Chapter 5
"Did I hear you correctly?" asks an incredulous Ryan.
I merely nod, unable to come up with more words. He slumps into the bench. We're standing near school.
"Wow ... that was fast. I never knew I could feel like this! I'm so happy for you!!"
He hugs me. This is a surprise. Since when are we this close of friends? He starts squeezing the breath out of me.
"Let ... go ... no ... breath ..."
"Oh! Sorry!!" He lets go. "Anyway, only pack necessities. It might be a while before we get there."
He turns on his heel.
"Wait!" I ask. He stops. "When are we leaving?"
"Tonight, silly! We need to get a head start!"
"WHAT?!"
"Meet you at the West edge of town!" he calls over his shoulder.
"Ugh! Sometimes he makes me so mad ..." I mumble. Nonetheless oblige and walk home. When I arrive I throw my bag onto my bed. "Seriously Ryan? Couldn't you have given me a day or two?" I shake my head and proceed to the hall closet and bring out my old black suitcase. It's seen better days but it'll keep together for this trip.
Hopefully, anyway.
He said that we'll be going to camp so logically I pack summery clothes. It's still summer so I should be fine. I shouldn't be staying too long, right? I sigh. I toss my toiletry kit in as well. I check to make sure everything's in. I stuff in a blanket and shut the suitcase, belting it tight. Yes, two belts hold my suitcase together.
I look around my room. I unzip a secret pocket and shove my phone charger inside along with some treasured items I could never leave behind. I zip it back and stand the case upright. I lug it to my door. On my way I notice my eyes. Should I wear my contacts? I decide to keep them on. Their case and solution are already packed.
Now comes the hard part: Telling my parents.
I hardly talk to them so this is a big thing. I softly knock on their bedroom door.
"Mom?" I ask. "Dad?" I don't hear anything. "Are you in there?" No answer.
I slowly open the door. They're asleep. I almost close it back and return to my room. I grab some paper and write them a note explaining why I'll be gone. I don't tell them about my eyes. If they learn now they'll only have more questions.
I look at the note and return to their room where I tape it onto the door. I close it back. I take my suitcase out of my room, turn the light off and close the door. The last thing I see is my key lying on my bed. I shouldn't need it where I'm going.
Purrty rubs my leg before as I'm leaving. I stroke her.
"I have to go Purrty," I whisper. She meows. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure I can take you with me."
She looks at me innocently, pleading me to scoop her up and not leave her behind. I stare into her beautiful eyes. Well ... if I leave her she might not survive. I take her into my arms and carry her to the car where Mike waits. I put my suitcase in the trunk and take shotgun.
"Ready to go?" he asks. I nod. He drives off. "Where are we going exactly?"
"West edge of town."
"Okay." He drives on. We're almost there when he looks over. "Um, Liz, why do you have the cat?"
"She wouldn't settle for me leaving her behind."
"Why don't I take her?"
I look at him. "Really? Are you sure she won't attack you like usual?"
"Nah, Purrty and I are good friends now. Isn't that right?"
He reaches to pet her. She hisses in response. I laugh.
"Sure, you two will get along great," I say sarcastically.
"Well surely they won't allow you to take a cat with you?"
"I don't know but I don't there we get much say."
Mike sighs and we arrive at the edge of town where Ryan awaits. He waves. Mike and I step out of the car.
"Ready?" Ryan asks. His excitement is so obvious but it doesn't seem contagious.
"I guess ..."
"Then let's go!" He begins to march off. I look over to Mike. Neither of us have words to say. "Well what are we waiting for?"
Ryan grabs my arm and drags me away.
"I'll miss you!" I yell.
Mike runs towards us, but I disappear before we ever got to hug.
* * *
I reappear deep in the forest we were about to enter. I notice Ryan right next to me, still holding my elbow.
"Um," I say, "will you let go of me now?"
"Oh, right," he replies. "Sorry. And I had to take you when we teleported otherwise we never would have found our way to this spot."
"Oh, yes," I say sarcastically. "We definitely had to get to this exact spot because it's so different from all the other trees and grass and stuff."
"Wow! You catch on fast! How'd you know all that?"
I just roll my eyes. "Are we going to move at some point?"
His face lights back up. "Follow me!"
I do. We trek through the forest, stepping over huge branches and slowly avoiding "danger" like rabbits. Oh, Ryan, what is wrong with you? When would an adorable rabbit be dangerous besides in the movies? C'mon, man up!
I see a convenient store ... in the woods.
"Um, Ryan, is that what I think it is?" I ask.
"Oh, probably. The camp changes appearance every so often. Let's go inside."
"Wait ... that's the camp?"
"Well, it's an entrance."
