Chapter 6
These days, everything in life is tied to your phone number.
I never imagined Kaiden and Nash would keep calling me every few days.
Of course, I didn’t take it as some lingering affection from Kaiden.
It was just that after so many years of caring for them, old habits die hard.
I got a new SIM card, withdrew some cash, and signed up for a field research group heading out to the High Desert.
I’d seen this program online before.
Back then, when I brought it up, Kaiden said he didn’t have the time.
People in our circle laughed and said, “Come on, Valerie, with Kaiden’s status, joining such a cheap tour group is just embarrassing.”
I just smiled and let it go.
At the time, I figured it was nothing more than a passing thought.
The Fielton family would never have let me do something so impulsive
anyway.
Who would have thought it would be so easy now?
When a shackle breaks, the person who’s been bound has to start struggling from deep within.
The day we set out with the research team, the sky was crystal clear.
We traveled by train, the whole journey swaying and rattling along the
tracks.
Every time I drifted into those restless dreams, the motion would slowly bring me back.
Dawn broke, soft and uncertain.
The expedition followed the Mountain West Grand Loop.
We left the city, headed for the high desert, passed a vast salt lake, and stopped at two tiny desert towns and a ghostly rock formation carved by the wind.
Half–buried ruins rose from the sands. A moonlit oasis shimmered in the quiet night.
We reached the last desert town, passed through a canyon gate, and were met with endless ridges of stone in every shade imaginable.
Most of the people in the group were geologists- quiet types who could spend hours discussing a pile of rocks, a blade of grass, or a wildflower no one could name.
Sometimes they were witty, sometimes unexpectedly funny, and their energy made this vast, lonely land feel so alive.
I can’t deny that my privileged upbringing and those years under the Fielton family’s wing exposed me to things most people never see.
I used to think traveling only made sense if you went with family–that was where the fun was.
But now, here I was, hiking past sandstone spires and camping in the high desert.
Charred lamb skewers, sand in my hair and clothes–and above me, a sky full of stars, brighter than I’d ever seen.
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I knew Kaiden would probably still track my movements, but it didn’t
matter anymore.
After the Mountain West Grand Loop ended, I exchanged contact information with my new friends.
We spent a few days regrouping in the city, then set out again for Red
Mountain Pass.
The moment I reached the highest point of the pass, I was hit with severe altitude sickness–my breath came in gasps, my head felt like it would split open.
For a second, I thought this might be where my story ended.
But in the distance, the sun lit the mountain peaks gold, and everyone at the summit was cheering.
Caught up in that wild, chaotic energy, I broke down and sobbed.
My teammates scrambled to help, giving me oxygen and sugary drinks.
They thought I was just overwhelmed and tried to comfort me. “Hey, don’t cry, kiddo! You’re gonna be fine–your blood oxygen’s coming back up. Don’t be scared. We’ve got you. You’re not dying today!”
“That’s right, girl. You’re still young. There’s a long road ahead–this is just the beginning!”
I couldn’t stop crying, but the man’s accent somehow amused me, and I laughed through my tears.
With their help, I stood up in the snow, facing those sunlit peaks in the distance, facing my new life.
No matter how many chains there are, no matter how hard the road gets, I can still make it to the top on my own–can’t I?
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