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In the coming months, everything fell into place. Everything became routine. I went to choir, school, then spent weekday afternoons alternating between my and Jonah's bedrooms, and weekends with Liz and Yasmine. We would go to the mall, watch a movie, or sit and gossip in one of their basements. There really wasn't anything to do in a town like this, though one afternoon we drove five hours out to the nearest big city and spent the entire day hopping from museum to store to restaurant. That had been fun. Besides that...
It's one year, I told myself. Don't get all gaspy and huffy about it.
It was okay. Even Jonah laid off a little if that meant anything.
"I think we're going to win the game by fourteen." There he was now, in his jersey in celebration of the homecoming game. He was a tight end or something. I wasn't paying attention, nor had he talked about it (and nor had I asked about it). He walked with a school newspaper reporter at his side. We made flitting eye contact as he passed. I looked away. I could feel his gaze linger.
Things were getting odd.
"Imani." I shut my locker to the sound of Yasmine's voice. "What group are you in for the camping trip?"
"I haven't checked."
"They're outside the cafeteria."
Every single year, on different weeks in September and October, every class went on a weeklong trip into the woods. It was the craziest thing I'd ever heard, but it was true. The entire senior class was going to be bused into the middle of nowhere and left in the hands of the teachers and a school-owned campsite. I could opt out for religious and medical reasons. Or I could take the hit to my participation grade in gym class that would drop me a whole letter grade. So on the trip, I was going.
"We're in mixed groups," Yasmine said. "I don't know if I like that sound of that..."
"Me neither." Two months at this school and I knew mixed groups never meant girls and boys. It meant the "original" families and the rest of us. There was something different about those kids. They stayed to themselves, had their own gym class, and lived in the gated community on the nature preserve just outside of town. The division had to be...illegal, didn't it? Was this actually allowed? "Maybe they have a secret cult or something. I mean, it just doesn't add up."
"They're just snobs, nothing more, nothing less. You and Liz are together, at least." She looked deflated. I squeezed her shoulder. Her group must have been particularly bad.
I went to homeroom and sat down. The teacher came in a few minutes later, with a stack of fliers that as soon learned were waivers for the trip.
"Class, as you know, Evansville Academy has the tradition of sending students to learn and thrive in the beautiful wilderness for a week. It will be a break from classes and a good opportunity to bond with your classmates one last time. It will also be a good model for the real world: you will be tasked with preparing your shelter and finding your own food under the guidance of the adult leadership. It is the hope of the administration that the trip teaches you both gratitude and confidence as you are about to step into your adult lives."
"Is that what happened last year," a boy mumbled. The teacher shot him a dirty glare and continued to pass out papers. I turned around, desperately looking for someone to ask, "what happened last year?"
"Remember to pack a bag of clothing and toiletries and the very least a sleeping bag too if you wish to be comfortable." The bell rang and we started to shuffle out of class. "Come to school early, we will be leaving at seven-thirty! If you are not there then your grade in gym will fall."
The bell rang and we shuffled out of class. I shook my head. A week-long trip into the middle of nowhere? To build trust and gratitude? Good God. It was times like this that made me with my parents would never have decided to settle down in one place.
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I rose in the dark the next day, looking at my already prepared bag in the corner of the room. I stretched in bed and let my feet slip out from beneath the comforter. Ah—the air was cold. I could lay in my bed forever on mornings like this, stuck between sleep and waking. The feeling was like floating just above my bed.
Someone tapped on my door. "Imani. Wake up, dear." My dad pushed open the door. "You need to be at school early."
"Five more minutes."
"I'm afraid not, love. Get up." I groaned and rolled out of bed, letting my body sink into my plush carpet. "Imani."
Then I was really up. I showered in hot water and put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt belonging to one of the schools I went to within the last three years. There was no dress code for the camping trip and I meant to take full advantage. All I had in my bag were sweatshirts, fuzzy socks, and well-worn sweatpants.
"I got worried so I repacked your toiletries bag," my Mom said. She held it out to me.
"Worried about what?"
"That you would miss half the stuff you need."
I smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Well, I'm not a little girl, but thank you, Mummy."
"Then why did you forget to floss and sunscreen?"
"Sunscreen is well...optional"
"Sunscreen is for everyone."
I just nodded. There was no point in arguing about what was a deeply held belief of hers. She claimed sunscreen (and Vicks Vaporub) could keep a person young forever.
I put on my backpack, twice as heavy as normal, and grabbed a duffle bag from off the floor. "I'll see you in a week," I said. Both my parents waved at me from the step of the house, standing there until I disappeared from sight.
I walked to the school, against the early morning chill, amongst the chatter of the birds, and the buzz of the bees getting their last haul before the coming cold. As the school came into view, so did the buses, not yellow, but blue coach buses. Kids stood around in the parking lot, waiting for teachers to count them. I spotted Yasmine in a bright pink sweat jacket. She waved me over.
"Liz is saving us seats in the back. She got here early."
"Good." My eyes drooped. At this time, I'd be just rising out of bed, throwing on my uniform, and rushing to class. The brisk walk would be like coffee, against the orange, red, and yellow sky. Today, I was surely going to fall asleep on the bus. Even now, my head swayed as I stood. "How long is the trip, do you know?" I asked.
"Five, six hours."
"Didn't we go to a museum six hours away?"
Yasmine smiled a tight smile. "We're going the other direction, Imani. Into more wilderness."
Oh.
We boarded the bus and I sat back, trying to bat away my nervousness as the drive began. Into the wilderness. Into the wilderness. I needed to relax; just because I hadn't tried it before didn't mean it would be bad. But something about going deeper into the woods, the dark canopy of trees, the silence, the quiet, and the dependence on near strangers was turning my stomach. Well, not strangers. I knew these kids. But no, I didn't. Not well enough for this. I lowered myself in my seat, with my head against the window.
It'll be fine.
And I repeated that until I was able to sleep as I had promised myself.
I didn't wake up again until we reached the campgrounds. Beneath my sweatshirt, I was hot from the sunlight streaming into my face, and my stomach rumbled. There was a sandwich in my lap with my name on it. It had been sealed with the school logo. I looked at the label. Ham and cheese. I tore it open and ate it in about three bites.
"You're up?" Liz asked. She had a book open, with her legs folded in the seat. "Sleep well?"
"I'm nervous as hell."
"Don't be. It's the same boring peace and unity schtick every year before they dump us into the middle of nowhere and we split into the groups we always do. Last year I spent the whole time whittling little statues from bark. Or reading a book. It was kind of relaxing."
"But we can't use our phones."
"It's just a week," Yasmine said. "It passes surprisingly fast."
"Like a bad dream," Liz said.
I nodded and sat back. The bus was tranquil as we pulled into the campsite. It wasn't much to see—a cabin for the teachers and beaten paths leading to the group sites. We hauled our stuff out of the bus and filed out. I took a deep breath. It smelled like earth, pine, and underbrush. It pulled my arms against my body. It was still kind of cold too.
I knew Liz and I were in the same group—C. Yasmine dragged her feet toward A, which would reside about half a mile away from us. Soon, the bus drop-off emptied as everyone peeled away, leaving me, Liz, and half a dozen other stragglers behind.
Liz pulled a canister of bug spray out of her bag. "Want some?" she asked, already engrossed in spraying herself.
"Sure." I took the canister and sprayed my skin down. When I was dry, I hoisted my bags over my shoulders and began—Liz beside me—to head to the group C campsite.
There were already people there—two girls, with blonde waves, tucked behind their ears and the same face: twins obviously. "We already distributed jobs," one of the girls said, "but you can help collect sticks for the fire. We're making a big tent, so you can leave your bags here and we'll put them under the tarp."
Liz shrugged and slid her backpack off her back. I followed suit.
"At least we're not setting up the tents," Liz said. "Or digging toilets."
"Let's see if we can find berries. Do you know the edible ones?"
"A few."
And so we walked off into the woods. The campsite shrank behind us until it disappeared completely into the folds and branches of the trees and bushes.