They were told to meet by the trailhead after lunch. A long path carved into the woods had been marked with ribbons, and the staff guided them forward in silence, their footsteps crunching against damp leaves and soft earth.
The air was cooler under the trees, thick with the scent of moss, bark, and something old—something ancient. Katherine breathed it in deeply as she walked beside Carolina, who was unusually quiet. Kingsley walked a few paces behind them. Devon was up ahead. No one was talking. It felt like the forest itself had hushed them.
When they arrived at the wide-open space beneath a massive canopy of branches, the facilitator stepped forward. She was barefoot, standing confidently in the grass, with wind teasing her hair and sunlight falling in pieces through the leaves.
“We
