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She was far ahead of him, climbing the roots. Conor decided not to rush. It was a long climb.

“Ella!” He called, “Slow down! This isn’t safe!” His sister looked back at him and scoffed. He felt his embarrassment flush his face a little. “Shit!” He felt a foot slip off the edge of a root as he reached for a ledge to rest. Concentrate. They’d long since passed the height of twisted ankles and broken bones, on past wheelchairs and onto certain death. Conor didn’t mind heights, but even he had his limits.

“I’m going back! I’ll meet you. I’m going back the way we came!” He cried out.

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Ella noticed Conor’s stubborn defiance light up his face at her reply - wrong approach.

“I’m not going to die here, Ella.”

“You’re right, Con, but we can’t split up. You know as well as I do that this is the only way to that tree. You feel it, don’t you?” He did. “This is the way.”

Conor twisted and sat on his ledge. The way he thought. The way to fucking what?

A minute later, Ella, who had babooned her way down to him, joined him on his perch. The root jutted out from the pit wall, wide enough for Ella to drape her legs over the sides. Conor felt then a rush of the total emotional exhaustion he was under. The longer they travelled together, the more he hungered for his Ella. Whether or not it was a lie, at this moment, it made no difference. He turned to his sister and chose to see her as he prayed she was. He crawled closer. She laid a hand on his right shoulder as he slowly turned. A moment later, he shuffled back into her. Felt her legs beside his as her arms closed in around him. She leant her head on his right shoulder, their faces touching lightly. Conor bade his father stay away. Begged him. He did.

Conor didn’t know how long he slept, the pit had not changed. Ella hadn’t moved, nor slept, just held the boy close. Her kindness earnt his bravery. He stood, held a root above him, and did some jumps and kicks to get his blood flowing again. Ready to ascend. He glanced over and caught the wild look in Ella’s eyes staring back at him as he laughed.

“I’m still not racing you, Ella!”