The woman was covered in snow. She had already climbed noticeably up the mountain and was looking down. The blizzard has subsided. She looked up again. It was still very high to climb the mountain, and it was already getting dark. It was necessary to wait out the night. The woman took out a pair of logs from a bundle that she had been carrying with her all this time. Kindled a fire. She wasn't sleeping, she was only warming her chilled hands. The wolves were howling around. She knew that there could not be easier prey than her. And then she saw two lights of wolf eyes. Not understanding what she was doing, she howled in such a way that the hunter wolf decided to leave her. It was a cry from the heart, a cry soaked in pain, determination and despair. Betsy woke up again and abruptly sat up on the bed. Her hands were trembling and red from the cold. How is this possible? The room was not cold. Betsy got up and checked the window, it was closed. The temperature seems to drop sharply at night. She could not freeze from the fact that she dreamed of snow the second night. Nonsense. Betsy stood under a hot shower for more than five minutes until she was completely warm. Only after her skin turned red did she come out and look at the phone. Tim wasn't sleeping either. He sent a message to Beth.

Hey. You left the party very quickly yesterday, I didn't even have time to say goodbye. I like everything here very much. Don't forget, we're going to the mountains today. Wear comfortable shoes. I'll be waiting for you near the cafe to go to breakfast together and discuss everything.

Tim

Exactly! Shoes! Tim reminded Betsy of this just in time. The fact is that Betsy really loved her sneakers. They were big, shapeless, very old, but insanely comfortable. Kate just hated them. Betsy promised her that she would throw them out and not a single living soul would see them outside their house on the outskirts. In fact, she, of course, took them with her. 

As an alternative to old sneakers, Kate bought Betsy sneakers from the latest collection of a fashion house. They were as perfect in her sister's taste as they were absolutely horrible in Elizabeth's taste. It was the quintessential pink dream of Barbie doll lovers. Everything about them was pink. Starting from the sole, ending with the laces. Plus, they shone so brightly that they could most likely be seen from space. They even had sequins and rhinestones and a scattering of beads. Kate, who created masterpieces in her workshop, could sometimes surprise with her choice of clothes. She could not accept that Betsy preferred convenience to aesthetics. Plus, she seemed to have forgotten that Betsy was no longer in kindergarten, and her colour preferences had changed a lot. Betsy understood that, most likely, the hike would be photographed today. And it was necessary to get those pink monsters spotted. And she decided to take her favourite sneakers with her and change somewhere there. That was the plan.

Betsy took a backpack with a spare jacket, sneakers, and a cap. Just in case, she also threw allergy pills. Although, the pills had never been needed since she came to this camp. As Betsy began to dress, another nasty surprise awaited her

.-Oh no. Are you kidding me? - The shoes were also too small. Betsy was so afraid to upset Kate that she didn't even measure them at home, but just put them in a common suitcase. It was very uncomfortable to walk in them. Okay, thought Beth. She will take a couple of photos, send them to Kate, and then quickly change her shoes.

Tim was waiting for her in front of the cafe building. He was dressed warmly and even put on a bright knitted hat, which looked rather ridiculous because it was summer outside. But it was not Betsy to talk about the ridiculousness of the clothes, so she just smiled at him, and they went to breakfast.

- The coffee here is just disgusting. Do you think I'm warm enough for the mountains? Will it snow there? - Tim began to ask her.

- You know, actually, I wanted to talk to you.- Betsy began.

- Yes, of course, something happened? You look like I don't know how to say it in English.. bad.. no.. that's rude... a bad dream.

- Not getting enough sleep, so it will be more correct. Let me go get some tea and we'll talk, okay? - Betsy suggested and quickly ran away. In fact, she just didn't know where to start. How to tell him that Sonya could just use him for social networks? Probably it would be necessary to start with the fact that you have to explain in general what social networks are. Something told Betsy that Tim was using the Internet more for educational purposes. He certainly didn't look like a tiktoker.

