The hike up the mountain took longer than anticipated. Between the children needing to rest and the natural difficulty of the terrain, the pace of the group had to be slowed much more than Ashleigh had hoped.
Looking at where they were on the mountain, she knew that if she went straight up, she could reach the village in only a few short hours. But, to keep the others safe from danger, she would first need to take them to the lake.
While the children sat and drank from their water bottles, Myka approached Ashleigh.
“Hey,” he said, smiling. “I know this is taking a bit longer than planned, but we can still make it up today.”
“It’s all right,” Ashleigh said. “We need to do what is best for the children, which means taking a slower pace.”
