Camp Heartbroken | TXT Novella

Chapter 10 - Beomgyu

The five members of Camp Heartbroken enter the limousine, facing each other—the benches look out toward the side of the vehicle. They watch the hill steepen as they head further up St. Louis Heights, into a forested area filled with pine trees that block out most of the sun's anger. Taylor sits in the front seat, separating herself with a tinted partition. Maybe it's a part of the mystery—the camp experience. She's in obvious control of the limo's AUX, with one of Ed Sheeran's more pop-y songs filling every inch of space.

Beomgyu is more quiet as the boys make light conversation, commenting on the spaciousness of the cabin or their excitement to start singing. He laughs at one of Huening Kai's jokes, then turns his attention to Taehyun, who's watching him with a curious eye.

"I wonder what she's planned for us," says Taehyun.

Beomgyu coughs to warm up his unused voice. "The Wa'ahila Ridge Trail is up here. I wonder if she'll have us start composing here. Or make us get some fresh air."

Taehyun nods along, although he doesn't seem too convinced. "I don't know. Taylor's been pretty unpredictable so far, so we better prepare for anything."

They've only shared a room for an hour, but already Beomgyu has taken a liking to his roommate. He appreciates his quiet demeanor, how he chooses to remain thoughtful rather than burst into energy like many of his friends in class. He also, judging by the few lines sung out before nap time, has an amazing voice. The sound reminds him of water gliding across metal, the notes so smooth it's hard to find any sort of imperfection at all. The only slightly creepy thing is that he sleeps with his eyes open.

The limousine stops in the trail's parking lot, and Taylor opens their door with a wide smile. She's dressed in full-on hiking gear, with khaki shorts and a cargo jacket, along with a bandanna matching her lips in the same shade of crimson. She points to the start of the trail, where a road of dirt inclines into a denser pack of pines.

"Alright, boys! I'll wait here while you guys complete the hike. It'll be about an hour each to the main lookout and back." As she gestures again for them to exit the limo, she continues to explain. "Before we can even get to singing and performing, we need you five to be the closest you can be. An activity like this is great for bonding. With all of you being ten years younger than me... I suspect that some energy needs to be released. Right?"

"Right!" Kai says, being to first to jump out.

"A two hour hike right at the start," reflects Soobin, once they've started on the trail together. "If this comes right at the start, I'm a little scared of what's next."

Beomgyu is in the middle of the group, watching out for the slippery pine needles, rocks, and jutting roots that seem to harvest the goal of tripping them. "I wonder when we'll start, like, singing."

"That'll come soon, I'm really sure." Huening Kai is at the front of the group—forging ahead with an enthusiastic pace.

Taehyun nods, seeming to take the obstacles in stride. He leaps over the uneven steps and remains calm. It's Yeonjun who seems to be struggling the most, shaking his head after every few yards—almost like he's trying to will his mind back into place. What kind of memory loss does he have, Beomgyu wonders, and how exactly does he deal with thoughts being constantly out of reach?

At least with Kaila, he knows what he's missing.

The mere thought of her face, which he often told her was magazine-material, is enough for him to be distracted. As always, she has the power to pull him out of time and space. Beomgyu trips on a step over a tree stump. "Oh!" he yells, and without anything to grab onto, he falls like a ball off a cliff, and his right shoulder pounds into the dirt.

The pain reminds him of when he was hit with a baseball bat during PE—when the world spins and nothing else matters but staying still and wishing the fire in your nerves would dissipate. He squints, trying to hold back a screech, but he's unable to in the end.

Beomgyu just hopes Taylor's far enough away not to hear.

A/N: What do you guys think will happen to Beomgyu? Thank you for reading as usual, and I hope you are enjoying so far! If you could take the time to vote & comment, that would be awesome :) <3.