Lost & Wild: A Joshua Brown Story

Chapter 2 - Bon Voyage

Harper dragged herself out of bed, her limbs heavy and uncooperative as Jack and Alex ran around her room banging trashcan lids and whatever debris they found outside. They'd been up late filming scenes around the area, most likely for bonus footage later.

The accidental dip into a creek like spur of water off the inlet had sobered things up real quick. Harper had instinctively jumped right back out of the water, but was surprised by how quickly the cold invaded her senses. The temperature was still well above freezing, in the high 40's, but the water was still very, very cold. For safety reasons, they had to wrap up and get back to the hotel to keep her from developing hypothermia. By the time she got to the shower and stepped into the scalding hot water, she'd almost chipped her teeth from chattering so much.

It took a few minutes but little by the little the hot pellets of water permeated her chilled skin and the feeling in her fingers and toes came back. She had stood in the shower without moving for a good 20 minutes, realizing that this was probably not something she was going to be doing much of over the next several weeks. Showers with hot water would become a luxury.

Alex was continuing to make as much noise as humanly possible. Harper picked up the pillow off of her bed and cold cocked Alex in the face with it. It was a down pillow, much heavier than the normally fluffy, fun pillows. It stunned him for a minute, silencing the room.

"Damn, woman...that was cold!" He said rubbing his jaw. Harper rolled her eyes at the camera that was recording in the room.

"Well it's entirely too early in the morning for your bullshit!" She called back, laughing. She waked to the bathroom with an arm full of clothes.

She stared in the mirror, again wishing that the cameras hadn't been rolling after seeing her face still puffy from sleep, her eyes still looking tired. She splashed water on her face as cold as she could stand it and went about getting dressed. They were told to pack practically. So jeans and a v-neck black tee would do it. She gave herself a once over in the mirror, tying off her pig tail braids. It was one of the only ways to tame her wild, wavy dark hair. And being out in the "bush", well she didn't want to have to constantly worry if her hair was out of whack while being filmed for the entire world to see.

She threw on a pair of her mis-matched striped toe socks and wiggled on her new hiking shoes before balling up her clothes and swiping the rest of the free soaps and shampoos.

Walking out into the hotel room, it suddenly felt much more cramped. The entire production crew and her four cousins were standing about, packing gear and preparing to depart. She squeezed through the narrow openings between bodies and threw her armload of pj's and hotel swag in her pack. Koby jumped on the bed, sending her pack upwards and a perfect angle for her to catch it. She smirked at him, shaking her head.

"Let's go, girl, I need to get out in them woods, get my howl on!" He exclaimed, loudly howling. She cringed as the sound assaulted her ears. Those standing close by quickly covered their ears. She was sure anyone else staying at the hotel was more than ready for them to leave.

"Please tell me you aren't going to start howling at everything like those Brown boys do." Harper chided.

"When it Rome, Harp." Koby said bounding off the bed again.

The hotel they were staying at was just a couple miles from the dock where the Brown family were supposed to be waiting. Loading up the cars was a chore, they had to take anything and everything they thought they could possibly need, including tents. The storied Brown Town complex currently was only setup to house the family: the main house, the trapper shack, and a few other structures that the family called home. Their production crew stayed on a boat anchored in the bay.