Lte wiped her eyes. After she finished speaking, Zachary and Sophia fell


    silent. They exchanged a nce, and from the look in their eyes, they understood what the other was thinking.


    "We want to be part of this too," Zachary said. "We''ll provide targeted sponsorship, but we do have some conditions.


    "We''ll put together a full proposal once we''re back, and we''ll assign a team to follow up. Mr. and Mrs. Holden, may I officially represent the Holt family in joining your charitable work?"


    He smiled slightly, his gaze sincere and steady as he looked at Marcus and Natalie. "We truly care, and we''d like to do whatever we can to help."


    Natalie smiled warmly. "We''d be honored. Having the Holt family involved is a blessing for us. Really, thank you."


    She reached out to shake Zachary''s hand, but Marcus gently held her hand back and extended his own to Zachary instead.


    Natalie noticed what he did and found it a little amusing, but she didn''t say anything.


    "Sophia, what about you?" Natalie turned to her. "Do you want to be part of this with us?"


    Sophia nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely! Nat, you helped me before, and now I want to help other girls who are struggling too."


    "Great. Then let''s do it together."


    "Yeah. Together."


    There was a new energy in Sophia''s smile now-brighter, more determined. "Zachary and I talked, and we''ve decided to stay here a few more days.


    "Sue told me there''s an even smaller vige over the mountain you haven''t reached yet. We want to go check it out, but Mr. Cole advised against it."


    "I don''t think you two should go there alone, either," Natalie said, her expression serious. "I worked with some officials before to scout a path into that area.


    "The truth is, they''re even harder to deal with than the people in Ashford Vale. At least in Ashford Vale, we could still use force to take control if necessary.


    "But those people over there... they smear themselves in animal fat and set themselves on fire, turning themselves into human fireballs to attack us. They''re not afraid of pain or death. We still haven''t figured out a safe way to approach them."


    "That''s terrifying," Sophia said, ncing at Zachary. His face had darkened too after hearing what Natalie had just described.


    "It really is." Natalie sighed. "That''s why we''ve focused all our efforts on Ashford Vale so far. That other vige... we''ve had to put it on hold for now.


    "I mean, we''re trying to do something good. But if they reject us or treat us as enemies, it bes extremely difficult. So, we''ll take it slow.


    "If we can help one person, we help them. If we can save one girl, we save her. But if they respond with violence, with death threats, or try to take us down with them... then that''s where we draw the line.


    "Because no matter how noble the cause, our priority is always our own safety and lives. Don''t you agree?"


    "Yeah, absolutely." Zachary nodded. "If that''s the case, then we won''t go. We''ll just focus on learning more about Ashford Vale while we''re here."


    "Good. Marcus and I are heading out soon. I''ll be taking Lte, Sue, and Ann with me. As for Daniel and Denzel, they''ve already spoken to Taylor. They''ll stay behind for a bit, help their families out, and then head out in about two weeks."


    Natalie nced at her phone to check the time. "Let''s grab something to eat, then we''ll hit the road."


    "Sounds good."


    Natalie called for Lte, Sue, and Ann, then took Marcus with her. Together, they headed to the serving line.


    The food was simple, but most of it was made from fresh, organic vegetables, and it tasted surprisingly good.


    After the meal, Natalie and Marcus gathered their things and called for the three girls. Elijah helped carry their bags. They then said their goodbyes to Taylor and the others.


    There were regr supply runs into Ashford Vale, so Natalie and her team had traveled light this time and hadn''t brought much with them. They would be traveling light on the way back, too.


    As Lte, Sue, and Ann stepped onto the path leading out of the mountains, their hearts pounded faster with every step.


    For as long as they could remember, this was their first time leaving the mountains.


    "Ms. Natalie, once we''re out, we''ll study even harder. We''ll make sure we live up to everything you''ve done for us," they said, their voices full of excitement and determination.


    The farther they walked, the more emotional they became. They couldn''t stop themselves from making promises to Natalie again and again.


    "Lte, Sue, Ann, you don''t need to worry about how to repay us," Natalie said. "First, you need to live well-really live. Only when you can stand on your own can you even think about giving back."


    She reached out and gently patted each of their heads.


    "There''s still a long road ahead. The outside world is amazing, but it''s also full of temptations. Life out there won''t be as hard as it was in the vige, but that means it be easier to get distracted.


    "You might feel pressure to keep up with others, to show off, to chase things that


    don''t really matter. I''m telling you this now so you''ll be mentally prepared.


    "If you lose sight of who you are, if you give in to temptation or go down the wrong path, the Goodwill Foundation will pull its support."


    The three girls nodded firmly.


    "Don''t worry, Ms. Natalie. We''ll stay true to ourselves. We won''t let you down. Mr. Cole already warned us about a lot of this, we understand."


    "Good. The fact that you''vee this far in such a short time means I believe you can stay on track.


    Studying is tough, but no matter


    how hard it gets, it''ll never be as painful as being traded away just to bear children."


    "We know, Ms. Natalie," they said softly.


    "Alright then, let''s keep moving."


    They continued walking and chatting as they made their way back down the road


    they had once climbed.


    The path was narrow, barely wide


    enough for one person at a time. If no one came regrly to trim the overgrown weeds and branches along the edges, the trail would soon be swallowed by wild vegetation. From a distance, they wouldn''t even be able to tell where the road was.


    It had been tough getting there, and it was just as difficult heading back.


    Marcus held Natalie''s hand the entire way, while Elijah stayed close to protect Lte, Sue, and Ann. It took them quite a while to make it down the mountain.


    Once they finally reached the base, Elijah pressed the button on the car key and began loading the girls'' bags into the vehicle.


    They had two cars-one to take them back and the other left behind for Zachary and Sophia.


    "Hop in," Elijah said, opening the door and motioning to Lte, Sue and Ann.


    This was the first time the girls had seen a real car, the kind Taylor had once told them about. Seeing it in person was overwhelming.


    Their eyes turned red with emotion. They knew that once they stepped into that vehicle, their lives would never be the same.


    "Thank you, Mr. Elijah."


    The three of them spoke in unison, their voices choked with emotion, and they quietly lined up to get in.


    Natalie sat in the back with the girls. Marcus took the front passenger seat, and Elijah got behind the wheel.


    The engine started, and slowly, the car pulled away, leaving the mountain behind


    them.