Chapter 2
The moment Ryan yanked the zipper open, a few packets of energy gel tumbled out into the snow.
There was no battery.
There was no backup SIM card for the satellite phone.
All that was left were my asthma inhaler and pills, sealed in a waterproof bag I'd prepared ahead of time.
Ryan looked caught off guard for a second.
But anger quickly took over.
"You packed all these meds, and you still expect us to believe you weren't just pretending to be sick?" Ryan snapped.
Jessica let out a couple of gentle coughs.
"Nina, why didn't you tell us you had medicine?" Jessica said softly.
"Everyone was so worried just now. If we'd known you were prepared, Ryan wouldn't have rushed to give me the oxygen," she added, her voice trembling.
As soon as she finished, her eyes welled up with tears.
Everyone suddenly started looking at me differently.
It was like I was the one who lured them up the mountain.
I bent down, picked up the medicine bag, and brushed the snow off it.
"Doctor's orders, these are for emergencies when there's not enough oxygen," I said.
Ryan scoffed.
"Who knows if you're even telling the truth?" he sneered.
"Aren't you the school's track star?" he taunted.
"With acting like that, why aren't you headlining the drama club?" he added.
People started snickering.
Charlie stepped in front of Jessica, his voice full of contempt.
"Nina, you smashed the oxygen tank, and now you're pulling out your meds to play the victim? That's so you," Charlie sneered.
In my last life, Charlie was the first one to accuse me of faking it.
He and Jessica had grown up together, and his family owned a media company.
The account that posted that viral video was registered under his name.
Later, when my mom went to confront him, he sent her shattered phone back to the hospital with just one voice message.
"Ma'am, your daughter just had bad luck. Don't blame the views," Charlie said.
Thinking about that, I clenched the medicine bag in my hand.
My fingers were numb from the cold, but my mind was sharper than ever.
Ryan had already started checking the gear.
"Everyone, open your backpacks and look for the battery," he ordered.
No one dared to object.
The wind was howling, and the snow was so thick that we could barely see more than a few meters ahead.
We were supposed to reach the summit in the morning and head back to camp in the afternoon.
But now it was already past noon, Ryan had misplaced the emergency battery, and I'd smashed the only medical oxygen tank.
Some people were starting to get headaches.
Others had lips turning blue.
But Jessica, nestled against Charlie, quietly slipped the portable oxygen canister into her sleeve.
I saw it.
Ryan saw it too.
He looked away, acting like nothing had happened.
An icy chill crept up my chest.
It wasn't altitude sickness.
It was disgust.
Alex suddenly shouted, "Found it!"
Everyone rushed over.
He pulled a satellite phone battery out of the side pocket of Evan's backpack.
Evan was the quietest guy in class. He came from a regular family and always sat alone in the back row.
When the battery was found in his bag, he froze.
"It's not mine," he said.
Ryan marched over and slapped him hard across the face.
"Still trying to deny it?" Ryan snapped.
Evan staggered back, blood dripping from his nose onto the snow.
Jessica gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
"Evan, why would you hide it? Even if you don't like us, you can't play with people's lives," Jessica said, her voice quivering.
Evan's eyes went red with panic.
"I didn't!" he shouted.
Charlie raised his phone and started filming Evan.
"The evidence is right here, and you're still trying to deny it?" Charlie sneered.
Charlie swung the camera from Evan over to me.
"What a day. One smashes the oxygen, another hides the battery. We're a real talented bunch, aren't we?" Charlie said sarcastically.
I stared at the battery.
In last life, no one ever checked the bags. I collapsed too early, so everyone was focused on Jessica, breathing in the oxygen.
This time, the battery turned up in Evan's bag, just like that. Yeah, right. What a coincidence.
A faint sound drifted on the wind.
Jessica's sleeve slipped, revealing half of a gray canister.
She was quietly twisting the metal valve of the portable oxygen tank in her palm.