Renn and Ruby led the way as they followed the red thread leading to the center of the island. As they stepped into the tree line and off the beach, Chad sighed loudly in relief. He couldn't handle being so close to the water.
When he was in kindergarten, he fell into the lake during a boating trip and nearly drowned. His small body had slid through his life jacket as he tried to get back to the boat. They had barely gotten to him in time. After the incident, he could no longer handle being in or near large bodies of water. When he was near one, he would go into a panic attack that he couldn't stop.
Going into the trees helped alleviate the anxiety from being too close to the large ocean. He refused to even glance back at it as they headed into the trees.
