Read Janet McNulty - Mellow Summers 06 - Where Trouble Roams for Free Online Page B

had.
    “Well if this doesn’t clean out my system, I don’t know what will,” said Aunt Ethel as she chowed down on her serving of beans.
    That statement made me lose my appetite a bit.  Of all the things to say when people are trying to eat.
    Rachel stared at my bowl of beans.  “You know, there are times when I am glad that I don’t have to eat.”
    “You’re welcome to it,” I said.
    “No.  No, you need your strength.”
    I fiddled with my beans at first, but eventually resigned myself to eating them.  I couldn’t very well go hungry on the entire trip.
    “How far are we from the Badlands?” I asked.
    “Not far at all,” said Jedidiah.  “Well you all better get some shut eye.  And I suggest you stay near the fire.  It’s bound to get a might chilly.”
    A few snowflakes settled on my nose after he said that.
     
    The next morning dawned with about an inch of snow on the ground.  I shook it off of my sleeping bag just as Jackie and Aunt Ethel sat up.
    “Oh my,” said Aunt Ethel, “I do believe that it snowed last night.”
    “Never would have figured that one out,” muttered Jackie.
    “Everybody up,” said Jedidiah.
    I stood up and rolled my sleeping bag.  After that, I doused the smoldering coals of the fire, which had mostly been put out by the snow anyway.  I looked up at the still cloudy sky rubbing my chilled hands together.  It had stopped snowing for the moment, but threatened more.
    Skipping breakfast, we decided to get a move on.  Within twenty minutes we had everything packed and rode off.  Jedidiah kept talking about his days as a living person exploring this area.  I tuned most of it out as the gray clouds stole most of my attention.
    “Whoa!”  Jackie’s exclamation pulled me from my thoughts.  Before us, stretched this huge expanse of canyons and ravines.  Though not as big as the Grand Canyon, the Badlands was sizeable.  From where I sat, it looked to be a vast maze of various ravines that twisted and wound around itself.
    “Welcome to the Badlands,” said Jedidiah.  “There’s a trail near here that will take us down in.”
    The sound of a gunshot echoed across the plains as a poof of dust rose up near my horse.
    “Was that a gun shot?” asked Jackie.
    In answer to her question another bullet hit nearby us.  Whoever it was either was too far away to hit us, or meant to only scare us away.
    “Long range rifle,” said Jedidiah.  “Probably with a scope.”
    Another shot rang out.
    “Let’s move!”  Jedidiah kicked his horse and sped up with Jackie and Rachel close behind.
    “How dare you fire at us you miscreant!” screamed Aunt Ethel.
    “This isn’t the time for that,” I said to her as I smacked her horse’s behind and together we chased after the others.
    Hooves pounded the earth as each breath our horses took made small vapor clouds before us.  I prayed that we wouldn’t slip on any ice or step in any prairie dog holes.
    Mirroring Jedidiah, I held on tightly to the reins and leaned forward slightly as I allowed my horse to move freely.  A quick glance at my aunt told me she was not having a good time.  She bobbed up and down on her horse like a ragdoll with one hand holding onto her outlandish hat and another clinging to the horse.
    “This way!”
    Jedidiah steered to the right going into the canyon itself.  We followed him down the trail pushing our mounts hard as we escaped whomever had taken pot shots at us.  As the trail narrowed and turned uneven, our guide slowed down and halted us.  We remained still as we glanced behind making sure no one pursued us.
    “I think we lost him,” said Jedidiah.  “Does anyone else know you have the map?”
    “No,” I said.  “The only ones who would, would be those we asked about it.”
    “Well, someone knows you’ve got it,” said Jedidiah.
    “Let me at him!” yelled Rachel.  “I’ll kick him from here to the moon.”
    Jackie ended up having to hang onto Rachel’s shirt to hold