Chapter 5

Chapter 5 ~ ‘Could This Get Any Worse?’

   Her eyes roved across and around the tent when all of a sudden she pointed her finger at the roof.

   “AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”” the scream broke the incredibly cold and foggy silence of the tent.

   “What?! Who!?” Matthew yelled, sitting up fast; everybody sat up quickly and stared at Emilie. Her face went bright red as she realized that all she had seen was the shadow of tree branch cast over the tent from the early morning sun.

   “Sorry I thought it was a real spider.” Emilie stared at Matthew who looked about ready to kill anything in sight. He slapped his face.

   “Emilie, could you please make sure next time what you see is real and not fake before you wake us up?”

   “Yes, Matthew.”  Katherine began to giggle and Joy joined her.

I would put this part before Katherine and Joy begin giggling.)

   “Sorry Em!” They tried to stop themselves, but then realized that she was also giggling with them.

Matthew made his bed and stood up.  “I guess the girls won’t be letting us sleep any longer.”

Adrienne smiled at him and much to her surprise he walked over to her and held out his hand; Adrienne took it and stood up. The girls broke into a fresh round of giggles. Joy waved her hand to Adrienne.

   “We’ll do your bed, Adrienne.”

   “Thank you, girls.”

Matthew opened the grill and turned it on.

   “Girls what’s for breakfast?”

   “Pancakes!”

   “Bacon!”

   “Pancakes and bacon it is.” he began to get the ingredients out. Adrienne ducked back into the tent.

   “Are you ready to head to the bathhouse?” Adrienne asked.

Emilie, Katherine, and Joy jumped up and hurried out of the tent and over to the truck where they were keeping their duffel bags. When they had their stuff, they took off down the path followed by Adrienne who hurried to keep up with the girls.

   “First one to touch the door is the winner!” Emilie cried out as Katherine pushed ahead of Emilie and Joy; Joy, with her long legs though, was soon ahead of both of them and just as she was about to reach out and touch the door Emilie came running with her hand outstretched to reach the door first. But much to their surprise, Adrienne won.  Emilie gasped for breath and stared at Adrienne who was also being stared at by Joy and Katherine. Adrienne laughed at their startled faces.

   “Didn’t think I could do that? It’s not like I’m an old lady or something.”

   “You’ll never been an old lady, Adrienne.” Emilie laughed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you were ninety and you’ll still be doing the stuff you do now.”  Emilie grinned crazily at Adrienne who laughed at her.

   “Well I can’t exactly say that will come true,” she said thoughtfully, “But maybe it could be true.”

Joy came out from getting dressed wearing a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeve purple shirt underneath a gray sweatshirt with a red heart on it. Katherine didn’t take much longer and was wearing a pair of jeans that looked almost white and a brown sweatshirt pulled down so low that you couldn’t see what shirt she was wearing; on it, it said “The Lark Family”. Emilie wore a pair of green jeans and a mint green shirt over a matching tank top with lace on the edges.

   After they were all dressed and had eaten breakfast, they lounged around the campsite. Emilie suddenly remembered what Katherine had suggested last night when they were talking in the tent. She jumped up and ran over to Matthew.

   “Matthew, may Joy, Katherine and I go hiking right now?”

   “Um...” Matthew thought for a little bit and then looked over at Adrienne who nodded her head slightly. “Yes you may.”

Katherine started jumping up and down in surprise. He had actually said yes!

   “Yippee!!!!!!!!!”

   “Honest, Matthew, I didn’t think you would say yes,” Joy told him with an honest look on her face, he laughed in surprise.

“Why not?”

“Because of what you promised your mother,” Joy replied honestly.

“Don’t worry, Joy, nothing will happen to you girls.” Matthew responded. Emilie came back from the pickup truck.

“I’m all ready!” she grinned excitedly, slinging a backpack onto her shoulder.

Matthew stood up.  “What’s in there?”

Emilie rifled through her backpack and pulled various things out of it.  “Um...I have three food bars, one for each of us, and also some water bottles. Aha! My special!” she held up a crumpled and rather soggy map. “The map!”

“Why is that your special, Em?” Joy wrinkled her nose at the soggy map.

“Uh ‘cause it helped us get here.” she shrugged.

“How did it get wet?” Katherine took it in her hands and stared at the blurry paper.

