"Katya!" Captain Mathis' shout reaches me no more than two minutes after the text I sent him.
"Here!" I yell.
"Stay where you are!"
Nope. Not when Jenna is about to let go. "Hurry!"
The branch beneath me snaps, and I drop. My wrist burns at the sudden weight. I quickly plant my feet on another branch. I trained as a ballerina for years under my mother and take yoga and Pilates now. My muscles are trained for tiny, isolated movements like these. Like a cat, I can balance on a pinhead if I need to. I never thought that skill would come in handy outside of the studio.
With one leg, I stretch behind me and test another branch before carefully shifting my weight. It's excruciatingly slow, but I'm making my way to Jenna. I concentrate on moving one branch at a time and not on how precarious my position is.
"Katya?" His voice is closer.
"Down here. Careful! The mud is really loose!"
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah. Jenna's stuck. I'm almost to her."
I hear him curse. I'm not sure this is the time or place to remind him not to say such things in front of the kids. I'm more worried about my balance at this point.
"I've got rope. Keep talking, so I can tell where you are," he orders me.
"I'm right here. Rescuing Jenna, who is not going to let go, right, sweetie?" I try to keep my tone upbeat. It's trembling, along with my insides. "Captain Mathis is here, Jenna. If you let go, he'll make you run extra laps."
"Nice." Captain Mathis doesn't sound amused. "Tell me if you see the rope."
I shift one branch lower and look up. A rope is snaking down from the branches of a tree nearby. It's a good three feet away.
"I don't think I can reach it and Jenna."
"Petr's here. Give me thirty seconds."
I have no clue what he's planning. His calm voice helps me focus, and I maneuver my way down through more roots and branches, closer to Jenna.
"You okay, sweetie?" I ask softly. "I'm almost there. Then Captain Mathis will help us up. Okay?"
Jenna nods, crying.
Another careful step down, and I reach out to her, taking her forearm. Unaware of how delicate my position is, she grabs me. One of the branches beneath me sags dangerously, and I shift to drape a leg over a sturdier branch and haul her warm body into my arms. She curls against me. I hiss through clenched teeth, struggling to balance us.
We're too heavy. Both branches begin to move beneath my weight, and I start to panic. "Jenna, honey, I need you to put your feet on this branch."