but there was a click and a flood of light stabbed his eyes. His mother stood, fully dressed in stonewashed jeans and a hooded jacket. Although wrinkles lined the corners of her eyes when she smiled, Olivia looked young and trim. And full of energy.
Morgan grabbed a pillow and put it over his face. “What time is it?” he asked in a muffled voice.
“Six o’clock.”
“Six?” The pillow flew off his face as he looked at her incredulously. “Six a.m.? No normal human being gets up this early. I’ll stay here while you Earth people go and do whatever homage you tree-hugging types do. I’m a creature of the night. I don’t do mornings.”
“Nice try. We’re doing this as a family, which now includes you.”
“I don’t wish to be included.”
“I’m afraid it’s not a matter of what you wish.” Olivia’s voice had an edge to it, although Morgan didn’t know her well enough to hear it.
Flopping a long, thin arm over his eyes, Morgan looked as though he were trying to block out the light in addition to blocking out Olivia. “Look, I’ve already seen the Grand Canyon. Virtually. I got a view from the comfort of my own computer, which is the perfect way to experience it—no bugs or heat or fatigue. I don’t need the real thing.”
“Let me assure you that there is absolutely no comparison between the two. Reality will always trump the virtual world. Besides that, I’m not leaving until I see you’re truly up.” She stood over him, her arms planted on her hips, until Morgan gave a loud, long sigh.
“Zealot,” he muttered.
“Guilty as charged. And just one more little thing. I want to ask you a favor.”
“Now what?” Morgan asked, his voice squeaking. “I’m already denying my physical body its sleep. What more can I give up?”
Olivia hesitated for only a moment before saying, “I’d like you to leave the Game Boy here while we go to the rim.”
“Aw, man!” Morgan exploded.
“I noticed that you do tend to get a bit—involved—with that thing. You need to experience the Grand Canyon with your whole being.”
Pulling himself to a sitting position, Morgan swung his legs over the side of the bed. A large, white T-shirt hung on him like an oversize shroud, revealing how thin Morgan really was. Elbows protruded in knots from branch-like arms. His chest was sunken, as if he didn’t have enough muscle to hold his body in anything but a pale question mark.
“I don’t believe this! You’re just like the people at Dry Creek. Why can’t I have the freedom to experience the Grand Canyon in my own way?”
Olivia’s lips pressed together before she finally answered, “Humor me. What do you say, Morgan? Will you leave the Game Boy?”
“Sure. Whatever,” he answered.
Olivia looked both surprised and pleased. “Thank you. You won’t be sorry. And now for you, my son,” she began, turning her gaze on Jack. “I see you’re still in bed. We’ll miss the sunrise—”
“OK, OK,” Jack moaned. “Go back in your room so we can get dressed.”
Stretching muscles that had stiffened from hours of travel, Jack waited for the door to shut behind Olivia. Once again, his parents were in an adjoining room with Ashley, while he and a foster kid—this time Morgan—shared the connecting space. The room at Yavapai Lodge looked clean and homey, but not fancy.
“It was nice of you to agree about the Game Boy, Morgan. How far did you get on the new game?”
“Man, I totally conquered it, but it’s a game for eight-year-olds or computer cretins. I’m just using it as a crutch until I can get my hands on a real computer.”
“There’s some good stuff on Game Boy,” Jack answered lamely, embarrassed that Morgan thought his games were childish.
“If you think that stuff is good, it’s only because you don’t know any better. Haven’t you ever been on the Internet?”
“Sure. For school reports and stuff. I e-mailed a guy in Spain and a girl in Ireland for a class project.”
“That means you, my man, need to see what a real game is all about.” As Jack hurriedly pulled on his clothes Morgan kept talking, never pausing, as if he’d been charged with a new mission. “You get me your mother’s laptop, and I’ll show you graphics that’ll blow your mind! There’s a universe you’ve never experienced, an Internet cosmos where there are no rules, no boundaries. It’s time you got out of your computer kindergarten and joined the cyberworld!”
“But, there’s a lot of bad stuff on the Net. I don’t want my mom’s laptop to catch a virus or something.”
Morgan quickly pushed his hair back off his face and trained his eyes on Jack. “Every year, people fall over the edge of the Grand Canyon. They die. You wouldn’t want to miss seeing the scenery outside because there’s an infinitesimal chance you could fall over the edge, right? It’s the same with the Web—you factor in risk and go on.” Sitting on the end of the bed, elbows drilling his knees, he said, “How would you like to see graphics so real they singe your hair, chat with your favorite rock star, or burn a disk of the hottest music for free?”
“Cool,” Jack breathed.
“It’s beyond cool. But you’ve got to grow up, my man. You go do the nature thing, and after you come back, I’ll lead you into my world.”
Jack could feel the roughness of the carpet beneath his feet as he pulled on his socks. “What do you mean? Aren’t you coming?”
“I changed my mind. I never go anywhere I don’t want to.”
Morgan was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Behold the master!” Morgan said, dropping back onto his bed.
Steven called in, “You guys ready?”
As if by magic, Morgan’s expression dissolved into one of distress as he lay back, his head drooping to one side. In a weak voice, he said, “Mr. Landon, can I talk to you?”
“Sure.” Steven hurried inside, concern creasing his face. “Are you OK?”
“I feel like I’m going to puke. I think it’s all the travel, not to mention the emotion, you know? I’m wiped. I need to stay here until my stomach calms down.” A beat later, Morgan begged, “Please?”
Steven hesitated, glancing into his own room, then back to Morgan.
“Sure. Go ahead and rest. We’ll be back in about an hour.”
When the door closed, Morgan punched his fist triumphantly. “I rule!” he said.
All Jack could do was agree.
CHAPTER THREE
As they walked through the parking lot of Yavapai Point, Jack’s thoughts turned from his guilt over letting Morgan
