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

Ash paced as Dayna and Kevin slept. A cloud covered the moon, but stars sparkled overhead. She shone the flashlight on her watch with shaking hands.


“I wish we had something to eat or drink to build up our energy for this.” Ash opened her lock box and pulled out a folded piece of paper: directions to Matt’s house she’d printed off the internet. She shone her flashlight on the page and squinted ahead. They would be entering Redfield from a different direction then she’d intended, but she should still be able to find him.


“Once we get into town we’ll have to move fast. We can’t let any cops see us…and we have to find a safe place as soon as Matt’s with us.”


Ash shone her light over him and Dayna. Kevin quivered with excitement. Dayna stood tense and alert.


Chapter 143