the screen to type in a reply.
Relax. Sending you the list now. You can handle this.
No! Nooooooo! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I CAN’T!
Yes, Ash. You can.
I WILL DIE IN THE WOODS.
No you won’t.
I WILL! I haven’t even started packing yet!
WHAT???! But I TOLD you to pack when I left!
I got distracted by the campaign.
Then you need to START.
Stop texting and PACK.
With a sigh, she set the phone back down. She glanced at the clock just as the digits flickered.
6:30 a.m.
A pop song blared to life on the clock radio. Vale grumbled as her cat, Mr. Bananas, yawned and stretched, then launched himself from the bed. Mr. Bananas jiggled open the unlatched door and padded down the hall, tail twitching.
Vale groped for the snooze button. “Not today, Satan. Not today.”
For five more minutes, she stayed under the covers until a new text buzzed through. Ash again.
I’m going to try the sick angle on my mom.
Vale took a hissing breath, her thumbs blurring over the screen.
Don’t you DARE! You promised you were coming!
Vale added a second reply.
BFFs don’t ditch BFFs on field trips, do they? NOW GET PACKING.
With a smirk, Vale sent it off, but this time Ash didn’t answer. She stared at the phone’s screen for several long seconds. Her smile faded. What if he ditches after all? The thought left her struggling to breathe. Ash’s attendance track record was less than stellar, and while Vale had many online friends, only one person was there at school each day—Ash—and she’d just yelled at him. What if his mom lets him stay home?
The bedroom door swung open. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead,” her mother said in a cheery voice. A second later, Vale felt Mr. Bananas jump back up onto the bed and walk up her legs. “You’ve got to get moving, Vale. It’s your Waterton adventure. Remember?”