We head out as before, with Mia picking the trail, clearing the way. Imani and me with Deke, making sure he doesn’t get tripped up. The night wasn’t good for Cindi. The poor lady moaned and whimpered in her sleep. This morning, she was too weak to swallow a little hot broth that had been saved for her. Her breathing seems really shallow, and even when she’s conscious, it’s like not all of her is there.

None of us want to say it out loud, but we’re scared she’s dying.

Imani tries to keep her awake, distracted from her pain. “Hey, Cindi! Cindi Beacon, superstar! Tiny Dancer! You’re the best, girl! Tell us about the big game, Cindi! World Cup, so amazing. We’d love to hear all about it. Oh, I know you’re hurting. We’re going to get the help you need. That’s a promise. So, you just hang in there, Cindi! We love you, everybody loves you!”

Cindi briefly opens her glassy eyes. Does she know where she is, or what’s going on? I doubt it.

If ever there was a time for a rescue, this is it.

We haven’t discussed the actual search that must be going on. But it makes sense a super-wealthy dude like Byron James would spare nothing to locate his missing daughter. He’d be running it like a military operation, hiring planes and helicopters and search parties, like Deke said.

So, where are they? Last thing home base knew about us, we were heading to a river a hundred miles from here. That’s where they’d look first. But when they didn’t find us at the original destination, they’d widen the search area, right? Would they be looking a hundred miles away? Would they be checking out the remote, Crazy River wilderness? Or was damage from the broken dam so massive they assumed nobody could have survived?

Put that out of your head, Daniel. It doesn’t help to imagine the worst, because worst means Cindi Beacon dies before we can find help.

Mia, leading from the front, joins in the optimistic chatter.

“Today is the day. I like the sound of that. First thing when I get back to civilization, wash my hair! Then eat a Big Mac. So icky but so delicious!”

Imani joins in. “I agree with the icky part! First thing the same for me, wash my hair for sure. Clean clothes. Then a cold, cold glass of milk. Then change into my favorite jammies and go to bed and let my mom read stories to me like she did when I was little.”

“Daniel?”

“I’m gonna roll in the dirt like a dog, because I’m still not dirty enough. Arf!”

That cracks the girls up.

“That’s so funny, Daniel! Deke, what about you?” Mia asks.

Silence for a few yards. Then, “I’d rather not think about it.”