Only Betsy's plans were not destined to come true. As soon as she returned with a cup of tea and a sandwich, she saw that Sonya was already sitting at the table and was recording another video. Periodically, she also filmed Tim and asked him questions. He looked a little confused, but answered and waved to Sonya's subscribers.

''Well damn cool, at least you don't need to explain to him what social networks are.'' - Betsy thought gloomily. 

Then the others came. A lovely girl, Fleur, from France, waved to everyone and said that she usually ate almost nothing for breakfast -- an apple at most. Then Joe joined them. He sat down gloomily and took three mugs of coffee at once. Fleur tried to talk to Jo. And he noticeably came alive with every cup of coffee. Poor Joe. It was so hard for him to get up in the morning. He was like a giant owl in his hood. Kelly, our curator, arrived at the same time as Abdul Ali, a guy from Iran. Kelly began to hum a funny song. Abdul Ali was interested in this song, and he decided to write down the lyrics of the song on a piece of paper so that he could sing along to Kelly. Kelly was glad to help him. He didn't have a pen, so Betsy borrowed hers. She just had to disassemble the entire backpack, since the pen was at the very bottom of her backpack.

Gradually, the hall came to life, and when everyone had gathered, a short man with a noticeably balding head and a round belly entered the hall. It was the camp director. Before the camp shift, Betsy looked at the camp page and, among other things, she read information about the director. The photo on the site was so different that it was very difficult to guess that that was the same person. No wonder she didn't recognize him yesterday. Probably only the teeth were similar. His smile, both on the website and in real life, was unnaturally white. So white that she wanted to look away.

-Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! I'm glad we're all here. Today we will go on the mountain hike. It will be just a great trip! I think each of you will remember it for the rest of your life. I want to remind you that our camp is located in the most picturesque place, in Banff National Park. Today we will climb one of the mountains and even visit a cave. Please note that telephones do not work everywhere and if you get lost or fall behind, then stand where you are and wait. Please do not go back to the camp or try to catch up with the main group. Tourists have trodden many trails, you can just get lost even more. We will definitely find you. And finally, any photos on social networks are welcome! I expect you to be generous in posting about our great trip in your accounts. Remember, our language camp is not just a camp, but the dream of any teenager who wants to learn English - this Mr. David's voice was very clear. It is good that he did not use a horn or a microphone, then he would probably have been heard from the mountains. On the plus side, this man was another fan of social media.

Everyone got their snacks and quietly moved to the hike. It was very sunny that day. On such days it is especially pleasant to be in the fresh air. The sun still did not sting much with its rays and it was pleasant to close your eyes and let the sun kiss your whole face. The sky on such a day seemed especially bright blue, and lonely clouds floated across the ocean of the sky just like huge fish, it seemed that they did not move according to a gust of wind, but... for their own pleasure... back and forth.

- Listen, Betsy. I don't think these shoes are very safe for hiking. - Tim began very politely.

-Plus, it's out of place in 2022. What's this? Collection of the 2000s? Do they still make this? - Sonya quirked an eyebrow. Half of the guys turned to look at her, and the other half, unfortunately for Betsy, began to giggle.

- I'm fine, thanks, Tim. This is a gift from my sister. - Betsy was pleased that he took care of her, but on the other hand, she was offended by Sonya's comment, and Betsy decided not to change her shoes yet. If she did it now, Sonya might think that Betsy was doing it because of her remark. So, Betsy had to walk and try not to fall off. The shoes were also very slippery.

Betsy was chatting with a guy from Iran, he was talking about his homeland and their unusual traditions when they reached the first halt. The group took several group photos. The funny thing is that the director came up a couple of times and asked to use filters in order to look more attractive. It was really funny because many guys did not perceive the parameters of beauty in the same way. So, it turned out that the same person in all the photographs looked completely different. Thinking that Betsy had already covered her shoes enough in the group photos, she finally decided to change them and reached into her backpack.

-Oh no! No no no! -Betsy shook out all the contents from her backpack. Her favourite, old, comfortable sneakers were not there. Apparently, she had forgotten them in a cafe when she was looking for a pen.

-What happened? - Tim approached Betsy.

