Chapter 33

Randall made a face.

“Everything is following the plan. We already knew you would have a problem on the way. But it’s my fault for not carrying you and making sure it didn’t cause a delay. On the next walk, I’ll take you in my arms.”

That should have been a teenager’s most desired declaration of love, but I felt so useless that I just nodded. I didn’t want to keep staring at Randall and walked away from him, jumping and lifting dust along the dry ground, until I approached where my tent had been set up. Near it, mushrooms were growing and flowers spread among the vines of a nearby tree. I entered the tent before anyone else could stop me and lay down on the backpack and pieces of clothing I made into a bed—the usual setup I had in my shed.

I held the necklace around my neck and closed my eyes for a moment. I didn’t want to have fallen asleep, but it happened anyway. I rarely slept for long hours, and that happened from the other side of the border. Mom said I was a