Page 9 of Torch’s Wildfire

Oh, God.

I'm going to die.

I'm actually going to die in a stranger's cabin, and nobody knows where I am.

I've spent my whole life finding people other people couldn't locate.

And now I've made myself impossible to find.

Mom would be furious.

Probably after hugging me.

And crying.

And telling me I was the most stubborn person she'd ever met.

“Mom,” I whisper.

My throat burns.

I miss her.

God, I miss her.

My cheek touches the wooden floor.

It's cold against my skin.

I try to lift my head.

Nothing happens.

The darkness creeping into the edges of my vision frightens me more than anything else.

I'm twenty-two.

I haven't fallen in love.

I haven't even found out whether the man in that obituary was really my father.

And I still haven't worn the gorgeous red dress I bought last week.

This is completely unacceptable.

I need help.

I need…

Something rumbles outside.

An engine?

I try to listen.

A door slams.

Or maybe I'm imagining it.