Blind Fury Read Free

watch John Wayne on a school morning.”
    â€œThank you Psych 101.” Tia scrambled out of her bedroll and headed for the stairs. “You redirect, and I’ll hit the shower.”
    By the time Kara dressed, ate breakfast, and fed Lily, sunlight danced across the soggy fields. Most of the ice from last night’s storm had melted. Out here everyone took the same school bus, and Ryan ran ahead of Kara and Tia as far as the footbridge. “Wow! Look! It’s really flooding.” He pushed up onto the railing and balanced on his belly to see under the bridge.
    Kara’s heart did a flip. The image of her little brother falling partway over the cliff at Tunnel Falls was still fresh in her memory. Evidently he hadn’t learned any lessons. She fought the urge to yell, but jogged to the bridge and grabbed the back of his pants. She yanked hard and pulled him off the railing, scraping his belly on the rough wood.
    â€œOw! Stop that!” he yelled.
    She wanted to shake him. Instead she took a deep breath, counted to ten, and let it out. “Ryan Sheridan, when are you going to learn . . . ?” The look on his face stopped her.
    â€œI-I-I’m s-sorry, Kara. I won’t do it again, I promise.” He flung his arms around her legs, and she could feel his body shaking.
    Tia ran up, breathing like a steam engine. She flashed Kara a mixed look of panic and relief, and pointed towardthe crossroad. “The bus is coming, you guys. We’d better hustle if we want a ride.” She tugged on Ryan’s arm and led him across the bridge.
    â€œWhat am I going to do with him, Mom?” Kara whispered. “One of these days he’s going to get into real trouble, and I won’t be able to help him.”
    Let go and get a grip on God . A picture of the bumper sticker on Colin’s pickup flashed into her mind.
    She swiped at a tear that was dripping off her nose and hurried to the waiting bus.
    The only class she missed that day was American Government, which to Wakara was no big loss. English was her favorite. They were writing short stories this term, and she had formed a plot based on her summer experience with the forest fire.
    Mr. Jaminson had even asked her to share some of her survival techniques in Health and Safety. That was harder. She talked about how she had soaked a bandanna in the river and tied it around her nose and mouth to filter the smoke, then explained how they had rationed drinking water and used smoke signals to attract attention from the planes. When she was done, Mr. Jaminson led the class in applause and said, “Well, young lady, how does it feel to be a hero?”
    Kara took a deep breath. Could she really tell the truth? The kids might laugh, but she knew she had to try.
    â€œIt wasn’t me, Mr. Jaminson.” She turned back to face the class. “God is the real hero. He’s the one who showed me where to go and what to do. If I hadn’t prayed and asked Him to show me the way out, we would never have found the path under the ledge. And without God, I would never have had the courage to look for it.”
    Some of the kids snickered. A few nodded. Most just looked down at their desks. Mr. Jaminson cleared histhroat. “Uh, thank you, Wakara.” But as she passed him to get to her seat, he smiled and whispered, “You have more courage than you think.”
    Right , she thought. Then why are my hands shaking ?
    By the time the last bell rang, all Kara could think about was the football game—and if she was really honest, her group date with Colin. The church bus was leaving at four o’clock. They still had to change and grab a bite to eat. She joined Tia in a cheer when they saw the car. “All right! Mom to the rescue!”
    Ryan was already buckled into the front seat, so she squeezed into the back with Tia. “Thanks, Mrs. Sanchez, this will really save us some time.”
    â€œNo problem.”