Morning packing.
Lily's suitcase was heavier. She'd collected things all week — pinecones from the trail, "special rocks" that looked like ordinary rocks but weren't, a drawing Erik's wife had made of Ash the husky, a napkin from the café with a snowflake drawn on it, three feathers she'd found near the fort. Each item was essential. Each required its own packing protocol.
"That one goes on top," Lily directed. "It's fragile."
"It's a rock," Franz said.
"It's a special rock. It has feelings. It came from the lookout. The top of the world."
Franz placed the rock on top. Lily nodded approval and moved to supervise Leo's packing.
