She moved her fingers over the screen up to the mountains, following the traces of an old road towards what used to be the army camp of Cibao, until it stopped in front of a wall behind which, Sesame said, the rich Toplanders lived.

She leaned back in her chair. If they were going to leave Bana, they had no choice but to go to the mountains. Find a good cave. Maybe they would be able to grow some types of food, even find fruit on trees. And sleep at night.

She started searching for old tracks and paths. The roads would be patrolled by the Domins, using drones or ATVs.

She saw the scars of earthquakes, numerous mudslides and rock falls and vertical cliffs. She zoomed in to a curving line of rocks – some small, some giant-sized, flanked by trees. The trees were bigger near to the rocks. It had to be a dry stream bed. She traced it down to the foothills where it disappeared. Could they find that place from Bana?

“Sorrel?” Bibi came out of her room. “Child, you have to sleep.”

“I’m not a child,” she retorted. “Look at this. It’s an old stream bed. See the line of the rocks?”

Bibi approached and peered over her shoulder. “Could’ve been a stream. So what? There won’t be any water now.”

“We need to go to the mountains.”

“But –”

Sorrel slammed the PlAK shut and burst into tears. Bibi reached out to hug her. Sorrel pushed her away and walked over to the sink. Her head pounded and she was ashamed of crying.

“We have to t-try something,” she stammered. “What do we have to lose?”

“Pretty much everything,” Bibi said. “Like my job, which gives us food. We could be dead within hours of leaving Bana. We could starve. Die of thirst. Be torn apart by ferals. And the Domins…”

“You’re just afraid to try anything.”

“At least we know what this life is like.”

“And it’s guatan awful.”

“Don’t swear.”

Bibi walked over to window, now shut tight against the day. She rested her hands against the shutters, wincing a little at the heat from the wood. Then she turned to face her daughter. “I want to give you a chance of a better life, but what if this is all there is? Surely if it was better in the mountains everyone would be there?”

“Not if everyone is afraid to try. Can’t we at least think about it?”

“If we wait too long, all the good places in Bana will be taken.”

“I’m not staying, Bibi. I’m going.”

“Sorrel…”

“No. I’m done. Are you going to help me find a way out or not?”

“You’re all I have, One. Let’s look together, then.”

Sorrel reopened the PlAK and they sat in front of it. “We need to find a landmark.’

“For what?”