The bacon was almost gone, and the only thing left of Jules’s plate was the edges of the pop tart when she realized that Seth had been gone a long time.

“Is he still in the bathroom?” she asked.

“I think so,” Zach said.

They frowned, looking at each other.

“I’ll go make sure he’s, uh, okay,” Zach said. Jules could tell that he was trying to be as delicate as possible.

At least there aren’t any horrible noises coming from there, she thought, her eyes going to the window with a view of the mesa.

Every time she looked at it, she just felt guilty.

I wish there was some wrench I could throw in their plans, she thought. It’s too beautiful to be spoiled, and these guys don’t deserve it. I can’t believe it’s not a national monument, or... something.

Then a small black dot on the mesa moved, and Jules frowned.

Is that one of the eagles? She thought. It’s not really moving like an eagle. Can panthers get up there?

Zach came back into the kitchen as she stared out the window.

“He’s not in there,” he said, sounding mystified. “Our cars are still in the driveway, so he’s got to be somewhere.”

He followed her gaze to the mesa, out the window.

“Holy shit,” he said, and ran out the back door.

Seconds later, Jules followed, to find Zach already in the backyard. He had the binoculars in his hand but he was just staring at the small black spot, open-mouthed.

“That’s Seth,” he said.

“Are you sure?” asked Jules, taking the binoculars. She fixed them on the spot, but still couldn’t quite see much more than a blurry shape, moving slowly against the red rock.”

“I’m positive,” said Zach. “Holy fucking shit, what is he doing up there?”

“He’s looking for the—”

“It was a rhetorical question,” he said, cutting her off. He put his hand on his forehead, then by his sides, then crossed his arms in front of him.

“You can see him?”

“I have good eyes,” Zach said. “Shit, can we get a mattress or something?”

“Does the fire department have a net?”

Zach shook his head. “I doubt it,” he said.

“What about search and rescue? Should I call the Sherriff?”

Still staring at the mesa, Zach suddenly went pale.

“He just slipped a little,” he said. “Shit.”

Then he took off running for the mesa.

“How can you even see that?” Jules shouted, then ran after him.

Despite the adrenaline, she wasn’t very good at running. Since living in a trailer in remote areas, she’d abandoned her usual exercise routine, and besides, she wasn’t wearing a sports bra. By the time she half-walked, half-jogged up to the mesa, she was covered in sweat and both breasts were trying to escape her bra in every single direction, so she stuffed them back in as she finally walked up to Zach.

“Oh my god,” she said, panting. “You were right.”

It was Seth, a little more than halfway up the mesa, hundreds of feet in the air. The ledge was barely wide enough for both his feet, and she could see a continual trail of red dust showering down from where he stood.

Oh god, he’s going to die, she thought, her stomach lurching. The run hadn’t made it feel good, but now she thought she might throw up.

What’s he doing? He can move somewhere else, this isn’t worth dying over.

There was another small shower of dust and rocks, and Jules felt tears spring to her eyes, her heart seizing.

She and Zach looked at each other. Seth’s little brother had gone pale, his mouth open.

“I have no idea what to do,” she whispered.

Zach just shook his head, mouth open, and looked back at Seth.

Don’t fall, was the only thing that Jules could think, over and over again. Don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall.

His foot slipped again, sending another shower down, and Jules thought her heart might simply stop.

“No,” whispered Zach, standing next to her. “No, no, put your foot to the left a little—“

Seth slipped again, and Jules clapped her hands to her mouth, her mind racing. She’d never felt so pathetically helpless before in her life.

Then, Seth slipped again, his whole foot sliding off the path, sending a shower of dirt and rocks down.

“The path’s crumbling,” said Zach. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back away a little. “Hold on, man, just come back down—“

Another shower, bigger. Jules’s hands shook.

And then, in slow motion, Seth fell.

Jules screamed, both hands over her mouth. Zach stared, totally motionless, as Seth’s body flailed, his arms windmilling and his legs kicking as he plummeted. Jules wanted to turn away but couldn’t tear her eyes away from Seth’s body, falling, falling—

Seth twisted mid-air, in a way that Jules didn’t think human bodies should quite be able to twist, and now he was seventy feet from the ground, only a few stories up and still falling.

Something flew away. Where Seth had been falling, suddenly, a giant bird simply spread its wings and flew, swooping down toward the ground and then taking off, away from his clothing, which hit the ground with a light thud.

The bird screamed and kept climbing, circling in the air above Zach and Jules, and then disappeared around the mesa.

Zach and Jules stared at each other, each in open-mouthed horror. Tears streamed down Jules’s cheeks.

Then they ran to where the empty clothes had fallen.