We all agree it would be cool, whatever the form of transportation. It’s fun imagining our rescue.

What we didn’t know is how wrong we were.

23. The Viz

We’ve gotten good at finding dry kindling. This time we build a fire bigger than we need to boil water. Big enough to make us feel warm and safe, and a little sleepy after we fill our bellies with freeze-dried rice and chicken.

Raft building has left us so exhausted that at first no one has much to say. But when it’s dark enough that we can barely see each other in the flames of the fading fire, Mia clears her throat. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Uh-oh,” I joke. “Danger zone.”

She ignores me. “We worked together so great today, but really we barely know each other. We need to share, because that’s what friends do. Since this is my idea, I’ll go first.” She takes a deep breath. “I was born with a hole in my heart. I was supposed to die, but this surgeon, Dr. Maria DeFranco, she decided to try an operation that had never been done before, not on newborns like me, and it worked. Because of her, I’m alive.”

“And your heart is okay now?” Imani sounds concerned.

“Totally normal.”

I say, “That’s why your name is Maria?”

“Yes, that’s why my name is Maria. Okay, Daniel, your turn. Tell us something about you we don’t already know.”

Normally I’d never share personal stuff about my family, but this isn’t a normal type situation. Maybe that’s why I blurt out, “My dad has bipolar disorder.”

Silence. I’m starting to think I’ve made a terrible mistake, when Imani says, very softly, “I’m not sure what that is,” and Mia adds, “Me neither.”

“It’s a mental illness. Sometimes if his medicine isn’t working, or he forgot to take it, he gets super excited and talks a mile a minute about stuff that doesn’t make sense. Then after a few days it all crashes down and he’s so depressed he can’t get out of bed or take care of us.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Yeah. My mom has to work the late shift as a registered nurse so she can see us off to school and be there when we get back.”

“She sounds amazing,” Imani says.

“She is. She’s the best mom in the world, and my dad tries really hard, but he can’t help it, you know? It’s not his fault.”

“It’s okay, Daniel. Really. Thanks for telling us.”

We all stare at the fire for a while, thinking about stuff, until Imani finally takes her turn. “My secret is, I know why the search parties haven’t found us.”

“How could you know that?”

“Because I know about the viz,” she says confidently.

“What’s the viz?”