The punishment for a seventh-grade dropout runaway is probably pretty harsh, but Ash Barker doesn't care. She can’t waste time or emotions on anyone but her brother, Matt. They were placed in separate foster homes, so Ash runs away to find him. If she fails, she’s headed back to juvenile detention. Everything is going right on schedule until two kids, Dayna and Kevin, barge into her hideout -- which just happens to be in their house. She ditches the pair fast, but can’t stop thinking about those bruised, skinny kids. Dayna and Kevin live with abusive parents who force them to stay in their room most of the time. If they go to the authorities for help, they’ll be split up, too. Ash knows how that feels, and she goes back to help, taking the two with her. With any luck, they’ll all help each other along the way. Meanwhile, as Matt waits for Ash, he can’t resist telling his foster brother and best friend, Jon-Allen, about the plans. They stash food, earn money, and keep watch for the night Ash appears at their bedroom window. Ash is so happy to be reunited with Matt and to discover she’s falling in love with Dayna that, at first, she doesn’t worry about what they’ll do next. But life on the road begins to take its toll -- they have to resort to shoplifting and scavenging to survive. Ash feels a growing sense of guilt at the disaster she’s made of everyone’s lives. Can she somehow keep her newfound “family” together despite hunger and sickness? Or will she be able to find the strength to reach out for help?

No Turning Back

Kevin slapped his arm. “A mosquito bit me.”


“I forgot all about bug bites,” Dayna said. “We’ll be covered.”


“No, we won’t,” Ash said. “I have bug spray.”


“How do you always think of everything?” Kevin asked.


Ash stood and sprayed the other two from head to toe. “The first time I ran away, I didn’t bring money or clothes or food. I was found a week later covered in mosquito bites and poison ivy, and I was starving. I’ve kept track of all the things I needed to take with me or stay away from since then.”


“Will you tell us about the other times you ran away?” Kevin asked.


“Maybe someday. I’m not used to talking about it.” She sprayed herself, eyes shut tight. The bitter taste and smell surrounded her. “Will you guys tell me what your dad did when he locked Kevin in the bathroom and—?”


“Then you know how much it hurts me to talk about the other times I ran away.”


“It’s not the same thing.” Dayna turned her back with her arms crossed.


Chapter 109