The next morning dawned clear and beautiful, the sun being exceedingly bright. Or so it seemed to Frank Hardy when the light touched his eyes.

He groaned and rolled over in his sleeping bag, trying to escape the harsh light. But the brightness wouldn't go away so, with a sigh of defeat, he blinked open his eyes--finding himself staring at an empty sleeping bag.

Where's Joe? he thought, raising up on an elbow as his panic from the night before came flooding back. But then he relaxed when he remembered that his younger brother was leaving with Kinzy.

Frank felt a little pang in his heart as he thought about the white-haired girl, but he pushed it away, determined to be cheerful. He and Joe had stayed up late the night before, just talking about anything and everything. Something, Frank realized, he and his brother hadn't done in a long time. They had decided that the next day--Joe's day to pick--it would just be the three Hardys on a fishing trip. They weren't even going to talk about any girls at all. Not Kinzy, Nancy, or even Callie Shaw, Frank's girlfriend. It would just be the three of them, the way the whole vacation was supposed to have been.

With a jaw popping yawn, Frank sat up, stretched, and began to pull himself out of his sleeping bag. Now that he was somewhat awake, he could smell the wonderful aroma of food coming from outside. It made his mouth water.

Finally, he managed to get free of his sleeping bag stumbled out of the tent, blinking as the already harsh sunlight became even brighter.

"Morning, bright eyes," came a sarcastic voice from somewhere in front of him.

Frank blinked rapidly, staring through sleep-filled eyes in the direction the person had spoken. I'd know that tone of voice anywhere. But I thought he was gone... "Joe?" he murmured drowsily, recognizing the form of his younger brother. "What are you doing here?"

Joe sighed and pretended to think. "Let's see.... I'm here because I'm on a camping trip with my dad and brother. What's your excuse?"

Frank sighed and shook his head. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. What I meant was why are you still here at the campsite? I thought you were going to go with Kinzy today?"

"She's not going to be here until seven," Joe reminded him. "If you would look at your watch, you'll realize that it's only six forty-five. 'Fraid you still have fifteen minutes to put up with me."

"That's fifteen minutes too long this early in the morning," Frank teased. The smell of food was making him become more alert by the minute.

"Very funny," Joe said. But he was grinning. "So, when are you meeting Nancy?"

"Some time around eight," Frank answered, sitting next to his brother on a log. He reached over and picked a piece of sausage off of a plate that was balanced on Joe's knees. "Gives me and Dad more time to get ready. I have no idea why Kinzy wanted you guys to leave so early."

"She said it was to beat the crowds." Joe held up his hands before his brother could protest. "Hey, I wasn't about to argue. The girl knows tons more about this place than I do."

"Well, it makes sense," Frank grudgingly admitted. "It probably wouldn't be as much fun if you had a lot of people around."

"No, I guess not," Joe said softly, studying his plate.

Frank also looked down, studying the ground. This was an awkward subject for them both. It was what had set both brothers off yesterday, and neither one were looking for a repeat performance.

"Frank," Joe suddenly said, his voice very quiet. "Can I...ask you a question?"

"Of course. What is it?" Frank was curious. His brother sounded...odd.

Joe took a deep breath and looked Frank strait in the eye. "Will you promise me that you'll never leave me? That you'll always be there for me, no matter what?"

For a moment, Frank could do nothing but simply blink at his brother, both shocked and moved by the words he had said and at the way he had said them. Then he smiled gently and laid a hand on Joe's shoulder. "I promise," he said, speaking just as softly as his brother had.

Joe smiled as he reached back, laid his hand on top of Frank's, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thanks, big brother. Thanks a lot. I knew I could count on you."

The close moment was suddenly shattered by the sound of a roaring motor that suddenly died to a quiet rumble. Both looked up to see a four-wheeler idiling right in front of their camp. Though the rider's face was turned away, both of them recognized the white hair that was pulled back in a ponytail.

"There's Kinzy," Joe said, dropping his hand from Frank's and standing up as he reached for his backpack. "Have fun today. Be careful. Tell Nancy and the others hi and I'll see them later." And with that he jogged off.

Frank watched him go, feeling sad as he cursed Kinzy's bad timing. So close, he thought sadly, doubting the moment with his brother could ever be recaptured. So close.

Joe was ready to go, to get away from everybody. He hated this awkward feeling that was shared between him and Frank. Though he had just shared a close moment with him, something that made him feel all good inside, he still was feeling weird around his brother. Maybe if they stayed away from each other for a day, the air between them would be cleaner. Then Joe could be genuinely glad to see his brother.

But Joe was going to have to wait.