“Uh, that I do not know!” she grinned, “but who cares! Let’s go!” She loaded everything back in and re-tied her sneakers that were slightly tight because of her fuzzy pink socks that she was wearing. Joy picked up Emilie’s backpack and headed onto the path. Katherine and Emilie hurried after her. They waved goodbye to Adrienne and Matthew who both looked sort of uncomfortable being left behind at the campsite by themselves. Katherine began to giggle as she looked back over her shoulder at the campsite and Matthew and Adrienne.

“What?!” Emilie asked for the third time and finally got Katherine’s attention

   “I just was laughing at how awkward they both look.” She pointed over her shoulder. Emilie snuck a look and broke out laughing. Soon both Joy and Katherine were laughing along with her.

~*~

   After hiking for an hour, they came across a very silent part of the forest, and began to explore the area. They separated, but stayed within calling distance from each other. A scream split the air and made Joy stand up real fast.

   “What was that?” she called to Katherine. Katherine stood up as well.

   “It sounded like Emilie.” Katherine began to run to where they had left Emilie with Joy “Girls!”

   “Where are you, Em?” Joy called out to her.

They caught a glimpse of Emilie’s green shirt and ran faster. They were soon by her side, but Emilie wasn’t looking at them. She was staring petrified at a small opening in the trees.  Emilie pointed and they both looked quickly to where she pointed. Joy screamed loudly, Katherine jumped up scared and grabbed Joy and Emilie’s hands so fast that they didn’t have time to react. The girls sped far into the woods until they figured they were far enough away from the bear. Emilie began to cry Katherine hugged her tightly. Joy looked slowly about the circle.

   “Um, guys?”

Katherine looked at Joy. “What?”

   “I think we’re lost.”

Emilie screamed.  “Oh my gosh!” she yelled as she panicked, which wasn’t good. For when Emilie panicked she went hysterical.  

   “Calm down, Em,” Joy said nervously as she shifted from one foot to the other. Katherine looked scared, but there was also an excited glint in her small blue eyes.

   “I’ve never been lost before, but I’ve always been petrified of being lost, and now I am!” Emilie threw her hands up in the air as she exclaimed to no one in particular. She screamed again, making Joy jump and swat at her to stop so she could think.

   “Well....” Joy thought real hard, “What if we turn around and head back the way we came from?”  Katherine sat down on the slightly damp, grassy ground to think about what Joy had suggested. She stood up again.

   “Let’s try that.” She decided; she clasped Emilie’s hand in her own and pulled her along, afraid that if she didn’t, Emilie wouldn’t come follow them. Emilie raved on and on, repeating everything she said, but she was so scared she didn’t realize it.

   “Ya know we’ll probably run into that freakin’ lion again and we’ll be fried meat.”

   “Lion?” Joy glanced over at Katherine who shrugged and smiled back. They walked on and on until Emilie stopped and looked about.

   “Uh, guys?”

   “What?”

   “We’re still as lost as CAN BE!” Emilie screamed and kicked a towering elm with her knee. “Ouch!” she quickly pulled it back. Joy began to pace around the trees agitatedly and chastised herself.

   “What is Matthew going to do to me?”

   “What do you mean what is Matthew going to do to you?” Emilie stopped panicking long enough to ask.

   “I’m the oldest! I should be watching where we’re going! And we didn’t even use your soggy map.”

   “Shut up!” Emilie came out of her trance and stared at Joy who looked taken aback.

   “Why? Why do I have to shut up, Missy?” Joy stared stonily at Emilie. Katherine stared at them and wrung her hands and moaned.

   “Because I said so! You are the meanest person in the world.”

Joy gasped.

   “How dare you? Sometimes I really wonder why you’re my friend, Emilie Cherveaux.” her voice dripped with disdain. Emilie looked as angry as a lion when his lunch was taken away.

   “Girls…” Katherine moaned. Emilie looked over at Katherine.

   “Please stay out of this, Katherine. I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”

Katherine slapped her forehead in frustration. Why oh why?  Where’s Matthew when you need him?  Katherine pushed back her shoulders, took a deep breath and stepped forward.  She put a hand on each of their chests and looked at them both.

   “Okay, girls, listen.  Nothing’s going to happen if you argue, nothing at all! So until you stop arguing and we figure out what to do, we’re stuck. No one will benefit from this argument except some very angry people.” Katherine cringed as Emilie and Joy both glared at her.

“Unless- Unless you want to argue loud enough for Matthew and Adrienne to hear you and come and find us then do so, but I’m going to bed.”

She walked over to a tree and plopped down with her back to them. Emilie grimaced and marched over to another tree and lay down.  Joy stomped, muttering random things, over to a weeping willow and crawled underneath the leaves. Soon they were all asleep.