- I forgot my shoes. I wanted to change them because these shoes are not at all comfortable. And also ugly. - Betsy almost cried.

- If it's because of what Sonya said, then you shouldn't listen to her. I'm sure she didn't mean it and didn't want you to worry. She sometimes says something abruptly, and then upsets herself. She is very sweet when you get to know her. She is very attentive to others, very tolerant, - said Tim blushing.

-Of course, it's not because of her! Why is she here? The world revolves not only around her and her social networks. Although I'm already sure that she posted my photo with a call to be tolerant of those who have no taste at all. Tell me, does she have all the posts and actions about and for her imaginary tolerance? I don't even want to go visit her account. - Betsy was beginning to noticeably lose her temper.

-What do you mean? - it was not clear, whether Tim did not understand English or he did not understand the subtext of what was said.

- You understood what I meant. She is using you. She wantes to make friends with someone from a foreign country to show her subscribers how tolerant she is. She had said it before she met you. I'm really sorry, Tim.

It was terribly lousy to say that to a friend. You could see the change in Tim's expression. And yes, he perfectly understood what was at stake.

- Do you think that she is friends with me just because I'm from Africa? You think she can't like me just as a guy? - these were questions that Betsy did not know how to answer. And most importantly, he asked these questions not only to Betsy but also to himself.

- Tim, no, that's not what I meant. Tim, wait. Tim.

He shook his head and hurried down the path. After a couple of minutes, it was already impossible to catch up, he walked silently and quickly. Tall and slender, Tim could walk quickly. Sonya didn't even notice that he was gone. She was busy talking to Fleur. They seemed to be discussing the fashion of the 2000s. Betsy remained silent on the stump. Perhaps Tim needed to be given time to be alone. Betsy felt terrible. She didn't imagine the scene that way. In her fantasy, Tim thanked her for the revelation of the century. She thought that telling the truth would make her feel better. But now, on the contrary, she felt like a handful of heavy stones fell into the basket of her soul. Plus, a worm of doubt began to crawl into her head. What if she was wrong? What if Sonya really liked Tim? This only made things worse. Then Betsy walked in silence. Immersed in her dark thoughts. One thing was good, she even stopped paying attention to uncomfortable shoes. The uncomfortable thoughts were more important now.

So, Betsy walked alone and did not want to talk to anyone. So imperceptibly for Beth, they reached the entrance to the caves. It was a field near a mountain, completely filled with grass, so fresh that it looked more like a smooth, bright green carpet. Summer flowers were visible here and there, so delicate and beautiful that no one's hand would have dared to pluck them. Looking up, one could look far, far away and see the neighbouring mountains, which, by their silence, showed that they knew all the secrets, but they would keep silent about them hereafter. It was an amazingly beautiful place. So beautiful that Betsy's heart ached when she thought about the fact that after the camp shift, she would have to go back home. But no matter how her life developed, there was there and then. And now she was in the most beautiful place she had ever seen. Those thoughts were so big that they pushed the thoughts of Tim and Sonya aside for a moment.

After the director was completely satisfied with the next collective photographs, the whole group moved to the next destination, the cave. This cave was not far away and very famous. A group of archaeologists found rock paintings inside this cave. And most remarkable of all, these drawings were not like all the others that cavemen usually left all over the world.

Well, firstly, the materials with which these drawings were made were absolutely excellent. It was not the usual mixture of scattering flowers and clay, with the help of which cave paintings were usually made. It was an unusual paint that had not lost its brightness over the years, but, it seemed that sometimes it only became brighter.

Secondly, the drawings themselves were as strange as possible. These were not drawings of cave animals, nor the life process of cave people. These were drawings of stars, precious stones and some symbols that more than once gave rise to conspiracy theories about the alien origin of these inscriptions. One way or another, this cave had become an obligatory point for all local excursions and pilgrimages of the archaeologists. A lot of documentaries had been shot about this cave, a series of T-shirts and hoodies had been released, and even a couple of doctoral theses had been defended. Then, realizing in time that such great popularity of a piece of the wall would not be unharmed, the government of the country fenced off the drawings and put up limiters that did not allow people to come closer than 2 meters.

