Preview

Dark forces are at work in Tucson, diverting water and destroying the desert. Blessed with the ability to understand the ancient saguaros, high school freshman Jeremy Smith has escaped from a miserable life in a south Tucson trailer park—helped by his mysterious adopted grandfather, McCloud—to live on the east side of town. Although struggling with his reputation as a former gang member, he now plays baseball on the junior varsity team, and McCloud has taught him to ease the pain of his past by listening to the voices of the desert. Jeremy is beginning to find peace for the first time in his life, but he realizes the desert will soon die unless he can do something to stop it. After a vicious attack by a tiny, wicked mudrat, McCloud talks Jeremy into seeking help from the most unlikely source he could possibly imagine.

Wealthy classmate Crissy Delagua is the spoiled daughter of the man who owns most of the east side of Tucson. Popular and successful, Crissy has always hidden her bizarre ability to hear the saguaros, terrified of her social-climbing mother and the gossip of her rich friends. When she finds out Jeremy also understands the desert, she reluctantly agrees to help him find out why the saguaros are afraid. Together, Crissy and Jeremy begin to uncover disturbing connections between the disappearing water and the Delagua fortune. They quickly find themselves racing to save not only the desert, but the future of Tucson itself, pursued by a powerful man determined to achieve his evil vision at any cost.

The voice of the saguaro was ancient and wise, seasoned with the souls of centuries. And the voice was afraid.

Read an Excerpt

“Have you been studying the topics?” Ms. Hartshorn asked. “What would you like to do for your science project?"

“Saguaros.” Crissy glanced at Jeremy. “That is, if he even knows what a saguaro is.”

His mouth dropped open again, and he abruptly swung his feet to the floor. She was laughing at him! She had somehow messed with the project partner list, then pretended to be mad about getting stuck with him. He narrowed his eyes and stared at her with new respect.

“Why should I give a rip about saguaros?” he said. “I’d rather do a project on the Diamondbacks.”

Crissy turned away again, but not before he saw her grin. “I hate baseball. Besides, that’s not a science project.”

“I’m afraid she’s right, Jeremy,” Ms. Hartshorn added. “I see you’ve drawn a lovely picture of a rat. I don’t think that’s an appropriate desert topic either. Do you have any other suggestions?”

Jeremy looked at his sketch uneasily. He hadn’t paid much attention to what he was drawing. “No.”

“If you decide on a saguaro project, there are books in the library that can help you, and you can also use the internet for your research. Let me know what you decide.” Ms. Hartshorn moved on.

Jeremy stared at the mudrat he’d drawn. He could almost see the eyes glittering at him. He abruptly crumpled the page and tossed it across the room into the trash can. He turned to Crissy. “You can talk to saguaros, can’t you?”

“I’m going crazy,” she whispered, without looking at him. “No one better find out about this, or you’ll be sorry.”

Jeremy noticed several classmates watching them, and he shook his head and put his feet back up on the table. “I’ll bet you wanna study Crystal Lake too.”

She froze. “What does my dad's private lake have to do with anything?”

Jeremy took a deep breath. “Maybe nothing. But the desert is dying, and McCloud said Crystal Lake is the key.”

“Dying...” She finally looked at him again, and he was surprised to see fear in her eyes. For a moment they stared at each other, then his chair fell over backwards with a loud crash.

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