Clare straightened and staggered forward. One step, two, three. The path was narrow and it was difficult for Faye to walk alongside and support her. Clare grimaced with every movement. They persevered for less than a metre before stopping. Faye was breathing heavily and Clare’s face was grey and wet, whether from sweat or rain, the older woman wasn’t sure.

“Perhaps you can find me a better stick? Among the trees maybe?”

Faye shook her head. “I don’t think you’re up to getting back to the hut tonight. Not in this weather and not in your state.”

“But—”

“Clare, think about it: this is the easy part. I can’t see how you are going to manage going downhill. You must’ve noticed on your way here how steep and rocky the path is.”

“Yes.”

“If we go into the trees, I’ll build us some kind of shelter. We can stay there tonight. I have my space blanket.”

“Surely I can make it. To Heuningbos. I just need a better stick.” Clare was crying again.

“We’ll be okay for the night. Hey, weren’t you the girl who chose to sleep out in the open a night ago?”

Faye didn’t say how worried she was about Clare’s injuries, particularly the pain she described around her ribs. She’d learned how dangerous rib fractures could be after Veronica had suffered two broken ribs in a car accident years ago. Although the doctor who had attended her mother in the emergency rooms told Faye most patients with fractured ribs didn’t suffer complications and said the breaks, though painful, healed well over about six weeks, that wasn’t the case for Veronica. A few days after being discharged to recuperate at home, she was rushed to the operating theatre. It emerged her ribs and everything around them were so badly damaged she’d bled into her lungs. The injury could’ve been fatal. The memory worried Faye. It was important to get Clare checked out as soon as possible, but she didn’t want to make things worse by letting the girl exert herself.

“Do you think my ligaments are gone?” asked Clare after, having turned towards the trees, they managed only a few metres before she needed to rest again. “In my knee, I mean.”

Faye looked at her boots, which, she realised, were not as waterproof as the salesperson had promised. “I don’t know.”

“It folded under me as I landed.”

“The good thing is there’s not a lot of you to land on it.”

As soon as she’d said the words, Faye wanted to take them back. But Clare gave a small smile.

“Ha,” she said quietly. “Something positive about being anorexic at last.”

Faye gave a snuff of a laugh. “Come. Let’s get out of this rain. How’s your jacket holding out?”