The Trench

Chapter 9 - Take a Hike

After about a hour drive we finally arrive at the trailhead. I let Mae borrow some more clothes from my closet since we were going in the opposite direction of her house. She ended up wearing a plain white t-shirt and black yoga pants with tennis shoes, and I threw on a grey pair of yoga pants with a bright yellow t-shirt. I don't care what anyone says, yoga pants are LIFE and I have a pair for each day of the month.

I packed a backpack with some water, snacks, my camera, a map and compass, a first aid kit, sunscreen, and a few other things I thought we might need. Mae laughed as I slung it over my shoulders and clipped it in the front.

"Hey, you won't be laughing if you fall over a cliff and I have to pull you up. Because I have the rope and the harness for such occasion." I smile in triumph and head into the woods with Mae following behind me.

"So Mae, tell me about you." I start up a conversation as I pick my way through the beginning of the trail. It doesn't seem too used, but maintained enough to where it's not completely overgrown.

"Well, I grew up here in Bangor; sometimes I wish I could move somewhere new; I've always wanted to see Seattle." She said with a grin. "I've always wanted to travel the world; places like Greece, Russia, Australia, Japan, not be tied down to one spot."

I nod in agreement, it would be amazing to be able to travel the world and not worry about responsibilities.

"So what are your fears?"

Mae thinks for a moment before answering. "Failure, you know; not being able to accomplish my dreams. OH and SNAKES!" I start laughing as she takes a quick look around her. God help us if we run into one today, I'd have to carry her all the way back to the truck.

"Okay, who was your best friend growing up?" I tried to make my voice sound as normal as possible as I ask this question. Mae is quiet for a minute and I glance back to see if I could read her face. I can't, she has a good poker face.

"Uhm, Madison probably. She lived a few houses down from me. We were friends all through school...but we had a falling out." Mae's voice shakes a little but she smiles to try and cover it up.

I look back ahead just as I was about to trip over a root sticking up. I carefully step over and point at it to make sure Mae see's it. I couldn't help but be disappointed by her answer; I hoped she would mention Emily. Austin did tell me she won't talk about Emily's death, he didn't mention that she's blocking her memory out completely.

"Tell me about your siblings, who's the oldest? Who was the troublemaker?" I smile back at her, hoping I don't sound intrusive. If I can't get any information on Emily, my next target is Austin. Or Professor Michaels, what the fuck ever.

"Austin is the oldest, he's 29. He's always been kind hearted, but he did have a wild streak some years back. Hence all of his tattoos. Mom always threatened him, saying not to get anymore but he never listened." She laughs at the memory and I smile. "Until he got into some serious trouble and decided to grow up, he had a teacher who he spent a lot of time with and I think that's the reason he decided to go into teaching."

"Kane is the middle child, he's 25. He's always been the old-soul, loves books and learning. A bit of a nerd some would say. He's also a loner, never had many friends and didn't participate in school unless it was for extra credit. Mom always thought he was a bit off, and he is, but he means well most of the time."

"I'm the youngest at 22, as you know. I was the troublemaker." She put air quotes around the word troublemaker and laughed.

"Always going to parties when I was supposed to be grounded. Skipping classes, smoking, I tried weed once and dad found out. But we all have our wild years...except Kane."

I laughed as I imagined Kane at a party, it was hard to envision. While he was at the club he seemed so out of place it was painful.

"What about you? Tell me about where Riley hails from. I already know it's full of cow-tipping-tales."

I think for a second before answering. "Well I grew up in a small town in southern Missouri as you know, the area is called the Bible belt; and for a good reason. Churches are everywhere, and everyone knows everyone else's business. If someone got engaged, the entire town would know before the parents did."

I laugh as I remember this same thing happening to a friend of mine. He proposed to her at the gazebo by the lake, and a member of the church saw and called her mother. By the time they got home the whole family knew.

"If you so much as cursed on the street the whole church congregation would know. That next Sunday you would get side-eye from all the old biddies like you committed a crime."

"It wasn't all bad, there was hardly any crime, and we left our doors unlocked and our keys in the trucks. We used to ride the horses into town to get ice cream in the summertime. It was peaceful." I smile at the thought; everything was much simpler back then.

"Sounds amazing." Mae says from behind me. "Growing up in the city I don't know what that's like. Do you have any siblings?"

My shoulders stiffen at the question and it feels like someone dropped a rock in the pit of my stomach.

"I did." I say quietly. "He died a few years ago."

Mae mutters a quiet apology and we continued to walk in silence.