I own nothing

Lil, Dil, and Kimi had gotten the impossible permission of being their own group. On the condition they took at least one adult along. Dil, who was picking which adult to take along, chose his grandpa.

Grandpa was almost fully deaf, but he wouldn't take to being left behind while his grandson was missing, and he was keeping up pretty good.

They searched away from the trail, because one of the only rules of the contest was that you could not use the trail. Lil knew they were close. She could feel it inside of her. Then she tripped.

Kimi helped her up, and Lil looked at what she had tripped over. It was a radio. The boys' radio. "We're going the right way!" Dil said excitedly, and then took off even faster, going at a steady jog.

They followed a creek, which turned into a small river. They were fanned out, ten paces apart from each other. Dil saw the fire first, and nearly cried. "That's where they are!" he shouted, then took off at a dead run, Kimi and Lil on his heels.

Tommy heard the approaching footsteps first, and started shouting. Chuckie joined in, hoping that it wasn't a bear. Phil did nothing. He was wondering why his friends were shouting.

Dil ran straight to Tommy and hugged him, crying freely. Tommy was crying too. Dil brought help-help for Phil.

Kimi went to Chuckie and hugged him, though she didn't cry. Chuckie tried not to let the tears out but they came anyway.

Lil went over to Phil, "Phil. Philip!" she shouted at her brother. He turned to her and smiled. "Hey Lillian. What're you doing way out here?" then he passed out.

Grandpa, who was in the back of the group, had already told the search party that the boys' had been found via radio. He heard, from nearly a hundred yards away, Lil's frantic screams of, "What have you done to my brother?"

Grandpa, knowing instinctively that something was very wrong, used the same mode to ask for an ambulance, or at least some paramedics.

Seven hours, an ambulance ride, and two crying fits later

Lil was sitting next to her brother's bed. She had kicked her mom and dad out, and was thanking the Lord that they had actually left. She just really, really needed to be alone with her brother.

Phil was awake, but dizzy. He told Lil in his own groggy way what had happened, and she had said in reply that if he wasn't so banged up, she'd hit him.

In turn, she told him that he had a bad concussion and was dehydrated, which is why he had an IV that was dripping fluids into his arm.

For his turn, Phil told his sister that he had been thinking he was going to die out there, the pain had been so bad. She told him that he was stupid for thinking that Tommy would ever let him give up so easily.

Lil told Phil that she had been worried sick, and that she had missed him more then he would ever know.

Phil said he did know, because he had missed Lil just as much.

fin