Mr. Hardy, seeing who was on the ATV, stood up and smiled. "Good morning, Kinzy," he said pleasantly. "You know, all afternoon yesterday, I had this nagging feeling that I knew you from somewhere, but I couldn't remember where. Last night, while I was getting ready for bed, it dawned on me." His smile widened. "So, tell me. How's your mother doing?"

Joe stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face his father. Behind him, he heard Frank gasp.

Kinzy returned the grin, her eyes twinkling at the brothers apparent surprise. "She's doing just fine, sir. When I told her last night that I had met the Hardys, she nearly went crazy. She told me all about you. She says hello, and that she hopes you will stop by and visit her while you're here. She'd also like to meet the boys."

Their father bowed slightly. "Tell her I would be honored, and that I'll be glad to take the boys along."

"Dad," Frank suddenly hissed, unable to stay quiet any longer. "What's going on? You didn't tell us that you already knew Kinzy!"

Mr. Hardy chuckled. "I don't know Kinzy, Frank. The last time I saw her, she was just learning how to walk. I know her mother quite well, however. I came out here years ago to help with a case that Kinzy's parents were involved in."

Frank frowned. "That's funny. I can remember almost every case you worked, but I don't remember ever hearing you talk about this one."

Fenton laughed. "I should think not! You were only two years old when this case happened."

Frank's face turned as slight shade of scarlet. "Oh."

Still grinning, Mr. Hardy waved to the two teens now on the four-wheeler. "Well, you two had better get a move on if you want to beat the crowds here. Joe, make sure that you're back at a reasonable hour. Kinzy, don't let him forget."

"I won't forget, Dad," Joe assured him over Kinzy's musical laughter. "Bye, Frank!"

There was a loud roar, and they were gone, leaving a large cloud of dust in thier wake.

Frank stood and waved until he could no longer hear the drone of the ATV's engine. Then he turned back to his father and sat down. "Well, Dad. Have you got any more secrets hidden away that you want to surprise me with? Such as Joe is actually my brother and not some creature from another planet like I've always been told?"

Fenton laughed, also taking a seat. "No, no more shocking secrets. At least, not any I can tell you now. And don't mention that to your brother. It could devastate him. Your mother and I were going to wait until he was older to tell him that he was human."

"Ah, so it is true." Frank let out a very dramatic-and very phony-sigh. "I was afraid of that." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Dad, tell me about Kinzy. Earlier, you were only asking how her mother was doing, then you said that the case involved both of her parents. And I know she mentioned a brother yesterday. I know you would have been wanting to know about all of them unless something had happened. Did something happen?"

Fenton sighed as he leaned back and closed his eyes. "Over the years, I managed to keep track of Tim and Valerie Phillips, along with their son and daughter. They were really nice people. Both of them worked somewhere in the government, which is how they came to be involved in the same case as me. A few years later, they were involved in another case. A very dangerous case." He sighed and opened his eyes. Frank thought they looked sad. "Unfortunately, this case didn't turn out as well as the others. Tim was shot and killed. Valerie was a also shot, but she lived. She's paralyzed from the waist down, however."

"That's awful," Frank said softly. He suddenly felt sorry for Kinzy. "What about her brother?"

"After her father was killed, Kinzy began to get interested in extreme sports. Rafting, skateboarding, snowboarding...You name it, she did it. She threw herself into it. And she was good at it. Her brother also got into sports. But he, unlike his sister, found one he was really good at and concentrated on it. It was racing. He was eight years older than Kinzy. But, sadly, he, along with Kinzy's boyfriend, were killed in a racing accident last year."

Frank just sat there, blinking at his father as his mind struggled to comprehend all the information it had just been given. He was unable to speak. He tried to imagine losing his father and having his mother paraylzed while he was still young, then lose Joe and Callie at the same time later on.

He shuddered. He couldn't do it. He felt like crying just doing that. He knew then that Kinzy must have an extremely strong will. His earlier resentment of the girl faded away into an overwhelming respect.

"I don't see how she pulled through," Fenton said quietly, staring off into space. "I haven't actually talked to Valerie since Steve was killed, but I did hear that Kinzy was hospitalized shortly for depression."

"It was the river," Frank murmured. "Yesterday, when she was talking so passionately about her job, about the river itself...I thought she was just overzealous. But it gave her something to hold on to. It probably saved her life."

Maybe it was a good idea, letting Joe go with her. I only hope Joe can find something like that to hold on to.

Frank shook his head. That was something he didn't want to think about. At least not here. Not now.

"Come on," he suddenly said, getting to his feet. "Let's get ready for the day."

