"Isn't it beautiful, Cassie?"
Flora tilted her head toward her friend, eyes widening with the thrill of the climb. Even if it was not as complicated of a hike as she liked to challenge herself with, she still found the scenic views from the mountainside breathtaking. Each ache in her thighs as she ascended, the heaviness of her boots as she trudged further. But when she looked at Cassie, she saw her childhood friend's glazed expression and the pink tinge to her cheeks as she wheezed slightly, unaccustomed to the altitude of Flora's Colorado home.
"Y-yeah," she stammered. "I… I don't think I'll get much further today."
Flora slapped her on the shoulder, perhaps a bit too hard for someone as petite and tiny as Cassie, but beamed like the sun, still riding the high of their third day of adventure. This was the first big gain in altitude they had gotten. "No problem, Cass. We'll camp here for the night."
It had been a few years since the two young women had been reunited. For Flora's 2nd 29th birthday, she insisted on flying Cassie out to her home in Colorado, just outside of Denver. She had the money now that she was on her feet and worked closely with Rocky Mountains National Park as a wildlife veterinarian. All her life, she had fantasized to Cassie about moving somewhere picturesque like Colorado, Montana, Oregon, or Washington. Now that she had the time and money, Flora was finally enjoying the work she'd put to get to this point in her adulthood. So much school, so much working to stay afloat and out of student debt, and then finally getting her foot in the door where she most wanted to be. Colorado had presented her with the best opportunities, though she would have loved to work near Glacier National Park.
But the truth was, this trip, even under the guise of Flora's birthday, wasn't for her.
Cassie, her childhood best friend with an unbreakable bond, had just broken up from a long time relationship. She was engaged and he had cheated on her.
Flora knew all the details, listening to Cassie sob over the phone across the country in New Hampshire. She didn't know what to do, the last decade of her life had been with Justin. She packed everything up and found an apartment, but still didn't know how she was going to stay afloat. Justin had shouldered most of the burden of finances for their living expenses and Cassie's degree in American History had made it difficult to find new opportunities, especially since she had always decided to live where Justin's work was.
She had also never come out to Colorado previously because Justin didn't think it was a great idea to go without him.
And what does his opinion matter in the end? Flora thought tartly as she swiftly got their camp situated. They each had their own small, personal tents, but Cassie would take until sundown to get it up if Flora left her to do it on her own. She was still moving sluggishly, probably dwelling on the breakup rather than the fresh air which Flora had been hoping would be distracting enough.
From up where they dwelled along the treeline broke a few hundred feet above them. There were still gorgeous views of the sweeping valleys now cast over with an amber blanket as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, tucking the wilderness in for bed before it decided to disappear behind the mountains. Still, the sun was drenched in crimson and gold until the stars danced into view and winked like a flirtatious lover.
The girls laid out beneath the stars on the beautiful evening, a small fire crackling beside them, providing a nice copse of warmth as a gentle breeze cut through the mountains.
"I envy you, Flora," Cassie confided after their dinner of frank and beans over the fire.
Flora continued to stare at the sky, wondering what she meant by that. "Why?"
"You were smart, you have it all figured out now. You didn't get yourself wrapped up in a relationship and followed your dreams," Cassie answered.
Flora bit her tongue, trying to keep herself from self depreciation. Truthfully, she'd never been very good at making or maintaining relationships outside of the one she had with Cassie. She was gruff, sometimes abrasive, stubborn to a fault, and often told she had a nasty resting bitch face. "That's about all I've got aside from the wilderness," she admitted nonchalantly.
"That's not true! You're so strong! I don't know any other women as badass as you. A skilled hiker and climber, a veterinarian… you're great at boxing-" Cassie huffed, as if trying to hopelessly compare herself to her friend.
"Sure, I'm physically fit and like animals, but that's all I've got," Flora snorted. "You've got a way with people, Cassie. I don't. Animals like me, not many people do. Why don't you go back to school and get a degree in education? I bet you'd make a great teacher."
"I can't afford it. I don't know how I'm going to afford anything. Nearly 30 and I'm starting all over again," she whined helplessly.
"You could always move out here, you know. I'd help you get on your feet, get back in school-"
"I couldn't impose on you like that Flora. You already paid for my trip out here. It's too much for you to do."
"Cassie, I'm a single woman who makes a good salary and lives beneath her means. Trust me, I can afford to help a sister out," Flora retorted. "Unless I decide to buy 10 more monstera albos, then maybe I can't afford to have you move out here. C'mon, I've got an extra room in my townhouse. It's not like you'd be imposing and you get a fresh start where no one but me knows you."
