I paddle toward the shore and smell something burning. I see smoke carried on the breeze from the direction of the command center. I swim faster and haul myself onto the beach, shaking vigorously as I race toward the source of the smoke.
The command center is ablaze, flames dancing in the wind.
Junebug and Chance stand fifty feet away, watching it burn.
“What happened here?” I ask.
“I think one of the weapons went off and accidentally ignited the trailer,” Chance says.
“Definitely accidental,” Junebug says. “Maelstrom makes accidents happen, and now they’re the victims of an accident.”
She grins defiantly and trades conspiratorial glances with Chance.
“Where are the rest of the soldiers?” I ask.
“They ran away once the general was gone,” Chance says with a laugh. “The ones who could still run. The ones you fought against had to be carried away by their friends.”
Chance and Junebug are relaxed and smiling, delighted by Maelstrom’s retreat. I look at the burning command center, the smoke wafting into the air, and I do not feel the same sense of relief. We may have won the battle, but I fear the war is far from over.
I turn to Junebug, and I can see the orange flames reflected in her eyes.
“I’m confused about something,” I say. “Were you lying to us the whole time?”
“Not lying,” she says. “I really did steal my father’s car and drive to PetStar to get you guys.”
“But why?” Chance asks.
“I was monitoring his soldiers on my comms equipment. When I saw they were after you and Wild, I wanted to help you. At first just to get back at him. Later it was for other reasons.”
“What kinds of reasons?” Chance asks curiously.
“I got to know you both,” she says, her cheeks turning red. “Then I started to like you. It’s pretty cool to have friends.”
The wind shifts, and smoke wafts toward us. Junebug blinks tears from her eyes. She squints and looks down at me.
“I’m sorry I lied about who I was, Wild. And also how much I knew about you. Do you guys think you can forgive me?”
She’s always been so confident, but now I see the vulnerability in her eyes.
Chance looks at me, uncertain how to respond.
I think of Junebug slamming her father in the back of the head and saving Chance in the process. Whatever happened earlier on the mountain, knocking out her father was proof enough of her loyalty.
“I can forgive you,” I say.
“What about you, Chance?” she asks, nervously twirling the blue stripe in her hair.
“You were really trying to save us from Maelstrom?” he asks.
“Why else would I risk my life all those times for you? I got scared when Wild killed that dog, and I called the soldiers. It was a dumb thing to do. I see that now.”
Chance stares at her for a long minute.
“I’ve done dumb things before,” he says. “I guess I forgive you.”
Junebug smiles, relieved.
There’s a loud crash as the roof of the command center collapses.
“The Horvaths will be waking up soon. They’ll call the police when they see the smoke.”
“We should get moving,” Junebug says. “Oh, and before we go”—she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a silver cell phone—“I fixed your phone, Chance.”
Chance grabs the phone and presses the power button. A moment later the screen glows blue.
“How did you—” The screen chimes, and Chance stares at the phone. “My mom texted! She said she’d see me later.”
Junebug smiles. “Not bad, right?”
Chance looks at her in awe as we walk together to the parking lot at the edge of the beach.
“So you’re going to meet your mom now?” Junebug asks.
Chance glances at me for confirmation, and I wag my tail.
“We’re all going together,” Chance says.
“I can’t come with you,” Junebug says.
“What do you mean? I’ll tell my mom you need a place to stay. You can live with us.”
“You know that won’t work.”
“You can’t go home after what happened with your father,” I tell her.
“I’m not going home. I’ll stay with my aunt. She’s the only one my father’s scared of. He wouldn’t dare do anything with her around.”
“Are you sure?” Chance says, biting his lip anxiously.
She comes closer, her hair blowing in the wind.
“I’ll be fine. Besides, it’s my family,” she says. “It might be messed up, but it’s the only one I have.”
“I hear that,” Chase replies.
Junebug suddenly kneels down in front of me. I think she’s going to hug me good-bye, but instead she pulls me close and whispers in my ear.
“Your collar does more than you think it does. Keep exploring.”
There’s a small explosion as a propane tank in one of the trailers ignites, and I hear sirens in the distance.
“I gotta cruise,” she says. “I don’t want to be around when the cops get here, and neither do you.”
She throws us a wave, then runs down the beach and disappears through the smoke.
“What did she say to you?” Chance asks.
“Nothing important,” I say, but I’m already thinking about my collar and wondering what Junebug meant.
The police sirens are coming closer, and I tug at Chance’s pant leg, urging him away.
Together we walk up the road to a bus stop where we can grab the Metro back to Santa Monica.