ChapterOne
Sunny Rebel meticulously checked through her supplies spread out on her old bed in her parents’ house against the list she’d made as Otis Redding softly crooned to her from her portable speaker. In the morning, she would leave for her next solo adventure, a trek through the Fortymile Mining District north of Chicken in the Alaskan Interior. Getting all the gear organized and accounted for meant less chance of mishap on the trail. Not that a well-stocked pack could prevent disaster from striking. She’d just be better prepared if it did.
“All right, folks.” She looked into her phone’s camera as she finished up her live feed to her social media accounts. “I think I have everything I need.” She paused and leaned close, like she wanted to tell a secret. “Don’t tell anyone about the LemonHead candies. They aren’t a necessity, but I figure they’re not that heavy.” Laughing emojis filled her screen as she pasted on a smile and straightened. “I can’t wait to get back and show you my adventures in Alaskan gold country!”
She chuckled as heart and thumbs up emojis exploded on her screen from people hitting their love and like buttons. Sure, it wasn’t like getting a real hug or high five, but it would do. Her growing list of fans kept her going when the loneliness of solo adventuring sunk in.
“And if you are the praying sort, send a few up for the bears to stay far away.” She pushed her lips to one side and lifted a dark eyebrow, amazed at how comfortable she’d become at seeing herself on the screen. “Now, if you are the type of person who enjoys terrifying danger, please remember that all I have for protection is that pea-shooter and a couple handfuls of bullets to keep me safe when you hope for the opposite.” Laughing emojis filled her screen again, and she wrinkled her nose at the amount. “Well, unless something goes wrong, I’ll see you in a few weeks. Now, go find yourself an adventure!”
She waved and signed off. Her smile fell with a sigh as comments flooded in about viewers wishing they could come with her. Honestly, she wished the same. Being alone weighed on her. At some point, when she had more money, should she think about taking others on the trips? It would increase her income, and, with the way her followers kept growing, she could probably charge a decent guiding fee.
When she’d started the YouTube channel, it had been a knee-jerk reaction to her business partner/boyfriend stealing all their funds and gear from their Denali guiding business and leaving the country. His duplicity had left her broke, both in money and in her heart. She couldn’t take climbers up Mount Denali if she didn’t have the cash for the gear necessary for the trek up America’s highest peak. She definitely didn’t want to jump into another venture without being the one in control.
Her phone pinged, pulling her from a spiral into a pity party that included her downing a carton of Moose Tracks ice cream and crying over some sappy movie. A message notification from her climbing friend, Izzy. Wasn’t she on Everest this season?
Sunny swiped her phone and opened the message.
Izzy: You’ll never guess who I just saw.
Sunny: Sgeti the Yeti?
Izzy: No. Jed. He was feeding breakfast sausages to Marcy Ansley like she couldn’t use her own hands. Do you remember her from that time we climbed Annapurna that one summer?
Sunny: Good for them.
Izzy: Yeah, I guess they are taking climbers up this summer. If I didn’t have a conscience, I’d totally be sabotaging their gear. I can’t believe he has the nerve to show up here, and with her! Makes me so mad. Total jerkface. I was tempted to throat punch him for you.
Sunny: He’s not worth the effort. Listen, I have to go. Be safe up there.
Izzy: You too! I miss you. When I get back to the states this fall, we are totally hanging out.
Sunny: Can’t wait.
Sunny tapped the Do Not Disturb icon on her phone and tossed it onto the bed. So, Jed crawled out from whatever rock he’d spent the winter hiding under? And with Marcy? Sunny closed her eyes to the sting of tears. She wanted to be furious. Only, she couldn’t help but think how similar she and Marcy were.
Both happy-go-lucky.
Quick to trust.
Naïve.
Well, Sunny wasn’t a gullible sap anymore. She’d learned the lesson that she couldn’t rely on anyone but herself and her family. So, sticking with filming her solo trips in hopes her social media would generate enough income to live on still was her best option.
“Knock, knock.” Her mom came into the room carrying two steaming mugs. “I thought you could use some hot chocolate while you finished packing.”
Sunny blinked her tears away and smiled. “Your hot chocolate is exactly what I need right now.”
Mom’s forehead furrowed as she handed the mug to Sunny. “Everything okay?”
“Yeppers.” Sunny forced the hurt down, hopefully far enough that her mom would buy it. “Just finished my last live video before I leave, and now I need to get everything packed up.”
“Hmm.” Mom sipped her drink. The look she gave Sunny fairly screamed she hadn’t hidden her emotions well enough.
Darn her mom and her superhuman powers. Maybe it was because Sunny was the youngest of the seven Rebel siblings, and Mom had lots of practice before Sunny arrived, but she could never hide her feelings growing up. Looked like she had gotten no better as an adult.
“You know, honey, it’s still not too late to change course and get back on the mountain. Your dad said he overheard you talking to an outfitter on Denali who needs you to guide for them.” Mom set her mug on the dresser and placed Sunny’s rolled shirts in the ziplock bag draped over her meager clothes.
At least if Mom was going to interrogate her, Sunny appreciated the help while the questions peppered her way. She took a drink of the cinnamony chocolate and tried to let the silky warmth soothe her nerves. When Jed had swindled her out of everything, she hadn’t told her family the extent of the betrayal. One, she was afraid her commando brothers and sister Lena would really hunt Jed down like they suggested. She’d barely told them the truth, and they flipped. And, two, her embarrassment over the depth of her involvement with Jed and how she’d put everything she had into the business account was too great to tell anyone… ever.
“Mom, I like what I’m doing right now.” Sunny grabbed the ziplock bag from her mom and placed it in the bottom of her pack. “I’m having fun, and the viewers like it. Besides, I think if I can continue to gain subscribers, I can make a business out of this. Maybe find sponsors or, later, even guide others on adventures with me.”
“But I thought you loved climbing Denali.” Mom handed her the BushBuddy stove Sunny’s friend had given her.
“I did, still do, but I’m ready for something different now.”
Was she, though? The call from her outfitter friend had made her question whether she should just drop this entire solo thing and go back to the mountain she loved. Helping others reach the summit, attempting to conquer one of the world’s most treacherous mountains, always thrilled her. Plus, she missed the community, both at base camp and the type of people she used to guide. People who loved the strenuous sport of mountaineering like she did were few and far between. The sense of family and bond created in the endeavor couldn’t compare to anything else she’d ever done.
Sunny snatched the food supply pouches and shoved them into her pack. There was no going back for her, at least not yet. She just had to stay her course, no matter how lonely it made her. Maybe then she’d get over her naïve disposition and grow up.
Life hurt, and she couldn’t rely on people. Expecting anything else would only prove her ignorance.