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“Darius?”
He paused and glanced back down at her. “Yep?”
“Are those clouds okay?” Addisyn didn’t want to take her hands off the metal to point.
He glanced at the horizon, then pulled his goggles up to check again. A moment of quiet swept the mountain as the sun drifted behind one of the clouds.
“I’m not sure.” His voice sounded uncertain. “Um...right up here is a rock ledge. Let’s stop there and check the sky again.”
When she reached the ledge, Darius was squatted there, smiling at her. “Just sit here for a moment and breathe.” His voice was gentle. “You’ve done great.”
Warmth swelled inside Addisyn’s chest at his praise. “Thanks.” Even that short word came out in a gasp. “I—can’t breathe.”
The corner of Darius’s mouth tipped up sympathetically. “That’s the altitude. Air is thinner up here. Be careful you don’t get altitude sickness.”
Altitude sickness? Whatever it was, Addisyn was sure she would get it. Or maybe she already had it. “What—is—that?”
“Comes when the body has a hard time adjusting to the thinner air.” Darius shifted his weight slightly. “Watch for symptoms. Nausea, dizziness, confusion. Things like that. Breathing deeply will help.” He pulled a water bottle from his backpack. “As will drinking plenty of good ol’ H2O.”
Addisyn reached for her water bottle as well. The water was cold—too cold. Or maybe it was she who was too cold. “Darius, it’s colder.”
“Partly the higher elevation, partly the cloud cover.” He pushed his helmet back and eased to a precarious standing position to examine the horizon.
Addisyn followed his gaze. It was easier to look out when she was sitting down. “The sky looks bad.”
“I know.” Darius frowned. “I think we’ll be okay, though. Right up here is a big level area where afternoon groups stop for lunch. The views are 360. We can check the clouds again there.” He snapped his carabiners to the cable and forged upward again.
Wait for me!Addisyn thrust her bottle into her backpack and struggled to hoist the bag onto her shoulders. Why had she taken it off, anyway? She fumbled with the straps. Darius continued plowing ahead, unaware of her plight.
There, all set. She tried to climb quickly, but her legs felt more and more like lead weights. Something brushed the tip of her nose. Another something splatted on the back of her glove. And another one—on the rock in front of her.
Raindrops.
“Darius?” He didn’t turn around, clearly unable to hear her gasping call. If only she didn’t have to keep moving those darn carabiners, she could probably catch up with him. That slowed her down every few seconds, her cold fingers fumbling with the ornery catches. She looked around. This part was still a tough climb, but it was much less steep, with none of the sheer precipices they had encountered originally. What if she quit hooking herself to the cable? It wasn’t like she was going to fall; she had the hang of this now. And it would save her a lot of time.
Yes, it would be okay. Carabiners dangling limply from her belt, she grabbed the next rung with renewed energy. Now she could hurry up there and be right behind Darius again.
DID IT HAVEto rain today? Darius shook his head in amazement. The stray raindrops had been joined by others, and already he could feel himself getting soggy. Call it karma, kismet, luck—whatever you called it, his was bad. The frustration made him feel like crying as he continued climbing.
His grip on the rungs momentarily tightened as a gust of wind whipped by. There had been no chance of rain today, but—“The mountains make their own weather,” Terry always quipped. Apparently they were doing just that. Didn’t anything ever go right for him?
He’d thought it would be a lovely day, a new experience that Addisyn would relish. They’d climb the mountain together, then relax at the top, basking in the warm sunshine while snapping photos and eating the PB&J’s he’d brought. Maybe she’d lean her head on his shoulder and tell him what a great day she’d had.
Now it was cold, it was raining, and thanks to the low-hanging clouds, the views were as impressive as a smoggy city street. Darius swiped the back of his glove against his mouth. This wasn’t fun even for him, and he’d known few bad days on this mountain. It must be pure misery for Addisyn. To top it all off, when he’d searched for his water, he’d found the sandwiches, slid to the bottom of his backpack—flat as a piece of paper.
The last thing he wanted was to turn around, especially since they weren’t that far from the summit. However, a storm on Whistler was no joke. The rungs became slick in the rain, and since they were above the treeline, any lightning would be deadly. He would probably have risked it if he’d been alone, but no way could he take the chance of endangering Addisyn.
He stopped and turned. “Addisyn?”
“Uh?” Her voice floated up the mountainside. His heart melted as he watched her, clinging to the iron rungs, struggling up the rock—for him. What an idiot he’d been to put her through this.
Amazingly, she managed a smile. “I’m hurrying, don’t worry!”
“That’s not—” Darius started to say, but his sentence broke into a cry that wrenched at his lungs.
Addisyn’s foot was slipping, the boot sliding backwards off the wet metal. She screamed and grabbed at the rungs above her, frantically grappling for balance.
It seemed to take no time and all time, a millisecond and forever. Darius could feel one slow heartbeat, as if time had frozen.
