She threw her dirty clothes in the wash. In two days she had lost a sweater, a coat, a daypack, and ruined one pair of pants. She couldn’t keep this up; she would have nothing left to wear. She felt especially bad for Steve. He loved his camera; it had taken him two years to save for it. His parents had even less money than her father did.
The phone rang. It was Cindy.
“Did you hear what happened to Ted Wilson?” she asked.
“Tell me,” Ali said.
“A tree fell on him. He’s in the hospital, in a coma.” Cindy added, “The doctors don’t think he’s going to make it.”
“How could a tree fall on him?” Ali asked.
“I don’t know. The logging company is investigating the accident. They have closed down their operation for the time being.” Cindy added, “I guess you got what you wanted.”
“This is not what I wanted,” Ali cried, remembering her arrogant remark to Nemi about teaching the lumberjacks a lesson.
Cindy heard the pain in her voice. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
Ali was shaking. “Look, I can’t talk right now. Let me call you later, okay?”
The second Ali set down the phone, she was out the door. The town had only one hospital, Breakwater Memorial. Her father always said he wouldn’t go there unless he was dying, and then only if he wanted to speed up the process.
Ali rode her bike to the hospital. Parking it outside without locking it, she hurried inside and asked directions to intensive care. She figured that was where Ted must be. But when she reached the area she ran into an old and wrinkled nurse with a face as stiff as her starched uniform. She told Ali that only family was allowed inside.
“But I’m a good friend of Ted’s,” Ali protested.
“Those are the rules,” the nurse snapped, sorting a stack of files. “Now, please, I’m very busy.”
There was no point in arguing. Ali stepped into the hallway outside intensive care. The interior walls had many windows; she could still see into the nurse’s station. A few minutes later, Ted’s family came out from one of the back rooms, his wife and Sharla, her not-so-nice pal from school. They were a mess: Sharla was crying and the wife was white as a sheet. They spoke to the nurse a minute, then the woman led them into the hallway. Ali ducked around a corner. The nurse was giving them directions. Ali watched as the three of them walked down the hallway and disappeared.
Ali seized the opportunity, not even sure what she was doing. Dashing back to the nurse’s station, she hurried to the room the others had exited. These were not real rooms, however, more like sterile cubicles separated by glass and curtains.
Peeking inside, she saw Ted lying in bed with a dozen wires and tubes attached to his battered body. The sight broke her heart. Two days ago he had been a vital man and now his skin was the color of a corpse. It did not seem fair.
Ali entered the room, stood beside Ted. A monitor above his head beeped with an annoying rhythm. The room stunk of alcohol and pain. Ted’s head was heavily bandaged; it looked as if his right arm was broken. Purple bruises covered his eyes and his breathing was ragged. Ali felt sick to her stomach.
“Oh Ted,” she whispered, taking his lifeless hand. It was cold; he did not react to her touch. But it was when she touched him that she understood why she had come. Nemi had said she had magical powers. Was it possible—was it too much to ask—that she could heal him?
Gently, Ali put her left hand over his forehead and her right above his heart. She did not know what she was doing; she had never done it before. But she felt it was the right thing to do. She prayed that some kind of magic would flow through her hands and make him wake up.
Ali closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. She thought of how much she loved Ted. Most of all she tried to feel the power that had swept over her that afternoon when she had fought the trolls.
Minutes went by. The monitor kept beeping.
Nothing happened. No power came.
Ali opened her eyes and stared down at Ted. She spoke to him in a soft voice, knowing he could not hear her.
“I’m sorry about what happened to you. I’m sure you were not stupid enough to let a tree fall on you. A troll must have got you, or else it was one of the other elementals. I’m sorry I can’t heal you. But seeing you like this, I know now what I have to do. I think that’s what Nemi wanted me to see. Tomorrow, I’m going to climb the mountain. I’m going to find the Yanti. Until I get back, I need you to hang on. You’re not to die.” She lifted his hand and kissed it and her eyes burned with tears. “Don’t die, Ted.”
She did not know how long she stood there like that. When she looked up, Sharla was at the end of the bed, staring at her. Sharla had a stern face at best—she was a real wrong-right kind of person. There was no in-between for her. If you made a mistake in her book of rules, she let you know it.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
Ali put down Ted’s hand. “Nothing,” she muttered.
“You’re hurting my dad!”
“I’m not hurting your dad.”
Sharla turned. “Nurse! Nurse! Ali’s fooling around with my dad!”
The nurse appeared, and Ted’s wife, and it did not go well for Ali. The nurse grabbed her by the arm so hard one would have thought she had been caught trying to drink Ted’s blood. Ali was dragged out of the cubicle and into the hallway. She did not put up a fight. In a way, Sharla was right—she had no right to be there.
“Get out of here!” the nurse shouted, shoving her so hard that Ali almost fell on the floor. Yet she did not try to defend herself.
“I’m sorry,” was all she said.
Leaving the hospital, Ali collected her bike and rode home. Of course the house was dark and empty. It had been that way forever, it seemed. Right then she missed her mother so much that she felt like curling up in a ball on her bed and crying.
