"Marc! Wait up!" She stumbled through the high grasses, trying stubbornly to catch up with her brother. But she just couldn't go fast enough.

"Go home, Deanne," she heard him shout from somewhere ahead of her.

But she just picked up her knees more and tried to jump a little with every step. She was old enough to keep up. She was! "I'm coming!" She fought her way through the grass until a stone caught her foot and sent her sprawling. Stalks bent, the very things that had impeded her now caught her fall. Deanne clambered up and tried to spot her brother through the swaying fronds

"Marc? Marc?!"

He didn't answer her. The wind swept through the field, the blades of high grass and dancing seed pods drowning out any sound of his movements. Deanne couldn't hear him. Didn't know which way he'd gone. But she didn't want to just go home. Not now that he'd finally taken her exploring outside the city. So, the child picked a direction and set off again, trying to catch up with him.

"Marc?"

She ran on, kicking her way through the grass. Where was he?

"Marc!"

She put on an extra burst of speed, pumping her little legs in the direction she thought he'd gone.

"Marc!"

The laurel curtain disappeared and she fell over the edge of an overgrown ravine, tumbling head over heels down the slope through brush and branch. Deanne curled tight and squeezed her eyes shut as the undergrowth scratched and clawed at her, up and down twirling around her. Her descent halted abruptly with an enormous burst of pain and the world went out.

...

The girl woke alone. Her head hurt terribly, inside and out, like the blacksmith was pounding on it instead of a horseshoe. Her whole body ached, too, but her head was worse. Beyond the pain, she was cold. And wet. There were insects buzzing all around her and the gentle gurgle of a stream.

Deanne tried to sit up. The world twisted, up and down switched places a few times while her head flashed with pain. She whimpered and held it tight until it faded. At least a little. Once down stayed down, she tried to crawl away from the stream. Moving hurt, but the cold water made everything worse. It was too dark to see now, so she had to feel her way across the little bank, pawing through dense ferns and plants she'd tumbled through until she reached the trunk of a small tree.

It was hard to think with her head still pounding. Where was she? And where was Marc?

The sound of a bird startled her and the girl shrieked, then clapped her hand over her mouth. Father warned her about wild animals. Were...were there any around? Was there was a bear or a mountain lion that would hear her and come and eat her? She was all alone. What could she do?

Deanne curled up against the tree, torn between the pain in her head and the fear of the world around her. Where was she? How long had she been down here? Had anyone come looking? Would they look here?

The girl felt her nose and eyes prick, and the tears well up. She wasn't gonna cry. Marc would laugh at her. He'd call her a baby. But…she was lost.

She was alone.

Someone had to find her.

"Marc?" she called, terrified something else might hear her, but more terrified that no one would find her at all.

Another sound from the trees above her shattered the quiet. Was it a bird? An animal? In her head, visions of horrible creatures took shape. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to do?!

"Marc!" she yelled again. "Papa!" Her fear mounted and hot tears coursed down her face. "Please! Someone!"

Someone…please, someone find her…