Chapter 4

The next morning, my mother yanked me out of bed.

The grogginess hadn't lifted from my head yet.

When I stood up, the room in front of me kept spinning.

"Hurry up. Kate and Curt have been waiting downstairs for ages."

She shoved me into the back seat. The heat in the car was cranked way up.

Kate sat in the passenger seat, playing music off her phone over Bluetooth.

When the shrill heavy metal came blasting out, my temples throbbed a couple of times.

Kate's voice was very soft.

"Curt, open the back window, it's a little stuffy in here."

Curt flicked her forehead.

"Say brother."

Then the window on my side rolled halfway down.

The cold wind poured straight into my neck, sharp and biting.

My throat started to itch, and I couldn't hold back a few muffled coughs.

"Could you close it? I'm a little cold."

No one reacted.

I knew they were starting to fulfill that default birthday wish again.

I had reached the onset period Kate had decided on for me.

Kate started handing out her supplies.

"Curt, have this orange, it's so sweet."

"Mom, have this bread, it smells wonderful."

I curled up in the back seat and went completely silent.

By the time we reached the foot of the mountain, I felt like I'd just been fished out of the water.

My mother gave me a hard shove.

"Move faster, quit dawdling."

Then she brushed past me and caught up with the others ahead.

I dragged my feet and barely managed to keep up.

They took an undeveloped trail, thick with weeds and brush, where one wrong step could send you tumbling down the slope.

My voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

"This trail is too dangerous."

The three of them ahead didn't even break stride.

Kate charged out in front.

Curt stayed behind her, sweeping aside the weeds in her path.

My mother followed behind them, holding up her phone to photograph the scenery.

I stopped, lowered my head, and took a few quick breaths. When I looked up again, they had vanished completely.

My heart lurched.

"Curt!"

"Mom!"

Everything around me was empty. Not the slightest response.

My steps quickened.

The next second, my right foot slipped, and I plunged down out of control.

After a dizzying whirl, a sharp pain shot through the back of my head.

...

Not far ahead, in the tall grass, Kate had pulled Curt and my mother down into a crouch among the weeds.

The grass here was tall and dense, enough to hide all three of them completely.

Curt's brow furrowed.

"Why isn't there any sound? Nothing happened to Nancy, did it?"

Kate rolled her eyes.

"What could happen to her?"

"We're just making her worry for a bit, letting her suffer a little, so she stops trying to hog everyone's attention."

The mother patted her chest to reassure him too.

"That girl's got the toughest luck of anyone. We'll go on our way, and she'll catch up in no time."

So the three of them set off again.

They hadn't gone far when a professional climbing team stopped them.

"This trail hasn't been developed yet. How did you end up on it?"

Kate's face went pale.

"I followed a guide online. It said this route would get you there just in time for sunset."

They waved their hands.

"We climb all the time, we can't be wrong. You got fooled."

They had Kate and the other two join their group.

After switching to another route, everyone caught the sunset without any trouble.

By the time they got back to the foot of the mountain, it was already pitch dark.

"You should head back early. It's very dangerous in the mountains at night."

Curt suddenly grabbed his arm, his face pale.

"But we've still got someone up there!"