"So there shouldn't be some crazy psycho-serial killer in there?"
He looks at me. "You're weird."
I stick my tongue out at him and march inside with my suitcase. That'll show him I'm not afraid of a possible madman. Inside the convenient store it looks like any other one. I walk over to the drink section. Yup, this is the exact one from town.
When I was younger, Mike and I used to go there all the time. Part of it was that he worked there and he wouldn't leave me at home. If someone couldn't find something and asked Mike then he'd always send them to me. I knew that store better than anyone else. One day a man came in and got very angry. He smashed one of the drink doors and glass was sent everywhere. My brother refused him service unless he calmed down. The man didn't calm down. Eventually Mike just scooped me up and left.
He quit the next day. He had to find a new job; he never took me to work with him again and I never stepped foot into that store after that day. If my brother ever found out he'd freak out.
In the end, glass was everywhere; products were smashed and destroyed. But why would it be the same after all these years?
I hear yelling and turn around. Immediately the scene is changed. The man and Mike have traded places. The man is now wearing the store's uniform. Mike is yelling. Suddenly I get scared; I've almost never seen Mike angry. Now he's being just plain crazy. I need to get out of here! Something is wrong.
I run for the door. It's locked. Mike turns around and sees me. Oh no.
"AAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" he yells.
He starts coming after me and I bolt. My brother chases me around the store, not playfully I might add. As we run I notice Mike smashing and breaking things while other products are destroyed. I stop noticing and start running faster, though, because my chaser is on my tail and I really don't want to find out what happens if he catches me.
I need a plan or at least a place to think. Ha! The restroom! I run inside and lock the stall door.
Okay, this should buy me at least a couple of minutes before he gets suspicious.
How am I going to stop Mike from this madness? I could try going all cutesy and pretending to be young again but I doubt that'll work on "Mad Mike." I'd love to get the man to call security but they're invisible. Hm ....
Pounding resounds at the door.
I'm almost out of time! The licorice! I remember there being large, thick strands of giant licorice ropes. That should be able to hold him off until I think of something else.
I walk slowly to the door and listen closely. I can hear Mike's breathing. Well, siblings always fight at some point, right? I kick the door with all my might then run towards the licorice ropes, not pausing to look at Mike. The licorice approaches and I grab one. I don't remember it being this heavy. Then again, I never lifted it a child ...
"Hey!" I say to the man. "Hold this and follow me."
He doesn't look too sure about this but slowly follows my orders after I tell him my plan. We hurry over to the designated spot and hide. We have three licorice ropes stacked on top of each other. I'm Mike will be too busy looking at eye level that he won't notice us. I hid the man cleverly but me, not so much. I hope my size will be small enough he won't see me. I place my first finger to my lips and we wait for Mike's arrival.
We don't wait long. Soon he trips and falls, just as I'd hoped.
"Sorry, Mike," I say, then to the man, "Hurry! Tie him up!"
The man and I quickly tie him up. Mainly the man since I can hardly lift them anyway. I'm too busy thinking anyway
First off, why had these two switched places? I know for sure that it was Mike who had this job and I left Mike outside the forest.
Another thing, I remember products on the ground and broken glass but when I was running, I didn't trip once (surprising). I should have if the items for purchase were on the ground. And I really doubt that I'm not as clumsy as I think.
I thought this was supposed to be this "amazing camp" Ryan told me about!
Then, I get it. I understand what is going one.
To no one in particular I yell, "Hey! You 'camp' people! People who do 'magic'! This isn't funny!! Quit this illusion stuff I'm sick and tired of it! It's getting really annoying. Do you have any idea--"
I'm stopped midsentence as the ceiling opens and hundreds of faces are revealed. I drop my jaw at the sheer number of people. W-Were they all watching me? I'm really shy around people I don't know. They don't know me and I don't know them. Usually I'm fine to keep it that way. That's a reason why I really only have one friend, Rachel. I also never wanted people to notice my eyes under the blue contacts. They should protect me but I'm always scared they aren't working.
I watch as slowly "Mike" and the other guy transform into random people I don't know. I cringe away, scared almost out of my wits. Who are these people? The convenient store disassembles itself. Tents appear. Some have words like "Mess Hall" or "Showers" but I can only wonder how it can all fit and work with this many people. There aren't lines outside of the tents at all.
Everyone seems to know what they are doing while I just stand wondering what in the world is going on. Magic can't be real, right? Seeing the tents only makes me want to explore. It reminds me of video games where one always wants to go in search of things unrelated to the main plot simply because of curiosity. What might be behind the random door on the ship? Money? Health? A side quest?
But truly I wonder, where I am and what is this "camp" Ryan has brought me to? Speaking of Ryan, where is he?