CHAPTER 31 – The Stairs

  The first section of the Approach Trail felt peaceful—roots underfoot, birds calling somewhere high in the canopy, cool shadows stretching across the dirt. Fleta walked behind Riley’s group, matching their pace but staying just a little back, giving herself space to breathe.

  Then the trees parted.

  And the stairs appeared.

  A wooden staircase—steep, endless, climbing straight toward the roar of Amicalola Falls. Water misted across the railings, catching sunlight in tiny sparks. The sound was huge, alive, shaking the air.

  “Welcome to the worst and best part,” Jess said, tightening her pack straps.

  Riley laughed. “It gets you warmed up fast.”

  Marco groaned. “It gets you questioning your life choices.”

  Fleta stared up the staircase—hundreds of steps rising through the spray. Her legs trembled just looking at it. She’d climbed plenty of stairs at school, sure… but never this many. Never with a backpack. Never toward something that mattered.

  “You okay?” Riley asked gently.

  Fleta nodded, though her heart was pounding. “Yeah. I’m just… ready.”

  Riley smiled. “That’s all you need.”

  They started up.

  Step after step. Breath after breath.

  The waterfall thundered beside them—white water crashing over dark rock, mist cooling her face each time the wind shifted. Her thighs burned quickly, but she kept moving. One step. Then another. She counted quietly to distract herself.

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  Thirty. Fifty. Eighty.

  She paused at a small platform to breathe, gripping the railing.

  Riley glanced back. “You’re doing great.”

  Fleta wiped sweat from her forehead. “It’s harder than I thought.”

  “It is,” Riley said. “But you’re stronger than you think.”

  Those words sank deep—warming something inside her that had been cold for a long time.

  They kept climbing.

  Halfway up, Marco leaned against the railing. “Jess, this is your fault. I told you to pack less.”

  Jess rolled her eyes. “I regret nothing.”

  Riley laughed. “You will by the top.”

  Fleta kept going—legs shaking, breath sharp, heart pounding. But she didn’t stop again. She pushed forward, driven by something bigger than stamina.

  Driven by everything she had run from.

  Driven by everything she hoped to reach.

  Finally, the stairs leveled out. The group stepped onto a broad wooden platform overlooking the falls.

  Water plunged down the mountainside in a shimmering rush, sunlight catching in the spray. The forest stretched endlessly below them—deep green, glowing in the morning light.

  Fleta’s breath caught.

  It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

  She leaned against the railing, completely overwhelmed. Not by fear this time, but by the sheer size of the world. The size of possibility.

  “You made it,” Riley said quietly beside her. “Lots of people turn back here. But you didn’t.”

  Fleta swallowed hard. “I don’t want to turn back.”

  “Good,” Riley said, eyes warm. “Then don’t.”

  They rested for a few minutes, drinking water, catching their breath. Fleta looked out at the trees, the valley, the sky stretching wide and open.

  She’d never stood somewhere so high. Never stood somewhere that felt like a beginning instead of an ending.

  Marco clapped his hands. “Next section’s easier. Ready?”

  Riley nodded. Jess hoisted her pack. Fleta adjusted her straps and stepped forward.

  Back into the forest. Back onto the trail.

  The path ahead curved into the trees—quiet, green, waiting.

  Fleta took a deep breath and followed.

  Her legs hurt. Her shoulders ached. Her throat felt tight—

  But for the first time in her life, she felt exactly where she was supposed to be.