Page 72 of Clearly Charmed

‘Can Mara climb up on her own or does she need the rescue litter?’ Lia called.

‘Send the litter,’ I shouted back.

‘I’m going to call it in. Hold on,’ Lia said.

Mara closed her eyes. Pulled in another painful breath. ‘I’m sorry. This was such a stupid idea.’

‘Wanna tell me what happened?’

She turned into my side, making herself smaller. ‘I was at the festival with my friends at that spot everyone likes behind the candy store. They were all talking and making jokes about a sleepover they had last night.’ Her eyes filled with tears again. ‘Without me.’

‘That must have been hard.’

Her chin trembled. ‘I got mad and took off. My dad and I come up here on Sundays. We read. Talk to my mom. It’s a special place.’ Another tear tumbled down her cheek. ‘My friends said they didn’t invite me because I don’t have a phone. They were texting funny memes, and then the idea for the sleepover came up.’ She gave Banjo a loving pat on the back. ‘They forgot about me. Like I wasn’t part of the group anymore.’

My heart ached for Mara. She’d lost her mother two years ago in a car accident. Darren was a good father, but growing up without a mom was hard. I understood her all too well. The only difference between us was that I had my sisters and Elena, who would never leave me out of a special moment.

‘How mad do you think my dad is?’

‘I can’t answer that, but I’m sure he’s going to be happy to see you. Hug you again.’

She laid a hand across Banjo’s head. ‘I was running and hit a patch of rocks and gravel. Shot off the ridge and slid straight down, landing a few feet away from here. It was painful, but I managed to crawl under the shade of this tree.’ Her thumb rubbed against one of his silky ears. ‘Banjo, he came after me. Never stopped.’

‘He’s a good dog.’

She gave me a sad smile. ‘He’s the best.’

I asked her more questions about school and her favorite subjects, trying to distract her while we waited for help.

‘The rest of my team are two minutes out, Dani.’ The sound of Lia’s voice made us both turn. Her helmet was the same shade of orange as her T-shirt. Once she found solid ground, she clipped off the rappelling line and took measured steps toward us.

Mara’s look of awe and wonder as she watched Lia made me proud. ‘Badass’ was the perfect term for my little sister.

Lia moved in and I whispered, ‘Possible broken collarbone.’

She took another few steps and bent down to examine Mara. Her touch was gentle. Her voice low and kind. This was a side to Lia most people never saw. She may be a grump with adults, but when there was a child involved in an emergency call, the chief always sent her. She had a remarkable way of soothing even the youngest soul. Making them feel protected and safe. I was damn proud of her, and I didn’t tell her that enough.

‘I need you to listen closely, Mara,’ Lia said. ‘The search and rescue team is going to lower down what we call a rescue litter. It’s a big, long steel basket. I’m going to help you climb into it. Once you’re lying flat on your back, I’ll strap you in, and then, with me tethered beneath the basket, I’m going to use our rope system to pull us back up to the top of the ridge. That sound okay to you?’

‘Can Banjo come with me?’

‘No. It’s not safe,’ Lia answered.

She tugged her dog close. Shook her head.

‘Banjo should go with me,’ I said. ‘Lia will give me her backpack.’

She grimaced. ‘I will?’

‘Yes, I’ll put Banjo inside it and climb back up with him.’

Lia frowned but didn’t offer up a better suggestion.

‘I need you to be my partner on this one, Mara,’ Lia said. ‘Be fully focused, so we can get you into the basket and make sure you’re secure. Can you do that for me?’

Mara’s eyes widened, stunned that Lia would trust her with such an important job. ‘Yes, of course.’

After a few conversations about logistics over the radio, the SAR team lowered the rescue litter. The steel basket bumped against the side of the ridge, the attached ropes sliding it down an inch at a time.