She pulled Smokey to a quick stop at the top of a hill. The tundra spread out around her, stunning in the morning light. The vegetation glowed. Here and there, Claire noticed the yellow and orange of fall touching the alpine plants. She felt another flash of rage - reminders were everywhere. She couldn't escape them. They always left in the fall. She always said goodbye to her dear Smokey, but this time she wouldn't be coming back. She stroked his silky neck. What would he think next year when she didn't return? That she'd betrayed him? Abandoned him? That she'd died?

"Claire!" The shout was distant. Claire shaded her eyes as she scanned the open spaces for movement. There they were - Mr. Davis and his tourists, four of them this time: two adults and two kids. A family.

She quickly reined Smokey to the east, toward the rising sun. The last thing she wanted was to see Mr. Davis right now. He had betrayed her almost as much as her mom - he could have told her they wouldn't be returning next year too.

She inhaled deeply as they swept over the tundra, Smokey weaving around brush and obstacles as surefooted as a caribou. The sharp air entered her lungs, slowly and surely uncluttering her mind - and when she could think clearly again, she knew just where she was going to go: the Chasm. She'd always wanted to go there, but both Mr. Davis and her mom had forbidden it. They'd said it was too far, too remote, too dangerous. Too many bad things could happen. But this day couldn't get any worse. And this would probably be her last long ride, her last chance to see that wild remote canyon, her last long day out on the tundra with Smokey for the rest of her life. If she didn't go today, she never would.