SAFE . . . reyna ramirez-arellano

29 - bad exercise

BRIAR HOPED THE taxi could take them all the way to the top. She needed to finish her letter to Reyna.

No such luck. The cab made lurching, grinding sounds as it climbed the mountain road, and halfway up they found the ranger's station closed, a chain blocking the way.

"Far as I can go," the cabbie said. "You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car's acting funny. I can't wait for you."

"We're sure." Leo was the first one out. While the rest of them got out, he paid the cabbie.

Briar looked down. The wheels were sinking into the road like it was made of quicksand. Not fast — just enough to make the driver think he had a small problem — but she knew better. The road was hard-packed dirt. No reason at all it should have been soft, but her shoes were already starting to sink. Gaea was messing with them.

"Keep the change," Leo said. "And get out of here. Quick."

The driver didn't argue. Soon all they could see was his dust trail.

The view from the mountain was pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns — grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools. It was all familiar to Briar.

"That's Concord," Jason said, pointing to the north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way . . ."

Briar nodded toward the west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. "That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

"Jason? Briar?" Leo touched Jason's arm. "You remember something? You've been here?"

"Yes . . . no." Jason gave Leo an anguished look. "It just seems important."

"That's Titan land." Coach Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place, Jason, Briar. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."

Briar stared into the fog, and a sense of homesickness washed over her. It made sense that she was from California — her familiarity in the café and the light clothing she wore when she'd first woken up proved that. But, if she was from here, where specifically did she come from?

"Hey, guys," Leo said. "Let's keep moving."

Briar noticed the problem. Her shoes were soaked with mud. She'd liked this outfit, too.

"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge grumbled. He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed the shoes to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

Leo snorted. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"

"That's varsity thinking, Valdez." Hedge nodded approvingly. "But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can."

"How do we know where the giant is?" Briar asked.

Jason pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. From a distance, she had thought it was a cloud, but it wasn't. Something was burning.

"Smoke equals fire," Jason said. "We'd better hurry."

Briar snorted. "No duh."

She thought she was in good shape. But climbing a mountain when the earth was trying to swallow her feet was like trying to remember anything about her past.

In no time, Briar had taken off Reyna's jacket and wrapped it around her waist, even though the wind was cold and sharp. She wished her mother had given her better hiking gear, but she was grateful for the sunglasses that kept the sun out of her eyes. Gods, Briar loved sunglasses.