Weekend - By Christopher Pike Page 0,41

the memory of his smile as tightly as the dandelion.

Halfway between the hill and the house, in a dark no-man's-land of silhouetted cacti and starless sky, she heard a sudden rattle. It appeared far in front. No problem, she would circle around. Leaving the right side of the path, she steered a wide arc through the sharp shrubs towards the beach. Before this weekend was over, her legs would be a mass of scratches. The rattle faded behind her.

But once off the path, she could not find it again. On the way to the hill, if her memory served her correctly, the trail had followed a fairly straight course. Veering to the left should have brought her automatically back to the path. Wait a minute, maybe she hadn't been on the same trail as before! Maybe the second one had simply dead-ended, and there was nothing to veer back to.

Still, Shani was not worried. All she had to do was head in the direction of the ocean and she would be okay. As soon as she could climb out of this dry ravine she had managed to stumble into, she would be able to tell which way that was.

On what she thought was the west side, the walls of the gully were steep and slippery. Chunks of gravel broke under her clawing fingers as she tried to pull herself up. Walking fifty yards further along through a congestion of weeds and stones, she tried again. Unfortunately, on the verge of climbing free, the thumbnail on her right hand broke. Crying in pain, she lost her balance, sliding slowly back into the ditch and starting a minor avalanche. Dirt toppled down her drenched shirt, sticking to her chest. She thrust her wounded finger in her mouth, grimacing in pain, tasting blood. She wished the old man were with her now. Somewhere, she had lost her flower.

Shani was preparing for a third effort when she heard the rattle again. It was louder this time, much closer. Ploughing on all fours, she tried to scamper up the disintegrating wall. But the harder she tried, the more she slipped. Rocks disappeared in the black bushes below, angering her assailant. A shadow squirmed, breath hissed. Shani kicked off her shoes, praying for better traction. But she was only digging her own grave.

"Help!!!" she wailed. Turning, she searched for a decent stone. The direction of the rattle was impossible to ascertain, but if the thing bit her, it was going to leave with one hell of a headache. Why had she gone and taken off her shoes?

"Are you stuck, Shani?"

"Flynn!!!" She couldn't see him, but the voice was from above. "Help me up! A snake's got me cornered!"

"It won't bite you unless you corner it."

"I don't think this one knows that! Where are you!?"

He crouched into view, leaned over, binoculars hanging from his neck. "Give me your hand."

She tried, and failed. "I can't reach you!" The rattle shook to a frenzy. "Shoot it!"

"I can't see it. Calm down. You're slipping because you're in a hurry. Dig your hands and feet firmly into the dirt, climb slowly."

She did as he suggested, and a moment later he was pulling her safely to her feet. The rattling stopped, but she wasn't crazy about the neighbourhood. Flynn ended up chasing after her. "Are you running from me or the snake?" he called.

"Damn!" she cried, stepping on thorns. She had forgotten about her bare feet. Plopping down miserably in the dark and dirt, she pulled the stickers, one by one, out of her tender flesh, blood trailing from each puncture.

"What's wrong?" Flynn asked, coming up to her.

"I gave my shoes to the snake."

"I'll get them for you." He snapped on a flashlight, dazzling her eyes. In his other hand, he held his gun.

"Don't! It might bite you." But if he left, maybe she would make another dash for it. She had been running from both of them.

"I can't carry you back to the house. Don't worry, I have thick skin."

He left her, and she was more afraid. She would wait. A minute crept by... two. Suddenly the silence cracked. Shani jumped. He had used his gun. For a moment she had thought that it had been on her. A bobbing light approached. He handed her the shoes. While brushing the soles of her feet, she asked, "Am I next?"

He laughed. "Now that's no question to ask your knight in shining armour. I did, after all, just rescue you."

Her laces, her fingers,