Although the drawings were quite large, from that distance, it was impossible to peer and understand what exactly was drawn there. Nevertheless, the noisy group of the camp came and was already crowding around the cave paintings. Someone was taking pictures, the others were just standing there for the company. But the success of these inscriptions today was much more striking than during the winter months when usually no one entered those caves.

Betsy calmly waited till her turn when the crush near the wall stopped. Surprisingly, as much as some guys wanted to see the cave paintings first, just as quickly this category of people lost interest. It seemed that the crowd would move in a single swarm, like bees or wasps moving to another hive. Betsy liked being apart from everyone. For all the time of correspondence with Tim, Betsy got the impression that Tim was the same, beaten off from the whole hive, bee. Therefore, they easily understood each other and became friends. They were easy and fun to correspond with. They didn't annoy each other at all. Betsy saw how uncomfortable Tim was at the moment. He tried to keep the conversation going, but it wasn't easy at all. And it was not only the language barrier, once again, Tim's English was excellent. Tim, it seems, began to observe Sonya and involuntarily think about the fact that Betsy's words might be true.

''No big thing, he will be sulky for a while, and then we will make peace. And I will definitely have to apologize to him.'' - Betsy was sure of it. ''Apparently, he needs to be alone. Well, this can sometimes be useful.'' Thought Betsy and looked at the drawings. 

She began to think that perhaps someone added colour to these drawings. They were incredibly bright. Maybe they were even painted recently, and now they just bring tourists here to add one more point to their entertainment. Betsy thought that she had become too distrustful of everything around her, that she even wanted to convict national pride of deceit. She shook her head and made a promise to herself that she would try to get rid of the negative intrusive thoughts. And in general, when you look at the drawings from different angles, it seems that they even glow a little. Or was it just Betsy's imagination? It was absolutely not clear what it was ... one figure in the center was multi-coloured, and there were many small ones around it. Some runes and geometric figures were also drawn chaotically. Perhaps, these were heavenly bodies or the story of a particularly impressive person from antiquity. Betsy decided to check all the information about the drawings on the Internet upon her return to the camp. No wonder there was so much hype around these drawings.

Betsy was standing this way for 10-15 minutes, and she did not even notice how she had fallen behind the whole group. Only their voices could be heard, moving further into the cave. The cave was not deep, and it was impossible to get lost in it, plus there were consecration lamps everywhere for the convenience of tourists. This cave was socialized as much as possible. By the standards of primitive people, it was more like a five-star hotel than their native cave in its original form.

It is necessary to catch up with everyone, Betsy decided and hastened her step to meet the distant voices. So, she walked about 50 meters, and it seemed to her that she saw a kitten in the deepening of the cave. There was a tape, and, apparently, it was strictly forbidden to go there. But how did it get here? After all, they were quite high in the mountains. What was a pet doing there in the wild? There were a lot of predators there who would happily eat this cute kitten. It needed to be rescued immediately. And then, perhaps, it would be possible to sneak it into the camp and hide it until the end of the shift. And feel free to take it home. Thank God she was not allergic to cats. Plus, Betsy had been trying to persuade her sister to get a cat for a long time. Kate always answered that a cat in the house should happen. That it is not right to get cats, but they themselves appear in the house when the time comes.

-I think the time has come, -said Betsy aloud and moved the barrier tape. What bad could happen if she crawled a couple of meters deep?

- Kitty ... come here, - called Betsy.

Of course, it did not listen and left the illuminated part of the cave. Betsy turned on the flashlight on her phone and resolutely stepped after the cat.

- Hey kitty. You understand that in the wild you can be eaten. There may be rats in the cave, outside the cave it is even more dangerous. Any eagle can take you to its nest to feed its chicks. Amanda's father was a firefighter, and he once said that a neighbour's eagle had grabbed a mini poodle and dragged it to its nest. Luckily for the poor animal, they were able to save it with the help of a firetruck ladder. But what the firefighters saw in the nest stunned them. There were many empty cat and dog collars. Betsy certainly did not want such a fate for this kitten. And she almost grabbed it, as this little ball decided that it was being played with and turned even deeper into the cave. Betsy was greatly surprised when, quite unexpectedly, she saw that the cave had a branch into which the cat easily slipped.

