And leave in the morning we do, very early. The sun is barely up when we pack ourselves into the car. I’m exhausted, but I notice that the air is fraught with tension between my father and Pierce. Neither looks at the other, and Pierce doesn’t look at anyone. They get into separate cars.
I fall asleep almost immediately, only waking when we stop briefly for gas. This time, there are no Pack relays to give us snacks. I assume it’s because we left too quickly for my father to arrange it. We pull up to the packhouse around four in the afternoon, the fall sun low in the sky and the colors of the leaves just barely changing.
As I get out of the car, my eyes barely open, I stretch. “I’m gonna sleep for a million years,” I mutter, as my father gets out of the car beside me.
“Belay that nap, m
