we’ll be exploring, right?”
Once she came back out and passed everyone a perspiring bottle of cold water, we walked through the lodge to the door leading out to the parking lot. Mrs. Bartlett and Annie were clearing away the buffet, and Logan paused for a second, looking over at Annie before Teresa shoved him and he started walking again. We went back outside and crossed the parking lot to where the path emerged from the woods. I didn’t look back, just kept walking until I reached the tree line. I stopped and looked back. They were all standing on the pavement, hadn’t even started heading down the path across the lawn. “Are you coming? Or do you want me to do this by myself?”
One by one, they started up the path. I stood aside and let them pass me, falling into step with Rachel in the back. “You sure you’re okay?” I asked her, keeping my voice down. Logan and Carson were leading the way, Logan talking and laughing loudly the way he always did. “You seem—”
“I didn’t sleep well.” She brushed a lock of hair out of her face and didn’t look at me. “I’m tired and not in the mood for Carson’s bullshit, if you must know.” She gave me a brittle smile. “I probably should have just stayed in bed.”
I didn’t say anything.
“No, I didn’t have bad dreams, if that’s what you’re wondering.” It was like she was reading my mind. “I just couldn’t fall asleep. I don’t know why. Last night was just creepy, okay?”
“You didn’t…” I fumbled for words. “Last night…”
She stopped walking and gave me an angry look. “I didn’t feel anything, okay?” Her voice shook, but her eyes were determined. “Nothing. Do you understand me?”
Her vehemence startled me. “There’s nothing to be afraid of—”
“Not a goddamned thing.” She started walking faster, catching up to Teresa, and they started talking animatedly.
I stood there for a moment before starting to walk again myself. Logan and Carson were waiting at the fork, Logan leaning on the sign. When they saw me coming, they headed down the path leading deeper into the woods.
After the fork, the path started going down a slight slope. The trees formed a canopy of limbs over our heads, so we weren’t in direct sunlight even though the blue sky was visible through the thickly knit branches from time to time. It was quiet in the woods, other than the slight hum of insects and the occasional chirping of birds. There were also some big rocks embedded in the dirt in places. The rocks were covered with green moss, which was kind of slippery, and I found myself having to grab for branches or tree trunks occasionally when my feet slipped and started to go out from under me.
The forest was beautiful, pristine and still and green. Every so often a bird would soar by just overhead, heading from one tree to another. In places, the growth of bushes and fledgling trees almost hid the path from view, and I had to push branches out of the way to get through. The majority of the trees closest to the path were small and young, the trees getting bigger and thicker the farther they were from the path, and it occurred to me that the path must have been much wider at some point, more like a dirt road than the narrow path it was now. Every once in a while, we had to climb over a rotting fallen tree, beetles and other bugs crawling along the surface of its brittle, fragile bark. But the air was so fresh and clean, with the scent of flowers I couldn’t identify and pinesap and maple. I turned and looked behind me, and there was no sign of the road or anything other than forest. We walked into a small clearing at one point, and I saw a deer, frozen in place and staring at us before it turned and bounded away, disappearing into the trees in a matter of seconds. There was a small creek lazily twisting through that clearing, so narrow it was easy to step over and so shallow and clear I could see the rocks on the bottom.
I stepped over and
Once she came back out and passed everyone a perspiring bottle of cold water, we walked through the lodge to the door leading out to the parking lot. Mrs. Bartlett and Annie were clearing away the buffet, and Logan paused for a second, looking over at Annie before Teresa shoved him and he started walking again. We went back outside and crossed the parking lot to where the path emerged from the woods. I didn’t look back, just kept walking until I reached the tree line. I stopped and looked back. They were all standing on the pavement, hadn’t even started heading down the path across the lawn. “Are you coming? Or do you want me to do this by myself?”
One by one, they started up the path. I stood aside and let them pass me, falling into step with Rachel in the back. “You sure you’re okay?” I asked her, keeping my voice down. Logan and Carson were leading the way, Logan talking and laughing loudly the way he always did. “You seem—”
“I didn’t sleep well.” She brushed a lock of hair out of her face and didn’t look at me. “I’m tired and not in the mood for Carson’s bullshit, if you must know.” She gave me a brittle smile. “I probably should have just stayed in bed.”
I didn’t say anything.
“No, I didn’t have bad dreams, if that’s what you’re wondering.” It was like she was reading my mind. “I just couldn’t fall asleep. I don’t know why. Last night was just creepy, okay?”
“You didn’t…” I fumbled for words. “Last night…”
She stopped walking and gave me an angry look. “I didn’t feel anything, okay?” Her voice shook, but her eyes were determined. “Nothing. Do you understand me?”
Her vehemence startled me. “There’s nothing to be afraid of—”
“Not a goddamned thing.” She started walking faster, catching up to Teresa, and they started talking animatedly.
I stood there for a moment before starting to walk again myself. Logan and Carson were waiting at the fork, Logan leaning on the sign. When they saw me coming, they headed down the path leading deeper into the woods.
After the fork, the path started going down a slight slope. The trees formed a canopy of limbs over our heads, so we weren’t in direct sunlight even though the blue sky was visible through the thickly knit branches from time to time. It was quiet in the woods, other than the slight hum of insects and the occasional chirping of birds. There were also some big rocks embedded in the dirt in places. The rocks were covered with green moss, which was kind of slippery, and I found myself having to grab for branches or tree trunks occasionally when my feet slipped and started to go out from under me.
The forest was beautiful, pristine and still and green. Every so often a bird would soar by just overhead, heading from one tree to another. In places, the growth of bushes and fledgling trees almost hid the path from view, and I had to push branches out of the way to get through. The majority of the trees closest to the path were small and young, the trees getting bigger and thicker the farther they were from the path, and it occurred to me that the path must have been much wider at some point, more like a dirt road than the narrow path it was now. Every once in a while, we had to climb over a rotting fallen tree, beetles and other bugs crawling along the surface of its brittle, fragile bark. But the air was so fresh and clean, with the scent of flowers I couldn’t identify and pinesap and maple. I turned and looked behind me, and there was no sign of the road or anything other than forest. We walked into a small clearing at one point, and I saw a deer, frozen in place and staring at us before it turned and bounded away, disappearing into the trees in a matter of seconds. There was a small creek lazily twisting through that clearing, so narrow it was easy to step over and so shallow and clear I could see the rocks on the bottom.
I stepped over and
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