If I’m vigilant, no one will get hurt.
I make my way back to the campfire, scan to see who’s missing. Everyone’s here but Zoe.
“Did Zoe go to bed already?” I ask.
“She’s in her tent,” Parker says. “Went there a while ago.”
“I can go check on her, if you want?” Emma offers.
“That would be great, thanks,” I say. “Just need to give everyone the rundown for tomorrow.”
The fire crackles and pops, loud against the otherwise silent night. Emma is always able to draw out the talkative sides of Hunter and Silas and Parker, but once she’s gone, they revert to their usual introvertedways. Trey can also usually be counted on to fill the silence, but he’s preoccupied with getting a splinter out of his thumb at the moment.
Sadie’s extra quiet tonight, too. I hate seeing her like this—defeated, frustrated, upset—and I especially hate knowingIam the reason for it.
Emma returns, Zoe in tow. The circles under Zoe’s eyes look almost like bruises in this low lighting, shadows and firelight flickering across her face.
“Hey, everyone,” I say. “I’ll make this quick—I know you’re eager to get some rest. But tomorrow is our traditional day of solitude, so I just want to go over what that will look like since it starts at sunrise.”
All eyes are on me except Sadie’s.
I swallow, trying to shake off the way it snags my attention, the way I wish I’d worded things better when we talked—the way it would be so much easier if someone else were in charge and I were just another hiker.
But that’s not my reality right now, so I’ve got to find a way to put my feelings aside. To putmyselfaside.
“The traditional day of solitude,” I go on, “is built into every itinerary as a day of rest before we summit Mount Valerie together. From sunrise to sunset, we’ll spend the entire day in silence—no talking to each other, except in cases of emergency.”
“A whole day of silence?” Zoe says, arms crossed and clearly ready to get back to her tent. “What are we supposed todo? That sounds super boring.”
“We like to build in time for reflection,” I reply. “Is this trek everything you expected it to be, or totally different? Is there anything that surprised you along the way? Have you experienced any big shifts in perspective? Things like that.”
Parker and Silas and Hunter look eager, while Trey and Emma seem less convinced—and Zoe is just impatient.
When my eyes land on Sadie, she finally looks up.
Her intensity is magnetic. I can’t turn away.
She breaks first, though, so that’s that.
I clear my throat, trying to remember what I was going to say next.
“I have a couple of extra pens and can tear out some journal pages if anyone wants to write out their thoughts,” I go on. “There’s also a nature trail if you want to take a walk—it’s a pretty short loop, and all I ask is that you don’t stray from the path. We’ve got plenty of space to spread out, so you’llfeelalone throughout the day even if you’re not totally by yourself. Don’t go so far away that you’re off my radar—and this waterfall pool isn’t one you want to swim in, by the way. The last thing we need is for someone to get lost or hurt. Any questions?”
I glance around, leave space for the others to speak up.
No one does.
I’m just about to wish them good night and good luck when Sadie catches my eye.
“So, just to be clear, when can we talk again?” she asks.
Something about her question sends my mind straight back to an hour ago—the way I told her it would be most helpful for the two of us to not talk anymore, even though that’s the last thing I actuallywant—and it throws me for a loop, making me forget the context entirely.
When can we talk again?
I force my attention back to what she’s actually asking: after our collective day of solitude and silence, when can thegroupfeel free to talk again?
“Sunset tomorrow,” I say. “Silence is a discipline, so just do your best. If you forget, it’s okay to reset and start fresh.”
