Dan turns to Karo. “You see? Maeve gets it. It makes more sense.” He glances at the survey again. “Karo and I will go.”

“No—” Justin smacks the table. “No way, you’re not going alone.”

“I always get left behind—” Sadie flicks her pen across the table, hostile.

But even Karo is noticeably shaken. It occurs to Maeve that Karo doesn’t want to make the trek herself, she simply wants someone to do it.

Or maybe Karo knows something, and she wants someone—but who?—gone.

A hand on her back. Surprised, Maeve turns to find Sim sliding in next to her, too close. He nods at her again and it’s weirdly intimate. Like he’s responding to a question she didn’t ask.

She steps to one side, shaky. If Karo and Dan leave, the four of them will be alone here—just Maeve and Sim playing house, forced to manage petulant Sadie and spurned Justin. Glancing over at Justin now, Maeve sees the same weird energy coursing through him—angry, anxious. He can’t keep still. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he was coked up. Maybe he is.

Maeve focuses on the survey instead, the elevation marked in uneven, wobbly rings. You can’t be afraid of everyone, she thinks. There must be someone you can trust.

“Well, I’m not staying,” Justin says.

Everyone looks up.

“See?” Sadie throws an arm up and lets it fall, exasperated.

“I’m not staying here,” Justin says again. “Why should I? Why? To freeze, like Anna? No. If someone’s going down the mountain, I’m going too. We should all go. Why just you, Dan? Fuck that.”

Karo steps back, ready to take him on, but Sim speaks first.

“It’s okay. The four of you go down, then. I’ll stay with Maeve.”

He touches Maeve’s hand and her stomach tightens. Karo is watching her. There’s something deliberate in her eyes, something sharp and mindful.

“I don’t actually need anyone to stay with me,” Maeve says. “If you’re going to send help up here, I’ll wait, I can wait alone. I just can’t risk an accident, or—or anything, really. Whatever happened to Anna.” As soon as the name is out of her mouth, Maeve regrets it. She starts again, playing it as earnestly as she can: “I have kids waiting for me at home, and as much as I want to get out of here—believe me, I do—I just can’t take any risks. I can’t.” She turns to Sim. “But that doesn’t mean you should stay here too. I’m sure you’ll be an asset on the trip.”

Sim just stares her down. Calm. His hand over hers on the table.

“I’m fine to stay,” Sim says. “I’ll keep working. I’m the one who wanted to include avalanche isolation in the brochure. Remember?”

Maeve’s head spins a little and she feels herself straighten, as though being taller will help her stay in control. She asks herself again: Is it safer to go or safer to stay here? She’s about to give up when Karo surprises her.