The next morning Cat was the first up and dressed. She liked peace and quiet of the early hours, the newness of it. She stood in the first rays of the sun, stretched her arms to the sky, and breathed in the morning air. It made her wish she had bought her running shoes. She decided a short walk would do and headed out at a brisk pace toward the southern edge of the clearing. At just under 2 inches short of 6 feet tall, Cat walked at the sort of pace that would’ve forced most others to run.

Amanda was the next out of the tent. She was used to getting up with birds and the horses. Working mostly with farmers often meant an early start. If anything, this was a lie-in for her. Being a practical sort she started at making some breakfast. Cat would probably want some once she got back from wherever she’d gone.

Kass awoke roughly 20 minutes later but she didn’t get out of her sleeping bag immediately. Instead she reached into the bottom of her pack for a novel hidden there. She could have read it outside but it was a trashy romance novel and she knew Cat would tease her for it, plus her sleeping bag was cosy.

Kass had been reading for about 10 minutes when she heard Cat get back outside.

“Hey,” Cat spoke a quick greeting to Amanda in between breaths. Cat hadn’t been able to ignore the enticement of a run through the bush. Exercise gave her a thrill and helped to clear her mind. Running through the bush was even better. The natural obstacles presented a more interesting mental challenge which required a certain amount of leaping and ducking if one wished to maintain a decent pace. Cat was fit, so despite her initial exhaustion, by the time Amanda replied, Cat’s breathing had pretty much returned to normal.

“Hey, you want some tea?” Amanda replied.

Hearing this from inside the tent, Kass put her book away and with a smile poked her head out. “Did I hear someone say tea?”

Amanda gave a nod and held the pot up in offering.

“I’ll be out in a minute.” Kass ducked back inside the tent to get dressed.

“Yeah, sure,” Cat replied to Amanda mid-stretch.

Kass was out a moment later and smiled as Amanda handed her a full cup

“You know what I’m keen to do today?” Amanda shook the one end of the rope she’d brought along.

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“Head back to the cave?” Cat asked.

Amanda grinned. “I figure we can bring a pencil and paper and maybe map it out a bit.”

Cat glanced at the tent. “What time do you think it’s safe to wake Indi up?”

Amanda chuckled. “Not yet.”

“Aren’t there maps online?” Kass asked.

Amanda shrugged. “I didn’t really check. I figure half the fun is exploring. As long as we’re careful, keep track of where we go, and take plenty of light.”

“You mean as long as we stick with you?” Cat replied.

Amanda shrugged.

“What else is there to do around here?” Cat asked.

“We could walk to the peak,” Kass suggested. She pulled out a map. “Or to the cliffs. Where did you go for a run?”

Cat shrugged. “Just around. I wouldn’t mind another one if you’re keen.”

“Yeah, sure.” Kass nodded.

They glanced at Amanda. She laughed and shook her head. “You guys have fun. I’ll cook some breakfast.”

“I was thinking maybe after breakfast,” Kass replied.

Cat shrugged and made herself comfy on the ground.

Indi awoke to the smell of cooking food and sound of light chatter. She glanced at her watch. It was earlier than she had expected to wake up. Evidently she was getting used to the new sleep schedule. She had gone to bed a lot earlier than she usually did. It was hard to stay up too late in the bush. She reached for her bag and fumbled around for clothes, her hairbrush, and sunscreen. She managed to find yesterday’s bottle but quickly used the last of it, it barely covered one arm. She rummaged around looking for her second bottle but couldn’t seem to find it. Eventually, she tipped her whole bag upside down and repacked it thing by thing. There was still no sign of it. She shook her sleeping bag and checked underneath it, and Kass’s in case the bottle had rolled under there. Still no luck. She tipped her bag out again and this time went through everything much more methodically.

“You awake Indi?” Amanda asked from outside. She must have noticed the tent rustling.

“Hey, have you guys seen my other bottle of sunscreen?” Indi replied.

“Where’d you last have it?” Amanda asked.

“Are you sure you packed it?” Cat asked, opening one eye from where she was lying in the sun.

“Yeah, I packed two bottles,” Indi replied. “The other one’s here but it’s empty.”

Kass stuck her head into the tent. “You want some help?”

“Here,” Indi handed her both of their packs. “Can you check through my pack out there? It’s a bit cramped in here but I can’t come out until I find it?”

Kass nodded and pulled both packs outside. She started pulling stuff out of Indi’s.

“What’s it look like?” Amanda asked.

“Like this.” Indi threw her empty bottle out of the tent then did another search through the tent. “I can’t find it.”

Kass shook her head at the others. “No luck here,” she told Indi.

“It’s gotta be here somewhere.” Indi had a slight panic in her voice.

“Hey Indi?” Amanda started.

“Yeah?”

“Are you sure you didn’t leave it behind when we repacked your bags before we left? Maybe it ended up wrapped up in some clothing when we threw it all back in the boot?”

“No, maybe. “ Indi stopped her searching in the tent and sat still. A dreadful feeling settled somewhere in the pit of her stomach. “What am I going to do? I can’t leave the tent without it.”