Joe Hardy was having the time of his life. He was riding through the beautiful Yellowstone National Park on a four-wheeler behind an equally beautiful girl who--

Stop, she told himself, squeezing his eyes shut and gently shaking his head. Iola is the only girl I'll ever care about. Just because she's dead doesn't give me an excuse to oogle every girl that can walk and talk. I won't betray her that way. Even if they are like Kinzy.

"There's this really high spot deep on in the canyon," Kinzy suddenly said, breaking his thoughts. Her voice was loud, competing to be heard with the engine of the ATV. "I thought we could climb it first, then rappel down it. We'll tackle a few more spots if you want, then we'll go swimming for a few hours before heading back. It's the best spot in the park."

Joe grinned, though he knew Kinzy couldn't see him. He felt better just by being around her. "Sounds like a plan to me," he shouted back. He knew he had to be louder, because the wind would snatch his words away.

"Good. I hope you got a lot of sleep last night and have plenty of energy. This is a real monster."

Joe shrugged. "Hey, I'm up for anything.

"

Kinzy turned in her seat long enough to flash him that devilish grin he had found himself falling in love with the day before. "I hope you won't be regretting those words later on today."

His eyes flashed. "I know I won't. Trust me on that, girl."

She laughed, causing him to grin. "All right! We've got ourselves a true tracker. We'll see how you hold up today, boy."

His grin widened. "I guess we will."

She fell silent then, concentrating on navigating the four-wheeler down a steep and rocky path. Finally, she spoke again, her voice much more quiet than it had been.

"Was everything...okay last night? Was your father or brother upset with you?"

Joe shook his head, then remembered that Kinzy couldn't see him. "No, thank God. They were just really worried because I had been gone so long and it was getting late. My dad was about to go to the ranger station when I got back." He paused. "I want to say thanks for helping me out last night. I'm sorry if I implied that my brother didn't like you when I said you didn't need to come to camp. I was just afraid he might blow up at me and I didn't want you to get caught in the middle."

"Hey, it's okay." Her voice suddenly got strangely quiet, and Joe had to strain his ears in order to hear her over the four-wheeler. "I know what it's like to know a brother's love. It's one of the most powerful bonds on earth. There's nothing else quite like it..." She broke off, and Joe swore he could hear her getting choked up.

He blinked. But how does she--Oh, that's right. She did mention something about a brother yesterday. But why didn't Dad ask about him this morning when he was asking about her Mom? Or her Dad, for that matter? Strange...

"Are you okay?" she suddenly asked, breaking his reverie. "You went real quiet on me all the sudden."

"I'm fine, " he assured her. "I was just thinking."

"A penny for your thoughts?"

"My brother and I..." He trailed off, fumbling for the right words to say. "We don't agree on a lot of things. It's not like we fight all the time. We just don't see things eye to eye, you know? But I love him to death, and I can't even imagine life without him."

Kinzy didn't answer right away. Instead, she brought the four-wheeler to a hault, which puzzled Joe. After the roar of the ATV, the area around them seemed unnaturally quiet.

After a minute or so of silence, Kinzy turned around and looked at Joe. It was then he noticed how sad her silver eyes looked, and how they seemed to hold much more wisdom than any seventeen-year-old's eyes should.

"I'm going to give you a piece of advice, Joe," she told him quietly. "It's a piece of advice I want you to promise me you'll always follow." She sighed a very sad sigh. "Hold on tight to your brother, Joe. Treat each and every day as if it were his last, because it just might be. Tomorrow, you could wake up and he'd be gone." She offered him a small smile, and her eyes sparkled with uncried tears. "Take it from someone with experience. There are so many things I regretted either saying or not saying to Steve before he died. Now, it's too late for me. But not for you." Her gaze pierced his eyes. "Will you make me that promise? Please?"

Joe found himself having to blink away his own tears that had suddenly sprang up. "I promise," he whispered. And he meant it.

She nodded, turned back around, and started the engine once more. Again, the woods were filled with the loud roaring noise. In no time at all, they were once again on their way.

Frank was finishing up stuffing his backpack with things he thought he would need on his hike when Nancy pulled up next to the van in her blue Mustang. He found himself smiling as she climbed out, dressed in khaki shorts and a whit tank top. Her hair was pulled back in a long ponytail.

Her father climbed out of the passenger side, dressed like his daughter. rank waited to see another blond figure climb out, and was puzzled when no one else emerged from the car. "Where's Bess?"

Nancy sighed and jerked a thumb to indicate the backseat of her car. "Sleeping Beauty didn't get all eight hours of her beauty sleep last night, so she's napping in the backseat, along with our backpacks."

