Jeremiah & Max
"Oh, it's fine," Max offered with a wide grin. "You're probably just ready to eat. If you go a few hours without food and water, you're susceptible to dehydration. With it being so warm out and how long it takes to hike out here, it's probably just time for you to grab breakfast or lunch or something." He was already keenly aware that his watch wasn't on his arm anymore. It was a watch that his family had given him. There was a compass. It worked off of solar power when the battery died. And he hadn't taken it off in the past seven years.
Given the position of the sun, he wasn't convinced it was too far beyond either meal time. "I've been tripped over more times than I can count," he said, doing his best to keep up with Jer. His strides were shorter compared to the other boy's six foot frame. "It's a hazard of five people staying in one room."