“Viz is short for visibility, which is really important for flying helicopters. My dad was a pilot in the marines, and he talked about how dangerous it was flying in low viz, especially in mountain country. Did you notice the clouds have been so low we can’t see the mountaintops? Sometimes we can’t see the mountains at all. I’m pretty sure search and rescue would be grounded in weather like this.”

“The viz. Wow. Who knew?” Mia sounds amazed.

It is amazing, that Imani would know about helicopters, but even more amazing is the clever way she avoided sharing anything really personal. Maybe next time. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t talk about her family, because I know I can trust her with my life. Mia, too.

I fall asleep with my head on my knees and dream that I’m already on the river. Not on a raft, but floating in a swim tube. My whole family is with me. My little brothers, my mom and dad. We’re floating together, going slowly around and around in our swim tubes. We’re so happy, and our laughter sounds like the river.

Day Five

24. Hang On

The dawn is murky and dim. The sun can barely make it through the thick rain clouds. We’re so pumped to try out the raft that we decide to postpone breakfast until later in the day. Staying ahead of the enemy is more important than filling our bellies.

The raft is way too heavy to lift, so we put smaller logs under it as rollers. That was Imani’s suggestion. I’m getting the idea she’s good at math and science and geometry. Stuff like that. Not exactly my strong area. I’m more about daydreaming and drawing.

We shove the raft, pushing with all our might, and Imani’s plan works. The raft rolls slowly over the smaller logs and slips into the shallow water at the edge of the river. Mia ties the raft to the trunk of a tree, to keep it from drifting off before we’re ready to go.

“We don’t have life jackets, so it’s super important nobody lets go of the ropes,” Mia says, tightening the straps on her backpack. “Does everybody know how to swim?”

“I can do the crawl,” Imani says.

“Daniel?”

“Dog paddle. But I can keep my head above water.”

She rolls her eyes. “Just stay on the raft, please.”

Mia unties the rope. We give the raft a shove and climb on, gripping the ropes. We don’t have a paddle, so the raft is on its own, free to move with the current. At first, we remain close to shore, in knee-deep water, barely moving. Slowly we drift away from the riverbank, and the speed increases.

“This is so great!” Mia shouts. “Thank you, Imani! Thank you, Daniel!”