Missing

"I like being alone," I say. "Honestly. Groups just aren't my thing. It's actually fun not having friends." I don't know why I said that. It was supposed to be funny, but it sounds pathetic. Van's face is more transparent even than mine. He doesn't embarrass easily but he definitely looks annoyed. "I don't think sarcasm suits you," he says stiffly. I'm tired of talking about this. I stand up and stretch. "Have you ever seen Renegade?" I ask. "Who's Renegade?" says Van. "A horse," I say. "Come on." Thea and her dad are always on the move, from one small Cariboo town to another, trying to leave the past behind. They never stay long enough in one place for Thea to make friends, but when her dad gets work renovating a guest ranch on Gumboot Lake, she dares to hope that their wandering days are over. At the ranch she makes friends with Van, a local boy, and works hard to build the trust of an abused horse. When Thea unearths a decades-old mystery, she finally starts to come to terms with the losses in her own life.