Excerpt from The Easy Part of Impossible by Sarah Tomp, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"We know what we're doing," said Leo dismissively.

She scanned the overgrown field of shrubs and knobby trees. In the distance were hills and boulders—but also, somewhere, apparently not too far, was a cave.

"The latest rain made it muddier than usual," said Cotton.

"Looks like it," she said, even if she wasn't entirely sure how they'd gotten from one place to another. "You're completely muddened."

Cotton laughed. Loud and staccato. The same laugh she remembered from when they were little. As always, it made her laugh, too. With the way he grinned, the cave must have been worth the mess.

"Muddened," he said. "We are muddened. Completely muddened."

"Yep," said Leo, loudly, as if hitting a reset button.

She hated the way Leo looked embarrassed for his friend. She ignored him and instead focused on Cotton. "I had no idea there was a cave nearby."

She knew there were caves, in theory. They were probably composed of the same limestone that was dug out of the quarry back when mining employed most of the town. Every year in elementary school they'd been given a safety presentation warning of the dangers lurking below the ground. It had never occurred to her to look for one so close to her house. She shivered in the early sunlight, but it wasn't only the breeze hitting the sweat on her skin.

Now she was thinking about Esther, Cotton's little sister. When they were in fifth grade and Esther was in third, she'd gone out to play and never came back. She was someone Ria had seen almost every day, even if she never thought much about her. Esther was always there, until she wasn't. Their quiet town had suddenly become big news. Invaded by strangers, all wanting to help, but making everything feel wrong.

"Where's the entrance?" Ria turned to Cotton, felt him tense up. She'd forgotten he didn't like being touched without warning. She pulled away, leaving a clear space between them. She felt desperate to know more. "Will you show me?"

"I don't know."

"Please? I don't want to go in there by myself."

"No!" he said, obviously agitated. "You can't do that. Caving requires a partner. And proper gear."

"Then take me. For a peek, that's all," she begged. "So I can see where it is."

It was like she could see the struggle going on in Cotton's mind. He wanted to show her. But something was in the way. "My mother is expecting us home. She'll worry."

"Because of Esther." She knew it was true, but the shocked look on Leo's face made her wonder if she'd blown her chance by being too blunt.

"Yes. It's a matter of safety."

"Can't you call your mother?"

"I don't have my phone."

"There's no reception in the cave," explained Leo.

"Use mine."

"No, thank you." Cotton tucked his hand behind his back.

"Just show me where it is." She knew she was obsessing, but she couldn't give up, not this close to almost. The promise of a thrill hummed in her ears. "Please say yes."

"Yes," said Cotton. Then, to Leo, "That is a compromise. Right? Isn't this the kind of flexibility you say I need?"

"Sure, okay," said Leo. Then, glaring at Ria: "We'll show you the entrance, but that's it. We're not taking you inside."

"And you can't go in by yourself."

"I won't," she said, not entirely sure what she was promising.

The entrance to the cave was close to invisible. A large boulder and a scraggly, forgettable pine blocked the opening, only a few steps off the trail. She could have passed this spot a hundred times and never noticed it. But once she ducked her head around the tree, she immediately saw the hole. Cool air wafted over her skin as she breathed in something like mildew, but greener. Ria moved closer, squatted, and peered in. She could only see a few feet inside of the rocky entrance before meeting a wall of dark.

"What do you do in there?" she asked, standing up.

Excerpted from The Easy Part of Impossible by Sarah Tomp. Copyright © 2020 by Sarah Tomp. Excerpted by permission of HarperTeen. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.