"Hey."

Jenny turned and saw that Sally had the fire going and was digging into the knapsack for the food. She tossed Jenny the packet of bacon. "Open that, why don't you?"

Jenny tackled the bacon, glad she'd decided not to talk about David. She was beginning to wish she hadn't come, and wondered why Sally had bothered, since she was in such a bad mood.

Sally hadn't brought eggs; there was only one

left in her refrigerator. But she'd brought a loaf of Italian bread and a chunk of cheddar cheese, and when the bacon was done, they made enough sandwiches for six people. Jenny ate hungrily, but Sally just picked at the food.

"Fm so stuffed I can't move,** Jenny said when she'd finished. "I may just have to stay up here all day."

"I do sometimes," Sally said. "Or I stay for hours, anyway. I love it up here." She was standing at the edge of the rock, keeping an eye on the horses. She checked her watch, then said, "Come on over here. The view's great."

Jenny scooted over and sat next to her. "I can see why you love it. Now," she added, **the other night, I hated it."

**Well, nobody in their right mind would like it in a storm," Sally said. "A couple of kids say they're afraid of it after what it did to Diana."

"I take it you're not one of them."

"Do I look afraid?" Sally asked,

Jenny started to say that she looked worried, but she changed her mind. If Sally wanted to talk, she would. "How is Diana?" she asked.

"The same." Sally checked the time again, then shoved her hands in the back pockets of her jeans.

"Do you want to go or something?" Jenny asked.

SaUy flushed. "Why?"

**Well, you keep looking at your watch," Jenny said. "If you've got to leave, then just say so."

"It's my aunt," Sally said quickly. "I keep check-

ing the time because I keep hoping it's magically slowed down. My aunt's a pain. I don't want to go visit her."

"I guess everybody has at least one relative like that." Jenny lay back on the rock and squinted up at the sky. She was just about to say more when she heard a faint, swishing sound, and suddenly her face was covered with dust and grit. 'Where'd that come from?" She reached up to brush it off.

'What?" Sally was still gazing at the horses.

"This . . ."Jenny stopped as she heard something else. A grating, rattling noise, almost like marbles rolling along a floor. She sat up and twisted around, just in time to see a virtual avalanche of small pebbles pouring over the edge of the rock outcropping above them. The last of the pebbles wasn't so small, though. In fact, it wasn't a pebble at all, it was more the size of a bowhng bowl.

Jenny scrambled to her knees. "Sally, look out!"

Sally turned, but not fast enough. The large rock sailed through the air and hit her in the shoulder with enough force to spin her around. She grabbed her shoulder, completely off balance, one foot skidding off the edge of their breakfast spot. There was nothing to grab on to; if she fell, she'd fall ten feet before she hit more rocks below.