Reckless Abandonment Over Summer

Chapter Eleven: Trapped, scared and loved

Chapter Eleven: Trapped, scared and loved

I made sure that I brought a flashlight and extra batteries with me. The mural wasn't finished yet so before I stepped inside the trail, I painted the last details of the second kid. Juno was able to finish the rope. I flashed the light on it and it made me smile to see that the tag of war worked.

I followed the signs I made so I wouldn't get lost. At the end of the trail, I had marked it with an 'x'.

I also brought some snacks, it's prohibited to have snacks in the cabin. But we were allowed to go outside camp for an hour so I bought some and made sure to hide it to anyone.

At the end of the trail, I saw the x-mark I put. But then I peered through the broken barbed wire and thought of some escapade. A little adventure wouldn't be that bad, right? Besides what could be scarier than being chosen as a gamer of that game?

So I walked still, and crossed the barricade. I watched out for some nocturnal animals that might be lurking somewhere in the dark. It was so dark. Being outside on my own was one of things I wanted to do but as I thought about it, if this was what kind of place I'd be on my own, I think I was good with having a company. Right now, though, a company was not what I wanted.

Further and further, I stepped into the darkness of the forest. I might be somewhere inside the camp still, but the presence of the unknown around me told me I wasn't anymore. That barricade that I saw might be the boundary of the outside to the camp.

I decided to walk back. When I turned around and lit up the light on the way, I didn't know where should I go by then. It was total darkness that I could go to the right, or left or just straight ahead. I would surely get lost this time.

I sang a song, any song, to keep me from thinking of anything scary. I was one of those kids who would think something bad whenever they were alone than think of something that would make them feel safe. That was me, alright. I should avoid that kind of thinking from now on.

My dad once told me that I liked going to places that they didn't want me to be. Even when I was a little girl, I was already a stubborn kid. They had seen that maybe one day, I'd be the most stubborn kid in town and they were right. Not exactly in town, but in school.

If they had been a hands-on parents, I would have become a better child to them. Someone who obey rules and regulations and someone who do everything they say. It was partially their fault I was like this.

"I know I went this way," I said all to myself when I saw two paths crossing together.

It's a game of eeny meenie miny moe this time. I closed my eyes and poked the light on left and right singing eenie meenie miny moe until it landed on...

"The right way. I knew that's right."

So that's where I went. I walked in the right path only to find a dead end in the end. A sign board that said, "This is the end of the road for you."

"Huh. Weird sign." I turned around and my eyes widened to see a lone fox just a few meters away from me. Were fox a predator? Or maybe they were just like house or farm pets?

I couldn't turn off the light. Who knew what might attack me if I did that? The fox was approaching my way, curious to what I was. I opened the bag of chips I brought and started throwing bits and pieces of it to the fox. That strayed him a little bit, stopping at every chips it crossed. A handful of chips was the last thing I did before I dropped the bag and ran to the wilderness. This was one adventure I wouldn't repeat anymore.

So I ran, and ran, and ran. I could hardly breathe. I was panicking. My nerves were pulsing. I was dead scared. Then I hit myself onto something. It was the barbed wire. It scratched my leg, leaving an open wound, small but it was bleeding. I located the broken part and when I saw it, I went through it right away. And I ran again.

I was looking back, making sure that the fox or whatever creature might be following me was far away to where I was. And then I bumped into something. Someone.

"Riley," the voice said. I only recognized his voice.

In my head, the flashlight was nowhere in sight.

Gustav pointed the light to my face. I was terrified so I was looking like shit. I couldn't actually paint what was his facial reaction but I couldn't care less. I hugged him and I clung on him for support. My knees were jell-o and anytime, I would fall on the ground.

"Where have you been?" he asked, worried but mad.

"I was... I..." I couldn't utter any coherent word. My voice died down for a moment.

"You look like you've seen a ghost. Let's get you back to your cabin," he said.

I was about to tell him I couldn't walk properly but it surprised me when he carried me bridal-style. I didn't protest. I just buried my face on the crook of his neck and made sure I was holding onto him so I wouldn't fall.

My acquaintances were standing in front of me, arms crossed and mixed reaction. Gustav was gone already when they got in. Apparently, according to Gustav before he left me, I was called to play the game. And when they were calling me to get to the stage, they couldn't find me. So someone had to do it. He checked in the cabin, by the lake shore but there were no sign of me. Until he came across with one camper who was just about to go to the activity center that he saw me went to the trekking road. He said that that trail was already closed because foxes were lurking on the other side of it. But I reasoned out that it was still not safe to leave the barbed wire open. He only said that no one noticed it yet because no one had dared to get to it yet. Now that I saw it, they would fix it first thing in the morning and then he left. No other words, no other gesture... he just left. I was hoping he would ask something in between of 'how are you' and 'are you okay' but he didn't.

"We were so worried about you," Yuan said, frowning down at me.

"It's not really a big thing..." I said, trailing in the end.

"Not a big thing? A fox was about to attack you. Not a big thing? Come on, Riley, being hard-headed has its place. Can't you put that anywhere else?" Yuan was the only one, yet, who could talk to me like we'd known each other since we were little kids. It surprised me to see them act like that because a week was not enough to call someone a friend.

"Riley, we just want you to know that we're in this camp to enjoy summer and—"

I cut off Donna. "I'm not here for the summer."

"We know that. But do you have any other choice?" Donna continued. "Can you get out of here? You can. But why aren't you doing it? Because you're enjoying your stay here. This is not a hell hole."

"And we care for you," Ellie now said. "Gustav was even more worried, though," she muttered.

The others giggled. I found it annoying.

"You shouldn't even care for me," I said, not looking to anyone.

"Why?" Yuan asked.

"Because..." I stopped. I didn't have the reason.

Donna and Yuan sat beside me. Ellie crouched down in front of me. They touched my hand as Yuan said, "You're our friend now and friends care. That's why." Donna and Ellie nodded in agreement to what Yuan said.

I was preventing myself to cry. But before I could even notice, I was leaning to Yuan for a shoulder to cry on. This was the first time that someone told something like that to me.

You're our friend now, and friends care.

Those words lingered in my mind more than anything else. I had best friends before I never heard those words to them. I had people I called friends back at home but they never said those. But here... I just met all of them and they were caring for me already.

I never said anything. I just let the tears fall because right now, at this very place, this was where I found the people I could call friends.