“My turn,” said Ashley. “I’m going to try three poses. Tell me which one is best.”

Mara looked around. Ashley was talking to both of them.

“Okay,” said Mara. She sat down by the fire.

“Here’s the first.” Ashley stood with a wide stance, legs locked, and put her hands on her hips. Looked out at the distance, lifted her chin.

“Wonder Woman,” said Kyle.

“You look strong,” said Mara. She thought that her feedback was better than Kyle’s.

“All right,” said Ashley. “Strong is good. That’s one option.”

Next she knelt by the fire, beside Mara; Mara wondered if she should move away. Ashley held the pot out over the flames, as if she were setting it there to boil, or else retrieving it. She posed for a few seconds and then withdrew her arm, laughing. “I can’t hold this for long. I’ll burn myself. But you get the idea.”

“Eh,” said Kyle, politely.

“I like it,” said Mara. “I like that it shows you doing something.”

Ashley nodded. “Doing something. Got it.”

For her last pose, she stood, smiling, and held out the pot with both hands. As if offering a drink. And Mara was struck by how simple it was—a pot—and how annoying it would be to survive without it, and how none of the others, even her, would have picked something quite so useful and plain.

“Definitely go with Wonder Woman,” said Kyle.

“I like the last one best,” said Mara.

“Why?” Ashley put the pot down.

“It seems more like you. Friendly. You didn’t come here to be tough, right? You came to connect with people.”

“That’s the one I liked,” said Ashley. “I’m glad you don’t think it’s stupid.”

“None of them are stupid.”

“The first pose seems powerful, though,” said Kyle. Ashley just smiled. The decision was made.

But when it came time for Ashley’s photos, Lenny directed her to the lake instead. He wanted to capture her rising from the water.

“It’ll be great,” he said. “You’re a swimmer, right?”

“In high school,” said Ashley. “Are you sure? I like holding the pot.”

“I’ll be honest with you, Ash. It’s not about the pot.”

“I thought I could hold it out to the camera.”

“Look at the light,” Lenny said. “The way it’s angled right now. You’ll look great.”

Ashley followed him to the shore.

Mara watched as Ashley took off her sandals and walked into the lake waist-deep. Ducked under and rose up, again and again, tunic stuck to her body, light glinting off her wet skin. Soon she was shivering. Lenny told her to swim around and come back when she was warm.

As soon as Ashley turned from shore, Mara saw what she meant about being a swimmer. Ashley slipped through the water like it was nothing, like she was pulled by an unseen string. Mara heard a twig crack and looked away—it was Bullfrog, dragging a log and grunting—and when she turned back to the lake a moment later, Ashley had almost reached the far shore.