Keepers of Ice

Chapter 3 - Invigorated

David Frost hated Mondays, they were a violation of his sleeping rights. But today would be one of the most exciting Mondays of his life as it was the day of the junior school camp. So instead of sleeping in, David woke up extra early to arrive at school in time.

As he stepped into the year nine area, groups of junior students happily walked to the front of the school, where three buses were parked. They were not his regular buses that escorted him to school and back home every day. These buses were a lot bigger in size and he assumed that these vehicles were their ticket to camp.

He decided to follow the crowd and searched around for any sign of Jackson. The refreshing morning breeze danced peacefully around him. The sky was also surprisingly clear, with the sun adding warmth and joy to everyone around him. To his left, two tall boys were walking towards one of the buses as they talked loudly about their favourite sport. To his right, a group of five younger girls were giggling cheerfully as they skipped their way to the front. It really did seem that everyone was looking forward to the camp.

The school bell rang, and teachers began ushering students into the buses. David noticed that his sister and her two friends were entering the bus in the middle, but when he tried to follow them, a teacher stopped him and told him that year nine students were to go to the bus at the front. Looks like it's one bus per year level. He wondered if there were any juniors who were not attending camp. Would they have to continue on with school projects and assignments?

David found Jackson sitting in the very back of the bus, but as he was one of the last students to step inside, he was forced to take one of the few remaining seats in the front rows. It was either the seat next to the huge, intimidating guy that seemed to have a permanent death stare plastered across his face or the seat next to a girl who was staring out the window. Not wanting to get his teeth knocked out during the trip, he sat next to the girl.

After placing his school bag at his feet, he strapped himself in and waited patiently. The camp was going to be for three days and two nights, but he did not pack much. He only brought along the necessities such as clothing and his toothbrush, as everything else would be provided at camp. He looked down at his faded blue jeans and wondered if his clothing choice would be suitable for the first day of camp. He was also wearing a white t-shirt with a nice black jacket, but he was beginning to think that shorts instead of jeans and an old shirt would be better for any camp activities that might become messy. However, he was still new to the school and wanted to give people a good first impression.

Their bus began to start moving, followed by a sudden uproar of excited chatter across the vehicle. David glanced at the girl sitting beside him, who was still gazing out the window. She had long black hair that flowed past her shoulders. He felt relieved at her similar clothing choice. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a white singlet that exposed her athletic light brown arms. His eyes traced her slim and shapely body figure before he quickly forced himself to look away. He felt bad for staring at a girl who did not even seem to notice his presence.

As if on cue, the girl turned to face him. Her pretty dark brown eyes quickly looked him up and down and he instantly felt conscious of what he was wearing and whether his hair was okay. She noticed his uneasiness and smiled. "Hey, you're David right?" she asked.

Judging from her face, he could tell that she was Asian, but she did not have a strong accent. "Yeah, how did you know?

"I've heard about you from some of your classmates in 9B. So, are you really from Canada?"

David was confused with her question. Stoneville High was a culturally diverse school, but perhaps Canadians coming to Australia was not so common. "Yeah." He paused and thought about what he could ask her to keep the conversation going. It was going to be a long trip, and even though he enjoyed quiet trips at times, this was a good opportunity to get to know a girl from his year level. An attractive girl too. "So what's your name? And where are you from?"