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 squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the blanket tighter. But it seriously did smell bad and he couldn’t breathe, so he uncovered his face. “Are we reallygoing to make it to Matt tonight?”


“Yes,” Ash said. Even though her face was covered in dirt, Kevin thought she looked pale.


Dayna sat up and scratched her head. “We’d better make it.”


Kevin looked at his sister. At this point, they wanted to reach Matt for a completely different reason than Ash did.


Dayna whispered in his ear: “After we get Matt, the first thing we’ll do is find someplace where we can sleep for a week.”


Kevin giggled and stood up. Soon he was tramping behind Dayna through a cornfield. The sun sank lower. Ash walked several feet ahead, glancing over her shoulder once in a while to make sure they were keeping up. By the way Dayna scoffed every time Ash looked back, Kevin knew if they didn’t reach Matt tonight, there was going to be big trouble.


Chapter 142