Page 6 of Mountain Void

“Their face.”

Charlie nodded. “Those are all part of who someone is, and who someone is… is never wrong.”

A small, earnest voice piped up. “Ms. Charlie?”

“Yes?”

“What about good things?”

“Oh, absolutely. Compliments are encouraged, and maybe even required when someone wears a truly excellent outfit.”

Compliments started flying around the circle.

She laughed. “Alright—who’s ready for math?”

A dramatic chorus of no shook the room.

“Fine,” she conceded. “We’ll leave math for Thursday. Tomorrow, we have a field trip!”

The rug erupted into motion. Charlie watched them, smiling, even as something tight settled in her chest. She believed in feeding their sense of adventure. She wanted them to grow up unafraid—willing to take risks, and open to new things.

Not like her.

A quiet voice inside her pushed back.

There’s nothing wrong with staying home with a puzzle.

Or with being careful.

Careful kept her safe. And things hadn’t exactly worked out that great the last time she took a big risk. But that was beside the point. This wasn’t about her. This was about the children—this was important to their future.

“The bus will bring us to the Drop Zone of Les Bois,” she continued. “We’re going to spend the day with the gendarmes, learning how they keep people safe on the mountain. They might even let us try the climbing wall they train on.”

Little eyes went wide as saucers.

“Wow.”

Wow indeed. Climbing was high—pun intended—on the list of things Charlie didn’t want to do.

“My dad says those men are heroes,” Ellie said.

Charlie’s throat tightened as her memories took over. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. For one treacherous second, she considered calling in sick. Letting somebody else fill in for her tomorrow. But that was cowardice speaking. That wasn’t who she was, or who she wanted to be for the children.

She took a deep breath before answering.

“Your dad is right. And tomorrow, we get to see them in action. So remember—sleep well, eat a nutritious breakfast … and wear your comfiest shoes.” She smiled at them. “Tomorrow is going to be epic!”

3

Lorenz

“You’re back!” Alex exclaimed. “Did you bring us back a medal? A cup?”

“Nope,” Lorenz replied, dropping himself gingerly into his chair. His legs were still screaming—louder than he wanted to admit. “Not even close.”

“Looks like you survived the desert, at least,” Tristan said.

“Without even a sunburn,” Ry added.