She called Karl instead. She needed to talk to someone, she figured. But why she chose him—over Cindy and Steve—she was not sure. She asked if he could come over. She must have sounded upset.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Karl said.
He took five minutes. When she answered the door, it was getting dark outside. He wore a blue sweater that matched his eyes. His messy blond hair looked as if it had been combed by the breeze.
She invited him in and made tea—the strong caffeinated stuff. He let her fuss with the drinks without asking any questions. Karl was good that way; he had more patience than the rest of them combined. Finally, though, they were both seated at the kitchen table and she had to talk. How to begin?
“I talked to a tree today,” she said. “And I had a rock fight with three trolls.”
He sipped his tea. “Tell me what really happened.”
“That’s what happened.”
He saw that she was serious. “Start from the beginning.”
She told him everything, in as much detail as she could. He did not simply listen this time, like he had in the morning. He quizzed her at length about the trolls. They were how big? Why did they run away? He asked even more questions about her conversation with the tree. You heard him without hearing him? How were you sure it was not a dream?
She tried her best to explain what it felt like to sit inside the tree: the feeling of silence, of comfort. The only things she didn’t tell Karl were her secret name and the name of Nemi. For some reason she felt funny about saying that.
When she was done he sat silent for a long time.
“What do you want to do?” he asked finally.
“Do you believe me?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“You said that before and didn’t mean it.”
“Why do you say that?” he asked.
“Because you would have come with us today if you thought there was a chance we could photograph bigfoot’s tracks.”
“True.”
“So why do you believe me now?”
He hesitated. “Your story is too weird to have b
een made up. Plus Cindy and Steve saw the tracks. Some type of large creature must have made them. And you and Steve were attacked by something. You didn’t just trip and fall. Also, I heard about Ted from my dad. He talked to three of the men who work up there. Even they said it was no accident, that Ted was attacked by some type of creature. That’s why the logging company pulled its people out.” Karl added, “But they think it was a bear.”
“It was a troll,” Ali said.
“I’m sure it was. I’m sure it was a troll that knocked Steve out and threw you in the river. Since these things are facts, why shouldn’t I believe what you say now?”
Ali appreciated his logical mind. She leaned forward and gave him a hug. “Thank you,” she said. “I was so scared you were going to laugh at me.”
“Not at all.” He added, “I always knew you were special.”
She blushed. “What are you talking about? You hardly know me.”
“I’ve watched you this last year. You know how to take care of yourself.”
She lowered her head. “I had to learn that. I had no choice.”
“Sure you did. You could have sulked and acted like a little girl when you lost your mom. Instead you grew up overnight.”
“Thank you.” She added, “I think you’re pretty special.”
Karl allowed a faint smile. “I’m just another kid whose father controls his life. There’s nothing special about me. But let’s get back to my question. What do you want to do?”
“I want to stay here in my house and pretend none of this is happening. But after seeing Ted tonight I feel like I have no choice but to try and find this Yanti. It has to be closed.”
“Did the tree say how you would close it?”
“He said I would know how.”
“It’s on top of Pete’s Peak?”
“At the very top. What’s the elevation there?”
“Almost fourteen thousand feet.”
“Do I need oxygen to go up that high?”
“No. But you’ll get winded easily. Hiking uphill is the worst. Close to the top, you’ll take five steps and have to stop and catch your breath.”
“I have to do it.”
Karl nodded. “I understand. There are other problems. Pete’s Peak is so steep it never attracted serious skiing. The mountain was never developed as a tourist attraction. The end of the road only takes you to within twenty miles of the top. That’s a long way to hike uphill and through a forest. You won’t be able to do it all in one day. That means you’re going to have to camp out. Do you have a tent?”
“No.”
“A warm sleeping bag?”
“No.”
“Do you have a warm jacket?” he asked.
“I did. It washed away in the river.”
“You can’t go up there without equipment. The top is packed with snow year-round. You’re going to need boots and crampons.”
“I have boots. What are crampons?”
“They’re spikes that go on your boots. They let your feet dig into the snow. You need an ice ax as well.”
“Can I do it? Seriously?”
“Yes. But not without help.” He added, “I’ll help you.”
“Are you saying you’ll come with me?”
“Yes.”
She felt a wave of affection for him. “Thank you. I was going to ask Steve and Cindy. Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“The more the better. Call them.”
Ali hesitated. “Steve doesn’t bother you?”
“No. Do I bother him?”
“He doesn’t know you is all.”
“He’ll get to know me over the next few days. We have a ton of planning to do. Have them come over now.”
Ali got on the phone. Steve happened to be at Cindy’s house. They agreed to come over right away. While she waited with Karl, she made a pot of coffee for Steve, and put out a plate of cookies. Cindy and Steve were both sugar freaks. She was hoping to soften them up so they would go easy on her.
A vain hope. Her friends arrived, and she had barely begun to explain what had happened after she had climbed out of the river when they jumped on her.
“Is this a joke?” Steve asked.
“I’m not in the mood for this,” Cindy said.
“Everything I’m telling you is true. I was attacked by three trolls.”
