He slumps forward and lowers his head to his knees, sobbing.
“I’ve got you. You’re okay.” From my pack I pull a foil survival blanket and wrap it around his trembling body.
“Are you hurt? Are you injured?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
I tuck the foil blanket between his knees so he’s fully encased. “You’re safe now.”
I murmur reassurances until his sobbing subsides. There’s water in my backpack, and I pull it out and put a steady hand on his shoulder.
“Have something to drink, buddy.”
He looks up and wipes his sleeve over his nose. He’s grimy with dirt and his eyes red from crying.
He takes the water bottle, and as he drinks, I dig out a protein bar.
“Get some fuel down you, and you’ll feel better.”
He takes the protein bar and bites into it. As he chews, the color slowly returns to his cheeks. “Can you tell me what happened?”
He swallows his mouthful. “I saw this path, and it looked so cool with my phone light on it. So I ducked down it, and it was a low path so I was crouching, and it did look cool. But then my phonebattery died. And it was pitch black and I must have been here longer than I thought, because I couldn’t hear anyone.”
He takes a long, shuddering breath. “I tried to walk back to the path, but I got disorientated and didn’t know if I was going further into the woods. So I sat down to wait.”
I squeeze his shoulder. “You did the right thing. Never walk in unfamiliar territory in the dark without NVGs. You don’t know if there’s a cliff or a stream.”
“What are NVGs?”
“Night vision goggles.”
His lips curl up in a small smile. “Cool.”
It’s a relief to see him smile. He was scared, but he’s going to be okay.
“Come on.” I stand up and hold out my hand to help him up. “Let’s get you back to camp.”
I get my phone out to call Brooke, but there’s no signal. I hate to keep her waiting when she’ll be so anxious, but there’s no other choice.
“Have you got all your gear?”
I flash the light around the area, and he collects his rucksack and camera.
“Thanks for coming for me, sir.” I put a hand on his back and guide him to the path.
“No problem. But you’ve given your teacher a hell of a fright.”
He cringes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. She’s the best teacher. She’s the only one who doesn’t hate me, and now she probably will.”
I think about Brooke and her worried expression. She doesn’t see the kids as students. They’re more like her own children. “She’ll just be relieved to have you back safe and sound.”
We head down the path, and Justin coughs next to me. “Um, can you, like, not tell anyone that I cried when you found me?”
“It’s okay to cry when you’re upset and scared.”
He takes a moment to reply. “Yeah, I know. But can you still not tell anyone?”
I smile in the dark even though he can’t see me. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