Frank chuckled. "No wonder she and Joe get along so well. Sounds just like him. Always trying to get that extra five minutes of sleep."

Carson frowned as he looked around. "Speaking of Joe, where is he? It's too quiet around here."

Nancy drew in her breath sharply and closed her eyes, ready for a disaster. She never told her father exactly why Frank had stopped by the night before. She should have warned him not to mention Joe around Frank. Not today, anyway. Now that it was too late, she could only hope that Frank wouldn't blow up.

He didn't, much to her relief. Instead, he simply waved his hand absently in the air. "Oh he's off with Kinzy somewhere. She came and got him about an hour ago. I think they were going to go rock climbing, rappelling, then swimming. He'll be back sometime later tonight. Oh, he also asked me to tell you all hello."

"Oh, I see." Carson dipped his head. "Tell him hello in return, and that we're sorry we missed him."

Frank smiled. "I'll be glad to."

Suddenly, the back door to Nancy's car opened, and a tosseled blond head poked out. "Nancy, are we there yet?" a groggy voice asked.

Nancy grinned. "Yes, Bess. We're already there."

"Then why didn't you wake me up?" the girl complained as she unfolded herself out of the car.

Nancy giggled. "You just looked so cute all curled up back there, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I figured I'd wake you up whenever we got ready to head out."

"Well, I'm awake now." Bess attempted to smooth her wrinkled khaki outfit-not having much success-and glared at Frank. "What's the big idea, making me get up at such an ungodly hour, Hardy? I'm on vacation here, remember?"

Frank grinned. "I'm sorry, Bess," he said sincerely, trying not to laugh. "I promise I'll make it up to you."

"You'd better," she grumbled.

Frank just chuckled as he slung a strap of his backpack over his left shoulder. That girl really did remind him a lot of Joe. He wished his brother was there with him. "Hey, Dad!" he called, looking towards his father's tent. "You about ready to go? You've been in there for over an hour!"

"Be right there!" came the muffled reply.

Frank rolled his eyes and sighed. "That man is just about senile," he muttered. "The older he gets, the longer it takes him to get ready. And he has to carry more stuff with him everywhere he goes."

Carson Drew suddenly began to laugh uncontrollably, causing surprised looks from all three teens. He held up his hand, traffic-cop style, as he tried to get his laughter under control.

"I-I'm sorry," he managed to gasp, wiping tears away from his face. "It's just...The thought on anyone calling your father senile--" He wasn't able to finish as he began to laugh all over again.

Frank tossed as sheepish grin at the girls as his face turned red. Nancy's father was right. 'Senile' was not a word one would use to describe the famous detective Fenton Hardy.

At that moment, Frank's father emerged from his tent, backpack in place. "What's all this racket out here about?" he asked, shooting a confused look in Carson's direction. The lawyer was still doubled over with laughter.

"It's nothing, Dad," Frank assured his father. "Just your son showing how stupid he really is."

Fenton grinned and put an arm around his son's shoulders. "This is not good. You're beginning to take after your brother."

A look of mock horror came over Frank's face. "Please, don't say that! Joe is bad enough. It's scary to think that I could be like him!"

This caused the rest of the group to laugh. Frank realized how much fun this trip was going to be. He only hoped that Joe, wherever he was, was going to have such a good time, too.

"So, what are we taking?" Nancy asked, looking at Frank. "My car, or your van?"

"My van, of course," Frank answered, as if to think otherwise would have been stupid.

Nancy pouted. "What's wrong with taking my car, huh? It's a good car. Why do we have to take your van?"

"Well, the van's bigger, for one reason," Frank pointed out, holding up a finger. "I seriously doubt that all five of us plus our bags could manage to squeeze into your car."

"Yeah, but--"

And Frank continued smugly, holding up another finger, "it's a lot more powerful than your car, thanks to Joe's constant tinkering. If we were to get stuck, or anything were to happen to any of us, we would be a lot better off being in the van."

Nancy sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. No matter how many times she and Frank had this argument--and that had been quite a few times--Frank always won. True, Joe had put enough stuff under the hood of the van to qualify it as a racing vehicle. But they also had to remember all of the times Nancy's car had got them out of tight spots. It wasn't a hot rod, like the van was, but it pulled it's weight.

"Don't worry about it," Frank said cheerfully, patting her on the shoulder. "One day, I'll let you borrow my brother so that he can fix that baby up for you. Right now, however, I say let's get in the van and head out."

Nancy nodded, and went to retrieve her backpack out of the back of her car. Nothing was going to put a damper on this trip, not even Frank. She was going to enjoy herself. Enjoy the warm sunshine, enjoy the company she was in. If only Joe had been there with them... Then things would have been perfect.

