I can do this. I can do this.

Raechel focused on breathing.

Breathe, breathe.

Next, she prioritized walking. Raechel kept her legs moving, though each step weighed on her more and more.

The road seemed so long. Nothing broke the sandy horizon except for the rigid hills, standing sternly in the distance.

She stumbled, scraping her knee on the road. Raechel barely felt the pain, tired as she was.

Does this road ever end?

Raechel tried to get back up, but she was at the end of her strength.

She finally fell, still conscious. She felt a tiny flicker of panic, but her body wouldn't react.

Soon the world turned dark, and the last thing she heard was the sound of sand being ground into the road.

~☆~

"Hey, are you awake yet?"

Raechel opened her eyes. She was lying on a bed with purple covers, in a old-fashioned room. There was a middle-aged woman with kind eyes leaning over her, with her hand on Raechel's forehead.

"You're awake!" the woman exclaimed. "I was worried for awhile. You only read about finding people passed out on the side of the road. I never expected to actually come across one."

"I'm sorry, what happened?" Raechel asked, her voice hoarse.

"Like I said, I found you passed out on the side of the road, dear. I was driving home when I found you like that, so here you are," the woman smiled.

"Thank you," Raechel said, coughing slightly from her dry throat.

"Here, have some more water. You need it," she replied, handing Raechel a glass canning jar filled with water. Raechel immediately chugged down half of it.

"What's your name?" Raechel asked between gulps.

"Haha, I probably should have started with that." She stood up and gave a tiny bow. "I'm Cecilia Rainhart. Nice to meet you."

"And I'm Raechel Silhouette. Nice to meet you too!" Raechel replied enthusiastically, shaking Cecilia's hand.

Cecilia sat back down. "Now, is it alright if I ask why you were passed out on the side of the road?"

Raechel gave a quiet chuckle. "I'm surprised you haven't asked already."

"I didn't know if it was my place to ask," Cecilia replied.

"All I can say is that I'm on a trip. But I'm not a fugitive, if that's what you're thinking," Raechel reassured her. 

"You are too sweet to be one, dear," Cecilia chuckled. "Alright then, where are you headed? Is that a question I'm allowed to ask?"

"Ah yes. My destination." Raechel smiled fondly, as if recalling a pleasant memory. "I'm going to the Grand Canyon."

Raechel said the phrase so dreamily that Cecilia couldn't help but want to ask her why she said it that way. So sweetly and sadly.

Instead, she decided to go with the more sensible option.

"Would you like for me to drive you the rest of the way?"

"Could you?!" Raechel asked, excited.

Cecilia laughed at her eagerness. "Of course, my dear. The Grand Canyon is only a few hours away."

"Where are we, exactly?"

"We are near Beatty, Nevada. It would take quite a few days to reach the Grand Canyon by foot," she replied. "Alright, it's settled. We'll set out first thing in the morning. Sound good?"

Raechel smiled back. "That sounds amazing."

~☆~

"Ok, we're almost to the South Rim. Are you excited?" Cecilia asked.

"Hmm, that's not quite the word. But it's very close to what I'm feeling," Raechel replied.

"My, aren't you the most mysterious person I've ever met," Cecilia chuckled.

Raechel laughed. "I'm definitely not trying to be. I can't help it."

A few moments passed in silence, both of them enjoying the scenery. They were traveling through a wooded area, something Raechel did not expect to come across.

Raechel turned to Cecilia. "By the way, I never said thank you. You know, for saving me."

"Yes you did. When I was explaining what happened to you."

"Did I? Regardless, let me thank you again. Thank you for saving my life," Raechel told her sincerely.

"Now dear, I did what any decent human being would do. I bet you would do the same," Cecilia replied with a serious tone. "Now, I'm more curious as to how you survived your hike."

"I'm not going to take credit for that. At my last stop in Mina, I was buying supplies for the hike. I didn't have enough money to buy the water I needed. So the cashier just...gave it to me. He gave it to me just like that," Raechel said, thoughtfully. "I hope he didn't get in trouble."

"See, he saved your life, not me. If he didn't give you that water, it would have been too late for you by the time I happened to drive by. Funny how little things like that work."

Cecilia eyed Raechel. "After this is all said and done, you better go back and thank him." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "And ask for his number," Cecilia winked.

"Oh, shut up!" Raechel laughed.

"Haha, ok, I'll shush. But look, we're here. The Grand Canyon, my dear."

Raechel immediately went silent.

I'm here...I made it.

She bolted out of the old pickup truck, leaving behind a very startled Cecilia. She followed the railing, trusting her secondhand knowledge to lead her.

And then...there it was. The Grand Canyon. The morning light hit the valleys and ridges just right, causing shadows to scatter and the red of the mountains to glow.

It was vast, so vast. Raechel had always imagined it to be big, but this took her expectation and tossed it to the wind.

Raechel laughed, for the first time in what felt like forever.

"I made it, mom. I made it."