Companion (boyxboy)

Captured

CHAPTER ONE

"We're here!" Alan Derry pulled off the road and parked the car.

Kieran and his siblings, Emily and Hugh, hurried outside. Emily was the youngest at ten years old and she immediately bent to place both of her hands on the ground, stretching her small back from the five hour car ride.

Kieran felt his back crack satisfyingly and breathed in the fresh air. He was the middle child at seventeen and just finishing up high school.

Hugh was the oldest at twenty-one and he hefted Emily's pack, as well as his own. Kieran strapped on his backpack, and their parents locked the car, before setting off for the familiar trek.

This was their annual camping trip. It had initially been their mother's (Sarah Derry) idea, as a way to detox from electronics and the stresses of city life.

Alan had always been the outdoorsy type and he'd eagerly suggested camping when Kieran was eight years old. That meant a week in the woods without phone, internet or any connection to the outside world except Mother Nature and each other.

Emily made herself useful by handing out water from one of their cooling boxes.

"Can we make a swing over the water?" She asked excitedly, strawberry curls flying, as she skipped around with her usual boundless supply of energy.

"Right after we set up camp." Alan replied, grinning when his daughter whooped and jumped nimbly over a fallen tree.

"Dad, I'll need to call Amy when we arrive." Hugh said and their mother frowned.

"She knows this is a detox. Why can't she just come along?" Sarah exclaimed.

"Amy's not like that, mom. You know she doesn't like the outdoors." Hugh explained with the kind of slow, exaggerated patience that bespoke an old argument.

Amy was Hugh's girlfriend. She studied economics and was friendly enough. But she preferred fine dining to picnics and ironed all of her clothes. Hugh studied music and most of his clothes were second-hand. It was a marvel the two had fallen for each other.

"You can use the emergency phone tonight." Alan peaceably interjected and Hugh smiled.

"Only tonight!" Their mom stressed and Hugh frowned.

Kieran sensed a long discussion ahead and hurried forward to catch up with Emily. She was crouched over a bush.

"What did you find?" He asked.

"Blackberries!" She held up a handful, hands and mouth already stained purple.

Kieran helped her pluck a bunch, and store them inside the cooler, until their parents caught up.

They soon reached the lake and set about making camp.

Shouts and laughter erupted from across the water and Sarah groaned. "Tell me that's not a school?"

Emily pulled out her binoculars and climbed up a tree.

"It's a school!" She shouted from a high branch and their mother sighed.

"Can we find another spot?"

"This is the only lake within miles." Alan said.

"But they're so noisy!" But Sarah was already unclasping her pack with a resigned air.

Alan rubbed her back soothingly and kissed her cheek. "I'm sure they'll keep it down."

Just then a megaphone sounded from across the lake and a male voice boomed: "Jason, Adam and Ruth. Get out of the water and put some clothes on."