Christopher's Song (Indefinite Hiatus)

Chapter 12

Ethan tightened the last strap on his backpack and gave their supplies a quick once-over to make sure they had everything they'd need for a couple of weeks of roughing it. They had their camping stove, with the mini-propane tank, a cooler packed with a couple dozen hot dogs and four steaks, for when they felt more gourmet. They had a couple of 24-packs of soda, and figured they could boil some water from the river if they needed more sustenance than sugar water could provide. All the bread and chips were accounted for, along with their tent and sleeping bags. It looked like they were ready to go.

After much debate, the boys decided that a camping trip was just what they needed to get a firmer grasp of their powers. It was the beginning of summer break, and as they started university in the fall, they figured they should try to open the portal before the end of summer. Two weeks wasn't a lot of time to give themselves, but they figured that the practice in the wilderness would prep them to be more careful for further practice in the city limits. They had decided to head towards Banff; the mountains seemed somehow conducive to music, and their workings would require more solitude than they could find in the city proper.

They invited the other members of the band along for the first weekend, for a bit of fun before they got down to business, and also because Greg had the only car that could get them there. The twins were nothing if not practical.

As Ethan continued with his perusal, Greg entered through the kitchen door. "The car's all ready for us," he beamed. "I even got a tune up!" It had been two years since Greg had tuned up his station wagon; it was about time for a tune up, and all the members of the band had insisted on it before they left. The wagon had been making an unhealthy clicking noise for about six months, and no one really trusted it except Greg—he always trusted "Bessie."

Greg received cow-print seat-covers from his mother when he'd complained one too many times about the sad state of his seats—this bovine interior had prompted many a joke and resulted in the aptly-named Bessie.

As Daniel entered the room, he let out a relieved, "Thank God!" and flashed a quick smile at Greg to take the sting out of his comment. "You should have had her tuned up forever ago. Is she still suffering from indigestion, or did the mechanics fix that funky noise in her belly?"

"She purrs like a..." Greg trailed off.

"Heifer?" Ethan finished helpfully.

"Moo!" added Daniel, eyes dancing.

"Moo!" echoed Jesse and Mike as they came in from the car.

"What's taking you guys so long?" asked Jesse, ever the patient one. "It's been, like, five minutes since Greg came in here to get you."

Everyone rolled their eyes at this pronouncement. Jesse had never really learned to wait for anything. "Are we there yet?" was sure to be heard every ten minutes or so on the way to their campsite. Something about controlling the tempo of the band with his drums seemed to make the rest of life frustrating to wait for; he couldn't just bang on something to speed things up, though he'd often tried.

Mike was more sedate, and still somewhat subdued from his breakup with Becki. He hadn't really wanted to go on the trip, but they'd convinced him that a couple of days away would take his mind off things, and maybe make her "realize her mistake."

"Well, Patience, help us get all this outside, and we can leave," said Ethan, looking at Jesse. When he was being long-suffering, the boys all referred to Jesse as Patience; they thought it might remind him of the virtue, but mostly they just did it because he hated it.

"Shut up!" Jesse bellowed belligerently, but obediently picked up one handle of the oversized cooler. "Well? Is someone gonna grab the other side or what?" he demanded.