Spelunkers, a YA novel
No matter how dense people might seem, the human body is more than 99.999% empty space.
As 14-year-old Arne begins high school, he’s pretty sure his life can’t get any emptier. His mom has abandoned his family. His brother has disappeared. His dad lost his job and their house is in foreclosure.
At freshman orientation, a girl he’s never met before hugs him like a long-lost friend, then slaps him across the face. Hard.
Just when he’s wishing the earth would swallow him up, it actually does. Arne discovers he’s a Spelunker—able to manipulate his sub-atomic emptiness to slip into solid stone. The only catch is that he must stay connected to the outside world or risk being trapped underground forever.
He teams up with Bridget (the girl from freshman orientation) to rescue his brother from inside Arizona’s treacherous Superstition Mountains. Almost immediately, they’re hounded by agents from a powerful organization bent on protecting the fabled Lost Dutchman’s “Mine,” a massive gold vein accessible only to Spelunkers. The bad guys kidnap Bridget to use as leverage against the Spelunker brothers. Out of options, Arne must find a way to get her back without sacrificing the only thing he has left: his freedom.
SPELUNKERS is a contemporary young adult novel (with speculative elements), complete at 90,000 words.