The bait was set before her and the silence meant that Cassie was contemplating it. Flora knew that her friend didn't like to feel like she owed her anything, but Flora didn't see it that way. Cassie was the one in her life that had shown her what friendship was like even when Flora had been problematic and difficult to approach. Her love for boxing wasn't because it was just a hobby, Flora had gotten into a lot of fights.
They didn't have an easy life. Both of them had been orphans placed in the same foster home. Overflowing with other children who were seen as cash cows, they were left to their own devices to occupy themselves. This was a recipe for trouble, as their absent foster parents did nothing to quell the friction between the children.
Cassie had been different. She had seen past the tough, rugged exterior that Flora portrayed and battled past it to be her friend.
Her only friend. At least, it was that way for most of what Flora could remember. Sure, maybe Flora seemed cool, but most people couldn't stand to be around her for long periods of time. Of course, Flora had gotten better at being more social (with the cost of being accused of being arrogant), but she had always preferred just Cassie – she could trust Cassie with anything. Others… others liked to talk behind her back. Cassie and animals weren't like that. Even if it was a quiet life, Flora never felt lonely, especially when she backpacked out to a place like this and gazed upon the thousands of stars.
"I couldn't do that," Cassie said in a tiny voice. "I made mistakes and I have to live with them. I'll figure it out."
"Bullshit," Flora snapped. "If you don't want to live with me, that's fine, but don't try and take the high road, Cassie. Especially if it's going to cause you to go into debt and possibly become homeless. When you're in a better place, then I'll consider letting you pay me back… maybe."
Silence hung in the air until Cassie let out a little giggle. It was the first time since beginning their trip that she had laughed. "Fine. Fine. Thank you Flora."
"Don't thank me. Not yet anyways. That's just what friends do."
"It's more than that. You're more than that."
It was true, they were practically siblings in all but blood.
"And then you can join me on more hiking trips," Flora smirked, closing her eyes to enjoy the peace of the backwoods.
When she opened her eyes again, the sky was very much the same, but a chill had settled over them as the fire had died down. Flora blinked a few times, rolling over to glance toward Cassie, who must've fallen asleep too. It wasn't the safest thing for them to do, especially since she had forgotten to clean up. A bear could have stumbled on their camp, attracted by the smell of food. However, when she glanced around toward Cassie's sleeping back, she found that it was empty.
"Cass?" Flora grumbled, forcing herself to roll out of her bag.
She's probably just gone pee. That makes the most sense.
Flora began to clean up and wrapped their food in the sack she had brought. Hiking a little distance from the campsite, she hauled the food up into a tree and tied it out of reach of any animals, most notably brown bears. Usually she wasn't so careless, but sleep had cascaded over her before she'd even known it.
She had just finished checking the rope when she noticed a glow just outside the illumination of her head lamp. Not wanting to wander too far from where she camped, Flora only spared it a small bit of attention. It couldn't be another camp. She hadn't heard or seen any other hikers this far out on the trails. The park had hundreds of miles of protected land and Flora liked taking the paths less traveled.
She was about to turn back when she noticed a golden halo of hair.
"Cassie?" Flora called out. Her friend was approaching the light. "Cassie, hey, c'mon let's go back to camp. We don't want to get lost in the dark." It was a lot easier to get turned around in the cover of night, but her friend didn't respond. "Cassie!" she hissed, trailing after her friend despite her insides screaming in protest. Two mistakes so far tonight. She was never this careless.
Blood roaring in her ears, Flora trotted after Cassie, but despite her friend not being too far ahead, Flora couldn't seem to catch up. Her boots scuffled beneath her as she slipped down the slope of the mountainous landscape. "Cass!" she raised her voice. Why wasn't she responding?
The source of light was growing brighter, nearly blinding Flora whose eyes were more adjusted to the darkness. Shielding her eyes, the light began to fade so that she could see. Was a ranger nearby and shining some kind of vehicle's lights?
No, they'd have a horse out here. Maybe an ATV, but I doubt it.
Then she saw it, just as Cassie reached out to touch it. A golden sheet of glass that swirled and churned in front of a tree. Glass? Was it glass? No, it didn't really reflect anything, but she didn't know how else to describe it. There was an irresistible pull toward it, compelling her to draw near, to get lost within the church, hypnotic depths. Shaking her head, Flora snapped out of it and shouted as Cassie stepped into the light.
She kicked off, throwing herself after her friend in an attempt to stop her.
Flora fell.