Grave Shadows by Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry Page B

puppets. Does that offend you?”
    “No, because I know you feel bad. And I’m guessing that Jeff’s cancer gets to you just like it does the rest of us.”
    She sat on her bed. “How long have you known him?”
    “Since we moved here.” I told her all the stories I knew, about how people laughed at him in gym class and how shocked we were when we heard the news.
    “Is he going to die?” Leigh said.
    I shook my head. “I don’t know, but I don’t want to keep fighting with you about God. I mean, I want you to believe, but I don’t think it’s good for us to be mad at each other.”
    “Fine, but don’t waste your time,” she said. “I’ll never believe like you, so don’t get your hopes up.”

Chapter 49

    I was on the bike, near the edge of a canyon. The front wheel kept getting close to the edge of the drop-off, and there was no guardrail. The front tire kicked little pebbles over the side, and they bounced into the bottomless chasm.
    A huge black bird flew beside me, looking me in the eye and cawing. Its wings brushed the front tire that got caught in a rut. If I didn’t get out, we’d plunge over the edge.
    I looked back, but Jeff wasn’t there. I screamed, echoing off the canyon walls. I looked for other riders, but I was alone.
    The rut swerved right, and my front tire went to the edge. I slammed on the brakes, but the pedals spun. I grabbed for handlebar brakes that weren’t there.
    As the front tire left the pavement, I screamed again. The bike went out from under me, and I felt weightless, falling into the abyss.
    “Bryce!” someone yelled. It was Jeff, calling me in my helmet.
    I sat up straight in the tent. Jeff shook my shoulder. My legs trembled, and I wiped sweat from my forehead.
    Jeff smirked. “Dreaming about Marion Quidley?”
    “Wasn’t that bad. Just going over a cliff and falling to my death.”
    “Did you hit bottom? I’ve heard you never actually hit bottom in those dreams. And if you do, it means you’re dead.”
    “You woke me just in time.”
    He picked up his digital recorder and punched Play. It was me moaning and groaning. Jeff laughed and I snatched it from him. He tried to grab it back, but I held it until I could erase my voice.
    “What’d you do that for!?” he yelled.
    “Serves you right for recording me,” I said. “Remember, no special preferences for people with cancer.”
    He smiled, laid back on his sleeping bag, and opened the net above us so we could see the sky. There wasn’t much light from the nearby town, so it seemed we could see millions of stars.
    “Tell me a secret,” Jeff said. “You can trust me.”
    “Only if you tell me one.”
    “Okay, but you have to promise that it stays right here.”
    “Deal.”
    Jeff searched for words. “I . . . I really like your sister.”
    “Seriously?”
    “Yeah. She’s pretty. Smart. And I love the way her hair smells.”
    I laughed and Jeff socked me on the shoulder so hard I knew I’d have a bruise. “How would you know how her hair smells?”
    “I sat behind her in second period. If she doesn’t dry her hair before school it takes that long to dry out. I think she uses Pert.”
    I shook my head. “You and Skeeter are the only two who have a thing for her.”
    “I didn’t say I was going to marry her or anything. It’s just that she’s the kind of girl I’d want to take to a movie or on a date when I grow up.”
    “Well, I never thought I’d say this, but I hope you get to take her out sometime.”
    “Okay, your turn.”
    I thought hard. I didn’t have that many secrets, but two huge ones went through my mind.
    “All right, but you have to swear—”
    “You got it.”
    “Remember the story a few months ago about the thieves up at Gold Camp Road?”
    “Yeah, and a car that went into the water.”
    “That was us—Ashley, Dylan, Sam, and me. We cracked the case.”
    “You’re kidding! I knew you and Ashley liked to solve mysteries, but I never dreamed . . . Your secret’s