Joe had to cran his neck all the way back to see the top of the rock wall that Kinzy had said was the one they were to climb. He simply stared up at it, jaw hanging open.

It was huge. It had to be nearly twice as big as the one he and Frank had climbed on their first day at the park.

"Wow," he said in an awed whisper. "When you said it was big..."

"You didn't think it was going to be this big," Kinzy finished with a grin, coming to stand next to him. She looked up at the top and sighed. "Yup. That's nine hundred feet of rock, strait up."

Joe turned to look at her, eyes wide with shock. "Nine hundred?"

"You got it. It's the highest point in the whole park."

Joe looked back up. "I believe it."

Kinzy grinned at him, biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing at his awed statement. "Well, let's get started, shall we?"

He turned to look at her. "You read my mind."

"Good." She walked back over to the four-wheeler and reappeared at Joe's side, a moment later, with two coils of thick rope, one of which she handed to the younger Hardy. Then she handed him two blue clamps, devices that reminded Joe of some of the more high-tech bombs he and Frank had encountered.

"You do know how to climb, don't you?" the girl asked him, a mischevious light dancing in her silver eyes.

Joe snorted. "Puh-lease. Do I know how to climb? I'm an old pro! In fact, my brother and I went climbing Monday, the first day we got here. It was a tough climb, too. But I managed."

"Good." She gave a happy smile. "That means I won't have to keep explaining over and over hoe to set your clamps and rope." Her face suddenly fell. "Unless you've never been climbing that way before?"

He tossed a reassuring grin at her. "Well, what do you know? I hvae. Must be your lucky day."

"Thank God for that," she said, shaking her head. "You have no idea how stupid some of these vacs really are, even if they act like they know what they're doing."

Joe was puzzled. He had never heard that term before. "Vacs? Sounds like a vacuum cleaner salesman."

"Not quite. Thats the term we use here for vacationers. Tourists. Especially the dumb ones. You're no ordinary vac, trust me."

His grin reappered. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Kinzy. I'm not an ordinary anything."

This time, she did start laughing. "Now, why doesn't that surprise me one bit?" She shook her head, still chuckling. "Well, let's get started." Her develish grin reappered. "Last one to the top of this sucker is a rotten egg!"

Two minutes later, with his clamps and rope set and ready to go, Joe was more than ready to tackle the cliff.

"This shouldn't be too bad," he speculated, pausing once again to stare up to the top.

"That's because you've never climbed it," Kinzy's assured him, still grinning evilly. "By the time you make up to the top and rapel down-if you're able to make it that far-you'll be ready for a nice, long swim. Trust me."

Joe grinned, his blue eyes flashing with the same insanity he had felt the day before while reafting. "Trust me, I'll be ready for that swim. I'll make this climb without a problem."

She lifted her eyebrows. "Ooooh. Famous last words there. I promise I'll hold you to that." She grinned. "Ready to go?"

He was already starting to feel that high he had gotten from rafting, and it made him feel good. "Let's rock and roll!"

"You're on!"

Joe grabbed his rope and, after tugging on it slightly to make sure it was secuerly set in his first clamp, he started his climb.

Even though he had put on bravado, he knew that it was going to be a tough climb. Over half of the rock was was sheer rockfall, slick, with no handholds at all were his rope to break. The rest of it was jagged, full of outcroppings, much like the rock he and Frank had climbed two days before. He was glad that Kinzy wasn't climbiong on the same rope as he was. At least he didn't have to worry about dropping rocks on her. But he doubted she would whine about it as much as Frank had.

They climbed in near silence for the next half hour as they climbed, pulling up the rope and setting their clamps. They spoke only to warn each other of potential dangers, or simply to break the silence when it got too loud for them, saving their air for the climb.

In the silence, Joe was able to make out the diffrent sounds of the canyon below and above him. Birds called out to each other, their chatter echoing off the walls around them. There were other sounds around them, too. Sounds that he knew must belong to the diffrent wild animals that inhabited the park.

But there was one sound that he kept hearing that he couldn't quite place. It sounded like something was tearing, but Joe knew he wasn't caught on anything that would cause his shirt to rip. Neither was his partner. So what could it be?

He frowned as he stopped climbing. "Kinzy," he said softly, "do you--"

He was interrupted by a loud snap, and then he saw the frantic statement on Kinzy's face. It didn't take him very long to figure out what that sound had been.

The rope seemed to float, almost lazily, to the ground below. Half a second later, Kinzy let out a strangled cry and began to follow it, tumbling backwards with nothing between her and the ground that lay almost five hundred feet below.

Promises Made