- Okay, wait for me a bit, I'll make the flashlight brighter. - Betsy increased the brightness of her flashlight and followed the kitten, its fur was clearly visible in the light of the telephone flashlight. This cunning fellow was in no hurry to run away from Betsy and, it seemed, was not even at all afraid of his saviour. And it only humbly waited for her to approach a couple of meters and went a little deeper. She was not afraid to get lost, she still clearly saw the light of the lanterns of the main hall of the cave. But even the unfamiliar space did not inspire much confidence in her. There could be sharp, slippery rocks underfoot, snakes, or something worse. Betsy had never been particularly agile. Yes, and Kate was taught from childhood to be especially careful. No matter how much she wanted to save the kitten, she was afraid to go further. It seemed that the cat also understood that and, having jumped another meter deep into the cave, decisively stopped and meowed. Betsy hesitated for a minute but decided to take a couple more steps.

- Well, that's it, these are definitely the last steps toooooooo ... - without finishing the phrase, Betsy slipped and head over heels began to fall down.

The phone had gone God knows where. Although Betsy did not fall for long, she did not see the light either from the telephone or from the lanterns. Horror seized her. Plus her knee hurt a lot. She was hoping it was just a bruise and not something serious.''

Oh no ... '', - thought Betsy. She tried to control herself. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. This calmed her down a bit. Then she began to look around. Her eyes adjusted slightly to the darkness. And she even saw the glow.''

Oh! It must be my phone!'' - thought Betsy. ''I'll get to it now and send a message to Kelly so that they can find me and get me out of here. And if the network does not catch, at least I will sit with a flashlight until they find me. After all, that's what the director said to do in case of loss. At least it's not scary with a flashlight.''

Betsy was very surprised that the light from the phone came so far. After all, she fell for a couple of seconds, how did the phone manage to fall so far. She very carefully, almost crawling, was coming to the light. And the further she crawled, the more clearly she understood that this light was not from the phone. It was the exit from the cave. This greatly surprised Elizabeth. She didn't know much about caves, of course, but she was pretty sure this one had only one entrance and one exit.

Well, that's nothing, I'll get out of this cave, examine myself in the light if I got hurt while I was falling,'' Betsy tried to reason calmly.

The light was getting brighter and it was already possible not to worry, but to boldly walk towards the exit. From the unusually bright light, Beth's eyes began to water. After all, the sun in the mountains has a special power. It seems to be glad that it can reach the mountains and throw ice caps off them, and then completely turn them into mountain streams that will grow flowers and bright juicy grass to the delight of mountain goats and deer.

Once Betsy's eyes adjusted to the bright light, she looked around and gasped. There were so many flowers that their sweet smell made her dizzy. And everything around acquired really fantastic colours. Sky, grass, flowers ...So, it looked like she had a concussion. She decided to take a good look at herself. In addition to a large abrasion on the knee, Betsy did not find anything else terrible. After touching her head several times and making sure that she didn't have any bleeding or even a banal bump on her head, Betsy calmed down and sat down. It was better to wait until everyone realizes that she was lost and they start looking for her. The main thing was to sit still and wait. Nowhere to go, as the director said in a safety briefing.

It was getting hot, she had to take off her jacket and even take off her hated hot pink sneakers. In part, they were the sponsor of this adventure. Betsy pulled out her feet and straightened her toes, how nice it was to put them in the cool grass. Something poked her in the elbow, Betsy almost screamed.- Hey ... it's you! - Betsy smiled and stroked the purring kitten. - Do you know that I'm lost now because of you?- Meow, - as if the red cat nodded. For a second, it seemed to Betsy that it was extremely pleased with its behaviour and where she ended up. So Elizabeth did not notice how she fell into a dream under the warm rays of the summer sun.