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"When are you going to start rebelling, kid?" Brent&039;s father asked He shifted his pack on his back and started clah-walled ravine, where a flash flood had cut through the desert like a knife after last month&039;s storms

"I&039;ainst," Brent answered He reached forith one boot and found a rock that didn&039;t shift when he put his weight on it It was easy enough going, but you had to be careful Brent grabbed at the tough roots of a juniper bush and stopped still when a scree of pebbles started shifting under hiood - you look at so to eat, or their government forces them out of their homes, and - "

At the top of the ravine, Brent&039;s older sister Maggie appeared silhouetted against the sun "Would you two hurry up?" she whined "I want to get back to civilization You knohere people have cell phones that actually get a signal?"

Brent&039;s eyes narrowed He started thinking of the perfect reply, so really nasty, but then his dad put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently "Don&039;t," his father said "I wish you touldn&039;t fight so much" He wiped his forehead with the back of his arood but I don&039;t know She doesn&039;t seeood time, does she?"

"We&039;ll just have to hit the outlet mall on the way back," Brent said He was pleased when his father actually sh Their dad was always scrupulously careful not to favor one of the a bad word about Maggie

Even when she deserved it

"Come on down, kid It&039;s not tooIt looked like there o for a quick swiie answered, but she started carefully picking her way down the rocks For all her lack of enthusiasm she had no trouble with the climb down Brother and sister were both experienced rockhoppers That was entirely thanks to their parents, who had dragged them out into this desert for hikes every year since they&039;d been old enough to walk Now that their one, the hikes were even more frequent

Brent didn&039;t ot hway He loved the shade at the bottom of ravines like this, and the thin breezes that dried all the sweat on your skin He thought maybe when he was older he would like to live out there, and just watch the clouds go by overhead everyday until the sun turned theie said "I think I see it But that&039;s no oasis God, what a stupid goose chase It looks like an old car somebody left to rust to death"

Dad rushed down the botto was a lot more stable Brent hurried after This would have been a bad place to be when the rain cah - millions of years&039; worth ofwall of water - but now the ground had dried out soa fine pattern of cracks like a gigantic spider web Tiny flowers surrounded by thick spiky leaves sprouted up through so on whatever moisture remained The flowers&039; petals were soft, delicate colors you couldn&039;t find anywhere else in the desert

"Is it even worth checking this thing out?" Maggie asked

For his father&039;s sake, Brent held his tongue Maggie had been like this ever since their o Dad claie girl so he wasn&039;t doing a good job helping her through her grief Brent thought otherwise He thought Maggie was just a jerk The two of the very well There had been a brief tied a lot and cried on each others&039; shoulders But that had ended all too quickly