The weather was so cold last night that I honestly thought I would freeze right there on the forest floor. The kind of cold that bites your skin and crawls all the way into your bones. Even with the fire Daniel created, the wind still cut through us like tiny knives, reminding us that we were not safe, not comfortable, not home.

I forced myself up before anyone else. My body felt heavy, like someone had tied stones to my legs and arms. My eyes burned from lack of sleep. My shoulders ached from ...