My Parents Sold What Was Mine and Told Me to Obey. The Next Day, Mom Was Crying on the Phone: “The Police Are Here.”

I met my team: Sarah, a geologist, and Liam, a local boat captain and field specialist.

Liam was thirty-two, with a beard that looked like it could sand wood and surprisingly kind eyes. He helped me carry my gear into my cabin. “You packed light for eighteen months.”

“I left in a hurry. Needed to get away.”

“Family,” he guessed.

“Something like that.”

We continue reading …