Cindy looked at Karl. “Have you guys been drinking?” she asked.
“Give her a chance to explain,” Karl said.
Ali continued. If Karl had not been there, silently supporting her, she doubted she would have continued to the end. She had barely finished describing how she drove off the trolls when Steve started staring into his cup of coffee and Cindy began polishing her nails. It was obvious they didn’t believe a word she said.
When she finished there was a long silence.
“Well, say something,” Ali said.
“So you are a superhero now?” Steve asked.
“Only you can save the world?” Cindy asked.
“I’m just telling you what I was told,” Ali said.
“By a tree?” Steve said.
“A talking tree,” Cindy added.
“It didn’t actually talk,” Ali said.
“A telepathic tree then,” Steve said.
“That none of us has ever seen before,” Cindy said.
“You never believed in bigfoot before yesterday and today you saw huge tracks and were attacked by something huge,” Ali said.
“But bigfoot is not a troll,” Steve said.
“He’s not a dwarf or an elf either,” Cindy said. “I don’t think he’s an elemental.”
“He’s definitely not in the book,” Steve said sarcastically.
Ali’s cheeks reddened. “Karl believes me,” she said in a small voice.
“I do,” Karl said. “Because I know Ali and she’s not a liar. Because of the tracks you guys saw. Because of your knock on the head, Steve, and Ali’s getting thrown in the river. And because of Ted Wilson. Something put him in a coma.”
“A tree fell on him,” Cindy said.
“He’s been a logger all his life,” Karl said. “A tree didn’t fall on him.”
Steve shook his head. “I need proof. If you’re so strong, Ali, let me see you snap this chair in two.”
“My powers will only come when I need them.”
“Convenient,” Cindy quipped.
“You need them now,” Steve said. “If you’re trying to convince us to go with you to the top of the mountain.”
“I’m not going up there,” Cindy said quickly.
“Don’t go then, I don’t care,” Ali said, annoyed. “Karl and I will go.”
“You’re going?” Steve asked Karl, a note of jealousy in his voice.
“I think we should all go together. From what Ali says, the forest is a dangerous place now. We’ll be stronger together.”
“But how can you believe all this?” Cindy asked Karl.
“I just told you why I believe her,” Karl said.
“But there are no elementals!” Steve exclaimed.
“Then you explain what happened to Ali and Ted,” Karl said. “And to yourself for that matter.”
Steve did not like having the tables turned on him. “I can’t explain it. But just because I can’t doesn’t mean our entire view of the universe has to be rewritten.” Steve paused and studied Karl. “You’re really going with her?”
“Going to start packing tonight,” Karl said.
“That’s insane,” Cindy complained.
Karl shrugged. “What if the world really is in danger?”
“I suppose I could go,” Steve said suddenly.
Cindy turned on him. “Now you believe her? Just like that? Or do you have another reason for wanting to go?”
What she was asking, Ali knew, was if Steve was going because he hated the idea of Ali being alone in the mountains with Karl for two days. No one spoke for a moment. Finally Steve shrugged.
“I’m not
doing anything the next two days,” he said. “Just eating doughnuts and drinking coffee. I may as well get some exercise and help save the world.”
“This is crazy!” Cindy said. “We’re thirteen years old! Our parents aren’t going to let us hike up there in a million years.”
“We can’t tell them,” Karl said. “I have thought about this. We have to convince our parents that we’re staying at each other’s houses. I have a cell phone—it should work on the mountain. We should be only gone four days. We can check in with our parents if we have to.”
“Cindy, you can say you’re staying with me,” Ali said. “I’ll tell my dad I’m at your house. I’m doing that already, anyway. Steve and Karl can say they are staying with each other.”
“I don’t want to do this,” Cindy said. “It’s too dangerous. What if more trolls attack?”
“I thought you didn’t believe in trolls?” Karl said.
“I’ll believe in them if they try to kill me,” Cindy said.
“I can handle them.” Ali added, “I don’t mean to sound like I’m better than you guys. I don’t feel that way.” She touched Cindy’s leg. “I need you, Cindy. You’re my best friend. How can I save the world without you?”
Cindy stared at her, then burst out laughing. “Do you know how insane that sounds?”
Ali smiled. “Yeah. But it might be true. That’s the scary thing.”
“How bad is Ted?” Steve asked.
Ali lost her smile. “Real bad. They say he’s going to die.”
“He’s such a nice man,” Steve said.
“There could be lots of Teds if we don’t go,” Karl said.
They all looked at Cindy. She shook her head.
“This is crazy,” she said. “The only way I can go is to not think about how crazy it is.” She added, “But I suppose I could get my camping gear out.”
“You’ll come?” Ail asked.
“Yes.”
“Great!” Ali cheered, and gave her a hug.
“Don’t I get a hug?” Steve asked.
Ali gave him one as well. “This is exciting! We’re going to have fun!”
“If we don’t freeze to death,” Steve said.
Karl nodded. “We’ll all need camping gear. For that reason, I don’t think we can leave at dawn. Ali, I know, needs some stuff from the stores. We might have to wait until after nine, after the stores open.”