EVERGREEN, elijah hewson

perfect storm

CHAPTER NINE
"perfect storm"

OH, HOW THE WEATHER LIKED TO RUIN ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!

Being waked up by the soothing crash of rain against your tent really just lightened the mood, really just made you excited for another eight hours of walking.

There were now three things that were absolutely going to send Eden into a tantrum today. One: Min-Hee and Belle were going to continue to prod her with questions about what had happened with Elijah (which she replied with the single word 'nothing' each time. Any method they attempted to shatter the wall around her was not going to work at all. What had happened beside that bloody toilet block was to be kept under wraps, a secret between only Eden and Elijah, no third parties involved. Unless Elijah dared to tell his friends — that was not going to happen, in any circumstance. Two: her period. Cramps galore, heavy flow, just pure perfection. Elijah must have smuggled some Milka into her tent during the night because she rolled over to see a massive bar staring right back at her. Three: the lovely English weather. The distant toll of thunder, the trees singing eerie melodies as a tumultous downpour caused havoc.

Eden mentally thanked her Mum for placing all of her clothes into binbags — such a remarkable idea — or else they'd be absolutely soaked by the end of the day. What's worse than wet pyjamas when you're freezing your tits off?

Day four. 6AM. Eden slipped out of the tent with her raincoat and waterproof trousers on, careful not to stir up enough noise to wake up the others. She no longer had the ability of checking the weather so would have to resort to the caveman method of figuring it out — by going outside and looking at the sky — pretty insane. She zipped up her raincoat, stared up to see grey clouds, bolts of lightning behind a sinister cottage a few fields away, muddy ground clutching at her boots.

This was all Elijah's fault. If he hadn't have mentioned rain, none of this would've occured.

Mr Sahni had told them before they even got inside the bus, "You're in for a week of clear blue skies and sunlight. Always take waterproofs just in case, but still, you're a very lucky group."

Very lucky. Very, very lucky indeed.

The faint aftertaste of Elijah's toothpaste still remained at the roof of her mouth. She swiped her tongue along it, remembering. Staring at Robert and Elijah's tent brought her mind back to the nighttime events. Did she regret it? She didn't know. She was confused. She had laid awake for those long five hours, thinking through every word that she said, trying to change the narrative in her head. She thought of him, wondered what would happen if she snuck into his tent, just to lay beside him and count his breaths. Was he overthinking everything too? Or was he just like Daniel: careless and forgetting? Was he putting on some strange act to reel her in just so that he could block all contact with her once the week was over? He wouldn't. But, her mind liked playing cruel tricks with her. She had a terrible habit of being paranoid - especially when something so very good emerged in her life.

Other students were already leaving their tents and getting prepared for breakfast. None of them seemed to really care about the storm. It wasn't too bad. A slight drizzle. Eden just knew that it would worsen over time. That the sky liked to manipulate them into believing that they were already in the thick of it. Eden had learnt her lesson — she always brought a jacket with her when going on holiday in a hot country — she would not be fooled by the sky ever again.

"Eden, is that you?" Min-Hee was yawning as she left the tent, stove in hand. She rubbed at her eyesockets, tugging at her skin as she glanced around. "This is perfect. Brilliant even. Why did I even go on this expedition? I wish I could be sat at home, watching the telly, eating popcorn. What would I give for some popcorn right now? Or to rewatch Glee. I miss my sofa so much."