SHE’S ALIVE.
“She moved,” Alex is saying, excited. “I swear to God, I saw her moving.”
Dawn strains her eyes to stare down the north slope of the Raven’s Claw to where Amber lies on that big boulder, a couple of hundred feet below. She fixes her stare on Amber’s green Gore-Tex and tries to make out if Alex is telling the truth.
Dawn’s eyesight is okay but it’s not superhuman. She can still barely tell it’s Amber down there. She’s thinking Alex didn’t see what he thought he did. Like, maybe the new guy got overexcited.
She’s thinking there’s no way Amber could survive that fall.
But then, as she’s watching…Amber moves. It’s not much, but it’s unmistakable. Amber’s green jacket shifts slightly. She raises one arm above her head and waves, just a little bit.
Just for a second or two.
Then her arm falls to her side again.
She stops moving.
There’s no time to waste.
Lucas is already starting up the trail to the summit. “We gotta get down to camp,” he tells the others. “Hit that beacon and hope they can send a chopper by nightfall.”
Dawn’s right behind him. Alex, too. Even Brandon and Evan are hauling ass.
Only Warden and Christian haven’t moved. Christian’s staring over the edge toward Amber, then back toward where the Pack is ready to move.
Christian looks scared. He looks young. He looks like he always knew he was coasting on Amber’s competence and all-around boss status, and now that she’s gone, he’s got eight teenagers to keep safe and one gravely injured colleague to get rescued.
He looks like he’s not really sure he’s up for the job.
Fortunately, Warden seems like he’s ready to fill the void. “You guys go,” he tells Dawn. “Take the group down. Christian and I will stay up here and make sure Amber’s okay.”
Dawn looks at Christian, wondering how the counselor is taking Warden’s little speech. To her surprise, he actually looks relieved.
Lucas tugs at her arm. “Come on, Dawn,” he tells her. “Let’s go.”
Dawn glances back at Warden and Christian one more time. Then she turns and makes a break for the summit.