THE CHOSEN · BATTLE WITH A CERBEROSIAN PRINCE
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The Chosen: Battle with a Cerberosian Prince Fight or Flight
During the break, TJ and Fang were discussing the
12-hour concept. Darius said if they did not move for 12
hours their location would be known to the Cerberosians.
Does that mean the clock would reset the moment they
moved, or was it cumulative? Did they have to move for 12
hours at a time for them to have another 12-hour period of
not moving? Or could they just move for one minute every
11 hours 59 minutes? They could not figure out the exact
science behind the theory. And Darius’ explanations didn’t
seem to give them the clarity they needed.
“That’s time, people,” TJ said.
“No. That couldn’t have been 30 minutes,” Pippa replied.
“I know, right?” said Tumi.
“I do wish we could rest a little longer, but we just don’t
have the time,” TJ said.
“Time is not on our side,” Fang added. “One might even
go as far as saying time is literally not on our side. Get it…”
He snickered.
That caught everyone by surprise. Fang never made
jokes. He would laugh at a few things here and there, when
Ethan was being ridiculous, or when Ana was being super
excited, which inadvertently annoyed some of them, or
when someone said something so funny that the whole
group laughed. So, everyone sort of surprisingly glared at
him, as though they were waiting for an explanation.
“What?” Fang said. “I have jokes.”
At which point, everyone burst out in laughter.
“It must be the altitude. It’s got to be,” Ethan said.
“Nothing else makes sense,” TJ added.
Fang shook his head a little, with a smirk on his face, and
began to lead the way. “Let’s go.” He tried to say that with
his usual stern tone, but he didn’t convince anyone.
“Thanks for that, Fang. That made my day,” Pippa said.
“I think it’s because you really, really like us, that’s
why you have become so comfortable and friendly,” Ana
asserted. Fang didn’t respond, but his smirk turned into
an actual smile. He walked away even quicker, so no one
would see his facial expressions.
They all began to gather their gear and equipment.
“You could say he gave us the pick me up we needed to
get going,” Ethan said.
“Oh, Ethan,” Pippa responded. “They really need to
shift the bar in Australia on what passes as funny.”
“And we’re back to normal,” TJ said.
Everyone laughed. It really was a pleasant little break.
Not only did they manage to take a much-needed break
physically, but their laughter as a team allowed them to
strengthen their bond, drawing them closer to one another.
A 30-minute break turned out to be perfect timing.
They arrived at Camp 2 minutes after the sun had set. It
was enough time for their bodies to walk through the cold
for a short distance before it was too cold to be outside.
They went straight to their individual tents. Tumi and
Pippa rotated out every night as one of them would sleep in
the same tent with Ana. They noticed over time that when
she had someone with her, to comfort and reassure her, she
would do a lot better the next day. She was a little more
confident, and a lot less anxious.
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