Title Page

Dedication

Prologue

The blamers and the shamers have it all wrong about the horrible events at Crazy River. Nobody knew what was going to happen, so it’s nobody’s fault. A free trip to Montana to experience a white-water rafting adventure? Who could say no to that? Not me, for sure. And not any of the other kids in Project Future Leaders. Which was some kind of joke, or I wouldn’t have been selected to participate. Because, believe me, nobody looks at me and says, “Now, there’s a born leader!” They see Daniel Redmayne, a pale, skinny kid with glasses and a lucky Red Sox cap. A middle schooler who would rather write a fantasy story or draw a cartoon than do his homework. A student who teachers say needs motivation, and often fails to participate in class. Lost in his own world, one of them wrote on my last report card. So, not a likely pick for anything.

Maybe the others were more qualified, and I was just a mistake. Or that’s what I thought at the time. Whatever, there were five of us in the van that day, heading for a river somewhere deep in the Montana wilderness. Me, Deke, Tony, Mia, and the quiet girl with the bouncy dreads, Imani. Plus two adult supervisors, or “guards,” as Deke liked to joke. Yuk, yuk. And no matter how unfunny, you have to laugh at Deke’s jokes or he’ll pound you. Sky Hanson, the rafting guide, was driving. Cindi Beacon—yes, that Cindi Beacon—was there for supervision and inspiration. As you probably already know, she was the top striker for the US national team that won the last World Cup, and for sure the most famous person any of us had ever met. I know girls who have her poster on their walls. Boys, too.

Expensive people, expensive trip. Good thing it was sponsored by Byron James, the famous billionaire inventor. What was he thinking? Probably that our new regional middle school was being named for him, and this was his way of saying thanks.

Big mistake, as it turned out. Huge. But he had no way of knowing how it would turn out, or how many of us would die.

Day One

1. Crazy River, Here We Come

It starts out as the best day ever. For a kid from a small town in New Hampshire, Montana is freaking awesome. The place has mountains high enough to scratch the pure blue sky, ranches half as big as the entire state of Rhode Island, and grizzly bears and mountain lions and herds of wild buffalo. And the best part? They still have real live, actual cowboys. I mean, think about it!