Purple Sweater

To the Adventure

That day Lawndale was hit by severe wind that kept blowing from the mountains, it was a cold and rainy ambience everywhere and it seemed like the start of a very gloomy weekend.

The sky was all cloudy and gray, and yet the parking lot of Lawndale High was full of cars and buses anyway. The hundreds of students hugged and said good bye to their parents everywhere, they boarded the buses in groups and soon the adventure would start.

Quinn was happy to feel how warm, soft and comfortable her new sweater was, actually perfect for this weather. Jake easily lifted his daughter's pink suitcase into the cargo compartment of the bus, Quinn and Daria would be the last to board and so it was time to say farewell...

"See ya, mom! Dad! Thanks! We'll be fine, it's just for the weekend..."

"This weather!" Helen observed, having a look at the gray sky and shivering a little in the cold wind- "How are you going to venture into the forest like this? I don't like the idea, Quinn... I think... What if you stay home?"

"Oh, don't worry about that! They'll be fine! Have fun, kiddo!"

"Thanks, dad!"

"I'll see you, Monday" Daria said as emotionless as usual, and after that, without hugs at all, she followed Jane into the blue and orange bus- "Good bye!"

Jake hugged Quinn, then it was Helen's turn and this hug in particular was quite tight and prolonged...

"What is it, mom?"

"I don't know, I feel... something strange..."

"Well, see ya! Enjoy the weekend, mom!"

Quinn hurried to climb the stairs when Miss Morris was just about to call her, the door was closed and so Jake and Helen, chill and worried respectively, just stood there in the light rain while the buses advanced and finally disappeared into the distance...

"Chill Helen, they'll be great!"

"I hope so, Jake..."

Quinn was happy to see that Daria and Jane had already secluded themselves at the farthest end of the bus, and yet it seemed that she would have trouble to find a seat, since she had been the very last to board. Sandi and Stacy were sitting together, and the bus was really packed, especially with students that she did not know very well.

That creepy goth girl that was Daria's classmate, Corey and Jason, the eerie girl that sometimes smoked and seemed all sad and burnout all the time, the boy with the pie cap... and that blond, happy and often smiley girl that Quinn had known since her days at Camp Grizzly. 

"Hi Quinn! Over here!"

"Hey Coulthard" Quinn said, now sitting beside her since it was the very last seat available in the entire bus- "So, how's it going?"

"Oh, just fine" Anna Coulthard replied in that high and mellow voice, and she seemed very happy to have Quinn as seat mate for the journey- "I love Woodslack! Hey, about the Canterbury Tales disaster... No hard feelings, right?"

Quinn then recalled what had happened at the Canterbury Tales play, in which she had participated wearing a splendid medieval dress, as part of the fair that had generated so much money for Lawndale High. The play had been a disaster indeed, to the point that a crying Quinn had fled the stage while people laughed and tossed turkey legs all over the place.

Anna had been right there, laughing happily at her, and yet now she expected that there would be no hard feelings after all...

"We're fine" Quinn accepted, trying for real to forget everything about that day- "So you know Woodslack Forest already?"

"Yeah! I camp there with my parents all the time, the place is great!"

"It's good to know that!"

"Woodslack can be a little dangerous, but I am sure we'll be fine..."

The rain became quite heavier as the bus left Lawndale behind, Miss Morris started to give a few instructions, Anna started to read a magazine called Chemistry Today and Quinn soon decided that the journey would be a good Waif reading time.

It was about an hour and a half later when the bus entered the vast, green and wild scenery of Woodslack Forest, and they parked at the Visitors Center soon after that...

"Here we are!" Anna said, now getting ready to leave the bus at last- "You're going to love it!"

The students began to descend from their buses in droves, it was cold though not quite as rainy as Lawndale, the smell of the forest was unbelievable and that was the start of what everyone expected to be a fun and great weekend.