Madeline could hardly see as she sprinted through the trees. It didn’t matter. Only one thing mattered: she had to get away. Her vision was blurred, though she didn’t know if it was because she’d lost her glasses or because she was crying. Maybe she was just moving too quickly to focus on anything.

She saw a break in the trees ahead and increased her speed. She was running so quickly that the thin, twiggy branches that caught her face and arms were painful. She stumbled over the uneven ground, but managed to keep her feet. She couldn’t fall!