3. Ethan
3
ETHAN
T he rain begins to fall soon after we cross the river, large heavy drops that thud onto the leaves of the dense bush around us.
I glance back at Lucy, and she’s got the hood of her coat pulled up over her head. Her glasses are spotted with raindrops, but she doesn’t complain.
I can’t imagine how she must feel with it being a kid in her class that’s missing. I only hope we’re on a wild goose chase here. From what I’ve been told about Olivia, it would be unusual for her to come this far and cross the river. But that bobcat is tracking something, and I hope like hell it’s not a little girl.
So we push on through the rain, scanning the ground for tracks as we head to the caves. There’s a slim chance if Olivia was caught out in the rain, she might have come this way for shelter.
The radio crackles every so often as other search parties report in. I pause to radio in our location and don’t mention the bobcat. I don’t want that leaking to the media when it might be nothing.
The rushing of the river grows louder as we get closer to the Giant’s Balls. This isn’t a pretty waterfall visited by tourists like the Wild Way Springs further down the trail. This part of the river is cluttered with boulders, and the water gushes a course over and around them. It’s a chaotic mess of white caps and angry froth as the water forces a path around the rocks.
It’s not steep but it’s slippery. The rocks pile in a staircase fashion, making for a few feet of messy whitewater as it finds its path back to the main stream.
That’s why it’s not on the tourist path. It’s not picture worthy.
But it’s the caves behind the rocks that I want to investigate. We stop in front of the wall of rock, and I pull out my flashlight. It won’t win me a fight against a bobcat if there’s one hiding up there, but it will scare it enough to think twice about attacking us.
The rocks are slick with rain, and the thick clouds make the late afternoon light seem darker than usual.
Lucy is breathing hard from the pace I’ve set. Her cheeks are flushed pink, but she shakes her head when I suggest she waits for me here.
“I’m not staying on my own if there’s a bobcat around.”
I can’t argue with that. Two of us together could scare the thing right off.
“Okay.” I nod. “Go slowly on these rocks. They’re slippery.”
I go first with the flashlight in my mouth, using both hands to scramble up the large boulders. I turn around to help Lucy, but she’s already pulling herself up behind me.
She’s tenacious, I’ll give her that.
We scramble up the next large boulder until we come to a rocky ledge. The stones are smaller here and my foot catches on the ledge, sending a trickle of pebbles streaming down the boulders.
Lucy dodges them and follows me up.
The rain is hammering us now, making it hard to see. I think about turning back, but there’s only one ledge to go until we get to the caves, and if Olivia’s hiding in there, then I need to get to her.
I scramble up the rain-slick rocks, trying to find my footing. My foot slips and my leg slides out from under me. I grip the top of the ledge and scramble to find a foothold, then haul myself up. I’m panting as I haul myself onto the ledge. Lucy is right behind me, and I reach my hand out to help her up. She’s shorter than me and her legs won’t be able to reach the stable foothold I found.
I’m not sure if she’s defiantly trying to do it on her own or if she doesn’t see me through her rain speckled glasses, but whichever it is, she ignores my offered hand.
As she pushes herself up, her body jerks out from under her. I can’t see from here, but I guess she slipped on the same spot I did. She gives a surprised cry, and her hand slips too. Then she’s sliding down the rock face. I lean over and grasp her wrist, stopping her fall before she gets too far.
Her body jerks and she cries out. I lie flat on the ledge and brace my feet on the back rock face, taking all her weight for a moment. Then she finds her footing again and the tension eases. Her face winces in pain, and she hisses through her teeth.
“You okay?” I yell into the rain.
She’s got her eyes squeezed tight and her face has gone pale. “Yeah.”
She looks anything but okay. She shifts her weight and winces. Her eyes open, and I wish I could see her properly through those damn rain-soaked glasses.
She hauls herself up and this time doesn’t try to shake off my helping hand. Finally, she drags herself over the ledge and scrambles backwards to sit under the sheltered ledge.
“I’m fine.” Her face is pale, and her lips are drawn together in a thin line. “I just need a minute.”
The rain lashes against the rocks, and I grab my flashlight from where I discarded it. “I’ll check the caves.”
She nods, and I head into the crack between the rocks. It smells like wet rock and moss, which is a good sign. No scent of animal living here. I flash the light around, and the cave is empty.
I go in further, checking the cavern that leads off to the left. There’s no sign of Olivia or a bobcat. I head back to where I left Lucy just as the rain gets harder.
She’s sitting with her back to the rocky ledge with her backpack still on and the rain lashing at her legs. Her face is pale, and I get the feeling she’s not as fine as she’s telling me she is.
I’m about to radio in that we might need a medic when my radio crackles to life.
“We’ve got her!” Suzie’s cries echo excitedly down the radio waves. “We’ve found Olivia.”
Lucy’s head jolts up at the news, and she gives me the first proper smile I’ve seen since I met her. Up until now her grim expression has made her features seem plain, but now she lights up in a smile that makes her entire face soften.
“Where was she?” Lucy asks.
I crouch next to her so we can both hear the report from Suzie. It seems Olivia ran off during the rainstorm, then got scared when she couldn’t find her way back. She was sheltering in the hollow trunk of an ancient oak only fifty feet from the parking lot. She had heard the search party but was too embarrassed to come out.
Relief floods me. The little girl is found with no more harm than a hungry belly and a little exposure. No bobcat tracking her, and she didn’t fall down a ravine or into the river. She’s alive and safe and will have no scars from this except a bad memory.
We can all go back to HQ. I’ll go for a beer with the guys, and Lucy can go back to Winter Town and do whatever the hell she does. Hell, she’s probably got a Valentine’s date. The thought makes me uneasy, although I’m not sure why.
When I look at the stoic teacher, I don’t want to go back yet. She’s been good company. We haven’t said much, but I appreciate her quiet fortitude. It seems a shame to part without finding out a bit more about her.
“Come on.” I offer my hand to help her up. “Let’s have a snack in the cave where it’s sheltered before we head back.”
She eyes my arm warily but takes it, and I haul her to her feet.
I grab my backpack and indicate for her to go into the cave first. As her weight comes down on her right leg, she buckles.
I’m by her side to catch her before she falls.
“I think I hurt my ankle.”
No shit. She’s been hiding it from me, but based on the way she hobbles into the cave, I’m pretty sure it’s sprained.
Which means we’re going to need a rescue.