Charlie wanted to throw up every time she thought about her sister’s pitiful, pained voice. She had to be okay. Whatever had happened during the past week with Cass in L.A., Charlie no longer cared about any of it. She just wanted to hug her sister.

“Cass!” Charlie’s throat was raw, the cold air making it worse every time she took in a breath. “Cass, where are you? Oh!” She tripped then, falling forward so quickly she didn’t even have time to do much aside from get one arm under her to break her fall.

Jake, who had been ahead of her, turned around and, seeing her on the ground, sprinted back down the trail. “Charlie!”

“I’m okay,” she said, as he helped her up. He held her arms, shook her gently so she looked at him. “Charlie, hey, it’s okay. We’re going to find her. I promise.” She nodded and wiped at her cheeks, where tears fell and froze almost instantly.

They had been on the trails for about fifteen minutes, and it was getting more bitterly cold with every passing minute. With each step they took, Charlie started to lose the tiniest bit of hope. It had been almost forty-five minutes since Cass had called. The snow was coming down so hard she could barely see three feet in front of her even with the flashlight. And it was deep on the trail, making it hard to move quickly. If Cass was hurt and unable to walk, it wouldn’t be long before hypothermia set it. Charlie had never been this scared.

“Over here!” Miguel shouted from farther up the trail.

Charlie broke into a run, bounding up the trail as fast as she could. Her lungs burned and she couldn’t catch her breath. Jake was beside her, one hand holding his backpack straps as he ran, the other hand keeping the flashlight beam as steady as he could on the path.

A second later Charlie and Jake saw a beam of light pointing up, and found Miguel on his knees beside an inert Cass. Charlie dropped to her knees as well, quickly putting her hands underneath her sister’s head to cradle it against the snow. Cass’s hair was matted with blood on her right temple, where a nasty-looking gash had opened. Charlie touched her own right temple, remembering the sharp pains earlier at the fire station. Cass’s blood had dripped down her face into the snow, the ice crystals an alarmingly deep pink. Her sister was unconscious, but as Charlie put her cheek to Cass’s lips she felt a puff of warmth. “She’s breathing! Oh my God. Can you hear me? Cass! Please wake up. Please!”

Jake had taken off his backpack and was pulling out the first aid kit. He handed Charlie a survival blanket, which looked like a large piece of tinfoil. “Get this on her.” With shaking fingers Charlie laid the blanket across Cass’s torso and legs, doing her best to keep it on her sister despite the wind. Then Jake asked Miguel to move aside so he could treat Cass’s head wound, but Miguel wouldn’t budge. Instead, he held out a hand for the first aid kit. “I’m a physician assistant. I’ve got this. But can you get us help to get her out of here?”