"Okay, which direction are you heading in?" Mom asked.
I cupped my hand over my temple to shield my eyes from the sun. It wasn't even December yet, and although it was Savannah, I could have gone for a cloudy day today. I was going hiking. Well, I was going to walk around the forest for a while and capture pictures of Mother Nature. But yeah, you could call it hiking.
"I'm going to start from that side," I said, pointing to the left. My camera dangled from my neck.
"Are you sure you'll be all right on your own?" she asked, frowning at me with worry evident on her face.
"Yes, I will be, Mom," I replied, giving her a brief smile. "Don't worry. It's just a small walk and capturing some photos. Besides, I'm not much of an active person."
"Oh, we know that," Dad said, nodding. I gave him a flat look and he shrugged.
"Keep your phone with you," Mom said, giving me a stern look. "Be sure it's not silent. Don't be late, okay?"
I nodded. They walked back to the cabin and I glanced at Dylan. He was in the same position as yesterday; legs to the chest and arms dangling off the knees. Of course, he had his usual mask on.
I smiled at him. "You want to go hiking with me?"
"No."
"You'll regret it," I teased, grinning. He rolled his eyes.
Shrugging, I skipped up ahead into the woods and began capturing photos of the trees and shrubbery. It was really nice and quite peaceful. Normally, I wouldn't sing in front of people, but I realized I was alone in a wide forest, so I began to sing.
(Quite awfully.)
I captured more photos and smiled to myself.
The day was going well.
I was lost.
I don't know what happened and how it really happened but I was lost. Literally. I was lost. In a forest. With nowhere to go. I gave up walking back and walking further because you know what that did? It confused me even more.
"Oh, gosh," I cried. "Oh, man."
I stopped midway when I realized I had my phone with me. I scrambled to pull it out and when I did, I gave out a loud cry.
"No!" I yelped, looking at the blank screen. My phone had died.
And I probably was going to die, too.
Pouting in distress, I walked further, usually stopping to take breaks because my feet began to hurt. Was this what usually happened to people who had recently grew up? Was this what now-adults had to endure? Was this a test? Unfortunately, these questions only distracted me from walking, and I ended up falling forward, landing on the soil with a thud and an unsatisfied grunt. I felt my ankle sting with pain and I scrambled to see what had happened.
It had gotten stuck between a mound of rocks and vines. I tried to wiggle my foot out of the pile but to no avail. I repeated the action but all I received was pain shooting up my ankle.
This wasn't good.
My foot was stuck and I could feel it constantly stinging with unnecessary pain.
And I was stuck.
In the middle of the woods.
With a dead phone.
And absolutely no resources.
Frankly, it was safe to say that I was going to die.
I let that sink in for a moment. I let it process through my head.
I was going to die.
"I'm...I'm going to die," I repeated. "I'm going to die. Oh, my gosh, I'm going to die! I am never going to see Amber and Tymon ever again. I turned eighteen but I won't be able to graduate! I won't be able to go on a second date with Dallas. I won't be able to live in a cute apartment all by myself. I won't be able to get a job or go to college – or graduate from college! I'm not going to be able to see my family and friends and boyfriend. Hm, it's weird, though. He is my boyfriend. Well, it has been a day, but he did ask me to be his girlfriend. But does that matter? I won't be able to see him again. I'm going to be stuck here for days until my body can't handle it anymore. I'll die from hunger and dehydration. I'm going to die with a possibly sprained ankle. I'm going to die miserably. This is my fate. I need to accept it. I need to—"
"Will you shut up already?" a voice asked, cutting me off.
I squealed and looked up. "I'm not going to die!"
Dylan gave me a flat look and bent down so that he was balanced on his feet and on my level. "You're an idiot."
I glared at him. "I got lost, okay? And then I got stuck..."
Dylan rolled his eyes and sighed and looked at the mound of rocks and vines. Silently, he began to pull apart the rocks, although that took some time and strength. I frowned at myself and my inability to had done so.
"How'd you find me?" I asked, watching him. He was frowning.
He sighed again. "Your yapping got me here."
I pursed my lips and blushed. "I was...I was having a moment."
We fell into silence and I helped Dylan with removing the rocks, which made me feel a little better. By the time my ankle was free, it was swollen red and it hurt. I cringed and massaged it.
"Does it hurt?" Dylan asked, looking at me.
"No," I lied. "No, it was just the pressure of the rocks. That's why it's red. It's...It's fine. I'm not hurt."
He raised an eyebrow and I stood up. Well, I tried to stand up and ended up losing my balance because of the pain that pierced my foot. I knelt against the tree and frowned. "Do you know the way back?"
"You're hurt."
I opened my mouth to say something but averted my attention to his hands. His fingers were bleeding. "I hurt you," I pouted.
He rolled his eyes. "No, you didn't. Stop being an idiot."
I sighed. "Do you know the way back?"
"I do," he said. "It doesn't seem you can walk, though."
"I'm fine," I said, taking a few steps forward. "See?"
I definitely had a sprained ankle.
"Then run."
"What?" I flatly asked.
"If you're fine, then run," he said, folding his arms.
I frowned at him. "What are you trying to imply?"
"Nothing," he said. "You're in pain."
"So what if I'm hurt? I can handle myself!"
"I know you can," Dylan said, catching me off guard. I stared at him and he grabbed my wrists. "Now climb. I don't have all day."
Pursing my lips, I climbed onto his back and wrapped my arms around his neck.
I grinned. "This is progress! We are becoming good friends!"
"Bug off."
"I bet you didn't carry your friends back in New York like this. I'm special, aren't I?" I teased.
"No."
"Lying is bad, Dylan."
"Oh, for Christ's sake!"
